Complex realistic human motion sequences satisfying environmental constraints can be created by motion capture, which is a reliable way to reproduce human motions. However, motion capture data is difficult to modify in order to obtain variant motion sequences for multiple tasks. In this thesis, a system for synthesizing complex realistic human motion sequences based on a small group of sample motions to satisfy constraints is proposed. Methods are proposed for the system to preprocesses raw motion capture data to create sample motions that can be easily modified for the purpose of meeting specific requirements, while maintaining the subtleties of the origin motion capture data. Methods for the system to scan user-input constraints, to choose the best sample motion and synthesize the motion sequence based on route affected by the constraint are also proposed. Each generated motion piece is blended with the default motion, and thus a motion sequence composed of several pieces of motion based on constraints will be generated. Artifacts that arise during motion generation are identified and handled properly. Experimental results will show that the system can create cyclical sample motions from motion capture data, generate motion pieces based on environmental constraints, and synthesize complex realistic human motion sequences.

The purpose of this bachelor’s thesis is to investigate and construct a computerized electric control handle for a lifting system. The goal is to construct a prototype that can enable lifts with a weightless feeling. Initially, a literature study was conducted to investigate different possible solutions. Three different sensors were evaluated in the literature study. A load cell proved to be best suited for this project. Furthermore, a prototype was constructed where a signal from a load cell could regulate the speed and direction of an electric DC motor with a worm gear. After the prototype was constructed, it was assessed by 17 people. Overall, they all agreed that the lifting experience was good or decent. Finally, it was found that it is possible to create an electric lifting system that enables lifting with a feeling of weightlessness with the help of a load cell and an electric DC motor with a worm gear. There are also opportunities for further development such as better regulation with control engineering theories. Since this project had both a strict schedule and a tight budget to relate to, it has been difficult to develop the concept to its full potential. / Syftet med denna kandidatuppsats är att undersöka och konstruera ett datoriserat elektriskt manöverhandtag för ett lyftsystem. Målet är att konstruera en prototyp som kan möjliggöra lyft med en viktlös känsla. Inledningsvis gjordes en litteraturstudie för att undersöka olika möjliga lösningar. Tre olika sensorer utvärderades i litteraturstudien. En lastcell visade sig vara bäst lämpad för detta projekt. Vidare konstruerades en prototyp där en signal från en lastcell kunde reglera hastighet och riktning på en elektrisklik strömsmotor med snäckväxel. Efter att prototypen konstruerats bedömdes den av 17 personer. Sammantaget var de alla överens om att lyftupplevelsen var bra eller okej. Slutligen fann man att det går att skapa ett elektriskt lyftsystem som möjliggör lyft med en känsla av viktlöshet med hjälp av en lastcell och en elektrisk likströmsmotor med snäckväxel. Det finns också möjligheter till vidareutveckling såsom bättre reglering med reglertekniska teorier. Eftersom detta projekt haft både ett strikt schema och en stram budget att förhålla sig till har det varit svårt att utveckla konceptet till sin fulla potential.

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The use of hand-held vibrating tools may lead to hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), a condition with vascular, neurological and musculoskeletal symptoms. Vibrating tools are used in several occupations in which women can be found, e.g. by metal- and wood workers, drivers, and dental personnel. The risk of women developing HAVS is hard to estimate, as little research has been done on women exposed to hand-arm vibration. The overall aim of this thesis has been to fill this gap of knowledge. It is based upon one questionnaire study and one interview study on women who have reported an occupational injury related to hand-arm vibration. The thesis also comprises two laboratory studies of female and male subjects exposed to hand-arm vibration from a handle. The questionnaire and the interview study showed that the women had a high prevalence of symptoms, such as numbness, weakness, pain and white fingers. Neurological symptoms were more common and developed after shorter time of exposure compared to vascular symptoms. The symptoms had a considerable impact on all domains of the women’s lives, not only on their physical functioning, such as the ability to work, to participate in leisure activities and to do household activities, but also on their relationships and identity. Forty per cent of the women had retired or retrained due to the injury. Dental personnel had the highest relative risk of vibration injuries. In one of the laboratory studies 12 female and 12 male subjects were exposed to vibration in two vibration directions, (Xh and Zh) and at two vibration levels. The absorbed power was higher in the Zh direction and at the higher vibration level. The volumes of the subjects’ arms affected the power absorption in the Zh direction. There were no indications of a gender difference in the absorption of power. In the other laboratory study, the effect of handle size, vibration level, anthropometric measures and maximal grip force on the ability to perform a precision task was studied in 20 female and 20 male subjects. Ratings of difficulty and discomfort were made after each test round. The results indicate that the male subjects performed better in all the tests, but no gender difference was seen in the ratings. The higher vibration level resulted in higher ratings of discomfort. In the female subjects, the handle size, the anthropometric measures and maximal grip force affected both the performance and the ratings. In conclusion, the studies indicate that vibration injuries are severely disabling and influence many parts of the sufferer’s life. Vibration injuries are preventable, and the extensive consequences found underscore the importance of preventive action. This can be done by informing employees about the risks, and by giving them the opportunity to choose suitable machines and to practice work tasks when starting a new job.

<p>Software metrics are a useful tool for assessing software quality and for making predictions. But currently the interpretation of the measured values is based on personal experience and gut feeling. Not much information is available about thresholds and possible ranges of the metric values. In order to be able to define thresholds on which general recommendations could be based, quantitative data has to be obtain for allowing statistical evaluations and further investigations. So far the collection of test projects requires significant manual interaction for downloading and describing metadata.</p><p>This thesis describes a process for automatically obtaining, storing and maintaining a large number of open software projects from SourceForge.NET [1]. The projects are stored in a local folder structure; the meta-data is stored in a local database. The process is automated as far as possible, repeatable, transparent, extendible and flexible.</p>

The aim of this quantitative study was to from a gender perspective understand and measure the mental health among young people as a sense of managing to handle situations and also how satisfied young people are with their personal qualities. The study also aims to see if there is a connection between these two ways of explaining mental health. This study takes its standpoint from a gender theory and gender stereotypes. The study was conducted as a survey with 100 young girls and boys, all of whom was students of a Swedish upper secondary school. The result of the study show that young people in general has a good sense of being able to handle situations. There was as expected a difference between young girls and boys to be found, girls had in general a lower sense of managing to handle situations. Regarding the sense of being satisfied with the personal qualities, the girls and boys in this study show a general picture of being quite satisfied with their personal qualities. It has also shown that many of the results of this study is depending of gender and the beliefs and structures there is in society about how to be a “good” man or woman.

Bakgrund: Yrkesrelaterad stress har ökat markant under de senaste tio åren. Vårdyrken anses vara bland de arbeten som är mest tyngda av stress. Långvarig stress kan ge individen fysiska såväl som psykiska problem och kan leda till utbrändhet. För att kunna fastställa en god och säker vård krävs stressförebyggande åtgärder, eftersom kraven på sjuksköterskor höjs allt mer. Syfte: Syftet med litteraturstudien var att beskriva sjuksköterskors strategier för att hantera arbetsrelaterad stress. Metod: Litteraturstudie inkluderande nio kvalitativa studier varav en studie som även bestod av kvantitativa resultat, men endast de kvalitativa resultaten behandlades i denna litteraturstudie. Artiklarna analyserades med inspiration av kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Två huvudkategorier identifierades; ”Stressreducering på arbetsplatsen” och ”Stressreducering utanför arbetet”. Den första huvudkategorin utgjordes av underkategorierna ”Kollegialt stöd”, ”Prioriteringar”, ”Att påverka sin egen arbetstid”, ”Att distansera sig”, ”Att stärka sig själv” samt ”Tro och andlighet”. Den andra huvudkategorin bestod av underkategorierna ”Att lämna arbetat bakom sig”, ”Fritidsaktiviteter”, ”Sömn” samt ”Tobak och alkohol”. Slutsats: Sjuksköterskor kan ta till flertalet strategier för att reducera stress kortsiktigt. Däremot krävs organisatoriska förändringar på högre nivå för att på lång sikt reducera arbetsstressen hos sjuksköterskor. / Background: Work related stress has increased greatly during the past decade. Healthcare workers are considered having among the most stressful working conditions. Long term stress may cause physical as well as psychological harm on the individual, which may lead to burnout. In order to be able to secure a good and safe healthcare for the patients, it is essential to find long term stress reducing solutions. This is especially important in today’s healthcare, since the demands on the registered nurse are getting even higher. Aim: The aim of this literature study is to describe the strategies used by registered nurses for manage work related stress. Methods: This literature study included nine qualitative articles, of which one also consisted of quantitative results. However, only qualitative results were included in this literature study. All nine articles were analysed with inspiration from qualitative content analysis. Results: Two main categories were identified; ”Stress Reduction at the Workplace” and ”Stress Reduction Outside of the Workplace”. The main category first mentioned consisted of the subcategories “Collegial Support”, “Priorities”, “Influencing One’s Own Working Hours”, “To Distance Oneself”, “To Strengthen Oneself” as well as “Belief and Spirituality”. The second main category consisted of the subcategories “To Leave Work Behind”, “Spare Time Activities”, “Sleep” and also “Tobacco and Alcohol”. Conclusion: Registered nurses may use several strategies in order to reduce stress momentarily. However, organisational changes on a higher level are needed to reduce work related stress in the long term among registered nurses.

In the diploma work, we familiarised the reader with the basic theoretical starting points concerning emergency medical services and preparedness for emergencies. First of all, in this part, we elaborated a basic overview of the organisational structure of the emergency medical services of the Ústecký kraj region, and of its subdivisions. Next, we outlined the educational system of the paramedical staff of the emergency medical services of the Ústecký kraj region, focused on the area of crisis management. The crisis management competence of paramedical staff involved in emergency medical services was the subject of a separate sub-chapter. We linked these chapters with the issue of the formation of the department of disaster medicine. Here, we defined the tasks and aims of disaster medicine. To create a better understanding of the issue, a part of the chapter consists of the basic terminology used in disaster medicine. The main aim of the diploma work is the analysis of the knowledge of the paramedical staff of the emergency medical services of the Ústecký kraj region in terms of preparedness for emergencies. The sub-objectives of the thesis are the analysis of the knowledge of the medical rescue workers of the emergency medical services of the Ústecký kraj region in terms of preparedness for emergencies, and the analysis of general nurses' knowledge of, and qualifications in, the specialist anaesthesiological-resuscitative care of the emergency medical services of the Ústecký kraj region in terms of preparedness for emergencies. The methodology of the work lay in the quantitative analysis of statistical data that we gathered from questionnaires that were filled in by randomly selected respondents among the paramedical staff of the emergency medical services of the Ústecký kraj region. We prepared the content of the questionnaire in the context of the issues studied. The respondents chose from a number of pre-defined answers to a total of 20 questions. The data obtained underwent statistical analysis with the use of statistical research methods, scaling, measurement in descriptive statistics, elementary statistical processing, non-parametric testing, estimation theory, and parametric testing. From the results of the practical part of the diploma work, it is evident that the knowledge of the medical rescue workers of the emergency medical services in terms of the preparedness for emergencies of the Ústecký kraj region is close to the normal frequency distribution N (mi and sigma). Also the general nurses' knowledge of, and qualification in, the specialist anaesthesiological-resuscitative care of the emergency medical services of the Ústecký kraj region, in terms of preparedness for emergencies, is close to the normal frequency distribution N (mi and sigma).

Software metrics are a useful tool for assessing software quality and for making predictions. But currently the interpretation of the measured values is based on personal experience and gut feeling. Not much information is available about thresholds and possible ranges of the metric values. In order to be able to define thresholds on which general recommendations could be based, quantitative data has to be obtain for allowing statistical evaluations and further investigations. So far the collection of test projects requires significant manual interaction for downloading and describing metadata. This thesis describes a process for automatically obtaining, storing and maintaining a large number of open software projects from SourceForge.NET [1]. The projects are stored in a local folder structure; the meta-data is stored in a local database. The process is automated as far as possible, repeatable, transparent, extendible and flexible.