M.Tech. / Palpation is a skill taught to manual practitioners on a daily basis. This skill is used by health care professionals, including chiropractors, to examine patients complaining of spinal pain. It is the chiropractor’s responsibility to have the ability and experience to locate and identify individual spinal levels, as well as any changes in tissues affected, to accurately diagnose and treat their patients (Downey, Taylor and Niere, 1999). The inability of the therapist to have this skill, can lead to incorrect diagnosis, and in turn, incorrect treatment being provided (Downey et al, 1999). Numerous research studies have been conducted to determine how significant clinical experience is in terms of reliable palpation being achieved. Researchers such as Koran (1975) and McConnell (1980), Simmonds and Kumar (1993), McKenzie and Taylor (1997), Burton and Edwards (1990) have all been unable to support the hypothesis that experience plays a significant role in improving inter-examiner or intra-examiner reliability in their research studies. This study aims to determine the inter-examiner reliability of locating the spinous process of the seventh cervical vertebra by palpation, and to explore the role that clinical experience plays upon efficacy. Thirty participants were recruited to become part of this study. The 6 examiners chosen consisted of two 5th year and two 6th year chiropractic students as well as two qualified chiropractors. A random allocation was used which ensured that every participant was examined by 3 examiners, each from the different clinical experiences. Examiners were provided with instructions before proceeding with the study. Each participant was palpated to locate the C7 spinous processes and once located, the level was marked with a UV pen. The UV marks were located by illuminating with a UV light and these were replaced with metal markers. Each participant was then positioned to have both the AP and lateral x-ray views done. vii Once all participants were x-rayed, horizontal lines were drawn through the C7 spinous processes and metal markers on both the AP and lateral x-ray films. Distances from the lines through the spinous processes to each metal marker, were measured. The provided statistical tests were used to analyse the data. According to the Pearson Chi-square test used, there was no statistically significant difference amongst all examiners on the ability to correctly palpate, locate and mark the C7 spinous processes. Results further showed that the 6th year students correctly identified more levels on the AP x-ray films, whilst both 6th year students and the qualified chiropractors correctly located more and equal levels on the lateral x-ray films. This study showed that there were difficulties amongst all examiners across all levels of clinical experience and this important role of experience is therefore not fully understood.

The purpose of this thesis is to design a storage system in a machine engineering company with the expected expansion of production volume. The first part describes the theoretical analysis of the processed issue. This is followed by an analysis of the production system and the current situation in the company. The main part consists of determining the amount of inventory, storage location, storage equipment selection and layout design. The part of proposal is also cutting department. Based on the evaluation of selected criteria, more useful version was chosen. The final part is devoted to the economic evaluation of its realization.

Introduction: Implicit within spinal manipulative therapy is the assumption that treatment loads are effectively transcribed to actuate consistent mechanisms for expected clinical results. There is conflicting evidence between the mechanistic understandings and the physiologic responses from experimental evidence. Greater clarity on how loads are transferred through tissues to the target sites would be useful in enhancing utilization and efficacy of spinal manipulative procedures. Purpose: Directly monitor displacement of tissue in strata at sequential depths between the load application site and target articulation in the thoracic spine. Tissue displacement served as a surrogate for evidence of load transmission. Methods: Ultrasound elastography techniques monitored displacement in sequential strata while electromyographic signals, force, kinematic motions were monitored synchronously. Volunteers were placed prone on a treatment table, while a typical spinal manipulative pre-load maneuver was applied in the thoracic spine. Results: When applying a therapeutic load to the skin the results demonstrate with increasing depth of tissue there is a sequentially decreasing rank order in the mean cumulative displacement with each layer being significantly greater than the deeper adjacent layer. Superficial loose connective tissue layer (0.34 mm ± 0.15) vs. intermediate muscle layer (0.28 mm ± 0.11), p=0.004. Intermediate muscle layer (0.28 mm ± 0.11) vs. deep muscle layer (0.16 mm ± 0.6), p<0.0001. Filtered myoelectric signals were linearly correlated with tissue strata cumulative displacements, but the relationship was not strong (-0.23 < r < 0.46). Conversely, Pearson correlation analysis revealed strong and relatively stable correlations (0.74 < r < 0.90) for the association between displacement at the load application site and tissue layers. Conclusion: The sequential tissue motion demonstrates that some degree of load transfer through layers occurs. Both direct and indirect stimulation of tissues across both depth and breadth is feasible, to an extent consistent with the stimulation of mechanoreceptors. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Discussion of manipulation as a form of undermining the consent of participants in clinical reserach, and specifically pregnant women who are HIV positive.. / I will argue that the relationship between the clinician scientist and the participant in the ACTG 076 trials involved unethically manipulative elements. My question of unethical manipulation examines the relationship between the clinician scientist and the participant. My first chapter establishes manipulation as follows, ‘A manipulates B if and only if A motivates B to make a decision or perform an action that bypasses B’s rational capacities by means of deception, emotional pressure, or exploitation of B’s ego depleted state.’ I argue that manipulation is prima facie unethical because it violates one’s autonomy. In the second chapter I examine the concerns of illness, gender roles, pregnancy, and HIV status, which can cause ego depletion and increase the participants’ vulnerability to manipulation. After analysis, I conclude that, although none of these elements can be eliminated as concerns for the clinician scientist, if they are not adequately accounted for, the clinician scientist has unethically manipulated the participant to enter and remain a part of the trial. I suggest that an adequate account would involve special consideration of how these vulnerabilities interact within the specific context of the trial. My third and final chapter will relate my conclusions to the current and upcoming research that is actively incorporating pregnant women as participants. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA) / This thesis will examine the need to include the term “manipulation” into current ethical guidelines for Western bioethics because manipulation is a concept that is separate from concepts such as “coercion,” “force,” “exploitation,” or “undue influence” which appear in current Western bioethical guidelines. Manipulation is an unethical influence of another’s decision-making that undermines their autonomy, whereas autonomy is a key feature of Western bioethics and must be fostered rather than undermined or hindered. This thesis will discuss a clinical case in which pregnant women with HIV were enrolled in a clinical trial and I will discuss how illness, gender, pregnancy, and HIV status can cause one’s ego to be depleted so that they are more vulnerable to manipulation than other clinical participants. Finally, I will recommend that states, ethics boards, and researchers are the primary actors responsible for ensuring that participants are not manipulated in clinical research settings.

Our built environment is frequently in opposition with nature, therefore how man reacts with his surroundings can also shape them. The residential project began with the horizontal lines of the rock formations located throughout the site, and through utilization of the characteristics of the five elements of Feng Shui, innumerous decisions were made concerning orientation, material, and sense of place; allowing one to experience a sense of change yet maintaining a balance between the inside and out. The four primary walls become the vertical elements set in opposition to the horizontal lines of the site. / Master of Architecture

Improving robotic manipulation is critical for robots to be actively useful in realworld factories and homes. While some success has been shown in simulation and controlled environments, robots are slow, clumsy, and not general or robust enough when interacting with their environment. By contrast, humans effortlessly manipulate objects. One possible reason for this discrepancy is that, starting from birth, humans have years of experience to collect data and develop good internal models of what happens when they manipulate objects. If robots could also learn models from a large amount of real data, perhaps they, too, could become more capable manipulators. In this thesis, we propose to improve robotic manipulation by solving two problems. First, we look at how robots can collect a large amount of manipulation data without human intervention. Second, we study how to build statistical models of robotic manipulation from the collected data. These data-driven models can then be used for planning more robust manipulation actions. To solve the first problem of enabling large data collection, we perform several different robotic manipulation experiments and use these as case studies. We study bin-picking, post-grasp manipulation, pushing, tray tilting, planar grasping, and regrasping. These case studies allow us to gain insights on how robots can collect a large amount of accurate data with minimal human intervention. To solve the second problem of statistically modeling manipulation actions, we propose models for different parts of various manipulation actions. First, we look at how to model post-grasp manipulation actions by modeling the probability distribution of where an object ends up in a robot’s hand, and how this affects its success rate at various tasks such as placing or insertion. Second, we model how robots can change the pose of an object in their hand with regrasp actions. Third, we improve on the place and pick regrasp action by modeling each separately with more data. These learned data-driven models can then be used for planning more robust and accurate manipulation actions.

Diploma thesis deals with the manipulation of the photography, especially journalism. To bring the reader into context work starts with the first creation and the history of photography, early examples of manipulation of analog photography and its techniques. The main part focuses on the specifics and characteristics of the digital era in relation to the photographs, handling technology in digital photography and the possibilities of detection. Thesis reflects manipulation of photographs on social networks and the prestigious photographic competitions and the question of objectivity. Considering how it is in the background handling adjustments with confidence in the photo and that picture can be adjusted to detect and effectively to defend against them. Due to the nature of the digital society and a number of factors that the creation and publishing of photographs accompanying the photo we have to think critically and understand its truth value as intersubjective.

This thesis deals with the manipulation of a photograph. The first part is the theoretical framework, which is used in subsequent chapters by analyzing selected examples primarily reflecting concepts such as authenticity, objectivity, truth value or manipulation. Outside the theoretical framework is mentioned in the introductory parts of the historical evolution of analogue photography which flows into the history of digital photography. In the analytical part of the study we work with selected manipulative techniques (arrangements, retouching, photomontage, digital cloning, exchange heads, manipulation accompanying text or photos without referents) which are applied to individual examples using the theoretical framework from the first part. The study answers to our research questions, namely is it still possible to understand photography as an objective and trustworthy visual medium and is it possible to defend against the visual manipulation? The analysis shows that in the context of industrial practices in the photo and their availability has truth value of photographs as its objective quality not by its nature possible, while research and methods in detecting manipulation are crucial, but the amount of video material is still essential defense against manipulation of critical thinking. Key...

Thesis (M.Tech.: Chiropractic) -Dept. of Chiropractic, Durban Institute of Technology, 2002 xiii, 93 leaves / The purpose of this study was to determine the short to medium term effectiveness of Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitaion (P.N.F.) stretching [using the Contract- Relax-Antagonist-Contract (C.R.A.C.) technique] as an adjunct treatment to cervical manipulation in the treatment of Mechanical Neck Pain.

Thesis (M.Tech.: Chiropractic)- Dept of Chiropractic, Durban Institute of Technology, 2005. xiii, 129 leaves :|bill. (some col.) ;|c30 cm / Research indicates the sacroiliac joint (prevalence of sacroiliac syndrome ranges from 19.3% and 47.9% (Toussaint et al., 1999)) as being the primary source of low-back pain in 22.5% of patients with back pain (Bernard et al., 1987:2107-2130). Treatment options that are available for the treatment of low-back pain include allopathic (Hellman and Stone, 2000), and manual therapies such as hydrotherapy and traction (Cull and Will, 1995). It has been found that allopathic interventions have been less effective than spinal manipulative therapy, even with spinal manipulative therapy having various modes of application (e.g. side posture and drop piece manipulations) (Gatterman et al., 2001). Drop table thrusting techniques were found to be effective for patients with neuromuskuloskeletal problems such as facet syndrome (Haldeman et al., 1993), however, it is still not known which specific drop piece technique is the most appropriate for sacroiliac syndrome. Thus it is important to ascertain the clinical effectiveness of the technique as certain conditions prevent the patient from being positioned in the conventional side posture for treatment of sacroiliac syndrome (White, 2003; Pooke, 2003; Hyde, 2003; Pretorius, 2003; Haldeman, 2003; Cramer, 2003; Engelbrecht, 2003). Therefore this study aims at determining the efficacy of a maintained contact drop piece manipulation technique.