Shoulder impingement is the most common cause of shoulder pain. It is often described as mechanical irritation of the tendons of the rotator cuff or long head of the biceps due to compression against either the structures of the subacromial arch or the glenoid and glenoid labrum. Various treatment options exist to address impingement, and recent studies suggest thoracic spine manipulation may be a useful option. The purpose of this study was to assess changes in range of motion (ROM), pain and shoulder function both immediately post- and 7 to 10 days after receiving thoracic spine manipulations. We also attempted to identify changes in scapular kinematics and shoulder muscle activity associated with thoracic spine manipulation in subjects with shoulder impingement. Thirty subjects between the ages of 18 and 45 with signs of shoulder impingement participated in this repeated measures study. All subjects received both a mid-thoracic spine and a cervicothoracic junction manipulation. Changes in pain were assessed using an 11 point numeric pain rating scale. Subjects reported pain with performance of provocative testing (Jobes Empty Can, Hawkins-Kennedy and Neer's tests for impingement) as well as with performance of cervical rotation, thoracic spine flexion and extension and weighted humeral elevation. Shoulder elevation force production pre- and post- manipulation was assessed using hand-held dynamometry. Additionally, subjects completed the Penn Shoulder Score (PSS) and the Sports and Performing Arts Module of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) Questionnaire to assess shoulder pain and function 7 to 10 days post thoracic spine manipulation. Electromagnetic sensors tracked three-dimensional scapular and clavicular kinematics as well as cervical, thoracic and humerothoracic ROM. Surface electromyography data were collected from the infraspinatus, serratus anterior, and the upper, middle and lower trapezius muscles with loaded humerothoracic elevation. A repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare scapular orientation and muscle activity at 30, 60, 90 ad 120 degrees of humerothoracic elevation before and after spinal manipulation. Paired t - tests revealed significant decreases in pain [(Jobes 2.6 ± 1.1, Neer's 2.6 ± 1.3, Hawkins-Kennedy 2.8 ± 1.3; p<0.001 for all three tests) (weighted shoulder elevation 2.0 ± 1.5, p<0.001; cervical rotation 0.4 ± .9, p=0.039)] as well as improvements in shoulder function (Force production 5.5±3.1, PSS 7.7 ± 9.4 and DASH 16.4 ± 13.2; p<0.001 for each). No significant changes in any of the ROM assessments were observed. No changes in scapular or clavicular kinematics were observed, with the exception of small decrease in scapular upward rotation (p = .04). A small but significant increase in middle trapezius activity (p = .03) was detected; however, no other significant differences in muscle activity were observed following manipulation. Moreover, paired t-tests revealed no significant differences in muscle onset times after manipulation. The findings of this study indicate that thoracic spine manipulation may be an effective intervention to treat pain associated with shoulder impingement; however, the improvements associated with thoracic spine manipulation are not likely explained by changes in scapular kinematics or shoulder muscle activity. Thoracic spine manipulation did not substantially alter scapular kinematics or motor control at the shoulder. / Physical Therapy

Magnetic particles with active functional groups offer numerous advantages for use in μ-TAS (Micro Total Analytical Systems). The functional site allows chemical binding of the particle with the target species in the fluid sample. Selection of the functional group establishes the target molecule and vice versa under assumptions of highly specific biding. The particles hence act as mobile reaction substrates with high surface to volume ratios owing to their small size. The concept of action at a distance allows their use as agents for separation in microchannels based on relatively simple design. It is possible to manipulate magnetic particles and bound target species using an externally applied magnetic field. Hence, the particles can be effectively separated from the flow of a carrier fluid. Magnetic fields create dipolar interactions causing the particles to form interesting structures and aggregates. Depending upon the applied field, the microstructure evolution of the aggregate is interesting in its own right, e.g. related to improvements in material properties and bottom-up self assembly. The shape of the aggregates can be determined a priori if the interaction between the particles is well characterized. The dominant competing forces that influence magnetic particle dynamics in a flow are magnetic and viscous. There are a number of physical parameters such as viscosity, magnetic susceptibility, fluid velocity, etc. which are varied to study their individual effects. Initially dilute suspensions are studied experimentally and numerically using a particle based dynamics approach. Once established, a force model for particle interaction is investigated for concentrated suspensions. A Lagrangian particle tracking algorithm that returns positions of the particles is used for this work that focuses on studying the dynamics of these particles. A mathematical model is proposed and investigated for functionalization between magnetic and non-magnetic particles. Having characterized the collection of magnetic particles, the effect of relative concentrations is investigated on the collection of the non-magnetic species. / Ph. D.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have now been accepted as an alternative medium to human workers for data collection processes in various industries. The capabilities of UAVs are now being extended from passive tasks of data collection to active tasks of interacting with the environment by equipping them with robotic arms and function as Unmanned Aerial Manipulators (UAMs). Research on Unmanned Aerial Manipulators has been growing in the last few years. The applications of UAMs in terms of sensor installation, inspections, door opening, valve turning, pick and drop, etc. have been studied for the oil and gas industry, and civil applications, etc. However, there is a lack of studies in understanding applications of UAMs and their capabilities in construction and in advancing construction activities. The goal of this research is to identify potential opportunities and challenges of the application of UAM in construction projects. The study will undertake an extensive literature review and semi-structured interviews with industry experts to address research questions. This study will have a significant contribution to the introduction and development of new contact-based UAV-guided technologies in construction. / Master of Science / Drones or Unmanned Aerial Manipulators have been used in the construction industry to collect visual data in form of images, videos, or to map surveys, and visually inspect the structures. However, if equipped with a robotic arm, they attain the capability of touching and interacting with the environment to effectively function as an Unmanned Aerial Manipulator (UAM). UAMs have researched for various applications such as sensor installation, touch-based sensor inspections, door opening, and closing, and pick up and drop, etc. However, there is a lack of study for their opportunities and challenges in the construction industry. This research focuses on understanding the opportunities and challenges associated with the application of UAMs in the construction industry.

Multiplatform virtual environment (VE) development is fast-becoming a realization for today’s developers. 3D user interfaces (3DUIs) can easily be ported to a variety of VE systems. However, few researchers have addressed the need to intelligently migrate 3DUIs across VE systems. We claim that the naïve migration of 3D interaction techniques (3DITs) to other VE systems could result in decreases in usability. We also claim that device specificity can be used to increase usability on these other VE systems. In this thesis, we have chosen three manipulation 3DITs to naively migrate across a set of four VE systems. We use an exploratory usability study to identify any usability issues stemming from our naïve migrations. After finding decreases in usability in select migrations, we redesigned two of the 3DITs for device specificity. We investigated the benefits of our redesigns with usability studies on the original, naïve, and redesigned implementations of both 3DITs. Results from our studies are mixed. In one case we demonstrate that device specificity can be used effectively to increase 3DIT migratability. As a result from our experience in this work, we have learned several lessons in device-specific design as well as 3DIT migration. / Master of Science

Submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Masters’ Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, Durban University of Technology, 2013. / Background: Motor learning theories indicate that training improves motor performance by reducing variability and increasing task control. Elastic tubing and tyre resistance training methods may allow for the development of control over the dynamics of spinal manipulation. This study thus aimed to determine whether training with elastic tubing and tyre resistance, in conjunction with the standard manipulative training at the Durban University of Technology, resulted in the development of control of the dynamics of manipulation compared to training with the standard training alone. Methods: A quantitative, prospective, experimental cohort design was used. Fifty-three participants were randomly allocated into tyre or elastic tubing resistance training intervention groups, or the control group. All groups continued with the standard manipulative training at the Durban University of Technology. The dynamics of manipulation were measured with the Dynadjust pre-, mid- and post-training. The SPSS was utilised to compute the parametric and non-parametric analyses. Results: The results showed no statistically significant differences over time for any of the measured dynamics of manipulation. None of the groups (excluding the control group for S-I manipulation) developed control of the relationships between the dynamics. Overall, there was no difference between the groups with regards to development of control of the dynamics. Conclusion: The results suggest that the additional training methods, should be carefully considered when employed over a short term. Study limitations include the sample size and the effect of outliers, therefore any firm conclusions drawn from this study are required to be interpreted with caution.

L’apparition de robots de service de plus en plus complexes ouvre de nouvelles perspectives quant aux tâches de manipulation d’objets. Malgré les progrès récents des techniques de planification de mouvement, peu d'entre elles s'intéressent directement à des systèmes multi-bras comme les torses humanoïdes. Notre contribution à travers cette thèse porte sur trois aspects. Nous proposons une technique de planification de mouvement performante basée sur la coordination des mouvements du système multi-bras. Elle exploite au mieux la structure du système en la divisant en parties élémentaires dont les mouvements sont planifiés indépendamment du reste du système. La fusion des différents réseaux élémentaires générés est ensuite réalisée dans le but d’obtenir un graphe prenant en compte le robot tout entier. Une seconde contribution porte sur l'extension des méthodes de planification pour des robots présentant des chaînes cinématiques fermées. Ces boucles cinématiques apparaissent dans le système lorsque, par exemple, le torse humanoïde saisit un objet avec plusieurs bras. Cette méthode traite explicitement les configurations singulières des manipulateurs, offrant ainsi une meilleure maniabilité de l’objet. Finalement, nous proposons deux approches pour la planification de tâches de manipulation d'objets par un torse humanoïde. La première concerne la résolution d’une tâche de prise et pose d'objets par un torse humanoïde à deux bras dans le cas où les contraintes imposées par la tâche nécessitent le passage par une double prise afin de transférer l'objet d'une main à l'autre. La seconde porte sur la résolution du même type de tâche par un manipulateur mobile. La thèse, effectuée dans le cadre du projet européen Phriends, présente les résultats d'expérimentations réalisées sur le robot Justin, démonstrateur du projet. / The emergence of new more and more complex service robots opens new research fields on objet manipulation. Despite the recent progresses in motion planning techniques, few of them deal directly with multi-arm systems like humanoid torsos. Our contribution through this thesis focuses on three aspects. We present an efficient motion planning technique based on the multi-arm system motion coordination. It takes advantage of the system's structure by dividing it into elementary parts of which movements are planned independently of the rest of the system. Generated elementary networks are then fused to obtain a roadmap that takes into account the whole robot. The second contribution consists of the extension of motion planning methods for a robot under loop closure constraints. These kinematic loops appear in the system when, for example, the humanoid torso grasps an objet with two arms. This method treats explicitly the singular configurations of the manipulators, providing better handling of the object. Finally, we present two approaches for planning object manipulation tasks by humanoid torsos. The first concerns solving pick and place task by humanoid torso where the imposed task constraints require a passage through a double grasp to transfer the object from one hand to the other. The second approach concerns the resolution of the same type of task by a mobile manipulator. The presented methods have been integrated on a real platform, Justin, and validated with experiments in the frame of E.U. FP-6 PHRIENDS project.

Submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016. / Purpose: Ankle sprains are amongst the most common injury sustained by athletes and the general public. When an ankle is repeatedly sprained it results in chronic ankle instability syndrome (CAIS). This repeated trauma results in disruption of the afferent nerve supply from the injured joint, which affects the motor neuron pool excitability of the peroneal and soleus muscles resulting in arthogenic muscle inhibition (AMI). Traditional treatment for CAIS focuses on rehabilitation of the affected muscles via strength and proprioceptive training. Recent literature has shown that the addition of ankle joint manipulation resulted in improved clinical outcomes in the treatment of CAIS. The mechanism on how joint manipulation affects AMI is under-investigated especially in extremity joints. Thus this study aimed to determine the immediate effect of ankle joint manipulation on peroneal and soleus muscle activity, by assessing surface electromyography (sEMG) H/M ratio to detect a change in the proportion of the total motor neuron pool being recruited, in participants with CAIS. Methods: The study utilised a quantitative, experimental, pre-test post-test study design. Forty two participants with grade I and II CAIS, aged 18-45 years, were randomly allocated into one of three groups. Group one received a single talocrural joint long axis distraction manipulation, group two received a sham manipulation and group three was the control receiving no intervention. sEMG H/M ratio measurements were taken before and immediately after the intervention using a Biopac wireless emg system. Results: The groups were comparable at baseline for age, gender, body mass index and H/M ratio measurements for the soleus and peroneal muscles (p < 0.050). Intra-group analysis of the soleus muscle H/M ratio showed no statistically significant change over time for the manipulation (p = 0.975) and sham (p = 0.056) groups, with the control group showing a statistically significant (p = 0.019) decrease in the H/M ratio. For the peroneal muscle no statistically significant (p > 0.050) differences were observed in any of the three groups. Inter-group analysis of the soleus muscle H/M ratio measurements showed no statistically significant differences between the three groups (p = 0.470; F = 1.010) over time, with Tukey’s HSD post-hoc test revealing a statistically significant (p = 0.028) difference being observed between the sham and control groups in terms of post soleus muscle H/M ratio measurements. Conclusion: This study failed to show that ankle joint manipulation affects the soleus and peroneal muscles in terms of H/M ratio measurements in participants with CAIS. There may have been a trend of an effect of the sham and manipulation interventions counteracting the muscle fatigue experienced in the control group, however further investigation is required. / M

Studien som presenteras är en kvantitativ studie utförd på Högskolan i Borås. Syftet medstudien är att fastställa om Beneish m-score kan användas för att identifiera manipulation i svenska aktiebolag. I princip alla bolag använder sig av någon form av earnings management. Svårigheten ligger i att identifiera när ett bolag går från att utnyttja den flexibilitet som finns i lagarna till att röra sig utanför lagens gränser. Bolagen pressas hårt internt men framför alltexternt och förväntningarna att prestera är ofta höga. I studien presenteras och diskuteras de olika incitament som kan påverka att ett bolag väljer att manipulera sin redovisning. Ettresultat av manipulationen är att det skapas en informationsasymmetri, där utställaren av de finansiella rapporterna inte delger hela verkligheten varken till sina externa intressenter eller internt. Beslut baseras då på felaktiga grunder eftersom bolagets verkliga situation inte speglas. Beneish m-score är baserad på åtta olika variabler som fångar företeelser vilka anses drivabolag till att överträda redovisningsstandarder. Modellens syfte är att exponera det som tidigare legat dolt i bolagets informationsflöde. Med hjälp av modellen skall publicerad redovisningsdata kunna användas för att upptäcka manipulation och minskainformationsasymmetrin redan innan bolagen offentligt blivit anklagade för att manipulera sin redovisning. För att möjliggöra studiens syfte har 20 svenska aktiebolag valts ut. Urvalet är uppdelat i tvåurvalsgrupper, en grupp som speglar god redovisningssed samt en grupp där bolagen på olika sätt har manipulerat sin redovisning. Modellen har därefter testats på samtliga bolagsredovisning för att avgöra hur stort felutfall modellen har på svenska aktiebolag. Det framgår också i studien hur vissa antaganden har gjorts för att modellen skall fungera på ett praktiskt sätt på samtliga svenska aktiebolag. Studien bidrar därmed till att göra Beneish m-scoremodellen brukbar som ett möjligt analysverktyg på svenska aktiebolag. Resultatet som presenteras visar på att all manipulation inte upptäcks bland annat på grund av att Beneish m-score är uppbyggt på ett begränsat sätt. Modellen är baserad på variabler som skall indikera på manipulation genom förhöjda intäkter och resultat. De bolag som istället minskar intäkter och resultat kommer inte att upptäckas som manipulatörer. Slutsatsen påpekar därför på att modellen är för begränsad för att rättvist kunna upptäcka alla de komplexa situationer där manipulation kanske. / The study presented is a quantitative study issued at the University of Borås, written in Swedish. The purpose of the study is to determine whether Beneish m-score can be used to identify manipulation in Swedish limited companies. Almost all companies use some kind of earnings management. It is troublesome to identify when a company goes from utilizing the flexibility that exists in laws to move outside the laws. There are a lot of pressure on companies and the performance expectations are often high, both from internal and external parties. This study presents and discusses the various incentives that may influence a company to manipulate its accounting. As a result of the manipulation, an asymmetry of information is created. Where the issuer of the financial reports does not share the whole picture with its stakeholders. Decisions are based on incorrect information both internal and external since the company's actual situation is not reflected. Beneish m-score is based on eight different variables that captures phenomena that are assume to drive companies to violate accounting standards. The purpose of the model is to detect information that previously have been hidden in the company's information flow. With help from the model, published accounting data can be used to discover manipulation and reduce asymmetry of information even before the companies have been publicly accused for manipulation of their accounting. To enable the study's purpose, 20 Swedish limited companies have been chosen. The sample is divided in two groups, one group that reflect good accounting practice and one group with companies that have manipulated their financial accounts. The model has then been tested on all companies to determine the margin of error on Swedish companies. It is also presented in the study that certain assumptions have been made to make the model work on all Swedish limited companies. The study therefore contribute to make Beneish m-score useable as a possible analysis tool on all Swedish limited companies. The presented result describe that not all manipulation is detected partly because Beneish m-score is structured in a limited way. The model is based on variables that should detect manipulation through increased revenue and result. Companies that instead reduce revenue and result will not be detected as manipulators. The conclusion point out that Beneish model has limited ability to sufficiently detect all manipulation due to the complexity of the circumstances.

Ett lagenligt sätt att förmedla väsentlig information till intressenter är genom organisationers årsredovisning. Förvaltningsberättelsen i årsredovisningen skall enligt årsredovisningslagen innehålla en rättvisande översikt över utvecklingen av företagets verksamhet, ställning och resultat för det föregående räkenskapsåret. Vidare skall förvaltningsberättelsen innehålla en prognos för den förväntade framtida utvecklingen för verksamheten. Dock har forskare som studerat sambandet mellan legitimitet och skriftliga företagspresentationer, kommit fram till att organisationer kan förfina retoriken i skriftliga dokument för att upprätthålla sin legitima ställning. Forskning visar att skriftlig manipulation är ett kraftfullt verktyg för att vidmakthålla legitimitet och vinna inflytanden hos intressenter. Vidare visar forskning att organisationer kan tillämpa ett organisatoriskt hyckleri, vilket implicerar en löskoppling mellan det organisationer redovisar och det som i praktiken genomförs. Det indikerar att organisationer kan välja vilken information som framförs i ljuset och vilken information som redovisas varsamt. Med hänsyn till att organisationer själva skall prognostisera sin framtida ställning i en förvaltningsberättelse, inbegriper det också möjligheten att konstruera presentationen av sin nutida och framtida ställning på marknaden.  Syftet med denna studie var att analysera huruvida innehållet i förvaltningsberättelser kan vara konstruerade utifrån ett legitimitetssökande syfte. Metoden för studien var en kvalitativ innehållsanalys och 30 förvaltningsberättelser från tre företag inom detaljhandeln har analyserats. Resultatet visar tendenser till att företagen konstruerar innehållet i förvaltningsberättelserna utifrån ett legitimitetssökande syfte. Detta utmärker sig genom en utpräglad retorisk optimism: företagen framhäver positiva resultat men sällan negativa. Negativa resultat rättfärdigas snarare med hjälp av retorisk optimism, eller redovisas varsamt alternativt sällan. Resultatet visar att företagen genom sin retorik framhäver att de är anpassningsbara och kan möta samhällets föränderliga krav och normer. Avslutningsvis visar resultatet tendenser till organisatoriskt hyckleri. / By using annual reports, companies can mediate essential information to the stakeholders. According to the Swedish law an administration report within annual report should include a fair overview of the development of the company’s operations, position and results for the previous financial year. It should also include a future forecast. Research have found that organizations tend to use rhetorical manipulation as a powerful tool for obtaining legitimacy. However, companies can choose what information they want to communicate and apply organizational hypocrisy, a gap between talk and actions. Through the administration report, the company can construct the presentation of their position on the market, both today and for the future.  The purpose of this study was to analyze whether the content of administration reports could be constructed for a legitimacy-seeking purpose. The method of the study was a qualitative content analysis and included thirty administration reports from three different retail companies. The result shows tendencies that the company’s construct the content in their administration reports through a rhetorical optimism: the companies highlight the positive results but rarely the negative aspects. Instead, the negative results are justified by the rhetorical optimism. However, the result shows that there is a desire, through the company’s rhetoric, to become a company that is adaptable and can face the society’s changing demands and norms. The results show tendencies for using organizational hypocrisy.

Dans ce travail de thèse, nous abordons les problèmes de commande posés en co-manipulation robotique pour des tâches de manutention à travers un point de vue dont nous pensons qu’il n’est pas suffisamment exploité, bien qu’il a recourt à des outils classiques en robotique. Le problème de commande en co-manipulation robotique est souvent abordé par le biais des méthodes de contrôle d’impédance, où l’objectif est d’établir une relation mathématique entre la vitesse linéaire du point d’interaction homme-robot et la force d’interaction appliquée par l’opérateur humain au même point. Cette thèse aborde le problème de co-manipulation robotique pour des tâches de manutention comme un problème de commande optimale sous contrainte. Le point de vue proposé se base sur la mise en œuvre d’un Générateur de Trajectoire Temps-Réel spécifique, combiné à une boucle d’asservissement cinématique. Le générateur de trajectoire est conçu de manière à traduire les intentions de l’opérateur humain en trajectoires idéales que le robot doit suivre ? Il fonctionne comme un automate à deux états dont les transitions sont contrôlées par évènement, en comparant l’amplitude de la force d’interaction à un seuil de force ajustable, afin de permettre à l’opérateur humain de garder l’autorité sur les états de mouvement du robot. Pour assurer une interaction fluide, nous proposons de générer un profil de vitesse colinéaire à la force appliquée au point d’interaction. La boucle d’asservissement est alors utilisée afin de satisfaire les exigences de stabilité et de qualité du suivi de trajectoire tout en garantissant l’assistance une interaction homme-robot sûre. Plusieurs méthodes de synthèse sont appliquées pour concevoir des correcteurs efficaces qui assurent un bon suivi des trajectoires générées. L’ensemble est illustré à travers deux modèles de robot. Le premier est le penducobot, qui correspond à un robot sous-actionné à deux degrés de liberté et évoluant dans le plan. Le deuxième est un robot à deux bras complètement actionné. / In this thesis, we address the co-manipulation control problems for the handling tasks through a viewpoint that we do not think sufficiently explored, even it employs classical tools of robotics. The problem of robotic co-manipulation is often addressed using impedance control based methods where we seek to establish a mathematical relation between the velocity of the human-robot interaction point and the force applied by the human operator at this point. This thesis addresses the problem of co-manipulation for handling tasks seen as a constrained optimal control problem. The proposed point of view relies on the implementation of a specific online trajectory generator (OTG) associated to a kinematic feedback loop. This OTG is designed so as to translate the human operator intentions to ideal trajectories that the robot must follow. It works as an automaton with two states of motion whose transitions are controlled by comparing the magnitude of the force to an adjustable threshold, in order to enable the operator to keep authority over the robot’s states of motion. To ensure the smoothness of the interaction, we propose to generate a velocity profile collinear to the force applied at the interaction point. The feedback control loop is then used to satisfy the requirements of stability and of trajectory tracking to guarantee assistance and operator security. Several methods are used to design efficient controllers that ensure the tracking of the generated trajectory. The overall strategy is illustrated through two mechanical systems. The first is the penducobot which is an underactuated robot. The second is the planar robot with two degrees of freedom fully actuated.