Submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, Durban University of Technology, 2013. / Background : Many treatment options provide symptomatic improvement of joint function for osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Research suggests full kinetic chain (FKC) manual and manipulative therapy (MMT) and rehabilitation yields greater benefits than home rehabilitation alone. However this treatment combination has never been compared against FKC MMT alone. Objectives : Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of three FKC treatment protocols in the management of knee OA. Method : A single-blinded, randomised comparative trial of sixty-six patients with knee OA, equally allocated to three treatment groups: manipulation only, rehabilitation only or manipulation plus rehabilitation (a.k.a. combination group). Manipulation groups received bi-weekly FKC treatment, while a daily at-home stretching and exercise programme was prescribed to the groups receiving rehabilitation. Treatment lasted three weeks, with outcomes measure taken at baseline, pre-visit 4 and 1-week follow up. Primary outcome measures included the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and McMaster Overall Therapeutic Effectiveness (OTE) Tool. Results : There was a drop-out rate of 7.6% (n=5), with intent to treat analysis providing the missing data. All three treatment groups showed clinically and statistically significant changes in overall WOMAC scores from baseline to 1-week follow up. The combination group showed the largest improvement (50.5%), followed by manipulation (44.4%) and rehabilitation (33.6%). However, this difference between group improvement was not statistically significant (p= 0.156). Conclusion : All three intervention protocols showed statistically significant improvement in most outcome measures at 1-week follow-up. However, there was no statistically significant difference between groups and therefore it is concluded that the interventions appear to be equally effective in the short-term management of knee OA.

Preferences are fundamental to decision making and play an important role in artificial intelligence. Our research focuses on three group of problems based on the preference formalism Answer Set Optimization (ASO): preference aggregation problems such as computing optimal (near optimal) solutions, strategic behaviors in preference representation, and learning ranks (weights) for preferences. In the first group of problems, of interest are optimal outcomes, that is, outcomes that are optimal with respect to the preorder defined by the preference rules. In this work, we consider computational problems concerning optimal outcomes. We propose, implement and study methods to compute an optimal outcome; to compute another optimal outcome once the first one is found; to compute an optimal outcome that is similar to (or, dissimilar from) a given candidate outcome; and to compute a set of optimal answer sets each significantly different from the others. For the decision version of several of these problems we establish their computational complexity. For the second topic, the strategic behaviors such as manipulation and bribery have received much attention from the social choice community. We study these concepts for preference formalisms that identify a set of optimal outcomes rather than a single winning outcome, the case common to social choice. Such preference formalisms are of interest in the context of combinatorial domains, where preference representations are only approximations to true preferences, and seeking a single optimal outcome runs a risk of missing the one which is optimal with respect to the actual preferences. In this work, we assume that preferences may be ranked (differ in importance), and we use the Pareto principle adjusted to the case of ranked preferences as the preference aggregation rule. For two important classes of preferences, representing the extreme ends of the spectrum, we provide characterizations of situations when manipulation and bribery is possible, and establish the complexity of the problem to decide that. Finally, we study the problem of learning the importance of individual preferences in preference profiles aggregated by the ranked Pareto rule or positional scoring rules. We provide a polynomial-time algorithm that finds a ranking of preferences such that the ranked profile correctly decided all the examples, whenever such a ranking exists. We also show that the problem to learn a ranking maximizing the number of correctly decided examples is NP-hard. We obtain similar results for the case of weighted profiles.

Environmental restoration is emerging as a major driver in the repair and reversal of some of the world’s most severely degraded landscape systems, with growing interest in the status and composition of restoration efforts. Although much has already been written about the theory and practice of environmental restoration, both positive and negative, hitherto the literature has tended to overlook the complexity bound up in defining restoration discourses, and perhaps more importantly, the physical, material consequences instilled through such human choice. The mutability of discourses of environmental restoration means that it can be moulded and (re-)shaped by different actors and contexts, with different values and meanings attached to ‘nature’. There exist multiple and contested natures of environmental restoration - nature(s) both in the sense o f the properties of restoration, and also that which is restored to a site. In this doctoral thesis, I demonstrate how discourses of environmental restoration are defined and interpreted, which discourses (if any) appear to dominate, and how these are mobilised to produce ‘restored nature’. Attention is also awarded to the environmental implications incurred when such discourses are played out on the ground. The research is grounded empirically through reference to the case studies o f the Eden Project (Cornwall, UK), the National Forest Company (Derbyshire, UK), and the Walden Woods Project (Lincoln, MA) and their adoption of restoration practices. Analysing the processes and practices of environmental restoration within a framework of social nature and cultural landscapes serves to destabilise the dualism distancing nature from society - a preserve of environmental ethics and philosophy - for such synergy not only highlights how ideas of (restored) nature are socially constructed, but also addresses the material production of nature, reinforcing the interactions between natural and societal actors.

The main objective of my thesis paper is to determine which organizations from a wide range of NGOs, including their donor relationships, are susceptible to funding manipulation and why. Through review of a focused selection of literature and case studies, I seek to identify a pattern of characteristics or variables among the weaker organizations which increases vulnerability to such practices. I will review the organizations' size, market competition, funding strategies, and supply-led contracts. I intend to conclude with the various ways in which NGO's can protect against funding manipulation.

It is known that during fluid restriction, obligatory water losses continue and hypohydration develops and that restricted energy intake leads to a concomitant restriction of all other dietary components, as well as hypohydration, but the specific effects of periods of fluid and/ or energy restriction on fluid balance, electrolyte balance and exercise performance have not been systematically described in the scientific literature. There were two main aims of this thesis. Firstly, to describe the effects of periods of severe fluid and/ or energy restriction on fluid and electrolyte balance; secondly, to determine the effect of electrolyte supplementation during and after energy restriction on fluid and electrolyte balance as well as energy exercise performance. The severe restriction of fluid and/ or energy intake over a 24 h period all resulted in body mass loss (BML) and hypohydration, but whilst serum osmolality increases during fluid restriction (hypertonic hypohydration), serum osmolality does not change during energy restriction (isotonic hypohydration), despite similar reductions in plasma volume (Chapter 3). These differences in the tonicity of the hypohydration developed are most likely explainable by differences in electrolyte balance, with fluid restriction resulting in no change in electrolyte balance over 24 h (Chapter 3) and energy restriction (with or without fluid restriction) producing significant reductions in electrolyte balance by 24 h (Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6; Chapter 7). Twenty four hour combined fluid and energy restriction results in large negative balances of both sodium and potassium, and whilst the addition of sodium chloride to a rehydration solution ingested after fluid and energy restriction increases drink retention, the addition of potassium chloride to a rehydration solution does not (Chapter 4). Supplementation of sodium chloride and potassium chloride during periods of severe energy restriction reduces the BML observed during energy restriction and maintains plasma volume at pre-energy restriction levels (Chapter 5; Chapter 6; Chapter 7). iv These responses to electrolyte supplementation during energy restriction appear to be related to better maintenance of serum osmolality and electrolyte concentrations and a consequential reduction in urine output (Chapter 5; Chapter 6; Chapter 7). Additionally, 48 h energy restriction resulted in a reduction in exercise capacity in a hot environment and an increase in heart rate and core temperature during exercise, compared to a control trial providing adequate energy intake. Whilst electrolyte supplementation during the same 48 h period of energy restriction prevented these increases in heart rate and core temperature and exercise capacity was not different from the control trial Chapter 8). In conclusion, 24-48 h energy restriction results in large losses of sodium, potassium and chloride in urine and a large reduction in body mass and plasma volume and supplementation of these electrolytes during energy restriction reduces urine output, attenuates the reduction in body mass and maintains plasma volume and exercise capacity.

This research presents the design and evaluation of an intervention that introduces modification of time perceptions as one of the solutions to promote sustainable behaviours. It is demonstrated in this thesis that unnecessary energy use is often caused by temporal tensions, defined as the relation between actions to be performed and available time. This research proposes that it is possible to deliberately reduce temporal tensions, and this can motivate people to behave more sustainably. Persuasive technology and human-computer interaction provided the tools needed to manipulate time perceptions and therefore bring about changes in the specific behaviours that result in unnecessary energy usage. Previous studies indicate that behaviours play an important role in energy consumption. From the different domains of energy use that could be examined, cooking was chosen to be the platform where the studies on behaviour change and energy use would take place. How behaviours influence energy use motivated the design of empirical studies to understand behaviours related to domestic energy use and identify what are the determinants of these behaviours. Each determinant was related to a strategy to be included on a behaviour change intervention. A wider survey was developed to understand students acceptance of a set of proposed energy saving techniques, and resulted in a vast volume of information about user preferences and intentions to perform the suggested energy saving behaviours for cooking. It emerged that participants rushed into the cooking tasks without much deliberation, consequently not following preparation procedures and thus using more energy. Information gathered during the first studies also showed that participants behaviours were partially motivated by the need to speed up the cooking process in order to reduce boredom when they were waiting for the food to cook, consequently resulting in extra energy usage. The knowledge gathered from the preceding steps and a literature review informed the design of strategies to modify the non-sustainable behaviours and promote energy saving. A user-centred design process involving an idea generation session and scenario analysis was used to provide a set of strategies to be embedded in an intervention, containing the specific methods to tackle the correspondent determinants of behaviours. The specific needs of the cooking activity indicated that an electronic intervention was an adequate platform to be implemented and tested. Two high resolution working prototypes of the electronic interventions were developed as mobile phone applications. The final study comprised the evaluation of the proposed interventions in improving aspects of the cooking activity, the acceptance of the interventions and effectiveness in promoting energy saving.

L'industrie de l'emballage, comme de nombreux industriels, veut construire ses propres représentations du consommateur final pour mieux le prendre en compte dans son processus de conception. Dans ce contexte, l'ergonomie est une des disciplines contributrices à la production de données inhérentes aux interactions entre le consommateur final et l'emballage. L'objectif de notre recherche est de mettre en place une méthode d'étude destinée à comprendre et analyser les critères d'usage et de préhension d'emballages de liquides alimentaires, et de faciliter leur intégration en conception. Nous avons pour cela couplé deux démarches. La première a été la mise en place de tests utilisateurs portant sur l'usage d'emballages de différents matériaux et de différentes formes, selon des critères de perception, de performance, de confort et de satisfaction. Parallèlement, notre deuxième démarche s'est centrée sur les caractéristiques biomécaniques de l'interaction main-bouteille, par la transposition de méthodes d'étude des outils à main vers les emballages. Nos principaux résultats portent sur l'impact de la forme des emballages sur la saisie, sur la comparaison des matériaux et son implication dans l'utilisation, et sur l'évaluation des poignées de saisie pour emballages de grands contenants. L'ensemble des tests portant sur la biomécanique de l'interaction main-bouteille a apporté des réponses sur les modalités de saisie à l'utilisation, et des résultats sur les rôles de la main dans la préhension, sur son utilisation et sur la perception que l'utilisateur en a. Nos travaux donnent lieu à un cahier de recommandations exploitable par l'entreprise.

Dans le domaine de la microrobotique, la manipulation d'objets de petites tailles (micromécanismes, cellules, etc...) est courante. Afin de caractériser les interactions aux dimensions de travail considérées, la mesure de force en microrobotique est nécessaire. Dans cette optique, nous avons développé un capteur de forces qui repose sur un principe de lévitation magnétique passive et ne nécessitant pas d'asservissement pour assurer la lévitation. Les dimensions globales du capteur n'excèdent pas un volume total de 170 mm x 100 mm x 60 mm. Le capteur est composé d'une tige en matériau polymère, servant d'effecteur, sur laquelle sont fixés deux aimants permanents. L'ensemble tige et aimants permanents lévite entre deux plaques de graphite à l'aide d'une configuration particulière d'aimants porteurs. La mesure de force avec le capteur développé peut se faire principalement suivant trois directions. L'utilisation de ce capteur permet de couvrir une plage de mesure deforce allant de quelques dizaines de nanonewton (nN) à plusieurs milliNewton (mN) avec une résolution de mesure de l'ordre du nanoNewton (nN). Les modèles magnétiques et diamagnétique développés permettent de déterminer les forces qui s'appliquent sur l'effecteur par le biais de la connaissance de la position spatiale de la tige. En terme applicatif, le capteur de forces est actuellement utilisé pour la détermination des caractéristiques mécaniques de cellules humaines de type ovocyte. Ce travail est mené en étroite collaboration avec l'équipe de fécondation in vitro du CHU de Besançon.

The affordability and availability of fast motion cameras presents an ideal opportunity to build computer systems that create real-time feed- back loops. These systems can enable users to learn at a faster rate than traditional systems, as well as present a more engaging experience. In this dissertation, I document the development and evaluation of a real- time audio and visual feedback system for geometric poi manipulation. The goal of the system is to present an experiential and objectively su- perior learning tool when compared to traditional learning techniques in the object manipulation community. For the evaluation, I conduct an experiment that compares the feedback training system with traditional learning techniques in the object manipulation community. The results suggest that the feedback system presents a more engaging experience than traditional mirror feedback training, and conclude that further re- search is warranted.

This paper describes and tests a largely ignored but important preliminary step for comparative effectiveness research: retrospective evidence syntheses to first establish a knowledge base of condition-based medical conditions. By aggregating and organizing what is already known about a treatment or system, gaps in knowledge can be identified and future research designed to meet those gaps.An information synthesis process may also discover that few knowledge gaps in the knowledge base yet exist, the gaps are negligible, and / or treatment effectiveness and study quality is stable across many years, but is simply not clinically important. A consistent finding of low effectiveness is evidence against more research, including exclusion of a treatment from future comparative effectiveness studies. Though proponents of weak treatments or systems may choose to proceed with further research, use of public funds or resources that eventually increase costs to the public are unwarranted.By first establishing a treatment or system knowledge base, at least three comparative effectiveness research decisions are conceivable: (1) treatment or system should be included in future comparative effectiveness trials to establish relative effectiveness for a given condition, (2) has promise but requires more research in a prospective CER trial, or (3) the treatment is less effective than others for a given condition, making future research unnecessary. Thus, a "retroactive comparative effectiveness research method," rCER, is proposed here to identify which treatments are worth including in future prospective trials and which are known to have small to modest effect sizes and are not worth the time and expense of a closer look.The rCER method herein showed that for non-surgical low back pain any treatments did not improve greatly upon the normal and natural pain trajectory for acute low back pain. Therefore, any advantage in pain reduction by any treatment of acute low back pain over back pain's normal course of resolution without care, is quite small, and as such, the incremental cost for the marginal improvement over no treatment becomes quite large. While the quality of non-surgical low back pain studies over the past 34 years has steadily increased, the effect size has not, leading to the conclusion that future research on non-surgical low back pain treatment is unwarranted.