Background: In today's society, the rapid growth of online shopping among consumers has resulted in the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence powered chatbots by businesses. Despite this, previous research has not focused on where customers place their attitudes towards AI-powered chatbots in e-commerce. The ABC model of attitudes, which includes affective, behavioral, and cognitive components was used to examine how attitudes are formed towards AI-powered chatbots. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore consumers' attitudes towards AI-powered chatbots utilized in e-commerce. Methodology: Because the study has an exploratory and inductive approach, a qualitative research strategy was selected. It was determined to use a generic purposive sampling in which ten participants were chosen as part of Generation Z. A semi-structured interview was conducted in which questions were posed regarding the ABC model and the characteristics of AI-powered chatbots. To analyze how attitudes are formed and what they are, grounded theory was used to code the interviews to established consumer attitudes categories. Findings: The findings demonstrate that consumers' attitudes towards AI-powered chatbots used in e-commerce varied from being positive, negative, or mixed. This is due to the factors that contributed to the formation of attitudes.

Introduktion: Elrullstolen anses idag vara en viktig terapeutisk insats som optimalt introduceras i ett tidigt skede. Elrullstolen ger ett barn möjlighet att ta sig från punkt A till punkt B, men kan även bidra till att uppnå milstolpar i barnets utveckling samt öka dess delaktighetsgrad. I Sverige tillhandahålls dessa hjälpmedel genom förskrivningsprocessen, där målet är att öka brukarens upplevda livskvalité. Flera olika professioner kan ingå i denna process som ett team där bland annat fysioterapeuten ofta ingår. Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats var att belysa fysioterapeuters erfarenheter och upplevelser av sin roll i förskrivningsprocessen av elrullstolar till barn.  Metod: Metoden för uppsatsen var kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Totalt har fem fysioterapeuter som arbetar på habiliteringsverksamhet eller hjälpmedelscentral i Västerbotten och Hälsinglands län intervjuats. Data insamlades genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med frågor som berörde fysioterapeutens arbete med förskrivningsprocessen.  Resultat: Alla informanter var tydliga med att de inte var förskrivningsansvariga. De såg dock sin kompetens som värdefull och upplevde att de som fysioterapeuter fyller en viktig funktion i förskrivningsprocessen, i synnerhet vad gällde sittbedömningar. Informanterna såg en tidigt initierad förskrivning som positivt för barnet. För att detta ska bli möjligt ansågs ett välfungerande teamarbete samt en förtroendefull relation till barnets familj och nätverk som viktiga faktorer. Dessa personer blir även viktiga för att stödja barnet i att köra på ett säkert och effektivt sätt. Analysen av materialet resulterade i temat “Fysioterapeuten arbetar för att skapa självständig förflyttning hos barnet och ser detta som en grundläggande rättighet” samt fem stycken kategorier med 10 underkategorier. Kategorierna var “Fysioterapeuten har en viktig roll och bidrar med unik kunskap, fysioterapeuten har sitt fokus på barnets fysiska behov och förmåga att ta eget ansvar, Fysioterapeuten ser personer i barnets närhet som en viktig del i teamet, Barnet får en chans att vara som andra, Skapa allians med föräldrar krävs för tidig initiering. Konklusion: Fysioterapeuten bidrar med unik kunskap och har en självklar roll i förskrivningsprocessen. Att våga ta plats i processen har i denna studie kopplats till erfarenhetslängd. Det kan därför finnas anledning att inom fysioterapeutprogrammet tydligare lyfta vikten av att våga ta plats.

Ideal prostheses are defined as artificial limbs that would permit physically impaired individuals freedom of movement and independence rather than a life of disability and dependence. Current lower limb prostheses range from a single mechanical revolute joint to advanced microprocessor controlled mechanisms. Despite the advancement in technology and medicine, current lower limb prostheses are still lacking an actuation element, which prohibits patients from regaining their original mobility and improving their quality of life. This thesis aims to design and test a Pneumatic Artificial Muscle that would actuate lower limb prostheses. This would offer patients the ability to ascend and descend stairs as well as standing up from a sitting position. A comprehensive study of knee biomechanics is first accomplished to characterize the actuation requirement, and subsequently a Pneumatic Artificial Muscle design is proposed. A novel design of muscle end fixtures is presented which would allow the muscle to operate at a gage pressure surpassing 2.76 MPa (i.e. 400 psi) and yield a muscle force that is at least 3 times greater than that produced by any existing equivalent Pneumatic Artificial Muscle. Finally, the proposed Pneumatic Artificial Muscle is tested and validated to verify that it meets the size, weight, kinetic and kinematic requirements of human knee articulation.

This thesis concerns with the study of X-ray binaries which are gravitationally bound systems consisting of a compact object (either a neutron star or a black hole) and usually a non degenerate companion star, both rotating around the common centre of mass. The compact star shines brightly in the X-ray regime. Emission from these systems are powered by accretion which is the most radioactively efficient mechanism known in the universe by the release of gravitational potential energy when matter from the companion star falls on the compact object. Accretion onto high magnetic field neutron stars are special as the magnetic field plays a crucial role in governing the dynamics of gas flow and the flow of the matter close to the compact object. The radiation emitted from these systems are anisotropic and for a distant observer, the intensity is modulated at the spin period of the neutron star, hence these objects are called accretion powered pulsars. The angular pattern of the emitted radiation is also highly anisotropic and depends on the mass accreted and hence the luminosity. The beaming pattern commonly known as the pulse profiles exhibit a wide variety in the pulse shape and pulse fraction and vary with energy as well as intensity. They also exhibit cyclotron absorption features in their energy spectrum which are a direct probe to the magnetic field geometry of these systems. This thesis is dedicated to the study of the magnetic field and emission geometry of accretion powered pulsars through the pulse phase resolved studies of the cyclotron absorption features which are a direct probe of the magnetized plasma. In order to study these features in detail broadband continuum modeling of the energy spectrum is done, taking care of all other factors which may smear the pulse phase dependence. Another prerequisite for detailed continuum modeling is accounting for the low absorption dips in the pulse profiles of many these sources. The dips are presumably formed by phase locked accretion stream causing partial covering absorption when the stream is along our line of sight towards the emission region. Studying the pulse phase dependence of this partial covering absorber also provides us with important clues on the local environment of the neutron star and the structure of the accretion stream. All of these studies are performed with data from the broadband and most sensitive instruments onboard the Japanese satellite Suzuki. Lastly we provide estimates of the polarization expected to be detected from these sources by a Thomson scattering polarimeter being developed to observe the polarization of X-rays in the energy range of 5--30 keV. Along with the X-ray pulsars, we also make an estimate of the likelihood of detection of X-ray polarization from black hole X-ray binaries in different spectral states. This is a particularly interesting topic as it will play a crucial role in providing additional handles on the magnetic field geometry in accretion powered pulsars as well as constrain the fundamental parameters of a black hole like its spin.

Ideal prostheses are defined as artificial limbs that would permit physically impaired individuals freedom of movement and independence rather than a life of disability and dependence. Current lower limb prostheses range from a single mechanical revolute joint to advanced microprocessor controlled mechanisms. Despite the advancement in technology and medicine, current lower limb prostheses are still lacking an actuation element, which prohibits patients from regaining their original mobility and improving their quality of life. This thesis aims to design and test a Pneumatic Artificial Muscle that would actuate lower limb prostheses. This would offer patients the ability to ascend and descend stairs as well as standing up from a sitting position. A comprehensive study of knee biomechanics is first accomplished to characterize the actuation requirement, and subsequently a Pneumatic Artificial Muscle design is proposed. A novel design of muscle end fixtures is presented which would allow the muscle to operate at a gage pressure surpassing 2.76 MPa (i.e. 400 psi) and yield a muscle force that is at least 3 times greater than that produced by any existing equivalent Pneumatic Artificial Muscle. Finally, the proposed Pneumatic Artificial Muscle is tested and validated to verify that it meets the size, weight, kinetic and kinematic requirements of human knee articulation.

L’accidentalité des conducteurs de 2RM est au cœur des préoccupations de sécurité routière. Ce travail de thèse vise à apporter des connaissances sur les différences de sexe et de conformité aux stéréotypes de sexe au sein de cette communauté très masculine. Il a été montré que les femmes motocyclistes avaient des taux d’accidents corporels ou mortels bien inférieurs à ceux des hommes. Les résultats montrent que les comportements à risque accidentels des hommes et des femmes motocyclistes sont proches, hormis pour les comportements les plus risqués. Il a aussi été montré que le type de motocyclette avait un effet plus important que le sexe sur les comportements à risques accidentels. De plus, il a été montré que les motocyclistes se conforment aux stéréotypes de sexe qui leurs sont associés et que la masculinité renforce la prise de risque et la transgression des règles, cette relation étant expliquée par les motivations à conduire un 2RM. Enfin, ce travail a montré que les stéréotypes de sexe associés à la conduite d’une motocyclette existent déjà chez les adolescents dès 11 ans. Ce travail de thèse montre donc des différences significatives entre hommes et femmes conducteurs de 2RM, autant au niveau de leur accidentalité que de leurs prises de risque. De plus, des stéréotypes de sexe existent bien pour cette population spécifique d’usagers de la route. Ces travaux permettent d’avoir une connaissance plus fine des comportements des conducteurs de 2RM, et d’enrichir la réflexion sur des actions possibles en matière d’éducation routière, en ciblant les sous-populations les plus à risque chez les conducteurs de 2RM. / The powered two-wheelers (PTW) riders’ accidentality is at the heart of road safety issues. This PhD thesis is part of a comprehensive approach to generate knowledge on sex differences and sex stereotypes conformity within this very masculine stereotyped community. It first showed that female motorcyclists have much lower injury crashes and fatalities rates than males. A first study showed that males declared more intentional risky behaviors and female more non-intentional risky behaviors. A second study showed that the PTW type chosen had a more important effect on the aberrant behaviors than sex. A third study showed that individuals who conformed to masculine stereotypes declared more violations than those who conformed to feminine stereotypes (declared more lapses), whatever their sex. Motivations to ride a PTW explaining this relation. Finally, this work showed that sex stereotypes associated with motorcycle riding already existed on the adolescent population, from the age of 11, even if they are themselves moped riders or if at least one of their parents is a rider. As a conclusion, significant differences between male and female PTW riders were revealed, in terms of accidentology and risk taking. These differences are linked to the riders’ conformity to their sex group and to the effects of this conformity on their motivations to ride a PTW. Moreover, it also showed that sex stereotypes exist for this specific road users’ population. This work led to a more detailed understanding of PTW riders’ aberrant behaviors, and to enrich the thinking for actions with regard to road safety education and prevention.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T18:40:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cesar de Alencar Leme de Almeida.pdf: 655055 bytes, checksum: f39f9ce0ebf4e900239c0acb570a56ae (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-06-09 / More and more, Brazilian companies have offered their securities to the investment public at international stock exchanges, especially the New York Stock Exchange. However, financially attractive to issuers as compared to other fund-raising sources, a public offering abroad calls for compliance with other regulatory requirements. In the case of the US, the financial scandals publicized early in this decade led to changes in money market regulations, with more stringent requirements on listed companies. Among the various requirements then imposed is the strengthening of Audit Committees for improvement of Corporate Governance practices. Because Audit Committees are not legally required under the Brazilian corporate legislation, the Brazilian Securities Commission (CVM) together with authorities from other countries which do not have such commission agreed with the Securities & Exchange Commission SEC to replace Audit Committees with similar agencies; e.g., the Fiscal Council, in the case of Brazil. According to the SEC, as it is independent of the Administrative Council, the Fiscal Council might perform an Audit Committee s functions, providing that some of the latter s attributions are also taken over. Against this background, there are currently two groups of Brazilian, non-financial companies listed in the New York Stock Exchange, namely: one which voluntarily formed its Audit Committee, and one which maintained its Fiscal Council with expanded functions, now known as "Conselho Fiscal Turbinado" (Powered Fiscal Council). The study was primarily designed to identify the Brazilian companies listed at the NYSE New York Stock Exchange, and among them, those which formed their Audit Committee and those which maintained their Fiscal Council. A bibliographic survey was conducted to identify the differences between the Brazilian and the US capital markets, the attributions assigned to Audit Committees, and their compliance with the respective agencies´ Internal Regulations. Thus, it was possible to check for compliance with these attributions and the similarity of functions established by the Audit Committees and Fiscal Councils researched. The research findings prove that the attributions of these two agencies are homogeneous. Lastly, possible new academic studies on this subject are presented / Cada vez mais, empresas brasileiras têm lançado seus papéis nas bolsas de valores internacionais, em especial na Bolsa de Valores de New York. Ao mesmo tempo em que é atrativo financeiramente para as empresas o lançamento de seus papéis no exterior, comparativamente com outras fontes de recursos, algumas exigências estabelecidas pelos órgãos reguladores precisam ser atendidas. No caso norte-americano, os escândalos vividos no início desta década fizeram com que a legislação que regulamenta o funcionamento do mercado de capitais fosse alterada, introduzindo normas mais rígidas para as empresas de capital aberto. Entre as diversas exigências impostas, está o fortalecimento do Comitê de Auditoria no processo de melhoria das práticas de Governança Corporativa. O Comitê de Auditoria, por não estar previsto na legislação societária brasileira, fez com que a Comissão de Valores Mobiliários, com outros países que também não possuem esse órgão, negociasse com a Security Exchange Commission SEC, a substituição do Comitê de Auditoria por órgãos assemelhados, no caso do Brasil, o Conselho Fiscal. A SEC entendeu que, por possuir independência em relação ao Conselho de Administração, o Conselho Fiscal poderia exercer as funções do Comitê de Auditoria, desde que algumas atribuições fossem a ele incorporadas. Diante desse cenário, existem atualmente dois grupos de empresas brasileiras, não financeiras, listadas na Bolsa de Valores de New York, aquele que constituiu o Comitê de Auditoria voluntariamente e o outro grupo que manteve o Conselho Fiscal com funções ampliadas, passando a ser conhecido como Conselho Fiscal Turbinado. O estudo consistiu primeiramente em identificar quais são as empresas brasileiras listadas na NYSE New York Stock Exchange. Entre essas empresas, quais instituíram o Comitê de Auditoria e quais mantiveram o Conselho Fiscal. Foi efetuado levantamento bibliográfico com o objetivo de apresentar as diferenças entre o mercado de capitais no Brasil e nos Estados Unidos da América, além de identificar as atribuições impostas aos Comitês de Auditoria, bem como a aderência dessas atribuições aos Regimentos Internos desses dois órgãos. Foi possível verificar não só o grau de atendimento em relação a essas atribuições, mas também o nível de similaridade de funções estabelecidas pelos Comitês de Auditoria e Conselhos Fiscais pesquisados. Os resultados da pesquisa comprovam, de forma inequívoca, que não há homogeneidade nas atribuições destes dois órgãos. Finalmente apresenta-se possíveis novos estudos acadêmicos que poderiam advir deste tema

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / With improvements in actuation technology and sensory systems, it is becoming increasingly feasible to create powered exoskeletal garments that can assist with the movement of human limbs. This class of robotics referred to as human-machine interfaces will one day be used for the rehabilitation of paralysed, damaged or weak upper and lower extremities. The focus of this project was the development of an exoskeletal interface for the rehabilitation of the hands. A novel sensor was designed for use in such a device. The sensor uses simple optical mechanisms centred on a spring to measure force and position simultaneously. In addition, the sensor introduces an elastic element between the actuator and its corresponding hand joint. This will allow series elastic actuation (SEA) to improve control and safely of the system. The Hand Rehabilitation Device requires multiple actuators. To stay within volume and weight constraints, it is therefore imperative to reduce the size, mass and efficiency of each actuator without losing power. A method was devised that allows small efficient actuating subunits to work together and produce a combined collective output. This work summation method was successfully implemented with Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) based actuators. The actuation, sensory, control system and human-machine interface concepts proposed were evaluated together using a single-joint electromechanical harness. This experimental setup was used with volunteer subjects to assess the potentials of a full-hand device to be used for therapy, assessment and function of the hand. The Rehabilitation Glove aims to bring significant new benefits for improving hand function, an important aspect of human independence. Furthermore, the developments in this project may one day be used for other parts of the body helping bring human-machine interface technology into the fields of rehabilitation and therapy.

The overall aim of this research project was to explore and describe the significance of assistive devices in daily life. The project involves two qualitative and two quantitative studies. Three of these studies were from the perspective of persons with stroke and one from the perspective of spouses of persons with stroke. A hermeneutic phenomenological lifeworld approach was used in the qualitative studies and data was obtained through conversational interviews with the two study groups, 22 persons with stroke and 12 spouses of persons with stroke, after the devices had been used for about a year. The results indicated that the lived experiences of assistive devices in respect of the different lifeworld existentials (lived body, lived space, lived time, lived human relation) are closely interconnected in both study groups. The lived body existential included aspects of habits, feelings and the incorporation, figuratively speaking, of the devices into their own bodies. Lived space concerned the gradual development of a new view of the environment and the devices’ role as a prerequisite for being able to live at home. The devices brought about a changed relation to lived time with respect to the temporal perspectives of past, present and future. To be able to take control of one’s own time was an important experience that the devices facilitated. Assistive devices were an integral part of the lived human relation between the couples in the study groups, as well as between the disabled persons/spouses and other people, including the health-care professionals. The devices contributed either to the maintenance or the change of social roles, but they sometimes also gave rise to the experience of being stigmatised. The results in the case of both study groups showed that the use of different devices is complex and often contradictory, especially when it comes to persons with stroke. Overall the persons’ experiences of the advantages of the devices overshadowed their experiences of the disadvantages. The quantitative studies included a pre- and post-assessment design. Thirty-two persons with disabilities after stroke were included. The impact of an outdoor powered wheelchair on activity and participation (IPPA, WHODAS II) and quality of life (PIADS, EQ-5D) was measured. Statistical analysis with mainly non-parametric tests was used to determine significant within-group and between-group changes after intervention. The conceptual framework ICF was used in one of the quantitative studies when classifying the participants’ stated problems. The results showed that the outdoor powered wheelchair is an essential device for persons with disabilities after stroke with regard to overcoming activity limitation and participation restrictions in everyday life. Furthermore it mostly has a positive impact on such users’ quality of life. However, it is also important to highlight the negative experiences of a few with regard to the use of powered wheelchairs. In sum, these results will enable prescribers to better understand the individual experiences of using assistive devices and the individuals’ and the families’ need for support in connection with the prescription of assistive devices, the particular example being powered wheelchairs.

One of the most devastating effects of tetraplegia is the inability to grasp and manipulate everyday objects necessary to living an independent life. Currently surgery is widely accepted as the solution to improve hand functionality. However, surgery becomes difficult when the user has paralysed wrists as is the case with C5 tetraplegia. The aim of this research was to develop a solution which provided controlled wrist flexion and extension which, when combined with surgery, achieves a 'key pinch' grip. This particular grip is critically important for people with C5 tetraplegia as it is used for countless grasping activities, necessary on a day-to-day basis. A systematic design process was used to evolve the solution to provide controlled wrist flexion and extension. Concept brainstorming identified four alternative solutions which were evaluated to find the preferred concept. The chosen solution was called the Self Powered Wrist Extension Orthosis, more commonly referred to as the 'orthosis'. This concept contained a shoulder harness which provided both energy and control to the wrist harness, which in turn changed the wrist position. The orthosis was developed with the use of a mathematical model which theoretically predicted the functional performance by comparing the required force needed to move the wrist harness to the achievable force supplied by the user's shoulders. Using these parameters, the orthosis was optimized using the matlab Nelder-Mead algorithm which adjusted the wrist harness geometries to maximize the functional performance. A prototype was constructed and tested with the help of two participants who when combined, achieved an average of 18.5° of wrist rotation. The theoretical model however predicted an average range of motion of 28.4°. The discrepancy found between the theoretical and experimental result can be contributed to incorrect assumptions in the theoretical model. This included unaccounted friction and inaccurate modeling of the orthosis dynamics. The feedback from potential users of the orthosis was enthusiastic and encouraging especially towards the simplicity, usability and practicality of the design.