Die sich im Verlaufe einer Demenz manifestierenden Orientierungsstörungen schränken die Selbständigkeit der Erkrankten ein und sind oftmals einer der Gründe für die Übersiedlung in eine Pflegeeinrichtung. Aufgrund ihrer krankheitsspezifischen kognitiven Einschränkungen ist es den Betroffenen dort erschwert, sich ihr neues Wohnumfeld zu erschließen. Demzufolge sind Demenzerkrankte zur Aufrechterhaltung von Mobilität und Selbständigkeit in einem ganz besonders hohen Maße von baulichen Strukturen abhängig, die ihnen räumliche, zeitliche und situative Orientierung bieten. Bisher liegen jedoch nur sehr wenige empirisch fundierte Forschungsarbeiten zu deren geeigneter Gestaltung vor. In dieser Dissertation wurde untersucht, welche baulichen Merkmale von Altenpflegeeinrichtungen das räumliche Orientierungsvermögen demenzerkrankter Bewohner beeinflussen. Dazu wurden die baulichen Strukturen von 30 Einrichtungen analysiert und umfangreiche Daten zur Orientierung der dort lebenden Bewohner erhoben. Es wurden fünf Wege innerhalb der Wohnbereiche identifiziert, die Bestandteil der Aktivitäten des täglichen Lebens sind und in allen Einrichtungen vorgefunden wurden. Durch Einschätzung der Pflegekräfte wurde bewertet, ob, bzw. wie gut, die Bewohner diese Wege zurücklegen können. Der Einfluss der unterschiedlichen baulichen Merkmale auf die resultierenden Orientierungswerte wurde mittels statistischer Signifikanztests überprüft. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass mit fortschreitender Demenz das Orientierungsvermögen sinkt. Gleichzeitig steigt die Abhängigkeit von der Ausprägung der baulichen Strukturen jedoch an. Signifikante Einflussfaktoren bestehen u. a. in der Bewohnerzahl, der Erschließungstypologie und der Ausformung der Gemeinschaftsflächen. Kleinere Einrichtungen begünstigen zwar die Orientierung, aber auch Wohnbereiche mit 25-30 Bewohnern können gute Werte erzielen, wenn sie eine geradlinige Horizontalerschließung über Flure, die keine Richtungswechsel beinhalten, aufweisen. Gleichartige Elemente, wie z.B. mehrere Wohn- und Essbereiche oder Cluster kleinerer Wohngruppen, schränken die Orientierung hingegen ein. Diese und weitere Erkenntnisse wurden in Gestaltungsempfehlungen überführt, die in der Versorgungspraxis bei der Planung sowie Umstrukturierung von Pflegeeinrichtungen angewendet werden können. Weiterhin wurden auf Grundlage im Krankheitsverlauf eingesetzter Orientierungsformen und –strategien Modelle des Orientierungsprozesses Demenzerkrankter entwickelt.

The diploma thesis focuses on special activities used with visually impaired individuals such as spatial orientation and independent movement activities. The thesis is based both on literature and questionnaires filled in by parents and interviews with children who take spatial orientation and independent movement courses. The first part of this thesis is characteristics of children with severe visual impairment. Next chapter is dedicated to visual defects and injuries of children, including special pedagogy diagnostics. The third chapter deals with special activities used with visual impaired individuals, specifically self-service, training of signing one's self, spatial orientation and independent movement. The final part consists of research - questionnaires and interviews with children who attend spatial orientation and independent movement courses. Keywords: visually impaired, self-service, training of signing one's self, spatial orientation and independent movement.

As pessoas com deficiência compreendem uma parcela da população as quais as formas de planejamento dos espaços urbanos causam impacto direto em sua qualidade de vida, sendo a incapacidade visual a mais abrangente entre as deficiências, acometendo mais de 35 milhões de pessoas no Brasil. Nas últimas décadas, as normas e leis brasileiras de promoção da acessibilidade buscam criar condições para que as pessoas com deficiências possam ter uma vida social e econômica mais ativa, por meio do uso dos preceitos do design universal nos projetos de acessibilidade para espaços públicos e meios de transporte. No entanto, definir regulamentos e normas tem se mostrado insuficiente, pois a simples padronização de recursos físicos, como pisos táteis, não garantem a autonomia para o deslocamento das pessoas com deficiência visual. Paralelo às adequações dos espaços públicos para a acessibilidade, algumas tecnologias eletrônicas têm sido desenvolvidas de forma efetiva para o design universal, dentre elas as atuais formas de audiodescrição de programas de TV, cinemas e teatros, assim como o desenvolvimento de tecnologias de voz sintetizada para quepessoas com deficiência visual possam fazer uso dos portáteis smartphones. Neste estudo, foram realizadas pesquisas bibliográficas e experimentos em ambientes controlados e ambientes públicos, utilizando-se de técnicas de pesquisa qualitativa para o levantamento, registro e análise de informações, por meio da observação de voluntários com deficiência visual, enquanto utilizavam um modelo primordial de equipamento com voz digital para orientá-los em três ambientes públicos na cidade de São Paulo, compreendendo uma movimentada estação de metrô, uma calçada a céu aberto e uma instituição pública de cultura. Os experimentos demonstraram que os voluntários com deficiência visual podem utilizar um formato adequado de audiodescrição para a orientação e mobilidade, contanto que sejam consideradas peculiaridades que relacionem a velocidade de marcha de pessoas com deficiência visual com os processos cognitivos pertinentes à audição e à percepção ambiental. Por consequência, esta pesquisa oferece princípios para o design de audionavegação, por meio de readequações na audiodescrição para abranger os conceitos de orientação e mobilidade, de modo a possibilitar sua aplicação em projetos de interfaces eletrônicas portáteis com voz sintetizada para orientar pessoas com deficiência visual, buscando assim um incrementando na autonomia dessas pessoas para seu wayfinding em ambientes públicos e transportes de massa. / The people with disabilities comprise a portion of the population whose forms of planning in urban spaces have a direct impact on their quality of life, with visual impairment being the most comprehensive among disabilities, affecting more than35 million individuals in Brazil. In the last decades, the Brazilian norms and laws to promote accessibility seek to create conditions for people with disabilities to have a more active social and economic life, through the use of universal design precepts in the projects of accessibility for public spaces and mass transports. However, setting regulations and norms has proved insufficient, since the simple standardization of physical resources, such as tactile floors, do not guarantee autonomy for the displacement of visually impaired people. Parallel to the adaptations of public spaces for accessibility, some electronic technologies have been effectively developed for the universal design, amongst them the present forms of audiodescription of TV programs, cinemas and theaters, as well as the development of synthesized voice technologies so that people with visual disabilities can make use of portable smartphones. In this study, in addition to relevant bibliographical research, practical experiments were carried out in controlled and public environments, applying qualitative research techniques for the collection, recording and analysis of information through the observation of volunteers with visual impairment, using a primordial model of equipment with digital voice technology to guide them in three public spaces in the city of São Paulo, comprising a busy subway station, a sidewalk and a public cultural institution. The experiments have shown that visually impaired volunteers can use an appropriate format of audiodescription for orientation and mobility, as long as they are considered peculiarities that relate the visually impaired people walking speed to cognitive processes relevant to hearing and for environmental perception. As a result, this research offers principles for the audionavigation design, through adjustments in audiodescription to include the orientation and mobility concepts, enabling its application in projects of portable electronic interfaces with synthesized voice to guide visually impaired people, seeking an increase in wayfinding autonomy for these people when in public environments and mass transports.

Os macacos-prego são primatas bastante flexíveis quanto à sua alimentação, ocupando ambientes com características diversas e, por isso, possuindo a mais ampla distribuição geográfica entre os primatas do Novo Mundo. Possuem habilidades como o uso de ferramentas e reconhecimento espacial de sua área de uso na busca por alimentos, utilizando sistemas de orientação egocêntrico e alocêntrico. No entanto, estudos sobre o sistema de orientação desses animais em vida livre, com observação naturalística, são raros. Pelas similaridades filogenéticas e convergências adaptativas com humanos, principalmente no que se refere à variabilidade comportamental associada à diversidade dos ambientes ocupados, pesquisas sobre cognição espacial de Cebus nigritus são necessárias e importantes para investigar se a flexibilidade comportamental desse primata observa-se também quanto às capacidades de orientação espacial. O objetivo desse estudo foi contribuir para o entendimento dos sistemas de orientação que podem estar envolvidos quando os macacos-pregos constroem suas rotas. Os sujeitos desse estudo são macacos-pregos (Cebus nigritus) selvagens, vivendo na Mata Atlântica, no Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho (PECB), porção sul do Estado de São Paulo. Os macacosprego foram seguidos durante dias consecutivos em um total de 100 dias (2006, 2007 e 2008) e seus movimentos foram registrados como pontos de coordenadas geográficas com o uso de GPS. As rotas foram então mapeadas e analisadas com o apoio de tecnologia de sistemas de informação geográfica (ArcView 9.2 e 9.3). As rotas foram analisadas em mapas topográficos e modelos em terceira dimensão. Com o uso de sistemas de informação geográfica foram realizadas análises para verificar se os animais deslocam-se por um sistema de mapa de redes preferenciais; se aumentam a velocidade de deslocamento quando se aproximam de uma fonte de alimento ou sítio de dormida, o que seria evidência de memória espacial; se fazem uma trajetória mais linear, quando se aproximam de uma fonte de alimento ou sítio de dormida, o que seria evidência de orientação alocêntrica. Os resultados indicaram que os macacos-prego vivendo no PECB não se deslocam por um sistema de mapa de redes preferenciais e se deslocam em maior velocidade e linearidade para fontes de alimento conhecidas, sugerindo que possuem memória da localização destas fontes. Em metade da amostra, os animais atingem as fontes de alimento por meio de atalhos, sugerindo o uso de um mecanismo de orientação alocêntrico. / Capuchin monkeys are remarkable for their flexible foraging behavior, occupying environments with diverse characteristics, and, because of these elements they have the largest geographic distribution among the New World primates. They have skills such as tool use and spatial recognition of their home range when searching for food, relying on both egocentric and allocentric orientation systems. However, studies about the orientation systems of these animals in the wild, with naturalistic observation, are rare. Because of the adaptive convergence and phylogenetic similarities to humans, mainly with regards to behavioral variability linked to the diversity of occupied environments, research on Cebus nigritus spatial cognition are required and important to investigate whether the behavioral flexibility of these primates is also observed in terms of their spatial orientation skills. The goal of this study was to contribute to the comprehension of the orientation systems that may be involved when the capuchin monkeys build their routes. The subjects of this study are wild capuchin monkeys (Cebus nigritus), living as a group, in the Atlantic Forest, in the Carlos Botelho State Park (PECB), southern portion of the State of Sao Paulo (Brazil). The capuchin monkeys were followed during consecutive days totaling 100 days (2006, 2007, and 2008) and their movements were registered as points of geographic coordinates with the use of GPS. The routes were then mapped and analyzed with the support of geographic information systems (ArcView 9.2 and 9.3). The routes were analyzed in topographic maps and three-dimensional models. Multiple analyses, supported by geographic information systems, were developed to verify if the animals move according to a system of network routes; if they increase their moving speed when closer to a source of food or sleeping site (evidence of spatial memory); if they use a more linear path, when closer to a source of food or sleeping site (evidence of allocentric orientation). Findings suggest that capuchin monkeys living in PECB do not move based on a system of network routes and do move faster and more linearly to know sources of food, suggesting that they have memory of the location of such sources. In half of the cases, the animals reach the sources of food using shortcuts, suggesting the use of an allocentric orientation mechanism.

This multi-sited case study aims to explore spatial capacity through pen-and-paper and hands-on activity tests, and explore world view perceptions of space in an attempt to show that spatial conceptualisation is a rich and complex blend of spatial capacity and world view. This study is oriented in a interpretive-naturalistic paradigm and characterised by multi-dimensional quantitative and qualitative methods. The research, set in five secondary schools in the Eastern Cape, was carried out with 32 Grade 11 learners and was designed around seven stages. This study attempts to understand spatial conceptualisation by recognising that all learners have epistemological macrostructures (world views) that shape their perceptions of the world in general and of space in particular. The main contention of this study is that spatial conceptualisation cannot be understood in isolation, through studying achievements on traditional pen-and-paper tests only. A comprehensive understanding of an individual's spatial conceptualisation involves the recognition of hands-on skills and world views as well. Spatial capacity, defined here in terms of spatial visualisation and orientation constructs, was explored through a pen-and-paper and a hands-on activity test. The results show only a weak to moderate correlation between the two tests, suggesting that performance in a traditional pen-and-paper test was not necessarily a good predictor for performance in a hands-on activity-based test. The investigation of world views was underpinned by a logico-structuralist process centred in conversations around nine bi-polar themes. Through a process of content- and meta- analyses involving the participation of a validation team, world-view profiles were established. / In terms of the applied pen-and-paper test which explored spatial capacity, this study confirms males' dominance in all spatial tasks, particularly in three-dimensional problems. This was also found to be true for learners from the participating rural school and for those from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. In the hands-on activity test, however, the study revealed no observable gender difference in favour of the males, except for items that were characterised by the spatial orientation construct. Both the participating rural and township schools performed poorly in items characterized by the spatial visualisation and orientation construct compared to the other participating schools. Although participants from the rural and township schools found it difficult to articulate their world views in depth, the world-view perspectives of space of this sample reveal rich and complex profiles that are similar across all the schools. Despite leaning towards a Newtonian division of absolute and relative space and containing strong religious elements, this sample generally views space as mysterious, infinite and somewhat obscure. It often refers to space in Kantian ideas and related space in terms of subjective feelings. Females in particular, refer to their own `space bubble', for example. Out of the world-view profile analysis, a meta-analysis was conducted which explored thinking skills in terms of capacity to abstract, to be insightful, deal with complex issues, engage critically, and be imaginative. / This reveals that for this case, females were rated on a higher level than their male counterparts for their capacity to abstract and be complex (the capacity to identify related parts and to deal with composites), whereas males rated higher for showing insight, being imaginative, and being critical. Although there appear to be high correlations between the various tests, meta-levels and school performance for some of the participants, the same cannot be said for the sample as a whole. The world-view aspect of this study reveals a rich, often complex, understanding of space, strengthening the notion that world views are integral to a learner's cognition process.

Pilot spatial disorientation (SD) is a significant cause of incidents and fatal accidents in aviation. The pilot is susceptible to SD especially in low visibility when the visual system is deprived of information from outside the cockpit. This thesis presents the notion of visual flow displays as enhancement of symbology on flight displays primarily in low visibility for improved support of the pilot’s spatial orientation (SO) and control actions. In Studies I and II, synthetic visual flow of forward ego-motion was presented on displays and postural responses were used as measures of display effectiveness in determining SO. The visual flow significantly affected SO, and although the increased stimulation of the visual periphery from a width of 45° to about 105° increased the effects there was no further effect at a width of about 150° (Studies I and II). Studies I and II also showed that omitting 20°- or 30°-wide central fields of view from the visual flow either reduced or not reduced the effects. Further, although inconclusive, Study II may indicate that horizon symbology in central visual field may enhance the effects of peripheral visual flow. The appropriate integration of peripheral visual flow with the head-up display symbology of the Gripen aircraft was presented. Acceleration in a human centrifuge was used in Study III to investigate the effects of synthetic visual flow on the primarily vestibular-dependent somatogravic illusion of pitch-up. Two experiments revealed a reduced illusion with the visual flow. The results of Experiment 2 showed the visual flow scene not only reduced the illusion compared with a darkness condition but also compared with the visual scene without visual flow. Thus, similar to the main findings of Studies I and II, synthetic visual flow can significantly affect SO and supports the visually dependent SO system in an essential manner.

The aim of the study was to investigate how well the geometry achievement is explained by field dependency/ independency cognitive styles, spatial orientation, spatial visualization and attitude toward geometry. The sample of the study was composed of 378 ninth grade students (183 male and 195 female) from five different lycees in EskiSehir. The types of schools participating in the study were General High School, Anatolian High School, Commercial Vocational High, and Anatolian Fine Art High School. The data were collected by using four instruments, which were Group Embedded Figure Test ( GEFT ) , Spatial Ability Tests, Geometry Achievement Test (GAT) and Geometry Attitude Scale (GAS). GEFT developed by Witkin, Oltman, Raskin and Karp ( 1971 ) was used to determine students&rsquo / cognitive styles. Another test, The Spatial Ability Test developed by Ekstrom and colleagues (1976) was composed of four sub-tests. Two of them were aimed to measure spatial orientation, which were Cube Comparison and Card Rotation test. The others were developed to measure spatial visualization, which were Paper Folding and Surface Development tests. The Turkish version of the tests translated by Delialioglu (1996) used in the study. In order to measure geometry achievement, GAT was developed by researcher. GAS developed by Bulut, iSeri, Ekici and Helvaci (2002) was used to measure the dimension of like/dislike geometry, usefulness of geometry and anxiety about geometry. The data conducted from the research sample through the tests and scale was analyzed by using regression analysis. The multiple regression analysis indicated that students&rsquo / cognitive styles were the most significant variable in explaining their geometry achievements. The other predictive variables also made statistically significant contribution in explaining the variance in geometry achievement. Four predictive variables of the study were entered the regression model, and explained the % 47 of the variance in geometry achievement. The findings of the study suggested that students&rsquo / field dependency/ independency cognitive style had high importance in learning geometry / and it should have taken into the consideration in teaching geometry.

The purposes of the study were / to investigate the effect of type of high school on spatial ability, to investigate the relationships between students&rsquo / mathematics achievements, logical thinking abilities and their spatial abilities and to investigate the effect of technical drawing course on the development of students&rsquo / spatial abilities. The study was conducted in Ankara with 251 9th-grade students who enrolled to general, Anatolian, foreign language, commercial vocational and industrial vocational high schools. Two measuring instruments were utilized: Spatial Ability Tests and Group Test of Logical Thinking. Spatial Ability Tests, which were developed by Ekstrom, consist of card rotation, cube comparison tests measuring the spatial orientation ability and paper folding and surface development tests measuring the spatial visualization ability. The tests were translated in to Turkish by Delialioglu, (1996). Group Test of Logical Thinking was developed by Roadrangka, Yeany, and Padilla and a Turkish version of GALT was developed by Aksu, Beberoglu and Payko&ccedil / (1990). In order to analyze the obtained data, one way ANOVA, correlation analysis and t-test were used. The results of the study indicated that / there is no significant effect of type of high school on students&rsquo / spatial abilities / there is a significant positive relationship between spatial ability and mathematics achievement / there is a significant positive relationship between spatial ability and logical thinking ability / there is a significant positive relationship between spatial ability and technical drawing achievement / and there is a significant development in the students&rsquo / spatial abilities of the students in the technical drawing course.

Ce travail doctoral questionne le processus d’intégration des informations visuelles et gravito-inertielles à l’origine de comportements perceptivo-moteurs. Pour cela, nous avons manipulé l’orientation dans le plan sagittal d’une scène visuelle, du corps ou du vecteur gravito-inertiel, grâce à la rotation de cette scène ou du corps et par centrifugation. Nous avons mesuré les conséquences de ces modifications sur la capacité à localiser le corps ou une cible par le biais d’un mouvement de pointage manuel. Au cours de 3 expérimentations, nous avons manipulé un ensemble de facteurs associés au contexte de présentation des stimulations visuelles et gravito-inertielles (e.g., dynamique de rotation : rapide vs. lente), à la combinaison de ces stimulations (i.e., congruence vs. incongruence spatiale), au mode de réponse spatiale (i.e., tâche de détection de l’inclinaison, pointage discret ou continu) et aux caractéristiques individuelles (i.e., style perceptif). De façon générale, les études réalisées montrent que les règles de pondération sensorielle dépendent de l’interaction entre ces différents facteurs. Nous avons pu ainsi déterminer 2 grands types d’effets sur la pondération sensorielle : i) La non congruence spatiale entre les stimulations entraine une dominance relative des informations gravito-inertielles quelles que soient la tâche ou les caractéristiques de la scène visuelle ; ii) Par contraste, lorsque ces stimulations sont congruentes, les règles de pondération sensorielle dépendent de la tâche (i.e., perceptive vs. sensorimotrice). / This dissertation investigates the integration process of visual and gravitoinertial cues at the origin of perceptual-motor skills. To that aim, we manipulated sagittal orientation of a visual scene, the body and the gravitoinertial vector by means of scene and body rotations, as well as centrifugation. Self-orientation perception and target localization were analyzed during these modifications. In 3 experiments we modulated several factors associated with i) the presentation of visual and gravitoinertial stimulations (e.g., rotation dynamics: fast vs. slow), ii) the combination of these stimulations (i.e., spatial congruence vs. non-congruence), iii) the task (i.e., self-tilt detection, continuous and discrete arm pointing movements), iv) individual characteristics (i.e., perceptive style). Overall, we show that sensory integration rules depend on these interacting factors. Two global effects were revealed on sensory weighting: i) spatial non-congruence between stimulations induces relative gravitoinertial dominance, whatever the task or visual scene properties; ii) by contrast, spatial congruence between stimulations could be associated to sensory weighting rules which are task dependent (i.e., perceptive vs. sensorimotor).

Alzheimer's disease (AD), as one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases, is characterized by the loss of neuronal dysfunction and death resulting in progressive cognitive impairment. The main histopathological hallmark of AD is the accumulation and deposition of misfolded Aβ peptide as amyloid plaques, however the precise role of Aβ toxicity in the disease pathogenesis is still unclear. Moreover, at early stages of the disease the important clinical features of the disorder, in addition to memory loss, are the disruptions of circadian rhythms and spatial disorientation. In the present work I first studied the role of Aβ toxicity by comparing the findings of genome-wide association studies in sporadic AD with the results of an RNAi screen in a transgenic C. elegans model of Aβ toxicity. The initial finding was that none of the human orthologues of these worm genes are associated with risk for sporadic Alzheimer’s disease, indicating that Aβ toxicity in the worm model may not be equivalent to sporadic AD. Nevertheless, comparing the first degree physical interactors (+1 interactome) of the GWAS and worm screen-derived gene products have uncovered 4 worm genes that have a +1 interactome overlap with the GWAS genes that is larger than one would expect by chance. Three of these genes form a chaperonin complex and the fourth gene codes for actin, a major substrate of the same chaperonin. Next I have evaluated the circadian disruptions in AD by developing a new system to simultaneously monitor the oscillations of the peripheral molecular clock and behavioural rhythms in single Drosophila. Experiments were undertaken on wild- type and Aβ-expressing flies. The results indicate the robustness of the peripheral clock is not correlated with the robustness of the circadian sleep and locomotor behaviours, indicating that the molecular clock does not directly drive behaviour. This is despite period length correlations that indicate that the underlying molecular mechanisms that generate both molecular and behavioural rhythms are the same. Rhythmicity in Aβ-expressing flies is worse than in controls. I further investigated the mechanism of spatial orientation in Drosophila. It was established that in the absence of visual stimuli the flies use self-motion cues to orientate themselves within the tubes and that in a Drosophila model of Aβ toxicity this control function is disrupted.