Lower-limb exoskeletons are an emerging technology to provide walking assistance to people who have a spinal cord injury (SCI). Until now, exoskeletons have primarily been used in a clinical setting for a range of applications in rehabilitation, and there is potential for exoskeletons to be used by people with SCI at home. Daily walking with an exoskeleton contributes significantly to physical and mental health of the user, but previous work has concluded that further development is required before exoskeletons are broadly adopted for this purpose. ABLE Human Motion is currently working to create a lightweight and intuitive exoskeleton for home use. To understand how this exoskeleton must be designed differently from clinical rehabilitation exoskeletons, it is necessary to understand the user requirements of the device in depth. This thesis explored: 1) what methodology is appropriate for evaluating home use exoskeletons, 2) what users want to use a personal exoskeleton for, and 3) what design changes distinguish an exoskeleton for home use instead of rehabilitation. This was done using a combination of literature review, hazard analysis, user observations (n=7), user interviews (n=7), and physiotherapist interviews (n=3) to derive a detailed set of user requirements and product specifications for a personal exoskeleton for home use. Interviews were conducted face-to-face and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results of the study show that users primarily want to use a personal exoskeleton for daily exercise and wellness activities, in outdoor environments, and around the theme of “like-everyone-else”. Therapists added an additional theme of user trust in the device. These insights have been translated into a set of prioritized user requirements and product specifications for a lower-limb exoskeleton for walking assistance after SCI, which can be used in the future design and development of such a device. Future work will be to develop testing setups to further explore the product specifications, and to conduct observation studies of the exoskeleton being used in a home-like environment. / Exoskelett för de nedre extremiteterna är en framväxande teknik för att ge gångassistans till personer som har en ryggmärgsskada. Hittills har exoskelett främst använts i en klinisk miljö för en rad tillämpningar inom rehabilitering, men det finns potential för exoskelett att användas av personer med ryggmärgsskada för personligt bruk i hemmet. För att förstå hur personliga exoskelett måste utformas annorlunda än kliniska exoskelett är det nödvändigt att på djupet förstå användarens krav på enheten. Detta projekt använde en kombination av litteraturgranskning, riskanalys, användarobservationer, användarintervjuer och fysioterapeutintervjuer för att härleda en detaljerad uppsättning användarkrav och produktspecifikationer för ett personligt exoskelett för hemmabruk. Intervjuer analyserades med hjälp av tematisk analys. Resultaten av studien visar att användarna i första hand vill använda ett personligt exoskelett för dagliga tränings- och hälsoaktiviteter, i utomhusmiljöer och på temat ”som alla andra”. Andra viktiga teman för framtida utveckling var kring användarnas förtroende för enheten och bibehållande av motivation för daglig träning. Dessa teman har översatts till en uppsättning prioriterade användarkrav och produktspecifikationer för ett nedre extremitetsskelett för gångassistans efter en ryggmärgsskada som kan användas i framtida design och utveckling av en sådan enhet.

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Neurological disorders affect more than 14% of the population worldwide and together with traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries represent major health, public and economic burden of the society. Incidence of inherited and idiopathic neurodegenerative disorders and acute CNS injuries is growing globally while neuroscience society is being challenged by numerous unanswered questions. Therefore, research of the CNS disorders is essential. Since animal models of the CNS diseases and injuries represent the key step in the conversion of the basic research to the clinics, we focused our work on generation of new animal models and on their use in pre-clinical research. We generated and characterized transgenic minipig model of Huntington's disease (HD) which represents the only successful establishment of a transgenic model of HD in minipig which should be valuable for testing of long term safety of HD therapeutics. Next, we crossed the well characterized R6/2 mouse HD model with the gad mouse model which lacks the expression of UCHL1 which led to results that support the theory of "protective" role of mutant huntingtin aggregates and suggest that UCHL1 function(s) may be affected in HD disturbing certain branches of Ubiquitin Proteasome System. Traumatic spinal cord injury and Amyotrophic Lateral...

The study was undertaken to deepen understanding of living with a spinal cord injury (SCI) in the rural communities of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa (RSA). The OR Tambo District Municipality, which was selected for its accessibility to the researcher, is virtually rural, the infrastructure is poorly developed and there is low socio-economic activity in the rural areas of the old Transkei. In the RSA services for management and rehabilitation of SCIs varies from province to province. A Heideggerian phenomenological approach was used to interpret the meaning of living with SCI persons in a rural community. The purpose was to describe and interpret what being-in the-world as a spinal cord injured person meant to the particpants. A key assumption in phenomenology is that understanding human beings and their actions is best achieved through examination of human experiences. Experience, including experience with living with SCI, offers itself as a record of human encounters, the interface between persons and their world, and experience can only be understood in terms of background and the social context of the experience (Pateman & Johnson 2000: 51). Phenomenological interviews with ten people living with SCI explored their experience. The overall goal was to increase awareness of their experiences of living with SCI, and to encourage incorporation of knowledge gained into nursing practice. The central question in the study was `What is it like to live with a spinal cord injury in a rural community? Data were analysed according to Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenology. Two main themes were identified, namely reconceptualising being-in-the-world as a person with a disability; and being-with-each-other: experiencing being excluded, objectified and marginalized. The participants engaged in a process of reconstructing their identities following the traumatic loss of sensory and motor functioning. Data reflect the social and economic context in which living with SCI is experienced. The respondents' life experiences were influenced by socio-political, economic and historical factors, namely geographic location, poor infrastructure, poverty, low educational status, and unemployment and the community at large. It was noted that participants experienced difficulties in several areas in their daily life realm; naming, coping with health and disability problems, family interactions and relationships, and non-accessibility of amenities, including their own dwellings. In addition, being a person living with an SCI in the rural communities of the OR Tambo District Municipality carries a high physical and social risk due to lack of resources. The inability to live up to generally expected social roles led to role dissatisfaction. There is an urgent need for social support to overcome the negative societal attitudes experienced. They are forced into isolation with a limited social life and are poorly integrated into the communities in which they live. Most of what the participants raised pointed towards inadequate preparation for the outside world. Therefore, a holistic approach to rehabilitation is recommended, as holism means addressing the physical, social, emotional and cognitive needs. Accordingly, the researcher developed guidelines for facilitating community integration. In conclusion, understanding how people experience living with SCI in a rural community is an essential prerequisite to the development of appropriate strategies to facilitate community integration. / Health Studies / D. Litt et Phil (Health Studies)

Text in Afrikaans / Indigenous literature about the experience of a couple, where one of the spouses experiences a spinal cord injury, is scarce in the frame of social work. The experience of 5 couples (10 participants), after a spinal cord injury of one of the spouses was researched in this qualitative study. The aim of this research study is: • to reconnoiter participants’ experience of a spinal cord injury of a spouse, through semi-structured interviews with a purposeful chosen sample • to subject the research findings to a literature control • to make recommendations about how spouses can support each other, as well as how professional people can support client systems, where one of the spouses experience a spinal cord injury From the data it was determined that a spinal cord injury had significantly influenced the couples: - emotions - needs - perceptions (origination of experiences) Recommendations to couples as well as to professional people have been made. / Social Work / Thesis (M. Diac.)

The study was undertaken to deepen understanding of living with a spinal cord injury (SCI) in the rural communities of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa (RSA). The OR Tambo District Municipality, which was selected for its accessibility to the researcher, is virtually rural, the infrastructure is poorly developed and there is low socio-economic activity in the rural areas of the old Transkei. In the RSA services for management and rehabilitation of SCIs varies from province to province. A Heideggerian phenomenological approach was used to interpret the meaning of living with SCI persons in a rural community. The purpose was to describe and interpret what being-in the-world as a spinal cord injured person meant to the particpants. A key assumption in phenomenology is that understanding human beings and their actions is best achieved through examination of human experiences. Experience, including experience with living with SCI, offers itself as a record of human encounters, the interface between persons and their world, and experience can only be understood in terms of background and the social context of the experience (Pateman & Johnson 2000: 51). Phenomenological interviews with ten people living with SCI explored their experience. The overall goal was to increase awareness of their experiences of living with SCI, and to encourage incorporation of knowledge gained into nursing practice. The central question in the study was `What is it like to live with a spinal cord injury in a rural community? Data were analysed according to Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenology. Two main themes were identified, namely reconceptualising being-in-the-world as a person with a disability; and being-with-each-other: experiencing being excluded, objectified and marginalized. The participants engaged in a process of reconstructing their identities following the traumatic loss of sensory and motor functioning. Data reflect the social and economic context in which living with SCI is experienced. The respondents' life experiences were influenced by socio-political, economic and historical factors, namely geographic location, poor infrastructure, poverty, low educational status, and unemployment and the community at large. It was noted that participants experienced difficulties in several areas in their daily life realm; naming, coping with health and disability problems, family interactions and relationships, and non-accessibility of amenities, including their own dwellings. In addition, being a person living with an SCI in the rural communities of the OR Tambo District Municipality carries a high physical and social risk due to lack of resources. The inability to live up to generally expected social roles led to role dissatisfaction. There is an urgent need for social support to overcome the negative societal attitudes experienced. They are forced into isolation with a limited social life and are poorly integrated into the communities in which they live. Most of what the participants raised pointed towards inadequate preparation for the outside world. Therefore, a holistic approach to rehabilitation is recommended, as holism means addressing the physical, social, emotional and cognitive needs. Accordingly, the researcher developed guidelines for facilitating community integration. In conclusion, understanding how people experience living with SCI in a rural community is an essential prerequisite to the development of appropriate strategies to facilitate community integration. / Health Studies / D. Litt et Phil (Health Studies)

Text in Afrikaans / Indigenous literature about the experience of a couple, where one of the spouses experiences a spinal cord injury, is scarce in the frame of social work. The experience of 5 couples (10 participants), after a spinal cord injury of one of the spouses was researched in this qualitative study. The aim of this research study is: • to reconnoiter participants’ experience of a spinal cord injury of a spouse, through semi-structured interviews with a purposeful chosen sample • to subject the research findings to a literature control • to make recommendations about how spouses can support each other, as well as how professional people can support client systems, where one of the spouses experience a spinal cord injury From the data it was determined that a spinal cord injury had significantly influenced the couples: - emotions - needs - perceptions (origination of experiences) Recommendations to couples as well as to professional people have been made. / Social Work / Thesis (M. Diac.)