Le chapitre 1 sert d’introduction à la thèse, pose les problématiques et les méthodes, remet en perspective les enjeux et annonce le plan suivi. Le chapitre 2 définit les principaux types de disfluences (cliniques et naturelles), résume les études principales conduites sur les disfluences, et présente les différents points de vue sur leur rôle dans le discours. Le chapitre 3 dresse l’état de la question sur le statut des deux pauses pleines (fillers) um et uh et montre comment plusieurs études récentes accréditent l’idée d’une différence pragmatique, voire fonctionnelle, entre ces deux "fillers", qu’il convient donc d’envisager comme des marqueurs. Le chapitre 4 revient sommairement sur le concept de "stance" (prise de position, évaluation), établit sa définition dans cette thèse et dans le corpus ATAROS, puis présente l’état de la question quant à la détection automatique de "stance" dans les corpus oraux. Le chapitre 5 caractérise les deux corpus étudiés, ATAROS et Switchboard (SWB), et établit leurs contributions. Ce chapitre présente les méthodologies d’annotation des corpus, les deux versions de SWB, ainsi que la méthode suivie pour construire une interopérabilité de ces deux corpus pour l’analyse de um et uh. Le chapitre 6 analyse la distribution et la durée des deux marqueurs dans SWB et ATAROS en fonction du genre des interlocuteurs, de l’authenticité de la conversation, et du nombre de conversations auxquelles les sujets participent. Ce chapitre montre que um et uh ont des durées et des distributions différentes et indique que les marqueurs ne sont pas utilisés au hasard. Le chapitre 7 se penche sur la production de um et uh dans SWB, et sur la perception des deux marqueurs en comparant les deux versions des transcriptions du corpus. Les principaux résultats montrent que um et uh sont plus souvent oublis que d’autres mots fréquents tels que les mots fonctionnels, et que les transcripteurs de SWB font plus d’erreurs sur uh que sur um, suggérant que um joue un rôle discursif plus important que uh. Le chapitre 8 interroge la relation entre la prise de position ("stance") d’une unité de parole et la présence et la position des marqueurs dans une phrase, et révèle que ces deux dimensions sont dépendantes. Le chapitre 9 évalue la relation entre la prise de position d’une unité de parole et la réalisation acoustique de la voyelle des marqueurs, comparé à la même voyelle dans d’autres mots monosyllabiques. Les résultats indiquent que les valeurs de "stance" affectent avec différents degrés la réalisation acoustique des marqueurs. Le chapitre 10 incorpore les résultats des expériences précédentes dans plusieurs taches de classification qui testent les traits les plus importants pour prédire automatiquement les valeurs de "stance" en fonction des paramètres correspondants à um et uh (traits lexicaux, positionnels et acoustiques). Ces expériences montrent que les traits pertinents aux marqueurs affectent la performance du système et que les meilleurs résultats de la classification sont obtenus lorsque les traits lexicaux um et uh sont présents, et lorsque leur position est prise en compte. Les résultats aussi indiquent que différentes propriétés acoustiques améliorent les scores de prédictions. Le chapitre 11 conclut la thèse en résumant les résultats des chapitres 6 à 10, en soulignant les impacts de cette recherche, et en indiquant les futures pistes de recherche. / Chapter 1 introduces the dissertation, establishes the research questions and the methodology, questions the stakes of studying the markers um and uh, and lays out the study organization. Chapter 2 defines the main types of disfluencies, clinical and naturally occurring, summarizes the state of the art on the topic, and presents the different positions on their discourse role. Chapter 3 establishes the challenges regarding the fillers um and uh and summarizes studies that support the idea of different pragmatic and functional roles, suggesting that they are markers rather than just fillers. Chapter 4 introduces the concept of ÔstanceÕ (i.e., evaluation, opinion), establishes the definition used in this study and in the ATAROS corpus, and briefly summarizes the state of the art on automatic stance recognition in spoken speech. Chapter 5 introduces the two corpora used in this dissertation, ATAROS and Switchboard (SWB), and establishes their contribution. This chapter presents the methodologies for the annotations, the two versions of SWB, as well as the methodology adopted to construct an interoperability between the corpora to analyze um and uh. Chapter 6 analyzes the distribution and the duration of the two markers in SWB and ATAROS depending on speaker and dyad gender, on the conversationÕs naturalness, and on speaker participation. This chapter shows that um and uh are different from each other, that they have different distribution and duration cues depending on the variables, and therefore indicates that they are not used randomly. Chapter 7 focuses on the production of um and uh in SWB, and on the perception of the two markers by comparing two transcription versions of the corpus. The results of this chapter show that um and uh are more often missed than other frequent words such as function words, and that SWB transcribers make more transcription errors on uh than on um, suggesting that um plays a more important role in discourse than uh. Chapter 8 investigates the relationship between stance and the presence and the position of um and uh in an utterance, and reveals that the presence and the position of the two markers is dependent with stance. Chapter 9 looks at the relationship between stance and the acoustic realization of the vowel of the markers, compared to the vowel of other monosyllabic words. The results indicate that the stance values affect the vowel realization to different extents. Chapter 10 consists of a classification experiment that incorporates the findings from previous experiments to find out which features pertinent to um and uh (lexical, position, and acoustics) improve the systemÕs performance. The experiments show that the features associated to the two markers impact the systemÕs performance and that the best results are obtained when the word unigrams um and uh are not filtered, and when their position is included. The results also indicate that different acoustic features improve the scores. Chapter 11 concludes the dissertation by summarizing the results from chapters 6 through 10, underlying the impact of this study, and addressing the future directions of this project.

A rear locking prosthetic knee joint with a durable, rear Automatic Stance-Phase Lock (ASPL), was developed to investigate the versatility of the (ASPL) mechanism in improving the functionality of prosthetic knees appropriate for a global market. An international survey and a Quality Function Deployment identified deficits with existing prosthetic knee mechanisms and established the most influential design parameters. Work on the knee design was completed following a comparative stability analysis of different knee mechanisms which justified the initial design. Solid models were generated with computer design software and a prototype was produced and structurally tested. Finally, clinical pilot testing was conducted on a unilateral transfemoral amputee, and various gait variables were assessed. As hypothesized, the knee performed close to the level of a conventional six-bar knee providing highly effective stance-phase control and the pilot test showed that improvements to the swing-phase response could further reduce the asymmetry of gait.

A rear locking prosthetic knee joint with a durable, rear Automatic Stance-Phase Lock (ASPL), was developed to investigate the versatility of the (ASPL) mechanism in improving the functionality of prosthetic knees appropriate for a global market. An international survey and a Quality Function Deployment identified deficits with existing prosthetic knee mechanisms and established the most influential design parameters. Work on the knee design was completed following a comparative stability analysis of different knee mechanisms which justified the initial design. Solid models were generated with computer design software and a prototype was produced and structurally tested. Finally, clinical pilot testing was conducted on a unilateral transfemoral amputee, and various gait variables were assessed. As hypothesized, the knee performed close to the level of a conventional six-bar knee providing highly effective stance-phase control and the pilot test showed that improvements to the swing-phase response could further reduce the asymmetry of gait.

This study addresses how bilingual students and instructors construct and negotiate discourses about language and language-related social positions through different kinds language use in and outside the heritage language (HL) classroom. The project focuses on one group of students who took an entry-level Spanish HL course in 2010. Data include ethnographic observations and video recordings of class sessions throughout the semester, filmed interviews with the students and the instructor, observations and recordings of students’ language use in social contexts outside of class, course materials, and writings produced by the students for the class. The study takes the perspective that identities and ideologies are dynamic and embodied within the repeated, purposeful types of interaction in which people engage in their daily lives, and can be constructed, contested and negotiated using a variety of meaning-making resources (Bucholtz and Hall 2004b, Young 2009). The analysis takes an ethnographic approach (Blommaert 2005) and draws from the linguistic anthropological notion of language ideologies (Kroskrity 2004), a sociolinguistic approach to stance (Jaffe 2009b), and narrative analysis (De Fina 2003). The study data show that when orienting toward the pedagogical objective of acquiring grammar and vocabulary, the students and the instructor represent institutional ideologies, such as the notion of a superior ‘standard’ variety of Spanish, and construct relations of authority with respect to these discourses through resources such as repair and epistemic stance. The instructor displays a complex set of stances in the classroom, mediating between an authoritative role associated with her institutional position on the one hand and a stance of alignment with the students on the other. Reflecting the instructors’ stancetaking, the students negotiate their orientation to the institutional context on a moment-to-moment basis in classroom interaction. They ascribe expert and novice roles to each other through resources such as repair, but they do not always claim the roles ascribed to them by their co-participants. Although the expert/novice stances displayed by the students reflect an ideal monolingual identity ascribed by the instructor and an over-simplified view of language characteristic of traditional language instruction, the students challenge these institutional discourses through linguistic performance and the reframing of other voices. In other moments of interaction, the students and the instructor orient toward the goal of alignment, reflecting discursive practices from outside of the classroom, and institutional ideologies appear to be less relevant. When interacting with Spanish-speaking family members and co-workers outside of the classroom, the students use language in creative ways to construct identities that conflict with the monolingual identity ascribed within the institution. However, while they demonstrate competence in constructing these identities in contexts that are familiar to them, some students express concerns about how others will perceive them when they use language in less familiar contexts. Many of the students view the HL courses as an important stepping-stone toward full participation in Spanish-speaking communities outside of their hometowns and immediate families. The conclusions discuss a disconnect between pedagogical practices and the discursive practices in which the students participate in their daily lives and hope to participate in the future, and end with a proposal for HL teaching that addresses these differences. / text

Convivencia, or conviviality/coexistence, represents a pivotal node in Spanish ideologies of multiculturalism. Long touted as the legacy of interreligious harmony in Al- Andalus (A.D. 711-1492), contemporary pedagogical convivencia involves a complex of innovative policies, curricula, and activities which idealize distinct ways of communicating and enacting egalitarianism across myriad differences. This dissertation establishes this idealization as an artifact of Spain’s historic struggles with democracy and newfound struggles with cultural pluralism from immigration. I approach education as a focal sphere in which to examine the daily construction and maintenance of this ideal. Specifically, I draw on twelve months’ fieldwork at three secondary schools in the municipality of El Ejido (Almería) to argue that the universalist bent of contemporary convivencia pedagogies tends to obscure and invalidate minority student perspectives. My primary concern lies with the experiences of Moroccan youth, who during my research belonged to the largest, most stigmatized immigrant group in the area and whose stereotyped association with patriarchy, piety, and cultural isolationism placed them at odds with the values most fervently promoted in convivencia lessons, especially gender equality. I show how one unintended consequence of these interventions was that intolerance persisted not despite, but through, lessons on tolerance—a troubling finding for a place like El Ejido, which has seen some of the worst interracial violence in Europe. Using audio recordings collected at one school during democratic education classes and related activities, I identify patterns in teacher-student and student-student interactions that reveal how convivencia was constructed (and undermined) as a discursive performance of progressivism. Stance prompting, stance assessment, and stance attribution comprised tools that allowed teachers to defend their situational and moral authority while compelling students toward self-reflection and empathy. I reveal these repertoires as exclusionary to Moroccan youth, who were positioned as “others” unqualified to speak as progressive subjects, while their native-born peers launched critiques, and even insults, with impunity. Convivencia lessons, taught through classes mandated at the national and regional levels, politicized interactions and sparked various forms of resistance or pushback from students. Using analytic frameworks from linguistic anthropology and building on studies of diversity and civic education, Spanish social history, and liberalism and modernity, I argue that the dialogues analyzed in this dissertation represent tensions ever-present in projects of democratic equality. I ultimately describe convivencia pedagogies as ritualized instantiations of dominant social norms that inadvertently ostracize rather than unite youth across differences. While the shape of these efforts have much to do with Spain’s mottled history with democracy, these findings hold significance for educators everywhere insofar as heartfelt support for seemingly unassailable ideals—including human rights, gender equality, and racial equality—can smuggle in ethnocentrist biases.

Rodent models are being extensively used to investigate the effects of traumatic injuryand to develop and assess the mechanisms of repair and regeneration. We presentquantitative assessment of 2D kinematics of overground walking and for the first time3D joint angle kinematics of all four limbs during treadmill walking in the intact and inincomplete spinal cord contusion injured (iSCI) adult female Long Evans rats. Phaserelationship between joint angles on a cycle-by-cycle basis and interlimb footfalls areassessed using a simple technique. Electromyogram (EMG) data from major flexor andextensor muscles for each of the hindlimb joints and elbow extensor muscles of theforelimbs synchronized to the 3D kinematics is also obtained in intact rats. EMG activityindicates specific relationships of the neural activity to joint angle kinematics. We findthat the ankle flexors as well as the hip and elbow extensors maintain constant burstduration with changing cycle duration. Overground walking kinematics providesinformation on stance width (SW), stride length (SL) and hindfoot rotation (Rot). SW andRot increased in iSCI rats. Treadmill walking kinematics provides information on jointangle trajectories. In iSCI rats double burst pattern in ankle angle as seen in intact ratsis lost and knee extension and range are reduced. Intra and interlimb coordination isimpaired. Left-right interlimb coordination and forelimb kinematics are not alteredsignificantly. In iSCI rats, maximum flexion of the knee during swing occurs in phasewith the hip as opposed to knee flexion preceeding hip flexion in intact rats. A mildexercise regimen in intact rats over eight weeks does not alter the kinematics.

Interactions between the neural and musculoskeletal systems are a prerequisite for the production of robust movement. In spite of this, the neural control and musculoskeletal structure underlying biological movements are typically studied independently, with little attention paid to how changes in one may affect the other. Understanding these interactions may be critical to improving current rehabilitation technologies and therapy methods. As an example, balance disorders are multifactorial in nature and identifying whether biomechanical or neural changes are the source of instability remains an unanswered question. I have used a combined experimental and modeling approach to understand neural and biomechanical interactions governing human balance control. I developed a simple four-bar linkage model with delayed feedback to investigate frontal-plane standing balance. Using methods from time-delay systems I present evidence from this model that biomechanical structure is important for behavioral function and show that neural control and biomechanical structure co-vary for stable human balance. Predictions from the model were tested experimentally to dissociate the effects of inertia and postural configuration on balance. In addition, I applied robust control methods to solve the difficult problem of comparing the relative performance between neuromechanical systems that differ in parameter values and predicted a common mechanism to explain changes in neural control across biomechanical contexts. In the future, the analytical tools and simulation methods I have developed can be generalized to investigate changes in neuromechanical interactions of various deficits in biomechanics (ACL rupture, amputation) and neural control (Parkinson's disease, stroke). Furthermore, this approach can be used to explain how neural control and biomechanical structure relate to the diversity of animal form and function, as well as suggest biomimetic control policies for robotics.

The thesis deals with social work with gypsy clients. The first chapter of the theoretical part 1.1 Social work aimed at the gypsy minority describes the specifics of social work with gypsy clients, which is based on preconditions that social workers should fulfill when working with this target group and their facilities for such work. It aims at the professional approach of the social workers to the clients who are members of the gipsy ethnicity and describes the value system of a social worker. The research proved that the workers approach the clients professionally based on an ethical code. Factors which influence the perception of the clients from the gipsy minority by the social workers became clear from the research. The approach is most commonly influenced by the more difficult communication with the clients and low motivation of the gipsy clients to change their burdensome situation through their own endeavors. The workers do not distinguish their clients according to their membership in a minority but according to the specific problem they wish to help them solve. The biggest problem of the gipsy ethnicity became education. The majority of the workers believe that if the education of the gipsy clients can be improved it will reduce the impact of other social problems.

Bibliographic identification Author's first name and surname: Bc. et Bc. Kateřina Levínská Title of the master thesis: Effect of various types of sensory and cognitive dual-tasking in high performance athlete's stance stability Department: Department of Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine, 2nd faculty of medicine, Charles University and FN Motol Supervisor: PhDr. Ondřej Čakrt, Ph.D. The year of presentation: 2017 Abstract: This study focused on the influence of various types of cognitive and sensory dual- tasking to the stability of stance of the elite floorball players, elite floorbal players with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and healthy controls. A total of forty probands were divided into 3 groups according to the sports activity and the history of ACL injuries. Volunteers underwent examination of bipedal and monopedal standing on a stabilometric platform using a foam pad. We chose three types of secondary task, which we tested first at probands in a sitting position. Subsequently, we combined them with a bipedal and monopedal stance on a foam mat. In secondary tests, latency of response and error rate were measured. Our results show that the combination of a postural challenging situation with a secondary task significantly more affects performance in the sensory-cognitive task than the...

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