Thesis (MA(Research Psychology)--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.

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Thesis (MScIng)--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Primary health care telemedicine services require the acquisition and transmission of patient data including high quality still and video images via telecommunication networks. The objective of this thesis is to investigate the implementation of a generalpurpose medical camera as an alternative to the complex and costly CCD based cameras generally in use at present. The design is based on FillFactory’s SXGA (1280 ×1024) CMOS image sensor. A low-cost Altera Cyclone FPGA is used for signal interfacing, filtering and colour processing to enhance image quality. A Cypress USB 2.0 interface chip is employed to isochronously transfer video data up to a maximum rate of 23.04 MBytes per second to the PC. A detailed design and video image results are presented and discussed; however the camera will need repackaging and an approval for medical application by medical specialists and concerned bodies before releasing it as full-fledged product. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Primêre gesondheidssorg telemedisyne dienste moet hoëkwaliteit televisiebeelde van hul pasiënte verkry deur van telekommunikasienetwerke gebruik te maak. Die doel van hierdie tesis is om die toepassing van n meerdoelige mediese kamera te ondersoek as n alternatief tot duur, komplekse CCD-gebaseerde kameras wat huidiglik gebruik word. Die ontwerp is gebaseer op n hoëkwaliteit CMOS beeldsensor. n Goedkoop Altera Cyclone FPGA word gebruik vir seinkoppelvlak, filtering en kleurprosessering om die kwaliteit van die beeld te verhoog. n Hoëspoed USB 2.0 poort word gebruik om die data teen die nodige spoed te versend. n Gedetailleerde ontwerp, en die beeldresultate word voorgelê en bespreek. Die kamera moet egter eers deur mediese spesialiste en relevante beheerliggame goedgekeur word voordat dit as n volledige produk vrygestel kan word.

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The thesis deals with ways of increasing efficiency in retail with focus on logistics from theoretical as well as practical perspective. Application of the practical part is demonstrated on the example of Dotcom, online store project of Tesco Stores ČR a.s. First aim of the thesis is to identify areas with the biggest potential in increasing efficiency with respect to financial demands of the eventual investment and to propose a potential solution. Second aim is to verify a hypothesis that the delivery of goods to customers is inefficient given that the planning system is not being linked to the tracking system.

Researchers have studied adolescent bullying behavior since the 1970s, however, today's technological advances have opened the door to a new form of abuse. Teens can no longer escape the wrath of their bullies once they have left the school grounds, because bullies are following them home. Cyberbullying is a new phenomenon in which bullies use computer-mediated communication (CMC) to torment their victims. This research project focused on uncovering some of the mysteries surrounding this new means of bullying. A grounded theory analysis of stories written by victims revealed cyberbullies often use synchronous chat tools, e-mail, web sites, and cell phone text messages to reach their victims. Data analysis also revealed victims use of contextualization, descriptions of their bullying episodes, and discussions of their responses and outcomes to characterize their experiences. Interestingly, the researcher found victims of cyberbullying generally were also victims off face-to-face bullying as well.

Telehealth is needed urgently nationwide, given the COVID-19 pandemic. It isespecially urgent in rural and less populated areas where healthcare access is limited. Currently, because there are no pediatric handwriting assessments validated for telehealth use, the TeleWrite assessment would fill an unmet service need and expand the use of telehealth-based occupational therapy (OT) assessment in pediatric practice. This dissertation explored the preliminary psychometric properties of TeleWrite, a handwriting assessment tool designed to measure the legibility and fluency of handwriting for children in first through third grade administered via telehealth. A series of studies were completed to determine initial interrater reliability, content validity, and clinical utility using classical test theory. The Rasch model of measurement was used to determine the preliminary psychometric properties of TeleWrite using Winsteps® (v. 4.7.0). The quantitative Rasch analysis of TeleWrite included administration of the tool to 148 children from first to third grade. This study tested the initial construct validity (internal validity) and test reliability of TeleWrite using the Rasch model of measurement. The Partial Credit Model (PCM) was used for rating scale analysis because TeleWrite is composed of three distinct scales (handwriting rate, accuracy, and fluency) that differs per task (near point or far point) and per grade level. The Rasch analysis showed a generally good fit with the Rasch unidimensional model, indicating strong construct and internal validity and moderate ability to separate abilities of students reliably in terms of handwriting skills. However, following the Rasch model, a larger sample is necessary to obtain improved calibration, reliability, and validity measures. This study and supported by the literature described the need for a new handwriting evaluation tool validated for telehealth use. The findings of the current research contribute to the literature and OT practice as the first handwriting assessment specifically designed and validated for telehealth use that assesses all pertinent variables of handwriting associated with handwriting difficulties.

The remarkable increase in the use of sensors in our daily lives has provided an increasing number of opportunities for decision-making and automation of events. Opportunities for decision-making have further risen with the advent of smart technology and the omnipresence of sensors. Various methods have been devised to detect different events in a driving environment using smart-phones as they provide two main advantages: they remove the need to have dedicated hardware in vehicles and they are widely accessible. Rewarding safe driving has always been an important issue for insurance companies. With this intention, they are now moving toward implementing plans that consider current driving usage (Usage-based-drive plans) in contrast with traditional history-based-plans. The detection of driving events is important in insurance telematics for this purpose. Events such as acceleration and turning are good examples of important information. The sensors are capable of detecting whether a car is accelerating or braking, while through fusing services we can detect other events like speeding or the occurrence of a severe weather phenomenon that can affect driving. This thesis aims to look at the telematics from a new angle that employs smart-phones as the sensing platform. We proposed a new hybrid classification algorithm that detects acceleration-based events with an F1-score of 0.9304 and turn events with an F1-score of 0.9038. We further performed a case study on measuring the performance of driving utilizing various measures. This index can be used by a wide range of benefactors such as the insurance and transportation industries.

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Background. People with spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) have symptoms that impact balance, gait, motor learning and control. Independently, balance training (BT) and aerobic exercise (AE) have improved motor function for people with SCA. Studies in stroke and Parkinson disease have evaluated the use of AE prior to BT as a form of motor priming to enhance motor learning. Motor priming has not been explored in SCA. Introduction & Purpose. This was a pilot randomized controlled trial aimed to 1) determine the feasibility and efficacy of an 8-week telehealth intervention of high intensity AE prior to BT (HIBT) compared to low intensity exercise prior to BT (LIBT) on disease specific motor and cognitive outcomes, and 2) explore changes in patient reported outcomes as well as functional outcomes post exercise intervention in people with SCA. Methods. Participants (n=20) were randomized to receive either HIBT, or LIBT, for 60 minutes, twice weekly, for 8-weeks over telehealth. The HIBT group underwent 30 minutes of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) prior to 30 minutes of BT, while the LIBT group underwent 30 minutes of low intensity warm up type exercises prior to 30 minutes of BT. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, mid- and post-intervention and included: disease specific measures (e.g., Cerebellar Cognitive Affective Scale (CCAS), Scale for Assessment and Rating of Ataxia at Home (SARAHome), functional measures of balance and gait (e.g., Timed Up and Go test (TUG), 30 second Sit to Stand Test (30secSTS)), patient reported measures (e.g., fatigue severity scale (FSS-49)) and metrics of feasibility. Data for disease specific, and functional outcomes were not normally distributed. Data for patient reported outcomes was normally distributed. Statistical significance of findings are reported as p-value. Results. A total of 93 people were referred to this intervention, and 20 were enrolled (21.5% enrollment). Eighteen participants completed the intervention and post-intervention outcome assessments (90% retention). Both the HIBT and LIBT interventions had high acceptance from on the post-intervention questionnaire. Enrolled participants had a mean (SD) age of 58.1(13.5) yrs; 6M/14F. Diagnoses were early-mid stage SCA types 1, 2, 3, and 6. Participants showed 100% adherence to the intervention, with 1 adverse event of low back pain exacerbation which resolved. Both groups improved on disease specific measures of the CCAS, and SARAHome where outcomes for the SARAHome surpassed the established group minimal detectable change score of 0.3 points. At post-intervention however, there were no between group differences identified on the SARAHome (p > .05), however for the CCAS the LIBT group demonstrated significant improvements at post intervention over the HIBT group (p < .01). There were no differences observed at post-intervention between groups for functional measures such as the TUG test, 30secSTS test, or in any static stance position. The LIBT group showed greater changes in fatigue post-intervention, (p < .05). The HIBT group showed no significant change in fatigue, however they displayed decreased tolerability to engage in BT after engagement in AE. The HIBT group managing to complete an average of only 8.50 BT exercises per session while LIBT completed 10.04. Conclusions. Results from this pilot randomized controlled trial support a telehealth-delivered exercise intervention for people with SCA 1, 2, 3, and 6, with low overall attrition, and high rates of intervention adherence, and acceptability. However, effect estimates do not support the hypothesis of motor priming in people with SCA. Fatigue after engagement in AE limited intervention tolerability for BT in the HIBT group, and this suggests that fatigue may stand as a potential barrier for not only exercise engagement and functional improvement, but also neuroplastic growth and motor learning potential. Future research should aim to optimize exercise prescription to mitigate fatigue in this population.