Challenges of transition from school to senior level athletics in South Africa

At present, very few South African athletes who compete at a junior level and perform well make a successful transition to senior athletics. Far too many discontinue their participation when transitioning to senior track and field athletics to the detriment of our country’s athletics. This study provides insights into the transitional challenges that South African track and field athletes face and highlights the effects of various factors on transition. The available literature suggests that there are multiple factors, which cause an unsuccessful transition. Furthermore, the effectiveness of support systems that are meant to assist athletes in overcoming these challenges is questionable. A qualitative research design, which employed narrative interviews with 12 South African athletes who had competed internationally as junior athletes, was used in the study. The results revealed that support systems, coaches, training plans, injuries and qualification standards are the main challenges that South African athletes face during their transition to senior level athletics. Vast improvements in communication and decisive commitments need to be made in the existing support structures to help young athletes. Furthermore, there is disparity between the challenges for which structures provide support and the actual challenges athletes in South Africa encounter.Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2018.Humanities EducationMEdUnrestricte

Objective determination of vowel intelligibility of a cochlear implant model

The goal of this study was to investigate the methodology in designing a vowel intelligibility model that can objectively predict the outcome of a vowel confusion test performed with normal hearing individuals listening to a cochlear implant acoustic model. The model attempts to mimic vowel perception of a cochlear implantee mathematically. The output of the model is the calculated probability of correct identification of vowel tokens and the probability of specific vowel confusions in a subjective vowel confusion test. In such a manner, the model can be used to aid cochlear implant research by complementing subjective listening tests. The model may also be used to test hypotheses concerning the use and relationship of acoustic cues in vowel identification. The objective vowel intelligibility model consists of two parts: the speech processing component (used to extract the acoustic cues which allow vowels to be identified) and the decision component (simulation of the decision making that takes place in the brain). Acoustic cues were extracted from the vowel sounds and used to calculate probabilities of identifying or confusing specific vowels. The confusion matrices produces by the objective vowel perception model were compared with results from subjective tests performed with normal hearing listeners listening to an acoustic cochlear implant model. The most frequent confusions could be predicted using the first two formant frequencies and the vowel duration as acoustic cues. The model could predict the deterioration of vowel recognition when noise was added to the speech being evaluated. The model provided a first approximation of vowel intelligibility and requires further4 development to completely predict speech perception of cochlear implantees.Dissertation (ME)--University of Pretoria, 2009.Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineeringunrestricte

Emergency remote learning - the experiences of higher education Physical Education students

The impact of Covid-19 caused significant disruptions to student learning, where online delivery and assessment represent a critical consideration for physical education teacher education (PETE). The Covid-19 pandemic posed a problem with sectoral disruption in higher education, sport, and physical activity. Students specialising in Physical Education (PE) had to experience a temporary shift of instructional delivery in the practical modules to an alternative delivery mode. The improvisation and rapid conversion of delivering learning activities were purely experimental to facilitate student learning. There is a general apprehension about online learning for students in PETE, most notably, the absence of face-to-face education through movement that is difficult to replicate digitally. Emergency remote learning engendered questions and challenges regarding pedagogical approaches. Lecturers explored the effectiveness of emergency remote learning through student experiences. Descriptive research was conducted, following a mixed-method approach to understand students’ experiences, perceptions, and challenges. 140 students specialising in PE completed an online questionnaire. The quantitative data were analysed using the statistical package for the social sciences programme, and the qualitative data was thematically analysed. The majority of the students feel they have successfully reached the outcome of each module respectively. The availability of online class recordings assisted students in their self-paced approach to learning. Collaborative learning was preferred only if the lecturer was involved, as it seemed a significant challenge when student-driven. A PE programme needs a face-to-face approach and can benefit from a blended teaching approach. Educators transitioning suddenly to remote operation can consider adopting a similar pedagogical approach.http://www.jaspe.ac.mehj2022Humanities Educatio

Integrating genetic regulation and single-cell expression with GWAS prioritizes causal genes and cell types for glaucoma

Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), characterized by retinal ganglion cell death, is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide; however, the molecular and cellular causes are not well understood. Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is a major risk factor, but many patients have normal IOP. Colocalization and Mendelian randomization analysis of >240 POAG and IOP genome-wide association study (GWAS) loci and of overlapping expression and splicing quantitative trait loci (e/QTLs and sQTLs) in 49 GTEx tissues and retina prioritizesd causal genes for 60% of loci. These genes awere enriched in pathways implicated in extracellular matrix organization, cell adhesion, and vascular development. Analysis of single-nucleus RNA-seq of glaucoma-relevant eye tissues revealesd that the colocalizing genes and genome-wide POAG and IOP associations awere enriched in specific cell types in the aqueous outflow pathways, retina, optic nerve head, peripapillary sclera, and choroid. This study nominatesd IOP-dependent and independent regulatory mechanisms, genes, and cell types that may contribute to POAG pathogenesis

Heat and moisture budgets from airborne measurements and high-resolution model simulations

High-resolution simulations with a mesoscale model are performed to estimate heat and moisture budgets of a well-mixed boundary layer. The model budgets are validated against energy budgets obtained from airborne measurements over heterogeneous terrain in Western Germany. Time rate of change, vertical divergence, and horizontal advection for an atmospheric column of air are estimated. Results show that the time trend of specific humidity exhibits some deficiencies, while the potential temperature trend is matched accurately. Furthermore, the simulated turbulent surface fluxes of sensible and latent heat are comparable to the measured fluxes, leading to similar values of the vertical divergence. The analysis of different horizontal model resolutions exhibits improved surface fluxes with increased resolution, a fact attributed to a reduced aggregation effect. Scale-interaction effects could be identified: while time trends and advection are strongly influenced by mesoscale forcing, the turbulent surface fluxes are mainly controlled by microscale processes

Effects of antidepressant treatment on heart rate variability in major depression: A quantitative review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The literature measuring effects of antidepressant and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for major depression on heart rate variability (HRV) in medically well individuals was reviewed.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Fourteen studies evaluating HRV were included. Twenty three pre-post or within group comparisons were available. Treatment impact on measures of HRV was pooled over studies. We examined different classes of antidepressants, and for short and long electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings separately.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) were associated with declines in most measures of HRV and significant increase in heart rate (HR) in studies with short recording intervals. No significant changes were found for longer recording times.</p> <p>Treatment effects with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were more variable. Short-recording studies revealed a significant decrease in HR and an increase in one HRV measure. In two 24-hour recording studies no significant changes were observed. No relationship between ECT and HRV has been established in the literature. The effects of other drugs are reported.</p> <p>Limitations</p> <p>Few studies measure the effects of treatment of depression on HRV. Existing studies have generally used very small samples, employing a variety of measurements and methodologies.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We confirm that TCAs are associated with a large decrease in HRV and increase HR. However, data for SSRIs is not clear. Although the effect of SSRIs on HRV is weaker than for TCAs, evidence shows that SSRIs are associated with a small decrease in HR, and an increase in one measure of HRV. The use of TCAs in depression leads to changes in HRV that are associated with increased risk of mortality.</p

A many-analysts approach to the relation between religiosity and well-being

The relation between religiosity and well-being is one of the most researched topics in the psychology of religion, yet the directionality and robustness of the effect remains debated. Here, we adopted a many-analysts approach to assess the robustness of this relation based on a new cross-cultural dataset (N=10,535 participants from 24 countries). We recruited 120 analysis teams to investigate (1) whether religious people self-report higher well-being, and (2) whether the relation between religiosity and self-reported well-being depends on perceived cultural norms of religion (i.e., whether it is considered normal and desirable to be religious in a given country). In a two-stage procedure, the teams first created an analysis plan and then executed their planned analysis on the data. For the first research question, all but 3 teams reported positive effect sizes with credible/confidence intervals excluding zero (median reported β=0.120). For the second research question, this was the case for 65% of the teams (median reported β=0.039). While most teams applied (multilevel) linear regression models, there was considerable variability in the choice of items used to construct the independent variables, the dependent variable, and the included covariates

A Many-analysts Approach to the Relation Between Religiosity and Well-being

The relation between religiosity and well-being is one of the most researched topics in the psychology of religion, yet the directionality and robustness of the effect remains debated. Here, we adopted a many-analysts approach to assess the robustness of this relation based on a new cross-cultural dataset (N = 10, 535 participants from 24 countries). We recruited 120 analysis teams to investigate (1) whether religious people self-report higher well-being, and (2) whether the relation between religiosity and self-reported well-being depends on perceived cultural norms of religion (i.e., whether it is considered normal and desirable to be religious in a given country). In a two-stage procedure, the teams first created an analysis plan and then executed their planned analysis on the data. For the first research question, all but 3 teams reported positive effect sizes with credible/confidence intervals excluding zero (median reported β = 0.120). For the second research question, this was the case for 65% of the teams (median reported β = 0.039). While most teams applied (multilevel) linear regression models, there was considerable variability in the choice of items used to construct the independent variables, the dependent variable, and the included covariates