Accuracy of the prediction of Ironman performance : relationship to training history, muscle pain and relative perception of effort during, and recovery after the race

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 52-61).With regards to swimming, cycling and running, several studies have investigated the physiological and genetic contribution of performance in athletes, different training programs and athletes' adaptation to these programs. Other studies have investigated levels of pain and relative perception of effort (RPE) and the athlete's ability to recover after endurance races... The aim of this thesis is to review the literture which discusses the background to the questions outlined above (Chapter 2), followed by a study which attempts to answer these questions (Chapter 3). The aim of the study was to establish whether the training methods in preparation for the Ironman were related to subjective pain and perception of effort during the race, and the recovery time after the race. The study was designed to establish whether there were differences in these variables between triathletes who predicted their finishing time accurately compared to those triathletes wo under-or over-predicted their performance

Mind compassion:Mental health outcomes and change processes in Compassion Focused Therapy

Over the past three decades, two movements became apparent in the field of psychotherapy: (1) a movement towards therapies targeting processes of mindfulness, acceptance and compassion, and (2) a movement towards therapies wherein well-being is an important outcome. The overarching aim of this thesis was to add to the scientific evidence base underlying a rapidly emerging psychotherapeutic intervention that suits both developments: Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT). CFT aims to build a compassionate mind which encompasses the capacity to notice, tolerate and empathize with suffering of self and others as well as the commitment to tackle or mitigate (the impact of) suffering through directing one’s attention towards resources for care, generating soothing thoughts and feelings, and performing caring behaviours. At the heart of this thesis, lies a large-scale waitlisted randomised controlled trial (RCT) conducted so as to test whether CFT offered as guided self-help is effective in improving mental health in adults with low to moderate levels of well-being. Findings from the RCT indicate that CFT is a feasible, acceptable and effective form of intervention, not only for relieving psychological distress but also for improving well-being. Based on the outcomes of closely related interventions, utilising online delivery formats is deemed a promising strategy for reaching the full potential of CFT as a scalable public mental health strategy. CFT was found to impact mental health through multiple pathways, namely through cultivating self-reassurance, reducing self-criticism and regulating positive and negative affect. For enhancing well-being, cultivating self-reassurance seems to be the central mechanism of change, and more specifically the ability to experience compassionate feelings and/or sensations. The Forms of Self-Criticising/Attacking and Self-Reassuring Scale (FSCRS) offers a valid and reliable instrument for measuring two major processes of change in CFT, namely building self-reassurance and reducing self-criticism. To advance research on change processes in CFT, a short form of the FSCRS was created suited to large-scale trials with multiple assessment times. Taken altogether, despite that CFT is still a fairly young area of research, this thesis provides promising evidence for the effectiveness of CFT and preliminary evidence for multiple theory-driven processes of change

Cities as Engines of Growth: Evidence from a New Global Sample of Cities

This paper presents the first global analysis of the size and sources of agglomeration economies in the developing world. Using establishment data from more than 12,000 firms in 51 developing countries, we estimate the productivity effects of increased city size, population density, and market potential. To do this, we employ a new measure of city size based on LandScan data—a global dataset that estimates the world’s population at approximately 1 km resolution. We find strong evidence that urban productivity rises with city scale in developing economies although the size of these agglomeration effects are smaller in African cities

Contributing factors for preoperative caregiver anxiety at Steve Biko Academic Hospital

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Id5X8lK3VUN3s-p6LCJvXV8BLT5iiQ_P/view?usp=sharinghttps://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1nELDECp29zO-u72nACcqrdmRjUHqidUZ?usp=sharinghttps://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qK5XOOdJhIu3ZjY0FakMISTYALx2W-_L?usp=sharin

Independent Colimitation for Carbon Dioxide and Inorganic Phosphorus

Simultaneous limitation of plant growth by two or more nutrients is increasingly acknowledged as a common phenomenon in nature, but its cellular mechanisms are far from understood. We investigated the uptake kinetics of CO2 and phosphorus of the algae Chlamydomonas acidophila in response to growth at limiting conditions of CO2 and phosphorus. In addition, we fitted the data to four different Monod-type models: one assuming Liebigs Law of the minimum, one assuming that the affinity for the uptake of one nutrient is not influenced by the supply of the other (independent colimitation) and two where the uptake affinity for one nutrient depends on the supply of the other (dependent colimitation). In addition we asked whether the physiological response under colimitation differs from that under single nutrient limitation

Ecophysiology matters: linking inorganic carbon acquisition to ecological preference in four species of microalgae (Chlorophyceae)

The effect of CO2 supply is likely to play an important role in algal ecology. Since inorganic carbon (Ci) acquisition strategies are very diverse among microalgae and Ci availability varies greatly within and among habitats, we hypothesized that Ci acquisition depends on the pH of their preferred natural environment (adaptation) and that the efficiency of Ci uptake is affected by CO2 availability (acclimation). To test this, four species of green algae originating from different habitats were studied. PH-drift and Ci uptake kinetic experiments were used to characterize Ci acquisition strategies and their ability to acclimate to high and low CO2 conditions and high and low pH was evaluated. Results from pH drift experiments revealed that the acidophile and acidotolerant Chlamydomonas species were mainly restricted to CO2, whereas the two neutrophiles were efficient bicarbonate users. CO2 compensation points in low CO2-acclimated cultures ranged between 0.6 and 1.4 µM CO2 and acclimation to different culture pH and CO2 conditions suggested that CO2 concentrating mechanisms were present in most species. High CO2 acclimated cultures adapted rapidly to low CO2 condition during pH-drifts. Ci uptake kinetics at different pH values showed that the affinity for Ci was largely influenced by external pH, being highest under conditions where CO2 dominated the Ci pool. In conclusion, Ci acquisition was highly variable among four species of green algae and linked to growth pH preference, suggesting that there is a connection between Ci acquisition and ecological distribution

Laryngospasm in anaesthesia

Laryngospasm is a common and serious respiratory complication in anaesthetic practice which can be fatal if not diagnosed and treated timeously. This review will look at the definition, epidemiology, mechanism, risk factors, clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, prevention, treatment and complications of laryngospasm.http://www.sajaa.co.za/index.php/sajaaam2018Anaesthesiolog