Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, Durban University of Technology, 2011. / Background: As Kinesio® tape may increase range of motion, facilitate muscle function, enhance circulation, and normalize muscle length/tension ratios creating optimal force, use of this athletic tape has gained popularity in various sporting disciplines. Cycling is a highly competitive sport that continually seeks ways of improving performance. There are, however, no controlled, published studies examining the effects of Kinesio® tape on a cyclist‟s performance. Objectives: To determine the participants‟ power output, bicycle speed, and cadence, quadriceps length/tension, and hip and knee flexion and extension range of motion in terms of the objective findings without the use of Kinesio® tape and then following the application of Kinesio® tape to the quadriceps muscles. To determine the participants‟ perception of a change in their power output, speed, and cadence post- intervention. Method: Forty asymptomatic trained amateur cyclists performed two 1.5 km time trials pre- and post- Kinesio® tape application. The pre- and post- intervention range of motion measurements and the average and maximum power output (watts), cadence (rpm), and speed (km/h) were measured using a universal goniometer and cycle ergometer respectively. The participants‟ perception of a change in power, cadence, and speed following the application of Kinesio® tape was also recorded. SPSS version 18 (SPSS Inc.) was used to analyse the data. Results: There was a significant decrease in maximum power (p = 0.007) post- intervention, but no significant differences in the average power, or average and maximum speed and cadence measurements. Range of motion measurements post- intervention showed a significant flexion (p < 0.021). The majority of the participants (60%) perceived an increase in power and speed post- intervention. Conclusions: There was a visual trend showing an increase in most of the power, speed, and cadence parameters assessed. The range of motion parameters revealed conflicting results and warrant further research

Between 40 % and 50 % of the Earth’s primary production occurs in marine environments, primarily by phytoplankton. The trace metal micronutrients iron, zinc and cobalt are known to exert a significant biological control on phytoplankton productivity by serving as essential active centres in enzymatic processes such as inorganic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus acquisition. The distributions and biogeochemistries of iron, zinc and cobalt therefore, have the potential to impact upon the global carbon cycle and hence climate. This research involves investigations into the biogeochemical cycling of iron, zinc and cobalt in the Atlantic Ocean. Iron measurements were conducted during October and November 2009 to determine the distribution and biogeochemistry of iron in the upper water column of the Atlantic Ocean along an Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT-19). In addition, deck board incubation experiments were performed to establish the role of iron in controlling rates of di-nitrogen (N2) fixation in the North Atlantic. The distribution patterns and biogeochemistries of iron, zinc and cobalt in the South Atlantic at 40° S were determined during the UK GEOTRACES Section GA10 cruises of October 2010 and December 2011 to January 2012. Iron distributions in North Atlantic surface waters were primarily controlled by the transport and deposition of atmospheric dust particles. In the North Atlantic, elevated surface dissolved iron concentrations (0.50 - 1.65 nM) were associated with wet and dry deposition of Saharan dust between 4 and 29° N. To the south of 4° N, surface dissolved iron concentrations were markedly reduced (0.14 nM) indicating that high precipitation rates in the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (4 - 10° N) formed a barrier to the large-scale transport of Saharan dust particles, thus iron, to the South Atlantic. Here, the low surface dissolved iron concentrations were balanced by a total dissolvable iron flux out of the surface mixed layer (3.2 µmol m-2 y-1) that was comparable to atmospheric input estimates. Nitrogen fixation rates in the North Atlantic were highest (0.3 – 1.1 nmol L-1 d-1) where surface dissolved iron concentrations were elevated (1.02 nM) and decreased with increasing latitude as iron decreased. Hence, iron variability in the North Atlantic was sufficient to influence nitrogen fixation over a large spatial scale. In the South Atlantic Ocean at 40° S, the vertical and horizontal distributions of dissolved zinc and cobalt showed distinct gradients associated with the water masses present. Zinc concentrations ranged from 15 pM in open ocean surface waters to 8 nM in Antarctic Bottom Waters, whilst cobalt ranged from 2 pM to 80 pM in intermediate waters and was scavenged in deeper waters. Growth limiting mixed layer zinc concentrations resulted from the lack of a direct return path for zinc to the South Atlantic pycnocline with Sub-Antarctic Mode Water. Low zinc in this return path was identified by a linear correlation between zinc and soluble reactive phosphorus that showed a kink at ~ 500 m, much deeper than that observed in other oceanographic regimes. A seasonal study in the Southeast Atlantic revealed that the depletion of zinc over spring-summer periods resulted in an increase in the nutritional importance of cobalt and a shift towards phytoplankton with a cellular preference for cobalt over zinc and/or the ability to co-substitute these two trace metals at the molecular level. These key findings demonstrate the physico-chemical and biological influences that interact to control the distributions and biogeochemistries of iron, zinc and cobalt across diverse oceanographic regimes of the Atlantic Ocean, provide the first examination of zinc and cobalt biogeochemistries along the productive 40° S parallel and highlight the need for additional research in this region.

The aim of this thesis was to identify ways in which the velocity of a track cyclist could be increased, primarily through the reduction of aerodynamic drag, and to determine which factors had the most significant impact on athlete performance. An appropriate test method was set up in the wind tunnel at the University of Canterbury to measure the aerodynamic drag of different cycling positions and equipment, including helmets, skinsuits, frames and wheels, in order to measure the impact of specific changes on athlete performance. A mathematical model of the Individual Pursuit (IP) event was also created to calculate the velocity profile and finishing time for athletes competing under different race conditions. The model was created in Microsoft Excel and used first principles to analyse the forces acting on a cyclist, which lead to the development of equations for power supply and demand. The mathematical model was validated using SRM data for eleven, elite track cyclists, and was found to be accurate to 0.31s (0.16%). An analysis of changes made to the bike, athlete, and environmental conditions using the mathematical model showed that the drag area and air density had the greatest impact on the finishing time. The model was then used to predict the finishing times for different pacing strategies by generating different power profiles for a given athlete with a fixed stock of energy (the work done remained the same for all generated power profiles) in order to identify the optimal pacing strategy for the IP. The length of time spent in the initial acceleration phase was found to have a significant impact on the results, although all strategies simulated with an initial acceleration phase resulted in a faster finishing time than all other strategies simulated. Results from the wind tunnel tests showed that, in general, changes made to the position of the cyclist had the greatest impact on the aerodynamic drag compared to changes made to the equipment. Multiple changes in position had a greater impact on drag than individual changes in position, but the changes were not additive; the total gain or loss in drag for multiple changes in position was not the sum of individual gains or losses in drag. Actual gains and losses also varied significantly between athletes, primarily due to differences in body size and shape, riding experience, and reference position from which changes were made from. Changes in position that resulted in a reduction of the frontal area, such as lowering the handlebars and head, were the most successful at reducing the aerodynamic drag, and a change in skinsuit was found to have the greatest impact on drag out of all equipment changes, primarily due to the choice of material and seam placement. The mathematical model was used to quantify the impact of changes in position and equipment made in the wind tunnel on the overall finishing time for a given athlete competing in an IP event. Time savings of up to 8 seconds were seen for multiple changes in position, and up to 5 seconds for changes to the equipment. Overall this thesis highlights the significance of aerodynamics on athlete performance in track cycling, suggesting that it is worthwhile spending time and money on research and technology to find new ways to reduce the aerodynamic drag and maximise the speed of cyclists. Although this thesis primarily concentrates on the Individual Pursuit event in track cycling, the same principles can be applied to other cycling disciplines, as well as to other sports.

No description available.

No description available.

M.Tech. (Chiropractic) / Background: Sport as a whole, and especially cycling, has become a major part of the majority of the world population’s daily lives. There have been several studies done to determine the effects of chiropractic treatment on individual muscle groups (Maris, 2003; Sher, 2002). However, very few studies have been done to look at the combined effects of chiropractic on the performance of specific sports. Objective: To investigate the effects of chiropractic manipulative therapy on power output over a one kilometer distance in asymptomatic amateur cyclists. Method: The study consisted of 30 participants. All participants accepted had to meet the inclusion criteria. They were equally and randomly allocated into 3 groups. Group 1 received chiropractic therapy of the lumbar spine. Group 2 received chiropractic therapy of the sacroiliac joint whilst participants in Group 3 received no immediate intervention as they were the control group. Participants in Group 1 and 2 were motion palpated to determine the level of spinal dysfunction. All three groups then cycled on a stationary bike for a one kilometer sprint. Allocated treatment for Group 1 and Group 2 then followed, with Group 3 receiving no intervention. Objective measurements consisted of average power output as well as time over the one kilometer distance from start to finish. Results: Both test groups showed significant clinical as well as statistical improvement over the six week clinical study period. This means that as the average power output measurements increased, the time decreased for both Group 1 and Group 2. Although there were some degree of increased power output and decrease in time of Group 3, it was not significant enough to say that they had increased performance. Conclusion: Chiropractic manipulative therapy did cause an increase in average power output in asymptomatic amateur cyclists over a one kilometer distance.

High winter respiration has been observed in a subarctic estuary with high levels of organic matter inputs, while winter is generally thought to be a non-productive season. We constructed an oxygen and carbon budget of the system to validate the high respiration rate, including the resulting low production-to-respiration ratio, and to identify important carbon and energy sources. Measurement data of production and respiration parameters from running monitoring programs were used. Furthermore, we set up a microcosm experiment in order to study effects of iron increases by riverine organic matter inputs. The carbon balance of this subarctic estuary shows a small deficiency of carbon on an annual basis, but is able to explain how winter respiration is fueled by carbon fixed in the autumnal season and inputs of riverine material. Also, the balance calculation was able to predict oxygen deficiencies on a seasonal basis. The effect of riverine organic matter on biological activity was clearly present, but iron did not appear to affect responses in primary or secondary producers. Additional studies will be needed to fully understand the role of iron additions to marine microbial communities, particularly focusing on fractioning of iron and organic matter species.

As conveyors of water and sediment, rivers play an instrumental role in landscape evolution (Turner et al., 2015). River systems were traditionally considered as passive pipes of terrestrial organic carbon (OC), but are now viewed as active sites of OC processing, redistribution and storage (Aufdenkampe et al., 2011). Floodplains are an important part of this system and have the capacity to act as sources or sinks of carbon (Zehetner et al., 2009), but most importantly active hotspots of organic matter (OM) transformation (Hoffmann et al., 2009; Zocatelli et al., 2013). POC eroded from highly-organic peat soils, may be interrupted in its transport through the fluvial system, by temporary storage on floodplain landforms (Evans and Warburton, 2005; Evans et al., 2006). It is important to investigate the fate of fluvial peatland POC, in order to fully close the terrestrial peatland carbon budget, to account for subsequent mineralisation and explore the processes that lead to redistribution and storage. The River Ashop in the southern Pennines, UK, drains the slopes of both Bleaklow and Kinder Scout which are upland plateaux, which support an extensive cover of blanket peat (Evans and Lindsay, 2010). These peatlands have been severely eroded and are vulnerable to future erosion as they are marginal to the climatic space suitable for growth of peat bogs in the UK (Clark et al., 2010). The wider peatland catchment features cohesive, organic-rich floodplains, which are atypical in an upland landscape, and thus suitable for investigation in their role in the fate of eroded carbon. OM quality was an important focus of this research into the redistribution of terrestrial organic carbon. As such, OM quality was conceptualised, by identifying how different research disciplines identify with the term, and ultimately providing a classification scheme to assist individuals in their exploration of OM character. A novel approach using ITRAX core scanning data was used to establish carbon stocks of floodplains in the River Ashop catchment. Sedimentological characteristics were insufficient to distinguish between allochthonous and autochthonous organic matter storage. However, dating was used as a rapid and accurate tool to assess carbon source on the 'off-site' floodplain, and could perhaps be used in the wider environment where there are large discrepancies between the ages of source materials. Investigations into the OM quality, provided suitably convincing evidence that substantial overbank deposition of eroded 'old' peat had occurred. Despite this, viewing these sites simply as areas of carbon storage is misleading. In fact, these systems have potentially been turning over substantial quantities of carbon to the atmosphere. Contextual information from modern-day fluvial POC fluxes showed that both 'off-site' and 'on-site' floodplains only play a minor role in storing carbon. Geomorphological events, particularly the substantial sediment flux generated from peatland erosion were critical in the formation of these floodplains. In these peatland systems, erosion, deposition and turnover of carbon are intimately linked at the landscape scale, and floodplains are a dynamic component of this system.

Experimental and numerical analyses were both adopted in the thesis. First, the BGA with three different solder ball components and pads, were investigated and their strength was affected by drop tests and thermal cycling test. Then the concept of numerical simulation to do the follow-up analysis was adopted. the relationships of stress, strain, and creep strain energy density were found. The lead-free solder ball has better resistance to the drop test with lower silver content; on the contrary, it has better properties due to thermal cycling tests with higher silver content. In the drop test, the failure of solder ball were found obviously in the packages that near four corner of the test board, and concentrated in the diagonal screw holes. The failure of solder ball was distributed over the peripheral of the package in the middle cross section of test board. Comparing the different position of 15 packages due to drop test, the amount of failed solder balls showed that the package positions U3, U8, U13 was obviously fractured, and the situation of fracture was relatively slight in the positions of U1, U5, U6, U7, U9, U10, U11, U15. In the fatigue life prediction of thermal cycling test, the simplified model of package in 45¢X direction was mostly close to the experimental data. After the except ion of the solder ball with failure mode A1, the major failure mode in drop test was mode B3. But the mode C was the majority of thermal cycling test. The structure and intensity of SMD play an important role on above experiments; the better choice of SMD can reduce the rate of failure mode A1, and improve the accuracy of the experiment.