A mini dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters Of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education at the University Of Zululand, 2018 / This study attempts to establish the effects of work-related stress on educators in the Mthatha district schools, using the quantitative research approach and the simple random sampling method to select the study sample. Stress is found to be a common phenomenon within the education profession, particularly in the Mthatha district, premised on the theoretical framework of the job demand-control (JDC) theory, and its expanded version, the job demand-control support (JDCS) theory, as well as the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) model. The findings of this study show that the phases of education taught by educators in the Mthatha district schools have a significant statistic relationship with work-related stress. In addition, the findings of this study indicate a significant positive relationship between the location of schools and work-related stress in the Mthatha education district. Based on these findings, this study recommends that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) should put in place effective stress management policies in schools, and improve the general working conditions of educators, particularly in rural schools. Furthermore, this study strongly recommends the upward review of salaries, and other allowances earned by educators, in order to motivate them and mitigate the effects of work-related stress in the education profession.

This study analyzed the economics of irrigation scheduling for alfalfa hay in the Cache Valley, Utah area. Yield, evapotranspiration (ET) and irrigation drainage loss, along with the costs and returns per acre attributable to irrigation scheduling, were simulated through the use of a computerized plant growth model. The model created yearly "irrigation schedules" for alfalfa hay based on actual climatic, soil and plant characteristic data from the Utah State University Greenville Experiment Station. The model calculated the irrigation schedules based on a soil-water balance equation which never allowed the available soil water to go below the crop stress point. The production variables (yield, ET, drainage, water application efficiency) achieved with the model-calculated schedules were contrasted against the same variables under conventional practices of zero, five and eight irrigations per season. Under five and eight irrigations, the amount of water applied at each irrigation was varied from one to eight inches, which simulated irrigations ranging from 3.4 to 26.6 hours per set. The yearly irrigation schedules created by the soil-water balance equation maximized crop evapotranspiration and yield. Irrigation drainage was negated while water application efficiencies of 100% were achieved by applying only enough water at each irrigation to refill the soil profile. Using model-estimated yield, net profit for each irrigation option (scheduling, zero, five and eight irrigations) was calculated using nine different irrigation cost scenarios. Based on the 16 years of simulation, irrigation scheduling averaged a lower net profit when compared against five irrigations at three and four inches per irrigation. Compared against eight irrigations at two and three inches per irrigation, net profit for the model-calculated schedules averaged higher or equal. Irrigation scheduling is an excellent method of determining optimal irrigation frequency and amount, and may have a significant impact on net income if an irrigator is substantially over or under irrigating. However, once an optimal pattern of irrigations is established using a scheduling technique it may be more profitable for an irrigator to discontinue incurring the cost of irrigation scheduling and simply use the pattern each successive season, modifying it slightly for an annual variations in climate.

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El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado. / Purpose: To evaluate the evolution of perceived quality of life in relation to oral health during pregnancy and to determine the risk factors involved in this process. Methods: A follow-up study was carried out with pregnant Spanish women. Two oral examinations and an oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) assessment, using the OHIP-14 questionnaire, were performed in the first and third trimester of pregnancy. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, O’Sullivan Test measures, oral hygiene habits, history of caries, and periodontal status of participants were collected through structured medical-dental questionnaires. Results: A complete dataset comprising 246 pregnant women was available for analysis. Overall scores for negative impacts on the OHIP questionnaire were significantly higher during late pregnancy (74%). This indicated a deterioration in oral health-related quality of life amongst participants. Items describing “painful aching”, “self-consciousness”, “unsatisfactory diet”, and “interrupted meals” showed the greatest increase between the first and third trimester of gestation. Multivariate analysis showed that pre-gestational/gestational diabetes mellitus and poor oral hygiene habits during the first trimester of gestation were directly associated with worse oral health-related quality of life during the third trimester of gestation (hyperglycemia: OR 2.86; 95% CI 1.019–8.050: p = 0.043 / oral hygiene: OR 1.33; 95% CI 0.970–1.836; p = 0.076). Conclusions: In the present research, hyperglycemia during pregnancy and poor oral hygiene habits during the first trimester of gestation led to a higher risk of poor oral quality of life during late pregnancy. / Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades / Revisión por pares

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Age-related hearing loss is an acute health problem affecting people worldwide, often arising due to defects in the proper functioning of sensory hair cells in the inner ear. The apical surface of sensory hair cells contains actin-based protrusions known as stereocilia, which detect sound and head movements. Since hair cells are not regenerated in mammals, it is important to maintain the functioning of stereocilia for the life of an organism to maintain hearing ability. The actin filaments within a stereocilium are extensively crosslinked by various actin crosslinking proteins, which are important for stereocilia development and maintenance. Multiple studies have shown that the stereocilia actin core is exceptionally stable whereas actin is dynamic only at the tips of stereocilia. However, whether the actin crosslinking proteins, which are nearly as abundant as actin itself, are similarly stable or can freely move in and out of the core remains unknown. Loss or mutation of crosslinkers like plastin-1, fascin-2, and XIRP2 causes progressive hearing loss along with stereocilia degeneration while loss of espin prevents stereocilia from even developing properly. Do these phenotypes stem from an unstable stereocilia core? Does crosslinking confer stability to the core? To address these questions, we generated novel transgenic reporter lines to monitor the dynamics of actin in mice carrying fascin-2R109H mutation and espin null mice and also to study the dynamics of actin crosslinkers, in vivo and ex-vivo. We established that actin crosslinkers readily exchange within the highly stable F-actin structure of the stereocilia core. In addition, we determined that stereocilia degeneration in mice carrying fascin-2R109H mutation and espin null mice could possibly occur due to a less stable actin core. These studies suggest that dynamic crosslinks stabilize the core to maintain proper stereocilia functioning. Future work warrants understanding the reason behind the importance of dynamic crosslinks within a stable stereocilia core. Actin stability not only depends on actin crosslinkers, but also on actin filament composition as evident from distinct stereocilia degeneration and progressive hearing loss patterns in hair-cell specific knockout of actin isoforms. Although beta- and gamma- actin polypeptide sequences differ by only 14 four amino acids, whether the latter determine the unique function of each cytoplasmic actin isoform was previously unknown. Here we determined that these four critical amino acids determine the unique functional importance of beta-actin isoform in sensory hair cells. Taken together, our study demonstrates that actin cytoskeletal proteins are important for the morphogenesis and maintenance of stereocilia.

BACKGROUND: Concussions are frequent injuries sustained by collegiate athletes. They are often underdiagnosed and may lack adequate treatment due to a lack of standardization in diagnosis and return to play guidelines. Current research suggests that there is an increased risk of subsequent injury after returning to play among previously concussed athletes. Recurrent injuries have a detrimental impact on athletic careers and often result in early retirement from competitive sports. The relationship between sports-related concussions (SRCs) and subsequent musculoskeletal injuries in the NCAA reveals a lack of consensus on return to play (RTP) guidelines and management. Clinical guidelines are evolving with the progressive understanding of SRC pathophysiology. LITERATURE REVIEW FINDINGS: Previous research has found an association between concussion and subsequent acute musculoskeletal injuries, specifically lower extremity injuries. In addition, sports-specific athlete cohorts, such as soccer and football players, have been shown to have a high incidence of SRC. The exact mechanism of action linking SRC and subsequent acute injury is currently unknown. There are numerous etiologic possibilities offered in the literature, including gait alterations, neuromuscular control deficits, and impaired reaction time. However, further research is required to elucidate this relationship—in our review of the current literature we were able to find no studies evaluating the risk of both upper and lower extremity injury following SRC after returning to play in the NCAA population. PROPOSED PROJECT: The goal of the proposed retrospective cohort study of BU athletes is to evaluate the impact of concussion history on recurrent injury after returning to sports. Study inclusion criteria will consist of BU athletes diagnosed with concussions at a single NCAA Division I institution. This cohort will be collected from NCAA injury database and electronic medical records will be matched with controls who have not sustained concussions over the same period. CONCLUSIONS: History of concussion is associated with increased risk of recurrent injury in athletes, specifically at the collegiate level. Further work must be done at all levels of athletics to standardize return to play guidelines to prevent this increased risk of subsequent injury. SIGNIFICANCE: This study will help determine whether a relationship exists between concussion and subsequent sports-related injuries. This information may allow for closer monitoring of return to play and treatment of concussions. Additionally, it may encourage further developments to diagnostic criteria, education, and injury prevention.

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