This study aims to investigate the evoked and the induced activity in 40 Hz auditory responses. The 40 Hz activity, also called Pb or P50 or P1 component, has a latency of 50ms and belongs to the category of MLRs (Middle latency responses), which occur right after Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABRs) between 15 and 80ms. Its importance is related to possible clinical applications such as anesthesia, schizophrenia and auditory development. In addition to this, evoked and induced activities at 40 Hz might play an important role in cognitive processing. Trains of right ear rarefaction clicks at the mean rate of 39.1 Hz, intensity of 50dB and duration of 100 were used to elicit the above mentioned activities. Three different sequences have been used: steady state, low jittered and medium jittered. Low jittered sequence has been the main sequence used to study the 40 Hz activity. The advantage of using this sequence is the fact that a deconvolution analysis can be performed and also the fact that it does not differ too much from the standard 40Hz steady-state sequence and this means that a resonance at 40 Hz can still be obtained. Ten healthy subjects (8 males and 2 females; ages ranging from 25 to 47), with no history of audiological or neurological hearing impairment were recorded. Informed consent was signed according to approved IRB protocols. All recordings were done in a sound-proof chamber (Acoustic Systems, Inc.) with subjects lying on a bed comfortably. The subjects were not asked to perform any tasks, but just to passively listen to the acoustical stimuli. Evoked and induced activities were recorded in response to the above mentioned acoustic stimuli. The deconvolution analysis showed that the peak of activity occurs around 152ms. Wavelets analysis has confirmed this observation and has also unveiled and induced activity in the low beta range. This induced activity seems to be strictly related to the evoked activity, as it seems to occur around 390ms, which corresponds to the situation where the 40 Hz evoked activity enters a steady state condition, which lasts until the last acoustic stimulus has been applied. The latter observation is again in accordance with the literature, where it is reported that the 40Hz evoked activity could reflect the initial coactivation of neural assemblies representing specific stimulus features. A change in such stimulus features could be reflected as induced oscillations occurring in the middle beta range (16-22 Hz).

This study is designed to investigate the development of managerial activities and competency of chief executive officers ( CEO ) or superintendents in major healthcare organizations. We used activity competency model ( ACM ) to perceive the importance of managerial activities, skills and knowledge required for them. A survey was designed based on ACM for data collection which includes twenty managerial activities and fourteen competency required to effectively perform these activities. Through personal interviews and questionnaire, the data were collected from ten CEO or superintendents for analysis. The results from this study implicate the setting organizational vision and mission, crisis management, positive ethical work and inspiring or supporting subordinates as the most important managerial activities; analysis and problem solving, leadership, communication and coordination and system thinking as the most important competency. These results can be served as guideline for recruiting and training the chief executive officers of healthcare organizations.

The aim of this research was mainly to investigate desulfurization behaviour of ladle furnace slags of a low-sulfur steel. First, the change of the amount of unstable oxides (FetO and MnO) in slags was studied from the converter till the end of ladle furnace treatment for different steel quality groups. It was found that the change in the amount of unstable oxides could be examined best with low-C steel qualities. Then, the change of activity of iron oxide was investigated for a member of low-C steel quality group, namely 4937K, a low-S steel. The relation between the degree of desulfurization at the ladle furnace, % DeS (measured), and the change in activity of iron oxide, % Decrease in aFetO, was examined first using an empirical expression obtained from literature. Then, this relationship was studied using steel oxygen activity measurements conducted at the ladle furnace. With this method, a regression formula was proposed for 4937K slags relating activity coefficient of iron oxide, gama(FetO), with the major slag components. The results obtained from steel oxygen activities were found to be representative for 4937K steel-slag system showing similar behaviour with the ones from the empirical expression obtained from literature. Similar results were found using Temkin equation and the polymeric anion model. In relation to formation of less harmful inclusions to suppress adverse effects of sulfur, morphological studies of some steels produced in ERDEMiR plant were performed. D-type globular inclusions with severity values of 1-2 were observed.

This study utilized an activity competency model (ACM) to investigate the perceived importance of managerial activities and skills/knowledge required of chief executive officer (CEO) from the healthcare industry. A survey instrument was designed based on the ACM for data collection that encompasses twenty initial managerial activities and fourteen managerial competences required to effectively perform these management activities. These activities were identified through a literature review, job analysis, and iterative personal interviews with domain experts. The results from this study have implications for healthcare management development, training, and management career planning. These results can also serve as guideline for recruiting the right healthcare CEO.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Canterbury, 2009. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145-161). Also available via the World Wide Web.

When it comes to researching the physical activity levels of college students, there seem to be very few studies that truly depict and show the ranges of physical activity throughout a college student’s life. This statement has helped propelled me to collect and analyze data in order to see what the physical activity is like for an undergraduate college student at the University of Texas. Researchers have discovered that many college students have reported understanding the benefits of physical activity, but that they report that there are many barriers in their daily life that thrust physical activity into the backseat as a priority (Lopez, Gallegos, & Extremera, 2010). Knowing that some college students will ignore physical activity, regardless of the health-related benefits, urges us to further discover the attitude of college students towards physical activity and what factors seem to have the most affect, whether positively or negatively, when it comes to their decisions on physical activity. Many university students decrease their PA levels (Gyurcsik, Bray, & Brittain, 2004; Keating et al., 2005; McArthur & Raedeke, 2009). Knowing this, I seek to answer the question, “What happens to the levels of physical activity throughout an undergraduate student’s life and what are the contributing factors to their level of physical activity?” Researchers noted that a healthy college-aged student should be participating in at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity at least 5 days per week (Nelson, 2007). My thesis is an analysis of daily and weekly activity, as well as what kinds of physical activity college students like and do not, the way in which they participate, either independently or with friends, as well as where they partake in physical activity. My subjects answered questions based on their physical activity levels throughout their college years. The subjects ranged between first and fifth year undergraduate students, which allowed me to get some insight as to how their physical activity levels have changed throughout the duration of their college careers. / text

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Syfte: Studiens syfte var att undersöka samband mellan hur universitetsstudenter skattar sin fysiska aktivitetsnivå och hur de registrerar aktivitetsnivå med hjälp av dagbok samt att se om de kom upp i ACSM (American College of Sport Medicine) och WHO´s (World Health Organisation) rekommendationer. Metod: Studien hade en icke experimentell, deskriptiv och korrelerande design där 26 försökspersoner, två män och 24 kvinnor, rekryterades via anslag. De fick först svara på en enkät och därefter registrera sin aktivitet via en 7-dagars aktivitetsdagbok. Resultat: Studenterna ansåg inte att de hade en stillasittande livsstil och alla deltagare utom en ansåg sig komma upp till ACSM´s rekommendationer av fysisk aktivitet 30 minuter per dag av måttlig intensitet alla dagar i veckan. Trettiofem procent kom inte upp i WHO´s rekommendationer och av dessa överskattade 67% sin fysiska aktivitetsnivå. Sextiofem procent kom inte upp i ACSM´s rekommendationer och av dessa överskattade 94% sin aktivitetsnivå. Konklusion: Studenterna hade en låg fysisk aktivitetsnivå utifrån ACSM´s rekommendationer och majoriteten av de som inte levde upp till WHO och ACSM rekommendationer överskattade sin fysiska aktivitetsnivå. Det krävs dock mer omfattande studier för att dra några generella slutsatser då denna studie hade en skev könsfördelning och ett lågt antal deltagare. Keywords: Self-estimation, Perception, Activity diary, Physical Activity level, Overestimation. / Objectives: The main objective was to compare self-estimated physical activity level with the registration of physical activity level among college students. A secondary objective was to investigate if the subjects reached the level of physical activity recommended by American College of Sport Medicine (ACSM) and World Health Organisation (WHO). Method: A non-experimental, descriptive and correlated design. 26 subjects, 2 men and 24 women, were included. A questionnaire was used to investigate their perceived level of physical activity and a 7-day activity diary was used for the registration of activity level. Results: The students did not perceive to have a sedentary lifestyle and all subjects except one believed they reached the level recommended by ACSM. Thirty-five percent did not reach the recommendations of WHO and 67% of these overestimated their physical activity level. Sixty-five percent did not reach ACSM´s recommendations and 94% of these overestimated their physical activity level. Conclusion: The students had a low physical activity compared to the recommendations of ACSM and subjects who did not reach WHO and ACSM´s recommendations overestimated their physical activity level.  Due to the small number and adverse gender in the subjects, numerous studies need to be done in order to complete any further conclusions.

Adolescents are usually considered to be in good health, but their wellbeing tend to decrease from primary school to high school. When youth participate in at least 60 min of physical activity every day several health benefits accrue: healthy bones and muscles, improved muscular strength and endurance, reduced risk of developing chronic disease risk factors, improved self-esteem, as well as reduced stress and anxiety. Most youth, however, are not engaging in the recommended level of physical activity. Several studies report that adolescents’ general perception of health includes immediate issues like body awareness and not other health risks like osteoporosis, cholesterol and high blood pressure. The aim of this study was to firstly establish from the literature the main perceptions of physical activity for adolescents, and secondly to establish from the literature the main perceptions of physical activity in health enhancement for adolescents. The systematic review was, where possible, undertaken in line with the recommendations of the guidelines of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. The researchers independently reviewed the title and abstract of each reference to assess its eligibility. The full article was obtained for all potentially eligible references. After a review of the full article, 29 fulfilled the inclusion criteria for article 1 (chapter 2) and 17 articles for article 2 (chapter 3). From the results of the study it seemed that the main perceptions of physical activity for adolescents are influenced by cultural and social factors as well as parents’ beliefs. Perceptions youth have about physical activity will influence their participation in physical activity. Lastly, the results of this study demonstrate that there is a low level of knowledge and awareness regarding physical activity and health. The need to increase physical activity is a public health priority and therefore it is necessary to understand the factors that may influence their participation in order to promote physical activity among youth more effectively. / Thesis (MSc (Biokinetics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.