M.Sc. (Physiotherapy), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2009 / Low back pain (LBP) is one of the commonest and most costly medical problems in both the low and high income countries accounting for 75-90% of compensation costs. Compensation costs for LBP in South Africa in the year 2000 were approximately two hundred million rand and about 30 000 people suffer from neck and back problems on a daily basis. Physiotherapy treatment modalities are commonly used in the management of LBP but there is no consensus on the choice of treatment modalities. A cross-sectional survey was used to investigate the treatment modalities used by physiotherapists in Kwazulu-Natal (KZN) for the management of chronic low back pain (CLBP). The objectives of the study were to establish the commonly used physiotherapy modalities in the management of CLBP, the reasons behind the selection of those modalities and the extent to which the physiotherapists in KZN used evidence based modalities when managing CLBP. Self-Administered questionnaires were posted to all registered physiotherapists in KZN, that is, six hundred and eighty-five (685) physiotherapists. A 31% (213) response rate was achieved, of which 20.6% (141) met the inclusion criteria and 10.5% (72) were excluded. The results established that general exercises (30%); spinal mobilisation (28%); myofascial release (18%), education (12%) and training of local stabilisers (12%) were the commonly used treatment modalities in the management of CLBP. The key reasons for the selection of the treatment modalities were the undergraduate education received; own clinical experience and the attendance of postgraduate courses/physiotherapy conferences. Treatment modalities were not selected on the basis of the current available evidence hence evidence-based practice is not employed by physiotherapists in KZN in the management of patients with CLBP.

The objectives were to determine whether or not manual hyperinflation (MHI) is used as a treatment technique by physiotherapists on respiratory compromised patients in intensive care units (ICU), to determine physiotherapists‟ knowledge on the use of MHI (indications, contra-indications, treatment effect) as a treatment technique on respiratory compromised patients in ICU, to compare the physiotherapists‟ knowledge on the use of MHI to their utilisation of MHI in ICU, and to determine whether the effect of clinical experience has an influence on physiotherapists‟ decision making regarding the use of MHI in the ICU setting. The last objective was to investigate whether the working environment has an influence on the utilisation of MHI by physiotherapists practicing in adult ICUs in South Africa.

No description available.

Intermittent Pneumatic Compression (IPC) use as a tool for recovery after exercise has recently become widespread among athletes. While there is strong anecdotal support for IPC, little research has been done to show its effectiveness in recovery. Eight collegiate football athletes were recruited and subjected to IPC or control conditions in a randomized crossover manner during off-season training. Countermovement jump (CMJ) and 10m sprint were evaluated before training, at 3 and 24 hours following training. Self-reported soreness, blood markers of inflammation [interleukin-6, interleukin-10, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1)] and muscle damage (myoglobin) were measured before training, post-training, post-recovery and at 3 and 24 hours post-training. Significant time effects were observed in MCP-1 and myoglobin (p < 0.05) indicating an inflammatory response and muscle damage. No group differences (p > 0.05) were observed between recovery interventions for all measures, suggesting that the IPC protocol used was not effective in this population. / February 2017

Diss. (sammanfattning) Göteborg : Univ. , 2006. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

La propriété telle que décrite à l’article 544 du Code civil est absolue, exclusive et perpétuelle. L’idée d’un droit réel inviolable et sacré n’est qu’un leurre. La propriété immobilière est nécessairement limitée, elle doit respecter des objectifs primordiaux, d’une part, l’équilibre entre les droits des personnes privés et, d’autre part, l’intérêt général. Pour atteindre ces objectifs, des modes de limitation ont été créés en droit privé et public. La loi, le contrat, la jurisprudence et les normes réglementaires sont autant d’atteintes du droit de propriété qui appellent aménagement de modes de limitation. Les techniques de restriction ont natures différentes, acceptées ou imposées, et des régimes distincts, simples ou complexes. Cette diversité rend leur étude délicate et leur justification critiquable, tant la protection de la propriété, droit fondamental, est essentielle. L’expansion des modes de limitation est telle que se pose une question, la conception du droit de propriété des rédacteurs du Code civil n’est-elle pas altérée ? La présente étude se concentre sur l’identification de ces modes de limitation justifiés par les intérêts privés et l’intérêt général, et ce, afin de comprendre toute leur complexité, leur étendue et leur impact sur les prérogatives du droit de propriété / The property, as described in Article 544 of the Civil Code is absolute, exclusive and perpetual. This idea of a sacred and inviolable property is an illusion. Real estate ownership is limited, in order to meet the primary objectives, namely, firstly, the balance between the rights of private persons and, second, the general interest. For these goals to be achieved, limiting patterns were created. Their expansion is such that arises, therefore, whether the ownership is not brought to disappear as he suffered assaults from all sides? The law, contract, jurisprudence and public law regulations are all limited sources of property rights which are implementing thereof limiting modality. The limitation modalities can take various forms, they can be accepted or imposed. Their diet can be simple or complex, making them difficult and questionable justification study as the protection of property rights, fundamental right is essential. This study focuses on these mitigation techniques justified by private interests and the general interest in order to understand the complexity, scope and impact of modes limitation on real property

This study explored the relationship between message modalities and memory performance in a media environment. In order to examine the role of message modalities in media multitasking activity, this research investigated the memory performance of participants after their exposure with the news stories and the commercials between same and different modalities. The research employed a 2 X 3 experiment using two independent variables: Modality of news broadcast (audio news vs. audio-visual news) and modality of commercials (audio commercials vs. visual commercials vs. audio-visual commercials). The research questionnaire was intended to reveal the influence of modality on participant performance by recalling the content of news stories, brand names of the commercials and product types of the commercials. Although the results indicate that there is no significant interaction effect of news modality and commercial modality on news recall, the majority of hypothesized interaction effect received support in this study. Finally, this research reinforces the school of human cognitive capacities are domain-specific.

This study was conducted to determine whether or not combining feedback modes resulted in improved operator performance, given a specific task and environment. A common industrial handheld scanner with multiple feedback settings was used to assess four experimental feedback conditions (auditory, auditory-visual, auditory-tactile, and auditory-visual-tactile) during simulated box scanning tasks. Participants completed four-50 box trials in a single test session where boxes were scanned and located based on the feedback provided regarding the scan. Task completion time and ranks, hit rate and false alarms were recorded. While the auditory-visual-tactile feedback combination produced the fastest performance time, there was no statistically significant improvement in operator performance between the four feedback settings tested. By understanding the most important feedback modes, or combination of such, identification of the best scanner settings for this device and task can be made.

Objective: To compare changes in hamstring flexibility from treatments of pulsed short- wave diathermy and prolonged stretch versus sham diathermy and prolonged stretch and control and to observe how long those changes last. Background: Heat and stretch techniques have been touted for years. To date, the effect of short-wave diathermy and hamstring stretching has not been thoroughly studied. Because diathermy heats a large area and penetrates deep into the muscle, use of this device prior to or during hamstring stretching may increase flexibility and these gains may last longer. Study Design: A randomized, counterbalanced 3x2x6 repeated measures design. The 3 independent variables were day, pretest/posttest, and treatment mode. Treatment mode had 3 levels: diathermy and stretch, sham diathermy and stretch, and control. The dependent variable was the change in knee extension range of motion (ROM). Methods and Measures: Thirty college-age students with tight hamstrings (inability to achieve >160° knee extension at 90° hip flexion) participated. Subjects were assigned to 1 of 3 groups, (diathermy and stretch; sham diathermy and stretch; control). Range of motion was recorded before and after each treatment every other day for 2 weeks. Additional ROM measures were taken on days 15, 22, 29, and 36. A straight-leg raise stretch was performed using a mechanical apparatus. Subjects in the diathermy and stretch group received 10 minutes of diathermy (distal hamstrings), 5 minutes of diathermy and stretch, followed by 5 minutes of stretching only. Subjects in the sham diathermy and stretch group followed the same protocol, except the diathermy unit was turned off. Subjects in the control group lay on the table for 20 minutes. Data were analyzed using an ANOVA, an ANCOVA, and post hoc t-tests. Results: Least Squares (LS) Mean (± Pooled SE) increases in knee extension after 6 treatments were: 11.3 ± 1.2° for the diathermy and stretch group; 10.0 ± 1.2° for the sham diathermy and stretch group; and 3.2 ± 1.2° for the control group. At Day 15, 3 days after the last treatment, the diathermy and stretch group lost 6.9 ± 0.8°; the sham diathermy and stretch group lost 6.6 ± 0.8°; and the control group changed 1.6 ± 0.8°. At Day 22 the diathermy and stretch group had lost 7.4 ± 0.8°; the sham diathermy and stretch group lost 6.8 ± 0.8°; and the control group changed 1.7 ± 0.8° from the last treatment. At Day 29 the diathermy and stretch group had lost 8.2 ± 0.9°; the sham diathermy and stretch group lost 7.1 ± 0.9°; and the control group changed 1.7 ± 0.8° from the last treatment. At Day 36 the diathermy and stretch group had lost 8.3 ± 0.8°; the sham diathermy and stretch group lost 7.4 ± 0.8°; and the control group changed 2.1 ± 0.8° from the last treatment. Conclusion: These results indicate that hamstring flexibility can be improved when long-duration or prolonged stretching is used and that those improvements will slowly diminish over several weeks. Clinicians should consider the use of long-duration stretch to help patients with tight hamstrings increase flexibility and maintain those gains over time.

No / The boundaries between different kinds of media spaces are complex and challenging. The convergence of computing, media, and telecommunications produces environments that contain elements of their origins, but also contain new components that allow interaction in new ways by new users with new kinds of information. This poses problems for effective human computer interaction and human media interaction because the paradigms are not well understood. Converged environments are driving these new uses just as the first PCs supported keyboards and then WIMP interfaces. Traditional models of human computer interaction are not adequate to deal with this complexity, and the shifting of the boundaries brought about by convergence.