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The ability to measure the physiological demands and air requirements during simulated firefighting tasks while wearing full personal protective ensemble (PPE) and positive pressure self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) has been a difficult process based on undeveloped technology. The capability of integrating a portable Cosmed K4b2 breath by breath gas collection system with a standard SCBA has permitted a novel approach to investigate metabolic demands and ventilatory requirements while breathing through the same system that would be used in an actual fire scene. The purpose of this study was to determine the physiological demands and air requirements during three large structure firefighting scenarios: (1) maximal high rise stair climb, (2) 5th floor high rise scenario, and (3) subway system scenario. The hypotheses were that (a) the 5th floor high rise scenario would be the most physically demanding and that (b) the years of service as a firefighter would result in decreased total air consumption during the three scenarios. Thirty-three male and three female healthy firefighters performed each of the three tasks at an equivalent pace similar to what would be expected at a fire scene. Scenario (1) consisted of stair climbing until consuming 55% of a typical SCBA air cylinder and then descending to a safe exit. Scenario (2) comprised a 5 floor stair climb, hose drag and room search, forcible entry, victim rescue drag, and 5 floor descent. Scenario (3) involved a stair descent, tunnel walk, portable ladder walk, ladder setup, victim rescue drag, tunnel walk, and stair ascent. Average maximum floors climbed for scenario (1) and mean completion times for scenarios (2) and (3) were 20 ± 2.5 floors, 5 min 3 s ± 57 s, and 12 min 5 s ± 1 min 10 s, respectively. Mean VO2 during each of the scenarios were 3168 ± 878 ml/min, 2947 ± 461 ml/min, 2217 ± 371 ml/min, corresponding to a relative VO2 of 35.5 ± 9.1 ml/kg/min, 33.1 ± 4.6 ml/kg/min, and 25.2 ± 4.6 ml/kg/min. In relation to the peak treadmill oxygen uptake, the three scenarios revealed that firefighters were working at 70 ± 10%, 65 ± 10%, and 49 ± 8% of VO2peak, respectively. Average heart rate values for the three scenarios were 170 ± 13 bpm, 160 ± 14 bpm, and 139 ± 17 bpm, corresponding to 88 ± 4%, 88 ± 6%, and 76 ± 7% of HRpeak, respectively. These results indicate that the most physiologically demanding scenario was the maximal stair climb, followed by the 5th floor high rise and subway system scenarios. Respiratory exchange ratio was consistently greater than 1.0 during the maximal stair climb and 5th floor high rise scenarios indicating that a considerable amount of energy was derived from anaerobic metabolism. With regards to the air requirements for each of the scenarios, total air consumption revealed averaged values of 74.9 ± 6%, 48.0 ± 7.0%, and 59.9 ±5.6%, of the air in a typical 30-min cylinder, respectively. These data also revealed that increasing age of the firefighter as well as increasing years of experience as a firefighter result in significant correlations with greater air consumption to complete the given task (p < 0.05). Contrary to the hypotheses, the maximal stair climb scenario appeared to be the most physically demanding while increased years of service as a firefighter resulted in greater air consumption. Furthermore, it appears that firefighters who are able to produce more power per kg of body mass have greater performance times and more efficient air consumption. These data are instrumental in quantifying the physiological demands and air requirements during simulated firefighting tasks while breathing on a positive pressure SCBA.

The ability to measure the physiological demands and air requirements during simulated firefighting tasks while wearing full personal protective ensemble (PPE) and positive pressure self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) has been a difficult process based on undeveloped technology. The capability of integrating a portable Cosmed K4b2 breath by breath gas collection system with a standard SCBA has permitted a novel approach to investigate metabolic demands and ventilatory requirements while breathing through the same system that would be used in an actual fire scene. The purpose of this study was to determine the physiological demands and air requirements during three large structure firefighting scenarios: (1) maximal high rise stair climb, (2) 5th floor high rise scenario, and (3) subway system scenario. The hypotheses were that (a) the 5th floor high rise scenario would be the most physically demanding and that (b) the years of service as a firefighter would result in decreased total air consumption during the three scenarios. Thirty-three male and three female healthy firefighters performed each of the three tasks at an equivalent pace similar to what would be expected at a fire scene. Scenario (1) consisted of stair climbing until consuming 55% of a typical SCBA air cylinder and then descending to a safe exit. Scenario (2) comprised a 5 floor stair climb, hose drag and room search, forcible entry, victim rescue drag, and 5 floor descent. Scenario (3) involved a stair descent, tunnel walk, portable ladder walk, ladder setup, victim rescue drag, tunnel walk, and stair ascent. Average maximum floors climbed for scenario (1) and mean completion times for scenarios (2) and (3) were 20 ± 2.5 floors, 5 min 3 s ± 57 s, and 12 min 5 s ± 1 min 10 s, respectively. Mean VO2 during each of the scenarios were 3168 ± 878 ml/min, 2947 ± 461 ml/min, 2217 ± 371 ml/min, corresponding to a relative VO2 of 35.5 ± 9.1 ml/kg/min, 33.1 ± 4.6 ml/kg/min, and 25.2 ± 4.6 ml/kg/min. In relation to the peak treadmill oxygen uptake, the three scenarios revealed that firefighters were working at 70 ± 10%, 65 ± 10%, and 49 ± 8% of VO2peak, respectively. Average heart rate values for the three scenarios were 170 ± 13 bpm, 160 ± 14 bpm, and 139 ± 17 bpm, corresponding to 88 ± 4%, 88 ± 6%, and 76 ± 7% of HRpeak, respectively. These results indicate that the most physiologically demanding scenario was the maximal stair climb, followed by the 5th floor high rise and subway system scenarios. Respiratory exchange ratio was consistently greater than 1.0 during the maximal stair climb and 5th floor high rise scenarios indicating that a considerable amount of energy was derived from anaerobic metabolism. With regards to the air requirements for each of the scenarios, total air consumption revealed averaged values of 74.9 ± 6%, 48.0 ± 7.0%, and 59.9 ±5.6%, of the air in a typical 30-min cylinder, respectively. These data also revealed that increasing age of the firefighter as well as increasing years of experience as a firefighter result in significant correlations with greater air consumption to complete the given task (p < 0.05). Contrary to the hypotheses, the maximal stair climb scenario appeared to be the most physically demanding while increased years of service as a firefighter resulted in greater air consumption. Furthermore, it appears that firefighters who are able to produce more power per kg of body mass have greater performance times and more efficient air consumption. These data are instrumental in quantifying the physiological demands and air requirements during simulated firefighting tasks while breathing on a positive pressure SCBA.

Magister Sport, Recreation and Exercise Science - MSRES / Cricket is a highly technically skilled-based game, which consists of four distinct disciplines (batting, bowling, fielding, and wicket keeping) with varying physiological and biomechanical demands. There are three standardized professional versions of the game, namely, test match or multi-day cricket, limited overs or one-day cricket and Twenty-20 or T20 cricket. One-day games consist of two innings with each team getting a chance to bat and bowl. One innings encompasses fifty overs and the game generally lasts for approximately 6 hours. Although research has been conducted on the physical demands of cricket, not many studies compare the differences of these demands between different playing positions. Furthermore, there is a lack of research around the differences between professional and amateur level cricket players.

The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the physical and technical demands of the women’s college soccer game through a case study approach. With advancements in technology, motion analysis has become commonplace in most professional environments. However, the literature on amateur soccer is quite scarce and warrants more attention. The aims of this dissertation were: 1) to describe the physical demands of each position for a women’s college soccer player as they relate to total distance covered, efforts, and distance covered in high-speed velocity bands, 2) explore the variation in physical performance during a competitive season, and 3) compare the physical and technical performance of college soccer players to see if there are correlates in performance between variables. Eleven female collegiate soccer players from a single National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) institution were tracked with Global Position System devices during a competitive season. Physical variables and technical variables were analyzed to gain further insight into the specific events that occur during a women’s college soccer match. Significant differences exist between positions for total distance covered during a match, with the forward and central defensive midfielder position covering the greatest distance during a match on average. The central defender position covered a significantly less amount of distance during a match than the other five positional subcategories. Outside players (forward, outside midfielder, and fullback) covered the greatest distance at high-speed velocity bands and perform the highest volume of high-speed efforts. The only significantly different technical variable found was the pass completion percentage of the central defensive midfielder compared with other positions. The current investigation highlights the unique characteristics of female collegiate soccer players when separated and analyzed by the positional subcategories. With uniqueness present in a once thought to be homogenous population the demand for individualized training protocols becomes paramount to increase chance of optimal performance while simultaneously decreasing risk of injury.

<p>The study aimed to examine how motherhood is constructed by married working mothers and the impact thereof on their working lives. This qualitative study explored the individual experiences of 7 working married mothers with preschool aged children who reside in the Western Cape, South Africa. Individual semi-structured interviews were&nbsp / onducted and analysed using thematic analysis. The study was situated within a social constructionist theoretical framework which holds that it is through our interactions with others that we create, maintain and verify our ideas and perceptions of the world. The literature revealed that despite the advances made by women in society, the notion that women are still the primary nurturers and care-givers is still in existence. This view is largely dictated by the social and cultural expectations in society and further perpetuated by images portrayed in the media. The results of this study revealed that the social and cultural context of the participants holds a view of motherhood that is gendered, comprises ideals of a caring, nurturing and ever-giving mother and links motherhood to womanhood and the female identity.</p>

<p>The study aimed to examine how motherhood is constructed by married working mothers and the impact thereof on their working lives. This qualitative study explored the individual experiences of 7 working married mothers with preschool aged children who reside in the Western Cape, South Africa. Individual semi-structured interviews were&nbsp / onducted and analysed using thematic analysis. The study was situated within a social constructionist theoretical framework which holds that it is through our interactions with others that we create, maintain and verify our ideas and perceptions of the world. The literature revealed that despite the advances made by women in society, the notion that women are still the primary nurturers and care-givers is still in existence. This view is largely dictated by the social and cultural expectations in society and further perpetuated by images portrayed in the media. The results of this study revealed that the social and cultural context of the participants holds a view of motherhood that is gendered, comprises ideals of a caring, nurturing and ever-giving mother and links motherhood to womanhood and the female identity.</p>

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / The study aimed to examine how motherhood is constructed by married working mothers and the impact thereof on their working lives. This qualitative study explored the individual experiences of 7 working married mothers with preschool aged children who reside in the Western Cape, South Africa. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. The study was situated within a social constructionist theoretical framework which holds that it is through our interactions with others that we create, maintain and verify our ideas and perceptions of the world. The literature revealed that despite the advances made by women in society, the notion that women are still the primary nurturers and care-givers is still in existence. This view is largely dictated by the social and cultural expectations in society and further perpetuated by images portrayed in the media. The results of this study revealed that the social and cultural context of the participants holds a view of motherhood that is gendered, comprises ideals of a caring, nurturing and ever-giving mother and links motherhood to womanhood and the female identity. / South Africa

Extensive research into women's collegiate soccer is scarce, leaving gaps in the literature with little information available detailing the physical demands at different standards of play. Our purpose was to elucidate the physical demands of the Division I collegiate level and identify differences between playing positions. Twenty-three field players were observed during four competitive seasons using 10-Hz GPS units (Catapult Sports, Melbourne, Australia). Descriptive statistics and 95% confidence intervals were used to determine group and position-specific physical demands. Linear mixed modelling (LMM) was used to compare attacker, midfielder, and defender position groups. Total distance, high-speed distance, and sprint distance were 9486 ± 300 m, 1014 ± 118 m, and 428 ± 70 m, respectively. Furthermore, attackers were observed to cover the greatest distance at all speeds compared to midfielders and defenders. Our findings suggest that the physical demands of Division I women's soccer differ by position and appear lower compared to higher standards of play. Therefore, coaches and sports scientists responsible for the physical training of Division I collegiate players should consider the specific physical demands of the collegiate level and playing position when prescribing training, as well as in the development of their annual training programs.

The overall aim of this thesis was to identify valid, simple, and inexpensive physical tests that can be used for evaluation of firefighters’ physical work capacity. Paper I included fulltime- and part-time firefighters (n = 193), aged 20-60 years. Perceived physical demands of firefighting work tasks were ranked, and comparisons between subject groups rating were done with the Mann Whitney U-test and Binominal test. Papers II and III included male firefighters and civilian men and women (n = 38), aged 24-57 years. Laboratory and field tests of aerobic fitness, muscle strength and endurance, balance, and simulated firefighting work tasks were performed. Physical capacity comparisons between subject groups were done and bivariate correlations between physical tests and work capacity in the simulated firefighting work tasks analyzed. Paper IV included the same subjects as in Paper II-III (training-set), and additional 90 subjects (prediction-set), aged 20-50 years. Laboratory and field tests of aerobic fitness, muscle strength and endurance and balance, and simulated firefighting work tasks were included. Data from the training-set was used to build models for prediction of firefighters’ physical work capacity, using multivariate statistic. The prediction-set was used to externally validate the selected models. Several work tasks were rated as physically demanding and significant differences (p &lt; 0.05) in ratings were found between full-time and part-time firefighters (Paper I). Significant differences were found between subject groups in physical capacity, and work capacity (p &lt; 0.01) (Paper II-IV). Both laboratory and field tests were significantly (p &lt; 0.01) correlated with work capacity time (Paper II-III). The prediction (R2) and predictive power (Q2) of firefighters’ work capacity (Carrying hose baskets upstairs, Hose pulling, Demolition at or after a fire, Victim rescue, and Carrying hose baskets over terrain) was R2 = 0.74 to 0.91, and Q2 = 0.65 to 0.85, and the external validation ranged between R2: 0.38 to 0.80 (Paper IV). In conclusion, rowing 500 m (s), maximal handgrip strength (kg), endurance bench press (n), running 3000 m (s and s scaled to body weight) upright barbell row (n) and standing broad jump (m) together provides valid information about firefighters’ physical work capacity.