PhD and Masters Research
Current PhD Projects
Janet Viljoen (PhD 2009-2012):
Title: To evaluate the effect of exercise on the health of post-menopausal women
Area: Exploring the use of "exercise as medicine" in Exercise Physiology
Brief Synopsis:
Cardiovascular complications among postmenopausal women are poorly understood, yet remain the foremost cause of mortality amongst older women, globally. Cholesterol levels rise post-menopause, and can be responsible for thromboses or strokes and associated ill-health. A consequence of the menopause is declining arterial health associated with the loss of endogenous estrogen, and this in conjunction with elevated cholesterol levels presents a significant risk to women. While this study will primarily examine the effect of a dose of exercise on elevated cholesterol levels in order to ascertain whether dangerously high levels of lipids in the bloodstream can be ameliorated via exercise rather than by drug intervention, the study will also examine the concomitant effect of chronic hormone relacement therapy prescription on cardiovascular health in the sample.
Supervisor: Candice Christie
Nokubonga Ngcamu (PhD 2009-2011)
Project title: Fatigue development in endogenous resources and the design of job rotation schedules
Project area: Ergonomics
Brief Synopsis: Worker fatigue remains an inevitable part of physical and cognitive work in modern production systems and has been identified as a major limiting factor to optimal performance in industry (McFarland, 1975; Bridger, 2009). Despite numerous studies on fatigue reported in literature, the processes that lead to task related fatigue development are still not well understood and will therefore be the focus of this doctoral research. Drawing on the extended stress strain concept (Luczak, 1975) and the theory of compensatory control (Hockey, 1997), fatigue can be understood as a complex phenomenon involving compensatory processes where resources within the body are dynamically allocated and utilised while balancing performance goals and the worker’s well-being.
This research project aims to provide a better understanding of worker fatigue and the process of compensatory control (micro level) in the various endogenous resources used for task performance (sensory, cognitive and motor). A further objective will be to find ways of applying this information to the design of job rotation schedules used in industry to alleviate the effects of worker fatigue at a macro level. A battery of tests (conducted in a laboratory setting) specifically designed to target various resources used in different industry-relevant tasks will be used to establish:
1. Where (in which resources) in the information processing chain (from sensory input and recognition until the motor action is executed) fatigue occurs.
2. The fatigue characteristics of selected and relevant resources. This will entail establishing (a) what the resource specific endurance limits are, (b) whether fatigue was resulting from actual resource depletion or a general down-regulation effect, (c) if resources (and thus fatigue) are controlled locally in the relevant resource or centrally, (d) the manner in which resources interact with each other in the development of fatigue, and (e) as a side effect, which psychophysical measures and performance variables are sensitive indicators of fatigue.
Using the results from this research, a further aim will be to map out the resources utilised during different tasks in relation to the endurance functions calculated for each and develop a fatigue strain index which can then be used to make more informed and effective recommendations regarding the design of rotation schedules in industry. To increase the practical relevance of this study, and where applicable, the battery of tests used in the laboratory will also be used to test worker fatigue in the industrial setting using experienced workers.
Jono Davy (PhD 2010-2013)
Area: Fatigue identification and measurement in industry, with the intention of applying specific countermeasures, based on the fatigue that is identified.
Supervisor: Matthias Goebel
Andrew Elliott (PhD 2009-2012)
Project title: The effect of fatigue and high workload on human performance amongst doctors and nurses in the South African hospital system
Project area: Healthcare ergonomics
Brief Synopsis:
Caring for and treating sick people presents a large number of ergonomic problems. Many occupational accidents, injuries, diseases and musculoskeletal disorders continue to arise due to a lack of ergonomics in the workplace, and there is a need to quantitatively assess exposure of individuals. Added to this there is a shortage of available doctors and nurses which inadvertently puts pressure on those working in the country today. This added stress and high workload placed on a limited human resource, being the doctors and nurses, leads to fatigue and many varied occupational health issues.
This research aims to address issues related to fatigue amongst our country’s limited healthcare workers and the broad area of my research therefore relates to: “what makes people tired” (people in this case = doctors & nurses). This will be achieved by identifying which task characteristics cause the most fatigue, which will give greater insight into the demands on doctors & nurses. In so doing it will provide guidance to hospitals in the management of fatigue. The ultimate goal is improving their output by optimising human performance effectiveness, this ultimately enhances the health & safety outcomes of the patients, fulfilling the primary objective of all medical institutions
Supervisor: Swantje Zschernack
Current MSc Projects
Bronwyn Sheppard (MSc 2010-2011)
Project Title: Selected musculoskeletal, physiological and perceptual demands placed on batsmen during a high-scoring cricket work bout.
Area: Exercise physiology
Brief Synopsis: Despite the advancements observed in cricket games over time, there has been limited research into the changes in musculoskeletal and physiological demands placed on batsmen during games of a higher intensity. This study is therefore attempting to determine the changes in selected musculoskeletal, physiological and perceptual demands placed on batsmen over time, and by doing so, improve the scientific knowledge surrounding this field of research.
Supervisor: Candice Christie
Sethunya Tau (MSc 2010-2011)
Project Title: Fatigue Regulation in Humans with a Focus on Effort (down) Regulation
Area: Ergonomics
Brief Synopsis:
The main objective of the research is to understand how the body regulates fatigue through down regulation. In this way, the feedback control loop shall be analysed to describe human performance control with reference to fatigue and effort. We also want to comprehend how down regulation functions; whether it functions as a coping strategy, a protective mechanism to decrease work output or both. It is important that the difference between down regulation and exhaustion be made explicit. One of the main areas of interest is on whether or not down regulation is resource specific, and whether the manner in which it occurs is altered per resource. Consequently, we want to understand how the different resources are fatigued and if, at all, any kind of compensation occurs once said resources are fatigued.
Supervisor: Matthias Goebel
Casey de Gray Birch (MSc 2010-2011)
Area: Ergonomics
Topic: To be determined
Supervisor: Matthias Goebel
Jade Robertson (MSc 2010-2011)
Title: The effects of fatigue on a driver's peripheral and focal vision
Area: Ergonomics
Brief Synopsis: It is well know and researched that when a driver is fatigued they get tunnel vision or a narrowing or the useful visual field, but not much research has been done on whether the peripheral visual field narrows with the central visual field or if it is independent of it and what effects fatigue has on it.
Supervisor: Swantje Zschernack
Ntombi Ndaki (MSc 2010-2011)
Title: The effect of "micro brakes" on driver fatigue during long distance driving.
Area:Ergonomics
Brief Synopsis: For several decades the vehicle cockpit, road environment as well as the driving task have remained unchanged, but with the recent advancements in technology the driving task is changing at a rapid pace(Regan et al,2001). It has been predicted that as vehicles become increasingly automated, drivers will assume a supervisory role rather than being actively involved with the driving task.According to May et al, 2005 pasive fatigue is produced when a driver is mainly monitoring the driving environment over an extended period of time, when most of or entire driving task is automated.
Drivers with automated vehicles could potentially be at a higher risk of being involveld in fatigue related accidents especially during monotonous long distance driving.Therefore the study will look at introducing micro brakes during long distance driving.
Supervisor: Swantjie Zschernack
Michael Cannon (MSc 2010-2011)
Title: Selected physiological, perceptual and performance responses of rugby players while wearing different rugby kits during a simulated running rugby protocol.
Area: Sports Science
Brief Synopsis: Despite rugby being an internationally played sport, with many changes being made to the rules of the game over the years, there still presently remains a lack of information regarding the physiological demands that the game places on players (Deutsch et al., 2007). This could be due to the intermittent and unpredictable nature of the game. Because a rising body temperature has been proposed to be the predominant factor causing fatigue in athletes during exercise, I decided to study the impact that the rugby clothing and protective gear has on players physiological (skin and core temperatures, and heart rate), biophysical (muscle activity), perceptual (central and local ratings of perceived exertion, perceived strain and physical strain) and performance responses during an 80-minute simulated rugby protocol. These was done by comparing the player’s responses while wearing either the control kit (minimal clothing and no protective gear) and experimental kit (full rugby clothing and protective gear) during the performance of the same rugby protocol, and determine whether any differences occurred. This could determine whether the additional kit worn during the EC causes players physiological and perceptual responses to become exacerbated during the rugby protocol, which results an earlier onset of central fatigue, and therefore a decrease in performance capacity.
Eva Burford (MSc 2010-2011)
Title: Work strain analysis of hospital nurses and the use of psychophysiological indicators for error probability
Project Area: Hospital Ergonomics
Brief Synopsis: This research aims to improve patient treatment quality by identifying possible tasks that may require more assistance or supervision due to the increased likelihood of errors occurring during these tasks. This research proposes to uses psychophysiological variables and a detailed work analysis in order to establish if psychophysiological variables can be used as indicators of error probability. To meet these aims this research will attempt to establish a relationship between error probability and various psychophysiological variables through both field and laboratory research.
Jessica Kohne (MSc 2011-2012):
Area: Biomechanical assessment of injury prevention in sport
Brief Synopsis: The purpose of the current study is two-fold, firstly to identify the key areas of interest in the field of biomechanics and sport which remain poorly understood, such as muscle recruitment patterns and the impact it has on fatigue during sports performance. The second objective of the study is to investigate the impact of various sporting codes on the aforementioned biomechanical responses. The study will be a laboratory based study using sophisticated tools to analyse the biomechanical responses of male and female subjects to the demands placed on them during performance. Therefore the study will aim to reduce the risk of injury, improve performance and enhance the design of sports equipment.
Supervisor: Andrew Todd
Lee Pote (MSc 2011 - 2012)
Title: The physiological and perceptual responses of cricket batsmen
Area: Sports Science
Brief Synopsis: To follow shortly
Supervisor: Candice Christie
Megan Sunshine (MSc 2011-2012)
Title: The Effects of Learning on Cognitive Fatigue
Area: Ergonomics
Brief Synopsis: The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects that learning of varying complexity decision making tasks has on the fatiguing process of humans. From my honours project it was found that the process of learning overrides the fatiguing progression typically experienced due to long hours of continuous work. For my thesis these finding will be expanded in order to encompass a greater range of cognition to include not only decision making, but attention and working memory too. The concept of learning occurring during rest breaks will further be included to evaluate the efficiency of passive learning of cognitive tasks and to identify appropriate intervention strategies in order to alleviate cognitive fatigue. This research is of vital importance in order to maximize human performance in terms of efficiency and productivity.
Robert Jones (MSc 2011-2012)
Title: The effect of footwear on the performance of male runners
Area: Sports science
Brief Synopsis: The purpose of this research is to study the effects of footwear on an athlete while running at different speeds and at different gradients. Such research is of importance as runners typically encounter changes in gradient and changes in speed in most geographical locations. The proposed research aims to highlight the differences between running at various gradients and at different speeds, as well as to determine the physiological and mechanical differences associated with different footwear types. This research aims to shed light on the dearth of literature regarding the effect of footwear on a runner as well as to determine influence of footwear on the development of running related injuries.
Supervisor: Andrew Todd
Caley Chaplin (MSc 2011-2012)
Brief Synopsis: My area of research involves investigating the effects of fatigue on the performance and physiology of the visual system. The findings from my honours research indicated that individuals adopt a self-regulating mechanism, whereby performance during a task deteriorates in order to prevent exhaustion of the resouces of the visual system. It will be interesting to determine how performance is regulated over time as the degree of fatigue is heightened. By gaining an understanding of visual fatigue and its effects on task performance, interventions can be developed to prevent accidents and human error from occurring.
It is well know and researched that when a driver is fatigued they get tunnel vision or a narrowing or the useful visual field, but not much research has been done on whether the peripheral visual field narrows with the central visual field or if it is independent of it and what effects fatigue has on it.
Gareth Barford (MSc 2011-2012)
Area: Sports Science
Brief Synopsis: Cricket as a sport, has had little research. The main pathways to fatigue are not well understood. Last year it was determined that the eccentric nature of the game had a major role in causing fatigue. Particular interest was taken in the significant muscular strength decreases, both eccentrically and concentrically. There is little research on the muscular changes caused during high scoring one day internationals. My objective is to look at the impact of a high scoring one day match, on fast bowlers and spin bowlers. Looking at the muscular changes, using strength testing and EMG to determine if any muscular decreases occur.
Supervisor: Candice Christie
Simon Moore (MSc 2011-2012)
Project title: The Effects of Oxygen Utilisation Training vs Oxygen Transportation Training on the Aerobic System in Rowers.
Area: Exercise Physiology
Brief Synopsis: To ascertain if more aerobic physiological benfits are gained through O2 uitilisation training or O2 deliver training ( two current major forms of aerobic training in rowing) and thus which should be utilised more to increase performances in rowing races.
Tyron Louw (MSc 2011-2012)
Title:The effect of fatigue and monotony on the performance and distraction of occupational drivers.
Area: Ergonomics in Traffic Safety
Brief Synopsis: While theoretically secondary tasks during driving should be avoided to keep the drivers attentional focus on the road, in many cases this cannot be achieved as these form an inherent part of the driving task, e.g. navigation information, traffic news, logistical tasks for delivery drivers, air traffic controllers instructions in aviation. My masters research acknowledges this fact and aims to support system design in order to present the information in the most appropriate perceptual modality such that effect of extreme driver’s states (fatigue and monotony) on performance decrement is minimised as far as possible. In order to increase driving performance it shall be determined to what extent driver distraction affects the information intake from different visual and auditory sources under fatigued and low activation states. This includes answering the question which in perceptual channels these effects are most pronounced. The objective of this research is hence to quantify the effects of information modality on driver distraction in the worst case scenarios of driver fatigue and monotony. This, in turn, allows for the identification of a preferable information modality in the worst case scenario.
Supervisor: Swantje Zschernack
Janice Korte (MSc 2011-2012)
Details to follow.
Lauren Anderson (MSc 2011-2012)
Area: Ergonomics
Brief Synposis: Details to follow.
