Policy processes influence decision-making and when processes are influenced by multiple stakeholders, individual interests can go against the general good of the organization or community. The multiple stakeholders of cricket in Barbados have governed the development of cricket. Over the last 30 years the sport has been on a steady decline evidenced by the low attendance at games and the number of teams and individuals playing the sport. At a time when the sport has been growing at the international level, the decline in the fortunes of the sport in Barbados had led to a climate of mistrust and blame apportioning, which can only lead to further decay. This explanatory case study drawing from 2 focus groups and 15 individual interviews examined the views and perceptions of players, media personnel, officials, administrators, fans and concessionaires, as to the state of the sport, the factors that have contributed to that state and the role of the stakeholders in the process. Data analyzed using thick analysis methods revealed that the stakeholders believed that sport was in decline in Barbados and changes in the social and community structures, competition from other sports, unclear roles and uncooperative relations of stakeholders were key factors that acted against the development of the sport. The implications for positive social change are directed at the collaborative role of stakeholders that places the general good beyond individual pursuits and the need to change the current methods of governance.

Many insects are important agricultural pests, and active control is necessary to keep them at abeyance. The naturally occurring entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium is a promising tool to control pest insects, and its use avoids the well-known harmful side effects of chemical pesticides. Thousands of unique isolates of Metarhizium exist throughout the world. These isolates vary widely in their ability to cause infection and to tolerate stressful habitats. The research reported here tests the THESIS: A laboratory-based system can be devised that identifies, from among many Metarhizium isolates, those isolates with the greatest potential for successful biological control of pest insects in the field. The study was built on the testing of four hypotheses: (1) Laboratory bioassays using target pest insects will distinguish highly virulent strains of Metarhizium from less virulent strains, (2) Quantity and quality of mass-produced pathogenic fungi will vary among species and strains of Metarhizium, (3) The tolerance to ultraviolet radiation will vary among species and strains of Metarhizium, (4) The effect of temperature on growth rates and survival of both Metarhizium spores and hyphae will vary among isolates and species. These hypotheses test four field-relevant traits using a panel of ten isolates of Metarhizium isolates. Seven sets of laboratory experiments were devised to define the range of responses within the traits covered by the hypotheses. This series of general laboratory tests was developed to assist in identifying fungal isolates with high potential for field use. These tests included evaluation of each isolate's (a) insect pathogenicity, (b) mass–production capabilities, (c) tolerance to high temperatures, (d) tolerance to UV-B radiation, (e) rate of vegetative growth, (f) rate of spore germination, and (g) an evaluation of presence or absence of a post–stress growth inhibition. The application of this protocol to the isolates used in this study indicates that four isolates have high field potential, i.e., DWR 203, DWR 346, DWR 356 and ARSEF 324, and three of these were tested in a field trial. By following the procedures outlined in this thesis, selection of “good” isolates can be accomplished in the laboratory, and a successful isolate can be identified from the abundance of isolates present in nature.

Lower back injury remains the most important injury problem in professional cricket with lumbar stress fractures in fast bowlers accounting for the most lost playing time. Previous research has associated workload, paraspinal muscle asymmetry and technique factors with lower back injury in fast bowlers, however, preventative strategies such as workload directives and coaching guidelines have not reduced the incidence and prevalence of these injuries. Recent developments in medical imaging technology have improved diagnosis of pathologies such as lumbar posterior bony element (partes interarticulares and pedicles) stress fractures and intervertebral disc degeneration in athletes whilst also allowing quantification of other, potentially associated factors such as paraspinal muscle asymmetry. However, there is very little published research regarding the use of modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the identification and prognosis of these types of injuries in fast bowlers. Similarly, advances in three-dimensional (3D) motion analysis has aided technique evaluation in a variety of sports, however, little remains known about the pathomechanics of lower back injury in fast bowling. Therefore, the aim of this doctoral research was to investigate relationships between lower back injury and; the MRI appearance of the lumbar posterior bony elements and intervertebral discs, MRI-derived lumbar muscle morphology and the three-dimensional (3D) trunk kinematics of professional fast bowlers in cricket. This was examined in a series of five studies. The first study undertaken was an investigation of the MRI appearance of the lumbar spines of 36 asymptomatic professional fast bowlers and 17 active controls. / It was identified that the fast bowlers had a high prevalence of multi-level, predominantly non-dominant side, acute and chronic stress changes in the posterior bony elements of the lumbar spine. Multiple level disc degeneration was also more advanced in the fast bowlers compared with the control - iv - participants. However, disc degeneration appeared not to be associated with lumbar stress injury. The second study investigated the reliability and accuracy of using MRI to determine the FCSA of the lumbar paraspinal muscles (psoas, quadratus lumborum, erector spinae and multifidus). The novel methodology developed in this study was determined to be both valid and highly reliable. In the third study, this technique was then used to describe the functional crosssectional area (FCSA) morphology of the paraspinal muscles in a group of 46 professional fast bowlers and the 17 control participants scanned in the first study. It reinforced that there was a higher prevalence of lumbar muscle asymmetry in the fast bowler group. Paraspinal muscle asymmetry, consistent with hypertrophy of the dominant side muscle, was most prevalent in the quadratus lumborum of fast bowlers, and was also evident in the lumbar multifidus in both groups of subjects. The aims of the fourth study of the thesis were to quantify the proportion of lower trunk motion utilised during the delivery stride of fast bowling and to investigate the relationship between the most accepted fast bowling action classification system and potentially injurious kinematics of the lower trunk. 3D kinematic data were collected from 50 male professional fast bowlers during fast bowling trials and these were normalised to each bowler’s standing lower trunk range of motion. A high percentage of the fast bowlers used a mixed bowling action attributable to having shoulder counter-rotation greater than 30°. / The greatest proportion of lower trunk extension (26%), contralateral side-flexion (129%) and ipsilateral rotation (79%) was utilised during the front foot contact phase of the fast bowling delivery stride. There was no significant difference between mixed and non-mixed bowlers in the range of motion used during fast bowling. It was concluded that fast bowling action characteristics currently used to identify potentially dangerous action types may not be directly related to the likely pathomechanics of contralateral side lumbar stress injuries. It is proposed that coupled lower trunk extension, ipsilateral rotation in addition to extreme contralateral side-flexion, during the early part of the front foot contact phase of the bowling action may be an important mechanical factor in the aetiology of this type of injury. In the final study, a combination of the factors described in earlier studies i.e. the lumbar MRI appearance of the partes interarticulares and intervertebral discs, paraspinal muscle asymmetry and selected bowling action and delivery stride trunk kinematic variables, were examined. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between fast bowler lower back injury occurrence (one season either side of testing) and the aforementioned factors that were measured when participants were asymptomatic and bowling competitively. The results of this study indicated that a high percentage of professional fast bowlers in the United Kingdom continue to sustain a high number of acute lumbar stress injuries and these result a significant amount of lost playing and training time. Fast bowling action classification and lower trunk kinematic variables were not conclusively linked to acute lumbar stress injury occurrence. However, further investigation of the effect of coupled lower trunk motion on nondominant side lumbar bone stress is indicated. / The presence of acute MRI stress changes (particularly acute stress changes such as bone marrow oedema, periostitis and acute fracture lines) in the non-dominant side lumbar posterior elements seem to have a relationship with acute stress injury occurrence. Regular lumbar MRI scanning may assist in identifying early acute stress changes prior to the onset of symptoms. Intervertebral disc degeneration was less prevalent amongst professional fast bowlers who suffered acute stress injuries than those who had no significant lower back injury. Finally, although fast bowlers have a high prevalence of quadratus lumborum and lumbar multifidus asymmetry (larger on the dominant side), there was no observed relationship between acute lumbar stress injury and these findings.

Problem solving for location is one of the most critical cognitive skills that can be utilized in deriving a naive location and/or finding a primed location in large open spaces of the built environment. Wayfinding or locating objects in large open spaces is not often easy for individuals due their limitations in building effective mental models of the open space or their lack of a correct procedure for determining the grid coordinates of an object within that space. With the success of the global positioning system (GPS) in providing location information, it is expected that this technology could be utilized to control and improve building construction and facility management productivity within building interior spaces as well. However, GPS cannot perform robustly inside buildings due to the exterior walls or roofs, which weaken the signal. The Cricket indoor location support technology has been developed to respond to this limitation. Cricket uses a combination of radio frequency (RF), ultrasonic sound signals, and the triangular rule to calculate a user's current location. This research investigated performances within the context of a work order system between a human-based system and a computer-based system. Thirty subjects participated in this study. The subjects were asked to derive, find and verify a target box's location. Locating time-on-task, accuracy, and attitudes were measured. The overwhelming results demonstrated the speed and accuracy of the computer-based system over the human-based system. In addition to longer procedural processing times, subject errors included: 1) an incorrect estimation of distance, 2) an inability to correctly locate and/or project the X-axis and Y-axis grid lines, and 3) an incorrect treatment of the positive and negative characteristics of these coordinates. Even though half of the subjects liked the human-based system more, they significantly believe the computer-based system to be more accurate. All but one subject preferred that the computer-based system be used in his or her own future business. Finally, results indicate that the computer-based system does relieve humans of cognitive dependency, which may be further evidence that the computer-based system developed and tested in this study achieved its purpose.

The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an injury prevention and training programme for elite cricketers in regard to biomechanical, physical and motor and anthropometric variables over a period of six cricketing off-seasons (1998/1999-2003/2004). A secondary aim was to investigate the injury epidemiology of elite cricket players over a six-season period (1998/1999 – 2003/2004). A total of 93 cricket players, who were part of the North-West professional cricket squad, were evaluated over a six-season period stretching from the 1998/1999 cricket season to 2003/2004 cricket season. The players were all evaluated at the end of the off-season (middle September) of the commencing season and the injury lists were compiled throughout each playing season. This included all players who needed medical attention due to injury sustained while representing the North-West cricket team in a cricket match. An analysis was done of literature sources by making use of electronic media, library search and sports medicine journals. Databases such as Pubmed, EbscoHost (Academic Search Elite), Sciencedirect, Medline, Eric, Health Source - Consumer Edition, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition and SPORTDiscus were used. Special consideration was given to cricket injury epidemiology, injury prevention strategies in cricket, biomechanics in cricket and general injury prevention strategies. The recorded data were statistically processed and the practical significances were calculated. Three different protocols were followed to evaluate the effectiveness of the injury prevention and training programme. The recorded data were analysed for the six off-season periods (1998/1999-2003/2004, protocol 1) of the study for the biomechanical, physical and motor and anthropometric evaluations, as well as for the injury epidemiology. The players were then divided into four exposure times (protocol 2) in the study for the biomechanical, physical and motor and anthropometric evaluations. Then the players were divided into two groups (protocol 3), with each group consisting of the same players, and over a three off-season period each evaluated for the biomechanical, physical and motor and anthropometric variables. Lastly, the results for the last three seasons of protocol 1 were compared with the result of the last three seasons of protocol 3 (group 2) for the biomechanical, physical and motor and anthropometric evaluations, as well as for the injury epidemiology. The results for this study indicate that the injury prevention and training programme was successful in improving and maintaining the biomechanical, physical and motor and anthropometric profile of the cricketers over the six off-season periods (1998/1999-2003/2004). Although all injuries could not be prevented, injuries resulting from structural vulnerability did decrease. Injuries resulting from structural vulnerability (mechanism of injury) decreased from the 1998/1999 season (67,67% of the total injuries suffered during the 1998/1999 season) to the 2003/2004 season (10% of the total injuries suffered during the 2003/2004 season), indicating that the training and prevention programme played a role in the prevention of these injuries. Injury incidence per 10 000 hours of play was 5,82 injuries for the six-season period (1998/1999- 2003/2004). The injury prevention and training programme used in this study can be utilised to improve the biomechanical, physical and motor and anthropometric profile of cricketers. The biomechanical, physical and motor and anthropometric evaluations can also be used as injury prevention strategies by identifying possible injury risk factors as a result of poor biomechanical, physical and motor and anthropometric profiles. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Presently the literature available on women’s cricket is very limited. This thesis attempts to redress this gap by telling a story about the experiences of women’s club cricket in Toronto and Victoria. The player’s social spaces were examined, as were the intersections of gender, race and culture.. Using qualitative methods, narratives were interpreted and analyzed using post-colonial, spatial and feminist theoretical frameworks. Major findings indicated that there are specific challenges to women’s participation in cricket in Canada and revealed differences between players due to geography, access to resources, ethnicity and race. Women also experienced inclusions and exclusions based on gendered reproductions. The results indicate that much more support is needed for women’s cricket to flourish in Canada. One strong recommendation this study makes is that we pay more attention to, and develop better strategies for, the integration of Canadian immigrant and racialized women into the Canadian sport and recreation system.

Presently the literature available on women’s cricket is very limited. This thesis attempts to redress this gap by telling a story about the experiences of women’s club cricket in Toronto and Victoria. The player’s social spaces were examined, as were the intersections of gender, race and culture.. Using qualitative methods, narratives were interpreted and analyzed using post-colonial, spatial and feminist theoretical frameworks. Major findings indicated that there are specific challenges to women’s participation in cricket in Canada and revealed differences between players due to geography, access to resources, ethnicity and race. Women also experienced inclusions and exclusions based on gendered reproductions. The results indicate that much more support is needed for women’s cricket to flourish in Canada. One strong recommendation this study makes is that we pay more attention to, and develop better strategies for, the integration of Canadian immigrant and racialized women into the Canadian sport and recreation system.

The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an injury prevention and training programme for elite cricketers in regard to biomechanical, physical and motor and anthropometric variables over a period of six cricketing off-seasons (1998/1999-2003/2004). A secondary aim was to investigate the injury epidemiology of elite cricket players over a six-season period (1998/1999 – 2003/2004). A total of 93 cricket players, who were part of the North-West professional cricket squad, were evaluated over a six-season period stretching from the 1998/1999 cricket season to 2003/2004 cricket season. The players were all evaluated at the end of the off-season (middle September) of the commencing season and the injury lists were compiled throughout each playing season. This included all players who needed medical attention due to injury sustained while representing the North-West cricket team in a cricket match. An analysis was done of literature sources by making use of electronic media, library search and sports medicine journals. Databases such as Pubmed, EbscoHost (Academic Search Elite), Sciencedirect, Medline, Eric, Health Source - Consumer Edition, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition and SPORTDiscus were used. Special consideration was given to cricket injury epidemiology, injury prevention strategies in cricket, biomechanics in cricket and general injury prevention strategies. The recorded data were statistically processed and the practical significances were calculated. Three different protocols were followed to evaluate the effectiveness of the injury prevention and training programme. The recorded data were analysed for the six off-season periods (1998/1999-2003/2004, protocol 1) of the study for the biomechanical, physical and motor and anthropometric evaluations, as well as for the injury epidemiology. The players were then divided into four exposure times (protocol 2) in the study for the biomechanical, physical and motor and anthropometric evaluations. Then the players were divided into two groups (protocol 3), with each group consisting of the same players, and over a three off-season period each evaluated for the biomechanical, physical and motor and anthropometric variables. Lastly, the results for the last three seasons of protocol 1 were compared with the result of the last three seasons of protocol 3 (group 2) for the biomechanical, physical and motor and anthropometric evaluations, as well as for the injury epidemiology. The results for this study indicate that the injury prevention and training programme was successful in improving and maintaining the biomechanical, physical and motor and anthropometric profile of the cricketers over the six off-season periods (1998/1999-2003/2004). Although all injuries could not be prevented, injuries resulting from structural vulnerability did decrease. Injuries resulting from structural vulnerability (mechanism of injury) decreased from the 1998/1999 season (67,67% of the total injuries suffered during the 1998/1999 season) to the 2003/2004 season (10% of the total injuries suffered during the 2003/2004 season), indicating that the training and prevention programme played a role in the prevention of these injuries. Injury incidence per 10 000 hours of play was 5,82 injuries for the six-season period (1998/1999- 2003/2004). The injury prevention and training programme used in this study can be utilised to improve the biomechanical, physical and motor and anthropometric profile of cricketers. The biomechanical, physical and motor and anthropometric evaluations can also be used as injury prevention strategies by identifying possible injury risk factors as a result of poor biomechanical, physical and motor and anthropometric profiles. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

The main reasons behind women's participation in sport have been identified as team membership, cooperation and friendship. This is seen in contrast to competition, status and possible career opportunities found in relation to men's participation in sport. Research also suggests that participation in physical activity and sport increases women's sense of well- being and acceptance of body size and shape. This thesis set out to explore the sporting experiences of women within rugby, cricket and netball. The first aim of the research was to investigate the participation motivation of women within three sports that differ in their levels of acceptability and required physical contact. The second and third aims were to examine how that participation might affect the development of self-esteem and body satisfaction. The fmal aim of the thesis addressed the issue of sporting identity development through exploring how participants in physical/non-physical, 'feminine'/'masculine' sports reflect on their sporting experiences. In addition the thesis considered how distinct parts of sporting participation such as clothing, team dynamics, physical contact and perceptions of sexuality synthesise to form the sporting identity of women rugby players, cricketers and netballers. The research was based on Constructivist/Interpretivist principles and combined both quantitative and qualitative methods. Initially, three questionnaires were used to assess participation motives (Participation Motivation Questionnaire), body image (Multi dimensional Body Self-Relations Questionnaire) and self-esteem (Multidimensional Self-Esteem Inventory). The questionnaires were sent to rugby players, cricketers and netballers through their organising bodies. Following the questionnaire stage of the thesis, 30 interviews were conducted to further explore the relationship between participation in sport, perceptions of femininity and the function the body took in developing body satisfaction. Key to the investigation was how sport participation impacted on identity development and the strategies used to maintain that image. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse the interview accounts, focusing on the meanings given to sport by the individuals themselves. Social constructionism was used as a framework for interpreting the data. This produced a rich account of sporting experience highlighting how body satisfaction and perceptions of femininity are constructed and reconstructed by sportswomen. Findings from the questionnaires indicated that all sports rated team membership as the most important reason to participate in sport. Key fmdings demonstrated that satisfaction with physical appearance was strongly related to body areas satisfaction and global self-esteem for all sports. There was also no difference between sports on perceptions of physical attractiveness and all sports demonstrated significant relationships between satisfaction with physical appearance and body functioning. Following Stage One of the research process an interview schedule was developed that combined the key fmdings from each questionnaire and questions raised from the literature. The main findings from Stage Two highlighted how important sport is to these women, indicating a variety of techniques used to sustain an athletic image. It was also found that perceptions of femininity focused on the association of physical activity and sexuality. The assumption being that regardless of sport choice women were perceived as lesbian. Other key findings highlighted the transiency of body satisfaction. This refers to increases in body satisfaction through playing sport not being sustained once the athlete has transferred herself to a social context. Other findings relate to the use of the body in sport and the enjoyment of overpowering an opponent. School experiences of sport are identified as key to the development of gender stereotypes and why being regarded as a 'sporty' person is so important. The research on which this thesis is based suggests that sport comes to play an integral part in these women's lives and an activity that guided overall identity development. The thesis also highlights the transiency of body satisfaction and the inevitability of the lesbian stereotype due to participation in sport. The social constructionist interpretation of the data suggests how the shared vocabularies of body idioms that individuals embrace and use to judge other people determine the way in which we value physical behaviours and define physical attractiveness. The respondents demonstrated that regardless of prejudice and poor funding they still want to and enjoy the experience of sport participation. Potential research opportunities are also identified.

Many insects have auditory systems capable of detecting the ultrasonic calls of insectivorous bats and use these cues to evade capture. I tested the hypothesis that bats can decrease the conspicuousness of their echolocation calls by varying three call features: duration, repetition rate and ramp times. This was done by examining the AN2 command interneuron’s response to these features in the cricket, Teleogryllus oceanicus, after describing the firing pattern necessary for evasive behaviour. Past studies on duration and repetition rate suggest increased thresholds for short durations and low repetition rates. Measurements of the AN2 response, which controls evasive behaviour, indicated that increased thresholds were a result of a decrease in bursting, raw spike numbers and an increase in latencies in the AN2. Results suggest that there is pressure on bats to evade early detection and that this can be done by employing large ramp times in search phase echolocation calls.