Different Levels Of Competition Research Articles

Socio-Economic Predictors of Student Mobility

This paper analyses the determinants of student mobility under the unified system of admission in Russia and evaluates the barriers which still limit educational mobility. It is argued that even under the Unified State Examination (USE) and the decreased transaction costs of applying to universities, student mobility is directed towards more developed regional educational markets and richer regions, but is still limited due to the financial constraints in the absence of the additional student support. Russia is a unique case, because it consists of regions with a high variation in socio-economic development and has local higher education markets with different levels of competition between universities. This study shows the importance of the institutional characteristics of regions in student mobility.

Party leadership in Poland in comparative perspective

The aim of this paper is to analyse leadership in Polish political parties in comparative perspective. In the further parts of this paper, the methods of leader selections, their competitiveness, as well as reasons for their stepping down are discussed. Similarly to the western political parties, the Polish ones have been changing their methods of leadership selection. So far each time it has consisted in a formal increase in the inclusiveness of the selection. The reasons for transferring the rights relating to the leadership selection to party members were brought closer to the premises typical for Westminster democracies rather than the consensual ones. The analysis of the Polish case shows that the internal elections have been characterized by different levels of competitiveness.

Algorithm of developing competitive strategies and the trends of realizing them for agricultural enterprises

The paper specifies basic stages of developing and realizing the strategy of enhancing competitiveness of enterprises and represents an appropriate algorithm. The study analyzes the economic indexes and results of the activity of the agrarian enterprises in Kherson region and provides competitive strategies of efficient development of agrarian enterprises with different levels of competitiveness and specifies the ways of realizing them which will contribute to the optimal use of the available strategic potential

The Level of Specific Endurance and Technical and Tactical Efficiency of Young Football Players of Different Level of Competition / Nivo specifične izdržljivosti i tehničko-taktičke efikasnosti mladih fudbalera različitog stepena takmičenja

In order to determine at which level is the specific performance and technical and tactical efficiency of young players of different level of competition, and whether the level of competition can be an indicator of level differences of these abilities, a research was conducted on the sample of young football players aged 14 to 16 from the eight clubs, half of them competing in the higher and the other half in the lower level of competition. A sample of measuring instruments consisted of 13 tests for evaluation of five factors of specific endurance: starting endurance, stamina in maintaining the shallow formation, endurance during fast dribbling, ball pressing endurance, and evaluation of technical and tactical efficiency of football players. The results of the research showed that the young players of higher level of competition had significantly greater technical and tactical efficiency, as well as specific performance in tests which included curvilinear movement and dribbling, as well as control and passing the ball in motion, but the difference is not recorded with straight-line movements and sprints.

Marginal contribution of game statistics to probability of winning at different levels of competition in basketball: Evidence from the Euroleague

In this study, we analyse the marginal contribution of team level game statistics to the probability of winning a basketball game at various competitive levels considering data from 14 seasons of the Euroleague. Different from the existing literature, we directly compute the marginal contribution of producing one more unit of each game statistic than the opponent to the probability of winning. We also differentiate our analysis over three stages of the Euroleague season that exhibit distinct levels of competitiveness. Results suggest sizeable differences in terms of contribution of game statistics across different levels of competition. As better performing teams advance, marginal contributions of game actions, especially defensive rebounding, assists, turnovers and shooting accuracy are considerably greater in absolute terms at more competitive stages. The most striking effect, however, is related to turnovers. While registering one turnover more than the opponent reduces the probability to win by 13% during the regular season (less competitive stage) and by 17% during Top-16 (the second competitive stage), it reduces the probability to win by 41% at the Play-offs stage (more competitive stage). Such a large impact may alter training and coaching strategies.

Local differences in parasitism and competition shape defensive investment in a polymorphic eusocial bee.

Many colonial animals rely for their defense on a soldier caste. Adaptive colony demography theory predicts that colonies should flexibly adjust the investment in different worker castes depending on the colony needs. For example, colonies should invest more in defensive workers (e.g., soldiers) in dangerous environments. However, evidence for this prediction has been mixed. We combined descriptive and experimental approaches to examine whether defensive investment and worker size are adjusted to local ecology in the only known bee with polymorphic workers, Tetragonisca angustula. Colonies of this species are defended by a morphologically specialized soldier caste. Our study included three populations that differed in the density of food competition and the occurrence of a parasitic robber bee. We found that colonies coexisting with robber bees had on average 43% more soldiers defending the nest entrance, while colonies facing stronger foraging competition had soldiers that were -6-7% smaller. We then experimentally relocated colonies to areas with different levels of competition. When released from intense food competition, body sizes of guards and foragers increased. After introducing chemical robber bee cues at nest entrances, we found both a short-term and a long-term up-regulation of the number of soldiers defending the colony. Active soldier numbers remained high after the experiment for a duration equivalent to 2-3 worker life spans. How information about past parasite threat is stored in the colony is currently unknown. In summary, T. angustula adjusts both the number and the body size of active soldiers to local ecological conditions. Competitor density also affects forager (or minor) size, an important colony trait with potential community ecological consequences. Our study supports adaptive colony demography theory in a eusocial bee and highlights the importance of colony threats and competition as selective forces shaping colony phenotype.

Validity and Test-Retest Reliability of the TIVRE-Basket Test for the Determination of Aerobic Power in Elite Male Basketball Players.

The aims of this study were to (a) determine the relationship between performance on the court-based TIVRE-Basket test and peak aerobic power determined from a criterion laboratory-based incremental treadmill test and (b) to examine the test-retest reliability of the TIVRE-Basket test in elite male basketball players. To address aim 1, 36 elite male basketball players (age: 25.2 ± 4.7 years, weight: 94.1 ± 11.4 kg, height: 195.83 ± 9.6 cm) completed a graded treadmill exercise test and the TIVRE-Basket within 72 hours. The mean distance recorded during the TIVRE-Basket test was 4001.8 ± 176.4 m, and mean VO2 peak was 54.7 ± 2.8 ml · kg(-1) · min(-1), and the correlation between the 2 parameters was r = 0.824 (p ≤ 0.001). Linear regression analysis identified TIVRE-Basket distance (in meters) as the only unique predictor of VO2 peak in a single variable plus constant model: VO2 peak = 2.595 + (0.13 × TIVRE-Basket distance [in meters]). Performance on the TIVRE-Basket test accounted for 67.8% of the variance in VO2 peak (t = 8.466, p ≤ 0.001, 95% confidence interval: 0.01-0.016, SEE: 1.61). To address aim 2, 20 male basketball players (age: 26.7 ± 4.2 years, height: 1.94 ± 0.92 cm, weight: 94.0 ± 9.1 kg) performed the TIVRE-Basket test on 2 occasions. There was no significant difference in total distance covered between trial 1 (4138.8 ± 677.3 m) and trial 2 (4188.0 ± 648.8 m; t = 0.5798, p = 0.5688). Mean difference between trials was 49.2 ± 399.5 m, with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.85 suggesting a moderate level of reliability. Standardized typical error of measurement was 0.88%, representing a moderate degree of trial-to-trial error, and the Coefficient of Variation (CV) was 6.3%. The TIVRE-Basket test therefore represents a valid and moderately reliable court-based sport-specific test of aerobic power for use with individuals and teams of elite-level male basketball players. Future research is required to ascertain its validity and reliability in other basketball populations, for example, across age groups, at different levels of competition, in females and in different forms of the game, for example, wheelchair basketball.

A Gendered Approach to Science Ethics for US and UK Physicists.

Some research indicates that women professionals-when compared to men-may be more ethical in the workplace. Existing literature that discusses gender and ethics is confined to the for-profit business sector and primarily to a US context. In particular, there is little attention paid to gender and ethics in science professions in a global context. This represents a significant gap, as science is a rapidly growing and global professional sector, as well as one with ethically ambiguous areas. Adopting an international comparative perspective, this paper relies on 121 semi-structured interviews with US and UK academic physicists to examine how physicists perceive the impact of gender on science ethics. Findings indicate that some US and UK physicists believe that female scientists handle ethical issues within science in a feminine way whereas their male colleagues approach ethics in a masculine way. Some of these physicists further claim that these different approaches to science ethics lead to male and female scientists' different levels of competitiveness in academic physics. In both the US and the UK, there are "gender-blind" physicists, who do not think gender is related to professional ethics. Relying on physicists' nuanced descriptions this paper contributes to the current understanding of gender and science and engineering ethics.

The role of participants' competitiveness in consumers' valuation for food products using experimental auctions

The aim of the paper is to assess the effect of the participants' competitiveness on their valuation for food products. Specifically, to investigate the effect of the participants' competitiveness on their bids in a non-hypothetical experimental auction. Then, we designed an experimental auction to measure the consumers' preferences for food products with two treatments. Both treatments had all the same designed characteristics except that in the second treatment, the participants who reported the highest levels of competitiveness were not allowed to participate in the auction. Then, we could directly compare bids from the participants with two different levels of competitiveness (higher competitiveness and lower competitiveness). Because the bids from the two treatments were found statistically the same, we can conclude that the consumer's valuation for food products using the non-hypothetical experimental auctions are independent on the level of the participants' competitiveness.

Detecting and developing youth athlete potential: different strokes for different folks are warranted

Sport talent identification and development (TI and TD) in youth continues to attract strong interest among coaches, sport scientists and sport administrators. TI for sport in youth with the anticipation...

Structure of Coordination Motor Abilities in Male Basketball Players at Different Levels of Competition

Abstract Introduction . The purpose of this investigation was to examine the structure of coordination motor abilities (CMA) in male basketball players at different levels of competition. Material and methods . The study included 183 male basketball players from 10 Polish sports clubs. The examined groups consisted of seniors (n=42) aged 24.5 (± 3.3), juniors (n=37) aged 16.8 (± 0.6), cadets (n=54) aged 14.5 (± 0.1) and children (n=50) aged 13.4 (± 0.2). A battery of motor tests was administered to assess the following CMA: kinesthetic differentiation of movements, spatio-temporal orientation, reaction time, movement coupling, sense of balance, sense of rhythm and adjustment of movements. The structure of CMA under investigation was determined based on the results of Hotelling's principal component analysis in Tucker's modification, completed with Kaiser's Varimax rotation [1, 2]. Results . The CMA structure of basketball players was composed of three or four factors. Most often these included rhythm, movement differentiation, movement coupling and adjustment of movements. Less frequently the structure consisted of spatio-temporal orientation, balance and reaction time. An in-depth analysis of the CMA structure revealed that factors ranged from heterogeneous (children and cadets) to homogeneous ones (juniors and seniors). The distribution of identified factors in the common variance was the smallest in children and cadets (58.9% and 62.9%, respectively) and the biggest in juniors and seniors (69.3% and 68.48%, respectively).

Study of physical characteristics of Indian handball players at different level of competition

Study of physical characteristics of Indian handball players at different level of competition

Competitiveness vs. Sustainability: An Assessment of Profitability as a Component of an Approach on “Sustainable Competitiveness” in Extensive Farming Systems of Central Spain

The “Europe 2020 Strategy” launched by European Institutions is a commitment to increase growth based on the coexistence of both competitiveness and sustainable development. This paper analyzes the competitiveness of production systems in the cereal steppes of Castile, Spain. An indicator based on each production system’s profitability threshold was built. The diagnostic analysis methodology allowed the identification of 20 production system models related to agrarian, livestock and mixed farming systems. The results show very different levels of competitiveness which are not necessarily related to the farms’ sizes or capitalization levels but mostly to production costs and the farmers’ ages. The response of these models to future input and output price scenarios shows that mixed farms are less dependent on external production factors.

Competitiveness levels in cattle herd farms

The aim of this experiment was to identify improvement demands for farms with different levels of competitiveness in the west of Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. A total of 63 owners of large farms were interviewed (farms with an area greater than 900ha) by applying a semi-structured questionnaire, guided by four drivers: technology (TEC), management (MAN), market relations (MR) and the institutional environment (IE).It was used the Statistical Analysis System 9.2 software to perform the cluster analysis and identify farmers' characteristics. Three random clusters with different levels of competitiveness were observed: low competitiveness level (LCL), middle competitiveness level (MCL) and high competitiveness level (HCL). The 29 variables (sub factors) were evaluated in the cluster analysis according to level of impact on competitiveness, being classified into variables of high, medium or low impact. Stratification was carried out, ranking demands for improvements from aspects attributed by experts in relation to sub factors. The farmers with low competitiveness level (LTL) had an unfavorable status for MAN, while the farmers belonging to clusters MCL and HCL have, respectively, favorable and neutral status for the same driver. The management characteristics determined the level of competitiveness of the farms surveyed

Study of physical characteristics of Indian handball players at different level of competition

The purpose of the study was to compare the physical characteristics between Indian male handball players at different level of competition. The present study was conducted on a sample of forty eight(N=48), which includes twenty four each, male inter-school level (N 1 =24, mean ± SD: age 18.12 ± 0.80 years, height 176.83 ± 5.83cm, weight 69.04 ± 6.99 kg, BMI 22.07 ± 1.89) andinter-college level (N 2 =24, mean ± SD: age 20.54 ± 0.93 years, height 181.29 ± 3.44cm, weight 74.04 ± 3.89 kg, BMI 22.53 ± 1.30) handball players who participated in inter-school competitions of the schools affiliated to Punjab School Education Board and inter-college competitionsof Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab, India respectively. All the participants were informed about the aim and methodology of the study and they volunteered to participate in this study. All the participants were assessed for height, weight and selected physical characteristics. The height of the subjects was measured with anthropometric rod to the nearest 0.5 cm. The weight of subjects was measured by using portable weighing machine to the nearest 0.5 kg. The vertical jump test was used to measure explosive power of the legs whereas speed was determined by 30 meters dash. Illinois agility test was used to measure agility and medicine ball put testwas used to determine the shoulder girdle strength. The independent samples t-test was applied to assess the differences between inter-school and inter-college level handball players.The level of significance was set at 0.05.The results of present study clearly indicated that inter-college level handball players had significantly greater power (p<0.05), speed (p<0.05), strength (p<0.05) and agility (p<0.05) than inter-school level male handball players. The inter-college level male handball players were also found taller and heavier as compared to inter-school level players.

Beyond antheridiogens: chemical competition between gametophytes ofPolypodium appalachianumandPolypodium virginianum

To understand the mechanisms by which fern gametophytes compete and the consequences of their interactions, we studied the effects of intraspecific and interspecific chemical competition on spore germination, sexual development, and gametophyte size in two closely related and co-occurring species of Polypodium from eastern North America. We cultured gametophytes of diploid Polypodium appalachianum Haufler & Windham and tetraploid Polypodium virginianum L. and recorded spore germination, sexual development, and gametophyte size and growth rates in a series of treatments representing different levels of competition within and between the two species. We found that mature gametophytes of both species reciprocally inhibit spore germination, sexual development, and growth of neighboring plants; we show that these effects are due to chemical interactions and not competition for resources. Competitive effects on spore germination and sexual development are similar for within- and between-species interactions, but repression of growth and gametophyte size is greater when competing gametophytes are heterospecific. An additional mechanism of intergametophytic competition via proliferous vegetative growth is also reported. We conclude that gametophytes of these species interact through a novel context-dependent chemical system that is independent from sex expression-regulating pheromones (antheridiogens). Our findings indicate that inhibition of growth and development among fern gametophytes is not solely a side effect of antheridiogens, as is generally thought.

Environmental policies, competition and innovation in renewable energy

We investigate the effect of environmental policies on innovation under different levels of competition. Using information regarding renewable energy policies, competition and green patents for OECD countries since the late 1970s, we develop a pre-sample mean count-data econometric specification that accounts for the endogeneity of policies. We find that renewable energy policies are more effective in fostering green innovation in countries with liberalized energy markets. We also find that environmental policies are crucial only in the generation of high-quality green patents, whereas competition enhances the generation of low-quality green patents.

Lesões desportivas e seus fatores de risco em adolescentes praticantes de natação

Introdução: a natação é uma modalidade popular entre os adolescentes, no entanto, sua prática pode conduzir às lesões. Objetivos: caracterizar as lesões desportivas e associá-las com fatores de risco em adolescentes praticantes de natação de diferentes níveis de competitividade. Método: foram entrevistados 251 nadadores, com média de idade de 12,43±2,10 anos, ambos os sexos, recrutados ao acaso, classificadas em três níveis competitivos: categoria de iniciação, aperfeiçoamento e treinamento. Foi utilizado o inquérito de morbidade referida adaptado com as características da natação como instrumento de coleta que continha informações pessoais e de treinamento dos voluntários, como: idade, variáveis antropométricas e variáveis de treinamento e informações referentes às lesões ocorridas durante 12 meses. Todas as conclusões foram descritas no nível de 5% de significância. Resultados: Foram observadas 0,11 lesões por atleta e 1,03 lesões por atleta lesionado. Foi constatada associação entre presença e ausência de lesão com a variável estatura e tempo de treinamento. O mecanismo causal mais frequente foi o sem contato para as categorias de iniciação e treinamento. Os locais anatômicos mais acometidos foram os MMII e MMSS para todos os níveis de competitividade, assim como a gravidade leve, o treinamento e a ausência de recidiva predominaram. O retorno assintomático foi mais frequente para a iniciação, enquanto que o retorno sintomático prevaleceu na categoria de treinamento. Conclusão: a taxa de lesão nos adolescentes nadadores foi baixa. As variáveis estatura e tempo de treinamento foram associadas à ocorrência dos agravos. As características das lesões dependeram do nível de competitividade dos nadadores.

Osteoporosis health beliefs of women with increased risk of the female athlete triad.

Women with increased risk of the female athlete triad (Triad) are more susceptible to osteoporosis compared to other women. The study included 65 women with increased risk of the Triad who had their osteoporosis health beliefs measured to assess their concern for the disease. Participants were female collegiate cross-country runners at different levels of competition, including National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisions III, II, and I. Although these participants have an increased risk of the Triad and are more susceptible to osteoporosis, on a scale of 1 to 5, results showed that they had low to moderate perceived susceptibility to osteoporosis with a mean score as high as 2.81 and moderate perceived severity of osteoporosis with a mean score as high as 3.38. A statistically significant difference in perceived susceptibility to osteoporosis was found between female collegiate cross-country runners in the NAIA and those in the NCAA DIII. Reasons that could explain relatively low levels of concern for osteoporosis in female collegiate cross-country runners and reasons for significant differences in perceived susceptibility to osteoporosis are given, and recommendations for health education and intervention to help care for this population are provided.

Consuming spaces or living places: the competition policy and centres policy dilemma for Main Street planning

This paper engages with the issue of growing tensions in Australian retail planning between centres policy and competition policy. Centres policies, including restrictions on supermarket locations, have long been viewed by many retail planners as key to the maintenance of Main Street viability and vitality. More recently, advocates of competition policy have suggested existing centres policies are anti-competitive, and have argued for a more ‘flexible’ approach to centres development. Against this backdrop, the broad aim of the paper is to explore how more relaxed controls on supermarket locations might affect Main Street viability and vitality. Two town centres are examined, each associated with different degrees of regulation and characterised by different levels of competition. The effects of these differences on the viability and vitality of the respective centres are explored through analysis of the movement patterns of 148 tracked pedestrians, along with various land use and built form factors.