Division Level Research Articles

Deep Learning Based Improvement in Overseas Manufacturer Address Quality Using Administrative District Data

Validating and improving the quality of global address data are important tasks in a modern society where exchanges between countries are due to active Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and e-commerce. Addresses may be constructed with different systems for each country; therefore, to verify and improve the quality of the address data, it is necessary to understand the address system of each country in advance. In the event of food risk, it is important to identify the administrative district from the address in order to take safety measures, such as predicting the contaminated area by tracking the distribution of food in the area. In this study, we propose a method that applies a deep learning approach to verify and improve the quality of the global address data required for imported food-safety management. The address entered by the user is classified to the administrative division levels of the relevant country and the quality of the address data is verified and improved by converting them into a standardized address. Finally, the results show that the accuracy of the model is found to be approximately 90% and the proposed method is able to verify and evaluate the overseas address data quality significantly.

Effects of Time Utilization on the Well-being of College Athletes

Background: Considering that college student-athletes spend a lot of time attending to academic and athletic tasks, their well-being can be compromised. Published literature on the impact of time demands on the well-being of college student-athletes is limited. Hence, the scholarly place of the current study is warranted. Objective: This research investigated the effects of academic time use and athletic time use on the subjective, emotional, and physical well-being of college student-athletes. Methods: A subset of the NCAA GOALS data, which included 5,042 student-athletes, was utilized. Two research questions were examined: (1) to what extent does academic time use predict subjective, emotional, and physical well-being? and (2) to what extent does athletic time use predict subjective, emotional, and physical well-being? and (2) to what extent does athletic time use predict subjective, emotional, and physical well-being? A series of two-step hierarchical regression analyses were performed. Race, gender, and NCAA division level were used as control variables. Results and Discussion: Results revealed that academic time use is a significant positive predictor of subjective well-being. Moreover, athletic time use is also a significant predictor of all well-being indicators. It positively predicted subjective well-being but negatively predicted emotional and physical well-being. Conclusion: Our findings showed that both academic and athletic time utilizations are significant predictors of subjective well-being but in varying directions.

Implications of Flexible Learning to Politics and Economics of Educational Management

This study determined the impact of flexible learning on the politics and economics of educational management. This was conducted to unveil challenges and opportunities encountered by teachers, their implications on the politics and economics of educational administration, and proposed solutions. This was shown on all nine secondary school principals in Zone 3, Division of Catanduanes, Philippines using mixed methods with complete enumeration. The “serious problems” dealt with challenges of the scarcity of supplies and more time printing modules (3.67%), monitoring student’s learning on the difficulty in validating performance (3.89%), difficulty in tracking students (3.78%), and teacher’s health risk (3.56%); retrieval of modules like late submission; checking and evaluating on the difficulty in validating performance and low passing rate. For feedbacking, poor internet connection, and poor parental support. The opportunities for teachers are quality time with family, good savings, and sound health, and very less on developing professionalism like innovating and improving expertise in ICT. The conclusions drawn were the majority are “aged professionals” who do not prioritize higher studies”; 11 years more in service, and most participated in “division level trainings” only. The impact on economics reveals a scarcity of resources that caused teachers to spend personal money; capital outlay funds were spent on printing machines. For politics, it forged strong partnerships among stakeholders for support from LGU and community and private organizations.

Health care delivery - Revisiting the concept of area wide planning with application to Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh

For many marginalised families, availability of healthcare is uncertain leading to catastrophic costs. To meet the need in an orderly and efficient manner without duplication, Areawide / Regional planning was envisioned by health planners in the 1950s. This paper aims to revisit the above concept in healthcare with application to the existing system of Guntur district. A search was made for available health facilities and bed strength in the public sector of the district. An effort is made to apply the arewide planning concept to the district in strategic locations. The recent pandemic has shown the need for preparedness across the district in terms of bed strength, equipment and personnel. The urban population of the district is 33.8% (1.5 beds/1000 ) and the rural population is 66.19% (0.5/1000). Areawide planning envisages Mandal, Division and District level hospitals. The PHCs at the mandal level can be upgraded to have Maternal and Child health units and ICUs with the necessary specialists and equipment in place. The division level hospital must have all primary specialities with consultative support to the lower facilities. The District level hospital must have all the super specialities and provide referral services.Regionalisation also looks at creating one special care unit like burns, mental health, cancer etc at each strategically located hospital. Areawide planning will improve efficiency and economy in health care delivery. Gaps in healthcare and wastage due to overlapping can be avoided.

Socioeconomic Status Of NCAA Student-athletes: Findings From The NCAA-DoD Care Consortium

Access to monetary resources may influence participation rates in different sport-related activities. However, large-scale studies examining SES across student-athletes within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) are currently lacking. PURPOSE: To describe select aspects of socioeconomic background (e.g., household income) within a nationally representative sample of collegiate student-athletes. METHODS: Participants were enrolled from 30 participating sites within the Concussion Assessment, Research, and Education (CARE) Consortium (N = 17,956). Following consent, participants completed a demographics assessment from 2014-2021. Specifically, participants were asked to self-report their estimated household income, parental/guardian occupation(s), and highest level of parental/guardian education. Estimated household income data were stratified into categories by $60,000 increments, ranging from <$60,000 to >$300,000. Data were categorized based on median household income categories, with ≤$60,000 and > $120,000 approximating lower and upper class, respectively. Descriptive statistics of income category were calculated based on NCAA Division (I, II, III). Lastly, data were analyzed using chi-square tests in order to determine statistically significant relationships (P < .001). RESULTS: Results from the chi-square analyses revealed a significant relationship between income categories and division level (x2 = 589.4, df = 8, P < .001). Across all three divisions, 16.7% reported a median household income ≤$60,000, while 50.6% reported a median household income >$120,000. Specifically, a greater proportion of student-athletes in Division II (30.5%; n = 2,160) reported a median household income <$60,000 as compared to those in Divisions I (15.0%; n = 12,850) and III (14.0%; n = 2,946). Furthermore, only 30.5% of student-athletes in Division II (n = 2,160) reported a median household income >$120,000, in contrast to over half of the student-athletes within Divisions I (53.4%; n = 6865) and III (52.9%; n = 1560). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest there are notable income inequalities across Division levels within the NCAA. Further research is warranted to investigate why student-athletes from lower household incomes participate in Division II sports.

Proportional Selection Scheme: A Frequency Band Division Tool for Rolling Element Bearing Diagnostics

The cyclic spectral coherence analysis has been proved to be a useful tool to reveal the hidden periodic or repetitive patterns, and how to determine an optimal demodulation band is crucial for characterizing the fault characteristic of the rolling element bearing (REB). Thus, a proportional selection scheme based on a bottom-up strategy is proposed in this study, which can determine an optimal demodulation band and realize bearing fault feature extraction under the conditions of poor frequency resolution and a lower signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). First, compared with conventional frequency division structures, such as the 1/3-binary tree structure, the finer frequency band groups with the same bandwidth in each division level can be obtained automatically and strictly under poor frequency resolution conditions. Second, the richness of the REB fault information of each divided frequency band can be evaluated by the improved diagnostic feature indicator under a lower SNR condition. By using the scheme, the fault characteristic of the REB can be exposed. The efficacy of the proposed scheme is supported by simulations and experiments under some tough conditions

National Collegiate Athletic Association athletic trainers’ response to the Arrington settlement: management, compliance, and practice patterns

ABSTRACT The primary purpose of this study was to assess Athletic Trainers’ (ATs) report of NCAA member institution compliance with the Arrington settlement, the concussion lawsuit vs. the NCAA, and to elucidate compliance predictors. A secondary purpose was to provide a contemporary concussion management clinical practice pattern description among NCAA collegiate athletic trainers. Head Athletic Trainers from NCAA Division I, II, and III completed an electronic questionnaire in August 2020 regarding their institution’s response to the Arrington Settlement and their current concussion management clinical practice patterns. The 37-item questionnaire included AT and institution demographics, current concussion management policies, and response to the Arrington settlement with a specific focus on the five settlement requirements. An overall compliance score on the five requirements, compliance on the individual requirements, and concussion management practices are reported with descriptives. Regression was used to identify specific predictors of both overall and individual settlement requirements. An ANOVA compared compliance by NCAA division level. Being pressured to be non-compliant was assessed between sexes by a chi-square. There were 223 respondents (21.8%), and overall compliance was high (4.1 ± 0.7) with the five required Arrington Settlement components. Settlement requirement 1, pre-season baseline testing, and requirement 5, presence of trained personnel at all contact sport practices, had the lowest compliance rates at 44.8% and 73.3%, respectively. The number of sports the institution offered was the only significant predictor of each requirement. There was no difference in compliance between NCAA divisions. Although the overall rate of being non-compliant pressure was low (13.8%), females were 3.28x more likely report being pressured than males. NCAA institutions are generally compliant with the Arrington settlement; however, lack of clarity in the requirements, particularly requirement 1, raises potential concerns. Concussion management practices continue to incorporate multifaceted approaches and are largely consistent with current best practices.

Correlates Transformational Management Styles and School-Based Management (SBM) Practices of School Heads

Transformational Management Style is a leadership style that School Heads may use to lead and manage the school. Whereas, School-Based Management, also known as SBM, is a hot topic among public schools nowadays. The study aimed to determine the correlations between transformational management styles and school-based management (SBM) practices of school heads in Congressional District I-B of the Schools Division of Nueva Ecija. The 174 school heads were selected using total enumeration sampling, while 318 teachers were selected using a stratified sampling design. The descriptive correlational research design was utilized in satisfaction with the objectives of the study. On the school-based management practices of school heads in Congressional, District I-B have the same point of view and were strongly agreed that School Heads were evidently practiced and performed well in the school operations and management. Furthermore, the school heads’ number of training and seminars attended in national, regional, division, district, and schools found a positive correlation between transformational management styles in all areas-individual considerations, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation, and idealized influence. Moreover, the highest educational attainment found a positive correlation between school-based management and the management of resources. Trainings and seminars attended by the School Heads in regional, division and district level have a significant relationship to their SBM ratings. Furthermore, School Heads’ Intellectual Stimulation and Idealized Influence have significant relationship to their SBM ratings. School heads’ and teachers' assessments found a low level of significance based on the assessments of school heads' transformational management styles and school-based management practices.

A plot-based analysis of the vegetation of the Northern Territory, Australia: a first assessment within the International Vegetation Classification framework

Aims: To develop an interim classification of the vegetation of the Northern Territory at the International Vegetation Classification (IVC) division (level 4) and macrogroup (level 5) levels. These types are produced to assist in the development of an integrated nationwide plot and floristically based classification of Australia allowing integration within a global perspective. Study Area: The Northern Territory of Australia covers an area of 1.42 million square kilometres, almost 20% of Australia’s land mass. It comprises three distinct climatic zones including tropical, subtropical and arid vegetation types. Methods: We used collated vegetation data held by two organisations: the Northern Territory Government, Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security and the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (a total of 45,710 plots used). We applied semi-supervised quantitative classification methods to define vegetation types at the IVC division and macrogroup levels. Analyses used kR-CLUSTER methods on presence/absence data. Macrogroups were characterised by taxa with the highest frequency of occurrence across plots. Additional analyses were conducted (cluster) to elucidate interrelationships between macrogroups and to assist in the assessment of division level typology. Results: We propose 21 macrogroups and place these within higher thematic levels of the IVC. Conclusions: We found that the IVC hierarchy and associated standard procedures and protocols provide a useful classification tool for Australian ecosystems. The divisions and macrogroups provide a valid framework for subsequent analysis of Northern Territory vegetation types at the detailed levels of the IVC. A consistent typology for the Northern Territory (and hopefully in future, for all of Australia) has numerous benefits, in that they can be used for various applications using a well-structured, systematic and authoritative description and classification that is placed in a continental and global context, readily enabling the one system to be used in studies from the local to global level. Taxonomic reference: Northern Territory Herbarium (2022). Abbreviations: DVT = Definitive Vegetation Type; IVC = International Vegetation Classification; nMDS = non-metric multidimensional scaling; NT = Northern Territory; NTVSD = Northern Territory Vegetation Site Database; NVIS = National Vegetation Information System; WA = Western Australia.

Assessment of vaccination service delivery and quality: a cross-sectional survey of over 1300 health facilities from 29 districts in Sindh, Pakistan conducted between 2017–18

BackgroundRoutine childhood immunization coverage in Pakistan remains sub-par, in part, due to suboptimal utilization of existing vaccination services. Quality of vaccine delivery can affect both supply and demand for immunization, but data for immunization center quality in Pakistan is sparse and in Sindh province in Southern Pakistan, no comprehensive health facility assessment has ever been conducted at a provincial level. We assessed health facilities, specifically immunization centers, and their associated health workers throughout the province to summarize quality of immunization centers. MethodsAn exhaustive list of health facilities obtained from Sindh’s provincial government was included in our analysis, comprising a total of 1396 public, private, and public-private health facilities. We adapted a health facility and health worker assessment survey developed by BASICS and EPI-Sindh to record indicators pertaining to health facility infrastructure, processes and human resources. Using expert panel ranking, we developed critical criteria (the presence of a cold box/refrigerator, vaccinator and vaccination equipment at the immunization center) to indicate the bare minimum items required by immunization centers to vaccinate children. We also categorized other infrastructure, process, and human resource items to determine high, low and moderate function requirements to ascertain quality. We evaluated presence of critical criteria, calculated scores for high, moderate and low function requirements, and displayed frequencies of infrastructure, process and human resource indicators for all immunization centers across Sindh. We analyzed results at the division level and utilized a two-sample independent clustered t-test to test differences in average function requirement scores between facilities that met critical criteria and those that did not.ResultsOut of the 1396 health facilities assessed across Sindh province from October 2017 to January 2018, 1236 (88.5%) were operational while 1209 (86.6%) offered vaccination services (immunization centers). Only 793 (65.6%; 793/1209) immunization centers met the critical criteria of having all the following items: vaccinator, a cold box or refrigerator and vaccine supplies. Of the 416 (34.4%; 416/1209) immunization centers that did not meet the critical criteria, most of the centers did not have a cold box or refrigerator (28.3%; 342/1209), followed by lack of vaccines (19.9%; 240/1209), and a vaccinator (13.0%; 157/1209). Of the 2153 healthcare workers interviewed, 1875 (87.1%) were vaccinators, of which 1745 (81.0%; 1745/2153) were male, and had an average of 12.4 years of schooling. A total of 1805 (96.3%; 1805/1875), 1655 (88.3%; 1655/1875) and 1387 (74.0%; 1387/1875) of the vaccinators were trained in vaccination, cold chain and inventory management respectively.ConclusionOne out of three immunization centers in Sindh lack the critical components essential for quality vaccination services. While the majority of health workers (>80%) were trained on vaccination and cold chain management, the proportion trained on inventory management was comparatively low. Our findings therefore suggest that suboptimal immunization center quality is partly due to inadequate infrastructure and inefficient processes contributed to an extent, by low levels of inventory management training among vaccinators. Our study presents critical research findings with high-impact policy implications for identifying and addressing gaps to improve vaccination uptake within a low-middle income country setting.

A machine learning analysis of drought and rural population change on the North American Great Plains since the 1970s.

Machine learning techniques have to date not been widely used in population-environment research, but represent a promising tool for identifying relationships between environmental variables and population outcomes. They may be particularly useful for instances where the nature of the relationship is not obvious or not easily detected using other methods, or where the relationship potentially varies across spatial scales within a given study unit. Machine learning techniques may also help the researcher identify the relative strength of influence of specific variables within a larger set of interacting ones, and so provide a useful methodological approach for exploratory research. In this study, we use machine learning techniques in the form of random forest and regression tree analyses to look for possible connections between drought and rural population loss on the North American Great Plains between 1970 and 2020. In doing so, we analyzed four decades of population count data (at county-size spatial scales), monthly climate data, and Palmer Drought Severity Index scores for Canada and the USA at multiple spatial scales (regional, sub-regional, national, and county/census division levels), along with county level irrigation data. We found that in some parts of Saskatchewan and the Dakotas − particularly those areas that fall within more temperate/less arid ecological sub-regions − drought conditions in the middle years of the 1970s had a significant association with rural population losses. A similar but weaker association was identified in a small cluster of North Dakota counties in the 1990s. Our models detected few links between drought and rural population loss in other decades or in other parts of the Great Plains. Based on R-squared results, models for US portions of the Plains generally exhibited stronger drought-population loss associations than did Canadian portions, and temperate ecological sub-regions exhibited stronger associations than did more arid sub-regions. Irrigation rates showed no significant influence on population loss. This article focuses on describing the methodological steps, considerations, and benefits of employing this type of machine learning approach to investigating connections between drought and rural population change.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11111-022-00399-9.

Characteristics and driving forces of vegetation dynamics in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 1992 to 2018

Human activities related with construction and destruction are one of the important drivers for vegetation dynamics. Using remote sensing to explore the quantitative monitoring process and driving force of vegetation succession can well reveal the impacts of human activities on ecological background. Based on the vegetation formation group and vegetation formation scales, this study used the European Space Agency's annual land cover data and geo-information TUPU analysis to investigate vegetation succession direction, succession speed, and succession sequence in the Inner Mongolia from 1992 to 2018. The vegetation succession characteristics and its driving forces were then clarified. Results showed that vegetation structure changed dramatically with increasing vegetation and decreasing barren during the study period. The specific annual growth rate was cultivated land (353.10 km2) > grassland (243.92 km2) > forest (-16.22 km2) > shrubland (-120.37 km2) > desert (-556.31 km2). There was a trade-off between the area changes of adjacent grasslands, deserts, and shrublands. Vegetation succession presented a spatial pattern of vegetation expansion and desert reduction, with the succession hotspots concentrated in the West Liaohe River Plain, the desert-grassland junction of central Inner Mongolia, and along the Yellow River. The structure of vegetation succession sequence was complex with progressive succession and regressive succession intermixed. The retention rate of succession flow differed among different communities. Most of the succession flow was intercepted by the grassland and shrubland community of vegetation formation group and the grassland and cropland rainfed community of vegetation formation. The core driving forces of vegetation dynamic succession are agriculture and animal husbandry production, economic development level, population size, ecological engineering, and climate change. As a case study of plantsociology and landscape ecology, our results could provide scientific guidance for optimizing vegetation patterns and enhancing the spatial division and succession level of ecological measures.

A Longitudinal Study of Police Differential Response Team Impact on Crime in Houston: A Test of Broken Windows Thesis

The purpose of this study is to partially test the broken windows thesis, and to evaluate the effect of Houston’s Differential Response Team (DRT) in particular at the patrol division level using crime-related calls for service data (CFS) in the city. Monthly DRT assignment data over a period of 13 years in five different space-time patterns were utilized to estimate the effect of targeted disorder enforcement from 2005 to 2017. Our findings suggest that the DRT overall did not produce significant effects on crime-related calls, with only one out of five space-time patterns showing demonstrable benefit. We highlighted the underlying features generating differential rates of crime across geographic areas as an explanation in the discussion section. The unique feature of this study was the focus on routine police activities as opposed to arrests as the key indicator of law enforcement intervention in the management of crime.

Administrative Level May Be the Key Factor to Improve Protection Effectiveness of Nature Reserves in China

Nature reserves (NRs) have been the backbone of biodiversity conservation and the construction of China’s ‘ecological-civilization’ since the 1950s. With over 11,800 protected areas (PAs) covering 18% of the country’s land area, Chinese NRs have made a great contribution to global biodiversity conservation. At this point, better protection effectiveness can be achieved by optimizing the management organization rather than expanding the area. We analyzed the management structure of Chinese NRs by looking at their ranks, the hierarchy of administrative organs, number of grass-root stations, manpower, and financial resources, among other variables. We found that the average number of staff employed and yearly financial input per km2 of Chinese NRs were both higher than the world and US averages. However, the range was extremely high, revealing great unbalance among different regions and ranks of NRs. In particular, the western part of China, which is less developed and features the least disturbed ecosystems, received less funding and staff resources than the developed east. A further analysis of the highest-ranked nature reserves, i.e., the national nature reserves (NNRs), showed that administrative organs of different hierarchical statuses (the lowest being Deputy family, the highest being Division level) could be in charge of them. Unexpectedly, we found that the amount of human and financial resources injected into NNRs was correlated with the level of their administration but dissociated from other important factors such as the reserve’s size or ecological value. Furthermore, the management organization was inadequate, with many NRs lacking key departments as defined by Chinese nature reserve regulations. We suggest that the administrative levels of management organization in NRs should be unified, and through the existing ecological transfer payments policy, strengthen the financial and staffing input in the western NRs of China. Moreover, the internal structure of NRs management should include all relevant departments with specific tasks and the creation of grass-root stations should be promoted without neglecting the capacity building to improve staff’s knowledge.

Single cell variability of CRISPR‐Cas interference and adaptation

While CRISPR‐Cas defence mechanisms have been studied on a population level, their temporal dynamics and variability in individual cells have remained unknown. Using a microfluidic device, time‐lapse microscopy and mathematical modelling, we studied invader clearance in Escherichia coli across multiple generations. We observed that CRISPR interference is fast with a narrow distribution of clearance times. In contrast, for invaders with escaping PAM mutations we found large cell‐to‐cell variability, which originates from primed CRISPR adaptation. Faster growth and cell division and higher levels of Cascade increase the chance of clearance by interference, while slower growth is associated with increased chances of clearance by priming. Our findings suggest that Cascade binding to the mutated invader DNA, rather than spacer integration, is the main source of priming heterogeneity. The highly stochastic nature of primed CRISPR adaptation implies that only subpopulations of bacteria are able to respond quickly to invading threats. We conjecture that CRISPR‐Cas dynamics and heterogeneity at the cellular level are crucial to understanding the strategy of bacteria in their competition with other species and phages.

Social vulnerability and Lyme disease incidence: a regional analysis of the United States, 2000-2014

&#x0D; &#x0D; Background: Lyme disease (LD), which is highly preventable communicable illness, is the most commonly reported vector borne disease in the USA. The Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) is a county level measure of SES and vulnerability to environmental hazards or disease outbreaks, but has not yet been used in the study of LD. The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between the SoVI and LD incidence at the national level and regional division level in the United States between 2000 and 2014.&#x0D; Methods: County level LD data were downloaded from the CDC. County level SoVI were downloaded from the HVRI at the University of South Carolina and the CDC. Data were sorted into regional divisions as per the US Census Bureau and condense into three time intervals, 2000-2004, 2005-2009, and 2010-2014. QGIS was utilized to visually represent the data. Logarithmic OLS regression models were computed to determine the predictive power of the SoVI in LD incidence rates.&#x0D; Results: LD incidence was greatest in the Northeastern and upper Midwestern regions of the USA. The results of the regression analyses showed that SoVI exhibited a significant quadratic relationship with LD incidence rates at the national level.&#x0D; Conclusion: Our results showed that counties with the highest and lowest social vulnerability were at greatest risk for LD. The SoVI may be a useful risk assessment tool for public health practitioners within the context of LD control.&#x0D; &#x0D;

Study on the Coordinated Industrial Development of City Cluster in the Yellow River Basin

Ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, an important ecological shelter and economic zone in China, has become a priority during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. This study takes 11 municipalities in Guanzhong Plain city cluster in the Yellow River Basin as the research object. Location quotient, Krugman structural difference index, functional specialization index and improvement potential model have been used to calculate the indicators of coordinated industrial development of city cluster. The results show that: the development level within Guanzhong Plain city cluster is different, with a great difference in total economic volume and GDP growth rate. The spatial distribution of industries in Guanzhong Plain city clusters can be described as follow: Xi' an is the tertiary industry cluster area, Baoji, Xianyang, etc. are the secondary industry cluster area, and other cities are the primary industry cluster area. In terms of manufacturing and tertiary industry, municipalities in Guanzhong Plain city cluster demonstrate similar industrial structures, and the level of regional industrial specialization needs to be further improved. The division level of new industries in Guanzhong Plain city cluster is relatively low, and the regional industrial chain has not yet formed. According to the city potential value and geographical location, Guanzhong Plain city cluster is divided into three industrial functional areas: central area (Xi' an), intermediate area (Xianyang, Baoji, Weinan, Yuncheng, Shangluo, Tongchuan), and peripheral area (Tianshui, Qingyang, Pingliang, Linfen). In the end, based on the above conclusions, this study puts forward some suggestions to promote the coordinated industrial development in Guanzhong Plain city cluster.

Anthropometric Prediction of Ball Velocity Among Medium Pace Bowlers in Cricket

The aim of this study was to predict the ball velocity on the basis of anthropometric variables of male division level cricket bowlers. Materials and methods: A total of 08 medium pace bowlers (mean ± standard deviation; age= 20.2±2.09 years; height= 172±3.65cms.) who participated in recent Gwalior division cricket competition were selected for the study. For anthropometric variables following measurements were conducted: standing height, upper arm length, lower arm length, palm length, upper leg length, lower leg length. Ball velocity was measured with a doppler radar gun. The stepwise multiple regression was conducted to predict the ball velocity of medium pace bowlers based on selected anthropometric variables. Results: The results suggest that lower arm length and ball velocity had a significant relationship (r = 0.780; p 0.001). In addition, a prediction model (Ball velocity = 76.601+1.507 [lower arm length]) with an R2 value of 0.608 was developed, with lower arm length being the only predictor. Conclusion: This also signifies that there may be other factors that contributes to the ball velocity such as strength of shoulders, run-up speed, kinematic variables, or kinetic variables. Therefore, future researches should focus on all those parameters that were not included in this study.

Behavioral Patterns and Professional Attributes of Filipino Subject Teachers in Relation to Students’ Performance

The study generally aimed to determine the behavioral patterns and professional attributes of Filipino subject teachers in relation to students’ performance in selected secondary schools in Area III, Leyte Division. A standardized questionnaire was used to gather information from the Filipino subject teachers regarding their behavioral patterns and professional attributes in relation to the students’ performance. The data were analysed and interpreted with the aid of the statistical tool. Weighted mean was used in determining the behavioral patterns of Filipino subject teachers. As a result of the survey conducted data gathered were the following: Professional attributes of Filipino subject teachers in terms of educational attainment, majority had earned MA units; as to teaching experience, they have rendered 10-14 years; and relative to in-service training, majority of them attended at the division level. With regards to the behavioral patterns of Filipino subject teachers as evaluated by the students, it was perceived good. Further, on the level of students’ performance, they were rated satisfactory performance.

Lineage diversity within a widespread endemic Australian skink to better inform conservation in response to regional-scale disturbance.

Much attention is paid in conservation planning to the concept of a species, to ensure comparability across studies and regions when classifying taxa against criteria of endangerment and setting priorities for action. However, various jurisdictions now allow taxonomic ranks below the level of species and nontaxonomic intraspecific divisions to be factored into conservation planning—subspecies, key populations, evolutionarily significant units, or designatable units. Understanding patterns of genetic diversity and its distribution across the landscape is a key component in the identification of species boundaries and determination of substantial geographic structure within species. A total of 12,532 reliable polymorphic SNP loci were generated from 63 populations (286 individuals) covering the distribution of the Australian eastern three‐lined skink, Bassiana duperreyi, to assess genetic population structure in the form of diagnosable lineages and their distribution across the landscape, with particular reference to the recent catastrophic bushfires of eastern Australia. Five well‐supported diagnosable operational taxonomic units (OTUs) existed within B. duperreyi. Low levels of divergence of B. duperreyi between mainland Australia and Tasmania (no fixed allelic differences) support the notion of episodic exchange of alleles across Bass Strait (ca 60 m, 25 Kya) during periods of low sea level during the Upper Pleistocene rather than the much longer period of isolation (1.7 My) indicated by earlier studies using mitochondrial sequence variation. Our study provides foundational work for the detailed taxonomic re‐evaluation of this species complex and the need for biodiversity assessment to include an examination of cryptic species and/or cryptic diversity below the level of species. Such information on lineage diversity within species and its distribution in the context of disturbance at a regional scale can be factored into conservation planning regardless of whether a decision is made to formally diagnose new species taxonomically and nomenclaturally.