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1
Mangan, Michael. "Visual homing in field crickets and desert ants : a comparative behavioural and modelling study." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/5678.
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Visually guided navigation represents a long standing goal in robotics. Insights may be drawn from various insect species for which visual information has been shown sufficient for navigation in complex environments, however the generality of visual homing abilities across insect species remains unclear. Furthermore variousmodels have been proposed as strategies employed by navigating insects yet comparative studies across models and species are lacking. This work addresses these questions in two insect species not previously studied: the field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus for which almost no navigational data is available; and the European desert ant Cataglyphis velox, a relation of the African desert ant Cataglyphis bicolor which has become a model species for insect navigation studies. The ability of crickets to return to a hidden target using surrounding visual cues was tested using an analogue of the Morris water-maze, a standard paradigm for spatial memory testing in rodents. Crickets learned to re-locate the hidden target using the provided visual cues, with the best performance recorded when a natural image was provided as stimulus rather than clearly identifiable landmarks. The role of vision in navigation was also observed for desert ants within their natural habitat. Foraging ants formed individual, idiosyncratic, visually guided routes through their cluttered surroundings as has been reported in other ant species inhabiting similar environments. In the absence of other cues ants recalled their route even when displaced along their path indicating that ants recall previously visited places rather than a sequence of manoeuvres. Image databases were collected within the environments experienced by the insects using custompanoramic cameras that approximated the insect eye viewof the world. Six biologically plausible visual homing models were implemented and their performance assessed across experimental conditions. The models were first assessed on their ability to replicate the relative performance across the various visual surrounds in which crickets were tested. That is, best performance was sought with the natural scene, followed by blank walls and then the distinct landmarks. Only two models were able to reproduce the pattern of results observed in crickets: pixel-wise image difference with RunDown and the centre of mass average landmark vector. The efficacy of models was then assessed across locations in the ant habitat. A 3D world was generated from the captured images providing noise free and high spatial resolution images asmodel input. Best performancewas found for optic flow and image difference based models. However in many locations the centre of mass average landmark vector failed to provide reliable guidance. This work shows that two previously unstudied insect species can navigate using surrounding visual cues alone. Moreover six biologically plausible models of visual navigation were assessed in the same environments as the insects and only an image difference based model succeeded in all experimental conditions.
2
Milsom, Natashia M. "The incidence and nature of cricket injuries amongst South African schoolboy cricketers." Thesis, Link to the online version, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10019/1115.
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Velija, Philippa. "Women, cricket and gender relations : a sociological analysis of the experiences of female cricketers." Thesis, Brunel University, 2007. http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/5602.
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The sociological study of women and sport, thus far, has focused primarily on females' involvement in football. This can be seen in a variety of sociological studies that have emphasised the persistence of unequal gender relations in the context of football. The purpose of this thesis aims to make a contribution to the literature by providing the first sociological analysis of females' involvement in cricket through a case study involving females' cricketers in a UK county. A figurational framework is adopted throughout the thesis to explore female cricketers' position as outsiders within the context of cricket, which has been predominantly a male preserve. It is suggested within the thesis that female cricketers are a heterogeneous outsider group with internal power relations that affect their outsiders' status. Gender relations as a type of unequal power relation are an integral, enduring part of female cricketers' experiences of the cricket figuration. Furthermore, the testimonies of contemporary female cricketers demonstrate that they remain 'outsiders' in the cricket figuration. That is to say, through a variety of processes, they remain on the margins of male cricket.
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Balasundaram, Prakash. "The incidence, nature and risk factors associated with young (schoolboy) pace bowlers in New Zealand a dissertation [thesis] submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Health Science, Auckland University of Technology, February 2005." Full thesis. Abstract, 2005. http://puka2.aut.ac.nz/ait/theses/BalasundaramP.pdf.
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Lien, Kathryn. "Of the Crickets." VCU Scholars Compass, 2018. https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/5435.
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Of the Crickets imagines the overlapping worlds of ethical ecological solutions to climate changed sustenance and the potential for collective excellence in female exclusive environments. Using garments, furniture, site-specific installation and directed performance, the project harnesses social and material sensitivity to mine solutions for idealized living.
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Chin, Aaron. "Anatomical and functional based upper limb models : methods for kinematic analysis of cricket spin bowling." University of Western Australia. School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, 2009. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2009.0133.
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[Truncated abstract] In cricket, the bowler propels a ball using a straight arm (permitted minimal extension) in an overhead fashion to a batsman situated approximately 20m away, who attempts to strike the ball in order to score runs for their team. Cricket bowling can be generalised by two types of bowlers; fast bowlers, who primarily use high ball speed, and spin bowlers that attempt to impart spin on the ball causing it to bounce in different directions. There has been numerous studies investigating the kinematics of fast bowling in cricket, but there is a paucity of objective literature on the spin bowling action due to the complex rotations of the upper limb necessary to develop ball velocity and rotation. One primary reason is that three dimensional (3D) analysis of upper limb movement is difficult due to the high degrees of freedom and ranges of motion of the associated joints. Furthermore, existing methods do not allow measurement of the kinematics of this highly dynamic task to be performed in an ecologically sound environment. The complexity is further compounded as the upper limb does not perform regular cyclical movements like the lower limb does with gait. Therefore, this makes it difficult to determine what
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Shannon, Patrick. "Presumptive wing morph and thermal preference in juvenile sand crickets (Gryllus firmus)." Thesis, McGill University, 1991. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=60510.
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The influence of photoperiod and genotype on thermal preference of juvenile Gryllus firmus was explored. Both rearing condition and genotype affect temperature preference. The following results were obtained: (1) the wing morph of juveniles raised at 28$ sp circ$C 16hL:8hD is determined before 20 days post hatching. (2) Crickets distribute themselves on the apparatus differently in the presence of a thermal gradient than in its absence: such controls for positioning preference are rare in the literature. (3) Juveniles younger than 20 days old tend to choose higher surface temperatures and achieve higher body temperatures if either rearing photoperiod or selection predisposes them to microptery and choose lower temperatures if they are predisposed towards macroptery. (4) The differences in thermal preference between presumptive macropters and micropters remains significant after differences in body size are taken into account. The differences in thermal preference could act as a novel mechanism for lowering the heritability of wing morph.
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Allsopp, Paul, and n/a. "Measuring team performance and modelling the home advantage effect in cricket." Swinburne University of Technology, 2005. http://adt.lib.swin.edu.au./public/adt-VSWT20060713.122306.
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Cricket differs from many team sports in that it is not generally played within easily
definable constraints. Thus, it is difficult to compare and contrast team performances. By
employing a range of linear and logistic modelling techniques this thesis quantifies the
extent to which team quality effects and a range of associated factors such as home
advantage have shaped team performance in Test, ODI and domestic cricket. With regards
to the latter, the thesis established that, in all forms of cricket, a team?s scoring potential
and its capacity to win were both significantly amplified when it played at its home ground.
The thesis proposes a method to estimate a projected score for the team batting second in
ODI cricket. The method scales up the team?s actual winning scores in proportion to its
unused run scoring resources. This creates a projected victory margin when it wins with
unused run scoring resources at its disposal and provides a more realistic measure of its
relative superiority at the point of victory than the current wickets-in-hand method.
Accordingly, the thesis recommends a revised scheme for recording victories in ODI
cricket which is consistent across innings and provides a mechanism for all victories to be
compared and ranked on an equal footing.
The thesis employs linear modelling methods that account for the size of a victory in ODI
cricket and the magnitude of the first innings lead in Test and domestic cricket to compute
team ratings. The ratings are calculated independently of effects such as home advantage
and quantify overall team performance relative to the average rating. They provide a robust
measure of team quality and are not sensitive to the extraneous effects that may
disproportionately impact on team performance. As a consequence, the thesis recommends
that new methods be investigated to officially rate and rank teams in international cricket
competitions. The team ratings also form the basis of a proposed outcome prediction model
that can be instituted in Test cricket.
The thesis established that a surprising trend has emerged in Test cricket, which confirmed
that the team batting second, in general, has enjoyed a distinct winning advantage over its
opposition. Accordingly, the thesis ascertained that relative strength during the final rather
than penultimate innings significantly affected match outcomes and recommends that teams, when winning the coin toss, expose their strongest asset, whether this be batting or
bowling, in the final innings.
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Baliga, Roshan Bantwal 1981. "Rapid coordinate system creation and mapping using Crickets." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/26718.
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Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2004.<br>This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.<br>Includes bibliographical references (leaves 55-56).<br>In this thesis, I describe a system that lays the foundation for context-aware applications. This system allows a user to set up a reference coordinate system in a room, using three Cricket listeners attached to a wooden frame. The system then assigns coordinates to Cricket beacons, which are placed on the ceiling. Finally, by using the frame in conjunction with a laser range finder, the user can generate a map of the room in the reference coordinate system, complete with features including doors, walls, and windows. This thesis also describes necessary changes we implemented that made the Cricket positioning system much more accurate.<br>by Roshan Bantwal Baliga.<br>M.Eng.
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Thomas, William Buford. "THE DISTRIBUTION, BIOLOGY, AND MANAGEMENT OF THE INDIAN HOUSE CRICKET GRYLLODES SUPPLICANS (INSECT, PEST, URBAN, INTRODUCED, SOUTHWEST UNITED STATES)." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 1985. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/275465.
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Clarke, Stephen R., and sclarke@swin edu au. "Performance modelling in sport." Swinburne University of Technology, 1997. http://adt.lib.swin.edu.au./public/adt-VSWT20060710.114216.
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This thesis investigates problems of performance modelling in sport. Mathematical models are used to evaluate the performance of individuals, teams, and the competition rules under which they compete. The thesis comprises a collection of papers on applications of modelling to Australian rules football, soccer and cricket. Using variations of the model wij = ui + hi - uj + eij where wij is the home team winning margin when home team i plays away team j, ui is a team rating, hi is an individual ground effect and eij is random error, the evaluation of team home ground advantage effect (HA) is studied in detail. Data from the Australian Football League and English Association Football for 1980 to 1995 are investigated. The necessity of individual team HAs is demonstrated. The usual methods of calculating HA for competitions is shown to be inappropriate for individual teams. The existence of a spurious HA when home and away performances are compared is discussed. For a balanced competition, fitting the above model by least squares is equivalent to a simple calculator method using only data from the final ladder. A method of calculating HA by pairing matches is demonstrated. Tables of HA and paired HA in terms of points/game for each year are given. The resultant HAs for both Australian rules football and soccer are analysed. Clearly there is an isolation effect, where teams that are isolated geographically have large HAs. For English soccer, the paired HA is shown to be linearly related to the distance between club grounds. As an application of these methods, the development and implementation of a computer tipping program used to forecast Australian rules football by rating teams is described. The need for ground effects for each team and ground, and the use of heuristic methods to optimise the program is discussed. The accuracy of the prediction model and its implementation by publication in the media is discussed. International comparisons show prediction methods are limited by the data. Methods for evaluating the fairness of the League draw and the finals systems are given. The thesis also investigates the use of dynamic programming to optimise tactics in football and cricket. The thesis develops tables giving the optimal run rate and the expected score or probability of winning at any stage of a one-day cricket innings. They show a common strategy in one-day cricket to be non-optimal, and a heuristic is developed that is near optimal under a range of parameter variations. A range of dynamic programming models are presented, allowing for batsmen of different abilities and various objective functions. Their application to performance modelling are shown by developing a radically different performance measure for one day cricket, and applying it to a one-day series.
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Davies, Roxanne. "The nature and incidence of fast bowling injuries at an elite, junior level and the associated risk factors." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/660.
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Fast bowlers are especially prone to injury as they perform their bowling techniques repetitively at very high intensities. The fast bowling action in the past has been described as a highly explosive activity that produces high levels of stress and strain on the body. The aim of this study was to compile an injury profile of 46 fast bowlers aged 11 to 18, and to identify the associated risk factors for injury during an academy cricket season. A descriptive correlational research design was utilised. Subjects were selected according to age and fast bowling ability. These subjects were observed for one academy cricket season (March to November). Three testing sessions occurred during this time (T1, T2 and T3). Each subject completed two questionnaires: i) bowler history (at T1) and ii) injury history (at T1, T2, and T3). These assisted in grouping the subjects according to their responses into one of three injury classifications (uninjured = S1; injured but able to play = S2; injured and unable to play = S3). Anthropometric and postural data for the entire group of fast bowlers were also collected pre-season (T1). Physical fitness screenings were also conducted during each of the three testing sessions to establish any relationship between the fitness of each fast bowler and the occurrence of injuries. Additional factors assessed during the season were bowling techniques and bowling workload. Statistical significance was indicated by p-values less than .05 (p< .05), while practical significance was indicated by either Cohen’s d-values of 0.2 or better (d>0.2) for tests based on sample means or Cramer’s V for tests based on sample frequencies, the values of which depend on the applicable degrees of freedom. All fitness scores as well as bowling workload figures for each testing session were converted to standard T-scores and these in turn were summated to derive overall fitness and workload T-scores. ‘TT’ indicated the overall average score for the entire season. Changes in performances, bowling workload and injury status were analysed using ANOVA and ANCOVA. A regression analysis was also conducted to analyse the relationship between bowling workload and weeks incapacitated. This study found that hyperextension in the knees had the highest incidence of postural deviation injury (43 percent) followed by winged scapula (39 percent). Only 15 percent of the fast bowlers remained injury-free for the duration of the season, while 35 percent of the subjects were at some stage injured to such an extent that they were unable to play. The incidence of serious injury (S3) showed a statistical and moderate practical (V=0.23, d.f. ≥2) significant increase throughout the data collection period (4 percent at T1 to 30 percent at T3). The most common injury was to the knee (41 percent) followed by those to the lower back (37 percent). These injuries occurred mostly during test periods T2 and T3. The nature of injuries were predominantly strains and "other" which accounted for 39 percent of the injuries overall (TT) and had the highest reported incidence during the period T1 to T3. Sprains followed with an overall incidence of 14 percent. Less frequently reported injuries were tears, fractures, bruises and dislocations. The degree of severity of injuries was defined in terms of the number of weeks a player reported being incapacitated as a result of injury during the academy session. During midand end-season bowlers were on average incapacitated approximately one week out of every five due to injury. The statistics for the duration of the study translate to approximately one week incapacitated out of every seven weeks of play. When comparing the S1/S2 bowlers with the S3 group, the S1/S2 bowlers performed consistently better than the S3 bowlers in all the fitness variables tested. However no significant differences (p>.05) in either flexibility or muscle strength were observed. Of the risk factors analysed, bowling workload presented a statistically significant (p<.0005) increased risk for injury. A strong significant positive relationship (p<.0005, R²=.619) was found between weeks incapacitated and bowling workload, supporting the finding that increased bowling workloads show a linear relationship with the increase in the number of weeks incapacitated from normal play. This study concluded that inadequate fitness, high bowling workload and bowling technique all have a multi-factorial role in predisposing a bowler to increased risk for injury. These variables did not act alone, but have all contributed to recurring injuries. The bowling action alone would not have been detrimental if the workloads were not in excess of the recommended guidelines. Furthermore the workload would not have been as detrimental if the bowlers were well conditioned and uninjured. Management of minor injuries and adequate recovery time, coupled with adequate and relevant fitness preparation would better prepare fast bowlers for the demands of the game.
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Priyantha, Nissanka Bodhi 1968. "The Cricket indoor location system." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/33924.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2005.<br>Includes bibliographical references (p. 191-199).<br>Indoor environments present opportunities for a rich set of location-aware applications such as navigation tools for humans and robots, interactive virtual games, resource discovery, asset tracking, location-aware sensor networking etc. Typical indoor applications require better accuracy than what current outdoor location systems provide. Outdoor location technologies such as GPS have poor indoor performance because of the harsh nature of indoor environments. Further, typical indoor applications require different types of location information such as physical space, position and orientation. This dissertation describes the design and implementation of the Cricket indoor location system that provides accurate location in the form of user space, position and orientation to mobile and sensor network applications. Cricket consists of location beacons that are attached to the ceiling of a building, and receivers, called listeners, attached to devices that need location. Each beacon periodically transmits its location information in an RF message. At the same time, the beacon also transmits an ultrasonic pulse. The listeners listen to beacon transmissions and measure distances to nearby beacons, and use these distances to compute their own locations.<br>(cont.) This active-beacon passive-listener architecture is scalable with respect to the number of users, and enables applications that preserve user privacy. This dissertation describes how Cricket achieves accurate distance measurements between beacons and listeners. Once the beacons are deployed, the MAT and AFL algorithms, described in this dissertation, use measurements taken at a mobile listener to configure the beacons with a coordinate assignment that reflects the beacon layout. This dissertation presents beacon interference avoidance and detection algorithms, as well as outlier rejection algorithms to prevent and filter out outlier distance estimates caused by uncoordinated beacon transmissions. The Cricket listeners can measure distances with an accuracy of 5 cm. The listeners can detect boundaries with an accuracy of 1 cm. Cricket has a position estimation accuracy of 10 cm and an orientation accuracy of 3 degrees.<br>by Nissanka Bodhi Priyantha.<br>Ph.D.
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Tyler, Frances. "Sexual selection and reproductive isolation in field crickets." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10036/4277.
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Barriers to interbreeding limit gene flow between sister taxa, leading to reproductive isolation and the maintenance of distinct species. These barriers come in many forms, and can act at different stages in the reproductive process. Pre-copulatory barriers may be due to individuals discriminating against heterospecifics in mate choice decisions. These decisions may be informed through a range of sensory modalities. If a female is mated and inseminated, then there may be multiple postmating-prezygotic barriers that affect the success of heterospecific sperm in attaining fertilisations. Post-zygotic barriers can be very early acting, resulting in embryonic fatality, or may be later acting, affecting the fitness of hybrid offspring. In this thesis I investigate potential reproductive barriers between the interbreeding field crickets Gryllus bimaculatus and G. campestris. I find that females of both species show only weak preference for conspecific calling song, and may even respond phonotactically to songs typical of heterospecific males. Female G. bimaculatus are repeatable in their preferences and strength of response. G. bimaculatus females presented with synthetic songs prefer those with longer inter-pulse intervals, whereas G. campestris show no discrimination between these songs. Upon meeting, G. campestris females strongly discriminate against heterospecific males, behaving aggressively towards them. This is likely driven by females responding to close range species recognition cues, including chemoreception. The species differ in their cuticular hydrocarbon profiles, and females that are no longer able to use their antennae to receive chemosensory information reduced their aggressive behaviour towards heterospecific males. G. bimaculatus females will mate with heterospecific males, though less readily than to conspecifics. When sequentially mated to both conspecific and heterospecific males, these females will preferentially take up and store sperm from the conspecific male, and sperm from conspecific males is more likely to sire offspring than would be predicted from the proportion of sperm in storage. Eggs from inter-species mating pairs are less likely to begin embryogenesis, and are more likely to suffer developmental arrest during the early stages of embryogenesis. However hybrid embryos that survive to later stages of development have hatching success similar to that of pure-bred embryos. After mating, phonotaxis of G. bimaculatus females towards male songs follows a pattern of suppression and subsequent recovery, likely triggered through detection of seminal proteins transferred in the male ejaculate, or detection of mechanical filling of the spermatheca. This pattern of suppression and recovery of phonotaxis does not differ between females mated to conspecific or heterospecific males. Females that lay few or no eggs do not experience a refractory period.
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Green, Kelly-Ann. "Acoustic signalling and mate choice in field crickets." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.493641.
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In this thesis I investigate acoustic signalling and mate choice in the field crickets Giyllus bimaculatus and Gryllus campestris. I measured female response to calling song and courtship song In G. bimaculatus to address a number of questions. I looked at intrinsic factors affecting female mate choice by measuring female response to calling song throughout their reproductive lives and examining the effect of mating. I found that female choosiness but not magnitude of response to calling song was affected by age. I also found that non-virgin females were as choosy as virgin females but responded less. These results suggest that female choice is temporally plastic and that choosiness is costly.
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Dennis, Rebecca Jane Safety Science Faculty of Science UNSW. "Risk factors for repetitive microtrauma injury to adolescent and adult cricket fast bowlers." Awarded by:University of New South Wales. School of Safety Science, 2005. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/24172.
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Cricket is one of Australia's most popular sports, both in terms of participation rates and spectator interest. However, as with all sports, participation in cricket can be associated with a risk of injury. Injury surveillance in Australia and internationally has consistently identified fast bowlers as the players at the greatest risk of injury. This clearly establishes fast bowlers as the priority group for continued risk factor research. The primary aim of this thesis is to describe the epidemiology of repetitive microtrauma injuries and identify the risk factors for these injuries to male adolescent and adult fast bowlers. The program of research consists of three sequential prospective cohort studies, which were conducted over four cricket seasons. The rate of injury was high in all these studies, with nearly half of the 305 bowlers sustaining an injury. The first of the three studies, which was conducted over three seasons, recruited 95 adult first-class fast bowlers and investigated bowling workload as a risk factor for injury. The findings suggested that there were thresholds for both low and high workload, beyond which the risk of injury increased. The second study recruited 47 adolescent high performance fast bowlers for one season, and identified a significant association between high bowling workload and injury. Based on the results of these two studies, workload guidelines for adult and adolescent fast bowlers are described in detail in this thesis. The third study expanded on the first two workload studies and concurrently investigated a range of potential injury risk factors relating to bowling workload, physical characteristics and bowling technique. A total of 91 adult and adolescent high performance fast bowlers participated in the third study for one season. Two independent predictors of injury were identified: increased hip internal rotation and reduced ankle dorsiflexion. This program of research has provided information that is essential for the development of evidence-based injury prevention guidelines for adolescent and adult fast bowlers. The next stage in the injury prevention process is to implement measures that control the exposure to the injury risk factors identified in this thesis.
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Hamilton, Amy M. "A taxonomic study of the genus Acris and the status of Acris crepitans blanchardi (Harper), Blanchard's cricket frog, in southern Ohio and western West Virginia." [Huntington, WV : Marshall University Libraries], 2008. http://www.marshall.edu/etd/descript.asp?ref=888.
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Singh, Harsimranjeet. "Experimental and computer modeling to characterize the performance of cricket bats." Pullman, Wash. : Washington State University, 2008. http://www.dissertations.wsu.edu/Thesis/Fall2008/h_singh_102108.pdf.
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Thesis (M.S. in mechanical engineering)--Washington State University, December 2008.<br>Title from PDF title page (viewed on Apr. 8, 2009). "School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering." Includes bibliographical references.
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McGlusky, Narelle. "The willow and the palm : an exploration of the role of cricket in Fiji." Thesis, Connect to this title online, 2005. https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/1247/1/01front.pdf.
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The starting point for this thesis is an investigation of the political role of cricket in the development of national identity among the colonies of the British Empire. The British invested the game with moral and political values and openly employed it to impose these values on their colonial populations. As the colonies established their own national identities they accepted, adopted and adapted these values for their own purposes. The game was used as a vehicle for entry into the closed society of the elite ruling class but was also utilized, both overtly and covertly, as a tool for resistance. This thesis examines this process in the Pacific state of Fiji through a study of the interaction of its political and social history with the development of cricket between 1874 and 1971.
While the role of cricket in the development of national identity in the major test playing nations has been extensively explored, very little has been done to discover whether the processes in these countries operated in those ex-colonies where the game is still played but not to test standard. There also appears to have been little consideration given to the more pragmatic question of why the game prospered in some colonies rather than others. The role of sport in the colonial experience of the people of the Pacific islands has been neglected by historians.
Utilising a broadly comparative approach, the study traces the Fijian experience with colonial sport through cricket. The importance of the sources of the game in other British colonies, the administration, missionaries and the education system, are placed in the Fijian context. The demographics of cricket in Fiji are established through a study of individual players. A contextual analysis of the game itself and the physical and geographical nature of Fiji reveal practical reasons for the game’s decline after its initial enthusiastic reception.
The thesis establishes that although cricket initially flourished in Fiji, the nature of the game, Fiji’s climate and geography and the competition provided by rugby union and soccer, led to its decline. The weather and terrain frustrated the most enthusiastic attempts to promote the game. Rugby provided Fijians with a more compatible form of entertainment and excitement, dovetailing with current images of maleness and masculinity. Soccer gave Indo-Fijians a cheap leisure activity in which all could participate. Cricket remained a chiefly game and did not become popular with the general population.
Relating the role of cricket to the concept of national identity within the Fijian state posed problems. National identity is intrinsically linked to nationalism and nationalism to the nation. Fiji does not fit comfortably within accepted definitions of the nation. During the period covered by the study, indigenous Fijians acknowledged cultural differences in their own society but retained a cohesive sense of ethnic identity which consolidated their polity. Nationalism, and national identity, presupposes an ‘other’. For Fijians the ‘other’ was the immigrant Indian community, not the British. The need to prove themselves against the coloniser, which drove other British colonies, did not motivate the Fijians. They were not establishing a ‘new’ national identity, only strengthening and re-working their existing identity to fit new circumstances. Hence their interaction with the game of cricket did not take on the political overtones experienced in other colonies.
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McGlusky, Narelle. "The willow and the palm : an exploration of the role of cricket in Fiji." Connect to this title online, 2005. http://eprints.jcu.edu.au/1247/1/01front.pdf.
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The starting point for this thesis is an investigation of the political role of cricket in the development of national identity among the colonies of the British Empire. The British invested the game with moral and political values and openly employed it to impose these values on their colonial populations. As the colonies established their own national identities they accepted, adopted and adapted these values for their own purposes. The game was used as a vehicle for entry into the closed society of the elite ruling class but was also utilized, both overtly and covertly, as a tool for resistance. This thesis examines this process in the Pacific state of Fiji through a study of the interaction of its political and social history with the development of cricket between 1874 and 1971. While the role of cricket in the development of national identity in the major test playing nations has been extensively explored, very little has been done to discover whether the processes in these countries operated in those ex-colonies where the game is still played but not to test standard. There also appears to have been little consideration given to the more pragmatic question of why the game prospered in some colonies rather than others. The role of sport in the colonial experience of the people of the Pacific islands has been neglected by historians. Utilising a broadly comparative approach, the study traces the Fijian experience with colonial sport through cricket. The importance of the sources of the game in other British colonies, the administration, missionaries and the education system, are placed in the Fijian context. The demographics of cricket in Fiji are established through a study of individual players. A contextual analysis of the game itself and the physical and geographical nature of Fiji reveal practical reasons for the game’s decline after its initial enthusiastic reception. The thesis establishes that although cricket initially flourished in Fiji, the nature of the game, Fiji’s climate and geography and the competition provided by rugby union and soccer, led to its decline. The weather and terrain frustrated the most enthusiastic attempts to promote the game. Rugby provided Fijians with a more compatible form of entertainment and excitement, dovetailing with current images of maleness and masculinity. Soccer gave Indo-Fijians a cheap leisure activity in which all could participate. Cricket remained a chiefly game and did not become popular with the general population. Relating the role of cricket to the concept of national identity within the Fijian state posed problems. National identity is intrinsically linked to nationalism and nationalism to the nation. Fiji does not fit comfortably within accepted definitions of the nation. During the period covered by the study, indigenous Fijians acknowledged cultural differences in their own society but retained a cohesive sense of ethnic identity which consolidated their polity. Nationalism, and national identity, presupposes an ‘other’. For Fijians the ‘other’ was the immigrant Indian community, not the British. The need to prove themselves against the coloniser, which drove other British colonies, did not motivate the Fijians. They were not establishing a ‘new’ national identity, only strengthening and re-working their existing identity to fit new circumstances. Hence their interaction with the game of cricket did not take on the political overtones experienced in other colonies.
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Stevenson, Karl. "Representative task design in cricket batting." Thesis, University of Brighton, 2016. https://research.brighton.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/318a4c35-00df-45b2-a23d-eaeccc05f339.
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In recent years researchers have argued that in order to fully understand perceptual cognitive expertise in sports, representative tasks must be used to preserve the tightly coupled links between perception and action that experts exploit. Previously, tasks have been considered as representative or not, with little evidence existing to indicate the degree to which a task is representative enough. This thesis primarily aimed to investigate experimentally representative tasks in cricket batting and the degree to which a laboratory-based task of cricket batting was able to represent batters’ emergent perceptuo-motor behaviour for perceiving bowlers’ delivery length. A secondary aim was to re-evaluate perceptuo-motor behaviours thought to contribute to skilled performance and their development. In chapter 2 skilled batsmen’s foot movements were recorded in response to balls bowled to a range of lengths under in situ and video-based laboratory conditions. Kinematic analyses quantified decision-making skill and movement scaling. Analyses revealed the laboratory condition to have a high degree of fidelity. Skilled batter’s Foot movements were reliably replicated and differences were found compared to a novice group. In chapter 3, response mode, occlusion condition and skill level were compared on the representative laboratory test developed in chapter 2. Analyses identified that skilled performance was only aided by maintaining coupled responses under occluded conditions, whilst no differences were observed under un-occluded conditions. Skilled performers were also shown to possess greater anticipation skills compared with novices under both coupled and un-coupled conditions. In Chapter 4, the effects of manipulating information present in situ, through simulated ball flight, and fully simulated training aids were compared in a novel experimental paradigm. Skilled batsmen faced deliveries across a range of lengths from a bowler (in situ), from a bowling machine (simulated ball flight) and from a ProBatter simulator (fully simulated action and ball flight). Results showed that simulated ball flight condition resulted in foot movements that were closer to in situ than the fully simulated condition, suggesting that if present, the link between bowling action and ball flight needs to be tightly coupled. These results demonstrate for the first time that representative tasks must not be considered unilaterally as representative or not, but instead the degree of representativeness should be quantified and evaluated against the expert behaviour under investigation. Determination of the degree of representativeness would allow researchers to apply findings to the performance environment with greater knowledge of their potential impact.
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Fisher, David Newton. "Social networks and individual behaviour variation in wild crickets." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/21128.
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Individuals engage in competitive and cooperative interactions with conspecifics. Furthermore, within any population of interacting individuals there are typically consistent differences among-individuals in behavioural traits. Understanding the importance of both these types of individual-specific behaviours allows us to understand why populations are structured as they are, why individuals show apparently limited behavioural flexibility, and how these elements link to population-level properties. I used extensive video camera monitoring of a population of wild field crickets (Gryllus campestris) to study the interactions and behaviours of uniquely identified individuals. I studied the shyness, activity and exploration of individuals of this population across contexts: from young to old and between captivity and the wild. This allowed me to confirm that individuals were relatively consistent across their adult lifetimes for all three traits, but only consistent between captivity and the wild for activity and exploration. I then found that high activity levels were positively related to high mating rates and short lifespans. Crucially, lifetime mating success was not related to activity level, indicating that the trade-off between lifespan and mating success was sufficient to allow variation in activity level to persist across generations. I also found that cricket social network structure is stable across generations despite the complete turnover of individuals every year. This social network structure influences sexual selection, with some male crickets heavily involved in networks of both pre- and post-copulatory competition, yet males are unable to use pre-copulatory competition to avoid post-copulatory competition. Additionally, positive assortment by mating rate between males and females may reduce the fitness of males with high mating rates, as they face stronger sperm competition. Finally, I used actor-based models to determine the factors predicting cricket social network structure and to test and reject the social-niche hypothesis for the maintenance of among-individual variation in behaviour. I also demonstrated that little else is needed in a stochastically changing network aside from positive assortment by mating rate to simulate a population with a similar skew in mating success to the one observed in the real cricket population. These results give insights into the importance of trade-offs and stochasticity in maintaining the extensive variation in the natural world.
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Franzén, Louise. "Manipulation of monoamines and effects on behavior in crickets." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Institutionen för ekologi, miljö och geovetenskap, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-140444.
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Blankers, Thomas. "Acoustic communication, sexual selection, and speciation in field crickets." Doctoral thesis, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Lebenswissenschaftliche Fakultät, 2016. http://dx.doi.org/10.18452/17553.
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Die vorliegende Dissertation verbindet Ergebnisse aus neuroethologischen, verhaltensbiologischen, quantitativ genetischen und genomischen Ansätzen bei Feldgrillen (Gryllus), um neue Erkenntnisse über die Rolle von sexueller Selektion bei Artbildung zu erlangen. Es wird gezeigt dass multivariate Gesangspräferenzen von Grillenweibchen von wenigen Merkmalen abhängen und zwischen Arten ähnlich sind, während sich Männchengesänge in allen Merkmalen unterschieden. Verschiedene Ebenen der Gesangserkennung sind durch unterschiedliche Präferenzfunktionen charakterisiert. Multivariate Präferenzen können also gleichzeitig verschiedene Indikatoren für Paarungspartnerqualität aus den Gesangsmerkmalen erkennen. Eine polygene genetische Architektur der Gesangsmerkmale und der Präferenz wurde beobachtet und weist auf eine eher langsamere Divergenz hin, obwohl gonosomale Vererbung mehrerer Gesangsmerkmale höhere Evolutionsraten zulässt. Starke Kovarianz zwischen den Merkmalen die direkt sexueller Selektion unterliegen und Merkmale, die nicht direkt von Weibchen gewählt werden, zeigen, dass indirekte Selektion teilweise für die markante Divergenz der Gesänge verantwortlich sein könnte, trotz begrenzter Divergenz der Präferenzen. Ferner zeigte ein Artvergleich der multivariaten Gesangsmerkmale, dass die Form der Präferenzfunktion die Ausrichtung der Kovarianzen und damit die erwartete Selektionsantwort der männlichen Gesänge beeinflussen kann. Simulationen ergaben starke Hinweise auf Genfluss zwischen zwei nahverwandten Arten über einen langen Zeitraum . Nur wenige Contigs zeigten hohe genetische Divergenz und hohe Raten nicht-synonymer Polymorphismen. Diese stimmten aber mit Genen überein, die experimentell nachgewiesene Funktionen in neuromuskulärer Entwicklung und im Paarungsverhalten haben. Zusammen zeigen die Ergebnisse das Potential von sexueller Selektion bei der Entstehung und Aufrechterhaltung von reproduktiver Isolation zwischen Arten.<br>This thesis integrates insights from neuro-ethological, behavioural, quantitative genetics, and genomic approaches in field crickets to provide novel insights in the role of sexual selection in speciation, in particular focusing on speciation with gene flow. It was shown that song preferences depend on few traits and are similar across species while the male song has diverged strongly in all traits. Because the different levels of song recognition are characterized by different types of preference functions, it is conceivable that multivariate preferences can extract various cues for mate quality from different traits simultaneously. A polygenic genetic architecture was found for song traits and preferences, probably limiting divergence rates. However, sex-chromosomal inheritance of some song traits may have allowed for somewhat higher rates. Strong covariance was found between traits that are under sexual selection and traits that are not directly selected by females. This indicates that indirect selection may be responsible in part for striking multivariate divergence in the male calling song despite limited divergence in female preferences. Furthermore, comparing multivariate song traits among species showed that the shape of the preference function can affect the orientation of trait covariance and thereby the selection responses of the male song. Coalescent simulations revealed evidence for a long history of gene flow between two closely related cricket species. Only few contigs with high genetic divergence and high rates of non-synonymous SNPs were found, but many of those that were highly diverged matched genes with experimentally proven functions in neuromuscular development and courtship behavior. Together, these findings underline the potential for sexual selection to drive reproductive isolation.
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Bayne, Kimberly Ann. "The natural history and morphology of the eastern cricket frog, Acris crepitans crepitans, in West Virginia." Huntington, WV : [Marshall University Libraries], 2004. http://www.marshall.edu/etd/descript.asp?ref=387.
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Thesis (M.S.)--Marshall University, 2004.<br>Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 103 p. including illustrations and maps. Includes bibliographical references (p. 100-103).
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Sarmiento-Ponce, Edith Julieta. "An analysis of phonotactic behaviour in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2019. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/290108.
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This thesis represents a comprehensive examination of the phonotactic behaviour (i.e. attraction to sound) of the female Gryllus bimaculatus under laboratory conditions. Chapter 2 is the first study to analyze the effect of substrate texture on walking performance in crickets. Substrate texture is found to play an essential role in the phonotactic responses of G. bimaculatus. Smooth substrate texture has a detrimental effect due to slipping, whereas a rough texture results in optimal walking performance due to the friction with the walking legs. Chapter 3 represents the first detailed lifetime study analysing phonotaxis in crickets. My results demonstrate that the optimal age to test phonotaxis in G. bimaculatus females is from day 7 to 24 after the final moult. I also found that selectiveness was persistent with age. These findings contradict the female choosiness hypothesis. This study is also the first to describe the effect of senescence on phonotaxis in insects, as responsiveness decreases with age. Chapter 4 compares the phonotactic behaviour of female crickets from different laboratory-bred colonies. From six tested cricket lab colonies, I found three groups statistically different from each other. Females raised under laboratory conditions at the University of Cambridge and Anglia Ruskin University were most reponsive at a frequency of 4.5 kHz, whereas females bred in Tokushima University in Japan were tuned towards a higher frequency of 5 kHz. These results suggest a degree of artificial allopatric speciation. Comparisons with crickets bred under low-quality conditions in a local pet shop demonstrate a loss of responsiveness, indicating that breeding conditions have a direct effect on phonotactic responsivity. Chapter 5 is the first study to report the presence of phonotaxis in males of G. bimaculatus. Previously it was unknown if G. bimaculatus males were able to perform phonotaxis, given that they were only recognised as endurance signal producers. In the present study, only 20% of the studied males (N=70) performed a weak phonotactic response. This finding has potential ecological implications in terms of male cricket territory establishment, and male-male interactions in the wild, which are discussed. Chapter 6 explores the song pattern recognition of the female G. bimaculatus by changing the duration of either the first, second or third pulse of the chirps. A long first pulse decreased the phonotactic response whereas phonotaxis remained strong when the third pulse was long. Chirps with three pulses of increasing duration of 5, 20 and 50 ms elicited phonotaxis, but the chirps were not attractive when played in reverse order. The data are in agreement with a mechanism in which processing of a sound pulse has an effect on the processing of the subsequent pulse, as outlined in the flow of activity in a delay-line and coincidence-detector circuit.
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Colobong, Genee Lyn O. (Genee Lyn Ollero) 1976. "Sound devices for the Cricket Bus System." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/80529.
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Thesis (S.B. and M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1999.<br>Includes bibliographical references (leaves 78-79).<br>by Genee Lyn O. Colobong.<br>S.B.and M.Eng.
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Dorsey, Ronald. "Economic and statistical modelling in cricket." Thesis, University of Salford, 2006. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.492410.
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Professional cricket is a sport rich in readily available data and provides fertile ground for the analysis of a wide range of economic issues. Despite this, until recent years there has been a relatively sparse amount of academic research into the economics of cricket compared to other sporting activities. This thesis considers four issues relevant to English professional cricket: player movement and exit behaviour; the impact of toss and weather on championship outcomes; the effect of central contracts on county productivity; relative age effects in professional cricket.
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Stretch, Richard Aldworth. "Validity and reliability of an objective test of cricket skills." Thesis, Rhodes University, 1985. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005625.
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This study was conducted to assess the validity and reliability of four self-designed, objective tests of cricket batting, bowling, fielding and general ability skills. The batting test requires the batsman to hit a suspended ball at a target area as many times as possible in 60 seconds. His score is doubled to give his score for the batting test. In the bowling test the bowler is required to bowl ten balls at target areas marked on the pitch. Each delivery is recorded to give him a score out of 100. The fielding test requires the fielder to catch and field seven balls in a predetermined sequence. Each fielded ball that is not thrown through the target area incurs a penalty of three seconds. The total time taken is used to obtain the fielding test score out of 100. In the general ability test the player is required to hit a ball up and down twenty-five times. He then has to run along a predetermined path and field three balls and then bowl three balls at a target. A penalty of three seconds is added onto the time taken for each ball that does not pass through the target area. The actual score, out of 100, is determined from the total time taken. To determine the validity of the objective tests of batting, bowling, fielding and general ability, 155 subjects were subjectively assessed in these four categories by experienced coaches. The four objective tests were then conducted on these subjects and the scores compared. Forty-four subjects were assessed by experienced and inexperienced testers to determine the reliability of the tests when administered by different testers. To determine the reliability of the tests when repeatedly administered by one tester 23 subjects were assessed on five consecutive days. Significant correlations (p < 0,05) were found for the tests of validity between subjective and objective assessment (0,43 to 0,81) and the test for objectivity between experienced and inexperienced testers (0,41 to 0,78). A significant improvement (p < 0,05) in scores occurred during repeated testing, but most of this improvement took place between the first two tests. The results indicate that the tests are valid and reliable tests of cricket batting, bowling, fielding and general ability, if sufficient pre-test practice is allowed.
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Hildebrandt, Kai Jannis. "Neural adaptation in the auditory pathway of crickets and grasshoppers." Doctoral thesis, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät I, 2010. http://dx.doi.org/10.18452/16150.
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Neuronale Adaptation dient dazu, eine Sinnesbahn kurzfristig an die aktuelle Umgebung des Tieres anzupassen. Ihr zeitlicher Verlauf lässt sich in der Antwort einzelner Nervenzellen direkt beobachten. Der Adaptation unterliegen eine Vielzahl verschiedener Mechanismen, die über die gesamte Sinnesbahn verteilt sein können. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde der Versuch unternommen, diese unterschiedlichen Betrachtungsebenen zusammenzuführen. Dazu wurden mehrere experimentelle und theoretische Studien durchgeführt. In zwei der vorgestellten Studien wurden Kombinationen aus Strominjektionen und akustischen Reizen verwendet, um intrinsische Adaptation von Netzwerkeffekten zu trennen. Dabei ergab sich in einer experimentellen Studie am auditorischen System der Heuschrecke, dass die Adaptationsmechanismen, die in verschiedenen Teilen der Hörbahn rekrutiert werden, sehr stark von Identität und Funktion der jeweils untersuchten Nervenzelle abhängen. Ähnliche Methoden ermöglichten es, im auditorischen System der Grille präsynaptische Hemmung als Substrat für die wichtige mathematische Operation der Division zu identifizieren. Zusätzlich wurden Modellierungen durchgeführt, bei denen die Frage bearbeitet wurde, wo Adaptation in der Hörbahn wirken sollte, bezogen auf zwei verschieden Aufgaben: die Lokalisation eines Signals und die neuronale Abbildung dessen zeitlicher Struktur. Die Ergebnisse dieser Studie deuten darauf hin, dass die Anforderungen für diese beiden Aufgaben sehr unterschiedliche sind. In einer vierten Studie wurde untersucht, ob die Adaptation in einem auditorischen Interneuron der Grille dazu dient, die gesamte sensorische Umgebung gut abzubilden, oder ob durch die Adaptation eine Abtrennung des jeweils lautesten Signals erreicht werden kann. Zusammenfassend lässt sich sagen, dass sowohl die Adaptationsmechanismen, als auch deren genaue Platzierung innerhalb der sensorischen Bahn wesentlich für Sinnesleistungen sind.<br>Neural adaptation serves to adjust the sensory pathway to the current environment of an animal. While the effect and time course of adaptation can be observed directly within single cells, its underlying cause is a combination of many different mechanisms spread out along the sensory pathway. The present work has the objective to unite these different levels of understanding of the term adaptation. In order to do so, several experimental and theoretical studies were carried out. In two of these studies, a combination of current injection and auditory stimulation was used, in order to disentangle intrinsic adaptation from network effects. In one of the studies, carried out in the auditory system of locusts, it was revealed that the mechanisms behind adaptation that are activated within different parts of the auditory system depend critically on identity and function of the cell under study. Similar methods enabled the identification of presynaptic inhibition as a possible mechanisms behind the important mathematical operation of division in the auditory system of crickets. Additionally, a modeling study pursued the question, where adaption should work in the auditory system from the perspective of two different tasks of sensory processing: identification of a signal and localization of its source. The results obtained from the model suggest conflicting demands for these two tasks and also present a solution of this conflict. In a fourth study, it was asked wether adaptation in the auditory system of crickets serves to guarantee optimal representation of the entire sensory environment or if it helps to separate one most important signal from the background. In summary, not only which mechanisms of adaptation are at work is of crucial importance for sensory processing, but also the exact placement of these along the pathway.
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Aslanzadeh, Shervin. "Risk perception and antipredatory behaviour of locusts and crickets versus predation strategies of Central netted dragon (Ctenopherus nuchalis)." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/10091.
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Predation is among the selective forces that shape the phenotype and lifestyle of prey. Different prey types may show different antipredatory responses to the same predator or level of risk based on their ability to avoid predation. I tested antipredatory behaviour of prey species, the Australian plague locust, Chortoicetes terminifera, and the cricket, Acheta domestica, against a predator, the Central netted dragon, Ctenopherus nuchalis. Many theoretical and empirical studies suggest that increased safety has resulted in the evolution of aggregation or group living in prey species. I tested the general idea that being a member of a larger and denser group increases safety among prey. I quantified the predation behaviour of the lizards and the antipredatory strategies of the locusts and crickets in the laboratory using high and low densities of prey and the two phases of C. terminifera; solitarious and gregarious locusts. I compared the number of attacks and success rate of the predator between high and low density groups of prey to determine the influence of prey density on the behaviour of the predator. To investigate differences in level of risk perception among prey with different lifestyles and escape abilities, antipredatory behaviour; escape initiation distance and activity level, of solitarious and gregarious locusts were compared. Additionally, injured gregarious locusts were used to test if disability of prey leads to behavioural changes that indicate that a higher level of risk is perceived by the prey. I also compared attack strategies of juvenile and adult lizards capturing prey. Lizards were more successful attacking groups of locusts than groups of crickets. Prey capture efficiency of lizards was not lower when preying on high density locust groups; although locusts benefit from a higher level of safety due to encounter-dilution effect. Moreover, solitarious and injured gregarious locusts behaved in a manner that indicates a higher perceived risk of predation compared to intact gregarious locusts and they relied more heavily on crypsis to avoid predation. Adult lizards showed faster attack speed and chose larger attack distances than juvenile lizards. In addition, lizards chose smaller attack distances when prey moved directly toward the lizards. In conclusion, prey aggregation or sociality provides more safety for prey individuals through the concealing mechanisms of group living and predators choose their attack strategies based on their physical performance and/or prey behaviour.
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Bradley, J. "Cricket, class and colonialism, c.1860-1914 : a study of two elites, the Marylebone and Melbourne cricket clubs." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 1991. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.544367.
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Quick, Shayne P. "World series cricket, television and Australian culture /." The Ohio State University, 1990. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1487683401442143.
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McNamara, Dean. "Cricket fast bowler monitoring and workload management." Thesis, Australian Catholic University, 2016. https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/download/2a6fdf9ebd765b44e851349cf40d44e10ea5b693d16cdfe5a97e35de32ce9e4e/7945124/McNamara_2016_Cricket_fast_bowler_monitoring_and_workload.pdf.
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The sport of cricket is challenged by three formats of the game; each with varying workload demands. The most recent format is T20 cricket, first played internationally in 2005. Further to this, elite performers are often required to play for upwards of four different professional teams across the year; increasing the complexities in player workload management and other sports science-related support. Fast bowlers have greater overall match-play demands than other playing positions in cricket. Wearable microtechnology for tracking external load in athletes is common practice. Despite microtechnology enabling meaningful analyses of workload beyond routinely reported metrics, little application has occurred within fast bowling. The high injury risk in fast bowlers is well established, yet the intensive demands on these athletes remain poorly understood. The overall aim of this program of research was to use scientific literature to first understand the interaction of workload, injury and performance in elite level fast bowlers and then improve the understanding of workload management using advances in wearable microtechnology. The program of research in this thesis “with publication” first generated studies identifying the problem (a systematic review). The four subsequent chapters of original research built on the review to profile the match-play and training demands of cricketers, explore the variability of wearable microtechnology outputs during fast bowling, and finally develop and quantify an innovative means to monitor and manage workload within the specific demands of fast bowling in cricket. Although monitoring acute and chronic workloads of fast bowlers remains the most ideal method for identifying preparedness and injury likelihood in fast bowlers, complexities exist that make the systematic prescription of bowling workloads difficult. The results confirmed that the external load of cricket match-play and training varied between fast bowlers and non-fast bowlers. Furthermore, external loads experienced by 26 elite performing cricketers differentially affected the neuromuscular, endocrine, and perceptual fatigue responses of these players. Outputs from wearable microtechnology provided adequate stability across the performance of elite fast bowlers. These outputs were comparable with routinely used measures of fast bowling performance and intensity. Algorithms linking microtechnology outputs demonstrated good sensitivity in detecting fast bowling events in elite cricketers across competition (99.5%) and training (99.0%). The specificity of detecting fast bowling events decreased in competition (74.0%) however, remained high during training (98.1%). With the ability to automatically detect fast bowling events, metrics of bowling intensity can be explored more rigorously. Outputs from the gyroscope and accelerometers in the wearable technology provided strong associations with prescribed bowling intensity. Collectively, this thesis has highlighted the challenges of applied research in cricket, and more specifically the capacity to more objectively monitor external load in cricket fast bowlers. Wearable microtechnology has the potential to advance and refine measures of bowling workload and provide a greater depth of support for cricket fast bowlers.
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Marsat, Gary. "Temporal coding and auditory processing in the prothoracic ganglion of crickets." Thesis, McGill University, 2006. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=103000.
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We used the auditory system of crickets as a model system to examine the importance of temporal coding in sensory processing. The bilaterally paired Ascending Neurons 1 and 2 (AN1 and AN2) of crickets receive inputs from the auditory receptors on one side and carry the information to the brain. We used stimuli with either conspecific-like or predator-like (i.e. bats) carrier frequency to quantify the accuracy with which the interneurons code the information contained within the amplitude modulation (AM) envelope of the stimulus. AN1, which is tuned to the dominant carrier frequency of cricket songs, selectively codes the limited range of amplitude-modulation frequencies that occur in these signals. AN2, which is most sensitive to ultrasound, serves as a "bat-detector" and codes a broader range of AM frequencies, as occur in bat calls.<br>A striking characteristic in AN2's responses to ultrasound is the presence of bursts of high-frequency spiking separated by relatively sparse spikes. We examined the relative importance of isolated spikes and bursts in the processing of ultrasound. We showed that bursts reliably signal the occurrence of salient amplitude increases. Furthermore, we showed that burst, but not isolated spikes, reliably predict behavioural responses. We suggest AN2 encodes behaviourally important information with bursts.<br>The Omega Neuron 1 (ON1) responds to conspecific signals and to the ultrasonic echolocation sounds. ON1's temporal coding properties vary with carrier frequency, allowing it to encode both of these behaviourally important signals. Furthermore, the temporal coding properties of ON1 in response to cricket-like sound and bat-like sound match those of AN1 and AN2 respectively.<br>ON1 is a source of contralateral inhibition to AN1 and AN2, enhancing binaural contrast and facilitating sound localization. We used dichotic stimulation to examine the importance of the temporal structure of contralateral inhibition for enhancing binaural contrast. Contralateral inhibition degrades the accuracy with which amplitude modulation is encoded by AN 1 and AN2, but only if the temporal pattern of inhibitory input matches that of excitation. Our results show that the CF-specific coding properties of ON1 allow this single neuron to enhance localization cues most effectively for both cricket-like and bat-like acoustic signals.
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Westall, Claire Louise. "What should we know of cricket who only England know? : cricket and its heroes in English and Caribbean literature." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2007. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/4116/.
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As the game of England and empire, cricket is a significant colonial and postcolonial cultural practice which has proven as important to anti colonial modes of resistance, opposition and independence as its image of Englishness was to the hegemonizing project of British imperialism. Although the game has an immense literature of its own, little critical attention has been paid to its place in the field of literary studies. Consequently, taking its title and starting point from the interwoven questioning of Rudyard Kipling and C. L. R. James, this thesis explores cricket's repeated presence in English and Caribbean literature as a symbol of interconnected national and imperial identities under constant renegotiation, concentrating specifically on the construction and problematization of the male cricket hero - real and/or fictional - from Tom Brown to Brian Lara. Organized around the territorial metaphor of the crease, Part One, `English Literature at the Imperial Crease 1850s-1950s', offers two chapters which examine the place of cricket in the creation, imperial contextualization and post war decline of the English cricketing gentleman as a hero of the nation. Part Two, `Caribbean Heroes at the Literary Crease after 1950', engages with cricket's relation to the masculine quest for independence in Trinidadian literature as well as a range of poetic representations of the Caribbean's substantial investment in cricket heroes. Finally, Part Three, `The Straight White Line', re-evokes the crease as line and territory to read the trans-gendered British Caribbean cricketing body of Neil Jordan's The Crying Game (1992). The thesis argues that while cricket has been a valuable vehicle for the postcolonial expression of freedom in the Caribbean and elsewhere it has also remained tied to an over investment in individual male heroes which continues to pose substantial problems to projects of collective emancipation.
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Nguyen, Khuong Ba. "A new nematode parasite of mole crickets its taxonomy, biology and potential for biological control /." Gainesville, FL, 1988. http://www.archive.org/details/newnematodeparas00nguy.
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Simons, Andrew M. (Andrew Michael). "The effect of environmental variability on heritabilities and genetic correlations of traits in the field cricket, Gryllus pennsylvanicus /." Thesis, McGill University, 1993. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=69659.
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The amount of heritable variation and the pattern of genetic covariation in traits are the chief determinants in the evolution of a population, at least over the short term. A preponderance of heritability (h$ sp2)$ and genetic (r$ rm sb g)$ experiments are performed under laboratory conditions which are characterized by low levels of environmental variability. This thesis describes the investigation of the effects of environmental heterogeneity on phenotypic components of variance and covariance. Full-sib families of the field cricket, Gryllus pennsylvanicus, were split between a homogeneous laboratory environment and a more variable field environment. The values of h$ sp2$ were, on average, lower in the variable field environment, with a mean reduction of 19%. Development time was an exception, exhibiting high levels of additive variance in the field. Substantial decreases in generic components of variance contributed to the lower field h$ sp2$ estimates, as well as the expected increases in the components of environmental variance. Within-environment r$ rm sb g$ among morphological traits were not found to differ between the two environments. Laboratory measures of r$ rm sb g$ involving life history traits, though, were not found to reflect the same correlations measured in the heterogeneous environment. A significant negative genetic correlation between fecundity and development time was found in the field environment, yet was not observed in the laboratory. Male-female genetic correlations between morphological traits were high (all r$ rm sb g>0.73),$ and were consistently higher in the field environment than in the laboratory. The genetic correlations between the sexes in development time followed the same trend, but gonad weight showed no similarity between the sexes in either environment. Across-environment correlations within each trait are also discussed.
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Wang, Hsien-Yi Sabrina. "Motor neurons and motor patterns underlying phonotaxis during flight of the cricket, Teleogryllus oceanicus." Thesis, McGill University, 1988. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=63869.
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Alagirisamy, Pasupathy Sangareddy. "Vibro-Acoustic and Fluid Flow Response Behaviour of Airflow Sensors of Crickets." Thesis, University of Reading, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.533779.
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deCarvalho, Tagide. "The adaptive significance and prevalence of courtship feeding in Hawaiian swordtail crickets." College Park, Md.: University of Maryland, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1903/8501.
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Thesis (Ph. D.) -- University of Maryland, College Park, 2008.<br>Thesis research directed by: Dept. of Biology. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references. Published by UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Mich. Also available in paper.
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Mallard, Samantha. "Fluctuating asymmetry and reproduction in the field crickets Gryllus bimaculatus and Gryllodes sigillatus." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.251966.
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Williams, John Alan. "Cricket and society in Bolton between the wars." Thesis, Lancaster University, 1992. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.333895.
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Perry, Elizabeth Cecelia. "The travelling female athlete : cricket, migration and globalisation." Thesis, University of Canterbury. School of Social and Political Sciences, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/9883.
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This study explores the experiences of female athletes from New Zealand and Australia who migrate temporarily to play cricket in England. It locates the migration network of female cricket within the modern global sport space and challenges the overall
perception of what the typical global athlete is today.
The game of cricket has long been regarded as the ‘gentleman’s’ game and originated in England as an aristocratic sport, a symbol of wealth and hierarchy among the British elite. It has diffused into many Commonwealth countries and has developed into a game that is played by both sexes. This study is situated within the anthropology of sport and includes aspects of culture, identity, and gender in the globalised world we live in today. It offers a unique perspective because the research is conducted by a migrant female cricketer in the field and combines ethnographic and auto-ethnographic material.
Attention to the migration of female athletes has been minimal but research into this area of the sporting world raises a number of broader questions relating to sporting migration, personal/national identity, transnationalism, cosmopolitanism, diaspora, the gender divide in sport and globalisation. This study summarises some of the key literature relating to globalisation, sports migration, identity and gender, applying it anthropologically to the experiences of the migrant female cricketer.
The main finding is the movement of female cricketers from country to country is not influenced by the commodification of modern sport; instead the athletes are motivated by social and personal factors, as opposed to the material (monetary) ones that now apparently dominates contemporary sport. Movement reflects a basic migratory network that has developed between New Zealand, Australia and England, influenced by seasonal
migration, and the social, cultural and historical connections between the countries. The research offers a contrasting perspective on current sporting migration literature by
sharing the experiences of female athletes who migrate for sport and locating the findings within larger analytical concepts.
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Pote, Lee. "Strength and conditioning of adolescent male cricket players." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63933.
Full textAbstract:
Background: Modern day cricketers are faced with longer, more strenuous seasons which are more physically demanding than the traditional forms of the game. Due to these increased physical demands, players are more prone to both overuse injuries, particularly of the lower back (bowlers) and lower limbs (batsmen), as well as acute, impact injuries (fielders/wicket keepers). The increase in injury risk is of particular concern at younger levels as research has shown that adolescents are at a higher risk for injury than their adult counterparts. Therefore, there is a need for strength and conditioning programs that reduce the risk of injury and improve performance at this level. However, of the programs that are available, most are not multi-factorial in nature and are aimed at elite cricketers. This is of concern in low-to-middle income countries such as South Africa, where players often do not have access to facilities or equipment and thus need to be exposed to low-cost, no-cost training programs. Furthermore, most information is anecdotal and there is a distinct lack of injury prevention programs at an adolescent level. Objective: The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the strength and conditioning practices of adolescent cricket players, particularly from a South African context, where there is a distinct lack of resources. This was through the completion of three phases; firstly, a literature review was completed to determine the information currently available on injury prevention strategies in cricket. The review also examined the injury statistics of five major playing cricket nations. Secondly, a survey was conducted to determine the current strength and conditioning practices of schoolboy and university coaches in South Africa. Lastly, a novel intervention program (CricFit) was designed and implemented within an adolescent population. The main purpose of the intervention was to determine whether players’ physical fitness parameters improved over time and whether the risk of injury was reduced. Methods: For phase one of the thesis (review paper), a search of the different scientific databases was undertaken to determine the nature and incidence of injuries in cricket activity as well as well as current strength and conditioning practices in place to reduce these injuries. These injury statistics and prevention programs where then reviewed. For the survey based research, an online questionnaire, adapted from previous strength and conditioning studies, was sent to 38 school boy and 12 university teams that participated in the top competitions in South Africa. In addition to the previous questionnaires, cricket specific practices and injury statistic questions were added to the survey. The survey consisted of three sections: a general, cricket specific and injury and injury prevention section. The survey also allowed coaches at both university and school levels to describe their practices and ideas in order to understand their basic knowledge of scientifically-based principles of strength and conditioning. Thus coaches were encouraged to explain what conditioning practices they implemented through a number of open ended questions which were then analysed for minor and major themes. The focus of the intervention program was to improve general physical fitness for cricket players. The study was a pre- and post-test design where twenty eight schoolboy cricketers (aged 15-19 years) were allocated to a control (n=14) or experimental (n=14) group during the cricket pre-season period. Both groups performed traditional net and field based training over a four week period (one net and one field based session), with the experimental group performing an additional two, 35-45 minute, conditioning sessions per week (“CricFit” intervention program). The intervention consisted of exercises that centred on the movement demands associated with the sport of cricket as well as injury prevention exercises (specifically Nordic lowers and core strength). Prior to and post the four week intervention period, responses were measured using a test battery that was designed to replicate the demands of cricket activity. Results: The results indicate on overall thesis summary. The literature view showed that there is a limited amount of injury prevention programs available for adolescent cricket players. It was also confirmed that for both adolescent and adult players, fast bowlers (lower back), followed by batsmen (lower limbs) and then fielders (impact) are the most prone to injuries. The survey showed that schools and universities in South Africa do conduct some form of conditioning, workload monitoring and injury prevention exercises; however the incorrect practices are being administered when considering the movement demands and most common injuries in cricket. It was also shown that most coaches did not have the adequate qualifications and experience to implement acceptable strength and conditioning programs. For the intervention study, both the control and experimental groups showed significant (p<0.05) improvements in most responses, but the changes for the experimental group were greater than those shown in the control group. Furthermore, significant (p<0.05) changes were shown between the two groups (control vs. experimental) for percentage body fat (12 vs. 11%), sit and reach flexibility (40.79 vs. 80.50mm), plank time (105.36 vs. 185.29s), 20 m sprint time (3.27 vs. 2.84s), push ups (34 vs. 41) and 25 m shuttle distance (699.18 vs. 746.79m). Conclusion: Coaches need to be educated and trained to implement the correct strength and conditioning practices at an adolescent level as well as to better understand the link between the movement demands and principles of testing and training. An improved education process may be needed to improve the quality as well as the qualifications of strength and conditioning coaches. If coaches and trainers are educated properly, then the “CricFit” intervention program may be used to improve cricket specific fitness throughout the pre-season period. The “CricFit” programme is useful in countries such as South Africa, where often players do not have access to coaches and facilities and thus can be implemented easily with minimal cost.
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King, Gregory Allen. "Physiological, perceptual and performance responses during cricket activity." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005210.
Full textAbstract:
The present study sought to determine the influence of environmental conditions and protective clothing on physiological, perceptual and performance responses during batting activity. The investigation examined mean skin temperature, average heart rate, estimated sweat rate, rating of perceived exertion, thermal sensation rating, average sprint time and pre-post choice reaction time. Twenty-five cricketers (18-22 yr, 73.1 ± 9.6 kg, 1768 ± 75 mm, 12.6 ± 3.1% body fat, 1.89 ± 0.16 m2) performed a work-bout consisting of a seven-Over batting period, during which time they faced deliveries from a bowling machine and performed two shuttle runs every third ball to total four sprints per Over. Trials were carried out under High-stress (23.8 ± 2.2 °C) and Low-stress (13.3 ± 1.9 °C) environmental conditions (WBGT). Within each environmental condition subjects performed the test wearing full protective batting gear and no protective gear. Thus, four specific conditions were examined; high full-gear (HFG), high no-gear (HNG), low full-gear (LFG) and low no-gear (LNG). Two-way ANOVAs were calculated to determine whether there were differences between environmental conditions and whether differences existed between the clothing conditions. One-way ANOVAs were utilised to compute differences between the four specific conditions combining clothing and environment. High environmental stress and wearing protective clothing caused batsmen to experience significant physiological strain. The environment was the greatest stressor, with the protective gear exacerbating these effects. However, when padding covered skin areas directly, this was the primary skin temperature stressor, particularly later in the activity. For skin temperature and heart rate, the strain was the most pronounced at the end of the trials. Perceptual responses indicated that the protective gear had no influence on effort sense, thermal sensation or thermal comfort. However, environmental conditions had an effect, and High-stress conditions resulted in significantly higher perceptions of effort, elevated sensations of heat and greater thermal discomfort. Effort was perceived to be greatest towards the end of the trial. There were mixed findings for performance factors. In general sprint performance was not hindered by environmental stress, but protective clothing caused a reduction in several sprint times. Choice reaction times were for the most part unaffected by either environment or clothing and few differences were observed between pre and post times. It is contended that intense short duration batting activity, likely encountered during one-day participation, imposes a stress on batsmen. The stress is greater when conditions are warmer and protective padding is worn, although it is not sufficient to impede choice reaction time. However, protective gear did have a deleterious effect on sprint performance.
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Fisher, Sam. "Experimental and finite element analysis of cricket bats." Thesis, University of Bath, 2005. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.425866.
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Ross, Alan J. "Cricket and the establishment : a social history of cricket in Lancashire with specific reference to the Liverpool competition 1775-1935 /." The Ohio State University, 1987. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1487585645577718.
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Sheppard, Bronwyn Jane. "Musculoskeletal and perceptual responses of batsmen comparing high- and moderate-volume sprints between the wickets." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016366.
Full textAbstract:
Background: Literature has associated repeated eccentric muscle actions with increased muscle damage of the muscles involved. Eccentric actions are typical in sports which are ‘stop-start’ in nature requiring rapid acceleration and deceleration, typical of a batting activity in cricket. Ultra-structural damage of the skeletal muscle as a consequence of repeated decelerating activities is associated with performance decrements, particularly muscle strength and sprinting speeds. This suggests that eccentric strength decrements may provide an indication for the development of muscle strain injuries during these activities. Despite these findings, limited research has identified the specific musculoskeletal demands placed on cricket batsmen, particularly with reference to various match intensities. Objective: The present study, therefore, sought to determine the specific musculoskeletal, physiological and perceptual demands placed on specialised batsmen during two work bouts of different intensities; one representing a highintensity work bout and the other a moderate-intensity work bout. The dependent variables of interest were muscle activation, isokinetic strength changes, heart rate, ‘central’ and ‘local’ ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), body discomfort and performance. Methods: The two experimental conditions, representative of a high- (HVR) and moderate-volume running (MVR) batting protocol, required players to perform a simulated batting work bout of either twelve or six runs an over, within a laboratory setting. Selected physiological, perceptual and performance measures were collected at specific time intervals throughout the work bout while the biophysical measures were collected prior to, and following both protocols. Results: Of the variables measured, heart rate, ‘central’ and ‘local’ RPE values were observed to increase significantly (p<0.05) over time. This increase was greater as a consequence of the HVR in comparison to the MVR. No change in sprint times was documented during the MVR, in contrast, significant (p<0.05) increases over time were observed during the HVR, further highlighting the elevated demands associated with this condition. In addition, an ‘end spurt’ was observed particularly following the HVR condition, suggesting athletes were conserving themselves through the adoption of a pacing strategy. Reductions in biceps femoris and semitendinosus muscle activation levels were observed following the HVR. This was further supported by the significantly greater levels of semitendinosus activation following the MVR when compared to the HVR. Peak concentric and eccentric knee extensor (EXT) (-17.17% and -16.07% respectively) and eccentric flexor (FLEX) (- 17.49%) values decreased significantly (p<0.05) following the HVR at 60°.s-1. In addition, concentric and eccentric total work produced by the flexors and eccentric extensors resulted in significantly (p<0.05) lower values due to the HVR. Conclusion: The intermittent high-volume batting work bout elicited elevated mean heart rates, perceived ratings of cardiovascular and muscular effort and sprint times. Furthermore, hamstring activation levels and muscle strength, particularly concentric strength of the dominant lower limb were negatively affected by the HVR condition. These results suggest elevated demands were placed on the hamstring musculature as a consequence of the HVR condition, indicating a greater degree of musculoskeletal strain and increased injury risk associated with running between the wickets at this intensity, representative of an aggressive batting scenario.
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Ward, Michael P. "ABC television sport: Public broadcasting, innovation and nation building." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2017. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/115247/1/115247_9773053_michael_ward_thesis.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis is a history of ABC television sports broadcasting, focussing on Test cricket coverage to the 1970s and the reinvention of ABC sport following World Series Cricket (WSC). It charts public broadcasting innovation, using ABC sport to illustrate public broadcasting's role as both a comprehensive and a complementary sports broadcaster, but at different times. The thesis confronts received wisdom of a WSC "revolution" with analysis of ABC production and audience strategies. The thesis places the contemporary era of ABC TV sport in this historical frame, with its focus on sports ignored by commercial broadcasters, including women's and Paralympics sport.