Classification of junior Ethiopian football players using anthropometric and physical fitness attributes: Developing a predictive model

Objetivo: El objetivo del presente estudio fue desarrollar un modelo predictivo que identifique la condición física y antropométrica que prediga mejor el estado y las posiciones de juego (N=400; 15–17 años) en el programa de desarrollo del fútbol juvenil masculino etíope. Métodos. La medición antropométrica en términos de masa, altura, grasa corporal relativa y composición corporal derivada se realizó utilizando las pautas de la Sociedad Internacional para el Avance de la Cineantropometría (ISAK). El estado físico se midió mediante pruebas de velocidad (10 metros, 20 metros y 40 metros planos), la prueba de agilidad de Illinois, la prueba de salto vertical y el VO2 máximo estimado. Se utilizó ANOVA factorial para probar las relaciones entre la residencia de los jugadores, la posición y los respectivos términos de interacción. Además, se utilizó el análisis discriminante para identificar las variables que contribuyeron a las selecciones. Resultados. Los jugadores de residencias de campamentos deportivos fueron significativamente diferentes en todos los atributos antropométricos, así como en los atributos de condición física en p<0.05 excepto en el VO2 máx. El porcentaje de jugadores correctamente clasificados en los grupos originales fue ligeramente inferior al porcentaje calculado tras el análisis realizado para la muestra total (86%) y tras el cálculo por posiciones (86-90%). Conclusión. El estudio concluyó que la velocidad evaluada en 10 m, 40 m, salto vertical y altura fueron los atributos discriminados de los jugadores por unidad residencial en los jugadores de fútbol juveniles etíopes. Se recomienda que los atributos antropométricos y de aptitud física sean importantes en la evaluación y selección de jugadores de fútbol jóvenes con potencial para una selección de rendimiento de alto nivel.Aim: The aim of the present study was to develop a predictive model that identifies the anthropometric and physical fitness characteristics that best predicts the status and playing positions of players (N=400; 15–17 years) in the Ethiopian male youth soccer development programme. Methods: Anthropometric measurement in terms of mass, height, relative body fat, and derived body composition was conducted using the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK) guidelines. Fitness was measured by sprint tests (10 meters, 20 meters and 40 meters flat), the Illinois agility test, vertical jump test and estimated VO2 max. Factorial ANOVA was used to test the relationships between players’ residence, position, and respective interaction terms. Additionally, discriminant analysis was used to identify the variables that contributed to the selections. Results: Players residing in a Sports Camp (academy) vs. their homes were significantly different in all anthropometric attributes as well as physical fitness attributes at p<0.05 except VO2 max. The percentage of players who were correctly classified in the original groups was slightly lower than the percentage calculated after the analysis was performed for the total sample (86%) and after calculation by position (86 – 90%). Conclusion: The study concluded that speed assessed in10m, 40m, vertical jump, and height were the discriminate attributes of Ethiopian junior football players selected or not selected to an elite group residential sports camp. It is recommended that anthropometrical and physical fitness attributes are considered in the assessment and selection of young football players with the potential for higher-level performance selection

Basisteorie vir familiepastoraat

Met die oog daarop om 'n basisteorie vir familiepastoraat te ontwerp, word verskeie basisteoretiese konsepte geidentifiseer en bespreek. Dit is veral die relasionele definiering van families - eerder as die tradisionele biologiese definiering - wat van fundamentele belang vir basisteoretiese besinning is. Hierdie 'ekologiese' verstaan van families, sluit familiesisteme van alle vorms in en hou rekening met huidige sosiologiese realiteite sowel as bepaalde teologiese perspektiewe. In aansluiting by die relasionele definiering van families, het familiepastoraat 'n verhoudingsfokus en werk dit met 'n multidimensionele perspektief wat op al die dinamiese verhoudingsprosesse en -fases binne familiesisteme gerig is. In verbondenheid met die gemeente, benader familiepastoraat families as ekologiese geloofsisteme en funksioneer dit in die lig van die evangelie asook doelbewus binne koninkrykskonteks. In die slothoofstuk word al die sentrale basisteoretiese konsepte geintegreer tot 'n teoretiese geheel. Die basisteorie vir familiepastoraat, wat hier ontwerp word, kan kemagtig soos volg geformuleer word: Familiepastoraat is gesprekmatige verhoudingsorg van die ekologiese familie en dit geskied binne koninkrykskonteks.For the purpose of developing a basic theory for family pastoral work, several basic theoretical concepts are identified and discussed. The defining of families in terms of relations - rather than the traditional biological defining - is of fundamental importance for basic theoretical reflection. This 'ecological' understanding of families includes families of all shapes and forms, whilst it also reflects sociological realities and it takes into account certain theological perspectives. The aim of family pastoral work is synchronised with the relational defining of families and focus, therefore, on the multiple dynamic relational processes and phases within family systems. For this manifold relational focus, family pastoral work operates with a multidimensional perspective. The basic theory developed for family pastoral work, can be formulated as follows: Family pastoral work is dialogical care of the relationships of ecological families and it operates within context of the Kingdom.Philosophy, Practical and Systematic TheologyM.Th. (Practical theology

Computational techniques for aircraft evolvability exploration during conceptual design.

Evolvability is a critical consideration during the design of an aircraft. It refers to the extent to which a baseline design could be reused, or `easily' modified to create descendant designs that would meet future requirements. Since a major fraction of the cost of an aircraft programme is determined by decisions made during conceptual design, it is essential that the design space is explored thoroughly during this stage to find evolvable designs. Existing computational methods to perform such exploration exist, but are limited in two respects. The first of these is that, with existing techniques, derivatives are usually generated by applying pre-specified modifications to a selected baseline, such that each derivative in a study is only linked to a single baseline. The designer must therefore evaluate large numbers of baseline-derivative pairs to adequately capture the evolution options available. The second limitation concerns an absence of appropriate down-selection criteria to narrow down the number of design points when evolvability is considered. The work presented in this thesis addresses these limitations. The aim was to develop computational techniques that would enable aircraft designers to explore the evolvability of their designs more efficiently and effectively during the conceptual design stage. The scope was limited to civil transport aircraft and specifically to airframes. The work is applicable to both single- and twin-aisle aircraft, but the focus was, to a small degree, more on single-aisles. The research resulted in two main contributions: 1) a framework to provide a means to link all derivatives to all the baselines; and 2) a set of techniques to filter out inferior designs systematically. The framework builds on the premise that the degree of `similarity' between two ,designs could be used as an estimate for the redesign e ort (i.e. resource expenditure) required to change one of these into the other. Case studies involving existing aircraft families were conducted to determine which design changes could be considered `reasonable'. Based on this information, a set of techniques to assess airframe similarity was developed, which involves automatically predicting possible commonality across two designs. Several algorithms were devised to achieve this, including one that solves a longest common subsequence problem to find common body segments and a simple optimisation procedure to find common wing elements. Notably, these techniques can be used to compare aircraft with dissimilar configurations. For testing purposes, the framework was applied to several existing and future aircraft. The results showed that the predicted commonality matches published information regarding commonality and design re-use between designs. The framework essentially removes the need to model each future design option based on a specific starting design. The design filtering techniques involve the application of set-based design to facilitate systematic down-selection of potential designs. Specifically, it is demonstrated how established set-based design criteria could be adapted to prune an evolvability design space progressively. To demonstrate the usefulness of the research, it was applied to an example, concerning design candidates for a new single-aisle, environmentally friendly passenger aircraft. The results of this study were presented to a panel of design specialists from Airbus UK. The panel concluded that the proposed similarity assessment provides reasonable initial estimates for redesign e ort and that the overall approach adds value to the evolvability exploration process.PhD in Aerospac

A framework for the informed normalization of printed microarrays

Microarray technology has become an essential part of contemporary molecular biological research. An aspect central to any microarray experiment is that of normalization, a form of data processing directed at removing technical noise while preserving biological meaning, thereby allowing for more accurate interpretations of data. The statistics underlying many normalization methods can appear overwhelming to microarray newcomers, a situation which is further compounded by a lack of accessible, non-statistical descriptions of common approaches to normalization. Normalization strategies significantly affect the analytical outcome of a microarray experiment, and consequently it is important that the statistical assumptions underlying normalization algorithms are understood and met before researchers embark upon the processing of raw microarray data. Many of these assumptions pertain only to whole-genome arrays, and are not valid for custom or directed microarrays. A thorough diagnostic evaluation of the nature and extent to which technical noise affects individual arrays is paramount to the success of any chosen normalization strategy. Here we suggest an approach to normalization based on extensive stepwise exploration and diagnostic assessment of data prior to, and after, normalization. Common data visualization and diagnostic approaches are highlighted, followed by descriptions of popular normalization methods, and the underlying assumptions they are based on, within the context of removing general technical artefacts associated with microarray data

The formative research process in developing and designing tuberculosis prevention and treatment display cards aimed at a community with a low level of literacy

This paper reports on the formative research process in the development of a series of tuberculosis prevention and treatment display cards, aimed at a community with a low level of literacy. The aim of the project was to evaluate existing posters and to develop a new series of display cards that health workers could use to discuss tuberculosis symptoms and treatment with their patients. Fifty two patients from eight tuberculosis clinics participated in the evaluative process of existing posters and the formative design process of display cards during a structured interview with a qualitative approach. The results indicated that the subjects had difficulty in understanding some of the Western-oriented graphic conventions, and the symbolic and latent messages in the existing posters. Only one of the existing posters obtained an acceptable comprehension level. The comprehension rating of the twelve new display cards improved when they were developed during a formative process with tuberculosis patients. A realistic photographic approach proved to be more effective in communicating the prevention and treatment messages to an audience with a low level of literacy, than did a simplified-illustrative approach. This paper compares the results of this project with those of others and suggests guidelines that graphic designers can use when designing for developing communities. The paper is illustrated with examples of both the existing and the new display cards

Generating intra and inter-provincial commercial vehicle activity chains

Modelling large-scale traffic flow systems at a disaggregate level can be data intensive as it requires extensive knowledge about the activities and activity chains of vehicles. This paper focuses on activity chain generation for commercial vehicles. We use a large sample of GPS records to extract a complex network and sample chain characteristics from. The paper makes a valuable contribution in both its methodology, and in its focus on intra and inter-provincial vehicle populations simultaneously. The simulated chains are validated in terms of vehicle kilometrekilometres travelled and its spatiotemporal accuracy, comparing favorably in both.South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) and South African National Research Foundation (NRF).http://www.journals.elsevier.com/procedia-social-and-behavioral-scienceshb201

Gender, purchase intention and sponsor image: a case study of the 2003 Cricket World Cup

This study examines the influence of gender and recall in terms of sponsor image and purchase intention in relation to the four international sponsors of the 2003 Cricket World Cup (CWC 2003). The research was conducted  six months after the CWC 2003 among 120 university students. The hypothesis was that consumers who correctly recalled a particular brand as one of the four global sponsors of CWC 2003 would have a more positive image of that brand and a stronger intention of purchasing it than those who were not able to recall the brand as a sponsor. The findings supported this hypothesis for only one of the sponsor brands, namely LG. They also identified sizeable differences in the correlation between sponsor image and purchase intention for respondents in the two recall groups. Male and female respondents differed in their ability to recall two of the sponsor brands, but no gender differences were found in their scores on sponsor image or purchase intention

Physical activity : one of the cornerstones in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus

Disease prevention not only entails stopping the development of the disease before it occurs, but also includes measures aimed at slowing down the progression of the established disease. Diabetes mellitus should be seen as an interacting occurrence between people and their environment. Thus the primary concern in prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus should include changes in those structural, social and economic factors that are important determinants of lifestyle. Exercise has long been a cornerstone in the management of diabetes based on its potential to improve metabolic control and diminish complications. Presently the lack of understanding pertaining to exercise and its benefits, associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus as well as the absence of education and intervention programmes makes good diabetes management difficult to achieve. Exercise is undervalued in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus. This may be due to a lack of understanding and motivation on the part of the person with diabetes mellitus as well as the absence of clear recommendations, encouragement and follow-up actions by health-care workers. Health-care workers should address these issues because most people with type 2 diabetes mellitus have the potential to derive benefit from regular, moderate levels of exercise.http://www.ajol.info/journal_index.php?jid=153&ab=ajpherdam201

Clear air turbulence over South Africa

Clear air turbulence (CAT) at high altitude remains a hazard to aviation which can result in passenger injury and aircraft damage. Two limited surveys of CAT events over South Africa, 1993-1995 (inclusive) and 1998, are used to illustrate the most likely synoptic conditions under which CAT can be expected. A case study of CAT associated with an upper-air trough and a mountain wave is presented. The study also evaluates the effectiveness of the Ellrod Turbulence Index (ETI) derived from model data provided by the UK Met. Office. A forecast of ETI derived from the Global Spectral Model of the United States National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) is also reviewed.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1469-8080hb2016Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorolog

Fog at Abu Dhabi International Airport

Fog that reduces visibility to the point where aircraft have to divert to another airport is not uncommon at Abu Dhabi International Airport (ADIA) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Over the period 1982 to 2003, the average annual frequency of fog at ADIA was 38 nights a year, the highest being 56 in 2000 and the lowest 23 in 1992. Fog is defined as occurring when water vapour in the atmosphere condenses into minute water droplets and the horizontal visibility falls below 1000 m (UK Meteorological Office (UKMO), 1991).http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1477-8696hb2016Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorolog