An investigation of selected soil properties influencing the management and playability of New Zealand cricket pitches : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Horticultural Science in soil science, Massey University

The 1980's has been a period of growth for New Zealand cricket. The advent of the one day game plus international success has developed spectator interest and support to an unprecedented level. Cricket is certainly one game where player performance is very much dependent on the surface provided. It is perhaps fair to say that the standard of many New Zealand first class pitches has not allowed the development of entertaining cricket. As a result, pitches have been the target of increasing criticism from spectators, administrators, and players 'alike. Cricket pitch preparation has been said to be an 'art'. But the groundsman has limited scope to practice the art if the suitability of the soil used for pitch preparation is wanting. In an attempt to gain an understanding of the contribution of soil properties to good pitch preparation, the New Zealand Cricket Council and Soil Bureau of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) provided funding for a research programme. It was hoped that improved playability and pitch performance could be achieved by combining the 'art' of pitch preparation with sound scientific principles. The objectives of the research programme were: 1. To develop and standardise a set of laboratory procedures aimed at selecting soils and characterizing their suitability for cricket pitches. 2. To establish a comprehensive inventory of physical and chemical soil properties for a number of current pitch soils which can be used as a reference for selection of new pitch soils. 3. To relate sound scientific principles to field management techniques and pitch performance in an attempt to assist the groundsman with pitch preparation. 4. To investigate the contributions of playability, and their interactions with soil properties. 5. To elucidate the value of the nuclear moisture-density method for in situ measurement of pitch soil water content and bulk density. 6. To develop and implement a soil monitoring system for groundsmen who can then use it to evaluate changes in soil properties during pitch preparation. This would allow the development of specific management programmes for individual venues. 7. To suggest areas for future research. To meet these objectives a preliminary study (Cameron-Lee, 1984) was carried out to identify three soil parameters, namely clay content, clay type, and pitch soil profile, which affect pitch performance. An expansion of the findings of the preliminary study form the basis of this research programme. This investigation incorporated a field trial using four soils commonly known as the Palmerston North1 , St John, Ward, and Kakanui. The soils have different chemical and physical properties. They are all currently in use throughout New Zealand on first class pitches. In addition, three pitch soils, namely the Marton, Redhill and Naike were evaluated, along with the field trial soils in the laboratory to provide a greater comparative analysis of pitch soil properties

Enkinaesthetic polyphony: the underpinning for first-order languaging

We contest two claims: (1) that language, understood as the processing of abstract symbolic forms, is an instrument of cognition and rational thought, and (2) that conventional notions of turn-taking, exchange structure, and move analysis, are satisfactory as a basis for theorizing communication between living, feeling agents. We offer an enkinaesthetic theory describing the reciprocal affective neuro-muscular dynamical flows and tensions of co- agential dialogical sense-making relations. This “enkinaesthetic dialogue” is characterised by a preconceptual experientially recursive temporal dynamics forming the deep extended melodies of relationships in time. An understanding of how those relationships work, when we understand and are ourselves understood, when communication falters and conflict arises, will depend on a grasp of our enkinaesthetic intersubjectivity

The 2010 regulations on golf groove design: impact on ball flight characteristics during a controlled shot.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference in the amount of spin that can be generated during a controlled golf shot, as a result of the 2010 rule change regarding restrictions applied to the design of the grooves on the clubface implemented by the United States Golf Association and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club. Ten experienced golfers (mean ± SD; age, 23.0 ± 0.67 yr; playing experience, 13.2 ± 1.6 yr; handicap, 1.6 ± 1.4) were required to play a total of 120 shots inside a state of the art golf simulator with 3 clubs consisting of ‘old’ pre 2010 U-groove design and ‘new’ post 2010 V-groove design. With the U and V grooved clubs, participants played 10 shots from a fairway mat and 10 shots from a rough mat using a 9 iron, PW and SW. Backspin (RPM) and, as a measure of accuracy, distance landed from the pin (yds) were recorded. Compared to the U-grooves, the newer V-groove design imparted significantly less backspin from both the fairway and rough surfaces (P < 0.05), additionally, shots with all clubs were consistently further away from the pin (P < 0.05). The newer groove design does not enable players to impart as much backspin on the ball as they previously could and our data suggest that the recent change in golf club design might therefore reward driving accuracy

The synthesis and evaluation of proton conducting electrolytes for high temperature steam electrolysers

Proton conducting ceramics based on acceptor doped perovskites are the subject of investigation as candidate electrolyte materials for Solid Oxide Electrolyser Cells (SOECs). Specifically, BaCe0.9Y0.1O3-[delta](BCY10) and BaZr0.9Y0.1O3-[delta](BZY10) were investigated. Samples with greater than 95% of the maximum theoretical density were successfully prepared using a BCY10 commercial powder. It was found that when small additions of ZnO were added to a BZY10 commercial powder, a density of greater than 95% of the theoretical maximum was achievable whereas without ZnO addition, the maximum achievable density was 85%. BCY10 was found to have a total conductivity approximately one order of magnitude greater than Zndoped BZY10 over the entire temperature range studied. Spray pyrolysis and sol-gel methods were used successfully to prepare single phase pure BZY10 powders. The sintering behaviours of the powders produced by spray pyrolysis were found to alter significantly with changes in powder processing parameters. BCY10 and Zn-doped BZY10 cells were tested in electrolysis and fuel cell modes and the effects of varying operating conditions on cell performances were studied. At 750oC, the Area Specific Resistances (ASR) of a BCY10 cell in electrolysis mode was found to be lower when the anode compartment was humidified to [approximately equal]83% than to[approximately equal]3%. Below this temperature, ASR values were greater when using increased humidity levels. It was concluded that a degree of oxide ion conduction may be beneficial to the operation of proton conducting electrolysers. Post-test, BCY10 cell cross-sections were imaged using scanning electron microscopy and analysed using Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Significant erosion of grain boundaries regions close the electrode-electrolyte interfaces was observed and EDX spectroscopy results suggested the formation of a secondary phase in these regions, possibly Y:CeO2. Had testing continued over an extended period of time it is probable that BCY10 cells would have undergone mechanical failure

Conversion Efficiencies of Heteronuclear Feshbach Molecules

We study the conversion efficiency of heteronuclear Feshbach molecules in population imbalanced atomic gases formed by ramping the magnetic field adiabatically. We extend the recent work [J. E. Williams et al., New J. Phys., 8, 150 (2006)] on the theory of Feshbach molecule formations to various combinations of quantum statistics of each atomic component. A simple calculation for a harmonically trapped ideal gas is in good agreement with the recent experiment [S. B. Papp and C. E. Wieman, Phys. Rev. Lett., 97, 180404 (2006)] without any fitting parameters. We also give the conversion efficiency as an explicit function of initial peak phase space density of the majority species for population imbalanced gases. In the low-density region where Bose-Einstein condensation does not appear, the conversion efficiency is a monotonic function of the initial peak phase space density, but independent of statistics of a minority component. The quantum statistics of majority atoms has a significant effect on the conversion efficiency. In addition, Bose-Einstein condensation of an atomic component is the key element determining the maximum conversion efficiency.Comment: 46 pages, 32 figure