Comparison of two programs for standardisation of time-series data in dendrochronology

Za standardizacijo zaporedij širin branik je v uporabi več programov, mi smo primerjali dva - najbolj razširjeni in znani program ARSTAN in pred kratkim predstavljeno knjižnico za standardizacijo dendrokronoloških podatkov dplR, narejeno za statistični program R. Oba programa sta brezplačna, ARSTAN je namenski program za standardizacijo zaporedij širin branik, medtem ko je program R, v okviru katerega deluje knjižnica dplR, namenjen tudi drugim analizam in prikazom podatkov. Uporabili smo različne teste in preverili, ali so med kronologijami širin branik, kakor jih izračunata ARSTAN in dplR, statistično značilne razlike in ali so standardizirane kronologije, narejene s knjižnico dplR, enako uporabne za preučevanje ekoloških in klimatoloških vprašanj, kot so kronologije, narejene s programom ARSTAN. ARSTAN za izračun kronologije ponudi uporabniku listo ukazov, medtem ko dplR zahteva pisne ukaze in ne ponuja izbire. Pri primerjavi rezultatov smo ugotovili, da razlike med izračuni primerjanih programov niso statistično značilne - programa pri osnovnih statističnih parametrih ponudita enake rezultate za povprečne širine branik in standardne odklone ter z razliko na drugem decimalnem mestu za rezultate občutljivosti in avtokorelacijskega koeficienta. Korelacija med standardiziranima kronologijama znaša 0,9773, med kronologijama ostankov pa 0,9776, grafično so razlike prav tako maloštevilne in majhne. Ker se programa razlikujeta le po delovnem okolju, je odločitev o izbiri programa prepuščena uporabniku.Several freeware programs are available for calculation of chronologies. In this paper, we compared two of these programsthe well known ARSTAN and the newly introduced library for standardization dendrochronological data dplR, made for statistical program R. Both are free. ARSTAN is specific and produces chronologies from tree-ring width by standardization, while dplR is a package within the statistical programming environment R, which is able to analyze and present results of other analysis. For comparison of chronologies,made in these two programs, we used different tests. ARSTAN provides many options for calculating chronologies, whereas dplR demands written orders and offers no choices. Differences between built chronologies from these two programs are not statistically significant - programs produce same results comparing basic statistical analysis for average tree-ring width sand standard deviations, but for results of sensitivity and autocorrelation coefficient, there is a difference on a second decimal place. Correlation between standardized chronologies is 0.9773, while between residual chronologies it reaches 0.9776graphically, the differences are also small and low numbered. As the true difference between the programs lies merely in the working environment, it is for users to decide, which program suit them best

Victimization research studies in Slovenia

Viktimizacija je dandanes pereč problem. Predstavlja enega izmed problemov, ki se lahko zelo hitro pojavi in se pogosto ponavlja. Stanje sproščenosti ali drugače rečeno občutek, da se nekaj ne more zgoditi, ker se to dogaja zgolj v oddaljenih državah, je že zdavnaj mimo. Omeniti je potrebno, da vsakodnevno prihaja do človeku neljubih dogodkov, kot so npr. kraje in tatvine, vlomi, psihično in fizično nasilje itn. Dogaja se, da se ljudje viktimizacije ne zavedajo, čeprav so že večkrat postali žrtev – in tukaj nastane problem. Na drugi strani pa prav tako velikokrat pride do tega, da ljudje kaznivih dejanj ne prijavljajo, ker ne zaupajo v delo policije ali pa jih je strah odziva in posledic. Z vse večjim nezaupanjem v državne službe, ki naj bi omogočale normalno življenje in občutek varnosti, se navsezadnje povečuje tudi temno polje kriminalitete, kar pa v veliki meri k raziskovanju spodbuja tiste, ki si želijo pridobiti vpogled v širši kontekst varnosti, tiste, ki si prizadevajo ugotoviti realno slike kriminalitete in stanje varnosti v družbi, torej raziskovalce žrtev kaznivih dejanj oziroma viktimologe, ki s svojimi raziskavami pomagajo ugotoviti stanje viktimizacije. V povezavi s tem je v magistrskem delu obravnavan problem viktimizacije, opredeljene so različne tipologije žrtev, predstavljene so viktimogene predispozicije žrtev, nazadnje pa so predstavljeni tudi rezultati nekaterih raziskav, ki so se ukvarjale s tematiko viktimizacije v Sloveniji. Obravnavane so bile štiri viktimizacijske ankete, osrednjo temo raziskovanja pa so predstavljale žrtve v povezavi z različnimi kaznivimi dejanji. Pri raziskovanju so bili pridobljeni rezultati, ki so pokazali, da odstotek viktimiziranih oseb skozi leta ostaja približno enak oziroma prihaja do nihanja, ki pa ni pretirano in ne predstavlja večjih odstopanj. Prav tako je bilo ugotovljeno, da se skozi leta občutek varnosti ne izboljšuje ter da zadovoljstvo ljudi z delom policije še zdaleč ni tako, kot bi moralo biti.Victimization is a very big problem nowadays. It represents one of the problems that can occur and repeat very quickly and very often in our lives. The state of relaxation or in other words the feeling that something can’t happen to us because it is happening elsewhere in distant countries is long past. It should be mentioned that the unpleasant things, such as thefts, burglaries, psychological and physical violence, etc. are happening every day. It also often happens that people are not aware of victimization, but they have nevertheless become a victim and this is where the problem arises. On the other hand, it also often happens that people do not report crimes because they don’t trust the work of the police or are afraid of the response and consequences that might follow. With growing distrust of the government authorities that are supposed to allow a normal life and a sense of security, the dark field of crime is also increasing, which in large part encourages those who wish to gain insight into the wider context of security, those who seek to establish a realistic picture of crime and the state of security in society, in other words, to researchers or victimologists who with their research help to determine the state of victimization. In connection with this, the master thesis deals with the problem of victimization, identifies different typologies of victims, presents victimogenic predispositions of victims and finally presents the results of some researches that dealt with the topic of victimization in Slovenia. The main topic of the four surveys was victims in connection with various crimes. The survey obtained results that show that the percentage of victimized persons remains approximately the same over the years, or fluctuations occur, which is not exaggerated and does not represent significant variations. It has also been noted that the sense of security has not improved over the years and that people’s satisfactions with police work is far from what it should be

PSYCHOLOGICAL DIMENSIONS OF THE POLICE PROFESSION

Policisti v povezavi z značilnostmi, ki naj bi predstavljale tipično osebnost in potrdile obstoj tako imenovane osebnosti policistov, so zapolnili že marsikateri članek, del v reviji, knjigi, ipd., vendar pa do sedaj, kljub številnim raziskavam in domnevi o njenem obstoju, še ni bilo podanega nobenega končnega odgovora oziroma potrdila, zato si lahko vsak izmed nas ustvari in ohranja svoje mišljenje. Govorimo lahko tudi o tako imenovanih osebnostnih značilnostih, ki naj bi se razvile zaradi narave dela in tako predstavljale steber vsakega uslužbenca policije. Ne smemo pa prezreti dejstva, da je vsak posameznik unikaten, samosvoj in da ima vsak izmed nas drugačne lastnosti, ki so bodisi prirojene, bodisi prevzete oziroma ustvarjene zaradi okolja v katerem živi. O samih značilnostih in osebnosti policistov bo govora tudi v diplomski nalogi. Najprej se bomo osredotočili na teoretični del in sicer na definicijo kaj policija je, kdo dejansko so ljudje, ki delajo v policiji in s čim se srečujejo, kakšne so njihove naloge in pravice, ipd. Ne bomo pozabili niti na opise tipičnih oziroma že splošno znanih značilnosti policistov, nekaj besed pa bomo namenili tudi psihološkemu delu, kjer bomo govorili o tem, kaj je osebnost, kaj nanjo vpliva, podali nekaj teorij različnih avtorjev, itd. V drugem delu diplomske naloge sledi empirični del z analizo ankete ter grafičnim prikazom z razlagami, pri katerih smo ugotavljali javno mnenje ljudstva o obstoju osebnosti policistov, tipičnih značilnostih in idealnem policistu.Policemen in relation with characteristics, which are supposed to represent a typical personality and the reality of so called police personality, have been a theme in many articles, magazines and books. But so far no research has shown that police personality is real, so each one of us can base their own opinion. We can also talk about so called personality characteristics, which are supposed to develop because of the nature of the job and represent the pillar of every policeman. But we should not ignore the fact that each of us is unique and has different characteristics which we could be born with or we could develop them based on the environment we live in. About aforementioned characteristics and the police personality I will write in my thesis. First, we will concentrate on the theoretical part. We will describe what the police is, what people in the police job actually do, what their tasks look like, what are their rights and so on. We will not forget about description of typical and already well known characteristics of policemen. We will also write a few words about the psychological point of view, which willl include answers about what is personality, what affects it and write down some theories by different authors. The second half of my thesis consists of empirical part with analysis of survey and grafic display with explanations in which we establish public opinion about the existence of the police personality, their typical characteristics and their point of view on the ideal policeman

Influence of functional magnetic stimulation on the circumference of the biceps brachii muscle

Funkcionalna magnetna stimulacija (FMS) je neinvazivna metoda z širokim spektrom pozitivnih učinkov, ki jih uporabljamo na področju medicine, fizioterapije in estetike. Na področju estetike se FMS uporablja za krepitev zdravih mišic. Pregled literature je pokazal pomanjkanje raziskav na področju estetike, ki bi predstavljale kvantitativno pridobljene rezultate. Namen magistrske naloge je bil izvesti preliminarno študijo spremljanja spreminjanja obsega sredine nadlakti (MUAC) in premera dvoglave nadlaktne mišice kot posledico FMS terapij. Magistrska naloga je sestavljena iz uvodnega teoretičnega dela, ki predstavi anatomske in fiziološke osnove, ki so potrebne za razumevanje magistrske naloge. Poleg tega smo pojasnili tudi osnovni fizikalni princip magnetne stimulacije živcev in teoretično ozadje uporabljenih merilnih metod. V drugem delu magistrske naloge je predstavljen protokol po katerem smo izvedli študijo in pridobljeni rezultati. Na vzorcu sedmih zdravih odraslih moških (starost od do) smo izvedli deset FMS terapij. Merili smo obseg sredine nadlakti (MUAC) in premer dvoglave nadlaktne mišice, ki smo ga odčitali iz ultrazvočnih posnetkov nadlakti. Izmerili smo napetosti, ki so bile potrebne, da smo izvali kontrakcijo dvoglave nadlaktne mišice pri različno dolgih dražljajih. Izmerjene vrednosti napetosti v odvisnosti od dolžine dražljaja smo uporabili za izris intenzivnostno-časovne (IT) krivulje in izračun njenih parametrov. Analizirali smo tudi frekvenčni spekter elektromiografskega (EMG) signala. Rezultati vključujejo meritve MUAC in premera dvoglave nadlaktne mišice pred prvo terapijo, po prvi terapiji, pred zadnjo terapijo, po zadnji terapiji in tri tedne po zadnji terapiji. Izmerjena razlika vrednosti premera dvoglave nadlaktne mišice pred terapijami in po terapijah izkazujejo statistično pomembo različnost med tretirano in kontrolno roko. Prikazana hipertrofija se do neke mere odraža tudi v zmanjšanju kronaksije, ki je parameter IT krivulje, in v premikih median frekvenčnih spektrov EMG signalov proti višjim frekvencam. Zaključimo lahko, da je FMS učinkovita metoda za doseganje hipertrofije mišic in da FMS najverjetneje povečuje delež FT mišičnih vlaken.Functional magnetic stimulation (FMS) is a non-invasive method wide a wide range of beneficial effect that are being utilized in medicine, physiotherapy, and aesthetics. In aesthetics, FMS is used for strengthening of healthy muscles. A literature search has shown a lack of studies in the field of aesthetics that represent quantitative data. The aim of this master’s thesis was to carry out a preliminary study that will monitor the changes of middle upper arm circumference (MUAC) and the diameter of the bicep muscles before and after the series of FMS treatments. The thesis is composed of the theoretical part that explains the basic anatomical and physiological principles that are needed to understand this thesis. It also illustrates the basic principles of FMS and the used measuring methods. The second part of the thesis presents the used protocol, the results, and the conclusions of the study. We did ten FMS therapies on seven healthy adult men. We measured MUAC and the diameter of the bicep that we got from ultrasound images of the upper arm. We also measured the voltages needed for exiting a minimal contraction with different lengths of the stimuli. The voltages and stimuli lengths were then used to draw an intensity-time (IT) curve as well as calculate its parameters. Another objective of this study was the assessment of muscle composition in the sense of fast-twitch (FT)/ slow-twitch (ST) muscles fiber ratio in respect to FMS therapies. We assess the muscle composition through the analysis of frequency spectrum of electromyography (EMG) signal. The results show MUAC and bicep diameter measurements before and after the first therapy, before and after the last therapy, and three weeks after the last therapy. The measured values illustrate a statistically significant distinction between the treated and the control arm in the difference between bicep diameter measured before the first therapy and after the last therapy. An increase in chronaxie and the shift in the median of the EMG frequency spectrum towards higher frequencies point to a connection between these two parameters and the hypertrophy of the muscles. We can conclude the FMS is an efficient method of achieving muscle hypertrophy and that FMS must likely result in an increase in FM muscle fibers

Comparison of two programs for standardisation of time-series data in dendrochronology

Several freeware programs are available for calculation of chronologies. In this paper, we compared two of these programs; the well known ARSTAN and the newly introduced library for standardization dendrochronological data dplR, made for statistical program R. Both are free. ARSTAN is specific and produces chronologies from tree-ring width by standardization, while dplR is a package within the statistical programming environment R, which is able to analyze and present results of other analysis. For comparison of chronologies,made in these two programs, we used different tests. ARSTAN provides many options for calculating chronologies, whereas dplR demands written orders and offers no choices. Differences between built chronologies from these two programs are not statistically significant - programs produce same results comparing basic statistical analysis for average tree-ring width sand standard deviations, but for results of sensitivity and autocorrelation coefficient, there is a difference on a second decimal place. Correlation between standardized chronologies is 0.9773, while between residual chronologies it reaches 0.9776; graphically, the differences are also small and low numbered. As the true difference between the programs lies merely in the working environment, it is for users to decide, which program suit them best