Colorful Awakening

Postcard from Mariah Hellebrandt, during the Linfield College Semester Abroad Program at the Galapagos Academic Institute for the Arts and Sciences in Ecuado

Through Another\u27s Eyes . . . The Life of a Galapageno

While still in the midst of their study abroad experiences, students at Linfield College write reflective essays. Their essays address issues of cultural similarity and difference, compare lifestyles, mores, norms, and habits between their host countries and home, and examine changes in perceptions about their host countries and the United States. In this essay, Mariah Hellebrandt describes her observations during her study abroad program at the Galapagos Academic Institute for the Arts and Sciences in Ecuador

Detection of Expressions with Undefined Behavior in C Language

Práce se zabývá detekcí nedefinovaného chování v programech v jazyce C. Zaměřujemese na nedefinované chování vznikající nesprávnou prací se sekvenčními body a vedlejšími efekty. Provedeme teoretický rozbor a pojmy jako nedefinované chování nebo vedlejší efekt zasadíme do kontextu práce. Dále vysvětlíme nebezpečnost konstrukcí vedoucích k nedefinovanému chování. Navrhneme metodu pro automatickou detekci zmíněného druhu nedefinovaného chování. Nakonec navrhneme a implementujeme nástroj pro jeho automatizovanou statickou detekci a popíšeme principy funkce tohoto nástroje. Při jeho návrhu klademe, narozdíl od současných řešení, důraz na funkčnost i v případě přístupu k paměti přes ukazatel nebo z volané funkce. Práce obsahuje příklady nebezpečných konstrukcí, na některých z nich jsou demonstrovány funkce vytvořeného nástroje.This thesis engages in detection of undefined behavior in the C language programs. We focus on undefined behavior stemming from incorrect work with sequence points and side effects. We perform a theoretical analysis and put terms like undefined behavior or side effect in context of the paper. Furthermore, we explain dangerousness of the constructs leading to undefined behavior. We propose a method for automated detection of the mentioned kind of undefined behavior. Finally, we design and implement a tool for its automated static detection and show the principles of the tool’s function. While designing the tool, contrary to current solutions, we stress functionality even in cases like accessing the memory via a pointer or from a called function. The thesis contains examples of dangerous constructs, functions of the created tool are demonstrated on some of them.

The financial position of British households: evidence from the 2009 NMG survey

The severe recession of the past year might be expected to have put the financial position of British households under considerable strain. Unemployment has risen significantly, credit conditions have tightened and many homeowners have seen their housing equity eroded. But many borrowers have also benefited significantly from the effects of lower mortgage interest rates. Evidence from the latest survey of households, carried out for the Bank by NMG Financial Services Consulting in late September and early October, shows how these and other changes impacted on households’ budgets and their decisions on whether to spend or save. Despite the weak economic backdrop, a slightly smaller proportion of households reported problems repaying their debts than in the 2008 survey. Partly this was because around half of mortgagors had benefited from lower interest rates. Around a quarter of households had increased or planned to increase saving.

Temporal gait characteristics in the Czech adult population

A descriptive comparative research study of gait of the Czech population has been carried out. Its aim was to assess temporal characteristics of a stance in the Czech population in relation to the BMI and age. To obtain basic data the Pedar Mobile System (Novel GER) with capacitative insoles was used. 170 men and women aged 18-60 divided by gender and age into three natural biological groups (18-30, 31-45, 46-60 years of age) were measured (Kovář 1997, Riegrová 1998, Pavlík 2007). Basic temporal characteristics of a stance were selected focusing on a comparison of the duration of the initial and terminal double limb stances and the single limb stance between the individual groups. These variables were assessed in relation to age and the BMI using ANOVA, Tukey HSD test and Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient to assess the results. The statistical significance level was set at α = 0.05. There were no significant differences found in the main observed variables, i.e. the initial and terminal double limb stances and the single limb stance in any age groups, neither in women or men in terms of age and BMI. The only difference detected was in the swing time in both the younger groups and the oldest group of participants in cases where they were not divided by gender. The swing time got significantly reduced in the oldest age category. The moderate correlation coefficient was found between the selected characteristics of a stance and the BMI or age for all the groups (r=0,3 – 0,5). This means that neither the BMI nor age significantly affect the initial and terminal double limb stance time and the single limb stance time in the observed research participants aged 60 and below

Boundary object or bridging concept? A citation network analysis of resilience.

ArticleMany recent studies observe the increasing importance, influence, and analysis of resilience as a concept to understand the capacity of a system or individual to respond to change. The term has achieved prominence in diverse scientific fields, as well as public discourse and policy arenas. As a result, resilience has been referred to as a boundary object or a bridging concept that is able to facilitate communication and understanding across disciplines, coordinate groups of actors or stakeholders, and build consensus around particular policy issues. We present a network analysis of bibliometric data to understand the extent to which resilience can be considered as a boundary object or a bridging concept in terms of its links across disciplines and scientific fields. We analyzed 994 papers and 35,952 citations between them to reveal the connectedness and links between and within fields. We analyzed the network according to different fields, modules, and sub-fields, showing a highly clustered citation network. Analyzing betweenness allowed us to identify how particular papers bridge across fields and how different fields are linked. With the exception of a few specific papers, most papers cite exclusively within their own field. We conclude that resilience is to an extent a boundary object because there are shared understandings across diverse disciplines and fields. However, it is more limited as a bridging concept because the citations across fields are concentrated among particular disciplines and papers, so the distinct fields do not widely or routinely refer to each other. There are some signs of resilience being used as an interdisciplinary concept to bridge scientific fields, particularly in social-ecological systems, which may itself constitute an emerging sub-field.Center for Behavior, Institutions and the Environment at Arizona State UniversityNSFESR

Möglichkeiten des Carving-Schwunges im Skifahren und Snowboarden

Nowadays, skiers and snowboarders leave drifted turns behind. Carving is a password to enter all winter resorts. Ski and snowboard equipment is produced in such a way as to comply as much as possible with the developing trends in both skiing and snowboarding techniques. This paper is a comparison of classical skis and Alpine snowboard, in other words, a comparison between the old and the new. It also initiates a discussion on lateral balance which influences both skiers and snowboarders. In the measurements, classical slalom skis and a slalom snowboard were used. The goal was to point out the different possibilities of the carving turn performance. The intention was to emphasize the contribution of snowboarding technique to skiing. The results presented indicate the better racing performance on a snowboard compared to classical non-carving slalom skis. Though skis are faster in a straight run, the snowboard proved to be faster in the turns. This may be a guideline for coaches to analyze the technique of their team members and take into account the results when creating a workout.Uvod Karving zavoj najviši je doseg tehnike skijanja i daskanja na snijegu. Koristeci karving zavoj, vozač često mijenja smjer vožnje i smanjuje gubitak brzine. Postojeća konstrukcija strukiranih skija, vezova i dasaka za snijeg (monoskija) omogućuje optimalan pritisak na unutarnji rub tako da vozač može zasjeći, “rezbariti” snježnu površinu na najprimjereniji način uz minimalan otpor i gubitak na brzini. Razmotrimo li raspon samih gibanja, uočit ćemo da daske za snowboard pružaju bolje pretpostavke za bolji i brži karving zavoj. Veći opseg pokreta, osobito postraničnih gibanja težišta tijela, pomaže prebacivanju monoskije na unutarnji rub. Također, promjena rubljenja može biti brža ako daskaš izbjegava otklizavanja. Mi smo ocjenjivali sposobnost izvođenja lateralno uravnoteženih zavoja na obje strane. Metoda Proveli smo i inter- i intra-individualnu dvodimenzionalnu kinematičku analizu, kao i nezavisno mjerenje vremena vožnje dva vozača vrhunske i skijaške i snowboarding vještine te profesionalne tehnike vožnje. Prvi vozač imao je uobičajeni stav, jaču lijevu nogu te nešto koordiniraniju desnu nogu. Drugi je imao obrnuti stav, snažniju desnu nogu i koordiniraniju lijevu nogu. Za ispitivanje koordinacijske preferencije i snage koristili smo dvije metode: udaranje lopte nogom i penjanje na stolicu kao dio kružnog testa od deset zadataka. Kamera je bila postavljena na radnom mjestu u sredini kruga. Iz takvog položaja zadani pokret vidi se kao po ravnoj liniji. Tako smo mogli koristiti dvodimenzionalnu kinematicku analizu. Rotacija kamere bila je kompenzirana kalibracijom tla uz pomoć čvrstih točaka. Frekvencija snimanja bila je 50 snimaka u sekundi. Ispitivali smo po jedan cjeloviti osnovni zavoj i paralelni zavoj od brijega. U obje situacije označili smo vrata. Nezavisno vrijeme mjerenja korišteno je radi kompenzacije nekih kinematičkih pogrešaka u analizi vožnje zavoja. Usporedili smo vremena vožnje zavoja s vremenima ravne vožnje duge 14 metara. Svaki je sportaš nakon probnog pokušaja odvezao po tri vožnje. U mjerenjima, koja su provedena 1999. godine, koristili smo klasične slalomske skije i slalomsku dasku za snijeg. U vrijeme pojavljivanja strukiranih skija željeli smo naglasiti različite mogućnosti izvedbe karving zavoja te istaknuti doprinos tehnike daskanja na snijegu tehnici skijanja. Analizirali smo najbržu vožnju. Način starta bio je jednak i za skijanje i za daskanje na snijegu u svakoj situaciji. Startalo se okretanjem skije ili daske preko ruba startne platforme. Vozači nisu imali mogućnost izvesti ni jedan jedini dodatni pokret ni rukama ni nogama kako bi si dali početno ubrzanje. Rezultati U svim situacijama paralelnog zavoja od brijega utvrdili smo manji gubitak relativne brzine u vožnji na monoskiji u usporedbi s klasičnom skijaškom vožnjom. U većini situacija u izvedbi osnovnog zavoja vozači su postizali veće relativno ubrzanje na kraju zavoja. S obzirom na mali uzorak, dobiveni su rezultati ograničene valjanosti. Analiza vožnji dvaju vozača može poslužiti samo za približnu usporedbu. Oba su vozača postigla bolju postraničnu ravnotežu u paralelnom zavoju od brijega na skijama. Prvi je pokazao bolju daskašku tehniku te je postigao dobru postraničnu ravnotežu u izvedbi zavoja od brijega, a također i na monoskiji. Drugi je vozač pokazao potpuno jednaku izvedbu desnog i lijevog zavoja na skijama, što je bilo 44% vremena zaostatka u odnosu na ravnu vožnju. Drugi je vozač bio brži na monoskiji u desnu stranu, što je, u ovom slučaju, bio prednji zavoj. Vremensko kašnjenje iznosilo je 42,8%. U zavoju leđima (lijevi zavoj) vremensko kašnjenje bilo je 47%. Viša lateralna kvaliteta može biti rezultat simetričnog stava na skijama u poziciji vožnje. Pokreti skijaša u takvom stavu su djelomično slicni najprirodnijem obliku ljudskog kretanja-hodanju. Brža vožnja na skijama nego na dasci za snijeg u ravnoj vožnji bila je vjerojatno uzrokovana većom kontaktnom površinom skija. Posljedica toga je manje specifično trenje na skijama. Na dionici ravne vožnje, na polovici od ukupno mjerenog vremena, dostignuta brzina na skijama i na monoskiji približno je slična, dok su na ciljnoj crti monoskije bile definitivno brže. U usporedbi sa zavojima na skijama, u daskaškim zavojima bilo je manje otklizavanja, što znači da su bili brži. Kod zahtjevniih paralelih zavoja od brijega prvi je vozač postigao dobro uravnoteženu postraničnu izvedbu i na skijama i na monoskiji. To je predstavljeno vremenom zaostatka u odnosu na ravnu vožnju koje iznosi 24.8% u obje strane na skijama i 12.2%, odnosno 12.8 % na daski. Drugi je vozač također pokazao dobre postranično uravnotežene zavoje na skijama. U desnu stranu vrijeme zaostatka bilo je 28%, dok je ulijevo bilo 31.3%. Na monoskiji je bio znatno bolji u desnu stanu (njegov prednji zavoj), gdje mu je vrijeme zaostatka iznosilo 19,3%. Vrijeme zaostatka u lijevu stranu (zavoj leđima) bilo je 31%. Ispitivani daskaški osnovni zavoji bili su brži od svih zavoja na skijama u svim vožnjama. Slično tome, ubrzanje mjereno između startne i ciljne linije bilo je brže na monoskiji kod tri od ukupno četiri vožnje. Bolja izvedba obojice vozača na njihovoj prednjoj strani može se objasniti različitim naginjanjem u zavoju. Kod zavoja leđima (stražnji zavoj), vozač se naginje preko ravnine svojih peta, koje su, u usporedbi s prstima, manje osjetljive. Dok se naginje unatrag, vozaču je ograničena vizualna kontrola, što automatski znači da ne može dovoljno kontrolirati rubljenje daske. To je također i odgovor na veće postranične razlike u daskaškim zavojima u odnosu na skijaške zavoje. Općenito, veca postignuta brzina na monoskiji rezultat je karving tehnike kojom se izbjegava otklizavanje kraja daske. Konstrukcija daske za snijeg i stav vozaca omogućuju jače rubljenje i pritisak na unutarnji rub. Zaključak Rezultati analiza potvrđuju navedene pretpostavke o bržim zavojima na monoskiji. Veća postranična smirenost trupa u izvedbi na skijama, a kod prvog sportaša i na monoskiji, potvrdila je nalaze da su sportaši više sportske i tehničke razine izvedbe lateralno više uravnoteženi. U odnosu na taj nalaz mi smatramo da daskaški pokreti u zavoju kod skijaša znače napredovanje, kao i da je moguć prenijeti pozitivan transfer daskaške tehnike na elemente skijaške tehnike. - U slučaju dvojice testiranih vozača klasično skijanje pokazalo se bržim u ravnoj vožnji. S druge strane, monoskija je bila brža u zavojima zbog svoje strukirane izvedbe. - U daskaškim zavojima oba su vozača bila brža u svom prednjem zavoju. - Uspoređujući desni i lijevi zavoj kod svakog vozača utvrdili smo da postoji veća razlika u izvedbi daskaških zavoja, što može imati isti, gore spomenuti uzrok (prednji zavoj). U usporedbi sa skijama, slalomska monoskija je kraća i većih rubova. Stoga daska za snijeg ima bolje mehaničke preduvjete za izvedbu karving zavoja. Oni mogu biti izvedeni jakim pritiskom unutarnjeg ruba daske i rubljenjem pod širokim kutom. U izvedbi tehnike daskaš se u zavoju može nagnuti znatno više od skijaša. Implementacija progresivnih mehaničkih i funkcionalnih kvaliteta u proizvodnji strukiranih skija urodila je novim idejama za daljnje unaprebenje tehnike skijaških zavoja. U posljednje vrijeme ovaj trend javlja se čak i u slalomu.In der Technik der Ski- und Snowboard-Schwünge ist eine deutliche Reduzierung der Rutschbewegung von Skiern, bzw. vom Snowboard bemerkbar. Carving ist ein Hennwort, mit dem man alle Wintersportörte betritt. Die Ski- und Snowboard-Ausrüstung ist dem progressiven Trend der Schwungtechnik maximal angepasst. Unsere Studie stellt einen Vergleich zwischen den Schwüngen auf klassischen Skiern und den Schwüngen auf dem alpinen Snowboard dar, nämlich, einen Vergleich zwischen der alten und der neuen Fahrtechnik. Sie befasst sich auch mit der Problematik der Lateralität, die sowohl die Skifahrer als auch die Snowboarder beinflusst. In den Messungen wurden die klassischen Skier und das Slalom-Snowboard angewandt. Das Ziel der Studie war, sowohl auf die unterschiedlichen Möglichkeiten des Carving-Schwunges als auch auf den geleisteten Beitrag der Snowboardtechnik zu Skifahren aufmerksam zu machen. Die dargestellten Ergebnisse deuten auf bessere Snowboard-Fahrleistungen im Vergleich zu den klassischen nicht-carving Slalom-Skiern. Obwohl die Skifahrer auf klassischen Skiern schneller fuhren auf der schnurgeraden Strecke, war das Snowboard schneller in den Bögen. Diese Ergebnisse könnten den Trainern helfen, sowohl die Schwungtechnik ihrer Mannschaftsglieder zu analysieren als auch die in dieser Studie erhaltenen Ergebnisse in Betracht zu ziehen, wenn sie das Trainingsplan gestalten