GPS-Based Evaluation of Activity Profiles in Elite Downhill Mountain Biking and the Influence of Course Type

This study aimed to profile the activity patterns of elite downhill (DH) mountain bikers during off-road descending, and to determine the influence of course types on activity patterns. Six male elite DH mountain bikers (age 20 ± 2 yrs; stature 178.8 ± 3.1 cm; body mass 75.0 ± 3.0 kg) performed single runs on one man-made (MM) and one natural terrain (NT) DH courses under race conditions. A 5 Hz global positioning systems (GPS) unit, including a 100 Hz triaxial accelerometer, was positioned in a neoprene harness between the C7 and T2 vertebrae on each rider. GPS was used to determine the temporal characteristics of each run for velocity, run time, distance, effort, heart rate (HR), rider load (RLd) which reflects instantaneous rate of change in acceleration, and accumulated rider load (RLdAcc), which reflects change in acceleration over the event duration. Significant differences were found between NT and MM courses for mean velocity (p<.001), peak velocity (p=.014), mean RLd (p=.001) and peak RLd (p=.002). Significant differences were also found both within and between courses for all velocity parameters, when analysed by intensity zone (p<.05). No significant differences were found between courses for HR parameters by zone, though significant differences were revealed between HR zones within courses (p<.05). This study indicates that course terrain has a significant impact on the activity profiles of DH and that GPS can provide a practical means of monitoring these differences in activity

Diagnostic system design for the Ion Auxiliary Propulsion System (IAPS). Flight tests of two 8 cm mercury ion

The mechanical, thermal, electrical design and the ground test results of four types of detectors are explained. The DSS is designed to measure the thruster efflux material deposition and S/C potential relative to the local plasma in the vicinity of two 8 cm mercury ion thrusters. The DSS consists of two quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) detectors, one potential probe, nine solar cell arrays, seven ion collectors and two electronic packages

The influence of swim, cycle and run performance on overall race outcome at the off-road triathlon world championships

The purpose of this study was to determine whether swim, cycle or run performance best predicts overall position during the off-road triathlon world championships. Data were collected for the top 10 finishers at each male and female world championships between 2007 and 2016. Linear regression was used to predict the influence of each discipline on finishing in the top 10 overall over the 10 years, whilst one-way between subjects analysis of variance (ANOVA’s) were conducted to determine any differences in mean overall finishing time, swim, cycle and run times of the top 10 finishers between years. Cycling best predicted overall position (R2 = 0.31), followed by the run and swim (R2 = 0.17 and 0.16, respectively) for males. For females the run best predicted overall performance (R2 = 0.46), then the cycle and swim (R2 = 0.26 and 0.15, respectively). ANOVA analyses found significant differences for males in swim time (F9,99 = 4.32; p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.30), cycle time (F9,99 = 48.33; p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.83), run time (F9,99 = 22.89; p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.70) and overall time (F9,99 = 59.12; p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.86). Similarly, significant differences were also found for females in swim time (F9,99 = 3.60; p = 0.001; ηp2 = 0.26), cycle time (F9,99 = 37.14; p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.79), run time (F9,99 = 13.77; p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.58) and overall time (F9,99 = 28.17; p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.74) by year. Results indicate there are differences in the influence of each discipline for males and females over the 10 years and by each year. Environmental conditions and competitive background may be influential in these findings

The influence of swim, cycle and run performance on overall race outcome at the off-road triathlon world championships

The purpose of this study was to determine whether swim, cycle or run performance best predicts overall position during the off-road triathlon world championships. Data were collected for the top 10 finishers at each male and female world championships between 2007 and 2016. Linear regression was used to predict the influence of each discipline on finishing in the top 10 overall over the 10 years, whilst one-way between subjects analysis of variance (ANOVA’s) were conducted to determine any differences in mean overall finishing time, swim, cycle and run times of the top 10 finishers between years. Cycling best predicted overall position (R2 = 0.31), followed by the run and swim (R2 = 0.17 and 0.16, respectively) for males. For females the run best predicted overall performance (R2 = 0.46), then the cycle and swim (R2 = 0.26 and 0.15, respectively). ANOVA analyses found significant differences for males in swim time (F9,99 = 4.32; p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.30), cycle time (F9,99 = 48.33; p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.83), run time (F9,99 = 22.89; p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.70) and overall time (F9,99 = 59.12; p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.86). Similarly, significant differences were also found for females in swim time (F9,99 = 3.60; p = 0.001; ηp2 = 0.26), cycle time (F9,99 = 37.14; p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.79), run time (F9,99 = 13.77; p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.58) and overall time (F9,99 = 28.17; p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.74) by year. Results indicate there are differences in the influence of each discipline for males and females over the 10 years and by each year. Environmental conditions and competitive background may be influential in these findings

The Unfinished Business of Mutual Fund Reform

The need for further mutual fund reform remains in two major areas. First, there is a need for greater and more effective disclosure of fund charges and greater transparency in the manner in which funds operate. While it is probably overly optimistic to expect that this will make a dramatic difference in investors\u27 preferences for one fund over another, at least it will make it possible for the investor who does care about costs and conflicts of interest to determine how efficiently a particular fund is managed vis-a-vis its competitors. A generation ago, funds with a front end sales load averaging 6% was the norm. Due to increasing publicity and competitive pressures, the no-load fund has replaced the load fund as the norm in the fund industry. Also, the increasing popularity of index funds and ETFs, while still not a majority of fund sales, shows that there are, in fact, investors who are sensitive to the importance of mutual fund expenses and sales charges as an important component of a fund\u27s long-term relative performance. Further education and disclosure, through both the financial press and fund prospectuses, should increase the pressure on funds to operate efficiently and in furtherance of the fiduciary duty which they owe to their investors. Second, in order to protect less sophisticated investors from being sold unsuitable funds with high fees and mediocre performance, the need exists for the strengthening of fiduciary duties owed by fund managers and financial advisors to ensure that they put investors\u27 interests ahead of their own. With the defined contribution retirement plan rapidly becoming the primary vehicle for retirement savings for millions of individuals, the need for strong and effective mutual fund regulation now is more compelling than it has ever been

Indian Agency in Spanish Florida: Some New Findings from Mission Santa Catalina de Guale

The resurgence of Spanish mission archaeology in the American Southeast over the last three decades demonstrates the fallacy of the rigid and misleading Borderlands perspective on Franciscan-American Indian interactions. While engaging in the archaeology of Mission Santa Catalina de Guale, I suggested a broader-based, cubist approach toward the Spanish Borderlands history to seek, multiple, simultaneous views of the subject (Thomas 1989:7). Archaeology can indeed provide a critically important window through which to glimpse the Native American and European interactions in the Borderlands as elsewhere. By democratizing the past, archaeologists are framing new perspectives on minority populations and their experiences with dominant colonial cultures (Deagan 1991; Lightfoot 2005:17). Today, such inquiries are typically folded into the language and methodologies of the postcolonial critique, which challenges traditional colonialist epistemologies and questions those colonial and imperial representations of the other being colonized. Postcolonial theorists emphasize Native agency and investigate the hybrid, novel forms of culture that develop during colonial experiences (e.g., Gosden 2001; Lightfoot 2005:17; Leibman 2008:2; Patterson 2008:31-32). In this paper, I examine how recent archaeological and ethnohistorical investigations of Mission Santa Catalina de Guale (Georgia) are contributing to a broader, more nuanced understanding of the Native-Spanish interactions that played out here