The role of durational art strategies in urban regeneration in Budapest

The presented strategy reflects on the theme of sustainable urban regeneration, focusing on the importance of the role of public spaces in creating liveable cities. The theoretical background of the strategy deals with the changes taking place in the fields of public art and urban rehabilitation methodologies. The parallel drawn between the evolvement of the two fields leads to the introduction of a method which integrates public art interventions into the process of urban rehabilitation. Public art interventions become platforms that enable people to take an active role in creating and forming their future, and enable future landscape/public space design elements to become more site-specific and unique

The Peculiar Status of Puerto Rico: Neither a State, nor an Independent Nation

The Peculiar Status of Puerto Rico: Neither a State, nor an Independent Nation is a study of the creation of the peculiar status of Puerto Rico. The research traces the steps from the American acquisition of Puerto Rico from Spain in 1898 to the granting of US citizenship to Puerto Ricans in 1917, cementing the ambiguous status of the island. The burgeoning industrial and agrarian economy of the late-nineteenth century United States generated an overproduction of goods without sufficient domestic and foreign markets. At the same time the closing of the frontier halted continental expansion, thus limiting the available free soil sought by the new waves of immigrants and their pressure pushing native populations westward. The combined economic forces of overproduction and the closing of the frontier led to social problems like unemployment and labor unrest, which consequently led to political problems subsequent administrations attempted to tackle. In search of new markets, the United States sought expansion into Central and South America bringing the US in conflict with Spain, still holding Cuba and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean. Spain\u27s prolonged struggle to suppress the revolt in Cuba threatened American investments while Puerto Rico was singled out as the strategic gateway to Central and South America and the isthmian canal then under construction. The explosion of the U.S.S. Maine in Havana Harbor provided the casus belli for the war with Spain which resulted in transferring the Spanish colonies of Guam, the Philippines and Puerto Rico to the victorious United States. The outcome of the Spanish-American War of 1898 was sanctioned at the Treaty of Paris of the same year which stipulated that the future status of Puerto Rico and its people would be determined by the Congress of the United States. The first attempt to rectify the political status of the island came from Senator Foraker in 1900. The bill passed in a truncated version and left Puerto Rico in the ambivalent status as an unincorporated territory of the United States. The Supreme Court decision in Downes v. Bidwell in 1901 further confirmed the ambiguous political status asserting that Puerto Rico belonged to, but was not part of the United States. The half measures of the Foraker Act and the Supreme Court decision created disagreement within Congress between the imperialists and anti-imperialists while they led to a division within the political leadership of Puerto Rico between those seeking statehood in the US and those seeking independence for the island, and also between the United States and Puerto Rico. Foraker made subsequent attempts to correct the peculiar status of the island and its people, but repeatedly fell short. Political realignment in Puerto Rico turned in favor of the independence movement and in 1909 attempted to force the US to grant more autonomy to the island. The United States responded with the oppressive measures of the Olmsted Amendment (1909) and Olmsted Bill (1910) reasserting that the US rather than the people of the island, determined the political fate of Puerto Rico. Representative Jones and Senator Shafroth took up the cause, but their subsequent bills were delayed until First World War events forced President Wilson and Congress to act. Germany sought coaling stations in the Caribbean, and the possibility of German acquisition of the Danish West Indies seriously threatened American strategic interests. In order to stifle the independence movement and permanently secure the loyalties of the Puerto Ricans, Congress hurriedly passed the Jones-Shafroth Bill granting US citizenship to the entire population, and President Wilson signed it into law. However, the granting of citizenship without a path toward statehood permanently cemented the peculiar status of Puerto Rico: neither a state, nor an independent nation

Die Effekte eines kontrollierten Systematischen Aerobic-Tanz-Programmes auf das Selbstwertgefühl bei Erwachsenen

In our research we were seeking answers of the effects of guided, “age-needs specific,” systematic, group aerobic exercise programmes on the self-esteem and self-image of middle-aged women. Fifty three women (ages 48.6 + 5.1) took part in the study who had not participated in any systematic fitness training and worked in intellectual occupations. We formed two groups, i.e., the experimental (EG) and the control (CG) group. Members of the experimental group (n= 25) volunteered to participate in a one-year long aerobic dance programme. The remainder formed the control group (n= 28). We measured self-esteem by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and self-image by the Tennessee Self-Image Scale. The results of the study showed significant improvements in body image for those middle-aged women who participated in the one-year long aerobic dance exercise programme, while the body images of the control group remained the same. This shows the important intervening role of satisfaction with body image of middle-aged women between systematic aerobic dancing and self-esteem. The one year long systematic aerobic dance programme had a positive effect on self-image, self-esteem, physical condition, and an evaluation of the environment of middle-aged women. On the basis of the results we may conclude that an improved body image can positively influence and stabilize self-esteem. Furthermore, we may assume that the improved self-esteem and self- -image can contribute to an improvements of quality in the lives of middle-aged women and it may compensate for the negative effects of the menopausal period.Uvod Većina istraživanja o utjecaju tjelesne aktivnosti usmjerena je na promjene u motoričkoj izvedbi te na zdravstveni status žena srednje dobi. Relativno je malo istraživanja kojima je cilj istražiti kako redovita tjelesna aktivnost utječe na sliku o sebi, samovrednovanje i samopoštovanje te na međusobne odnose tih koncepata na uzorku žena srednje dobi. Samopoštovanje je stabilna karakteristika koja opisuje psihološko i mentalno zdravlje ljudi. Slika o sebi i samopoštovanje fleksibilne su karakteristike koje je moguće mijenjati pod utjecajem različitih faktora, kao što je, na primjer, tjelesna aktivnost. Teorijski gledano, postoji povezanost između slike o sebi i samopoštovanja, no nije nužno da se radi o značajnoj povezanosti. Pretpostavljamo da tjelesna aktivnost pozitivno utječe na promjenu slike o sebi i samopoštovanja, kao što je moguće pretpostaviti da poboljšanje slike o sebi također utječe na samopoštovanje. Također je moguće pretpostaviti da program aerobike, koji se provodi u grupama, utječe ne samo na ukupnu sliku o sebi i na sliku vlastitog tijela, već i na ostale komponente slike o sebi. Cilj je rada bio istražiti učinke stručno vođenog, sustavnog grupnog programa aerobike, prilagođenog potrebama ciljane dobne skupine, na sliku o sebi i na samopoštovanje žena srednje dobi. Metode Ispitanici. Pedeset i tri zdrave žene (dob: 48,6+ 5,1, visina: 162,7 + 5,4cm, težina: 67,5 + 11,4 kg) sudjelovale su u istraživanju. Njihov režim života bio je sjedilački. Uzorak je podijeljen u dvije skupine. Eksperimentalna skupina (EG) sastojala se od 25 ispitanica koje su dobrovoljno vježbale aerobiku tri puta tjedno po jedan sat u razdoblju od jedne godine (dob: 48,9 + 5,6, visina: 163,2 + 5,9 cm, masa: 65,9 + 10,2 kg). Dvadeset i osam ispitanica iz nekoliko razloga nije se moglo uključiti u program vježbanja aerobike, (dob: 48,3 + 5,2,visina: 162,1 + 5,0 cm, masa: 68,8 + 13,4 kg). To su bile ispitanice kontrolne skupine (CG). Varijable. Kako bi se prikupili podaci o samopoštovanju i slici o sebi, ispitanice su prije i nakon trenažnog programa popunile upitnike samoprocjena. The Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (1965). Deset čestica za procjenu samopoštovanja Rosenberg je prvi put primijenio šezdesetih godina 20.st. na uzorku adolescenata. Svako pitanje čine četiri tvrdnje, od kojih ispitanik odabire jednu. Dvije predstavljaju ekstremni izbor, točnije potpuno slaganje (nula bodova) i potpuno neslaganje (tri boda). Sumiraju se bodovi na svim česticama, a potom se na temelju dobivenog rezultata ispitanik klasificira u jednu od četiri kategorije 1. vrlo visoko samopoštovanje (0-2 boda); 2. visoko samopoštovanje (3-5 bodova); 3. normalno samopoštovanje (6-10 bodova); 4. nisko samopoštovanje (iznad 10 bodova). Tennessee Self-image Test. Devetnaest čestica ove skale daje ukupnu sliku o sebi (TS), a čine je: tjelesna slika o sebi (BI), moralna slika o sebi (MS), individualna slika o sebi (IS), obiteljska slika o sebi (FS), socijalna slika o sebi (SS). Skala samovrednovanja (SE) ima 10 čestica. Osoba mora označiti jedan od pet brojeva sukladno tome koja je tvrdnja najbolje opisuje. Dva ekstremna izbora jesu: potpuno točno (5 bodova) i potpuno netočno (1 bod). Izračunate su vrijednosti po subskalama, zatim su zbrojene i na taj je način dobivena numerička vrijednost procjene ukupne slike o sebi. Aritmetičke sredine obiju grupa uspoređene su s normativnim vrijednostima ovog standardiziranog instrumenta. Rezultati U eksperimentalnoj skupini, koja je završila jednogodišnji program redovitog vježbanja aerobike, dobiveno je značajno povećanje vrijednosti procjene ukupne slike o sebi u odnosu na inicijalno testiranje. Kod svih ispitanica, osim kod jedne, dobiveno je povišenje rezultata. Osam ih se pomaknulo u višu kategoriju tako da nijedna nije ostala u kategoriji osoba s niskim samopoštovanjem, a broj ispitanica u kategoriji visokog samopoštovanja se povećao sa 6 na 10. Utvrđene su i statistički značajno više vrijednosti na subskalama slike o sebi. Parametri slike o sebi kod ispitanica kontrolne skupine nisu se statistički značajno promijenili, izuzev socijalne slike o sebi. Uzevši u obzir parametar ukupne slike o sebi, kod polovice ispitanica kontrolne skupine došlo je do povećanja, a kod druge polovice do smanjenja vrijednosti samoprocjena. Dvije ispitanice pomaknule su se iz niže u višu kategoriju. Nije utvrđena statistički značajna razlika između eksperimentalne i kontrolne skupine u prvom mjerenju. Nakon godinu dana, u eksperimentalnoj skupini došlo je do pada rezultata za 53,7%, što je statistički značajna promjena. Kod ispitanica kontrolne grupe također je došlo do sniženja vrijednosti u procjeni samopoštovanja, ali samo za 8,1%. Dobivena promjena nije statistički značajna. Aritmetičke sredine dviju skupina statistički su se značajno razlikovale u drugoj točki mjerenja. Na temelju rezultata dobivenih prvim mjerenjem, samovrednovanje i samopoštovanje nisu se pokazali povezanima ni u jednoj od skupina. Nakon jednogodišnjeg perioda, tj. na temelju podataka dobivenih drugim mjerenjem, povezanost tih koncepata pokazala se statistički značajnom u eksperimentalnoj skupini (r = 0,58, p< 0,05), što u kontrolnoj skupini i dalje nije bio slučaj. Rasprava i zaključak Jednogodišnji program vježbanja aerobike ima pozitivne učinke na ukupnu sliku o sebi kod žena srednje dobi. Primijenjeni program vježbanja ae-robike kod ispitanica je poboljšao sliku o sebi, no također je utjecao i na individualnu, moralnu i soci-jalnu sliku o sebi, što se može pripisati specifičnos-ti aerobike. Naime, ispitanicama eksperimentalne grupe bilo je omogućeno da, vježbajući u skupini, usporede sebe s ostalima, a mogle su i dobiti po-zitivne povratne informacije od ostalih sudionica programa i od trenera. Čini se da je program ae-robike jedan od najboljih alata tjelesne aktivnosti koji može povećati samopouzdanje i zadovoljstvo žena srednje dobi općenito te ublažiti negativan učinak starenja. Pozitivna promjena slike o sebi djelovala je pozitivno na samopoštovanje, što je dovelo do višeg samopouzdanja i realističnijeg samovrednovanja, što je indicirano značajnom povezanošću samovrednovanja (samokritičnosti) i samopoštovanja, a što se također može pripisati vježbanju aerobike.In diesem Beitrag geht es um ein Aerobic–Trainingsprogramm, das auf das spezifische Lebensalter abgestimmt wurde. Das Training wurde von Frauen mittleren Alters gruppenweise durchgeführt. Die Wirksamkeit des Programms wurde bezüglich des Selbstvertrauens und des Selbstbewertung der Probanden untersucht. Es nahmen 53 Beamtinnen teil, die vorher nicht regelmäßig Sport trieben. Ihr durchschnittliches Alter betrug 48,6 + 5 Jahre. Zur Versuchsgruppe gehörten 25, zur Kontrollgruppe 28 Frauen. Das Trainings-programm erstreckte sich über den Zeitraum von einem Jahr. Die Selbstbewertung wurde durch die Skala von Rosenberg getestet. Bei der Messung des Selbstbildes wurde die Skala von Tenessee verwendet. Die Ergebnisse bezüglich der Meinung der Probanden über ihr Körperbild zeigten eine signifikante Verbesserung. Die Zufriedenheit mit ihrem Körperbild spielte eine bedeutende Vermittlungsrolle zwischen dem sys-tematischen Aerobic–Training und der Selbstbewertung. Bei der Kontrollgruppe wurde diesbezüglich keine Veränderung festgestellt. Das einjährige Training hatte einen positiven Einfluss auf die Selbstbewertung: in Bezug auf das Selbstbild, das Selbstvertrauen, den physischen Zustand und ihr Verhältnis zur Umgebung. Das systematische Aerobic–Training hatte einen positiven Einfluss auf das Körperbild von Frauen mittleren Alters. Dadurch wurden die Selbstbewertung und das Selbstbild ebenfalls positiv beeinflusst

The role of durational art strategies in urban regeneration in Budapest

The presented strategy reflects on the theme of sustainable urban regeneration, focusing on the importance of the role of public spaces in creating liveable cities. The theoretical background of the strategy deals with the changes taking place in the fields of public art and urban rehabilitation methodologies. The parallel drawn between the evolvement of the two fields leads to the introduction of a method which integrates public art interventions into the process of urban rehabilitation. Public art interventions become platforms that enable people to take an active role in creating and forming their future, and enable future landscape/public space design elements to become more site-specific and unique

EFFECT OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF SARGENT JUMP ON MAXIMUM VERTICAL VELOCITY IN MEN

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of different ranges of knee flexion and extension on the maximum vertical velocity (Vmax) during squatting jumps (SQ) and counter movement jumpsCMJ). Ten well trained male students were involved in the study. The subjects were instructed to carry out SQ-s and CMJ-s with several ranges of knee angular displacement (SQ50, SQ90, SQ135,CMJSO, CMJ90, CMJ135). Sel spot motion analyser and a Kistler force plate were used to measure the angular displacement of the knee joint, the vertical displacement of the selected parts of the body and ground reaction forces. The subjects carried out three to five jumps at each type of SQ and CMJ. Vmax of positive phase of 'umps was calculated by Sel spot (SVmax). Vmax was also calculated from the flying time (KVmax) obtained from the force-time curves. Conventional mathematical statistics were applied including means, SD and Student's t-test. Average values for SVmax were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than KVmax in each type of vertical jumps. The reason of these differences attributes to the main findings of the study. Namely, the subjects only could use a certain range of joint extension to the48.3 (SQ90) for the subjects. It means that Vmax was attained far before the contact phase ended. This so called effective range cannot be used up when the starting knee angle is over 135 degrees. That is the reason why the effective range at SQ135 is significantly smaller than it is at SQSO- and SQ90, i.e. 32.2 degrees. Still, it does not mean that the effective range of extension lasts till the full extension of knee. SVmax was reached when the knee angle was 154.1(SQ) and148.4(CMJ) degrees. In our opinion this is probably due to neurophisyologicaland muscle-mechanical reasons