科学纵横谈

在我驻匈外交任期届满于1996年1月回国时,一位在匈牙利原子能委员会工作的科学计量学家布衣多寿物理学博士为我提供了美籍匈裔物理学家爱德华·泰勒(匈文名TellerEde1908—2003)1991至1994年多次访匈时的报刊访谈录的复印件。一方面表明了他很重视这些言论,另一方面也有向我推荐之意,以彰显他的同胞泰勒先生的广博见识和机敏谈吐之风采。1996年退休后,在自学研读的过程中逐渐把它们都译出来了。后因个人研习重点转向,这些译稿就压了起来,不但未曾发表,也从未示人。     

Muscle activity and pedal force profile of triathletes during cycling to exhaustion

The purpose of this study was to analyze pedaling cadence, pedal forces, and muscle activation of triathletes during cycling to exhaustion. Fourteen triathletes were assessed at the power output level relative to their maximal oxygen uptake (355 +/- 23 W). Cadence, pedal forces, and muscle activation were analyzed during start, middle, and end test stages. Normal and tangential forces increased from the start to the end of the test (-288 +/- 33 to -352 +/- 42 N and -79 +/- 45 to -124 +/- 68 N, respectively) accompanied by a decrease in cadence (96 +/- 5 to 86 +/- 6 rpm). Muscle activation increased from the start to the middle and the end in the gluteus maximus (27 +/- 5.5% and 76 +/- 9.3%) and in the vastus lateralis (13 +/- 3.5% and 27 +/- 4.4%), similar increase was observed from the start to the end in the rectus femoris and the vastus medialis (50 +/- 9.3% and 20 +/- 5.7%, respectively). Greater normal force along with enhanced activation of knee and hip extensor muscles is linked with fatigue and declines in cadence of triathletes during cycling to exhaustion.     

Experimental analysis of ice friction in the sport of bobsleigh

We report the first derivation of the coefficient of friction between bobsleigh runners and ice from experimental measurements performed in a controlled environment. In a series of experiments on both horizontal ice and a track sloped at 6.80°, a radar gun was used to sample the speed of a moving sled in the range of (1–10) m/s at a sample rate of 31.25 Hz. The acceleration of the sled, and thus the coefficient of friction, was extracted from these data, with a value of (4.2 ± 0.9) × 10^?3 for the coefficient of friction associated with a set of two-man bobsleigh runners. There was no detectable variation in the coefficient of friction with velocity at this range of speeds and experimental accuracy. This result improves our knowledge of this coefficient over currently accepted values determined from indirect measurements, and indicates that the coefficient is lower than the currently accepted range.     

A National Survey of Assessment Instruments Taught by Counselor Educators

This study reports results of a questionnaire of 210 counselor educators regarding assessment instruments covered in their assessment courses. Instruments are ranked on how extensively they are covered, and comparisons of coverage are made by assessment category (e.g., educational, clinical) and by instructor and program characteristic (e.g., Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs [CACREP] vs. non‐CACREP). Suggestions regarding which assessment techniques to cover in a basic counselor education testing and assessment course are made.