Automated LED tracking to measure instantaneous velocities in swimming

In this paper a video-based method to automatically track instantaneous velocities of a swimmer is presented. Single cameras were used to follow a marker (LED) attached to the body. The method is inspired by particle tracking techniques, traditionally used in the field of fluid dynamics, to measure local velocities of a fluid flow. During the validation experiment, a white LED was attached to the hip of a swimmer together with a speedometer. A swimmer performed four different stroke types. The velocity profiles using LED tracking were captured and showed less noise than the speedometer measurements. Only at times when the marker disappeared above the water surface due to body role in front crawl and backstroke swimming did the LED tracking fail to capture the athlete’s motion. The algorithm was tested in a 2D case with a single LED to illustrate the proof of principle, but should be suitable for implementation in a 3D analysis or multiple LED analysis.     

The World of Music

Musical Instruments of the World: An Illustrated Encyclopedia (New York: Bantam Books, 1978—$9.95, paper)

Warren Craig's Sweet and Lowdown: America's Popular Song Writers (Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1978—$25.00)

Norm N. Nite's Rock On: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock 'n Roll– The Modern Years, 1964-Present (New York: Crowell, 1978—$14.95)

Jerry Osborne and Bruce Hamilton's Popular and Rock Records 1948-1978 (Phoenix, Arix.: O'Sullivan Woodside & Co., 1978—$7.95, paper)

Kenny Rogers and Len Epand's Making it with Music: Kenny Rogers' Guide to the Music Business (New York: Harper & Row, 1978—$12.95)

Anthony Fawcett's California Rock/California Sound: The Music of Los Angeles and Southern California (Los Angeles: Reed Books, 1978—$19.95/9.95)

Rock Critics' Choice: The Top 200 Albums (New York: Quick Fox, 1978—$4.95, paper)

Alan Kinzler's Bob Dylan: The Illustrated Record (New York: Harmony Books/Crown, 1978—$15.00/8.95)

John Blair's The Illustrated Discography of Surf Music 1959-1965 (J. Bee Productions, P.O. Box 1584, Riverside, Calif. 92502—$4.00, paper)

Alan Lomax's Folk Song Style and Culture (New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Books (Rutgers), 1978—$6.95, paper)

Nat Hentoff's The Jazz Life (New York: DaCapo, 1978—$5.95, paper)

George Hoefer, Music on My Mind: The Memoirs of an American Pianist (New York: DaCapo, 1978—$6.95, paper)

Valerie Wilmer's As Serious as Your Life: The Story of the New Jazz (London: Allison & Busby, 1977—E6.50 or about $13.00)     

Variation in Vocabulary Development as a Function of Birth Order

Several researchers have argued for birth-order differences in the rate and style of children's early vocabulary development. However, the results of those studies that have examined these issues directly have so far proved inconclusive. In the present study, an attempt was made to examine the question of birth-order differences in children's early vocabulary development by comparing the composition and age of acquisition of the first 50 and 100 words of 9 firstborns and their younger siblings using a longitudinal maternal diary methodology. A small but significant birth-order effect was found for the age at which the 50-word milestone was reached. However, there was no significant difference in age at 100 words, and there was a strong correlation between sibling pairs on both of these measures. As regards qualitative differences, second-borns had a significantly higher percentage of frozen phrases in their first 100 words and a significantly higher percentage of deictic personal pronouns in their first 50 and 100 words. However, no differences were found in the percentage of common nouns at either measurement point. It is argued that, on balance, these results are more consistent with a "different" than a "disadvantaged" view of later-borns' early language, and that those differences that do exist may be due, at least in part, to the occurrence of a higher degree of observational learning in second-borns' early language acquisition.     

Should alumni remain silent?

Jerry L. Martin, former acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, is president of the National Alumni Forum and adjunct professor of political philosophy and public policy at Georgetown University.     

'Personal Effectiveness' as a Cross-Curricular Goal: Catalysts, Barriers and Varying Perceptions

The focus of this paper is a piece of research which sought to evaluate a pack of materials designed to support the introduction of core transferable skills into the subject-based curriculum. The writers contextualize their work with a brief historical review of the development of this area over the last two decades, highlighting both the ambiguity and the continuing confusion that have surrounded the idea of generic skills. Apart from giving general support to the aims which informed the programme's development, the outcome of the investigation identifies a significant difference in the way teachers and students conceptualize the curriculum.