The influence of water depth on kinematic and spatiotemporal gait parameters during aquatic treadmill walking

The purpose of this study was to investigate kinematic and spatiotemporal variables of aquatic treadmill walking at three different water depths. A total of 15 healthy individuals completed three two-minute walking trials at three different water depths. The aquatic treadmill walking was conducted at waist-depth, chest-depth and neck-depth, while a customised 3-D underwater motion analysis system captured their walking. Each participant’s self-selected walking speed at the waist level was used as a reference speed, which was applied to the remaining two test conditions. A repeated measures ANOVA showed statistically significant differences among the three walking conditions in stride length, cadence, peak hip extension, hip range of motion (ROM), peak ankle plantar flexion and ankle ROM (All p values < 0.05). The participants walked with increased stride length and decreased cadence during neck level as compared to waist and chest level. They also showed increased ankle ROM and decreased hip ROM as the water depth rose from waist and chest to the neck level. However, our study found no significant difference between waist and chest level water in all variables. Hydrodynamics, such as buoyancy and drag force, in response to changes in water depths, can affect gait patterns during aquatic treadmill walking.     

“Just Call the Cops:” The College Student’s Advice to the Rape Victim

Rape incidents involving college students have recently gained national attention resulting in an open debate about whether a college environment is prone to sexual violence. Although studies show that most rape victims talked to friends or relatives and that the victims took their advice for the next action, few studies have examined the type of advice given by college students. A sample of undergraduate students was provided with vignettes describing a hypothetical rape situation and a series of questions about their belief in rape myths, attitudes toward women, and their individual characteristics and backgrounds. Findings suggest that the attribution of less responsibility to the victim, an acquaintance assailant, victim resistance, a belief in egalitarian views of women, men, and African-Americans, were associated with an increased likelihood of advice to contact the police. Implications are discussed with particular attention to the college population.     

Architectural Support for Context-Aware Mobile Learning Applications

Education and Information Technologies - Context-aware mobile learning applications provide learning materials to suit the needs of individual learners. Despite several applications developed,...     

The power of self-directed journals: being a temporary ‘other’ for learning to teach

This case study investigates how an ESL teacher’s activity of self-directed journal writing can facilitate learning and function as a mediational tool for teacher professional development. The participant for this study is a native English speaker who taught an ESL freshman writing course in an American university. Since he had little time to consult with teaching experts, he decided to engage in his self-directed journal for reflecting on his teaching practices. A sociocultural perspective on human cognitive development is utilized as an analytical framework for tracing his development and capturing the transformative power of narrative within his developmental trajectory. Using grounded theory, his journal entries are analyzed to identify a series of stages that trace his professional development, supported by face-to-face interview data designed to co-construct an interpretation of his journal and to serve as a member check. The data analysis suggests that his journal became a powerful mediational space where he critically reflected on and systematically examined his teaching practices. By externalizing his thoughts and feelings, as he first recognizes his loss of self-regulation and then works toward regaining his sense of professional expertise, he begins to develop alternative ways of thinking about his current teaching practices and starts to embrace new modes of engagement in his L2 classroom.     

Neither Too Sweet nor Too Sour: Problem Peers, Maternal Control, and Problem Behavior in African American Adolescents

This study examined whether maternal control protects African American adolescents from the negative influence of problem peers. Two forms of control were examined, behavioral control and psychological control. It was hypothesized that there would be a curvilinear relation between control and adolescent problem behavior, with the strength of the relationship and the amount of control optimal for adolescent development varying by the level of peer problem behavior. In general, data supported this model, particularly in regard to behavioral control, where the predicted curvilinear interaction occurred even after controlling for initial levels of problem behavior. The predicted curvilinear interaction between psychological control and peer problem behavior was statistically significant if initial levels of problem behavior were not controlled for but was not significant after controlling for initial problem behavior. These findings suggest that high-quality parenting can play a modest but critical role in the face of environmental adversity.     

基于Y世代购房心理分析的营销策略

Y世代是指在1980-1990年之间出生的人,他们已步入房地产消费市场,并呈现了一些新的消费行为特征.通过对他们购房心理分析的基础上,分别从产品策略、价格策略、营销渠道策略和促销策略角度提出相应的房地产营销策略.     

专利申请资助政策变迁与效果分析——以广州市为例

广州市从2002年开始实施专利申请资助政策,并经过2004年和2007年两次调整后,其资助的重点更明确,资助标准更科学化,资助方式更合理.广州市专利资助政策对专利申请总量和授权总量的增加以及发明专利的增长率和授权比例的提高都有显著的积极作用,但在专利质量、专利结构方面仍然存在一些问题需要改进,表明其资助政策需要进一步优化.     

Public broadband investment priorities in the United States: an analysis of the broadband technology opportunities program

In 2009, U.S. Congress approved $7.2 billion to accelerate the deployment of advanced broadband networks and services to unserved and underserved regions of the country. Although primarily a short-term response to the economic crisis, the appropriation also indicates a willingness to seek a new balance between private sector and public sector initiatives in the development of the nation's broadband infrastructure. This paper is a first step in assessing the potential impact of the new government initiatives. It discusses in detail one component of the overall program, the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). The rationales and objectives of BTOP and its initial implementation are explored. Based on information in the BTOP database, 265 awards were examined to document award types, target communities, applications, technology, and access speeds. Whereas it is too early to assess the initiatives' effects on employment and other important social and economic objectives, it is appropriate to consider whether the awards made under the BTOP program advance a national broadband development agenda. Overall, they appear to. However, the present analysis found that projects focusing on minority populations may have received less emphasis in the BTOP awards than that announced in the stated goals of the program.