What makes a small village grow fast to a large city in just a few decades? Could it be some sort of new industry that makes those villages proliferate? Maybe a natural resource has been found in the local area that creates a lot of job opportunities in a short span of time? Sometimes it is that people and entrepreneurs see the potential of the area to create a tourism industry in that place. The area might have the right conditions for maybe historical or nature sights - ski slopes, mountain hiking, fishing or other outdoor activities. The opportunities might be many, and just in a few years this location becomes the most popular tourist destination in the country. Business is flourishing, but what are the consequences when a place rapidly grows from being a small village to a big tourist destination? There are of course opportunities, but also a lot of challenges. This paper will examine what precisely those opportunities or challenges may be for a rapid growing tourist destination. To observe this phenomenon, this study has been conducted in Sälen in Sweden, the biggest skiing resort in all of Scandinavia. Sälen is a seasonal tourist destination, which gives this study a broader perspective on the topic of rapid growing destinations. The seasonal aspect has its own challenges and opportunities. To get a better understanding of this phenomenon, several big actors from Sälen have been interviewed. The empirical statements from these respondents will explain how the destination operates and what difficulties they see with Sälen and rapid growing destinations. This will then be mirrored and compared towards the collected theoretical studies. What do these previous studies that directly or indirectly say about this phenomenon? In conclusion, we have found that seasonal and rapid growing tourist destinations make balancing infrastructures, finding and hiring labor, maintaining a good image, meeting the demand with a range of activities and sustaining the environment a challenge. We have also found that if the different actors collectively work together towards a common goal, handling the change of rapid growing destinations becomes a lot easier. Working together with each other and the public sector gives opportunity for both social, economic and environmental sustainability.

It is a challenge to collect data on visitors' movement patterns via a mobile app for an alpine ski resort. Because gathering of location information is based on voluntariness. One way to motivate more people to share their location information is to offer the features that users expects or want in such a mobile app. This study aims to investigate what features a mobile app should include in order for users to share their location information. The research strategy used is case study and the data collection method is interviews. 22 alpine skiers were interviewed and in addition, an expert on the topic of mobile solutions with experience of leading development of location-based mobile apps has been interviewed. The interviews generated qualitative data that was analyzed thematically. The results presented by the study show that users are positive about sharing their location information if they receive something significant in return. The results are presented in two parts, one with general needs that the overwhelming majority desired, and one with interest-driven needs. / Det är en utmaning att samla in data om besökarnas rörelsemönster via en mobilapp för en alpin skidanläggning eftersom insamlingen av platsinformation baseras på frivillighet. Ett sätt att motivera fler att dela sin platsinformation är att erbjuda de funktioner användarna förväntar sig eller önskar i en sådan mobilapp. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka vilka funktioner en mobilapp bör innehålla för att användare ska dela med sig av sin platsinformation. Forskningsstrategin som tillämpas är fallstudie. Fallstudien baseras på intervjuer som datainsamlingsmetod. Intervjuer har genomförts med 22 alpinåkare samt en expert med erfarenhet inom att leda utveckling av platsbaserade mobila lösningar. Intervjuerna har genererat kvalitativ data som analyserats tematiskt. Resultaten som studien presenterar visar att användarna är positivt inställda till att dela sin platsinformation om de får något signifikant i gengäld. Resultaten presenteras i två delar. En del med allmänna behov vilka en övervägande majoritet önskade samt en del med intressestyrda behov.

Product testing and development are essential parts in sports and for the athletes in their quest to reach the podium. Manufacturers of sports equipment often use basic test methods which do not test the equipment in a sports specific way. Much of the equipment used by world-class athletes is chosen based only on subjective tests and the athletes’ feelings. One short term aim was therefore to develop test methods for objective tests of sports equipment that also tested the equipment in a sports  specific  way.  Another  aim  was  to  integrate  mechanics  and  simulations  to  enhance  the understanding of the test results. The more long term aims are to contribute to increased theoretical knowledge regarding test methods for sports equipment and to contribute to the development of test  methods  to  create  new  and  better  sports  equipment.  Experimental  tests  combined  with simulations  can  give  valuable  information  to  improve  the  performance  and  safety  of  sports equipment. Three studies dealt with the issue of objective yet sport specific test methods for sports equipment. The main methodological advancement is the modification of established test methods together  with  conventional  mechanics  calculations.  New  test  devices  and  methodologies  are proposed for alpine ski helmets and cross-country ski poles. Suggestions are given for improved test setups as well as theoretical simulation are introduced for glide tests of skis. The results show how sport   specific   test   methodologies   together   with   theoretical   calculations   can   improve   the objectiveness and relevance when testing sports equipment. However, the collected and used data require high precision to obtain high accuracy in the simulations. High data accuracy can be an issue in field measurements but also due to manufacturers not disclosing key material data. Still, the used methods  and  calculations  in  this  thesis  produce  relevant  and  reliable  results  which  can  be implemented to accurate evaluations of different sports equipment. Even though it has not been a first priority aim in this work, the results from the alpine helmet study have been used by helmet manufacturers to design new helmets with increased safety properties. This further show how an objective and sport specific test approach together with theoretical simulation can improve sports equipment and in the longer perspective, also the athletes’ performances. / <p>QC 20140423</p>

Atmospheric N deposition is becoming a stressor on ecosystems in the western U.S. There are few National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) monitoring sites and little is known about N deposition impacts on terrestrial ecosystems in the Intermountain West. Alpine ecosystems may be particularly sensitive to changes in N inputs because of the shallow soils, short growing seasons, and sparse plant cover. This study focused on N deposition effects on an alpine ecosystem in Grand Teton National Park located along a modeled N deposition gradient (Moose Basin high, Paint Brush Medium, Rendezvous Mtn. low) and across contrasting edaphic conditions using a two-factorial design. At each location, we estimated N deposition and measured soil moisture and temperature across edaphic conditions, soil parameters (total and extractable N, available N, net mineralization, and nitrification potential), and plant community characteristics (species richness, species composition, percent cover, plant and root biomass, N content, and above and belowground plant components). These response variables were used to test whether there is a north to south N deposition gradient, if N deposition and N status are affected by soil moisture content, and whether soil and/or plant properties were affected by N deposition and edaphic conditions and if the response variables can serve as indicators as early warning signs of N saturation. The Tetons receive 1.42 kg N ha-1 yr-1 with more in winter (0.85-1.17 kg N ha-1 yr-1) than during the summer (0.25 kg N ha-1 yr-1). Soil moisture content was related to snowpack accumulations and melt but did not affect N status. Moose Basin (i.e., high N deposition) showed characteristics of an N-rich site shown by higher soil N content and extractable soil NH4+, higher nitrification potential, low C:N ratios, more aboveground biomass, and higher foliar N content compared to the RDV location. Rendezvous Mountain (i.e., low N deposition) showed characteristics of an N-poor site having lower soil extractable N, high C:N ratios in soil and roots, and low N mineralization potential. Paint Brush was highly variable in soil and plant characteristics and most clearly showed differences between wet and dry sites. In terms of N status, it was intermediate and shared similarities with both N-poor and N-rich sites. This study shows that it is important to consider both soil and plant indicators (i.e., total and extractable N in soils, soil nitrification potential, above and belowground biomass, and N content) together to assess N status. The C:N ratio of plants and soils was less informative than anticipated. Species richness and composition was a less sensitive indicator of N-induced change and should be considered for long-term assessments only.

Laboratory and field feeding tests with Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann proved that both immature and mature seed bugs can use cones and foliage of whitebark pine, Pinus albicaulis Engelmann, as a food source for 1- to 2-week periods. Damage to unprotected whitebark pine cones by seed bugs ranged from 0.3 to 2.1 % of seeds per cone, and for bagged cones averaged 0.7% of seeds per cone. Total insect damage ranged from 0.4 to 7.2% of seeds per cone. A seed chalcid, Megastigmus sp., was documented for the first time on whitebark pine and damaged 4.7% of examined seeds at one site. Four out of five upper elevation subsites had an average of 24.9% fewer filled seeds per cone than lower elevation subsites. Within-site elevation differences had no significant effect on cone length, number of seeds per cone, percentage of potential seeds per cone, or percentages of seed bug and insect-damaged seeds per cone. The larch cone fly Strobilomyia macalpinei Michelsen was found in cones of alpine larch, Larix lyallii Parl., in the Bitterroot Range of Montana. This is the first record of this species in the United States and the first since its description in 1988. Ninety-four percent of a sample of alpine larch cones were damaged by cone fly larvae, and 64% contained larvae or puparia. Colored traps did not succeed in trapping adult cone flies in an alpine larch stand with no cone crop.

Forskning och karakterisering av alpinskidors belag kräver mycket tid och resurser att utföra därav försvinner informationsmängd inom området, då de tester som görs inte delas offentligt. Idag användsuteslutningsmetoden mycket och inte mätvärden som testats fram. Idenna rapport undersöks varför den ena skidan är snabbare än den andra med hjälp av teknisk information i form av data.Arbetet kring studien introducerades med en förstudie. I förstudien identifierades problem, analys av artiklar samt förberedelse kring intervju. Under arbetet har större del av tiden arbetats kring glidtester och uppsikt av strukturen samt att undersöka strukturer på belaget med mikroskop på ett laboratorium i Uppsala.Resultatet omfattar teoretiskt bevis grundat på mätdata som arbetats fram vid Ångströms laboratorium. Med hjälp av tre skilda strukturer som syftar till varierande karaktär, visar resultaten hur olika strukturer ger utslag i glid mellan snö och belag. Strukturerna som användes var helbäddsstruktur, kryss-struktur med släppta kanter samt fiskbensstruktur.Slutsatser kring projektet är att det glidtest som utfördes inte höll tillräckligt hög standard. För att kunna styrka att någon av strukturerna var snabbare än den andra behöver man utveckla glidtestet. Tiderna indikerar på skillnad i strukturerna, men på grund av de brister i testet som uppkom kan man inte med säkerhet fastställa att det är enbart strukturen som gör att tiden påverkas.Det går inte hitta någon korrelation mellan mikroskopsbilderna och de resultat man fick från glidtesterna, vilket ledet till att målet inte uppnåttsmed att hitta de parametrar som påverkar friktionen mellan skida ochsnö / In this study, the characteristics of an alpine ski’s base structure arepresented. The goal is to identify which parameters on the surface control the friction between the ski and the snow. The project is based on selfstudies through laboratory experiments and tests has been completed with facts from scientific reports and articles. This thesis is written for Sports Technology - Bachelor of Science in Product Development at Mid Sweden University Spring term 2022.Research and characterization of the alpine ski base require a lot of time and resources. As a result, the amount of information in the area disappears, as the tests performed are not shared publicly. Exclusion methods is the most common method used today and not measured values that have been tested. This report examines why one ski is faster than the other using technical data.The pilot study identified problems-, analyzed articles, and made the necessary preparations for the interviews. During the rest of the study, the main part of the time has been put into glide testing, an inspection of the structure and also observing the base of the ski with a microscope at the laboratory in Uppsala.The result covers theoretical evidence based on the measurement data that has been subtracted at the Ångstöms laboratory. With the help of three different structures aiming for varying characters, the result shows how these different structured bases interact with the snow. The structures used were full bed Cross structure, Cross structure withshaped edges and fishbone structure.Conclusions about the project are that the ski test that was performed did not maintain a sufficiently high standard. To be able to prove that one of the structures was faster than the other you need to develop the ski test. The times indicate a difference in the structures, but due to the shortcomings in the test that arose, it cannot be established with certainty that it is only the structure that causes the time to be affected.Karakterisering av ytstrukturen på en alpinskidas belagMittuniversitetet2022-05-25Based on the Mid Sweden University template for technical reports, written by Magnus Eriksson, Kenneth Berg and MivIt is not possible to find any correlation between the microscope images and the results obtained from the tests, which led to the goal not being achieved by finding the parameters that affect the friction between skisand snow / <p>2022-07-01</p>

Mittuniversitetets forskningsavdelning Sports Tech Research Centre (STRC) driver sedan en tid tillbaka ett projekt i samarbete med Svenska Skidförbundet. Syftet med projektet är att bidra till det alpina landslagets framgång genom att utveckla fartdräkterna som åkarna använder, främst genom att minska fartdräktens påverkan av luftmotståndet. En del av projektet innefattar vindtunneltester av dessa fartdräkter för att mäta dess luftmotstånd. Syftet med detta examensarbete är att bidra till fortsatt utveckling genom att underlätta dessa tester. Syftet är även att undersöka och utvärdera en ny tillverkningsmetod för att designa och tillverka testdockor avsedda att använda i vindtunneltester. Målet var att designa och tillverka en testdocka utifrån en alpinskidåkare på elitnivå. Dockan skulle kunna kläs i en fartdräkt och användas i en vindtunnel, och där visa likvärdiga mätvärden för luftmotståndet som för testpersonen och en lägre standardavvikelse. Arbetet började med att skanna testpersonen som testdockan skulle skapas utifrån. Fotogrammetri användes som skanningsmetod. Därefter följde 3D-modellering och beredning inför tillverkningen. Testdockan tillverkades av horisontella spånskivelager sammanfogade med varandra. Jämförande vindtunneltester utfördes sedan på testdockan och testpersonen den är skapad utefter, i syfte att validera dockan och uppnå liknande mätvärden. Den resulterande 3D-modellen från skanning och 3D-modellering kunde valideras mot testpersonens verkliga mått och var därför användbar för att tillverka den fysiska testdockan. Resultatet efter montering och ytbehandling var en fysisk testdocka som kunde kläs med fartdräkt och tillhörande utrustning. Dockans dimensioner stämde överens tillräckligt bra med testpersonens dimensioner. Vindtunneltesterna visade på ett luftmotstånd på ca 19,8N för testpersonen och ca 28,1N för testdockan. Detta beror troligtvis på skillnader mellan deras positionering. Standardavvikelsen av luftmotståndet för testpersonen och testdockan var ca 3,76N respektive ca 4,33N. Fotogrammetri följt av 3D-modellering i Rhino lämpade sig för denna typ av modell med organiska former. Tillverkningsmetoden krävde mycket efterarbete men gav ett bra resultat i just detta arbete, där de minsta detaljerna som t. ex ansikte och händer inte var av största vikt. Målet att tillverka en testdocka med fungerande funktioner uppfylldes. Ökningen av standardavvikelsen för testdockans luftmotstånd gör att den delen av målet inte uppfylldes, men ytterligare undersökningar behöver utföras innan slutsatser kan dras om dockans användbarhet. / Mid Sweden University's research department Sports Tech Research Center has been running a project in collaboration with the Swedish Ski Association for some time. The purpose of the project is to contribute to the success of the Swedish alpine national team by developing the race suits that the riders use, mainly by reducing the race suit's impact on air resistance. Part of the project includes wind tunnel tests of these race suits to measure its air resistance. The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to further development by facilitating these tests. The purpose is also to investigate and evaluate a new manufacturing method for designing and manufacturing test dummies intended for use in wind tunnel tests. The goal was to design and manufacture a test dummy based on an alpine skier at an elite level. The dummy was to be dressed in a race suit and used in a wind tunnel, and there show equivalent measured values for the air resistance of the test person and a lower standard deviation. The work began with scanning the test person from whom the test dummy was to be created. Photogrammetry was used as the scanning method. This was followed by 3D modulation and preparation for production. The test dummy was made of horizontal chipboard layers joined together. Comparative wind tunnel tests were then performed on the test dummy and the test person it is created from, in order to validate the dummy and achieve similar measurement values. The resulting 3D model from scanning and 3D modulation could be validated against the test person's actual measurements and was therefore useful for manufacturing the physical test dummy. The result after assembly and surface treatment was a physical test dummy that could be dressed in a speed suit and associated equipment. The dimensions of the dummy matched well enough with the dimensions of the test person. The wind tunnel tests showed an air resistance of about 19.8N for the test person and about 28.1N for the test dummy. This is probably due to differences between their positioning. The standard deviation of the air resistance for the test person and the test dummy was about 3.76N and about 4.33N, respectively. Photogrammetry followed by 3D modulation in Rhino was suitable for this type of model with organic shapes. The manufacturing method required a lot of finishing work but gave a good result in this particular work, where the smallest details such as the face and hands were not of the utmost importance. The goal of manufacturing a test dummy with needed functions was met. The increase in the standard deviation of the test dummy's air resistance means that part of the goal was not met, but further investigations need to be carried out before conclusions can be drawn about the dummy´s usefulness / <p>2022-07-01</p>

Examensarbetet presenterat i den här rapporten utfördes i syfte att kartlägga vilka sensorer och metoder som skulle kunna vara tillämpbara inom kartläggning av snölager i den arktiska regionen. För att göra den bedömningen har flera olika metoder använts. Intervjuer med experter inom relevanta områden hölls för att göra en initial kartläggning av vilken information som kan tänkas ligga till grund för det efterföljande steget, en kvantitativ regressionsanalys baserad på information insamlad genom systematisk analys av plattformar och sensorer som används i kartläggning baserad på fjärranalys. I denna analys identifierades relevanta korrelationsområden vilka sedan kunde analyseras närmare i en ’State of the art’-sammanställning av relevanta publikationer för att ge en rättvisande insyn i vilka metoder som finns tillgängliga och vad deras respektive styrkor och svagheter är. Slutligen genomfördes en flygning i syfte att praktiskt bedöma vilken kvalitet man kan uppnå i snökartläggning med enkelt tillgängliga konsumentprodukter. Resultaten pekar på att snökartläggning med drönare är ett lovande komplement till vanliga, manuella mätningar. Rekommendationer för vidare studier inkluderar komponentspecifika undersökningar, plattformsdesign och marknadskartläggning. / The thesis presented in this report was conducted to identify which sensors and methods could be applicable in the mapping of snow stocks in the Arctic region. To make that assessment, several different methods have been used. Interviews with experts in relevant areas were held to make an initial survey of what information might be the basis for the subsequent step, a quantitative regression analysis based on information collected through systematic review of the use of platforms and sensors in mapping by remote sensing. In this analysis, relevant correlation areas were identified, which could then be further analyzed in a state of the art compilation of relevant publications to provide a fair understanding of what methods are available and what their respective strengths and weaknesses are. Finally, a flight was carried out with a view to practically assessing what quality can be achieved in snow mapping with readily available consumer products. The results point out that snow mapping exploration with drones is a promising complement to manual measurements. Recommendations for further studies include component-specific surveys, platform design and market mapping.

In the recent years, the consumer choices have been focused on health-promoting plant-based food and their preferences are oriented towards regional foodstuff from local productions. Therefore, an important factor for vegetables grown Trentino-Alto Adige (Italy) is to point out the added value of alpine farming to evaluate the nutritional values of farming products. Omics technologies (e.g. genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics) are aimed at investigating the assessment of different pools of molecules and how they are translated into the structure, function, and dynamics of a biological system or systems in order to provide a comprehensive characterization of a specific organism. Research use the omics techniques to exhaustively understand the functionality of food components. Several sophisticated chromatographic methods, spectroscopic techniques and chemometric tools are applied to give an insight into a comprehensive overview of the intrinsic quality, typicality and regionality of specific plant-based foods in the present PhD thesis: apples and potatoes. The quality of these foods is evaluated by quantifying the secondary metabolites to investigate their nutraceutical values. The aim of this PhD project is to use several analytical techniques (LC-MS, UV-VIS) that are capable of comprehensively characterizing the food metabolome with particular emphasis on those components with high nutritional values. The data analysis and data handling of omics data requires advanced bioinformatic, statistical, and chemometric tools. Potatoes and apples are chosen as target matrices for these studies for their relevance in the local economy and for the peculiar chemical composition of particular interest for their health-promoting proprieties. The information is acquired using several sophisticated chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques, such as ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC– MS/MS) and UV/VIS. It is integrated to chemometric approaches (principal component analysis (PCA), partial least square regression (PLS), and data fusion) to achieve a comprehensive targeted chemical characterization. The sampling procedures gathers, in the case of the potatoes study, reference cultivars that may be found in the common retailers of Trentino/Alto-Adige and different production areas, the apples of 22 cultivars were harvest from the fields of the Laimburg Research Centre (Vadena, Italy) to guaranty comparability of the obtained data. Our results may be used as solid foundation for a reliable evaluation of apples and potatoes healthy "potential" value based on cutting-edge techniques, which are capable of providing comprehensive data regarding the alpine food quality parameters with high efficiency and reliability

<p>Surface mining is a common method of accessing coal. In high-elevation environments, vegetation and soils are typically removed prior to the blasting of overburden rock thereby allowing access to mineable ore. The removed waste rock is deposited in adjacent valleys where it may bury existing streams. Previous research, predominantly in Appalachia, has focused on downstream water quality impacts with less focus on how streamflow response and flow pathways are affected by surface mining. This study reports on how surface mining affects streamflow hydrological and chemical responses at the headwater catchment scale in the Elk Valley, British Columbia. A paired catchment approach was utilized between May and October 2012, where a reference catch- ment (Dry Creek - DC) was compared to an impacted catchment (West Line Creek - WLC), whose area is 30% covered by deposited waste rock. Hydrometrically, WLC had considerably lower flows and exhibited a damped, slower response to precipitation events than DC. Dissolved ions were an order of magnitude greater in WLC, with conductivity (SpC) ranging between 400 μS/cm at high flow to 1300 μS/cm at low flow. A strong hysteretic pattern was observed between SpC and flow and with specific ions at WLC, suggesting dilution or changing flowpaths as the season progressed. In contrast, patterns of SpC and flow at DC did not exhibit hysteresis. Major ion hydrochemistry at WLC shows dilution affecting ion concentrations whereas results at DC are consistent with chemostatic behavior. Stable isotopes were more depleted at DC compared with WLC, suggesting different sources and timing of water contributing to streamflow. Future research will work towards a conceptual model of surface mining impacts on catchment scale processes in montane environments through increased understanding of residence time and flowpath distributions at a number of impacted and reference catchments.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)