Title: Effect of climbing activity on somatic and fitness characteristics in youth. Objectives: The aim of this thesis was to assess the effect of climbing activity on fitness (upper body strength) and somatic (body composition) changes in youth in real conditions. Methods: We had 91 children participating in this study, who were attending climbing course in the climbing center Praha Ruzyně. Their age was 10,4 ± 3,0 years in average and their climbing ability was on UIAA scale from 4 th to 7 th degree. We detected information about age, climbing experience, and actual climbing performance. Furthermore, we measured height, weight and body composition and we used the tests for measuring upper body strength: hand grip, bent-arm hang and finger hang. Results: Dependence between strength tests (average of three measurements) and climbing level of RP (UIAA) was not statistically confirmed. There was not found the influence of climbed meters to changes in each tests of strength. There was no change in the grip strength test in average, during the exercise intervention. In the bent-arm hang test and the finger hang test, there were significant changes that were not depending on climbing experience of children. Conclusions: In this study was not confirmed any of the above hypotheses. However, it was found...

No description available.

O objetivo da tese foi adaptar, para as condições das rodovias brasileiras, as diretrizes da AASHTO para projetos de faixas adicionais de subida. Esta adaptação foi feita através de três aspectos: (i) geração de curvas de desempenho para caminhões típicos brasileiros; (ii) determinação da redução admissível de velocidade para caminhões; e (iii) estimativa do fluxo e da porcentagem de caminhões no tráfego que justifiquem economicamente a construção da faixa adicional. Quanto ao primeiro aspecto, constatou-se que as relações massa/potência encontradas para caminhões brasileiros (variam de 100 a 380 kg/kW) são significativamente maiores que a dos caminhões norte-americanos (120 kg/kW), o que inviabiliza o uso das curvas de desempenho que constam do livro verde da AASHTO. Nesta pesquisa, um modelo de locomoção de veículos foi calibrado e validado, logo após foram geradas curvas de desempenho para sete categorias de caminhões brasileiros. No segundo aspecto, as relações entre as diferenças de velocidade entre automóveis e caminhões, e índices de envolvimento de caminhões em acidentes foram obtidas. Para atingir esse objetivo, foram coletados dados sobre acidentes envolvendo caminhões, velocidade de veículos em aclives e volume diário médio. As relações foram comparadas com a utilizada nas diretrizes da AASHTO e as diferenças encontradas sugerem que a redução admissível na velocidade dos caminhões brasileiros deve ser de 20 km/h, em rodovias de pista simples, e de 35 km/h, em rodovias de pista dupla, se o índice de envolvimento de caminhões em acidentes for o que corresponde à redução máxima de velocidade admitida pela AASHTO (15 km/h). Em relação ao terceiro aspecto, foram analisadas relações benefício/custo para diversos cenários, visando estimar os fluxos de tráfego para os quais os custos fossem iguais aos benefícios. Os custos foram estimados a partir do investimento de capital necessário para a construção da ) faixa adicional, com base em projetos típicos do estado de São Paulo. Os benefícios estimados foram a redução do tempo de viagem e dos custos operacionais dos carros, ônibus e caminhões descarregados. Para a estimativa dos tempos de viagem, porcentagem do tempo trafegando em pelotões e porcentagem média de veículos em pelotões, foram feitas simulações, com e sem a faixa adicional, usando-se o modelo TRARR. Nessas simulações, os fluxos variaram entre 50 a 700 veíc/h e as porcentagens de caminhões de 10% a 40%. Os resultados indicam que os fluxos mínimos no aclive, que justifiquem economicamente a construção da faixa adicional, dependem da porcentagem de caminhões e da magnitude do aclive, variando de 340 veíc/h (10% de caminhões; aclives de até 3%) a 185 veíc/h (30% de caminhões; aclives de mais de 3%). / The objective of the research reported in this PhD dissertation was to adapt the AASHTO guidelines for design of climbing lanes to the Brazilian highways characteristics. This adaptation was carried out with regard to three aspects: (i) development of performance curves for typical Brazilian trucks; (ii) determination of the maximum speed reduction of slow trucks on upgrades; and (iii) estimation of minimum upgrade traffic flow rates and truck percents that would warrant the construction of climbing lanes on two-lane highways, from cost-effectiveness approach. Regarding the first aspect, it was verified that mass/power ratios for Brazilian trucks vary between 100 and 380 kg/kW and significantly differ from the ratio taken by AASHTO as representative of the average North-American truck (120 kg/kW); therefore, the truck performance curves from the AASHTO green book should not be used to design climbing lanes in Brazil. The green book\'s performance curves can be replaced by a family of performance curves for Brazilian trucks generated by a truck locomotion model, which was calibrated and validated in this research. With regard to the second aspect analyzed, the relationship between speed difference and truck accident involvement rates was studied. Data about truck accidents, speeds and annual average daily traffic were collected. These functions were compared to the one presented in the green book and the differences found suggest that, for the same truck accident involvement rate used to establish the maximum truck speed reduction adopted in the AASHTO policy (15 km/h), the admissible truck speed reduction on Brazilian roads would be 20 km/h on two-lane highways and 35 km/h on divided highways. With regard to the third aspect, benefit/cost ratios for several scenarios were analyzed in order to estimate upgrade traffic flow rates that would warrant the provision of climbing lanes. (continue) (continuation) The costs were estimated on the basis of the capital costs for the construction of the climbing lane, based on costs of climbing lanes built in the state of São Paulo. The benefits were estimated from the reduction of travel time and vehicle operating costs provided by the construction of a climbing lane. Travel times, percent time spent following, and average fraction of vehicles travelling in platoons with and without the climbing lane were estimated by means of traffic flow simulations carried out with TRARR. The simulations were run using traffic flows ranging from 50 to 700 veh/h, with truck percents varying from 10% to 40%. The results indicated upgrade traffic flow rates that warrants climbing lanes varying with truck percents and grades magnitude and range from 340 veh/h (grades of up to 3%, 10% trucks in flow) to 185 veh/h (grades of more than 3%, with 30% trucks).

Devido ao histórico processo de exploração e conversão do uso do solo, as florestas tropicais hoje se encontram altamente fragmentadas e com os remanescentes de vegetação sobre constante pressão, como é possível observar para Florestas Estacionais Semideciduais do Estado de São Paulo. O aumento na frequência e intensidade de fatores de perturbação em pequenos fragmentos florestais pode ocasionar uma proliferação desequilibrada de plantas trepadeiras que acabam por contribuir com a degradação florestal iniciada pelas perturbações. Isto se reflete na crescente demanda por resolução de problemas ligados ao manejo de tais plantas em fragmentos florestais como forma de restauração florestal. Sendo assim o presente trabalho teve como objetivos caracterizar a comunidade de plantas trepadeiras em diferentes setores de conservação de um fragmento de Floresta Estacional Semidecidual degradado e avaliar os padrões de associação de variáveis como densidade, diâmetro e biomassa de trepadeiras com variáveis estruturais da flroesta como a regeneração natural e a biomassa arbórea da área total e estratos de conservação. As variáveis que mostraram associação em pelo menos algum estrato foram selecionados para compor modelos candidatos utilizando a densidade de regeneração natural como variável resposta, sendo feito uma seleção do melhor modelo através de Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). Utilizando os modelos selecionados como indicativos, foram traçados e discutidos possíveis estratégias de manejo. Foram amostradas 2323 plantas trepadeiras pertencentes a 62 espécies, 50 gêneros e 20 famílias botânicas. As espécies Mansoa difficilis, Lundia obliqua, Dicella bracteosa, Fridericia triplinervia, Serjania fuscifolia, Adenocalymma marginatum, Bignonia sciuripabula e Bignonia campanulata representaram 50% da abundância total de indivíduos. Os resultados mostraram que a área possui uma grande riqueza e diversidade de plantas trepadeiras, sendo registrada uma abundância heterogênea nos diferentes estratos de conservação, com espécies exclusivas para cada um deles. Algumas espécies como Bignonia campanulata apresentou alta densidade em estratos \"pouco degradados\", média em \"degradados\" e não foi encontrada em \"muito degradados\". Em geral as variáveis de plantas trepadeiras não mostraram tendências de associação com a regeneração natural e biomassa arbórea quando considerado a área total, porém algumas associações moderadas foram obtidas em diferentes estratos de conservação. O modelo selecionado para área total e para setores \"degradado\" e \"muito degradado\" mostrou um efeito negativo da densidade de plantas trepadeiras e positivo da biomassa arbórea sobre a regeneração natural, sendo que para o setor \"pouco degradado\" o melhor modelo não mostrava qualquer efeito de preditoras. Os resultados mostram que parâmetros como a densidade de plantas trepadeiras e a biomassa arbórea do fragmento florestal influênciam a regeneração natural, sendo taís características importantes de serem levadas em conta em atividades de manejo através do corte de trepadeiras, sendo sugerido controle da densidade destas plantas e manutenção e promoção da biomassa arbórea em fragmentos florestais degradados. / Due to the historical process of exploration and conversion of land use in tropical forest, nowadays these regions are highly fragmented and the remaining vegetation under constant pressure, what can be seen in the semideciduous seasonal forests of São Paulo, Brazil. The increase in the frequency and intensity of disturbance factors in small forest fragments can cause an unbalanced proliferation of climbing plants that end up contributing to forest degradation initiated by the disturbances. Demand for solving problems related to the management of these plants as a forest restoration tool has increasingly risen. Thus, the present study aimed to characterize the pattern of climbing plants community in different conservation areas of a small and degraded Seasonal Semidecidual forest fragment and evaluate the patterns of association within variables such as density, diameter and biomass with forest structural variables as the natural regeneration and the tree biomass of the total area and conservation sectors. The variables that were associated with at least some strata were selected to compose candidate models using natural regeneration density as the response variable, being made a selection of the best model using Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). Using the models selected as guides, were drawn and discussed possible management strategies. Were sampled 2323 individuals from climbing plants belonging to 62 species, 50 genera and 20 botanical families. The species difficilis Mansoa, oblique Lundia, bracteosa Dicella, triplinervia Fridericia, Serjania fuscifolia, Adenocalymma marginatum, Bignonia Bignonia campanulata sciuripabula and accounted for 50% of the total abundance of individuals. The results showed that the area has a wealth and diversity of climbing plants, and registered a motley abundance in different conservation sectors, with exclusive species for each of them. Some species as Bignonia campanulata showed high density in sectors \"little degraded,\" few individuals in \"degraded\" sectors and was not found in sectors \"highly degraded\". In general, the variables of climbing plants don\'t showed strong trends of association with natural regeneration and tree biomass when considering the total area, but some moderate associations were obtained in different conservation sectors. The model selected for total area and sectors \"degraded\" and \"highly degraded\" showed a negative effect by the climbing plants density and a positive effect by the tree biomass on natural regeneration. In the other hand the \"little degraded\" sector best model showed no effect of any precditive variable. By the results, the author suggests that the management focused on the control of density and maintenance and promotion of tree biomass would be more suitable in degraded forest fragments.

The thesis draws upon six published and peer reviewed papers and a peer reviewed book chapter. An overview of each paper is followed by the publication and then an explanation of how each has contributed to the emerging research profile and methodology. There follows a critical overview and rationale of the developing and emerging research profile and the move from a constructivist grounded methodology to a Bourdieuian theoretical and methodological position. This thesis focuses on the process of social reproduction and change in the contemporary mountaineering and climbing field. A central theme in this thesis is the relationship between social structure and individual agency. The adoption of the Bourdieuian approach represents a conceptual break with previous understandings of action, agency, objectivism, subjectivism, the individual and society. Habitus becomes a main mechanism to explore and analyse the process of social change and reproduction in the contemporary climbing and mountaineering field. Habitus makes it possible to understand and account for the dynamic and spontaneous actions of individuals as well as the process of social reproduction and change. At the centre of the process of social change is the relationship between the habitus and the field. It is through a detailed analysis of the relationship between the habitus and the field that is possible to understand the process of structural change and the conditions where individuals are most likely and able to challenge doxa. In the modern climbing context, women, particularly from the middle classes, are becoming empowered through the transformation of their bodies and the construction of often complex and contradictory identities. These women are placed to take advantage of new emerging social relations and opportunities occurring as a result of hysteresis. However, this has implications for the identities and position of established climbers, particularly men whose habitus was formed under a previous set of objective conditions, but also other women from subordinate social positions.

This thesis addresses the problem of generating smooth and efficiently executable locomotion trajectories for legged robots under contact constraints. In addition, we want the trajectories to have the property that small changes in the foot position generate small changes in the joint target path. The first part of this thesis explores methods to select poses for a legged robot that maximises the workspace reachability while maintaining stability and contact constraints. It also explores methods to select configurations based on a reduced-dimensional search of the configuration space. The second part analyses time scaling strategy which tries to minimize the execution time while obeying the velocity and acceleration constraints. These two parts effectively result in smooth feasible trajectories for legged robots. Experiments on the RoboSimian robot demonstrate the effectiveness and scalability of the strategies described for walking and climbing on a rock climbing wall.

O objetivo da tese foi adaptar, para as condições das rodovias brasileiras, as diretrizes da AASHTO para projetos de faixas adicionais de subida. Esta adaptação foi feita através de três aspectos: (i) geração de curvas de desempenho para caminhões típicos brasileiros; (ii) determinação da redução admissível de velocidade para caminhões; e (iii) estimativa do fluxo e da porcentagem de caminhões no tráfego que justifiquem economicamente a construção da faixa adicional. Quanto ao primeiro aspecto, constatou-se que as relações massa/potência encontradas para caminhões brasileiros (variam de 100 a 380 kg/kW) são significativamente maiores que a dos caminhões norte-americanos (120 kg/kW), o que inviabiliza o uso das curvas de desempenho que constam do livro verde da AASHTO. Nesta pesquisa, um modelo de locomoção de veículos foi calibrado e validado, logo após foram geradas curvas de desempenho para sete categorias de caminhões brasileiros. No segundo aspecto, as relações entre as diferenças de velocidade entre automóveis e caminhões, e índices de envolvimento de caminhões em acidentes foram obtidas. Para atingir esse objetivo, foram coletados dados sobre acidentes envolvendo caminhões, velocidade de veículos em aclives e volume diário médio. As relações foram comparadas com a utilizada nas diretrizes da AASHTO e as diferenças encontradas sugerem que a redução admissível na velocidade dos caminhões brasileiros deve ser de 20 km/h, em rodovias de pista simples, e de 35 km/h, em rodovias de pista dupla, se o índice de envolvimento de caminhões em acidentes for o que corresponde à redução máxima de velocidade admitida pela AASHTO (15 km/h). Em relação ao terceiro aspecto, foram analisadas relações benefício/custo para diversos cenários, visando estimar os fluxos de tráfego para os quais os custos fossem iguais aos benefícios. Os custos foram estimados a partir do investimento de capital necessário para a construção da ) faixa adicional, com base em projetos típicos do estado de São Paulo. Os benefícios estimados foram a redução do tempo de viagem e dos custos operacionais dos carros, ônibus e caminhões descarregados. Para a estimativa dos tempos de viagem, porcentagem do tempo trafegando em pelotões e porcentagem média de veículos em pelotões, foram feitas simulações, com e sem a faixa adicional, usando-se o modelo TRARR. Nessas simulações, os fluxos variaram entre 50 a 700 veíc/h e as porcentagens de caminhões de 10% a 40%. Os resultados indicam que os fluxos mínimos no aclive, que justifiquem economicamente a construção da faixa adicional, dependem da porcentagem de caminhões e da magnitude do aclive, variando de 340 veíc/h (10% de caminhões; aclives de até 3%) a 185 veíc/h (30% de caminhões; aclives de mais de 3%). / The objective of the research reported in this PhD dissertation was to adapt the AASHTO guidelines for design of climbing lanes to the Brazilian highways characteristics. This adaptation was carried out with regard to three aspects: (i) development of performance curves for typical Brazilian trucks; (ii) determination of the maximum speed reduction of slow trucks on upgrades; and (iii) estimation of minimum upgrade traffic flow rates and truck percents that would warrant the construction of climbing lanes on two-lane highways, from cost-effectiveness approach. Regarding the first aspect, it was verified that mass/power ratios for Brazilian trucks vary between 100 and 380 kg/kW and significantly differ from the ratio taken by AASHTO as representative of the average North-American truck (120 kg/kW); therefore, the truck performance curves from the AASHTO green book should not be used to design climbing lanes in Brazil. The green book\'s performance curves can be replaced by a family of performance curves for Brazilian trucks generated by a truck locomotion model, which was calibrated and validated in this research. With regard to the second aspect analyzed, the relationship between speed difference and truck accident involvement rates was studied. Data about truck accidents, speeds and annual average daily traffic were collected. These functions were compared to the one presented in the green book and the differences found suggest that, for the same truck accident involvement rate used to establish the maximum truck speed reduction adopted in the AASHTO policy (15 km/h), the admissible truck speed reduction on Brazilian roads would be 20 km/h on two-lane highways and 35 km/h on divided highways. With regard to the third aspect, benefit/cost ratios for several scenarios were analyzed in order to estimate upgrade traffic flow rates that would warrant the provision of climbing lanes. (continue) (continuation) The costs were estimated on the basis of the capital costs for the construction of the climbing lane, based on costs of climbing lanes built in the state of São Paulo. The benefits were estimated from the reduction of travel time and vehicle operating costs provided by the construction of a climbing lane. Travel times, percent time spent following, and average fraction of vehicles travelling in platoons with and without the climbing lane were estimated by means of traffic flow simulations carried out with TRARR. The simulations were run using traffic flows ranging from 50 to 700 veh/h, with truck percents varying from 10% to 40%. The results indicated upgrade traffic flow rates that warrants climbing lanes varying with truck percents and grades magnitude and range from 340 veh/h (grades of up to 3%, 10% trucks in flow) to 185 veh/h (grades of more than 3%, with 30% trucks).

Extreme sport participation has traditionally been conceptualized as a psychological disorder and something to be avoided (Cashmore, 2002). Viewed in this way, these individuals are thought to be enacting an unhealthy psychology (Ogilvie, 1997; Slanger & Rudestam, 1997). Other research has described participants in extreme sports as sensation seekers under-stimulated by their normal surroundings and out of control (Zuckerman, 1979). Using Brymer's (2005) focused definition of extreme sports, "activities where a mismanaged mistake or accident would most likely result in death, as opposed to injury" (p. 5), this study utilized a phenomenological method to analyze semi-structured interviews with 16 free-solo climbers (n =16). The participants described their motivations in terms of overwhelming enjoyment, heightened focus, and personal progress. These results support more recent research describing extreme sport experiences as opportunities for positive transformation with outcomes including gains in courage, humility, eco-centrism, and emotional engagement (Brymer, 2009; Willig, 2008). These findings challenge the traditional, stereotypical notions of extreme sports participants as young and male (Wheaton & Beal, 2003), sensation-seeking (Zuckerman, 1979), and psychologically unwell (Ogilvie, 1997; Slanger & Rudestam, 1997). Answering Brymer's (2005) call to investigate all extreme sports individually, this study focused on the specific extreme sport of free-solo climbing and found the experience of the free-solo climber is a powerful undertaking enjoyed by young, old, male, and female.

Previous research examining high-risk sports participation has yielded discrepancies between the role assigned to risk and the perceptions of climbers regarding risk. Risk, as it applies to high-risk sport participation, has not been sufficiently defined in the literature. The current study sought to develop, by means of a grounded theory approach, a new, dynamic operational definition of risk as it applies to rock climbers, and to examine the role of risk management as a modifying factor in the perception of risk and its impact on motivation and participation. Nineteen subjects (twelve male and seven female) averaging 14.7 years of climbing experience were interviewed. A model for the processing of risk in high-risk sports participants is presented in which risk is perceived by the participant as operating on three levels: actual risk, assessed risk, and mental or perceived risk. The exposure to actual and assessed risk does not appear to be a goal of the climbers interviewed, but does provide meaning to decisions made by the participant, as well as defining limits and boundaries. Mental or perceived risk serves to provide a mental challenge to be overcome by the climber, and may provide a thrill or "adrenaline rush" that is sought out by some participants. The elimination of risk would change most participants' perceptions of climbing. Motivation would be negatively affected in most cases. The model presented describes a process of risk awareness, assessment, acceptance, mitigation, results, and consequences that is situation specific. The perception and assessment of risk varies from individual to individual, as well as across time. Individual climbers have a well defined risk threshold: a point at which the risk to which they are exposing themselves becomes too great and the decision will be made to reject risk. This threshold is stable and does not shift as the result of experience. It is suggested that future research which seeks to examine the role of risk in high-risk sports participation focus on the process by which risk is identified, evaluated, and accepted, as this will be of the most benefit to the participants.

A collection of fiction, nonfiction, and prose poetry that explores imagination through different shapes in form, content, and genre. Includes award winning nonfiction, “The Storekeeper,” and award winning fiction, “The Fantôme of Fatma.”