The objective of this thesis is to examine the presence of the poor posture or the muscle imbalances at younger school-age children. Children do actively sports in a ski club for a long time; they also have a year training plan. Stationary functions and muscle activity in physiological position were investigated by physiotherapist who indicated some poor posture and muscle imbalances. On the basis of that examination there were recommended some compensatory exercises that can help to adjust or to eliminate detected imbalances. Recommended exercises became a part of the club training program, but the main part was practiced at home. According to the entrance and final examination of the participants we can assess the positive influence of the compensatory exercises to muscle imbalances and the children musculoskeletal system. Considering the results of the thesis we are able to proclaim that the long-term exercises can completely eliminate muscle imbalances. The contribution of this thesis has an irreplaceable importance for the work with children in the ski club.

Title: Economic Impact of Jizerska 50 on the Czech Republic and Liberec District Objectives: The main objective of the thesis is to calculate the extent of the economic impact that the expanses of Jizerska 50 visitors have on Czech economy and the economy of Liberec District. The information about the amount and structure of the expenses plus other related information, i. e. the main data used for this calculation, were provided by Jizerska 50 participants themselves. The partial objective is to find out what impact do the expenses of the visitiors have on income of public budgets and to compare them with public support of Jizerska 50. Methods: The case study is based on analysis of internal secondary data from Raul agency, i.e. data that relate to Jizerska 50, and then primarily on the results from questionnaire constructions among its participants. The collected data were used for the calculation which quantified the economic impact of the expenses of the visitors on several indicators of Czech economy and Liberec District economy productivity. Results: The thesis' results claim that 48th Jizerska 50 in year 2015 was visited by 13 183 visitors. Their expenses related to this event generated growth of Czech economy by more than 60,5 million CZK, out of which almost 18,5 million resulted in overall...

Title: Individualization of pre-race microcycle for cross-country skiers Objectives: The aim of the thesis was to estimate the appropriate load of selected competitors before the competition. Methods: The work is conceived as a case study. It is a quantitative research based on measured values obtained from the trainer Ercolina Upper Body Power. We estimated the appropriate load in pre-race microcycle of five elite cross-country skiers. Results: Collected data have prevented the pre-race microcycle to be identical for all competitors. We achieved microcycle individualization for each competitor, which lead to better physical and psychological preparedness. Keywords: cross-country skiing, double poling, load, simulator, heart rate

This paper uses a global vector autoregressive (GVAR) model to analyze the relationship between FDI inflows and output dynamics in a multi-country context. The GVAR model enables us to make two important contributions: First, to model international linkages among a large number of countries, which is a key asset given the diversity of countries involved, and second, to model foreign direct investment and output dynamics jointly. The country-specific small-dimensional vector autoregressive submodels are estimated utilizing a Bayesian version of the model coupled with stochastic search variable selection priors to account for model uncertainty. Using a sample of 15 emerging and advanced economies over the period 1998:Q1 to 2012:Q4, we find that US outbound FDI exerts a positive long-term effect on output. Asian and Latin American economies tend to react faster and also stronger than Western European countries. Forecast error variance decompositions indicate that FDI plays a prominent role in explaining GDP fluctuations, especially in emerging market economies. Our findings provide evidence for policy makers to design macroeconomic policies to attract FDI inflows in the respective countries. / Series: Department of Economics Working Paper Series

Uppsatsen beskriver vidareutveckling av en längdskidåkningsjacka till en värmande, mer multi- funktionell jacka med avslappnad passform, i samarbete med ett svenskt konfektionsföretag specialiserat på längdskidåkning. I uppdraget ingick att undersöka hur användningsområdet kan breddas utan att jackans funktion vid längdskidåkning försämras. En kravspecifikation utformades med hänsyn till synpunkter från utövare och återförsäljare samt produktionsmässiga förutsättningar. Arbetsprocessen dokumenterades och förankrades i vetenskaplig litteratur och resultatet validerades genom framtagning av en herrjacka som möter de framtagna kriterierna. Ett funktionellt plagg måste framför allt ha riktigt bra passform och komfort; specialiserade finesser kan bli störningsmoment för den som inte behöver dem. Funktionskläder för sport, träning och friluftsliv måste ofta uppfylla höga och motsägelsefulla krav; det kan krävas extrem rörelsefrihet, hög slitstyrka men låg vikt, väderskydd men effektiv ventilation under intensiv ansträngning. Högpulsaktivitet i vinterklimat ställer särskilda krav på klädsystemets temperaturreglerings- förmåga och rörelsefrihet; båda är avgörande för såväl komfort som prestation. Litteratur- översikten behandlar därför termisk och ergonomisk komfort, mönsterkonstruktion för rörlighet, passformsutvärdering, och beräkning av viddtillägg. Jag diskuterar även behoven av konstruktionsunderlag applicerbara på funktionsplagg, systematisering av passforms- utvärdering, och preciserad terminologi. Idag krävs ofta många prototyper för att uppnå god passform, komfort och funktionalitet; denna tidskrävande och kostsamma process bör kunna effektiviseras genom dokumentation och metodstandardisering. / This bachelor’s thesis describes the development of a cross-country skiing jacket for a Swedish niche brand. The assignment required investigation of possibilities to diversify the garment’s usage range while maintaining functionality for the original target group. The concept is a warm, multifunctional men’s jacket in a relaxed fit, complementing the present collection. Market research and literature studies were used to clarify user needs, retailer requests and production constraints. Functional requirements for sportswear are tough and often contradictory: high durability at low weight, weatherproof yet breathable. It is essential, both for comfort and performance, that clothing systems for high intensity activities in cold climate have outstanding thermoregulatory properties and mobility; literature on thermal and ergonomic comfort, patternmaking for mobility, fit evaluation and garment ease is reviewed. The results were validated through the production of a sample garment, while striving to document the process methodically. Numerous samples are usually required to achieve good fit, comfort and functionality; this process tends to be especially time-consuming and costly for quality functional clothing. Benefits of consistent documentation and standardized methods are discussed, as well as the lack of precise terminology and of patternmaking texts applicable to functional garments, systematization of fitting, and fit evaluation.

Sports engineering can be considered as the bridge between the knowledge of sports science and the principles of engineering and has an important role not only in improving the athletic performance, but also in increasing the safety of the athletes. Testing and optimization of sports equipment and athletic performance are essential for supporting athletes in their quest to reach the podium. However, most of the equipment used by world-class athletes is chosen based only on subjective tests and the athletes’ feelings. Consequently, one of the aims of this thesis was to combine mechanics and mathematics to develop new objective test methods for sports equipment. Another objective was to investigate the possibility to accurately track and analyse cross-country skiing performance by using a real-time locating system. A long term aim is the contribution to increased knowledge about objective test and analysis methods in sports. The main methodological advancements are the modification of established test methods for sports equipment and the implementation of spline-interpolated measured positioning data to evaluate cross-country skiing performance. The first two papers show that it is possible to design objective yet sport specific test methods for different sports equipment. New test devices and methodologies are proposed for alpine ski helmets and cross-country ski poles. The third paper gives suggestions for improved test setups and theoretical simulations are introduced for glide tests of skis. It is shown, it the fourth paper, that data from a real-time locating system in combination with a spline model offers considerable potential for performance analysis in cross-country sprint skiing. In the last paper, for the first time, propulsive power during a cross-country sprint skiing race is estimated by applying a power balance model to spline-interpolated measured positioning data, enabling in-depth analyses of power output and pacing strategies in cross-country skiing. Even though it has not been a first priority aim in this work, the results from the first two papers have been used by manufacturers to design new helmets with increased safety properties and cross-country ski poles with increased force transfer properties. In summary, the results of this thesis demonstrate the feasibility of using mechanics and mathematics to increase the objectiveness and relevance when analysing sports equipment and athletic performance. / <p>QC 20160927</p>

Traditionally, research on cross‐country skiing biomechanics is based mainly on experimental testing alone. Trying a different approach, this thesis explores the possibilities of using computational musculoskeletal biomechanics for cross‐country skiing. As far as the author knows, this has not been done before. Cross‐country skiing is both fast and powerful, and the whole body is used to generate movement. Consequently, the computational method used needs to be able to handle a full‐body model with lots of muscles. This thesis presents several simulation models created in the AnyBody Modeling System, which is based on inverse dynamics and static optimization. This method allows for measurementdriven full‐body models with hundreds of muscles and rigid body segments of all major body parts. A major result shown in the thesis is that with a good simulation model it is possible to predict muscle activation. Even though there is no claim of full validity of the simulation models, this result opens up a wide range of possibilities for computational musculoskeletal biomechanics in cross‐country skiing. Two example of new possibilities are shown in the thesis, finding antagonistic muscle pairs and muscle load distribution differences in different skiing styles. Being able to perform optimization studies and asking and answering “what if”‐questions really gives computational methods an edge compared to traditional testing. To conclude, a combination of computational and experimental methods seems to be the next logical step to increase the understanding of the biomechanics of crosscountry skiing. / Traditionellt har biomekaniska forskningsstudier av längdskidåkning baserats helt och hållet på experimentella metoder. För att prova ett annat angreppssätt undersöks i denna avhandling vilka möjligheter som beräkningsbaserad biomekanik kan ge för längdskidåkning. Så vida författaren vet, har detta inte gjorts tidigare. Längdskidåkning innehåller snabba och kraftfulla helkroppsrörelser och därför behövs en beräkningsmetod som kan hantera helkroppsmodeller med många muskler. Avhandlingen presenterar flera simuleringsmodeller skapade i AnyBody Modeling System, som baseras på inversdynamik och statisk optimering. Denna metod tillåter helkroppsmodeller med hundratals muskler och stelkroppssegment av de flesta kroppsdelarna. Ett resultat som avhandlingen visar är att med en bra simuleringsmodell är det möjligt att förutsäga muskelaktiviteten för en viss rörelse och belastning på kroppen. Även om ingen validering av simuleringsmodellen ges, så visar ändå resultatet att beräkningsbaserad biomekanik ger många nya möjligheter till forskningsstudier av längdskidåkning. Två exempel visas, hur muskelantagonister kan hittas samt hur lastfördelningen mellan musklerna förändras då skidåkaren förändrar stilen. Att kunna genomföra optimeringsstudier samt fråga och svara på ”vad händer om”‐ frågor ger beräkningsbaserad biomekanik en fördel i jämförelse med traditionell testning. Slutsatsen är att en kombination av beräkningsbaserade och experimentella metoder borde vara nästa steg för att addera insikt om längdskidåkningens biomekanik. / <p>Report code: LIU‐TEK‐LIC‐2008:4. On the day of the defence date the status of article V was: Submitted.</p>

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Title: The comparison of the training preparation of cross-country skiers in distance and long-distance races. Objectives: The main goal of this thesis is to compare and evaluate the training preparation and the applied training means of two selected long-distance and the distance cross-country skiers. Methods: The case study, in which we will use the method of literary research, the data analysis method and the data comparison to evaluate the training preparation of the long-distance and the distance competitors. Results: By comparing the records of distance and long-distance cross-country skiers' training indicators, we conclude that the training of the long distance racer achieves larger volumes than the distance racer. Another surprising finding was the lower load intensities in training preparation of the distance competitor compared to the long-distance competitor. Keywords: cross country skiing, sport training, annual training cycle, training indicators.