Foreign aid is publicly motivated by a moral obligation to help the poor and develop underdeveloped countries. Donors have invested more than US$2.3 trillion in foreign aid, but despite this significant investment, 3 billion people are still living on less than $2 a day, 840 million are hungry, 10 million children die from preventable disease, and 1 billion adults are illiterate. This study focuses on the impact of foreign aid on economic growth and development of underdeveloped countries. It was found that many variables influence growth and development and that cross-country regression analysis is an inappropriate method to measure the effectiveness of aid. The methodology is too generalist, and treats foreign aid as a homogenous entity that works equally in all countries in all types of environment and across all times. There is an urgent need to develop a new methodology for measuring the effectiveness of foreign aid. / Development Studies / M. A. (Development Studies)

This thesis examines the influence of active exercise according to the concept of the Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization on local sensory perception in the mid-thoracic spine in elite athletes - cross-country skiers. It also describes the most common health problems in these athletes and assesses the impact of the integration of active exercise according to the DNS concept into everyday practice of cross-country skiers on the intensity and frequency of pain in cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine. It also presents theoretical knowledge about the concept of the Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization and interdependence of quality of sensory and motor functions. Methods: The study included a total of 20 elite athletes - cross-country skiers aged 17- 27, randomly divided into two groups. The training group integrated into their practice selected three exercises according to the Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization targeting segmental motion in the thoracic spine. A total of five measurements were performed on the quality of sensory perception during two months for all athletes. Furthermore, we evaluated the immediate effect of the therapy in the test group through the examination of sensory perception before and immediately after the treatment. At the beginning and at the end of the study each athlete...

This diploma thesis is divided into a theoretical part and a practical one. The theoretical part deals with the characteristics of sport events and presents the International Ski Federation FIS, including its structure, and marketing and technical concept of the races in the FIS Tour de Ski. The introduction to the practical part focuses on the history of cross-country skiing, the structure of the most important cross-country races in the world, and presents the town of Nove Mesto na Morave and the race Golden Ski. Then follows the description of the allocation process of the World Cup race and possibilities of its abolition. The main part of the diploma thesis is a detailed analysis of the Golden Ski race in the Tour de Ski. The analysis deals with the topics related to the organizing committee, technical support, scoring, invitations, accreditation, accommodation, marketing, transportation, and accompanying program of Golden Ski. The thesis concludes with financial background and short mention of Slavic Cup.

<p>The main objectives of this work were to investigate Geographical Information Systems techniques for modelling a cross-country trafficability. To accomplished stated tasks, reciprocal relationships between the soil deposits, local hydrology, geology and geomorphology were studied in relation to the study area in South-Eastern Sweden.</p><p>Growing awareness of nowadays users of GIS in general is being concentrated on understanding an importance of soil conditions changed after cross-country trafficability. Therefore, in this thesis, constructing of the Soil Knowledge Database introduced to the genuine geological soil textural classes a new, modified geotechnical division with desirable for off-road ground reasoning measurable factors, like soil permeability, capillarity or Atterberg’s consistency limits.</p><p>Digital Elevation Model, the driving force for landscape studies in the thesis, was carefully examined together with the complementary datasets of the investigated area. Testing of the elevation data was done in association to the hydrological modelling, which resulted with the Wetness Index map. The three distinguishable soil wetness conditions: dry, moist and wet, were obtained, and used consequently for creation of the static ground conditions map, a visible medium of soils susceptibility to for example machine compaction.</p><p>The work resulted with a conceptual scheme for cross-country trafficability modelling, which was put into effect while modeling in GIS. As a final outcome, by combining all processed data together, derivatives were incorporated and draped over the rendered 3D animating scene. A visually aided simulation enabled to concretized theoretical, hypothetical and experimental outcomes into one coherent model of apprised under Multicriterial Evaluation techniques standardized factor maps for ground vehicle maneuverability. Also further steps of research were proposed.</p>

The main objectives of this work were to investigate Geographical Information Systems techniques for modelling a cross-country trafficability. To accomplished stated tasks, reciprocal relationships between the soil deposits, local hydrology, geology and geomorphology were studied in relation to the study area in South-Eastern Sweden. Growing awareness of nowadays users of GIS in general is being concentrated on understanding an importance of soil conditions changed after cross-country trafficability. Therefore, in this thesis, constructing of the Soil Knowledge Database introduced to the genuine geological soil textural classes a new, modified geotechnical division with desirable for off-road ground reasoning measurable factors, like soil permeability, capillarity or Atterberg’s consistency limits. Digital Elevation Model, the driving force for landscape studies in the thesis, was carefully examined together with the complementary datasets of the investigated area. Testing of the elevation data was done in association to the hydrological modelling, which resulted with the Wetness Index map. The three distinguishable soil wetness conditions: dry, moist and wet, were obtained, and used consequently for creation of the static ground conditions map, a visible medium of soils susceptibility to for example machine compaction. The work resulted with a conceptual scheme for cross-country trafficability modelling, which was put into effect while modeling in GIS. As a final outcome, by combining all processed data together, derivatives were incorporated and draped over the rendered 3D animating scene. A visually aided simulation enabled to concretized theoretical, hypothetical and experimental outcomes into one coherent model of apprised under Multicriterial Evaluation techniques standardized factor maps for ground vehicle maneuverability. Also further steps of research were proposed.

Auch im Spitzensport kann Wissensvorsprung ein maßgeblicher Wettbewerbsvorteil sein, vorausgesetzt, der hierzu erforderliche wechselseitige Wissenstransfer zwischen Wissenschaft und Praxis wird umfassend beherrscht. Unter Beachten der in den letzten 3 Olympiazyklen im Spitzenbereich der Sportarten Biathlon und Nordische Kombination zu beobachtenden Tendenz hinsichtlich einerseits der Erhöhung streckenbezogener mittlerer Laufgeschwindigkeiten und andererseits der Zunahme internationaler Sportverbände, deren Sportler zu Wettkämpfen Spitzenplatzierungen erreichen, steigt das Interesse an einer innovativen sportwissenschaftlichen Vorlaufforschung zum Skaten im Skilanglauf. Aus der Sicht der Doktorandin stellt das Eruieren neuen Wissens sowohl zu den definierten Skatingtechniken als auch zur Methodik des einheitlichen Sporttechnik- und Konditionstrainings eine aktuell vordringlich zu lösende Aufgabe dar. Die vorliegende sportbiomechanische Studie widmet sich in ihrer Gesamtheit diesem Anliegen. Fokussiert wurden das wissenschaftliche Durchdringen des Problemfeldes Skatingtechniken und das Suchen von Sporttechnikleitbildern für das Messplatztraining. Im Verlauf ihres Entstehens über mehrere Jahre hinweg war das wissenschaftliche Arbeiten jedoch stets auch auf das Erzielen von Erkenntnissen zum komplexen Sporttechnik- und Konditions-Messplatztraining gerichtet. Von daher fanden hierzu ausgewählte Aspekte Berücksichtigung. Der beschrittene biomechanische Forschungsprozess orientierte sich insbesondere an den Erkenntnisständen zu den Besonderheiten sportlicher Technik zyklischer Bewegungen sowie zu den Themenfelder Messplatztraining und biomechanische Leistungsleitbilder zyklischer Bewegungen. Im Ergebnis sowohl deduktiv-nomologischen Vorgehens als auch biomechanischen Modellierens wurden Bewegungsparametermodelle erstellt. Diese bildeten die Referenz für statistische Ähnlichkeitsprüfungen mit analytisch identifizierten Bewegungsparametermodellen. Das messtechnische Datenobjektivieren biokinematischer und biodynamischer Bewegungsparameter erfolgte hier vorrangig unter sportartspezifischen Trainings- und Wettkampfbedingungen. Nationale und internationale Spitzensportler bzw. Spitzensportlerinnen der zurückliegenden zwei Olympiazyklen bildeten die definierte Grundgesamtheit. Darüber hinausgehende Arbeitsschwerpunkte waren auf informationstechnische Entwicklungen gerichtet.

Investigating how lending programs of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) affect poverty and inequality, we explicitly address model uncertainty. We control for endogenous selection into IMF programs using data on 86 low- and middle income countries for the 1982-2009 period and analyze program effects on various poverty and inequality measures. The results rely on averaging over 90 specifications of treatment effect models and indicate adverse short-run effects of IMF agreements on poverty and inequality for the whole sample, while for a 2000-2009 subsample the results are reversed. There is evidence that significant short-run effects might disappear in the long-run. (author's abstract) / Series: Department of Economics Working Paper Series

Mit zunehmender wirtschaftlicher Bedeutung der Emerging Markets steigt der Bedarf an Unternehmensbewertungen im Kontext dieser Länder. Ihre besonderen Charakteristika erschweren jedoch eine Anwendung der in Industrieländern standardmäßig verwendeten Methoden. Ausgehend von idealisierenden Bedingungen wird in einer integrativen Betrachtung der Frage nachgegangen, wie die vorherrschenden Bedingungen (insbesondere Länderrisiken und Investmentbarrieren) in einem grenzüberschreitenden Bewertungskalkül berücksichtigt werden können.

Foreign aid is publicly motivated by a moral obligation to help the poor and develop underdeveloped countries. Donors have invested more than US$2.3 trillion in foreign aid, but despite this significant investment, 3 billion people are still living on less than $2 a day, 840 million are hungry, 10 million children die from preventable disease, and 1 billion adults are illiterate. This study focuses on the impact of foreign aid on economic growth and development of underdeveloped countries. It was found that many variables influence growth and development and that cross-country regression analysis is an inappropriate method to measure the effectiveness of aid. The methodology is too generalist, and treats foreign aid as a homogenous entity that works equally in all countries in all types of environment and across all times. There is an urgent need to develop a new methodology for measuring the effectiveness of foreign aid. / Development Studies / M. A. (Development Studies)

The goal of this thesis is to analyse current situation of ecological safe forms of tourism in Tachov region. In first part there is created roster of this forms of tourism in Tachov region. Based off the questionnaire is made an inquiry about satisfaction of tourist or local inhabitants with current offer of ecotourism in this destination, specifically it is about hiking, cyklotourism, in-line skating, cross country skiing, water tourism a rural tourism. In the end of the work is evaluated this inquiry and afterwards there are suggested alternatives to make Tachov region as destination of ecotourism more attractive.