Introduction: Running economy (RE) is known to be a strong indicator for performance on long distance running. RE is improved by plyometric training through an increase in stiffness in the musculotendinous system. Stretch shorten cycle (SSC) is a function in the muscle where a contraction is preceded by a stretch or an eccentric action. Orienteering is an endurance sport where RE is important for performance. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine whether or not there is a correlation between jumping performance and performance on long distance running in young elite orienteers 16-19 years old. Methods: 34 young elite orienteers did drop jumps (DJ) and countermovement jumps (CMJ) on an ErgoJump Bosco System contact mat. In conjunction with the jumps time on a 5 or 7 km (for girls and boys respectively) running test was collected. Pearson's correlation test was then used to determine the correlation between jumping height and running velocity. Results: The jumping height of the CMJ was on average 30,46 cm and 28,24 cm for the DJ. The running velocity was on average 14,19 km/h. Pearson's correlation test for the correlation between DJ and running velocity was 0,463 and for the correlation between CMJ and running velocity it was 0,461. In both cases the significance was 0,006. Conclusions: There is a significant, moderate to strong correlation between jump height in DJ and CMJ and performance on long distance running on a running test in young elite orienteers.

L’objectif de cette thèse était d’analyser l’activité en trail et ultra-trail en s’inscrivant dans le paradigme de l’énaction (Varela et al., 1993). Un observatoire multi-sourcing composé de discussions de forum, de récits de courses postés sur les blogs, d’entretiens énactifs et de données en troisième personne caractérisant les accélérations verticales du traileur et de son système de portage a été construit pour mener nos analyses. Les résultats des analyses des discussions de forums ont montré que les traileurs partagent des préoccupations relatives à l’entraînement et la santé. Les résultats des analyses des récits de blogs et des entretiens énactifs ont caractérisé l’activité des traileurs en situation de course, en reportant (a) des gestalts phénoménologiques dont l’agencement temporel a identifié des profils d’activité, (b) des états de vitalité dont la répartition et l’organisation temporelle différaient chez les finisheurs et les abandonneurs et (c) sept étapes-clés impliquées dans les abandons. Les résultats des analyses de l’usage du matériel ont montré que les sensations de ballotement du système de portage reportées par les traileurs étaient confirmées par les données comportementales. Pris dans leur ensemble, ces résultats suggèrent que l’activité des traileurs peut être caractérisée avec différentes sources de données, rendant compte des expériences signifiantes multiples énactés en situation. Ils fournissent des implications pratiques pour le champ de la psychologie du sport et transformatives pour les entreprises souhaitant intégrer les utilisateurs dans leur processus de conception. / Rooted in the enaction paradigm (Varela et al., 1993), the aim of this thesis was to analyse the activity in trail and ultra-trail running. A multi-sourcing observatory was constructed to conduct our analyses. It was composed of forum discussions posted on the community website of the Raidlight brand, races narratives posted on blogs, enactive interviews and third-person data characterising the vertical oscillations of both the runners and their carrying systems. The results of the discussion forums showed that trail runners share common concerns regarding health and training issues. The results of the blog narratives and enactive interviews analyses characterised trail runners’ activity in race situation, by reporting (a) phenomenological gestalts, which temporal layout identified activity profiles, (b) vitality states, which repartition and temporal organisation differed in finishers and withdrawers and (c) seven key-stages involved in withdrawals. The results of analyses of the use of equipment showed that the sensations of bouncing reported by runners were confirmed by the behavioural data. Taken together, these results suggested that trail runners’ activity can be characterised by different data sources, reporting the various meaningful experiences that trail runners enact in situation. They provide practical and transformative implications for the proposition of an intervention model in sport psychology as well as a proposition of a multi-sourcing conception model for companies, which seek to integrate users in their conception processes.

Orientador: Fábio Santos Lira / Resumo: O objetivo deste estudo randomizado duplo-cego controlado por placebo foi investigar o efeito agudo da suplementação análoga de capsaicina (CAP) na corrida, em teste contra-relógio de 10-km, sobre o desempenho fisiológico e variáveis perceptivas de esforço em atletas amadores. Vinte e um participantes (idade = 29,3 ± 5,4 anos; peso = 74,2 ± 11,3 kg; altura = 176 ± 0,0 cm), completaram dois testes de 10-km na condição CAP ou placebo. Foram consumidas duas cápsulas de CAP (12 mg) ou de placebo, 45 minutos antes e imediatamente no início dos testes. Entre as condições CAP e placebo, não houve diferença significativa no desempenho dos participantes em relação às variáveis fisiológicas e perceptivas avaliadas no teste de corrida de 10-km (p> 0,05). Portanto, a suplementação de CAP não melhorou o desempenho de atletas amadores na corrida em teste contra-relógio de 10-km. / Abstract: The aim of this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was to investigate the acute effect of analog capsaicin supplementation (CAP), in a 10-km timetrial running test, on the physiological performance and perceptual responses of amateur athletes. Twenty-one participants (age = 29.3 ± 5.4 years; weight = 74.2 ± 11.3 kg; height = 176 ± 0.0 cm), completed two 10-km tests in the CAP or placebo condition. Two capsules of CAP (12 mg) or placebo were consumed 45 minutes before and immediately at the beginning of the trials. Between CAP and placebo conditions, there was no significant difference in the physiological performance or perceptual responses of the participants in the 10-km running test (p> 0.05). Therefore, CAP supplementation did not improve the performance of amateur athletes in the 10-km time-trial running test. / Mestre

This study explored the use of animal-assisted therapy with students identified with a learning disability and limited reading success. Initially, reading progress was defined as the participants' comprehension rate obtained from an oral Informal Reading Inventory (IRI) passage. The nature of the Informal Reading Inventory requires the introduction of more difficult reading passages as the student's comprehension rate increases, potentially masking the overall effect of the intervention. Due to this factor and erratic student performance, which is a common characteristic of students with learning disabilities, obtaining consistent comprehension rates was difficult. Therefore, progress was defined only as total amount of time the student was engaged in reading under each condition. A reversal replication, single case design was implemented to determine the effects of reading to the therapy dog on the students' reading progress as measured by total amount of time read. The analysis indicated a statistically significant increase in the total amount of reading time as determined by the participants in the presence of the therapy dog. Positive student feedback about their experience reading with the therapy dog supported the effect of the intervention on reading progress.

Title: Effects of minimal dose of resistance training on body composition and running performance in female recreational runners Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyse the extent to which minimal dose resistance training would elicit improvements in running performance and body composition for female recreational runners. Methods: Forty-one female recreational runners were randomly assigned to one of three groups (endurance running [V] n=14; combined endurance running and resistance training program once [VR30] n=14 and twice a week [VR60] n=13, respectively). During the 10-week training program, the V group completed 3 hours of continuous endurance running per week; VR30 completed 2 ½ hours of continuous endurance running and 1 x 30 min of resistance training per week, while VR60 group completed 2 hours of continuous endurance running and 2x30 min of resistance training per week. Body composition (FM, FFM, ECM/BCM), standing long jump, running economy, ventilatory anaerobic threshold and maximal endurance performance characteristics were assessed using ANOVA with repeated measures. Body composition was assessed via whole-body bio impedance. Performance parameters were determined during running on a treadmill. Results: Thirty-one female recreational runners completed 10-week...

An organism’s circadian clock exists as a self-regulating oscillator that can synchronize with its surroundings. This manifests as physiological and behavioral output which can anticipate changes in environment. These rhythms may even persist internally and are known to oscillate at a period (tau) of around 24 hours even in the absence of external cues. In the laboratory, such rhythmic output is known as a free-running period (FRP). Given that circadian rhythms are distributed in a number of taxa as well as their tendency to oscillate along with the solar day, it has been suggested that they result from natural selection. The argument that tone’s clock is adaptive is based on how it is advantageous: the clock instills temporal order among physiological processes as well as enabling one to anticipate external cues. Losing that order in one’s clock has also been associated with a number of metabolic and neurological pathologies. Along with adaptive significance, it has been surmised that an internal clock which synchronizes with one’s surrounding environment is beneficial to an individual. An organism whose free-running period closest matches the rhythmic output of its external environment will exhibit a higher relative fitness as compared to those whose periods deviate from 24 hours. This forms the basis of the ‘circadian resonance hypothesis’. Circadian resonance has been examined in a number of species, from Cyanobacteria to mammals. Collectively, experimental results have supported the rationale that an individual does best when its internal clock resonates with the 24 hour day. The bowl and doily spider, Frontinella communis, not only has its own endogenous rhythm (free-running period), it exhibits an average free-running period of 28.26 hours, deviating from a usual period of ~24 hours. Keeping in mind the circadian resonance hypothesis, an internal clock with such an extreme deviation from the 24 hour day should prove detrimental to one’s overall health. Despite this, Frontinella communis not only has a long clock; among the species, their clocks also appear to be highly variable, FRPs ranging from ~24 to ~33 hours. This study monitored locomotor activity of Frontinella communis to examine whether its free-running period, on average, remained the same throughout its active season (May-September). It was found that average free-running period in F. communis varied significantly over a five-month period. Average FRP appears to peak in June followed by a steady, linear decline as the season continues. A variety of organisms have been shown to exhibit seasonal responses that allow them to cope with environmental change. It is not known whether the change in Frontinella’s FRP is such an advantage or is merely coincidental. Any free running period detected under the alpha level of 0.05 was not ruled significant. Along with the rise and fall of average FRPs, the presence of FRP deemed significant was found to decline as the season ended- 42% of individuals (n= 19) reported as arrhythmic. While age has been found to correlate with circadian desynchrony in other taxa (rats, humans), an association in Frontinella remains to be tested.

No description available.

Exercise-induced fatigue may be caused by increases in cerebral serotonin resulting in symptoms of central fatigue (i.e. decreased mood, and increased stress and sleepiness). Branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation is one intervention that can reduce symptoms of central fatigue by competing for the tryptophan transporter reducing serotonin synthesis. Psychological monitoring tools such as The Daily Analysis of Life Demands for Athletes (DALDA) Questionnaire can be used to study symptoms of central fatigue by identifying sources of general and sport-specific stress as well as an athlete’s reaction to stressors. PURPOSE: To examine the response of BCAA on stress perception of trained collegiate distance runners using DALDA. METHODS: 8 collegiate distance runners (men n=4, women n=4) took BCAA supplement (SUP) (0.08g/kg) or placebo (PLA) daily for 6 weeks, alternating conditions week to week. Each morning athletes filled out the 34-item DALDA prior to training by selecting one of 3 answers corresponding to stress symptoms: A = “feel worse than normal”, B= “feel normal”, C= “feel better than normal”. Response ratios were generated for each of the 3 answers for each condition (SUP or PLA) by taking total number of responses for each answer over number of answers overall. Response ratios were calculated as weekly mean ± SD and MANOVA was used for analysis. The alpha criterion was set to p<0.05. RESULTS: Statistical significance was found (p<0.01), and further analyses were done to examine changes from week to week. On average, athletes reported fewer ‘A’ responses in SUP weeks than PLA weeks (SUP: 9.27% ± 2.21%; PLA: 13.46% ± 7.29%), while response percentage for ‘C’ was the same between both conditions (SUP: 11.78 ± 2.12%; PLA: 11.24% ± 2.32%). Changes from SUP weeks to PLA weeks produced noticeable changes in ‘A’ responses (e.g.: 14.36% SUP week to PLA week; -9.95% from PLA week to SUP week). CONCLUSIONS: Results from DALDA revealed a noticeable change in the stress response of the athletes from condition to condition. The athletes reported higher instances of feeling “worse than normal” during PLA weeks and fewer instances of feeling “worse than normal” during SUP weeks. These results indicate that BCAA supplementation seems to be an effective means of reducing the stress perception in these collegiate distance runners.

The general trend in gear industry, today, is an increased focus on gear transmission efficiency. Gear transmission efficiency losses arise from loaded and unloaded gear contacts, seals, lubricant and bearings. One way of minimising the losses is to lower the lubricant viscosity. This will reduce the speed dependent losses. However, the load dependent losses might increase. To avoid this, the ratio between lubricant film thickness and surface roughness must be maintained, which can be fulfilled by producing smoother gear surfaces. As a starting point for this realisation process, the present manufacturing processes, the design tools and the characteristics of the gear flank interface must be further investigated and developed. This must be achieved with an emphasis on economic production. This thesis focuses on our understanding of how different gear manufacturing methods —particularly the contribution of the running-in process—affect the surface characteristics, with the view of increasing gearbox efficiency. The thesis consists of a summary and three appended papers. Paper A and paper B discuss the relationship between design parameters and real gear wheel surfaces manufactured with different manufacturing methods. The research hypothesis was that the contact area ratio is a descriptive parameter for the contact condition. Paper A deals with the influence of manufacturing method on the initial contact conditions and also serves as a validation of the simulation program used. The emphasis in Paper B is the changes that occur during running-in, and to correlate these changes to design requirements. Paper C approaches the influences of manganese phosphate-coating and lubricants with respect to friction and the risk of scuffing at the initial contact. The main conclusions of this thesis are that the contact area ratio presents a descriptive measure of how surface topography influences the contact, seen at both a global (form deviation) and local (roughness) level. The surface topography caused by the manufacturing method has a significant influence on the contact area ratio. This is an important result, since neither national standards nor commercially available gear evaluation programs handle surface topography on the local scale. Shaving was found to have the highest contact area ratio, and should therefore be the best choice if deviations from case hardening could be minimised. It is also confirmed that gear-like surfaces coated with manganese phosphate have a low coefficient of friction, and raise the limiting load for scuffing failure enormously compared to the ground equivalent. / <p>QC 20100518</p> / KUGG / Sustainable gear transmission realization

SyfteSyftet med denna studie var att undersöka sambandet mellan delta efficiency (DE) i cykling (DEcykel) och löpning (DElöp) för elitaktiva triathleter. Vidare syftade studien till att undersöka om DEcykel och DElöp skiljer sig samt om det är skillnad i DE mellan kvinnliga och manliga triathleter vid respektive aktivitet.MetodFem kvinnliga (22 ± 6 år) och fem manliga (24 ± 5 år) elitaktiva triathleter utförde två submaximala test, ett cykeltest och ett löptest på rullband med konstant lutning på 2,5˚. Hastigheten ökad stegvis med 2,4 km·tim-1 under cykeltestet och 0,6 km·tim-1 under löptestet för respektive intervall á fem minuter för att fastställa DE. DE är förhållandet mellan förändringen i utfört arbete och förändringen i energiförbrukning, presenterat i procent. Triathleterna använde sin personliga cykel- och löputrustning.ResultatDet fanns inget statistiskt samband mellan DEcykel och DElöp för elitaktiva triathleter (p &gt; 0,05). En statistisk signifikant skillnad påvisades mellan DEcykel och DElöp (p &lt; 0,001). Ingen skillnad i varken DEcykel eller DElöp upptäcktes mellan kvinnor och män (båda p &gt; 0,05).SlutsatserTriathleters DEcykel är signifikant högre än DElöp. Det upptäcktes inget samband mellan DEcykel och DElöp bland triathleterna på individnivå vilket innebär att en triathlet med högt värde för DEcykel inte per automatik även har högt värde för DElöp. Ingen könsrelaterad skillnad upptäcktes bland triathleterna. / PurposeThe purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between delta efficiency (DE) in cycling (DEcycle) and running (DErun) among elite triathletes. Furthermore, another aim of the study was to investigate if DE differ between the activities and/or gender.MethodsFive elite female (22 ± 6 years) and five elite male (24 ± 5 year) triathletes preformed two submaximal tests, a cycling test and a running test on a motorized treadmill in a constant inclination of 2,5˚. The treadmill speed between stages was increased by 2.4 km·h-1 for the cycling test and 0.6 km·h-1 for the running test. Each stage was five minutes followed by a one minute pause. DE is the relation between the change in work rate (WR) and the change in metabolic rate (MR), presented in percentages. The triathletes own bikes and running equipment were used during the tests.ResultsThe results did not show a relationship between DEcycle and DErun between elite triathletes (p &gt; 0,05). A statistical significant difference was found between DEcycle and DErun (p &lt; 0,001). No gender difference was found for either DEcycle or DErun (both p &gt; 0,05).ConclusionsThe DEcycle were significantly higher among the triathletes compared to DErun. No relationship between DEcycle and DErun were found, which means that triathletes with a grate DEcycle does not automatically have a grate DErun. No gender related difference was discovered between the triathletes.