O ser humano, durante a postura ortostática, apresenta oscilações posturais aleatórias em relação à vertical que são controladas pelo sistema nervoso central com base em informações sensoriais provenientes dos sistemas visual, vestibular e somatossensorial. Mecanoreceptores e fusos neuromusculares localizados na coluna cervical transmitem informações aferentes tanto para o sistema vestibular quanto para o sistema proprioceptivo, contribuindo significativamente para controle postural. Vários autores têm proposto intervenções baseadas em terapia manual, sugerindo que manobras de manipulação da coluna vertebral podem ser benéficas para o tratamento da tontura e vertigem de origem cervical. No entanto, a maioria desses estudos tem focado em sintomas gerais como medidas clínicas de dor, severidade do acometimento, ocorrência de episódios agudos, etc. Portanto, fica clara a necessidade de um estudo acerca dos efeitos de uma manobra de manipulação vertebral, em nível cervical, sobre o controle postural de sujeitos saudáveis. A hipótese do presente estudo foi que uma liberação das estruturas cervicais (causada pela manobra de manipulação) geraria uma melhora no influxo de informações sensoriais, e, consequentemente, uma melhora no sistema de controle postural. Sete sujeitos foram instruídos a permanecer, durante 60 segundos, sobre uma plataforma de força, o mais quietos possível, em apoio unipodal, proporcionando assim medidas extraídas do sinal da trajetória do centro de pressão, do centro de massa e variações na posição angular das articulações do tornozelo, joelho e quadril. Cada sujeito participou de duas sessões experimentais, sendo que em uma delas realizou testes de equilíbrio antes e depois da manobra de manipulação cervical (sessão experimental, EXP) e no outro dia realizou os mesmos testes de equilíbrio antes e depois de uma intervenção placebo (sessão controle, CTRL). Os resultados sugerem um efeito agudo da manobra de manipulação cervical, já que foi observada redução das oscilações posturais durante as primeiras tentativas realizadas após a intervenção. Nas sessões CTRL, o mesmo efeito não foi observado, pois o sistema de controle postural se mostrou estável durante todo o experimento / Human subjects during upright stance show a random postural sway with respect to vertical, which is controlled by the central nervous system on the basis of information from sensory inputs applied to the visual, vestibular and proprioceptive systems. Mechanoreceptors and muscle spindles in the cervical spine provide afferent information for both the vestibular and the proprioceptive systems, thereby contributing to postural control. Several authors have proposed interventions based on manual therapy, suggesting that manipulation of the spine can be beneficial for treating dizziness and vertigo of cervical origin. However, few studies have investigated the effect of the spinal manipulation on postural control, as most have focused on more general symptoms such as clinical measures of pain, severity and occurrence of acute episodes, etc. Given the importance of the structures of the neck for controlling upright stance, there is a clear need for a study on the effects of cervical spinal manipulation on postural control of healthy subjects. The hypothesis of this work was that a release of the cervical structures (caused by cervical manipulation) would enhance the influx of sensory information, thereby improving postural control. Seven subjects were asked to remain for 60 seconds on a force platform, as quiet as possible, on single-leg stance. Measurements associated with the center of pressure and center of mass trajectories were assessed, as well as information about the ankle, knee and hip positions (i.e. angle variation). Two experimental conditions were tested: before (5 trials) and after (5 trials) cervical manipulation. Each subject participated in two experimental sessions, the first one with balance tests before and after the cervical manipulation (experimental session, EXP) and the other one with the same balance tests before and after a placebo intervention (control session, CTRL). The results suggest an acute effect of the cervical manipulation, as reduced postural sway was observed during the first trials after the intervention. Such an effect was not observed in the CTRL sessions, as the postural control system remained stable throughout the experiment

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The subject of this master thesis is a design of a bridge for pedestrians and cyclists across the river Morava in Olomouc. Within the scope of thesis there are 3 studies of bridges. Cable-stayed bridge with prestressed spine beam was found appropriate and further calculations were assessed. Static calculations of prestressed spine deck and reinforced concrete pylon were made. Eigen frequencies and modes of construction were obtained. Internal forces were provided by SCIA Engineer with effect of non-linear parameters. Calculations were made according to valid standards and regulations.

The master´s thesis is about detailed design of highway bridge from prestressed concrete between the cities Brno and Ostrava. The construction is continuous and consists from three fields. Internal forces was taken from software SCIA Engineer. The static assessment was realized according to limit states. Counstruction is evaluated according to the current standards.

The degenerative and traumatic injuries of a spine are very frequent. In those cases it is necessary to stabilize the corresponding spine segment using a spine implant. The spinal implants are rigid or flexible, the latter known as dynamic ones in medical practice. In this thesis, the problems of the physiological spinal segment and the segment with implant were solved using the computational modelling (finite element method). Computational model consists of 4 lumbar vertebrae L2 – L5, intervertebral discs, joints and spinal implants. The spinal segment was loaded by the force 400N and 200N, than by force 200N together with bending moments 2,5Nm and 5Nm depending of the motion. The displacement of the whole system, contact pressure of cartilages, equivalent strain in cancellous bone and equivalent stress in the implant were analyzed. The deformation of the physiological model and the model with the implant are comparable, but the bone tissue of the model with the implant is dramatically more loaded in vicinity of the screws.

This thesis describes code generation using design patterns. It deals with questions of specification of design patterns and their usage in code generation. The main part of thesis follows describtions of design patterns, their categorization, usage purpose and main ways of design patterns definitions. It describes the most often used formal design patterns specifications, their possible usage in code generation and design of algorithm for searching similar structures of patterns in source code in detail.

Title: Influence of gait in high heels on posture, and division of pressure on the contact area level of the feet and the floor Objective: The aim of the dissertation was to verify how walking in high-heeled shoes influences the time and pressure parameters of the step cycle and posture during slow and very slow walking in low experienced wearers. Methods: The research study was an empirical, comparative intra-individual study. Pedar-X® measuring inserts (Novel, Munich, Germany) were used to measure the distribution of plantar pressures and to evaluate time parameters while walking on a conveyor belt at v1 = 0.97 ms-1 and v2 = 0.56 ms-1 in straight shoes and high-heeled shoes. SonoSens Monitor Analyzer® (Gefremed, Chemnitz, Germany) was used to assess posture. The research group consisted of thirty healthy women wearing high-heeled shoes occasionally (age: 21.8 ± 2.09 years, weight: 55.7 ± 4.05 kg, height: 1.66 ± 0.03 m). Anova test and paired t-test were used for statistical analysis, and the Cohen coefficient d was used to calculate material significance. Results: Significant differences in time and plantar pressure variables were found when walking in high-heeled shoes compared to straight footwear. For both types of footwear, walking speed only affected time variables, but not dynamic...

Title: Influence of gait in high heels on posture, and division of pressure on the contact area level of the feet and the floor. Objective: The aim of the dissertation was to confirm how walking in high-heeled shoes influences the time and pressure parameters of the step cycle and posture during slow and very slow walking in low experienced wearers. Methods: The research study was an empirical, comparative intra-individual study. Pedar-X® measuring inserts (Novel, Munich, Germany) were used to measure the distribution of plantar pressures and to evaluate time parameters while walking on a conveyor belt at v1 = 0.97 ms-1 and v2 = 0.56 ms-1 in straight shoes and high-heeled shoes. SonoSens Monitor Analyzer® (Gefremed, Chemnitz, Germany) was used to assess posture. The research group consisted of thirty healthy women wearing high-heeled shoes occasionally (age: 21.8 ± 2.09 years, weight: 55.7 ± 4.05 kg, height: 1.66 ± 0.03 m). Anova test and paired t-test were used for statistical analysis, and the Cohen coefficient d was used to calculate material significance. Results: Significant differences in time and plantar pressure variables were found when walking in high-heeled shoes compared to straight footwear. For both types of footwear, walking speed only affected time variables, but not dynamic...

Title: Comparison of Special Breathing Exercises versus Specialized Physiotherapeutic Interventions for Static Apnea Objectives: The aim of this diploma thesis is to look deeper into the issue of improving performance in static apnea, one of the competitive disciplines of freediving and compare its training with 1) special breathing exercises for divers (Mana, 2018) and 2) physiotherapeutic intevrentions based on working with the diaphragm and deep stabilization system of the spine (Kolář, 2009). The aim was to find out which group achieved a more effective result and what is the overall diference between the training result of both groups in terms of posture quality and performance in static apnea. Methods: The experiment involved 14 healthy people, men and women, aged 19-23 years old. The experiment consisted of three parts: 1) Initial measurement of static apnea and examination of four tests to determine the quality of one's postural muscles, 2) four-week lasting training according to the division into groups (breathing exercises for divers or training based on physiotherapy intervention), 3) final measurement of static apnea and re-examination of posture tests. The obtained data were recorded and processed. Results: It appeared that due to the small amount of statistically signifiant data and...

The risk of having a disability increases with advancing age and as the life expectancy is growing worldwide, the number of people living with disability is expected to increase, as well as the number of years lived with disability. Low back pain and sarcopenia are health problems that present a higher prevalence with aging. While low back pain is a symptom, sarcopenia is considered a geriatric syndrome. However, both issues constitute a significant health burden in older adults. Although there are many research studies investigating low back pain, the participation of older adults is often missing from these studies, preventing the generalization of the findings to this population, and leaving some questions unanswered. On the other hand, sarcopenia is a new research field with gaps to fill and flaws to correct. Questions related to low back pain management in older adults, the inclusion of this population in clinical trials, the presence of association between sarcopenia and low back pain and questions pertaining the diagnosis and measurement of sarcopenia have yet to be fully addressed by researchers. The broad aim of this thesis therefore was to contribute to a better understanding concerning low back pain and sarcopenia in older adults by performing studies in these key research areas. Different interventions are presented in clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of low back pain. However, these recommendations are based on clinical trials investigating young and middle-aged adults and as a result, the recommendations do not encompass older adults. Therefore, a systematic review was performed with the objective of assessing the effectiveness of interventions for low back pain in older adults ≥ 60 years (Chapter 3). Eligible studies were identified via searches in Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, LILACS, PEDro, and Cochrane CENTRAL. A total of 18 randomized controlled trials fulfilled the eligibility criteria and the results from eight trials were pooled in a meta-analysis to test the effectiveness of complementary health approaches (i.e., manual therapy, acupuncture, mindfulness, yoga). Evidence about interventions to manage non-specific low back pain in older adults was found to be weak. Very low to moderate quality evidence showed that complementary health approaches, percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, education, exercise, or pharmacological agents did not produce a clinically significant reduction in pain and disability at short and intermediate terms compared to sham, usual care, or minimal intervention. Interventions were often not well described and the risk of bias was moderate (average of 6.4 on the 10-point PEDro Scale (SD = 1.44)). Evidence about interventions for non-specific low back pain in older adults is limited and new studies are highly likely to change these results. Participation of older adults in clinical trials pertaining to the management of low back pain has been limited. Usually, the exclusion of older adults from clinical trials is based solely on an arbitrary age limit. Therefore, an investigation concerning the potential increased inclusion of older adults in upcoming clinical trials was conducted (Chapter 4). Chapter four presents an analysis of the International Clinical Trial Registry Platform database from the World Health Organization performed to verify the participation of older adults in registered clinical trials. A total of 167 clinical trial protocols for low back pain with registration dates from January 2015 through November 2018 were planning to recruit participants older than 65 years. However, only five registered trials (2.99%; pooled sample = 169 participants) were designed to target this population specifically. The exclusion of older participants was not formally justified and imposed through an arbitrary upper-age limit in 93.6% of the protocols. Most studies planning to include older adults were interested in pharmacologic interventions, devices/technology, and physical rehabilitation, and were to be carried out in developed regions. However, older adults with low back pain will continue to be under-investigated in clinical trials for low back pain in the near future. Although a slight increase in the participation of older adults in clinical trials was observed, the improvement is small and some questions still need an answer. Therefore, a survey investigating whether researchers recognize the exclusion of older adults from clinical trials, its impact, and justifications to support this exclusion was realized (Chapter 5). All attendees of the 2017 International Back Forum were invited by email to answer an electronic survey about their opinions regarding participation of older adults in clinical trials for low back pain. Approximately 90% of those who answered the questionnaire were engaged with back research, with more than a half having done or doing a clinical trial for low back pain. Most of the respondents believed that older people are excluded from clinical trials for low back pain and that exclusion based solely on age is not justifiable. About two thirds of the respondents reported that the exclusion of older people from clinical trials can impose a barrier in offering evidence-based interventions to this population. More researchers are planning to include older adults in their current/future trials compared to their previous work. An increase in the investigation of older adults in clinical trials is expected in the future which may optimize the development of evidence-based interventions for this population. As early evidence suggests an association between sarcopenic markers and low back pain, the association between the diagnosis of sarcopenia and low back pain still needs to be investigated (Chapter 6). Therefore, a study investigating the association between sarcopenia using different diagnosis criteria and low back pain in older adults was performed. Data from 12,646 older adults (50.1% men, 49.9% women) ≥ 65 years of age that participated in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) were analyzed. The prevalence of low back pain in the past 12 months as well the prevalence of sarcopenia assessed through different definitions, and the number of comorbidities and depressive symptoms were included in the analysis. Associations between sarcopenia, comorbidities and lifestyle factors with low back pain were examined using multivariate logistic regressions. Prevalence of low back pain was 16.3% and the prevalence of sarcopenia varied among sarcopenia definitions and the presence of low back pain. Participants with low back pain had higher prevalence of pre-sarcopenia and sarcopenia compared to those without low back pain based on the International Working Group on Sarcopenia (x2 = 20.25, p < 0.001) and the Foundation National Institute of Health definitions (x2 = 13.83, p < 0.001). The odds of having low back pain was higher among those with sarcopenia based on the Foundation National Institute of Health criterion (OR 1.28, 95%CI 1.0-1.64). These results suggest that sarcopenia may influence low back pain in older adults and future studies should consider to test whether the association between sarcopenia and low back pain is causal. Current clinical practice guidelines recommend to divide patients with low back pain in specific subgroups to provide a targeted intervention. However, despite older adults presenting specific age-related characteristics that could classify them as a subgroup, this population has been neglected. Sarcopenia is a muscle disease affecting older adults and is diagnosed with the presence of a reduction in muscle strength and muscle quantity/quality. Although low back pain has been shown to be associated with muscle dysfunction, the role of sarcopenia in relation to low back pain is unknown. An experiment comparing sarcopenic markers (grip strength and gait speed), muscle activity and elasticity between older adults with and without chronic low back pain was conducted (Chapter 7). The anticipatory activity of transversus abdominis muscle during the rapid arm abduction test, transversus abdominis muscle elasticity, grip strength and gait speed were collected from a group of older adults (≥ 60 years) with chronic low back pain (≥ 3 months) and the results compared with a control group of matched older adults without low back pain. Participants with chronic low back pain presented with a reduction in the sarcopenic markers compared with the controls: grip strength (mean difference (MD) = 5.3Kg, 95%CI = 1.5-9.0, p = 0.006), gait speed (MD = 0.21m/s, 95%CI = 0.10-0.31, p<0.001), as well as a delay in activation of transversus abdominis (p = 0.002). A delay in transversus abdominis muscle activation, and a reduction in muscle strength and gait speed were observed in older adults with chronic low back pain compared to subjects without back complaints. These findings show an association between muscle dysfunction and chronic low back pain in older adults. Although the definition of sarcopenia was recently updated establishing muscle strength as the key criteria surpassing the role of muscle mass, there remains confusion regarding its diagnosis and the comparison of estimates is problematic. Therefore, a systematic review assessing how sarcopenia is measured and defined in population-based studies was performed. Chapters 8 and 9 describe the protocol of a systematic review and the full systematic review respectively. The databases Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science (Core Collection), and Google Scholar were searched for observational population-based studies reporting prevalence of sarcopenia in community dwelling older adults. Descriptive statistics were used to present data pertaining to sarcopenia definition and measurement tools, and the quality-effects model for meta-analysis of pooled prevalence. Results found seven different operational definitions of sarcopenia and a variety of measurement tools applied to assess the sarcopenic markers: muscle mass, muscle strength and physical performance. The prevalence of sarcopenia varied between the definitions, with general estimates ranging from 5% based on the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP1) criterion to 17% with the International Working Group on Sarcopenia criterion. The use of different measurement tools to assess muscle mass, strength and physical performance resulted in variations within definitions ranging from 1 to 7%, 1 to 12% and 0 to 22%, respectively. The criteria used to define sarcopenia, as well as the measurement tools used to assess sarcopenic markers has an influence in the prevalence of sarcopenia. The establishment of a unique definition for sarcopenia, the use of methods that guarantee an accurate evaluation of muscle mass, and the standardization of measurement tools are necessary to allow a proper diagnosis and comparison of sarcopenia prevalence among populations.