Title: Evaluation of postural stability of sprint kayak athletes. Objectives: The aim of this thesis is to compare the level of thy dynamic postural stability of sprint kayakers with healthy population, which don't do any sport regularly with computerized posturography on the NeuroCom SMART EquiTest device. Methods: It is quantitative cross-sectional study. 24 sprint kayakers (experimental group) participated in this study and 40 individuals (control group), which don't do any sport on competitive level. The dynamic postural stability was evaluated with computerized posturography on the NeuroCom SMART EquiTest device in the Laboratory of Applied Kinesiology at the Department of Physiotherapy in Charles University Faculty of Physical Education and Sport. Every participant was tested once in all seven tests - - Sensory Organization Test, Motor Control Test, Adaptation Test, Limits of Stability, Rythmic Weight Shift, Weight Bearing Squat, Unilateral Stance. Data was recorded and processed by the NeuroCom Balance Manager Software and then converted into Microsoft Excel 365 programe. Data was statistically analysed by Shapiro - Wilk test, Mann - Whitney test, Pair t - test and Cohen's d. Results: Due to low number of statistically significant differences, we couldn't say that sprint kayakers have better...

The diploma thesis deals with changes for streamlining project management, software development and work in development teams by introducing the agile Scrum methodology. The beginning of the diploma thesis deals with the theoretical background and basic concepts that are used in other parts of the work. The analytical part analyses the current state of the software division. In the design part, based on the results of the analysis, a proposal for changes in project management is created using the agile methodology, which aims to streamline project management and software development. At the end of the design part, economic evaluations of the design and its benefits for the division are processed.

Background Power, sprint and agility abilities are important capacities in modern soccer and are often decisive for the outcome of the game. Finding ways to develop these as effective as possible and improve game related performance is important to optimize further physical development. Aim The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of a five-week strength (SG) versus an agility training program (AG) regarding power, sprinting and agility performance in youth postpubertal soccer players. The purpose with the study plan was to be able to implement the results in training programs among the tested population.  Methods 15 post-pubertal non-elite male soccer players participated in the study; average age 16.6 ± 0.6 years, weight 65.8 ± 5.8 kg and height 176.4 ± 5.7 cm. Participants were randomized in two groups and followed science based training programs for five weeks. Power development, sprint and agility performance were tested through a test battery of four tests: drop jump (DJ), countermovement jump (CMJ), sprint 20-m (S-20) and T-test. Reactive strength index (RSI) was calculated by dividing DJ height (cm) with contact time (s). The tests were conducted before and after the training programs to evaluate the efficiency of the training programs.  Results The results demonstrated no significant difference between the groups. No significant improvement was measured for DJ in any group. Though significant improvements in CMJ for both groups (p &gt; 0.05). Significant improvements were also noted for sprint ability for AG (p &lt; 0.01) while moderate and non-significant changes for SG (p = 0.05). Significant improvements were measured in agility for both groups (p &gt; 0.01). Further, significant improvements in calculated RSI were noted for AG (p &lt; 0.05) but not for SG (p &lt; 0.05).  Conclusion The implementation of a five week strength training program induces a significant improvement in power development through CMJ and agility ability. The implementation of a five week agility training program induces a significant improvement on jumping, sprint and agility abilities. The practical implication is that since both training programs brought improvements, you as a coach can apply what best suits your group and resources. / Bakgrund Effektutveckling, sprint- och agilityförmåga är centrala, ofta matchavgörande förmågor inom dagens fotboll. Att hitta sätt att utveckla dessa förmågor så effektivt som möjligt och förbättra matchrelaterad prestationsförmåga blir viktigt för att optimera fortsatt fysisk utveckling. Syfte Syftet med studien var att undersöka effekten av ett femveckors styrke- (SG) kontra ett agilityträningsprogram (AG) gällande hopp-, sprint- och agilityförmåga hos unga fotbollsspelare. Avsikten med studiens upplägg var att det med enkelhet ska kunna implementeras i träningsplaneringen för den undersökta populationen. Metod 15 postpubertala fotbollsspelande pojkar på breddnivå deltog i studien; medelålder 16,6 ± 0,6 år, vikt 65,8 ± 5,8 kg och längd 176,4 ± 5,7 cm. Deltagarna randomiserades i två grupper och fick i fem veckor följa vetenskapligt förankrade träningsprogram. Effektutveckling, sprintoch agilityförmåga testades genom ett testbatteri av fyra tester: drop jump (DJ), counter movement jump (CMJ), sprint 20-m och T-test. Reaktiv styrkeindex (RSI) beräknades genom att dividera hopphöjd i DJ (cm) med markkontakttiden (s). Testerna genomfördes innan och efter genomförandet av träningsprogrammen för att utvärdera träningsprogrammen. Resultat Resultatet påvisade ingen signifikant skillnad mellan grupperna. Ingen signifikant förbättring uppmättes för DJ i någon av grupperna. Däremot en signifikant förbättring av CMJ för båda grupperna (p &gt; 0.05). Signifikanta förbättringar noterades även på sprintförmåga för AG (p &lt; 0.01) medan måttliga, och icke-signifikanta förändringar för SG (p = 0.051). Signifikanta förbättringar uppmättes i agilityförmåga för båda grupper (p &lt;0.01). Vidare noterades signifikanta förbättringar i beräknat RSI för AG (p &lt; 0.05) men ej för SG (p &lt; 0.05). Slutsats Genomförandet av ett femveckors styrketräningsprogram ger signifikanta förbättringar på effektutveckling genom CMJ och agilityförmåga genom t-test på unga fotbollsspelare. Ett femveckors agilityträningsprogram ger signifikanta förbättringar på hopp-, sprint- och agilityförmåga. Den praktiska implikationen är att då båda träningsprogrammen medförde förbättringar kan man som tränare tillämpa det som passar bäst in för sin grupp och resurser. / <p>Ämneslärarprogrammet, Specialidrott</p>

Title The genetic predisposition of a speed ability among the players of the 1st and 2nd Czech football league. Study aim To determine the impact of ACE I/D, ACTN3 R577X, AMPD1 Gln12X, BDKRB2 9/+9, IL1RN VNTR, NOS3 Glu298Asp, UCP2 Ala55Val polymorphisms genotype frequencies on the results of the speed ability motor tests. Methods DNA samples obtained from epithelial mouth were quantified and analyzed using the PCR method from 106 football players of the 1st and 2nd Czech football league (age 25,3 ± 4,69; weight 77,5 ± 7,33; height 181,2 ± 6,23). Genotype frequencies were estimated for the ACE I/D, ACTN3 R577X, AMPD1 Gln12X, BDKRB2 9/+9, IL1RN VNTR, NOS3 Glu298Asp, UCP2 Ala55Val polymorphism. Motor speed ability was tested by the vertical jump height, produced power and power impulse for the countermovement jump, countermovement jump without arms swing and squat jump. Isokinetic maximal power of flexors and extensors of the knee were tested at the angle speed 60ř.s-1 , 180ř.s-1 , 300ř.s-1 . Χ2 test (Pearson's chi-square test) was used to determine the genotypes difference for the parameters of the motor speed ability tests in the football players who exceeded 80th percentil compare to the other football players. Kruskal- Wallis test was used to determine dependence (p = 0,05) of the genotypes...

A challenge for all organizations is to establish and encourage the business's continuous development, and its products and services. To create an innovative environment where co-workers, customers, and other people's insights can be collected, engagement and transparency are needed. Polestar wanted to create a business and service design process that supported courage, learning, and fast development. The objective of this thesis is to evaluate and analyze the Design Sprint process and implement it into Polestar's way of working. A Design Sprint is a four-day process for answering critical business questions through design, prototyping, and testing ideas on users. By working together in a team and in a structured way, you can eliminate endless discussions and meetings and compress months of work into a period of 4 days. A prototype was created in Miro, an online collaborative whiteboard tool, that worked as a step-by-step guide for running a Design Sprints. The prototype was tested by running two separate Design Sprints on two different projects. The sprints were done remotely, and both sprints resulted in prototypes that we tested on test users. The Design Sprint process proved to be a highly effective process for developing a prototype to test on real users. The Design process was well-received by Polestar and the employees that were involved in the testing of Design Sprints.

Sprint kayaking is prominent in Europe with training methods devised and adopted from Eastern bloc training systems. There is a lack of published research on sprint kayaking locally and internationally. Consequently, the aims of this research directly address establishing a relationship between kayak specific training and the Profile of Mood States (POMS); monitoring training duration and intensity and establish a link with the POMS and Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE); to monitor the general wellness of the kayakers. Seven elite sprint kayakers (two male, five female) with the following characteristics: age 26.5 (1.4) years, training experience 8.4 (3.7) years were part of the South African national sprint kayaking squad selected to participate in this study, based on their preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games (one male athlete did not qualify but continued to train). The females trained for the 500m K1, K2 and K4 events and the male for the 1000m K1. Three training camps (TC1, TC2, TC3) were held from 12 November to 09 December 2007, 25 February to 22 March 2008 and 14 July to 04 August 2008. RPE (Borg Scale) was recorded for each session. The 65-item POMS was completed twice a week, after half a days rest (Wednesday) and after a day and half rest (Sunday). Daily training load was calculated from RPE and session time; and an energy index calculated from the POMS vigour and fatigue scores. The Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey recorded illness and injury. Descriptive and Inferential Statistics, Friedman’s rank test for k correlated samples, The Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test, Spearman rank-order correlations were used to analyse the data. Statistical significance was calculated at 5% (p=0.05) and 10% (p=0.1). The results showed higher vigour scores associated with lower RPE and low training load; and high RPE associated with higher anger, confusion, depression, fatigue and total mood disturbance scores. There was a relationship between increasing POMS scores and duration of the training camps. The POMS findings could not completely explain the relationship found between RPE and duration of the training camps. The energy index was higher pre-camp and the extended rest periods during the camps. The findings for the POMS and RPE suggested that a state of overreaching might have occurred during the camps. Monitoring of the kayakers for an extended period after the training camps would have been useful to determine whether any of these individuals became over-trained. In accordance with Kentta et al (2006), regular use of the POMS may help detect under recovery, preventing staleness and unwanted rest for extended periods. Future studies will enable a retrospective view on these results. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Biokinetics, Sport and Leisure Sciences / unrestricted

Innovation is the valuable outcome of new idea implementation. New technologies are disrupting industries, and innovative implementations bring competitive advantages. However, what is the perception of design and innovation in organizations such as Scania IT and how can design practices develop innovation? This thesis goal is to explore how Design Thinking methodologies are being used in innovation processes within the automobile industry and specifically SCANIA IT. How innovation is fostered and supported, which frameworks and processes are being used to generate, evaluate and develop new ideas and services. The research question that this thesis aims to examine is the following: What is the perception of design and innovation in their current work practices, and how can Design Thinking support Scania IT service design innovation processes? In the paper data and results of the on-premises study is presented. A total of nine interviews and two workshops with a total of 17 participants were conducted. The thematic analysis that follows reveals a matrix of topics and concepts. / Innovation är det värdefulla resultatet av implementering av nya idéer. Ny teknik stör industrier och innovativa implementeringar ger konkurrensfördelar. Men vad är uppfattningen om design och innovation i organisationer som Scania IT och hur kan designa praktiker utveckla innovation? Målet med detta examensarbete är att utforska hur Design Thinking-metoder används inom innovation processer inom bilindustrin och specifikt SCANIA DET. Hur innovation främjas och stöds, vilka ramar och processer som används för att generera, utvärdera och utveckla nya idéer och tjänster. Forskningsfrågan som denna avhandling syftar till att undersöka är följande: Hur ser uppfattningen ut om design och innovation i deras nuvarande arbetssätt och hur kan Design Thinking stödja innovationsprocesser för Scania IT-tjänstdesign? I papper presenteras data och resultat från den lokala studien. Totalt genomfördes nio intervjuer och två workshops med totalt 17 deltagare. Den tematiska analysen som följer avslöjar en matris av ämnen och begrepp.

Youth soccer players are required to play multiple matches within a short period of time. Participation in congested match schedules like youth soccer tournaments can result in fatigue and a decline in physical performance. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in countermovement jump height variables and sprint time to determine if physical performance was altered. Fourteen youth female soccer players performed countermovement jump testing pre, post-match, and post-tournament, and sprint testing pre and post-tournament. Jump height differed significantly (p

Game-Based Sprint Retrospectives are a well-used tool in Agile practices as a way to structure Sprint Retrospective meetings. However, this tool has very little scientific proof to back up why Scrum Masters should opt to conduct their retrospectives in game form. While the little research that exists provides proof that Game-Based Sprint Retrospectives help negate common issues with Retrospective meetings, it does not delve deeper into the potential positive effects of the practice. This study aims to start filling this gap by conducting Canonical Action Research with semi-structured interviews and surveys to investigate the effect implementing the Retrospective Game Sailboat has on a game development teams dialogue. The key finding was that the participating team's dialogue did improve over the course of the study as the team went from being quiet and uncertain to being lively and engaging. Possible causes for this change are how the post-it notes provided anonymity, an easier way to formulate team members' thoughts, and an opportunity for equal participation, as well as the game structure encouraging a less serious environment with playfulness.

Content-based learning using English as a target language is a method which has been used for decades in Sweden. This thesis focuses on three practical subjects of and how they are taught through the medium of English. The intention was to highlight both benefits and problems using bilingual teaching and to look at language patterns in- and outside of the classroom between teacher and student. This was done using interviews and observations as research methods. Both teachers’ and students’ perceptions have been investigated and analyzed. The research showed that teachers find the teaching rewarding and worthwhile but there are some student issues regarding vocabulary and terminology. Furthermore instructional teaching patterns and code-switching was investigated. This thesis also contains students’ views on their bilingual education.