What does a "spa" mean in the city of today? City full of movement and noise, the world controlled by an active life, employers and companys? It is not like lazy English seaside resorts, it´s not Austrian headwaters, not pleasing glossy aqua at all. "Urban Spa" is daily part of life of every active person. It´s offering regeneration of body and soul, habituating people to doing regular exercises and live a healthy life, creating intimate atmosphere for informal business meetings and for natural development of personal relationships.

[pt] Esta tese se propõe a refletir sobre o papel das mídias no acesso e no incentivo à prática de esportes competitivos por parte de jovens atletas no Brasil. Argumenta-se que, em períodos próximos à realização de cada edição dos Jogos Olímpicos, os meios de comunicação costumam exaltar a necessidade de obtenção de mais apoio ao esporte, desde os anos iniciais da prática, porém, não sustentam esta posição com ações efetivas durante os anos que os sucedem. A mídia (ou a visibilidade midiática) é observada no contexto da construção, da implementação e da manutenção de projetos políticos, culturais e sociais que, por sua vez, afetam projetos de indivíduos ou grupos específicos; ao fazer parte de ações coletivas junto a outros atores sociais, chama atenção o papel da visibilidade midiática na obtenção de resultados positivos em termos de reconhecimento institucional, financiamentos, incentivos e oportunidades em geral provenientes do poder público, da iniciativa privada e da sociedade como um todo. Representação midiática e representatividade social, portanto, são aqui considerados temas bastante interligados. O problema da pesquisa foi identificado a partir de um trabalho de campo preliminar, acompanhando o dia a dia de treinos e competições da natação de base do Rio de Janeiro, e, também, de uma análise realizada em mídias diversas, entre veículos de comunicação de massa, websites e redes sociais de instituições gestoras deste esporte, além de materiais de comunicação inerentes aos clubes esportivos locais – todos, explicitados ao longo do estudo, onde também se procura enfatizar: (a) sua fundamentação teórica em trabalhos sobre a construção social e midiática do conceito contemporâneo de juventude (Groppo, 2000; Pais, 2003; Rocha e Pereira, 2009), e no que é referenciado como a política cultural do esporte (Carrington, 2009), (b) sua possível contribuição no sentido de ampliar o campo das pesquisas brasileiras dedicadas às relações entre a comunicação e os esportes (Helal e Mostaro, 2020), e (c) seu potencial para colaborar, pelo viés dos estudos de mídia, com a construção de políticas públicas e privadas que incentivem e ampliem a prática de esportes competitivos - e da natação, em especial – por jovens atletas, no Rio de Janeiro e no Brasil. A metodologia utilizada se inspira nas propostas de (auto)etnografia analisadas por Carrington (2008) e Pereira (2019), e na construção de questões de pesquisa a partir da noção de artesanato intelectual descrita por Mills (1975). A ideia de realizar uma pesquisa complementar nos Estados Unidos surgiu a partir do trabalho de campo preliminar no Brasil, quando este país foi unanimemente citado, em entrevistas e conversas informais com integrantes do meio da natação competitiva, como referência na formação de atletas de base. Os achados deste estudo apontam para a contribuição da mídia em três esferas principais: 1) facilitar o acesso de jovens à prática esportiva; 2) estimular a continuidade do atleta no esporte competitivo; e 3) divulgar e incrementar o ambiente de suas competições. / [en] This research aims to reflect on the role of the media in facilitating access and encouraging the practice of youth sports in Brazil. When it comes the time for new editions of the Olympic Games, the Brazilian media tends to highlight the importance of supporting youth sports, however, it does not sustain this position with effective actions throughout the years that succeed them. I also argue that the media, or media visibility, has a very important role in major political, cultural and social projects that, consequently, affect specific projects of individuals or particular social groups; by taking part in collective actions that involve other social actors, media visibility is vital for building a favorable context for obtaining positive results in terms of institutional recognition, funding, incentives and opportunities in general coming from the public authorities, from the private sector, and from society as a whole; so, media representation and social representativeness are here considered as closely intertwined topics. The research problem was identified from a preliminary fieldwork carried out on daily basis in Rio de Janeiro s youth swim teams practices and meets, besides an analysis of different types of media, among mass communication, websites and social media of swimming federations, and communication materials inherent to such teams - all will be described throughout this text, which also aims to emphasize: (a) its theoretical approaches considering youth studies and the mediatization of the concept of youth (Groppo, 2000; Pais, 2003; Rocha e Pereira, 2009), and also on what I refer to as the cultural politics of sports (Carrington, 2009), (b) its possible contributions in the task of expanding the Brazilian field of academic studies dedicated to the relations between communication and sports (Helal e Mostaro, 2020), and (c) its potential to collaborate, through media studies, with public and private policies meant to encourage and expand the practice of competitive sports - and swimming, in particular - by young athletes, in Rio de Janeiro and in Brazil as a whole. The methodology is inspired by the ideas of (auto)ethnography proposed by Carrington (2008) and Pereira (2019) and based on the notion of intellectual craft described by Mills (1975). The idea of carrying out a complementary research in the United States arose from the aforementioned preliminary fieldwork, where the country was unanimously mentioned, in interviews and informal conversations with members of the Brazilian competitive swimming scene (coaches, athletes of all ages and their family members) as a reference when it comes to youth sports, and youth swimming in particular. The research findings point to the media s contribution in three main spheres: 1) to facilitate the access of young people to competitive sports practice; 2) to encourage young athletes to invest in the sport; and 3) to publicize and improve the environment of its meets and tournaments.

Syftet med denna undersökning är att kartlägga förutsättningar för simundervisning på hög- stadiet i Sverige och på Sekundarstufe I i delstaten Brandenburg i Tyskland. Dessutom ska undersökningen ge en överblick över simundervisningens gestaltning i både Sverige och Tyskland. Arbetet bygger på en kvalitativ intervjustudie med fyra idrottslärare, två ifrån re- spektive land, som sedan har jämförts kontrastivt. Resultatet visar att den svenska simundervisningen genom sin målstyrda läroplan, som även innehåller betygskriterier, är mer resultatstyrd än den tyska, som fokuserar mer på innehåll trots att läroplanen är kompetensstyrd. Den tyska läroplanen innehåller inga bedömningskrite- rier utan överlåter denna kompetens till läraren. Ländernas olika läroplaner utgör en av ram- faktorerna som spelar roll för undervisningens överväganden och gestaltning. I den svenska läroplanen finns ett konkret simkunnighetskrav, däremot har frågan om simkunnighet inte lyfts på samma sätt inom ramen för ämnet i Brandenburg. Undervisningens fokus hos de svenska lärarna är simkunnighet och livräddning medan undervisningen i Brandenburg präglas mer av prestation och att våga. En annan ramfaktor som påverkar undervisningen är tiden som finns till förfogande. Samtliga lärare uppger tidsbrist som begränsande för undervisningens utformning och de svenska lä- rarna uppfattar tidsbristen som ett större problem än de tyska lärarna. Vid bedömning av simkunnighet i Brandenburg ingår, till skillnad från Sverige, elevernas förmåga att prestera. Det innebär att eleverna i Brandenburg inte kan bli underkända i sim- ning. I Sverige däremot blir simkunnighetstestet avgörande för om en elev blir godkänd eller underkänd. För att analysera resultatet användes läroplansteori och ramfaktorteori. De ramfaktorer som påverkade undervisningen var skolans ekonomi, tid, tradition, läroplanen samt lärarnas per- sonliga bakgrund, värderingar och utbildning.

This thesis explores the process of elite sport policy change in three sports (swimming, athletics and sailing/yachting) in Canada and the United Kingdom (UK). The nature of policy change is a complex and multi-faceted process and a primary aim of the study is to identify and analyse key sources of policy change in four elements of elite sport programming: i) the development of elite level facilities; ii) the emergence of 'full-time' swimmers, athletes and sailors; iii) the adoption of a more professional and scientific approach to coaching, sports science and sports medicine; and iv) competition opportunities and structures at the elite level. The study focuses on the meso-level of analysis, which centres on the structures and patterns of relationships in respect of three Canadian national sporting organisations (NSOs) and three UK national governing bodies of sport (NGBs) - representing the three sports cited above. The macro-level of analysis is also considered, where the primary concern is to analyse relations of power between governmenta nd quasi-governmentasl porting agenciesa nd the respective NSOs/NGBs. A case study approach is adopted, focusing on the six NSOs/NGBs, wherein a qualitative methodology is utilised in order to elicit data in respect of policy change in the four key elements of elite sport programming set out above. Within the case study approach, the advocacy coalition framework has proved useful in drawing attention to the notion of changing values and belief systems as a key source of policy change, as well as highlighting the need to take into account factors external to the policy subsystem under investigation. In Canada, it is evident that the preoccupation with high performance sport over the past 30 years, at federal government level, has perceptibly altered over the past two to three years. In contrast, in the UK, from the mid-1990s onwards, there has been a noticeable shift towards supporting elite sport objectives from both Conservative and Labour administrations. The study concludes that it is only by exploring specific sports through a comparative-analytic framework that a better understanding of policy change, within the complex and multi-layered sport policy process, might be achieved.

<p>Subteratogenic and other low-level chronic exposures to toxicant mixtures are an understudied threat to environmental and human health. It is especially important to understand the effects of these exposures for contaminants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) a large group of more than 100 individual compounds, which are important environmental (including aquatic) contaminants. Aquatic sediments constitute a major sink for hydrophobic pollutants, and studies show PAHs can persist in sediments over time. Furthermore, estuarine systems (namely breeding grounds) are of particular concern, as they are highly impacted by a wide variety of pollutants, and estuarine fishes are often exposed to some of the highest levels of contaminants of any vertebrate taxon. Acute embryonic exposure to PAHs results in cardiac teratogenesis in fish, and early life exposure to certain individual PAHs and PAH mixtures cause heart alterations with decreased swimming capacity in adult fish. Consequently, the heart and cardiorespiratory system are thought to be targets of PAH mixture exposure. While many studies have investigated acute, teratogenic PAH exposures, few studies have longitudinally examined the impacts of subtle, subteratogenic PAH mixture exposures, which are arguably more broadly applicable to environmental contamination scenarios. The goal of this dissertation was to highlight the later-life consequences of early-life exposure to subteratogenic concentrations of a complex, environmentally relevant PAH mixture.</p><p>A unique population of Fundulus heteroclitus (the Atlantic killifish or mummichog, hereafter referred to as killifish), has adapted to creosote-based polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) found at the Atlantic Wood Industries (AW) Superfund site in the southern branch of the Elizabeth River, VA, USA. This killifish population survives in a site heavily contaminated with a mixture of PAHs from former creosote operations. They have developed resistance to the acute toxicity and teratogenic effects caused by the mixture of PAHs in sediment from the site. The primary goal of this dissertation was to compare and contrast later-life outcomes of early-life, subteratogenic PAH mixture exposure in both the Atlantic Wood killifish (AW) and a naïve reference population of killifish from King’s Creek (KC; a relatively uncontaminated tributary of the Severn River, VA). Killifish from both populations were exposed to subteratogenic concentrations of a complex PAH-sediment extract, Elizabeth River Sediment Extract (ERSE), made by collecting sediment from the AW site. Fish were reared over a 5-month period in the laboratory, during which they were examined for a variety of molecular, physiological and behavioral responses. </p><p>The central aims of my dissertation were to determine alterations to embryonic gene expression, larval swimming activity, adult behavior, heart structure, enzyme activity, and swimming/cardiorespiratory performance following subteratogenic exposure to ERSE. I hypothesized that subteratogenic exposure to ERSE would impair cardiac ontogenic processes in a way that would be detectable via gene expression in embryos, and that the misregulation of cardiac genes would help to explain activity changes, behavioral deficits, and later-life swimming deficiencies. I also hypothesized that fish heart structure would be altered. In addition, I hypothesized that the AW killifish population would be resistant to developmental exposures and perform normally in later life challenges. To investigate these hypotheses, a series of experiments were carried out in PAH-adapted killifish from Elizabeth River and in reference killifish. As an ancillary project to the primary aims of the dissertation, I examined the toxicity of weaker aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) agonists in combination with fluoranthene (FL), an inhibitor of cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1). This side project was conducted in both Danio rerio (zebrafish) and the KC and AW killifish.</p><p>Embryonic gene expression was measured in both killifish populations over an ERSE dose response with multiple time points (12, 24, 48, and 144 hours post exposure). Genes known to play critical roles in cardiac structure/development, cardiac function, and angiogenesis were elevated, indicating cardiac damage and activation of cardiovascular repair mechanisms. These data helped to inform later-life swimming performance and cardiac histology studies. Behavior was assessed during light and dark cycles in larvae of both populations following developmental exposure to ERSE. While KC killifish showed activity differences following exposure, AW killifish showed no significant changes even at concentrations that would cause overt cardiac toxicity in KC killifish. Juvenile behavior experiments demonstrated hyperactivity following ERSE exposure in KC killifish, but no significant behavioral changes in AW killifish. Adult swimming performance via prolonged critical swimming capacity (Ucrit) demonstrated performance costs in the AW killifish. Furthermore, swimming performance decline was observed in KC killifish following exposure to increasing dilutions of ERSE. Lastly, cardiac histology suggested that early-life exposure to ERSE could result in cardiac structural alteration and extravasation of blood into the pericardial cavity.</p><p>Responses to AHR agonists resulted in a ranking of relative potency for agonists, and determined which agonists, when combined with FL, caused cardiac teratogenesis. These experiments showed interesting species differences for zebrafish and killifish. To probe mechanisms responsible for cardiotoxicity, a CYP1A-morpholino and a AHR2-morpholino were used to mimic FL effects or attempt to rescue cardiac deformities respectively. Findings suggested that the cardiac toxicity elicited by weak agonist + FL exposure was likely driven by AHR-independent mechanisms. These studies stand in contrast to previous research from our lab showing that moderate AHR agonist + FL caused cardiac toxicity that can be partially rescued by AHR-morpholino knockdown.</p><p>My findings will form better characterization of mechanisms of PAH toxicity, and advance our understanding of how subteratogenic mixtures of PAHs exert their toxic action in naïve killifish. Furthermore, these studies will provide a framework for investigating how subteratogenic exposures to PAH mixtures can impact aquatic organismal health and performance. Most importantly, these experiments have the potential to help inform risk assessment in fish, mammals, and potentially humans. Ultimately, this research will help protect populations exposed to subtle PAH-contamination.</p> / Dissertation

Studien bemöter ämnena avhopp och motivationsfaktorer inom svensk ungdomsidrott. Syftet är att identifiera orsaker till avhopp från svensk ungdomsidrott samt motivationsfaktorer för fortsatt idrottsdeltagande inom svensk ungdomsidrott. Deltagarna i studien har varit aktiva inom idrotterna simning eller gymnastik men hoppat av idrotten någon gång mellan 13 och 20 års ålder. Studien är baserad på 15 semi strukturerade intervjuer kring deltagarnas upplevelser av ungdomsidrott. Frågor ställdes gällande deltagarens generella bakgrund, idrottsliga bakgrund, idrottsmiljö, motivationsfaktorer, målorientering, yttre ramfaktorer och idrottsliga avslut. Resultatet visar på att bland annat låg upplevd kompetens, tävlingsfokus, nytt fokus och tidsaspekt är orsaker till avhopp från svensk ungdomsidrott. Resultatet visar på att utvecklande atmosfär, bra relationer, hög upplevd kompetens och nöje är de mest framträdande motivationsfaktorerna inom svensk ungdomsidrott. Resultaten stämmer övererens med tidigare forskning kring motivationsfaktorer och avhopp från ungdomsidrott. Implikationer ges. / The study deals with factors contributing to dropouts and sports participation in Swedish youth sport. The aim of the study is to identify reasons for dropouts from Swedish youth sport and to identify factors that motivate youth athletes to continue with the sport. The participants in this study have been active in gymnastics or swimming but dropped out of the sport somewhere between the ages of 13 and 20. The study is based on 15 semi-structured interviews about participants' experiences of youth sport. Questions were asked regarding the participants´ general background, sporting background, sporting environment, motivators, goal orientation, external factors and athletic termination. The results show that, among other things, low perceived competence, focus on competitions, a new focus and time factors are the main reasons for dropouts from Swedish youth sport. The results show that a developmental atmosphere, good relationships, high perceived competence and enjoyment are the most prominent motivational factors within the Swedish youth sport. The results correspond with previous research on motivation factors and dropouts from youth sport. Implications are given.

Elite swimmers can be distinguished from novice swimmers by freestyle stroke technique. Elite swimmers move through multiple coordination modes, increases in stroke lengths, stroke rates, and body roll allowing for a more symmetrical stroke and increased speed compared with novice swimmer during 100m freestyle. Coaches strive to improve swimmers’ performance by providing feedback about stroke technique, mostly from the pool deck where view of the full stroke cycle is obstructed by the water. Tools to assess swimming are often expensive and require extra training, which does not provide a pragmatic solution. A dryland rotational swimbench would provide a means to evaluate freestyle swimming. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the sensory motor system of elite and novice level swimmers by comparing kinematic, coordinative structures and spatial-temporal characteristics of freestyle stroke on a dryland swimbench with a rotational component. Thirty elite and novice collegiate and masters swimmers were instrumented with reflective markers bilaterally on the upper extremity and torso. A series of four ten second trials of freestyle sprint swimming were performed on the swimbench. Repeated measures were used for statistical analysis for comparison between and within groups. Bonferroni corrections were used as post-hoc analysis. Results indicated no significant difference between elite and novice swimmers’ sensory-motor system, kinematics or spatio-temporal systems on a rotational swimbench. Similarities could be accounted for by swimmers perceiving a novel task due to differences in sensory feedback, and mechanical limitations of the bench. It is noteworthy that catch-up/opposition coordination are more common than superposition which provides support for the swimbench providing a more similar representation to in water swimming.

本論文的主要目的是建立一套泳姿自動分類系統，利用電腦視覺中影像處理技術，輔以資料分析技術，即時且自動的分析在一段從岸邊水上拍攝，包含單一泳者向著鏡頭方向游泳的彩色影片中，泳者所進行的姿勢。首先我們利用膚色模型分離出影像中屬於游泳者手臂的區域。接下來，我們分析這些區域的特徵，例如長寬比以及斜率、面積等。最後，基於連續影像中每個單一畫面的手臂區域特徵，利用一個評分系統來判斷該泳者目前所進行的是哪一種游泳姿勢，分為蝶式、仰式、蛙式、自由式等四種泳姿。在實驗結果中，我們所提出的方法對於從http://swim.ee網站上下載的50段影片中，四種泳姿的分類達到了百分之百的正確性。 / In this thesis, we present a robust method to classify swimming styles from live color video sequences based on the features extracted from the upper-body of the swimmer. In our approach, potential body parts are first extracted using a simple skin color model. Next, the dominant components in the segmented regions are selected according to quantitative measures such as the aspect ratio and the area. Regression analysis is then performed to calculate the relative position of the constituent body parts. Finally, a scoring system is constructed to carry out the classification of four strokes, including butterfly, backstroke, breast stroke, and freestyle. Experimental results demonstrate the validity and efficiency of our proposed approach.

Antarctic fish from the suborder Notothenioidei inhabit what is perhaps the most thermally stable ocean environment on Earth. Evolutionary theory suggests that by specialising for this environment, Antarctic fish have traded-off their ability to respond to variations in temperature, and like their environment, have become extremely stenothermal. However, previous research has revealed that the Antarctic notothenioid fish Pagothenia borchgrevinki is not as thermally limited as evolutionary theory might predict, and is capable of acclimation to 4 ℃ during a one month period. The purpose of the current research was to investigate the physiological mechanisms that underpin this remarkable acclimatory ability. P. borchgrevinki were acclimated for one month to 4 ℃ and changes in oxygen consumption, prolonged swimming ability, cardiovascular function, enzyme activity and haematology were measured. Significant changes in resting oxygen consumption rate and prolonged swimming ability occurred during the acclimation period, and these changes were mediated by adjustments of enzyme activity and specific aspects of the haematology. By monitoring resting oxygen consumption and prolonged swimming ability over a much longer, six month, acclimation period it was confirmed that the adjustments evident during one month at 4 ℃ were sustainable in the long-term, and were not short-term compensatory mechanisms. Interestingly, fish infected with x-cell gill disease did not possess the same ability to acclimate as was demonstrated by healthy P. borchgrevinki. P. borchgrevinki are unusual among the notothenioids, possessing an active, pelagic lifestyle which differs from the sedentary, benthic lifestyle of most other species within the suborder. Therefore, it was hypothesised that the acclimatory ability demonstrated by this species may also be unusual among the notothenioids. To test this hypothesis, the acclimation ability of three sedentary, benthic notothenioids (Trematomus bernacchii, T. hansoni and T. pennellii) was investigated. Results confirmed the hypothesis, with all three species demonstrating very poor survival at 4 ℃ and absolutely no capacity for acclimation. Such results present a disturbing scenario for the future of Antarctic notothenioid fish in Earth?s rapidly warming climate, and highlights the need for continued research combined with immediate action to combat the warming which currently threatens Antarctic marine biodiversity.

Darbo objektas: studentų nuostatos į plaukimą baseine. Darbo tikslas: Nustatyti Kauno miesto studentų nuostatas į plaukimą baseine rekreacijos ir laisvalaikio aspektu. Uždaviniai: 1. Identifikuoti studentų nuostatas į rekreacijos ir laisvalaiko sampratą. 2. Nustatyti studentų laisvo laiko biudžetą bei pasyvaus ir aktyvaus laisvalaikio ypatumus. 3. Ištirti studentų teigiamas ir neigiamas nuostatas į plaukimą baseine rekreacijos ir laisvalaikio aspektu. Darbo metodai: 1. Mokslinės literatūros šaltinių analizė 2. Anketinė apklausa 3. Aprašomoji statistinė duomenų analizė Darbo problema: Kokios yra studentų nuostatos į plaukimą baseine rekreacijos ir laisvalaikio aspektu? Darbo išvados: 1. Identifikuojant studentų nuostatas į rekreacijos ir laisvalaikio sampratą nustatyta, kad laisvalaikį jie suvokia kaip galimybę fiziškai bei emociškai pailsėti, skiriant laiko tiek sau, tiek buvimui su draugais ar šeimos nariais bei labiausiai pramogaujant. 2. Išanalizavus tyrimo duomenis, pastebėta, kad studentai daugiausiai laiko turi savaitgalio dienomis ir daugiausiai savo laisvą laiką leidžia aktyvioms pramogoms bei sportui, kaip pavyzdžiui, plaukimas, bėgiojimas, dviračių sportas. Daugiau nei pusė apklaustųjų rinkosi aktyvų laisvalaikį, bei tuo pačiu žymėjo, kad laisvalaikiu mėgsta sportuoti. 3. Ištyrus studentų teigiamas ir neigiamas nuostatas į plaukimą baseine rekreacijos ir aktyvaus laisvalaikio aspektu pastebėta, kad studentai mielai rinktųsi pratybas baseine, jeigu būtų pilnai... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Job objective: to identify recreation and leisure aspects of students provisions for swimming in the swimming pool. Keywords: Students, provisions, swimming, recreation, leisure. Job object: Student provisions to swimming in the swimming pool. Tasks: 1. To identify students into recreation and leisure perception. 2. To measure students free time budget and passive and active leisure habits. 3. To investigate students positive and negative their provisions into swimming in the swimming pool as recreation and active leisure form. Survey methods: 1. Literary analysis, 2. Analysis of data collection, 3. Questionnaire and descriptive statistics. Conclusions: 1. Indentifinding students provisions into recreation and leisure concept was ascertained that students perceive leisure as a physically and emotionally opportunity to have a rest at the time with they appoints time for themselves, staying with friends or family members and also making a toy. 2. An analysis of the data, it is noted that the students the long weekend days and the biggest part of their free time allows active entertainment and sports, such as swimming, running, cycling. More than half of respondents chosen active staff. 3. After investigation of students positive and negative provisions at swimming in the swimming pool as recreation and active leisure form, was observed that students would prefer exercises in the swimming pool, if fully exhausted basin infrastructure would be more available for... [to full text]