scholarly journals Do Impairments in Visual Functions Affect Skiing Performance?

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amritha Stalin ◽  
Marieke Creese ◽  
Kristine Nicole Dalton
Keyword(s):  
Observational Studies ◽  
Light Sensitivity ◽  
Alpine Skiing ◽  
Strong Correlations ◽  
Visual Functions ◽  
Visual Tasks ◽  
Alpine Skiers ◽  
Snow Conditions ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Nordic Skiing

Nordic and alpine skiing-related visual tasks such as identifying hill contours, slope characteristics, and snow conditions increase demands on contrast processing and other visual functions. Prospective observational studies were conducted to assess the relationships between skiing performance and a broad range of visual functions in nordic and alpine skiers with vision impairments. The study hypothesized that contrast sensitivity (CS), visual acuity (VA), and visual field (VF) would be predictive of skiing performance. Binocular static VA, CS, light sensitivity, glare sensitivity, glare recovery, dynamic VA, translational and radial motion perception, and VF were assessed in elite Para nordic (n = 26) and Para alpine (n = 15) skiers. Skiing performance was assessed based on skiers’ raw race times. Performance on the visual function tests was compared with skiing performances using Kendall’s correlations (with and without Bonferroni–Holm corrections) and linear multivariable regressions (p < 0.05 considered significant). None of the vision variables were significantly correlated with performance in Para nordic or Para alpine skiing after Bonferroni–Holm corrections were applied. Before applying the corrections, VF extent (ρ = -0.37, p = 0.011), and static VA (ρ = 0.26, p = 0.066) demonstrated the strongest correlations with Para nordic skiing performance; in Para alpine skiing, static VA and CS demonstrated the strongest correlations with downhill (static VA: ρ = 0.54, p = 0.046, CS: ρ = -0.50, p = 0.06), super G (static VA: ρ = 0.50, p = 0.007, CS: ρ = -0.51, p = 0.017), and giant slalom (static VA: ρ = 0.57, p = 0.01, CS: ρ = -0.46, p = 0.017) performance. Dynamic VA and VF were significantly associated with downhill (ρ = 0.593, p = 0.04) and slalom (ρ = -0.49, p = 0.013) performances, respectively. Static VA was a significant predictor of giant slalom [(F(3,11) = 24.71, p < 0.001), and R of 0.87], super G [(F(3,9) = 17.34, p = 0.002), and R of 0.85], and slalom [(F(3,11) = 11.8, p = 0.002), and R of 0.80] performance, but CS and VF were not. Interestingly, static VA and CS were highly correlated in both Para nordic (ρ = -0.60, p < 0.001) and Para alpine (ρ = -0.80, p < 0.001) skiers. Of the vision variables, only static VA and VF were associated with skiing performance and should be included as the in Para nordic and Para alpine classifications. The strong correlations between static VA and CS in these skiers with vision impairment may have masked relationships between CS and skiing performance.

scholarly journals Are Women Really Less Competitive Than Men? Career Duration in Nordic and Alpine Skiing

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernd Frick ◽  
Katharina Moser
Keyword(s):  
Labor Markets ◽  
Competitive Environment ◽  
Alpine Skiing ◽  
Random Assignment ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Corporate Executives ◽  
Career Length ◽  
Self Selection ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Nordic Skiing

Do women shy away from competition while men compete too much? The available, mostly experimental evidence generally supports these assumptions. However, in contrast to laboratory settings, labor markets do not have random assignment of workers. Instead, individuals—professional athletes and corporate executives—self-select into specific occupations. Using data from Alpine and Nordic skiing over 52 and 37 years respectively, we show that career length of men and women is virtually identical. Thus, when adequately controlling for self-selection into a highly competitive environment, differences between men and women with respect to competitiveness completely disappear.

scholarly journals Sustainable Financing of Elite Athlete Development: An Empirical Analysis of Winter Sports in Austria

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 9664
Author(s):  
Pamela Wicker ◽  
Bernd Frick
Keyword(s):  
Willingness To Pay ◽  
Contingent Valuation Method ◽  
Sporting Events ◽  
Alpine Skiing ◽  
Winter Sports ◽  
Winter Olympics ◽  
Sport Policy ◽  
Valuation Method ◽  
Sport Finance ◽  
Nordic Skiing

This study examines the value of professional winter sports to the Austrian resident population in the context of three major sporting events (the 2017 World Championships in Alpine Skiing, the 2018 Winter Olympics, and the 2019 World Championships in Nordic Skiing). In nationwide population surveys (n = 2289), the contingent valuation method was employed, and the respondents were presented with two scenarios asking for their willingness-to-pay for live broadcasts and long-term athlete development. The aggregate willingness-to-pay amounted to €42 million (for live broadcasts) and about €800 million (for athlete development). However, only about 20% of the residents expressed a positive willingness-to-pay. The respondents’ willingness-to-pay is not only determined by well-studied factors like consumption capital, intangible factors, and socio-demographics, but also by life satisfaction. The willingness-to-pay for live broadcasts is comparably higher for alpine skiing, while the willingness-to-pay for athlete development is higher for Olympic winter sports athletes. The findings have implications for sport policy and sport finance, highlighting the challenge of turning public sport consumption into a willingness to contribute financially to sustainable athlete development.

scholarly journals The role of mitosis in LDL transport through cultured endothelial cell monolayers

2011 ◽  
Vol 300 (3) ◽  
pp. H769-H776 ◽  
Author(s):  
Limary M. Cancel ◽  
John M. Tarbell
Keyword(s):  
Endothelial Cell ◽  
Water Flux ◽  
Bovine Aortic Endothelial Cell ◽  
Strong Correlations ◽  
Cell Monolayers ◽  
Ldl Transport ◽  
Dividing Cells ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Mitosis Rate

We ( 7 ) have previously shown that leaky junctions associated with dying or dividing cells are the dominant pathway for LDL transport under convective conditions, accounting for >90% of the transport. We ( 8 ) have also recently shown that the permeability of bovine aortic endothelial cell monolayers is highly correlated with their rate of apoptosis and that inhibiting apoptosis lowers the permeability of the monolayers to LDL. To explore the role of mitosis in the leaky junction pathway, the microtubule-stabilizing agent paclitaxel was used to alter the rate of mitosis, and LDL flux and water flux ( Jv) were measured. Control monolayers had an average mitosis rate of 0.029%. Treatment with paclitaxel (2.5 μM) for 1.5, 3, 4.5, or 6 h yielded increasing rates of mitosis ranging from 0.099% to 1.03%. The convective permeability of LDL (Pe) increased up to fivefold, whereas Jv increased up to threefold, over this range of mitosis rates. We found strong correlations between the mitosis rate and both Pe and Jv. However, compared with our previous apoptosis study ( 8 ), we found that mitosis was only half as effective as apoptosis in increasing Pe. The results led us to conclude that while mitotsis-related leaky junctions might play a role in the initial infiltration of LDL into the artery wall, the progression of atherosclerosis might be more closely correlated with apoptosis-related leaky junctions.

scholarly journals Risk Factors for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury in Competitive Adolescent Alpine Skiers

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 232596711876683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Westin ◽  
Marita L. Harringe ◽  
Björn Engström ◽  
Marie Alricsson ◽  
Suzanne Werner
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Acl Injury ◽  
Left Knee ◽  
Alpine Skiing ◽  
Acl Injuries ◽  
Alpine Skiers ◽  
Anterior Cruciate ◽  
Reduced Risk

Background: There is a high risk for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in alpine skiers. To reduce or try to prevent these injuries, intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors need to be identified. Purpose: To identify possible intrinsic and extrinsic ACL injury risk factors among competitive adolescent alpine skiers. Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Between 2006 and 2009, a cohort of 339 alpine ski students (176 male, 163 female) from Swedish ski high schools were prospectively observed in terms of ACL injuries. First-time ACL injuries were recorded. In September, prior to each ski season, the skiers were clinically examined according to a specific knee protocol. Results: Overall, 11 male and 14 female skiers sustained a total of 25 first-episode ACL injuries. The majority of injuries occurred in the left knee ( P < .05). Skiers who had participated in alpine skiing for >13 years (hazard ratio, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.68-1.00; P < .05) had a reduced risk of sustaining an ACL injury. Eighteen ACL injuries occurred during training, 12 in the technical discipline of giant slalom, and 8 in slalom. Fourteen skiers reported not to be fatigued at all at the time of injury, and 8 skiers reported that they were somewhat fatigued. Conclusion: ACL injuries occurred more often in the left knee than the right. This should be taken into consideration in the design of ACL injury prevention programs. Those who reported a higher number of active years in alpine skiing showed a reduced risk of sustaining an ACL injury. No other factor among those studied could be identified as an independent risk factor for ACL injury.

Management of youth athletic injuries in alpine skiing

2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
High Rate ◽  
Overuse Injuries ◽  
Alpine Skiing ◽  
Traumatic Injuries ◽  
Related Risk ◽  
Early Health ◽  
Alpine Skiers ◽  
Training Need ◽  
Study Participants

The popularity of alpine skiing is growing among young athletes. However, this development also carries the risk of early health problems such as traumatic and overuse injuries. To support a long-term beneficial effect of an early sport specialization, the amount of appropriate volume and intensity of training need to be investigated. As a basis for a prospective and reliable data collection, we developed a training and injury database to repeatedly record the occurrence of traumatic injuries and overuse injuries. Study participants were 82 young talented alpine skiers aged between 9 and 14 years. We found a relatively high rate of 0,86 traumatic injuries per 1000 hours of training. In contrast a low occurence of overuse injuries were recorded (0,28/1000 hours of training). Further research is required on sport specific, age- and development-related risk factors and the appropriate amount of training to guarantee long-term health benefits of youth elite athletes.

CHRONOLOGICAL AGE OF ALPINE SKI MEDAL WINNERS IN THE 2015-2018 OLYMPIC CYCLE

sportlogia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-83
Author(s):  
Zvezdan Savić ◽  
◽  
Nikola Stojanović ◽  
Miloš Tomić ◽  
Đorđe Savić ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronological Age ◽  
Alpine Skiing ◽  
Training Process ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Personal Motivation ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The World ◽  
Alpine Skiers ◽  
Improve Planning

Personal motivation, as well as engagement in alpine skiing, brought the authors to inspect the differences in average chronological age of alpine skiers, and to present the results to the professional public, in order to improve planning and programming of the training process. The paper analyzed the average chronological age of medal winning professional alpine skiers in the World Cups in the 2015-2018 Olympic cycle. The following alpine disciplines were analyzed: Slalom (SL), Giant Slalom (GS), Super-G (SG), Downhill (DH) and Alpine Combination (AC). The obtained results indicate that there was a significant difference in the average chronological age between male and female competitors. The results of the present study show that there were differences in GS, SG, DH, and AC, where male skiers are on average older than female skiers. Conversely, there was no significant difference between male and female skiers in SL. The results of this study could aid coaches and experts in future years of individual management of sports careers of male and female skiers.

PRE-START ANXIETY SELF-REGULATION METHODS OF TOP ALPINE SKIERS

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 312
Author(s):  
Kristaps Zvejnieks ◽  
Agita Abele
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Anxiety Reduction ◽  
Alpine Skiing ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Psychological Skills ◽  
Individual System ◽  
Reduction Methods ◽  
Anxiety Levels ◽  
Alpine Skiers

Alpine skiing is the kind of sport where there is little time for proving athletes’ abilities – the number of attempts is so low that each of the smallest mistakes reflects highly on the result of the participant. The aim of this study is to extend the knowledge of psychological preparation in Alpine skiing at a high performance level. This Article presents results of the research, which focused on the relationship between Alpine skier’s competition effectiveness and their competition anxiety levels, along with selected methods of emotional condition self-regulation before the start. The research is based on studying the world’s top athletes, who participated in an international alpine skiing race at least 6 times per season. The research is based on theoretical materials and empirical investigation, where 86 of the world’s top 200 ranked alpine skiers participated in a test and filling out of a questionnaire about their preparation for competition. The obtained results testify that most high-ranking athletes have created their own individual system of psychological skills, which contains both somatic and cognitive means of controlling emotional states. Usually only a few anxiety reduction methods are picked by athletes, depending on their self-evaluated emotional state before a given competition. A link between competition anxiety levels and an Alpine skier’s competition effectiveness is generally confirmed. Research results show that top Alpine skiers’ competition effectiveness will be better if anxiety levels are low or moderate, and the results will improve if the self-regulation of pre-start emotional states is based on practised adapted breathing, self-inspiration, visualisation and ideomotor methods. 

scholarly journals Ferromagnetism in the Highly-Correlated Hubbard Model

2010 ◽  
Vol 168-169 ◽  
pp. 469-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentin Yu. Irkhin ◽  
Alexander V. Zarubin
Keyword(s):  
Hubbard Model ◽  
Magnetic Phase ◽  
Magnetic Phase Diagram ◽  
Strong Correlations ◽  
Cubic Lattices ◽  
Simple Cubic ◽  
Regions Of Stability ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
The Many

The Hubbard model with strong correlations is treated in the many-electron representation of the Hubbard's operators. The regions of stability of saturated and non-saturated ferromagnetism in the n–U plane for the square and simple cubic lattices are calculated. The role of the singularities of bare density of states for the magnetic phase diagram is discussed. A comparison with the results of previous works is performed.

scholarly journals Balance, Basic Anthropometrics and Performance in Young Alpine Skiers; Longitudinal Analysis of the Associations During Two Competitive Seasons

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blaz Lesnik ◽  
Damir Sekulic ◽  
Matej Supej ◽  
Michael R Esco ◽  
Milan Zvan
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Body Height ◽  
Stability Index ◽  
Alpine Skiing ◽  
Pearson's R ◽  
Overall Stability ◽  
Alpine Skiers ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Pearson’S R

AbstractBalance is hypothesized to be important in alpine skiing, while it is known that balance depends on anthropometric indices. The aim of this investigation was to explore the association between balance, anthropometrics and skiing-results over two competitive seasons among youth alpine-skiers. Eighty-one skiers (40 females) participated in this study. The participants were tested twice over two competitive seasons: when they were 12-13 years old (U14) and when they were 14-15 years old (U16). The variables consisted of anthropometrics (body height and body mass) and three balance indexes (medio-lateral-, anterio-posterior- and overall-stability-index). Additionally, skiing results in U14 and U16 were evaluated. The balance status did not change significantly over the observed period of time regardless of the significant changes in body mass and height. The relationships between balance and skiing results were higher in the U14 (Pearson’s r = 0.45-0.54) than in the U16 (Pearson’s r = 0.05-0.28). The relationships between anthropometrics and competitive results were generally stronger in girls (Pearson’s r = 0.39-0.88) than in boys (Pearson’s r = 0.26-0.58). After clustering athletes into three achievement groups on a basis of their competitive performance, discriminant canonical analysis showed that relationships between balance and skiing results decreased, while the relationships between anthropometrics and skiing results increased over the two observed seasons. This study highlighted the importance of balance in youth alpine skiing in the age range of 11-14 years.

Parameter correlation study of cylinder liner roughness for production and quality control

2008 ◽  
Vol 222 (11) ◽  
pp. 1475-1487 ◽  
Author(s):  
B-G Rosen ◽  
C Anderberg ◽  
R Ohlsson
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Cylinder Liner ◽  
Correlation Study ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Strong Correlations ◽  
Intrinsic Variability ◽  
Dimensional Parameters ◽  
Liner Surface ◽  
Highly Correlated

Surface roughness plays an important role in the control of emissions and friction losses in the cylinder liner—piston ring system as well as securing economically favourable manufacturing. A number of different commercial cylinder liner types have been characterized using traditional two-dimensional stylus and ISO parameters together with the latest three-dimensional characterization. The results highlight the weak and strong correlations between different families of parameters traditionally used for liner surface specifications. The bearing curve based Rxq and Rk parameter families have been evaluated and show systematic and consistent differences when characterizing the same surface features when trying to establish independent characterization of the highly stratified, two-process cylinder liner surfaces. No significant improvement in discrimination results from using ensemble averages. Presentation of correlations in the form of topological diagrams helps to show when parameters with a high intrinsic variability can be effectively replaced by other more robust parameters with which they have a high correlation. Plateau parameters are in general more highly correlated than valley parameters. Three-dimensional parameters show high internal correlations and also correlate highly with some corresponding two-dimensional parameters.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document