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Here, we evaluated the influence of breathing oxygen at different partial pressures during recovery from exercise on performance at sea-level and a simulated altitude of 1800 m, as reflected in activation of different upper body muscles, and oxygenation of the m. triceps brachii. Ten well-trained, male endurance athletes (25.3±4.1 yrs; 179.2±4.5 cm; 74.2±3.4 kg) performed four test trials, each involving three 3-min sessions on a double-poling ergometer with 3-min intervals of recovery. One trial was conducted entirely under normoxic (No) and another under hypoxic conditions \((Ho; F_iO_2 = 0.165)\). In the third and fourth trials, the exercise was performed in normoxia and hypoxia, respectively, with hyperoxic recovery \((HOX; F_iO_2 = 1.00)\) in both cases. Arterial hemoglobin saturation was higher under the two HOX conditions than without HOX (p<0.05). Integrated muscle electrical activity was not influenced by the oxygen content (best d = 0.51). Furthermore, the only difference in tissue saturation index measured via near-infrared spectroscopy observed was between the recovery periods during the NoNo and HoHOX interventions (P<0.05, d = 0.93). In the case of HoHo the athletes’ \(P_{mean}\) declined from the first to the third interval (P < 0.05), whereas Pmean was unaltered under the HoHOX, NoHOX and NoNo conditions. We conclude that the less pronounced decline in \(P_{mean}\) during 3 x 3-min double-poling sprints in normoxia and hypoxia with hyperoxic recovery is not related to changes in muscle activity or oxygenation. Moreover, we conclude that hyperoxia \((F_iO_2 = 1.00)\) used in conjunction with hypoxic or normoxic work intervals may serve as an effective aid when inhaled during the subsequent recovery intervals.
In recent years, numerous renewable energy cities were established worldwide, piloting different pathways to transition to clean energy. With the ability to address local needs more precisely in their unique geographic, social and economic contexts, cities play a vital role in implementing overall climate mitigation goals on the local level. In China, many renewable energy cities have emerged as well. However, official documents suggest that Chinese government authorities establish such renewable energy cities strategically, which leads to the assumption that the impulse to become renewable is different from other countries, where bottom-up initiatives are more common. Hence, this thesis explores answer to the question why and how the Chinese government promotes the energy transition of Chinese cities and regions. To explore the dynamics of local energy transition projects, this thesis adopts two frameworks from the field of sustainability transitions, the multi-level perspective and strategic niche management, and applies them to seven European and two Chinese case studies. The European sample includes the cities Graz, Güssing, Freiburg, and Helsinki as well as the communities Feldheim, Jühnde and Murau. The Chinese sample consists of the bottom-up initiative Shaanxi Sunflower Project and the demonstration project Tongli New Energy Town. A comparative analysis evaluates in how far the cases correspond to the multi-level perspective or strategic niche management. The comparison of the case studies reveals that the development of renewable energy cities in China goes beyond a top-down vs. bottom-up logic. In the Chinese context, strategic niche management should be understood as experimentation under hierarchy, which serves at pretesting different approaches before rolling them out nationwide. In addition, the analysis shows that both the multi-level perspective and strategic niche management have their advantages and disadvantages for niche development. Niches following the logic of the multi-level perspective may result in higher stakeholder acceptance, whereas strategic niche management can in turn accelerate niche development. However, since natural niche development cannot be steered intentionally, decision-makers who intend to induce local renewable energy projects have no other option but to resort to strategic niche management. To increase stakeholder acceptance and thus to improve the project outcome, decision-makers are advised to accommodate sufficient room for stakeholder participation in the project design.