Reliability of a Novel Technique for the Measurement of Neck Strength

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 43-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Hall ◽  
Marc P. Morissette ◽  
Dean Cordingley ◽  
Jeff Leiter

Reliable assessment of neck strength is required to fully understand the role of decreased neck strength as a risk factor for concussion. The purpose of this study was to assess the intrarater and interrater reliability of a standardized isometric neck-strength-testing protocol using a custom-designed frame, and a digital force gauge. Assessment of intrarater and interrater reliability of a custom neck-strength-testing frame and protocol yielded intraclass correlation values > .890 and > .900 when using maximum peak and average peak values of neck strength, respectively. Our neck-strength-testing frame and protocol provided data of good to excellent reliability, and may be used in future studies to investigate the relationship between neck strength and incidence of injuries.

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuang Chen ◽  
Da Xu ◽  
Liu Fan ◽  
Zhi Fang ◽  
Xiufeng Wang ◽  
...  

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders characterized by recurrent seizures. The mechanism of epilepsy remains unclear and previous studies suggest that N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) play an important role in abnormal discharges, nerve conduction, neuron injury and inflammation, thereby they may participate in epileptogenesis. NMDARs belong to a family of ionotropic glutamate receptors that play essential roles in excitatory neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity in the mammalian CNS. Despite numerous studies focusing on the role of NMDAR in epilepsy, the relationship appeared to be elusive. In this article, we reviewed the regulation of NMDAR and possible mechanisms of NMDAR in epilepsy and in respect of onset, development, and treatment, trying to provide more evidence for future studies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hirotaka Imada ◽  
Nobuhiro Mifune

Disease-causing parasites and pathogens play a pivotal role in intergroup behavior. Previous studies have suggested that the selection pressure posed by pathogen threat has resulted in in-group assortative sociality, including xenophobia and in-group favoritism. While the current literature has collated numerous studies on the former, strikingly, there has not been much research on the relationship between pathogen threat and in-group cooperation. Drawing upon prior studies on the function of the behavioral immune system (BIS), we argued that the BIS might facilitate cooperation with in-group members as a reactive behavioral immune response to pathogen threat. More specifically, we held that individuals might utilize cooperative behavior to ensure that they can receive social support when they have contracted an infectious disease. We reviewed existing findings pertaining to the potential role of the BIS in in-group cooperation and discussed directions for future studies.


Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 64 ◽  
Author(s):  
David V. Thiel ◽  
Matthew T. O. Worsey ◽  
Florian Klodzinski ◽  
Nicholas Emerson ◽  
Hugo G. Espinosa

Sand sports include running, volleyball, soccer, beach flags, ironman, and fitness training. An increased amount of soft tissue injuries have been widely reported. A novel technique of determining the surface stiffness of beach sand in-situ used a simple drop-test penetrometer. The relationship between drop height and the depth of penetration squared was linear (Pearson’s correlation coefficient r2 > 0.92). The stiffness ratio between the soft dry sand and ocean-saturated wet sand compacted by eight hours of coastal water exposure was approximately seven, which was similar to previously reported stiffness measurements in a sand box. However, the absolute stiffness values were much smaller. While this technique was manually operated, an automatic system is postulated for future studies.


2009 ◽  
Vol 296 (2) ◽  
pp. R257-R264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olli Arjamaa ◽  
Mikko Nikinmaa

The possibility that natriuretic peptides' effects are important in hypoxia responses of vertebrates is reviewed. Both the transcription and release of natriuretic peptides are affected by oxygen tension. Furthermore, many of the effects observed in hypoxia, such as diuresis and a reduction of plasma volume, are also caused by treatment of the animal with natriuretic peptides. Also, several clinical observations about changes in natriuretic peptide levels in, e.g., sleep apnea and cyanotic congenital heart disease, are consistent with the idea that hypoxia is involved in the etiology of conditions, in which natriuretic peptide levels increase. Virtually all published information on the relationship between oxygen and natriuretic peptides is based on human studies. Because hypoxic conditions are more common in aquatic than terrestrial environments, future studies about the possible role of natriuretic peptides in hypoxia, as well as the role of hypoxia in the evolution of natriuretic peptides, including the different subtypes, should increasingly involve also aquatic organisms.


Author(s):  
Brian J. Galli

A large number of the well-performing organizations in the world are believed to have better environments that produce highly motivated employees to attain their goals. As noted in the various literatures reviewed in this study, improved working conditions in companies, such as Dell Technologies and Apple Inc., are responsible for the overall organizational success within the highly contested market. When employees are motivated, they also work towards improving the conditions within the workplaces, so the relationship between the two is mutual. In addition, pay satisfaction, job design, and internal communication of an organization contributes to its workforce motivation, which results in improved productivity for the entire organization. On the other hand, highly motivated employees encourage organizational managers to offer better payment to their organizations, to attain satisfactory job design, and to improve internal communication. Even though this study utilized few articles in the literature review, its findings significantly contribute to the modern literature. However, future studies should consider using more materials and multiple variables to improve the quality and reliability of the outcomes.


2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 234-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satu Nätti ◽  
Suvi Rahkolin ◽  
Saila Saraniemi

Purpose – A deliberate and planned crisis communication strategy is an important part of key account management. The purpose of this paper is to draw links between key account managers (KAM) and crisis communication and explore the elements critical to crisis communication in key account relationships. Design/methodology/approach – The approach is qualitative. Data were gathered from people experienced in crisis communication and responsible for strategic accounts. The paper analysed managers’ stories of crisis processes and related communication in relationships. Findings – Successful crisis communication requires an open and active crisis communicator, one willing to solve problems, and also the company being a partner worth trusting and the retention of the relationship being worthwhile for the customer. Research limitations/implications – The present study focuses on the managerial view, and therefore a dyadic approach is suggested for future studies. Practical implications – The role of the KAM as a crisis communicator and primary identifier of the crisis is emphasized. Originality/value – Existing crisis communication discussions have been very media focused. This study focuses on the key account relationship and the related crisis communication. In addition, although earlier studies examine the influences of crises on business relationships (e.g. Salo et al., 2009; Thiessen and Ingenhoff, 2010; Tähtinen and Vaaland, 2006), research on crisis communication in business-to-business key account relationships is still scarce. The results will help to understand the characteristics of crisis communication in key account relationships and enhance communication with strategic accounts.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Orsan Alzoubi ◽  
Ala’aldin Alrowwad ◽  
Ra’ed Masa’deh

Purpose This study aims to assess the relationships among tacit knowledge sharing, communities of practice (CoPs) and employees’ abilities to solve problems, customer’s satisfaction and innovation. Design/methodology/approach This quantitative research aims to examine the causal relationships among the key study variables. A questionnaire-based survey was developed to evaluate the research model by drawing a convenience sample that includes 219 employees working in the King Abdullah Design and Development Bureau which is located in Amman, Jordan. Surveyed information was examined following the structural equation modelling procedures. Findings Results revealed that sharing tacit knowledge in defence organizations had no direct effect on employees’ abilities to solve problems, customer’s satisfaction and innovation, while there was an affirmative effect to CoPs on employees’ abilities in those areas. Also, this study showed that CoPs had a significant mediating role to play in the relationship between sharing knowledge and employees’ abilities in terms of solving work problems, customer’s satisfaction and innovation. Research limitations/implications Findings of this study have laid the basis for future studies related to examining the effect of tacit knowledge sharing and the CoPs on improving employees’ abilities as preconditions for organization performance. These findings can be supported by conducting further research studies to examine the large samples of defence companies to give deeper meanings and insights to the relationship among the key study variables. The authors recommend expanding future studies and examine the mediating role of other social learning methods such as mentoring and storytelling on the relationship between sharing tacit knowledge and employees’ abilities. Practical implications The research model may enable managers and practitioners to make decisions related to the improvement of collective learning by encouraging employees’ engagement in the process of tacit knowledge sharing. The model also helps managers to understand the role of CoPs as a knowledge sharing tool that contributes to increasing employees’ abilities and organizational competitiveness. Furthermore, the research model can be a step forward for further research studies on the relationships among tacit knowledge sharing, CoPs and employees’ abilities. Social implications The suggested model can act as the promising step for continuous improvement to the defence industry in terms of producing high-quality products and services that protect national security, humans’ lives and society at large from enemies and terrorist groups. Originality/value In spite of the fact that most academic studies on knowledge management show a positive relationship between tacit knowledge sharing and organizational performance, a few studies have examined the effect of mediating the CoPs on relationships between sharing tacit knowledge and employees’ abilities as preconditions for raising the performance of the organizations working in security and defence industry. Hence, this research attempts to fill these gaps and gives a new direction for future research.


Author(s):  
Wei Wan ◽  
Aimin Wang ◽  
Li Li

Drawing on the literature on perceived illegitimate tasks, we investigated, with 216 participants, how temporal leadership affects employee workplace deviance. Our findings show that temporal leadership effectively reduced employee workplace deviance. In addition, perceived illegitimate tasks played a mediating role in the relationship between temporal leadership and employee workplace deviance, and goal congruence moderated the indirect effect of temporal leadership on employee workplace deviance through perceived illegitimate tasks. Practical implications and suggestions for future studies are discussed.


2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (04) ◽  
pp. 1350028 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ching Seng Yap ◽  
Md Zabid Abdul Rashid ◽  
Dewi Amat Sapuan

This study aims to identify the strategic roles of competitive intelligence and to examine the mediating effect of competitive intelligence practices on the relationship between perceived strategic uncertainty and firm performance. Data are collected from 123 public listed companies in Malaysia using mail questionnaire survey. The study highlights the essential role of competitive intelligence in supporting strategic decision making and strategic planning as well as in identifying opportunities and threats. Results reveal that perceived strategic uncertainty relates positively to competitive intelligence practices, which in turn, relates positively to firm performance. This paper includes implications, limitations, and recommendations for future studies.


2021 ◽  
pp. 003329412110252
Author(s):  
Sue K Adams ◽  
Zoe Mushkat ◽  
Jared Minkel

This study explored associations among test anxiety, GPA, sleep quality, and mood in college students. Data were collected from undergraduate students ( N = 316). Results revealed that higher levels of test anxiety and sleep impairment predicted negative mood in undergraduates. Findings suggest that prioritizing sleep could help improve overall mood among students with test anxiety. Future studies should work toward clarifying the complex and reciprocal relationship between sleep and test anxiety.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document