An examination of newcomer integration processes in sport teams: A socialization perspective

In highly interdependent groups, the ability to swiftly and successfully integrate newcomers is an important component to maintaining functional team dynamics. The current dissertation explored how sport teams structure the nature and timing of events that newcomers are put through by implementing specific socialization tactics. In the first manuscript, a qualitative study was initiated to garner descriptive insights into the tactics that are used to socialize athletes into sport teams. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with coaches, veteran athletes, and newcomer athletes (i.e., individuals in their first year as a team member). Participant insights were thematically analyzed and compared to existing theoretical accounts of organizational socialization processes. Key processes involved establishing congruent role expectations between incoming athletes and group leaders. Further, socialization tactics balanced individually tailored role communication with efforts to foster social connections within the group. In the second manuscript, a questionnaire was developed to assess individuals’ perceptions of the socialization tactics used in their team. Across four studies, think aloud interviews (N = 8), an expert panel review (N = 6), two cross-sectional tests of the factor structure (Nstudy 2 = 197; Nstudy 3 = 460), and a two-wave correlational design (Nstudy 4= 194) were used to evaluate the construct validity and reliability of the Sport Team Socialization Tactics Questionnaire (STSTQ). Collectively, these efforts helped to identify a three dimensional model underlying the STSTQ, and provided preliminary evidence for its validity and reliability. This dissertation offers insight into the processes through which newcomers are integrated into team sport environments. Moreover, the STSTQ will augment future efforts to systematically examine the individual-level and group-level consequences associated with the socialization tactics implemented in sport teams

The Practitioner\u27s Corner: An exploration of municipal active living charter development and advocacy

Background: Numerous municipal active living-­‐related charters have been adopted to promote physical activity in Canada throughout the past decade. Despite this trend, there are few published critical examinations of the process through which charters are developed and used. Purpose: Thus, the purpose of this study was to establish greater understanding of active living charter development and advocacy. Methods: Semi-­‐structured interviews were conducted with eight primary contributors to different active living-­‐related charters across Ontario, Canada. Interview questions explored participants’ experiences developing and advocating for an active living charter. Interviews were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. Results and Conclusions: Participants consistently described a process whereby an impetus triggered the development of a charter, which was subsequently adopted by regional or municipal council. Continued advocacy to develop awareness of the charter and to promote desired outcomes in the community was valued and the capacity of the working group as well as the local political context played pivotal roles in determining how the charter was implemented. Outcomes were, however, only objectively evaluated in one case that was described – evaluation being a process that many participants thought was omitted in regard to their own charter. This work provides practical guidance for health professionals developing regional active living charters as a component of broader advocacy efforts

Toward Unbiased Galaxy Cluster Masses from Line of Sight Velocity Dispersions

We study the use of red sequence selected galaxy spectroscopy for unbiased estimation of galaxy cluster masses. We use the publicly available galaxy catalog produced using the semi-analytic model of De Lucia & Blaizot (2007) on the Millenium Simulation (Springel et al. 2005). We explore the impacts on selection using galaxy color, projected separation from the cluster center, and galaxy luminosity. We study the relationship between cluster mass and velocity dispersion and identify and characterize the following sources of bias and scatter: halo triaxiality, dynamical friction of red luminous galaxies and interlopers. We show that due to halo triaxiality the intrinsic scatter of estimated line of sight dynamical mass is about three times larger (30-40%) than the one estimated using the 3D velocity dispersion (~12%) and a small bias (~1%) is induced. We find evidence of increasing scatter as a function of redshift and provide a fitting formula to account for it. We characterize the amount of bias and scatter introduced by dynamical friction when using subsamples of red-luminous galaxies to estimate the velocity dispersion. We study the presence of interlopers in spectroscopic samples and their effect on the estimated cluster dynamical mass. Our results show that while cluster velocity dispersions extracted from a few dozen red sequence selected galaxies do not provide precise masses on a single cluster basis, an ensemble of cluster velocity dispersions can be combined to produce a precise calibration of a cluster survey mass observable relation. Currently, disagreements in the literature on simulated subhalo velocity dispersion mass relations place a systematic floor on velocity dispersion mass calibration at the 15% level in mass. We show that the selection related uncertainties are small by comparison, providing hope that with further improvements this systematic floor can be reduced.Comment: submitted to Ap

Collaborative Forum 3.1: Suit Sizing for Optimal Fit

No abstract availabl

Risk of venous thromboembolism in children after general surgery

Background/purpose: The purpose of the study was to determine absolute and relative rates of venous thromboembolism (VTE) following general surgical procedures in children compared to the general population. Methods: We analyzed data from all patients under the age of 18 years in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, linked to Hospital Episode Statistics from England (2001–2011) undergoing a general surgical procedure and population controls. Crude rates of VTE and adjusted hazard ratios were calculated using Cox regression. Results We identified 15,637 children who had a surgical procedure with 161,594 controls. Six children undergoing surgery had a VTE diagnosed in the year after compared to five children in the population cohort. The overall rate of VTE following surgery was 0.4 per 1000 person years (pyrs) (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.15–0.88) compared to 0.04 per 1000 pyrs (95% CI 0.02–0.09) in the population cohort. This represented a 9 fold increase in risk compared to the population cohort (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 8.80; 95% CI 2.59–29.94). Conclusions Children are at increased risk for VTE following general surgical procedures compared to the general population however the absolute risk is small and given this the benefits of thromboprophylaxis need to be balanced against the risk of complications following its use

What Ukraine Taught NATO about Hybrid Warfare

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 forced the United States and its NATO partners to be confronted with the impact of hybrid warfare far beyond the battlefield. Targeting Europe’s energy security, Russia’s malign influence campaigns and malicious cyber intrusions are affecting global gas prices, driving up food costs, disrupting supply chains and grids, and testing US and Allied military mobility. This study examines how hybrid warfare is being used by NATO’s adversaries, what vulnerabilities in energy security exist across the Alliance, and what mitigation strategies are available to the member states. Cyberattacks targeting the renewable energy landscape during Europe’s green transition are increasing, making it urgent that new tools are developed to protect these emerging technologies. No less significant are the cyber and information operations targeting energy security in Eastern Europe as it seeks to become independent from Russia. Economic coercion is being used against Western and Central Europe to stop gas from flowing. China’s malign investments in Southern and Mediterranean Europe are enabling Beijing to control several NATO member states’ critical energy infrastructure at a critical moment in the global balance of power. What Ukraine Taught NATO about Hybrid Warfare will be an important reference for NATO officials and US installations operating in the European theater.https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1952/thumbnail.jp