Muscle activation patterns in posttraumatic neck pain

As an important consequence of our research, we question the relevance of the criteria of the WAD injury severity classification system. We showed that the musculoskeletal signs in WAD grade II are not characterized by muscle spasm, (i.e. increase of muscle activity), but rather by a decrease in muscle activation. Moreover, by also showing a strong association of this muscle activation pattern\ud with fear of movement, we concluded that musculoskeletal signs in post traumatic neck pain do not reflect the severity of injury but rather the perception of symptoms, influenced by psychosocial factors from the fear avoidance model

Analysis of healthy sitting behavior: Interface pressure distribution and subcutaneous tissue oxygenation

Pressure ulcers are a large problem in individuals who use a wheelchair for their mobility and have limited trunk stability and motor function. Because no relation between interface pressure and pressure ulcer development has been established and no clinical threshold for pressure ulcer development can be given, looking at the sitting behavior of nondisabled individuals is important. Nondisabled individuals do not develop pressure ulcers because they continuously shift posture. We analyzed the sitting behavior of 25 nondisabled male subjects by using a combination of interface pressure measurement and subcutaneous tissue oxygenation measurement by means of the Oxygen to See. These subjects shifted posture on average 7.8 +/- 5.2 times an hour. These posture shifts were merely a combination of posture shifts in the frontal and sagittal plane. Subcutaneous oxygen saturation increased on average 2.2% with each posture adjustment, indicating a positive effect of posture shifts on tissue viability. The results of this study can be used as a reference for seating interventions aimed at preventing pressure ulcers. Changing the sitting load at least every 8 minutes is recommended for wheelchair users

The necessity of collaboration in branding:Analysing the conditions for output legitimacy through qualitative comparative analysis (QCA)

This article examines the conditions for achieving output legitimacy in branding processes. Branding is a governance strategy that, according to branding and governance theory, relies heavily on involving, and collaborating with, actors. This research, based on a qualitative comparative analysis of 30 companies involved in a place branding campaign, shows that, although collaboration in branding is important, it is not a necessary condition for achieving legitimacy. The analysis shows the importance of studying collaboration together with more perceptional conditions such as place identity and place dependency to explain output legitimacy.</p

Self-organization and the role of government: how and why does self-organization evolves in the shadow of hierarchy?

The public sector in general and the role of government in particular has been recently subject of a fundamental discussion. This discussion is fueled by four developments. 1) We observe that in many European countries, the government is forced to follow a regime of austerity which leads to major cutbacks. 2) As a result the idea is embraced that communities and networks would be an interesting alternative, to fill in these gasps. 3) Important in the creation and functioning of these communities is that new governance arrangements are being pursued that are based on the idea of self-organization, which turn existing playing rules upside down, thereby by establishing new positions, relations and playing rules. 4) At the same time our empirical understanding about how self-organization take place in the public sector is relatively scarce. However, when looking at the concept of self-organization it is interesting to see what self-organization processes implies for the position of government organizations and other actors that are involved, as well as the relationships that are been established between them in this process of self-organization. This issue is even more interesting in policy areas in which government organizations have traditionally played an important role, like welfare services. Compared to, for instance other actors like citizens, interest groups, companies or even professional organizations (like welfare organizations), government organizations are not an ordinary actor, given the knowledge and expertise that they have, the legal competences that they often possess as well as the funds that they have at their disposal. That is why we want to understand under which conditions processes of self-organization take place in especially the welfare sector, and how this process of self-organization affects the position of governmental organizations. In doing so we want to understand how self-organization processes shape the relationship between government and especially citizens that are engaged in processes of collective action. This is important because self-organization may not always imply that the role of government will become obsolete. Some years ago and in relation to the discussion about the emergence of the so-called ‘hollow state’, some scholars talked about ‘networks in the shadow of hierarchies’ (Scharp, 1994; Milward & Provan , 2000). However , perhaps we are witnessing another development that turns this idea upside down: how do the state organizations or hierarchies evolve in the shadow of self-organizing networks? This leads to the following research question: How do processes of self-organization influence the role and position of government organizations in the community-based production of locale welfare services and how can this role be explained? In order to explore this research question we first address the concept of self-organization and the conditions that favor self-organization. Furthermore, we also address how self-organizations affect the role of government vis à vis other actors, thereby also looking at theories that explore the notion of meta-governance as well as notions that try to explain what relationships are between networks and hierarchies. Based on this theoretical exploration, we will develop a research strategy that helps us to investigate our research question. We will conduct a comparative and nested case study. The case study is focused on the establishment and functioning of so-called community enterprises that emerged in the Netherlands during the last years. These enterprises are based on the idea of self-organization in order to produce welfare services in neighborhoods that replace services that were formally produced by professional welfare organizations, which were funded by local governments. Two neighborhood enterp

Evaluating the Role of Government Collaboration in the Perceived Performance of Community-Based Nonprofits: Three Propositions

The topic of government–nonprofit collaboration continues to be much-discussed in the literature. However, there has been little consensus on whether and how collaborating with government is beneficial for the performance of community-based nonprofits. This article examines three dominant theoretical interpretations of the relationship between collaboration and performance: collaboration is necessary for the performance of nonprofits; the absence of collaboration is necessary for the performance of nonprofits; and the effect of collaboration is contingent on the nonprofits’ bridging and bonding network ties. Building on the ideas of governance, nonprofit, and social capital in their respective literature, this article uses set-theoretic methods (fsQCA) to conceptualize and test their relationship. Results show the pivotal role of the nonprofit’s network ties in mitigating the effects of either collaborating or abstaining from collaborating with government. Particularly, the political network ties of nonprofits are crucial to explaining the relationship between collaboration and performance. The evidence demonstrates the value of studying collaboration processes in context

Improving Calibration Accuracy Through Performance Feedback

The importance of being able to monitor one’s own performance has increased considerably, especially in education, where students of all levels are increasingly in charge of their learning trajectory (Trilling & Fadel, 2009; Wolters, 2010). Given that these students are shown to be largely incompetent in estimating their own performance (Kruger & Dunning, 1999; Sanchez & Dunning, 2018; Sheldon et al., 2014), and given that inaccurate performance judgements are related to underachievement (Dunlosky & Rawson, 2012), a better understanding of how to improve students’ performance estimates is required. The first aim of the studies in this dissertation is therefore to investigate if, and how, students can be supported to learn how they can provide better estimates of their own performance. Furthermore, because inaccurate performance estimates do not solely depend on external support but may also relate to individual differences between students, the second aim of this dissertation is to examine how differences in performance level and more general experience with the task at hand affect both the quality of performance estimates and the effect of the support given. The third and final aim of this dissertation is to test the effects of feedback and individual differences in an ecological valid school setting

What makes public-private partnerships work? Survey research into the outcomes and the quality of cooperation in PPPs

Public–private partnerships (PPPs) are often regarded as the solution for time and budget overruns in large infrastructural projects, but not all are successful. This raises the question of what really makes PPPs work. Focusing on the role of relational aspects, this article examines the degree to which trust and managerial activities correlate to the perceived performance and cooperation process in PPP projects. A multilevel analysis of survey data from 144 respondents involved in Dutch PPP projects shows that both trust and management correlate significantly to the perceived performance of these projects. Moreover, trust is associated with a good cooperation process