Relative scapular-muscle ratios during maximal isokinetic shoulder-girdle strength performance in elite field hockey players

Context: The shoulder joint and girdle are highly loaded during field hockey play. To optimize performance and to better substantiate preventive programs, it is important to gain insight into shoulder-girdle muscle function and balance in this athlete population. Objective: To evaluate relative scapular muscle-activity ratios through surface electromyography during maximal isokinetic strength testing in elite male field hockey players compared with nonathletes. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Institutional laboratory. Patients or Other Participants: Twenty-five elite field hockey players from the Belgian National Team and 25 age-and sex-matched nonathletes. Intervention(s): We measured bilateral activity in 4 scapular muscles (upper trapezius [UT], middle trapezius [MT], lower trapezius [LT], and serratus anterior [SA]) during an external-internal rotation and protraction-retraction isokinetic shoulder protocol. Main Outcome Measure(s): Relative scapular muscleactivity ratios, or balance ratios, of the UT : MT, UT : LT, UT: SA, SA : MT, and SA : LT. Results: We noted lower ratios bilaterally in the athlete group compared with the control group for the UT: MT, UT: LT, and SA: MT ratios during protraction, retraction, and external rotation, respectively, and unilaterally (dominant side only) for the UT: LT ratio during protraction. No consistent trend was present for established side differences in the studied balance ratios. Conclusions: Compared with nonathletes, elite field hockey players had altered intramuscular (within the trapezius) and intermuscular (between the trapezius and SA) balance ratios during maximal shoulder-girdle contractions, with relatively more MT and LT activity. This may reflect a sport-specific adaptation to optimize coordinated activity of the scapulothoracic muscles, meeting the specific demands of field hockey movements and simultaneously better protecting the shoulder against injury. Our results can assist in optimizing high-performance training and in supporting injury-prevention programs, which are key to both successful and long-lasting athletic careers

Highlighting tensions in recruitment and selection research and practice

In this article we highlight five tensions that exist in recruitment and selection (R&S) research and practice today and that are centered around the 'efficiency press' and so called 'research-practice' gap. Identified tensions are desires for (1) innovation and efficiency, (2) customization and consistency, (3) transparency and effectiveness, (4) wide-reach and coherence, and (5) diversity and standardization. Each tension is illustrated with findings from the five studies of this Special Issue that were presented at the third meeting of the European Network of Selection Researchers (August 2014), and supplemented with empirical data on the research-practice gap in R&S (period 2009-2013). We consider how we might move forward in addressing the 'efficiency press' in research as well as managing these tensions in practice

The influence of leadership on employees' employability: a bibliometric analysis, systematic literature review, and research agenda

IntroductionPolicymakers, researchers, and practitioners have recently begun treating employability-an individual's ability to possess and continuously adjust and acquire up-to-date competencies, flexibility, adaptability, and openness to change-as crucial to enabling employees to respond to ubiquitous and rapid changes in organizations (e.g., changing tasks and work-related processes). Research into ways to enhance employability, particularly through supervisor leadership, which, for example, facilitates training and competence development, has thus grown in popularity. A review on leadership as an antecedent of employability is both evident and timely. This review thus addresses the question of whether a supervisor's leadership influences employees' employability, and in which contexts and through which mechanisms it does so.MethodsAs preliminary study we conducted a bibliometric analysis (which corroborated employability's recent rise in popularity) and as main study we conducted a systematic literature review. For this, the authors independently searched for articles, which met the inclusion criteria and subsequently were included for full text analysis. The authors also independently used the forward and backward snowballing technique for identifying additional articles which met the inclusion criteria and subsequently were included for full text analysis. The procedure resulted in 17 articles in total.ResultsMost of the articles identified positive relationships among several conceptualizations of supervisor leadership and employee employability, such as transformational leadership and leader-member exchange, and to a lesser extent, servant leadership and perceived supervisor support. This review suggests that such relationships occur across different work contexts, such as educational, SMEs, healthcare, and several other industries, and these contexts also vary geographically.DiscussionThe relationships among supervisor leadership and employee employability are largely explained using a social exchange perspective, which means that the positive influence of leadership on employability is itself influenced by a two-way social exchange relationship between supervisor and employees. The quality of the dyadic relationship between leader and followers thus determines the extent to which leaders offer valuable resources such as training and feedback, which subsequently enhances employees' employability. This review demonstrates that investing in supervisors' leadership is a valuable HRM strategy that fosters employability, and it identifies practical implications that inform policy and practice and sets an agenda for future employability research

Telomere length in early childhood and its association with attention: a study in 4–6 year old children

Telomere length (TL), a marker of cellular aging, has been studied in adults with regard to its connection to cognitive function. However, little is known about the association between TL and cognitive development in children. This study investigated the interplay between TL and cognitive functioning in 283 Belgian children aged four to six years of the Environmental Influence on Aging in Early Life (ENVIRONAGE) birth cohort. Child leukocyte TL was measured using qPCR, while cognitive functioning, including attention and memory, was assessed using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). Linear regression models were employed to examine the association between TL and cognitive outcomes, adjusting for potential confounders. We found an inverse association between TL and the spatial errors made during the Motor Screening task (p = 0.017), indicating a higher motor accuracy in children with longer telomeres. No significant associations were found between TL and other cognitive outcomes. Our results suggest a specific link between TL and motor accuracy but not with the other cognitive domains

Theoretical anchors for person-environment fit: a perspective from construal level theory and self-determination theory.

Person-environment fit (PE fit) scholars have supported the PE fit paradigm with a solid empirical foundation. Theoretically, however, there still is a lot of work to be done. What we know is that positive outcomes occur when supplies from the environment meet people’s needs, when people’s abilities meet demands from the environment, and when people feel similar to their social environment. What we do not know, however, is whether these statements hold true regardless of which specific characteristics are considered. For example, we know that a fit between personal values and organizational values leads to attraction in recruitment, but is this true for all values? Could some types of value fit be more strongly related to attraction than other types? And does context play a role in which type of value fit is more relevant? In short, PE fit literature is in need of studies on specific types of fit, as well as on the boundary conditions to their positive outcomes. The main goal of this doctoral dissertation was therefore to further develop PE fit by drawing from theoretical frameworks that could identify such specific types of fit and boundary conditions, i.e., construal level theory (CLT) and self-determination theory (SDT). First, we adopted the cognitive approach of CLT. In CLT, psychological distance is the core concept, explaining which information from the environment (i.e., vision communication or goal setting by the supervisor) is preferred, and detailing when abstract vs. concrete aspects of fit (i.e., industry-based PO fit vs. actual PO fit) come to the fore and consequently influence outcomes. Second, we turned to the motivational approach of SDT, which proposes that some personal and environmental characteristics (i.e., intrinsic personal and organizational values) are qualitatively better than others (i.e., extrinsic personal and organizational values), since they are linked to the satisfaction of basic psychological needs. As a consequence, an intrinsic environment should appeal to anyone, regardless of fit.status: publishe

Des distorsions cognitives aux schémas cognitifs : Une étude des Schémas Précoces Inadaptés chez les Auteurs d’Agression Sexuelle sur Enfant

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Principes de prévention de la récidive et principe de réalité en France : Les Programmes de Prévention de la Récidive à la lumière du modèle « Risque-Besoins-Réceptivité »

International audienceÀ l’heure où la prévention de la récidive est le maître mot de la politique pénale, la France est-elle dotée des outils nécessaires pour cette prévention ? Comment le nouveau modèle R-B-R, importé du Canada, qui semble s’imposer avec la loi du 15 août 2014 va-t-il s’articuler avec les programmes de prévention de la récidive qui sont appliqués par les services pénitentiaires d’insertion et de probation depuis plusieurs années ? Ce modèle ne va-t-il pas impliquer de revoir le rôle des conseillers pénitentiaires d’insertion et de probation

Young’s Schemas and Cognitive Distortions in Child Molesters: A Preliminary Framework

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Interventions cognitivo-comportementales et prise en charge des Auteurs d’Agression Sexuelle en France : Entre Santé et Justice

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