A Fine-Wire Electromyographic Investigation of the Gluteus Minimus and Gluteus Medius Muscles

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the functions of the gluteus minimus and gluteus medius muscles through the use of fine-wire electromyography. Electrical activity of the gluteus minimus and gluteus medius muscles of 13 subjects, six females and seven males, was recorded during a series of basic anatomical movements. Results showed that the gluteus minimus functioned as an abductor, medical rotator, extensor, and in some cases a flexor of the thigh. The gluteus medius functioned as an abductor, extensor, and medical rotator in six of the 13 subjects. It also exhibited some activity during flexion in five of the subjects tested.     

Individualised dietary strategies for Olympic combat sports: Acute weight loss,recovery and competition nutrition

Olympic combat sports separate athletes into weight divisions, in an attempt to reduce size, strength, range and/or leverage disparities between competitors. Official weigh-ins are conducted anywhere from 3 and up to 24?h prior to competition ensuring athletes meet weight requirements (i.e. have ‘made weight’). Fighters commonly aim to compete in weight divisions lower than their day-to-day weight, achieved via chronic and acute manipulations of body mass (BM). Although these manipulations may impair health and absolute performance, their strategic use can improve competitive success. Key considerations are the acute manipulations around weigh-in, which differ in importance, magnitude and methods depending on the requirements of the individual combat sport and the weigh-in regulations. In particular, the time available for recovery following weigh-in/before competition will determine what degree of acute BM loss can be implemented and reversed. Increased exercise and restricted food and fluid intake are undertaken to decrease body water and gut contents reducing BM. When taken to the extreme, severe weight-making practices can be hazardous, and efforts have been made to reduce their prevalence. Indeed some have called for the abolition of these practices altogether. In lieu of adequate strategies to achieve this, and the pragmatic recognition of the likely continuation of these practices as long as regulations allow, this review summarises guidelines for athletes and coaches for manipulating BM and optimising post weigh-in recovery, to achieve better health and performance outcomes across the different Olympic combat sports.     

Impact of Virtual Work Environment on Traditional Team Domains

An extensive literature review and a phenomenological heuristic case study examined a virtual work team to determine what were salient domains of the team and determine the effect the virtual work environment had upon these domains. The study determined that post‐modern philosophy and postindustrial society are linked to changes in the marketplace and the development of virtual work environments. Seven team domains were identified. The virtual work environment affects the communication domain of teams most strongly. This effect impacts the remaining domains. Decision processes were determined to be narrower and featured conformity. Effectiveness was shown to be diminished by the reduction of social facilitation and increase in social loafing. Leadership was affected by the change in the communication network from an all‐channel network to a wheel network. Relationship and trust were affected by erosion of trust. Roles changed with the team's reduced ability to resolve differences and execute detailed action. Purpose became more task‐oriented. Technology emerged in the study as the new virtual team domain. Factors involved in team members' satisfaction were related to personality, isolation, and team membership.     

Electronic Communication Training: Reconciling Gaps Created by the Virtual Office

The virtual organization is one result of the rapid advances of technology. These advances, however, bring about setbacks when communicating electronically—primarily a loss of face‐to‐face interaction. Yet interpersonal skills are still deemed one of the most desirable communication skills in today's workplace. A gap analysis of the traditional versus the virtual office reveals that voids exist when communicating solely electronically. Electronic communication training is essential in order to eliminate these voids and lessen the chance for unclear messages, enhance “faceless” interactions, and avoid communication overload. Therefore, it is incumbent upon educators and trainers to augment development programs with electronic communication training in order for employees to be prepared for the challenges of the virtual office.     

The Impact of Gender on Types of Verbal Interactions in Corporate Training Sessions

This study describes verbal interactions in 13 selected training sessions across the United States using the INTERSECT instrument. More than two‐thirds of the interactions were found to be acceptance, the mere acknowledgment of a response by the instructor, with remediation accounting for about 21%, and praise, 11%. Criticism occurred only 4 times, or 18%. Male trainers provided more acceptance responses than female trainers at a statistically significant level. There were no differences in verbal classroom interactions based on gender equity during instruction.     

Teaching a new science and technology course: A sociocultural perspective

This study inquires into the influence of subject communities on the practice of secondary school teachers as they teach a new science and technology course that crosses traditional subject and department boundaries. The study focuses on two teachers from different professional communities—a science teacher and a technology teacher—who were teaching an applied physics course that was piloted in British Columbia. Interview and observational data were collected that illuminate the classroom practices and perspectives of the two teachers. As the teachers taught the course, they both changed their normal teaching practice. Their respective new practices, however, were different in important ways even though they both started with the same course outline, textbooks, and laboratory materials. We interpret these differences in the teachers' practices using sociocultural practice theory and argue that the differences can be understood in terms of the influence of their different professional communities which are shown to provide the backdrops against which the teachers developed their approaches to the course. Recommendations are made that encourage using the subject community as a unit of analysis in educational change studies and using sociocultural practice theory as a theoretical perspective for thinking about educational change and making policy decisions. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach, 35: 777–789, 1998.     

Evaluation Research: A Pragmatic,Program-Focused,Research Strategy for Decision-Makers

Human resource development (HRD) practitioners frequently need to gather and organize data to support decisions about programs. Unfortunately, in many work environments there is a short time available to gather data in support of the decision-making process. Yet the ability to develop or use data or to convince others to use data has become the prime concern of decisionmakers. The evaluation research strategy contains four primary features—utility, feasibility, proprietorship, and accuracy. With a philosophical foundation grounded in pragmatism, evaluation research follows a four-level decision-making hierarchy: purpose, techniques, plan, and implementation. In addition, there are nine major purposes. There are two primary participants in evaluation research: the researcher and the stakeholder group. The stakeholder group is included because of the belief that people who have a stake in an evaluation research outcome should be actively and meaningfully involved in shaping that research effort, thus increasing the likelihood of utilization. Evaluation research may be goal-driven; or it may focus on evaluation questions, concerns and issues, program rationales, decisions or problems, or organization (client) needs.