Identification with all humanity-A test of the factorial structure and measurement invariance of the scale in five countries.

Identification with all humanity measured as an individual characteristic is an important factor related to social and international relations, such as concern for global issues and human rights, prosocial attitudes, intergroup forgiveness, attitudes toward immigrants, solving global problems, reactions to hate crimes and dehumanisation. We examine the factorial structure, psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Identification with All Humanity (IWAH) scale in student samples from five countries (the United States, Poland, France, Mexico and Chile; N = 1930). Separate confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) for each country showed a second-order model of one superordinate factor with two subfactors. The cross-country validation of the scale, based on multigroup CFA, confirmed configural and metric invariance between countries for raw scores, and full metric invariance for "pure" scores. This study showed that the IWAH scale can be successfully used for cross-country research and the results from different countries can be compared and integrated.

The effect of a single session of whole-body vibration training in recreationally active men on the excitability of the central and peripheral nervous system.

Vibration training has become a popular method used in professional sports and recreation. In this study, we examined the effect of whole-body vibration training on the central nervous system and muscle excitability in a group of 28 active men. Subjects were assigned randomly to one of two experimental groups with different variables of vibrations. The chronaximetry method was used to evaluate the effect of a single session of whole-body vibration training on the excitability of the rectus femoris and brachioradialis muscles. The examination of the fusing and flickering frequencies of the light stimulus was performed. An increase in the excitability of the quadriceps femoris muscle due to low intensity vibrations (20 Hz frequency, 2 mm amplitude) was noted, and a return to the initial values was observed 30 min after the application of vibration. High intensity vibrations (60 Hz frequency, 4 mm amplitude) caused elongations of the chronaxy time; however, these differences were not statistically significant. Neither a low intensity vibration amplitude of 2 mm (frequency of 20 Hz) nor a high intensity vibration amplitude of 4 mm (frequency of 60 Hz) caused a change in the excitability of the central nervous system, as revealed by the average frequency of the fusing and flickering of the light stimulus. A single session of high intensity whole-body vibration did not significantly decrease the excitability of the peripheral nervous system while the central nervous system did not seem to be affected.

The effect of a short-term and long-term whole-body vibration in healthy men upon the postural stability.

The study aimed to establish the short-term and long-term effects of whole-body vibration on postural stability. The sample consisted of 28 male subjects randomly allocated to four comparative groups, three of which exercised on a vibration platform with parameters set individually for the groups. The stabilographic signal was recorded before the test commenced, after a single session of whole-body vibration, immediately after the last set of exercises of the 4-week whole-body vibration training, and one week after the training ended. The subjects were exposed to vibrations 3 times a week for 4 weeks. Long-term vibration training significantly shortened the rambling and trembling paths in the frontal plane. The path lengths were significantly reduced in the frontal plane one week after the training end date. Most changes in the values of the center of pressure (COP) path lengths in the sagittal and frontal plane were statistically insignificant. We concluded that long-term vibration training improves the postural stability of young healthy individuals in the frontal plane.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of kinesio taping application in a patient with secondary lymphedema in breast cancer: a case report.

Breast cancer-related lymphedema is one of the complications resulting from treatment. It is defined as arm oedema in the breast cancer patients caused by interruption of the flow of the axillary lymphatic system from surgery or radiation therapy, which results in the accumulation of fluid in the subcutaneous tissue of the arm, with a decrease in tissue distensibility around the joints and an increased weight of the extremity. Decongestive lymphatic therapy is common management for lymphedema. A program combining skin care, manual lymphatic drainage, exercise, and compression therapy (multilayer bandage or garment) is recognised as the best practice in lymphedema management. Kinesio taping (KT) for lymphatic drainage is a new choice in the field of physical therapy. The material and the original concept of the taping technique were introduced by Dr Kenso Kase in 1973. K-tape had been designed to allow 30-40% longitudinal stretch. It is composed of 100% cotton fibers and acrylic heat sensitive glue. Development of the technique for its administration is still ongoing. The paper discusses the case of a woman with breast cancer, in whom lymphedema occurred. The patient had three weeks of therapy. The treatment consisted of 12 manual lymphatic drainage, 12 pneumatic compressions and 3 applications of the KT method (due to the lack of standard multi-layer bandaging). During the measurement of oedema it was noted that KT had a significant effect on the reduction of lymphedema and accelerates healing effects compared to standard methods.

The effect of short- and long-term vibration training on postural stability in men.

The study aimed to establish the short- and long-term effects of vibration on postural stability in young men. A single set of exercises and a 4-week vibration training were assessed for their impact on the center of foot pressure (COP) sway. The sample consisted of 49 male subjects randomly allocated to seven comparative groups, six of which exercised on a vibration platform whose parameters were set individually for the groups. Group VII was the control group. The stabilographic signal was recorded before the test commenced, after a single application of vibration, before the last set of exercises of the 4-week vibration training, immediately afterwards, as well as one week and one month after the training ended. The subjects were exposed to vibration 3 times a week for 4 weeks. Both a single application of vibration and the 4-week vibration training had an effect on all parameter values, but most changes were statistically insignificant. Group III was the only one where the COP sway in the anterior-posterior direction significantly increased after a single exposure to vibration and significantly decreased in both anterior-posterior and medio-lateral planes one week after vibration training compared with the pre-test recordings.

The effect of whole-body vibration frequency and amplitude on the myoelectric activity of vastus medialis and vastus lateralis.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of training protocols for whole body vibration (WBV) training through the modulation of the frequency and amplitude of vibration. Despite the large number of studies regarding effects of such training, there is still lack of knowledge regarding optimum training protocols. The study analyzed the influence of whole-body vibration parameters (i.e., the frequency and amplitude) on the myoelectric activity of vastus lateralis and vastus medialis in 29 females with the use of electromyography (EMG). The first and second of the eight consecutive trials were performed without vibrations; the remaining six trials were performed in a randomized order on a platform vibrating at different amplitude (2mm and 4mm) and frequency (20 Hz, 40 Hz and 60 Hz) combinations. The results revealed significantly higher EMG amplitude of both muscles during the vibration as compared with the non- vibrated trials (trial 1 and 2). Furthermore, the EMG activity significantly increased both with the amplitude and frequency, being the highest when the frequency and amplitude of reached 60 Hz and 4 mm, respectively. The study aims to determine the optimal vibration parameters in the aspect of purposeful stimulation of chosen leg muscles. Based on the results of the presented investigation, sports trainers and physiotherapists may be able to optimize training programs involving vibration platforms. Key pointsThe observed vibration effect significantly increases both with the amplitude and frequency.Certain frequency/amplitude combinations of mechanical vibrations cause the same level of myoelectric muscle activity.