Military Press Research Articles

Low-Load and High-Load Resistance Exercise Completed to Volitional Fatigue Induce Increases in Postexercise Metabolic Responses With More Prolonged Responses With the Low-Load Protocol.

Grisebach, D, Bornath, DPD, McCarthy, SF, Jarosz, C, and Hazell, TJ. Low-load and high-load resistance exercise completed to volitional fatigue induce increases in post-exercise metabolic responses with more prolonged responses with the low-load protocol. J Strength Cond Res 38(8): 1386-1393, 2024-Comparisons of high-load with low-load resistance training (RT) exercise have demonstrated no differences in postexercise metabolism when volume is matched. This important limitation of matching or equating volume diminishes benefits of the low-load RT protocol. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of acute low-load high volume and high-load low volume RT protocols completed to volitional fatigue on postexercise metabolism. Eleven recreationally active resistance-trained male subjects (24 ± 2 years; BMI: 25.3 ± 1.5 kg·m -2 ) completed 3 experimental sessions: (a) no-exercise control (CTRL); (b) RT at 30% 1 repetition maximum (1RM; 30% 1RM); and (c) RT at 90% 1RM (90% 1RM) with oxygen consumption (V̇ o2 ) measurements 2 hours postexercise. The RT sessions consisted of 3 sets of back squats, bench press, straight-leg deadlift, military press, and bent-over rows to volitional fatigue completed sequentially with 90 seconds of rest between sets and exercises. Changes were considered important if p < 0.100 with a ≥medium effect size. V̇ o2 1 hour postexercise was elevated following 30% 1RM (25%; p = 0.003, d = 1.40) and 90% 1RM (14%; p = 0.010, d = 1.15) vs. CTRL and remained elevated 2 hours postexercise following 30% 1RM (16%; p = 0.010, d = 1.15) vs. CTRL. Total O 2 consumed postexercise increased following 30% 1RM and 90% 1RM (∼17%; p < 0.044, d > 0.91) vs. CTRL. Fat oxidation was elevated 1 hour postexercise following 30% 1RM and 90% 1RM (∼155%; p < 0.001, d > 2.97) and remained elevated 2 hours postexercise following 30% 1RM compared with CTRL and 90% 1RM (∼69%; p < 0.030, d > 1.03). These data demonstrate beneficial changes to postexercise metabolism following high- and low-load RT sessions, with more prolonged effects following the low-load RT protocol completed to volitional fatigue.

Concept-based Extension of SKOS Defense Controlled Vocabulary: Techniques and Implications

A controlled vocabulary is a set of terms that are utilized to represent knowledge in a domain. In the domain of defense, the use of terms such as “command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR)”, “armored personnel carriers (APC)”, or “biological and bioinspired structures for multispectral surveillance” denote the core competencies of domain experts and the depth of diverse knowledge. This paper describes the second phase of the pilot project to create a defense-related controlled vocabulary with a focus on the Russo-Ukraine conflict. Applications for data annotation, SKOS hierarchical vocabulary development, and vocabulary quality analysis are used to identify terms in text, express identified terms in military press releases as SKOS vocabulary, and assess its structure. The preliminary vocabulary is extended by 173 concepts. The quality of the vocabulary is validated against a SKOS checker of twenty-four criteria.

HISTORY OF THE FORMATION OF MILITARY PERIODICAL PRESS IN UZBEKISTAN

This article provides information that today military printing has become a priority in countries around the world, and now attention to this area is growing in our country. Information about the research of a group of scientists who introduced the topic of the military press into scientific circulation is covered on the basis of scientific facts and primary sources.

Censored: Examining the Standards, Personnel, and Censorship Technology in the Soviet Military Press, 1944–1945

This article examines one of the areas of activity for restriction of information – the system of military censorship in the Soviet military press: what remained unchanged and what was transformed in its work on protecting information, which was a military secret between 1944 and 1945. The study focuses on the regulatory framework of military censorship, the objects of the ban, the censor's personnel, technology of censorship control. Until December 1943 in the Red Army, there was a ‘Regulation on the organization of military censorship’ of 1935, which did not meet wartime requirements. The new ‘Regulation’ corrected the situation. The change and addition of the composition of the information constituting military secrets were directly affected by the course of combat operations during the Red Army’s campaign in Europe. The subject of censorship prevented the disclosure of military secrets, political errors, and information undesirable to publish in the military press.

Strengthening the shield: analysing the Finland-Russia border dynamics in the context of EU and NATO security among contemporary geopolitical

ObjectivesThe flood that hit the south of Poland in 1997 was an important test for the national security system, including above all the institutions and services responsible for general security and protection of the population. The Polish Armed Forces were also involved in the flood relief operations. The aim of the publication is to analyse the involvement of the forces and resources of the Krakow Military District in the flood relief operation.MethodsTheoretical methods such as analysis, synthesis and inference on the basis of available sources, including legal acts, the military press (the Krakow Military District magazine Nasz Refleks) and scientific studies, were used to achieve the adopted objective.ResultsThe article succeeds in achieving its aim. The structure and tasks of the Cracow Military District were presented. The preparation of engineering and anti-chemical troops to fight against non-military threats was discussed. Then the anti-flood action of the army was shown. Finally, the activities of the engineering and anti-chemical forces were analysed.ConclusionsThe Polish Armed Forces played a very important role in combating the effects of the 1997 floods. The action confirmed the good training and high morale of the soldiers. Engineering and anti-chemical troops performed specialised tasks. A major problem in the first days of the flood action was the chaos in the process of directing the flood action at the local level. There was also a lack of Civil Defence structures that could carry out humanitarian activities for the affected population.

Rating of Perceived Exertion in the First Repetition is Related to the Total Repetitions Performed in Elastic Bands Training.

Several devices (e.g.,linear transducers) have been used for predicting resistance training intensity. However, subjective scales, such as rating of perceived exertion (RPE), are proposed as reliable and easier-to-use tools for monitoring intensity during resistance training. Accordingly, different perceptive scales have been presented in previous research for monitoring intensity during resistance training with elastic bands. The aim was to assess the accuracy and reliability of RPE for quantifying the potential maximal repetitions that could be performed at a given RPE (from 2 to 8 of 10) obtained in the first repetition. For this purpose, 13 recreationally active participants (age: 26.33 [6.52]years, body mass index: 24.97 [5.08]kg/m2) were involved in two familiarization and two experimental sessions. In each session, participants randomly performed one set at each intensity of the first repetition from 2/10 to 8/10 until volitional failure in three different exercises (fly, military press, and push-press). An individual grip width of the elastic band was chosen in each set. The number of repetitions and heart rate were assessed. Significance level was set at p < .05. Repetitions decreased when intensity increased (p < .01) and heart rate was higher in the global exercise (i.e.,push-press; p < .05), but nonsignificant differences between intensities were reported. The level of experience influenced the number of repetitions performed (p < .05). Intersession reliability was set from good to excellent (range: 0.64-0.91). Therefore, the RPE of the first repetition is a relevant and reliable parameter related to the total number of repetitions performed for each RPE value in trained participants enrolled in elastic bands resistance training.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Differences in Mean Propulsive Velocity between Men and Women in Different Exercises

The purpose of this paper was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the differences in the mean propulsive velocities between men and women in the different exercises studied (squat, bench press, inclined bench press and military press). Quality Assessment and Validity Tool for Correlational Studies was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. Six studies of good and excellent methodological quality were included. Our meta-analysis compared men and women at the three most significant loads of the force–velocity profile (30, 70 and 90% of 1RM). A total of six studies were included in the systematic review, with a total sample of 249 participants (136 men and 113 women). The results of the main meta-analysis indicated that the mean propulsive velocity is lower in women than men in 30% of 1RM (ES = 1.30 ± 0.30; CI: 0.99–1.60; p &lt; 0.001) and 70% of 1RM (ES = 0.92 ± 0.29; CI: 0.63, 1.21; p &lt; 0.001). In contrast, for the 90% of the 1RM (ES = 0.27 ± 0.27; CI: 0.00, 0.55), we did not find significant differences (p = 0.05). Our results support the notion that prescription of the training load through the same velocity could cause women to receive different stimuli than men.

(De-)Legitimizing War: a linguistic analysis of Indian and Pakistani civil and military conflict discourses

ABSTRACT Language serves a decisive role for world leaders and politicians to legitimize their decisions to use a military option and wage a war to establish their ideologies. This work analyses the discursive legitimization strategies practiced by neighbouring states, India and Pakistan, in war discourse after a terrorist attack in Pulwama to legitimize their military actions. ‘Strategies of Legitimization’, as envisaged by Reyes (2011) is employed as a framework. The sample comprises four military press conferences and four prime ministers’ speeches. The results show that Indian civil and military discourse focused on the emotional aspect of legitimization augmented by the voices of experts and altruism to convince people to support war against Pakistan and take revenge for the Pulwama Attack. Pakistani civil and military discourse used emotions, hypothetical future, rationality, expert voices, and altruism to achieve legitimization for their no-action policy to avoid war. The study shows both religious states feed their people with emotional sentiments against each other and take an altruistic approach to the global community to rationalize their actions. Pakistan, a comparatively smaller economy, shows itself to be a harbinger of peace, whereas India roused emotions for immediate military engagement to achieve its political agenda. This article shows how acts of war are linguistically constructed to convince the public that war is inevitable. Such legitimization can in turn affect the global economy and peace, as in the recent Russian invasion that has caused global inflation and price hikes.

CREATION AND COMBAT ACTIVITIES OF STRIKING UNITS AND REVOLUTIONARY BATALIONS OF THE RUSSIAN ARMY ON THE MATERIALS OF THE MILITARY PRINT OF 1917

The article is devoted to the issue of the coverage in the military periodical press of attack units and revolutionary battalions - special combat formations that arose in the Russian Army in the spring of 1917. The former were recruited exclusively from the active army, while the latter were recruited from both logistic units and civilian volunteers. In the course of the study, the author analyses what information about the attack units and the revolutionary battalions was published in the military newspapers and concludes that its versatility made it possible to cover their establishment, existence and combat activity in sufficient detail. On the one hand, the newspapers provided detailed information on the organization of the revolutionary battalions. In particular, materials were printed about the procedure for joining these groups and support for volunteers. Moreover, letters and telegrams of military personnel were published in which they expressed their desire to join «parts of death». In addition, counter-insurgency telegrams and orders from the High Command were regularly published concerning the emergence of new attack units and the activities of existing ones. On the other hand, attention was paid in the military press to reflecting the controversy over the advisability of the existence of such combat units, which had flared up in the Russian army. In this connection, military newspapers have published collective decisions by groups of soldiers, personal letters from soldiers and officers, and interviews with women‘s death battalion volunteers on their motives for joining the volunteer movement. Finally, a wealth of information was provided in the army press about special combat forces - the women‘s death battalions.

Linguistic and Communicative Practices in the US Military’s Response to the COVID-19 Emergency

There has been debate on the language used by the media and the government in communicating about the pandemic emergency (Kranert et al. 2020; Cardinale 2021; Kalkman 2021). One of the main criticisms lies in their extensive use of “military metaphors”, a common trend in healthcare discourse (Nie et al. 2016; Parsi 2016). In truth, the US military avoids such aggressive language in favor of a more positive professional discursive approach (Parcell and Webb 2015), with greater focus on the support and implementation of clear, structured pandemic emergency plans. As a result, the military has managed to maintain its activity and a relatively low fatality rate while becoming a model of containment in certain areas (Nevitt 2020). The study will adopt the CADS (Corpus Assisted Discourse Analysis) methodology to analyze a corpus of military press articles and Department of Defense resources. It will draw qualitative insights on productive discourse patterns of military and governmental authorities, while empirically confirming or questioning such insights. In doing so, the study aims at highlighting alternative linguistic strategies that may be productively used in civilian emergency communication.

Fast and robust video-based exercise classification via body pose tracking and scalable multivariate time series classifiers

Recent technological advancements have spurred the usage of machine learning based applications in sports science and healthcare. Using wearable sensors and video cameras to analyze and improve the performance of athletes, has become widely popular. Physiotherapists, sports coaches and athletes actively look to incorporate the latest technologies in order to further improve performance and avoid injuries. While wearable sensors are very popular, their use is hindered by constraints on battery power and sensor calibration, especially for use cases which require multiple sensors to be placed on the body. Hence, there is renewed interest in video-based data capture and analysis for sports science. In this paper, we present the application of classifying strength and conditioning exercises using video. We focus on the popular Military Press exercise, where the execution is captured with a video-camera using a mobile device, such as a mobile phone, and the goal is to classify the execution into different types. Since video recordings need a lot of storage and computation, this use case requires data reduction, while preserving the classification accuracy and enabling fast prediction. To this end, we propose an approach named BodyMTS to turn video into time series by employing body pose tracking, followed by training and prediction using multivariate time series classifiers. We analyze the accuracy and robustness of BodyMTS and show that it is robust to different types of noise caused by either video quality or pose estimation factors. We compare BodyMTS to state-of-the-art deep learning methods which classify human activity directly from videos and show that BodyMTS achieves similar accuracy, but with reduced running time and model engineering effort. Finally, we discuss some of the practical aspects of employing BodyMTS in this application in terms of accuracy and robustness under reduced data quality and size. We show that BodyMTS achieves an average accuracy of 87%, which is significantly higher than the accuracy of human domain experts.

Construct validity of the Single Arm Military Press (SAMP) test for upper limb function in patients with neck pain

BackgroundNeck pain (NP) is often associated with upper limb disability (ULD). A clinically feasible measure to evaluate ULD in NP patients is necessary. The Single Arm Military Press (SAMP) is a ULD performance-based measure, specifically for NP patients. The validity of the SAMP in patients is still unknown. ObjectiveTo explore the construct validity (hypotheses testing) of the SAMP in NP patients. MethodsA total of 210 NP patients and 81 controls were recruited. The SAMP; Disability of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH); and Neck Disability Index (NDI) were completed at baseline and 4–7 days later. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used to measure NP and ULD severity pre-testing in both occasions. Patients were divided into 4-subgroups based on their NDI score. Convergent validity was examined using Pearson correlation. The t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to evaluate discriminant and known groups’ validity. To determine SAMP cut-off scores, the sensitivity and specificity were explored. ResultsA negative correlation between the SAMP and DASH/NDI scores was found in the patient group (r = −0.91 and −0.87, p < 0.01). The t-test revealed substantial differences (t = −23.96) in score between patients and controls. Also, ANOVA revealed substantial differences (f = 20.86) between the patients’ subgroups. The area under the curve (AUC) for patients and controls exceeded 0.90 when sensitivity and specificity were at equal importance. ConclusionThe SAMP can distinguish between NP patients and controls, and between different NP disability levels. The responsiveness of the SAMP needs to be investigated.

«Хай нас розсудить залізо і кров!» : начасність проблематики газети «Стрілець» (1919 р.)

The history of creation and peculiarities of functioning have been studied, the thematic dominants of the front-line magazine «Strilets» have been emphasized, the editorial office of which often changed its location (according to the deployment of the Ukrainian army). The geography of the publication has been clarified: Ternopil–Stanislaviv–Stryi–Zalishchyki–Kamyanets-Podilskyi–Borshchiv–Kamyanets-Podilskyi, and it has been also examinated that for some time the newspaper was published under the changed name «Ukrainskyi Strilets». The relevance of the topic of the article has been substantiated – it proves the congruence of the topics and problems voiced by the magazine’s authors a hundred years ago with the dramatic realities of the modern Russian-Ukrainian war. The state of scientific development of the researched topic in modern journalism has been highlighted. Based on the analysis of the publications, the purpose of the press was revealed, which was primarily to deepen the national consciousness of Ukrainians during the war and to strengthen the authority of the Ukrainian army. Attention was paid to internal editorial aspects of the functioning of «Strilets», the circumstances of the change of editor-in-chief of the publication were disclosed. The most active authors of the newspaper were identified, their pseudonyms and cryptonyms were named. The main topics that most often worried the authors of the magazine are highlighted, including: the language issue that is still relevant today, in particular the need to nurture the native language and overcome the linguistic inferiority complex; the construction of an independent Ukrainian state and the unification of all Ukrainian lands from the Syan to the Don; combat achievements of the Ukrainian Galician Army (UGA); memories of the participants in the war events of 1918–1919, biographies of the heads of the UGA, etc. It is shown that thanks to a well-thought-out editorial policy and a well-chosen authorship, «Strilets» was supported by the military leadership and was popular among soldiers. It was found out that many problems that were raised in the military press a hundred years ago remain relevant to this day – Ukrainians are once again defending the independence of their state by military means. Key words: «Strilets» newspaper, army, Ukrainian state, editorial office, publication.

PSAT187 Bone Mineral Density Normalization in a Young Patient With a Physician Guided Nutrition and Exercise Intervention.

Abstract Lack of consensus on the type and amount of exercise to safely increase bone mineral density (BMD) prevents many clinicians from providing detailed recommendations on how to increase physical activity. We present a young man with low bone density, who was initiated on a non-pharmacologic regimen of physician-directed high intensity resistance exercise (HIRE) and adequate nutrition support. A 28-year-old male was found to have a low bone density attributed to autoimmune hepatitis, chronic systemic glucocorticoids used for 7 years and poor lifestyle habits. Despite stopping steroids since 2014, his BMD was worsening in the femoral neck (FN) to 0.723 g/cm2 (Z-score -2.7) in 2018, representing a 3% loss from the prior year. His BMD in the total hip (TH) site also decreased from 0.775 g/cm2 (Z-score -2.1) to 0.751 g/cm2 (Z-score -2.3) in the same 1-year period (3.1% loss). The patient had no personal or family history of fractures, smoking or alcohol use, but did have a sedentary lifestyle and ate highly processed foods with poor nutritional value. After unremarkable evaluation for further causes of ongoing bone loss, in 09/2018 we initiated a tailored progressive high intensity resistance exercise (HIRE) program. Major compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, military press, and dynamic impact exercises such as medicine ball throws, jumps and farmers carry were performed 3 times a week, maintaining an intensity of &amp;gt;80% 1-repetition maximum with 5 repetitions. The HIRE program was modified every 3 months at endocrinology clinics. After the first year, one on one training with expert kinesiologist was introduced to correct exercise form. Nutrition recommendations were simple, focused on increasing weight, adequate dairy intake, and protein intake at 1.6g/kg of body mass. He maintained adherence to exercise and diet throughout 2018-2021. BMD measured by the same Lunar iDXA increased by 10.8% at the FN from 09/2018 to 09/2019. As often occurs in clinical practice, the patient had bone density scans performed at various centers throughout his years of care. Using BMD standardization algorithms, we estimate that after initiation of our HIRE and nutrition intervention, BMD increased at all sites (LS +9.7%, FN +17.7%, TH +12.7%) when compared to pre-intervention values. His most recent DXA scan on 12/2020 (Hologic Discovery) revealed a Z-score of -1.7 (LS), -1.5 (FN) and -1.5 (TH). We conclude that our HIRE and nutrition intervention lead to clinically significant bone density increases which are expected to lead to a reduction in fracture risk. Additionally, improved lifestyle habits and nutrition are expected to have multiple benefits beyond bone health. It is important that clinicians learn about different types of exercise programs to properly guide patients which could benefit. A HIRE program should be considered in select, able bodied patients with low bone density. Presentation: Saturday, June 11, 2022 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Front vs Back and Barbell vs Machine Overhead Press: An Electromyographic Analysis and Implications For Resistance Training.

Overhead press is commonly performed to reinforce the muscles surrounding the shoulders. However, many overhead press variations can be executed, thus varying the stimuli to each muscle. Therefore, the current study compared the muscles excitation during overhead press performed with the barbell passing in front or behind the head or using a shoulder press machine. Eight competitive bodybuilders performed in random order front (front-BMP) or back barbell military press (back-BMP), and front (front-MSP) with neutral handgrip or back machine shoulder press (back-MSP). Normalized surface electromyographic root mean square (RMS) of anterior, medial and posterior deltoid, upper trapezius, pectoralis major and triceps brachii was recorded during both the ascending and descending phases. During the ascending phase, anterior deltoid showed greater RMS in back-BMP than back-MSP [ES: 1.42, (95% confidence interval 0.32/2.51)]. Medial deltoid showed greater RMS in back-BMP than front-BMP [ES: 3.68 (2.07/5.29)], and back-MSP [ES: 7.51 (4.73/10.29)]. Posterior deltoid showed greater RMS in back-BMP than front-BMP [ES: 9.00 (5.73/12.27)]. Pectoralis major showed greater RMS in front-BMP than back-BMP [ES: 3.11 (1.65–4.56)] and in front-MSP than back-MSP [ES: 20.52 (13.34/27.70)]. During the descending phase, anterior deltoid was more excited in back-BMP compared to front-BMP [ES: 7.66 (4.83/10.49). Medial deltoid showed greater RMS in back-BMP than front-BMP [ES: 4.56 (2.70/6.42)]. Posterior deltoid showed greater RMS in back-BMP than front-BMP [ES: 8.65 (5.50/11.80)]. Pectoralis major showed greater RMS in front-BMP than back-BMP [ES: 4.20 (2.44/5.95)]. No between-exercise difference was observed for upper trapezius. Performing back overhead press enhances the excitation of medial and posterior and partly anterior deltoid, while front overhead favors pectoralis major. Overhead press performed using barbell excites muscles more than using machine to stabilize the trajectory of the external load. Different variations of overhead press appear to provide different stimuli to the shoulder muscles and may be used accordingly during the training routine.

Physiological Responses at 15 Minutes of Recovery after a Session of Functional Fitness Training in Well-Trained Athletes.

Background: the aim of this study was to analyse muscle fatigue and metabolic stress at 15 min of recovery after performing two independent sessions of functional fitness training (FFT): a session of strength functional fitness training (FFTstrength) and a session of endurance functional fitness training (FFTendurance). Methods: eighteen well-trained men conducted two protocols, separated by one week of rest: FFTstrength (3 sets of 21, 15 and 9 repetitions of Thruster with bar + Pull ups) and FFTendurance (3 sets × (30 kcal rowing + 15 kcal assault air bike)). Neuromuscular fatigue and metabolic stress were measured right before, right after and at 10 and 15 min after completing the FFT workout, as well as the mean heart rate (HRmean) and the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) at the end of the FFT. Results: FFTendurance recovered the velocity loss values after 15 min of recovery. On the other hand, FFTstrength only recovered velocity in the 1 m·s−1 Tests in squat (SQ), since the velocity levels were 7% lower in the 1 m·s−1 Tests in military press exercise (MP) after 15 min. Conclusions: These data indicate that there are specific recovery patterns not only as a function of the exercise and the body regions involved, but also regarding the recovery of neuromuscular and metabolic factors, since both FFT workouts obtained high blood lactate concentrations.

Note from the Editors

Previous articleNext article FreeNote from the EditorsStephen Brain, Catherine Dunlop, and Mark D. HerseyStephen Brain Search for more articles by this author , Catherine Dunlop Search for more articles by this author , and Mark D. Hersey Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailQR Code SectionsMoreThe April 2022 issue, the second produced in partnership with the University of Chicago Press, highlights once again the vibrant efforts of scholars to better understand the historical relationship of humans with the nonhuman world. Its essays and features span the customary geographical and temporal diversity that readers of the journal have come to expect, but also include multiple works with challenging methodological approaches.The forum, for instance, “Extinction and Its Interventions in the Americas,” comprises essays written jointly by historians and scientists, in accordance with the organizers’ contention that interdisciplinary approaches help researchers to eliminate blind spots and yield better results. Just as provocative is the contribution by Andrew Flack, which asks the journal’s readers to consider (and surmount) the biases associated with visual ways of knowing the world, so central to the epistemology of environmental science in general. A different kind of methodological challenge is made in “‘Water Fit for a Christian Woman’: The Gendered and Racial Politics of Water in the Wash, 1865–1921,” in which Alexandra Straub calls attention to the neglected connection between environmental knowledge and the lived experiences of household laborers. Similarly, Michael E. Staub shows how researchers can find insights into prevailing environmental attitudes in unexpected places like military press releases and public health reports. Yet another example of a methodological innovation can be found in Kara Murphy Schlichting’s Gallery essay, “Hot Town: Sensing Heat in Summertime Manhattan,” which analyzes historic paintings and photographs from New York City in order to better understand the elusive but critical concept of a “heatscape.”The book review section, much slimmer than usual due to technical issues related to the transition in editors and presses and compounded by COVID-19, features a review essay by Susan Nance about animals in environmental history, as well as a sampling of the most recent environmental history scholarship. With the new editorial team in place and the new platform fully operational, we anticipate the book review section to return to its former size by the end of 2022.Although we are penning this editorial note in early January 2022—in the midst of the peak Omicron wave—we see bright glimmers of hope on the horizon. Some of the brightest can be found in the fact that we continue to receive a large volume of submissions that reflect a wide array of interests, geographically, topically, and temporally. Our field has never been more diverse, and as this issue shows, there is much yet to be learned about the seemingly familiar—water, war, and darkness to name just three—for those willing to approach it with fresh eyes and in unexpected ways. We hope that readers will seize the opportunity to contribute their own work in this vein, work that encourages environmental historians to push beyond what we know (or think we know) about ostensibly familiar topics and thus think in fresh ways about the past. Our sincere hope is that each issue of the journal allows our readers to do just that. Previous articleNext article DetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Volume 27, Number 2April 2022 Published for the American Society for Environmental History and the Forest History Society Views: 609 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/718847 Views: 609 HistoryPublished online March 11, 2022 © 2022 Forest History Society and American Society for Environmental History. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

ORIGIN AND FORMATION OF INFORMATION AND MEDIA STRUCTURES OF THE ARMED FORCES OF UKRAINE IN 1991-2014

The article considers the process of formation and transformation of public relations structures in a system of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine: press centers in commands of families and types of troops (forces) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, press services of operational commands, positions of divisional (brigade), as well as the accompanying process of optimizing the number of military printed periodicals in 1991–2014. The main focus is on the study of the source complex of departmental organizational and administrative acts on the activities of public relations structures and documents stored in the personal archives of former employees of the press services of operational commands for the period determined by the chronological framework of scientific intelligence. Most sources were introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. It has been investigated that Ukraine was one of the first countries of the former USSR to create a system of public relations in its own armed forces, which is evidence of the democratic path of development of our state. It is proved that despite the significant reduction in the number of military media and the constant search for the optimal model of information and media support of military construction activities in Ukraine managed to retain highly qualified journalists and further ensure the implementation of assigned tasks. Keywords Armed Forces of Ukraine, mass media, public relations, military press, media, information war, press service.

Развитие средств борьбы с бронетехникой на переднем крае обороны. Первая половина 1930-х гг. По материалам советской военной печати

In the article on the materials of the military press of the first half of the 1930s. the author analyzes the change in views on the fight against armored vehicles in the specified period. The author considers the main addition and alternatives to anti-tank guns, which were popular with military theorists considering the issues of countering armored vehicles at a distance of up to a kilometer. In the course of his work, the author considers proposals on the tactical and technical aspects of using various types of grenades against armored vehicles, mines, bi-calibre artillery system, heavy machine guns, automatic guns received from both foreign and domestic experts. As a result of the study, the author comes to the conclusion that in the USSR in the first half of the 1930s. the military leadership quickly came to the conclusion that anti-tank guns were needed to fight tanks, and grenades and mines could play a very limited role in the fight against armored vehicles. While outside the USSR, heavy machine guns, automatic guns, field artillery guns continued to be considered as anti-tank weapons. Thus, we can say that in the USSR the conceptual awareness of the vector of counteraction to armored vehicles occurred earlier than in Germany, France, the British Empire, the United States of America and Poland.

Interrater and intrarater reliability of the single arm military press (SAMP) test for upper limb function in patients with non-specific neck pain

BackgroundPerformance measures that assess the upper limb disability (ULD) in patients with neck pain can provide useful information for making clinical decisions regarding the optimal management of those patients. The Single Arm Military Press (SAMP) test is a performance based ULD measure developed specifically for populations with neck pain. In this test, patients are asked to lift a 1 kg weight repetitively overhead for 30 s with repetitions counting as the score. Whilst the test has been shown to be acceptable and feasible for use by clinicians and patients, its reliability in a patient group is still unknown. ObjectiveTo assess the interrater, intrarater reliability and measurement error of the SAMP test in patients with non-specific neck pain (NSNP). MethodsA total of 210 patients with NSNP and 81 healthy subjects were recruited for this study. The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) and the Neck Disability Index (NDI) were assessed at baseline to ensure eligibility of the participants. The SAMP test was assessed at baseline and repeated 4–7 days later. A VAS symptom score was used to establish the stability of the participants across time. Interrater, intrarater reliability and measurement error were evaluated using Interclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC2,1) and the standard error of measurement (SEM). ResultsThe ICCs for interrater and intrarater reliability for the SAMP test ranged from 0.993 to 0.996 in the patient group. The SEM was ≤1 and smaller than the Smallest Detectable Change (SDC) and Bland-Altman plot indicated that the test is accurate. ConclusionThe almost perfect interrater and intrarater reliability and low levels of measurement error indicate that the 1 kg SAMP test has potential for evaluating upper limb functional capacity in female patients with NSNP. Before the test can be fully recommended, further studies are required to evaluate the validity and responsiveness of the SAMP test in population with NSNP and other neck disorders.