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Este artigo estuda as dinâmicas de vulnerabilização da democracia no contexto de uma nova ordem, a ordem digital algorítmica, e procura averiguar de que modo é que a educação pode ajudar a mitigar esse fenómeno. O artigo, apresentando novas conceitualizações e servindo-se da análise interpretativa para atingir os seus propósitos, faz a caracterização da ordem digital algorítmica na qual se situam as sociedades mais avançadas em digitalização e em algoritmização e, nesse quadro, desenvolve uma inquirição ao eventual papel das plataformas de redes sociais na vulnerabilização de elementos estruturantes da democracia, apoiando-se em investigações recentes sobre a matéria. Essa investigação atesta que as redes sociais digitais ameaçam efetivamente a democracia em algumas dimensões, levando a perguntar se isso é uma inevitabilidade ou se lhe podemos responder recorrendo à educação, considerando antes de mais a educação das faixas etárias jovens que frequentam as escolas. A linha argumentativa do artigo conclui a esse respeito que as democracias realmente existentes, consolidadas e emergentes, não estão condenadas a definhar sob a pressão dessa vulnerabilização e que a educação, mediante a estimulação para um care ou um cuidado democrático, pode ajudar na contenção desse fenómeno.

Neck pain can induce specific motor responses and alterations in muscle strength. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate and compare the progression of cervical muscle strength within and between students with and without neck pain over the course of their first semester of clinical training. We used an online Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire for group allocation, and neck strength in flexion, extension, and lateral flexion on both sides was measured using the KForce Bubble Pro hand-held dynamometer. Forty-four students were divided into neck pain (n = 21) and asymptomatic (n = 23) groups. Both groups increased neck strength by the end of the semester in flexion, extension, and left and right lateral flexion (p < 0.001). Students experiencing neck pain showed a significantly lesser degree of improvement (p = 0.036) in right lateral flexion. The agonist/antagonist ratios revealed an enhanced role of neck extensors across both groups. Dental students showed overall increased cervical strength in their first semester of clinical training. Those with neck pain exhibited a diminished rate of strength gain in right lateral flexion when compared with students without pain by the semester’s end, suggesting different neuromuscular adjustments to clinical practice in students experiencing pain, which may lead to functional impairments in later training stages.

Cervical pain has been linked to increased motor unit activity, potentially associated with the initiation and progression of chronic neck pain. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the time-course changes in cervical superficial muscle activation patterns among dental students with and without neck pain throughout their initial semester of clinical training. We used an online Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire for group allocation between neck pain (NP) (n = 21) and control group (CG) (n = 23). Surface electromyography (sEMG) of the sternocleidomastoid and upper bilateral trapezius was recorded before starting their clinical practice and after their first semester while performing a cranio-cervical flexion test (CCFT) in five increasing levels between 22 mmHg and 30 mmHg. After the first semester, both the CG (p < 0.001) and NP (p = 0.038) groups showed decreased sternocleidomastoid activation. The NP group exhibited a concomitant increase in upper trapezius coactivation (p < 0.001), whereas the muscle activation pattern in asymptomatic students remained unchanged (p = 0.980). During the first semester of clinical training, dental students exhibited decreased superficial flexor activity, but those with neck pain had increased co-contraction of the upper trapezius, likely to stabilize the painful segment. This altered activation pattern could be associated with further dysfunction and symptoms, potentially contributing to chronicity.

Neck pain can induce specific motor responses and alterations in muscle strength. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate and compare the progression of cervical muscle strength within and between students with and without neck pain over the course of their first semester of clinical training. We used an online Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire for group allocation, and neck strength in flexion, extension, and lateral flexion on both sides was measured using the KForce Bubble Pro hand-held dynamometer. Forty-four students were divided into neck pain (n = 21) and asymptomatic (n = 23) groups. Both groups increased neck strength by the end of the semester in flexion, extension, and left and right lateral flexion (p < 0.001). Students experiencing neck pain showed a significantly lesser degree of improvement (p = 0.036) in right lateral flexion. The agonist/antagonist ratios revealed an enhanced role of neck extensors across both groups. Dental students showed overall increased cervical strength in their first semester of clinical training. Those with neck pain exhibited a diminished rate of strength gain in right lateral flexion when compared with students without pain by the semester's end, suggesting different neuromuscular adjustments to clinical practice in students experiencing pain, which may lead to functional impairments in later training stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cervical pain has been linked to increased motor unit activity, potentially associated with the initiation and progression of chronic neck pain. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the time-course changes in cervical superficial muscle activation patterns among dental students with and without neck pain throughout their initial semester of clinical training. We used an online Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire for group allocation between neck pain (NP) (n = 21) and control group (CG) (n = 23). Surface electromyography (sEMG) of the sternocleidomastoid and upper bilateral trapezius was recorded before starting their clinical practice and after their first semester while performing a cranio-cervical flexion test (CCFT) in five increasing levels between 22 mmHg and 30 mmHg. After the first semester, both the CG (p < 0.001) and NP (p = 0.038) groups showed decreased sternocleidomastoid activation. The NP group exhibited a concomitant increase in upper trapezius coactivation (p < 0.001), whereas the muscle activation pattern in asymptomatic students remained unchanged (p = 0.980). During the first semester of clinical training, dental students exhibited decreased superficial flexor activity, but those with neck pain had increased co-contraction of the upper trapezius, likely to stabilize the painful segment. This altered activation pattern could be associated with further dysfunction and symptoms, potentially contributing to chronicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human locomotion on water depends on the force produced by the swimmer to propel the body forward. Performance of highly complex motor tasks like swimming can yield minor variations that only nonlinear analysis can be sensitive enough to detect. The purpose of the present study was to examine the nonlinear properties of the hand/feet forces and describe their variations across the four competitive swimming strokes performing segmental and full-body swimming. Swimmers performed all-out bouts of 25 m in the four swimming strokes, swimming the full-body stroke, with the arm-pull only and with the leg kicking only. Hand/foot force and swimming velocity were measured. The Higuchi's fractal dimension (HFD) and sample entropy (SampEn) were used for the nonlinear analysis of force and velocity. Both the arm-pull and leg kicking alone were found to produce similar peak and mean hand/foot forces as swimming the full-body stroke. Hand force was more complex in breaststroke and butterfly stroke; conversely, kicking conditions were more complex in front crawl and backstroke. Moreover, the arm-pull and kicking alone tended to be more complex (higher HFD) but more predictable (lower SampEn) than while swimming the full-body stroke. There was no loss of force production from segmental swimming to the full-body counterpart. In conclusion, the number of segments in action influences the nonlinear behavior of the force produced and, when combining the four limbs, the complexity of the hand/foot force tends to decrease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In cycling, drag is the force that opposes the cyclist's motion and is caused by the cyclist's and their equipment's interaction with the air. The surface area of the cyclist and their equipment, such as the bike, helmet and body postures, have a substantial impact on how much drag they encounter. This study compared the energy cost an able-bodied and shoulder amputee cyclist through numerical simulations using computer fluid dynamics. According to the hypothesis, an able-bodied cyclist may use more energy at a given speed than an able-bodied cyclist. For this study, a professional male cyclist who weighs 65 kg and is 1.72 m tall took part. The estimated energy cost was lower in an shoulder amputee in comparison to the able-bodied cyclist. Significant statistical differences and relationships were found between the cyclists for the 11 selected speeds. Altogether, this study allows to conclude that, for the same conditions, an able-bodied cyclist deliver less energy cost in comparison to a shoulder amputee.