Browsing by Author "Flores, Paulo"
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- Muscle loading and psychophysical effects of obesity during vertical handling tasksPublication . Colim, Ana; Arezes, Pedro; Flores, Paulo; Monteiro, Pedro; Mesquita, InêsIt has been recognized by many researchers that the prevalence of obesity is a serious public health problem. Several physical problems are associated with obesity, which can negatively affect the individuals’ work performance. In occupational contexts, vertical handling tasks, including lifting and/or lowering loads, are common and produce significant muscle loading. For these reasons, Surface electromyography (EMG) data were collected bilaterally from muscles recruited during these tasks. Additionally, the participants reported physical loading by using the Rated Perceived Exertion scale (RPE). These techniques sought to analyze the physical loading during vertical handling tasks. The obtained results indicate that obesity seem to increase the muscle loading during vertical handling tasks. However, obesity level does not seem to influence the RPE values.
- Obesity and physical loading during manual liftingPublication . Colim, Ana; Arezes, Pedro; Flores, Paulo; Monteiro, Pedro; Mesquita, InêsManual lifting greatly increases the risk of developing work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSD). Muscle loading related to manual tasks may be significantly influenced by workers’ body conditions, being obesity one of them. In the present study, different tasks of manual lifting were performed by 14 participants with different obesity levels, defined in terms of individuals’ fat mass percentage. Surface electromyography (EMG) data were collected bilaterally from 3 muscles recruited during this type of tasks. EMG data normalization was based on the percentage of maximum contraction during each task (MCT). Furthermore, the participants reported physical loading by using the Rated Perceived Exertion scale (RPE). These techniques sought to analyze the physical loading during manual lifting tasks. The obtained results indicate that obesity level influenced the MCT percentage, which in turn increases the muscle loading during manual lifting tasks. However, obesity level does not seem to influence the RPE values. In this context, further studies based on biomechanical approaches are required to provide a more complete understanding of the obesity effects on musculoskeletal loading during manual lifting.
- Obesity effects on muscular activity during lifting and lowering tasksPublication . Colim, Ana; Arezes, Pedro; Flores, Paulo; Monteiro, Pedro; Mesquita, Inês; Braga, Ana CristinaObesity is an emerging health problem and its incidence has been increasing throughout the workforce. In industrial workstations, vertical handling tasks (VHT), including lifting and lowering, are very common and can cause a significant muscular overload for the involved workers. During these tasks, muscular activity may be considerably affected by workers' body conditions. This study aims to analyze and compare the muscular activity in subjects with different obesity levels, using surface electromyography (EMG), during predefined VHT. Six different VHT (combining 5, 10 and 15 kg loads with two task styles) were performed. EMG data normalization was based on the percentage of Maximum Contraction during each Task (MCT%). The results show that obesity influences MCT%, which in turn increases the muscular effort during VHT. The current investigation demonstrates that obesity is a relevant musculoskeletal risk factor regarding VHT. The engineering analysis and design implications of this work can thus be perceived.
- The smartphone in the context of the classroom in the primary school and in the higher educationPublication . Quadros-Flores, Paula; Flores, Paulo; Ramos, AltinaInformation and Communication Technologies (ICT) are implementing unique changes in the most diverse fields nowadays. The smartphone, in particular, because of its technological convergence characteristics and because it is a tool that everyone owns and carries with them, it is an added value for the school and for the student that owns a personalized mobile resource. However, the school is resistant to its inclusion in education and there are contradictory studies: some reveal perverse effects on education, but others show their potentialities [1-3]. This fact shows the importance of teacher training in the selection of a methodology that responds to the inclusion of this tool in education. How to use the smartphone in education? It is a challenge that we intend to answer by showing the potential of this emerging technology in the process of teaching and learning with children from 6 to 9 years of age (primary school) and with adults of higher education (engineering course). In this study, the use of smartphones was observed in three classrooms of the primary school, involving about 60 children, and in higher education classes, involving about 50 students. We used a qualitative approach, case study. Data were collected from direct observers of the educational practices in the different contexts. For data analysis, we used description and data interpretation. The results show that teachers adopt a socio-constructivist methodology centring the student in the learning process: (1) in the use of the tool (technical domain), (2) in the accomplishment of the task, (3) in the reflection and argumentation of the results obtained, (4) knowledge sharing, (5) behaviour management, attitudes, task leadership and (6) self-criticism. It is also verified that they use the smartphone as a resource to motivate the student, stimulate concentration on the task, facilitate the understanding of content, encourage participation in the activity and promote interaction and sharing with others. In addition, the use of smartphones generates emotions and develops cross curricular skills in education as well as facilitating access to information, stimulates the creation of creative engineering projects that have satisfied students not only for the novelty, but also for finding that a pocket tool can perform interesting monitoring and remote control tasks. Thus, the results show that smartphones have a high potential in education, as they can promote an opportunity for methodological recreation and modernization, offer research potential, the development of new educational equipment and tools, new ways of consolidating and evaluating curricular content, development of other expressive abilities in the academic, social and personal life of an individual, as well as develop autonomy and stimulate the satisfaction of the students by returning to education the motivation of the student. It is also a clever way of educating this new generation by finding other