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- Agreement Between a Wristwatch and a Free Optical Sensor with a Chest Strap in Measuring HR Variations During Front Crawl SwimmingPublication . Bartolomeu, Raúl Filipe; Silva, Vasco; Pereira, Ana; Morais, Gonçalo; Sokołowski, Kamil; Strzała, Marek; Morais, J. E.; Teixeira, José EduardoWearables with optical sensors for heart rate (HR) measurement are widely available in the market. However, their accuracy in water is still underexplored. The aim of the present study was to test the agreement of two different devices for HR monitoring with a chest strap while swimming at different intensities. Twenty male and ten female subjects (mean 19.6 ± 0.7 years old, 173.3 ± 5.4 cm, and 67.1 ± 6.6 kg) performed an intermittent progressive protocol of 3 × 30 s tethered front crawl swimming followed by a 1 min rest period. A chest strap, a wristwatch, and a multi-site optical sensor placed at the temple were used simultaneously. A strong association, an excellent intra-class correlation, and a low mean bias were denoted (R2 = 0.85, ICC = 0.94, b = −1) between HRchest vs. HRtemple. Both indicators increased throughout the test, denoting an increase in accuracy from light to vigorous exercise intensity. HRchest and HRwatch showed a moderate association for the whole test (R2 = 0.23) but a weak association, a poor consistency, and a high mean bias stepwise (0.01 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.06, 0.03 ≤ ICC ≤ 0.42, −48.1 ≤ b≤ −16.1). During swimming, the HR values from the temple showed a better agreement with the chest strap than those from the wristwatch. The temple reading accuracy might be enhanced by using the device during the dryland warm-up routine.
- The Associations Between the Swimming Speed, Anthropometrics, Kinematics, and Kinetics in the Butterfly StrokePublication . Pinto, Mafalda P.; Neiva, Henrique P.; Sampaio, Tatiana; Oliveira, João P.; Marinho, D.A.; Barbosa, Tiago M.; Morais, J. E.There is scarce information about what characterizes the swimming speed in the butterfly stroke and the role of thrust in its characterization and prediction. The aim of this study was to compare the fastest and poorest butterfly swimmers based on a set of anthropometric, kinematic, and kinetic variables and to identify the swimming speed predictors. Eight young male swimmers were divided into two equal groups (each group comprising four swimmers). The swimming speed, as well as a set of anthropometric, kinematic, and kinetic variables, were measured. The swimming speed presented significant differences between the groups (p = 0.011, d = 2.18). The stroke frequency (kinematics, p = 0.027, d = 1.69) and thrust (kinetics, p = 0.034, d = 1.57) also presented significant differences between the groups. The swimming speed presented significant correlations with the stroke index (rs = 0.83, p = 0.011) and thrust (rs = 0.83, p = 0.011). The swimming speed was predicted by a combination of the stroke frequency and thrust (R2 = 0.84, p = 0.010). Coaches and athletes must be aware that combining fast stroke frequencies and the generation of greater thrust leads to the fastest swimming speeds.
- Challenges and potential in implementing STE(A)M in teachers’ practices: a systematic reviewPublication . Teixeira, Patrícia Bértolo ; Rocha, Helena A.; Martins, CristinaThe potential of STE(A)M has been widely recognised in recent years; however, challenges have also been identified in the implementation of this approach, making it important to deepen research into teachers’ practices. In this study, we conducted a systematic review focused on teaching practices within a STE(A)M approach, to understand what challenges and limitations teachers encounter, as well as the possibilities authors suggest to overcome them. The research question is: What are the challenges and potentialities of implementing the STE(A)M approach in teachers’ practices? This review analysed articles indexed in the Web of Science and Scopus databases over the last eight years, following the PRISMA scheme. The 26 articles examined highlight challenges such as time management, lack of resources and funding, limited guidance, gaps in teacher training, difficulty integrating subject areas, issues implementing new technologies and obstacles imposed by school structures. In light of these, the following proposals were suggested: placing greater emphasis on STE(A)M in initial and continuing teacher education, increasing support from schools and government bodies, encouraging collaborative work between teachers from different areas, adopting innovative strategies and methodologies and offering a clearer conceptualisation of STE(A)M.
- Mental illness risk prediction in high school students using artificial neural networkPublication . Encarnação, Samuel; Vaz, Paula Marisa Fortunato; Vaz, Filipe J.A.; Fortunato, Álvaro; Monteiro, António M.The sustainable development goals of the United Nations 2030 agenda, goal number 3 – Good health and well-being- align with student mental health. Objective: To conduct an artificial neural network (ANN) to predict the students' self-reported mental health dimensions. Methods: A cross-sectional and observational study enrolling sociodemographic and health state data from 2050 university students aged (18–30 years). Results: The best algorithm's result was by predicting the students' depressive state with 97 % accuracy (weighted average = [precision = 0.79 %, recall = 0.79 %, F-1 score 0 0.79 %, cross-validation (73 %)]), while dimensions such overall mental health self-perception (validation accuracy = 60 %) and lack of interest in performing their activities of daily living [(ADLs), validation accuracy = 67 %], presented inferior predictions. Conclusions: The ANN best predicted the university students' depressive state (73 %).
- Characterization of physical performance and change of direction deficit across age groups in young female volleyball playersPublication . Oliveira, João P.; Marinho, D.A.; Jacinto, Pedro; Sampaio, Tatiana; Morais, J. E.Background Volleyball performance relies heavily on agility, strength, and the ability to change direction, yet there is limited research investigating these physical attributes across different age groups in youth volleyball players. The change of direction (COD) deficit—a metric that isolates directional efficiency by comparing agility to linear speed— may provide a more nuanced understanding of an athlete’s movement capabilities. The aim of this study was to investigate: (i) the differences in anthropometrics, lower limb strength/power, dynamic balance, linear sprint speed, and change of direction (COD) ability between young volleyball age groups; (ii) the effect of age on COD deficit in young volleyball players, and; (iii) the COD deficit predictors. Methods A cross-sectional analysis of young volleyball athletes was conducted. Seventy-seven female volleyball players from three age groups (U13:12.43 ± 0.89; U16:14.38 ± 0.52; U18:16.78 ± 0.93) participated in standardized tests measuring their physical qualities. Results The older age groups (U18) were significantly taller, heavier, and faster in linear sprints than their younger counterparts. No significant differences between groups were observed in lower limb strength and power or dynamic balance. The U16 group demonstrated the lowest COD deficit. The regression analysis identified drop jump height (DJ) as the sole significant predictor of COD deficit, explaining 6.9% of the variance (R2 = 0.069, p = 0.033), highlighting its relevance as an indicator of reactive strength. Conclusions These findings suggest that while anthropometric features have increased and sprint performance improved with age, there is no corresponding improvement in lower limb strength, power, or dynamic balance. Drop jump height was the sole predictor of COD deficit, emphasizing the importance of reactive strength in determining agility. Coaches should focus on enhancing lower limb strength and reactive power to optimize COD performance and prevent performance stagnation (training plateaus), particularly in older athletes
- Inteligência artificial na educação: desafios e implicações para o ambiente escolarPublication . Faustino, Florêncio; Silva, Constantino; Gonçalves, Bruno F.Nos últimos anos, temos assistido a uma revolução tecnológica que está transformando radicalmente a maneira como as pessoas aprendem e os educadores ensinam. Um dos avanços tecnológicos mais promissores nesse campo é a inteligência artificial. Pesquisas nesse campo podem influenciar políticas educacionais, garantindo que as regulamentações estejam alinhadas com as melhores práticas. Este artigo tem como objectivo discutir a integração da inteligência artificial na educação, bem como as suas implicações do uso dessa tecnologia em ambientes educativos. Em termos de metodologia, optou-se pela pesquisa bibliográfica, baseada em consultas de obras científicas. Em termos de conclusões, a partir deste artigo, percebemos que a inteligência artificial tem um potencial de revolucionar a educação e traz benefícios significativos, mas também conduz desafios enormes que exigem muita atenção. Dentre as principais implicações ou riscos da IA na educação destaca-se a dependência excessiva da IA na educação que pode criar uma lacuna digital. Para além desta implicação, sinaliza-se a digitalização de tarefas educacionais por meio da IA que pode levantar preocupações sobre a substituição de professores. Por fim, destaca-se o facto que a IA pode ser usada para criar conteúdo falso, como trabalhos de pesquisa ou respostas a exames, representando um risco a ética e desonestidade académica.
- Innovative Applications of Artificial Neural Networks in Tax ForecastingPublication . Rodolfo, Bruno Couto de Abreu; Gonçalves, Bruno F.A importância da previsão das receitas fiscais é vital para o planeamento econômico e sustentabilidade financeira em Moçambique. Este estudo aborda este tópico explorando o potencial das Redes Neurais Artificiais (RNAs) para melhorar tais previsões. O problema central é a limitação dos métodos convencionais em captar a complexidade dos dados fiscais. A razão para a adoção de RNAs reside na sua superior capacidade de modelação e previsão em ambientes de dados grandes e complexos. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que as RNAs podem prever as receitas fiscais com maior precisão, superando os modelos tradicionais. A conclusão aponta para a RNA como uma ferramenta valiosa para as autoridades fiscais, aumentando a eficiência na cobrança e contribuindo para a estabilidade fiscal do país.
- Hierarchical clustering of the pre-exam anxiety levels in physically inactive and active adolescent students from 56 countries: an observational study using PISA program dataPublication . Encarnação, Samuel; Teixeira, José Eduardo; Forte, Pedro; Leite, Luciano Bernardes; Sortwell, Andrew; Branquinho, Luís; Ferraz, Ricardo; Afonso, Pedro; Vaz, Paula Marisa Fortunato; Monteiro, António M.The relationship between physical activity and anxiety among students has been extensively studied, with research highlighting the protective effects of physical activity on mental well-being. Methods: This article synthesizes existing literature on the topic and presents a novel analysis of pre-exam anxiety rates among physically inactive high school students from 56 countries. Using data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018, a hierarchical clustering method was applied to identify four clusters based on strati ed country groups by the students pre-exam anxiety levels. Results: The results indicated ve clusters for low physically active students (three with higher anxiety rates and two with lower levels of the condition) and four clusters for the low physically active individuals (two for higher anxiety rates and two for lower levels). Furthermore, the hierarchical model worked with good precision in the clustering task. In conclusion, considering the low physically active students, Brazil (82%) and the Dominican Republic (81%) recorded the highest pre-exam anxiety levels, while the Czech Republic (35%) had the lowest. Among the physically active students, Malaysia (82%), Brazil (81%), and Costa Rica (81%) recorded the highest anxiety levels, whereas again, the Czech Republic (35%) had the lowest. Discussion: These ndings emphasize that although physical activity generally relates to reduced anxiety, this association varies across cultural and educational contexts.
- Characterization and Comparison of Athletic Performance and Change of Direction Deficit Across Youth Futsal Age GroupsPublication . Oliveira, João P.; Marinho, Daniel A.; Sampaio, Tatiana; Carvalho, Sílvio; Martins, Hugo; Morais, J. E.Futsal players need peak strength, functional capacity, speed, and explosive lower-limb power for optimal performance. The aim of this study was to (i) characterize and compare anthropometric characteristics, lower limb strength/power, dynamic balance, linear sprint speed, COD performance, and COD deficit across young futsal age groups and (ii) identify key predictors of COD deficit. Methods: Thirty-three male futsal players from three age groups (U13, U15, and U17) were tested. Results: All anthropometric variables showed significant group effects with moderate to strong effect sizes, where U17 presented the largest values, followed by U15 and U13. Strength and power variables presented the same trend. The dynamic balance differed significantly across groups. Significant differences between groups with moderate effect sizes were noted in linear sprints (F = 19.54, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.57), zigzag (F = 19.54, p = 0.002, η2 = 0.35), and COD deficit (F = 19.54, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.46). Post hoc tests revealed that U13 and U15 outperformed U17 in the COD deficit (p < 0.002). The COD deficit showed a quadratic relationship with age, initially improving but later declining in older players (p < 0.001). The body mass and the posteromedial relative difference predicted the COD deficit, with the coefficient of determination (R2) explaining 39% of the COD variance. Conclusions: Coaches and practitioners should utilize COD drills to target various movement patterns and account for pubertal timing, as growth can impact performance
- Impact of a six-week training program on physical fitness and performance of young tennis players: a cluster analysis approachPublication . Oliveira, João P.; Marinho, D.A.; Sampaio, Tatiana; Kilit, Bulent; Morais, J. E.This study aimed to classify young tennis players into sub-groups (clusters) based on their performance and physical fitness determinants and to analyze their cluster assignment change over six weeks of intervention. A sample of young athletes aged 10–14 years was used, and players were classified according to their International Tennis Number (ITN) and various physical fitness metrics after a six-week specific training program. Clusters were also analyzed for cluster assignment changes across pre-test and post-test interventions. The results showed that the performance variables in all clusters improved at the end of the intervention. Specifically, ITN scores improved by an average of 15% (p < 0.05), the 5-m sprint times improved by 8.5% on average (p < 0.01), and the T-drill agility test showed a 10% reduction in completion time (p < 0.01). However, key determinants for cluster formation assessment scores differed, meaning that the training resulted in the physical fitness profiles changing over time. Improvement in 5-m sprint and T-drill agility tests showed that the current program was effective in improving movement characteristics that are vital to a tennis player. Movement between clusters was observed, with some players improving their classification while others regressed, highlighting the need for individualized training interventions to optimize player development. Individualized responses to training are common among young athletes, reflecting varying developmental stages. Clustering can help tailor training programs to the specific needs of different groups. In summary, this study highlights the effects of specific training on young tennis players and emphasizes the necessity of considering individual differences in growth and training responses.