Análise cinemática do teste de Thomas modificado e sua influência na função neuromuscular

Projeto de Graduação apresentado à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do grau de Licenciado em FisioterapiaIntrodução: A ação preventiva da Fisioterapia é fundamental para reduzir o risco de lesão. A maior parte de lesões resultam de um número enorme de fatores, entre eles a flexibilidade, força muscular entre outros. Existem vários testes em Fisioterapia que podem ser utilizados no sentido de avaliar a flexibilidade, entre eles temos o teste Thomas modificado. Objetivo: perceber as repercussões biomecânicas (cinemáticas e musculares) da execução do teste de Thomas modificada e sua relação com na função neuromuscular. Metodologia: Análise da cinemática tridimensional do teste de Thomas Modificado através do sistema de captura e análise de movimento 3D, Qualisys Oqus Camera Series. Resultados: Após a análise dos dados obtidos, os resultados parecem que o modo de execução do teste permite uma estabilização razoável dos mesmos, ainda que a posição final do membro em teste não tem relação com a função neuromuscular em extensão. Por outro lado, um potencial encurtamento a nível do reto femoral, não parece influenciar a força produzida nos extensores do joelho. Conclusão: A força executada pelo paciente não influenciou o lado contralateral (em teste), e que o teste de Thomas Modificado parece ser um teste fiável, uma vez que não se verificaram compensações segmentares significativas na execução do mesmo.Introducton: The preventive action of Physiotherapy plays an essential part in reducing injury risk, especially in sports. Most of those injuries occur due to flexibility, muscular strength issues, among other factors. There are several tests used in Physiotherapy to evaluate the patients’ flexibility, and the Modified Thomas Test is one of them. Objective: Understand the biomechanical repercussions (kinematic and muscular) of the Modified Thomas test and its influence in neuromuscular function. Methodology: Tridimensional kinematic analysis of the Modified Test of Thomas with Qualisys Oqus Camera Series, 3D movement capture and analysis program. Results: After data analysis results seem that the test procedure allows a reasonable stabilization, although the final position of the limb under test has no relation with the isokinetic neuromuscular function in extension. On the other hand, a potential shortening in the rectus femoris does not seem to influence the force produced in the knee extensors. Conclusion: The force exerted by the patient did not influence the contralateral side (under test), and that the modified Thomas test seems to be a reliable test, since there were no significant segmental compensations in the execution of the test.N/

The Moral Ecology of Extremism: A Systemic Perspective

Polarisation, social media, multiculturalism, economic strain, loss of political trust. The list of suspected drivers of extremism grows every day. How do we tell which of them really contribute to the risk of extremism? Why do some individuals seem more vulnerable to this risk than others? This paper answers these fundamental questions

Analyzing Radicalization and Terrorism: A Situational Action Theory

Although the years since 9/11 have seen an significant increase in the contribution of criminologists to the study of terrorist events, efforts to apply major criminological theories to the understanding of the development of terrorist criminality and individual involvement in terrorist action have lagged. In this chapter, we apply a recently formulated theory of moral action and crime causation, Situational Action Theory, to the explanation of terrorism and radicalization. The case is made that explanations of terrorism and radicalisation should be mechanism-based and integrate all levels of analysis. Situational Action Theory is introduced and examples of its application to the study of terrorism and radicalization are provided. The priorities of a SAT-driven, systematic research agenda are outlined

The multifinality of vulnerability indicators in lone-actor terrorism

To move beyond current aggregate and static conclusions regarding radicalisation and subsequent terrorist behaviour, empirical research should look to criminological models which are influenced by the life-course perspective. Current UK government policy designed to prevent radicalisation and terrorist engagement look to outputs from criminological perspectives to inform policy and practice. However, the guidance suffers from a lack of specificity as to the major concept of ‘vulnerability to radicalisation’, and what this incorporates. This investigation uses sequential analyses to add to our understanding of ‘vulnerability’ in the specific context of lone-actor terrorism. The statistical method bridges the gap between qualitative and quantitative approaches and provides a series of empirical outputs which visualise typical lone-actor terrorist trajectories through the discrete stages of radicalisation, attack planning and attack commission

Individual and Environmental Explanations for Violent Extremist Intentions: A German Nationally Representative Survey Study

This study examines individual differences in violent extremist intentions. It combines key criminological theories and concepts including situational action theory, social learning theory, self-control, general strain theory and legal cynicism. We employ a conceptually integrated approach to studying extremism, which acknowledges the profound effect of person-environment reciprocity and, thereby, we aim to identify key individual, developmental and social mechanisms involved in the development of extremist propensities. The analytical framework is tested using structural equation modeling. The analysis is based on a German nationally representative survey (N = 1502) collected via Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI). Representativity of the sample was achieved via a systematic and controlled approach of a multi-stratified probability sample (random-digit-dialing) in the dual-frame mode (landline telephone- households and mobile phone users). Results highlight that low law-relevant morality, low self-control, and exposure to extremism-promoting settings are associated with individuals’ readiness to engage in violent extremism. The relationship between legal morality, self-control and violent extremism is further mediated by exposure to extremist peers. We thereby identify exposure to extremist settings as a key mechanism, which stresses the importance of including social environmental factors in the explanation of violent extremism. The proximate determinants are further related to a series of distal factors, such as perceived individual and collective strains and personal alienation

Lone Actor Terrorists: A Residence-to-Crime Approach

Although there has recently been a considerable increase in research into lone actor terrorism, one of the main areas that remains understudied is that of target selection. The lack of empirically driven studies that can guide prevention measures is a notable oversight. This paper applies methods from environmental criminology to examine the residence-to-attack journeys of 122 lone terrorist acts in the U.S and Europe. The distance decay effect was evident, and significant differences were found between subgroups. Individuals were more likely to travel further if a) they were in the U.S, b) they had links to a wider network, c) they had a single-issue ideology, d) they attacked an iconic target, e) they attacked a symbolic building, or f) they used a bomb as their main weapon. A few case studies are discussed which highlight a need to conduct further research that considers the whole nodal network of an individual. The findings suggest that distance can be put forward as a constraining factor on lone actor target selection and provide support for the notion that the spatial decision making of terrorists is similar to traditional criminals

Updating and organizing our knowledge of risk and protective factors for lone-actor terrorism

This chapter updates builds upon previous descriptive analyses of loneactor terrorists, their behaviours, ideological backgrounds and degrees of 'loneness'. It offers greater conceptual clarity, updated data and a more expansive set of variables from previous analyses. Individual vulnerability indicators examined here include potential indicators of cognitive susceptibility to moral change, and self-selection and social selection into radicalizing settings, notably membership of a social network containing one or more radicalized individual. We also examine exposure settings, attack-preparation behaviours and explore sub-set analyses of the data. The analyses informed by a Risk Analysis Framework which offers a multilevel, integrated meta-model of these events and allows for the synthesis of disparate findings. The analyses provide key insights into the behaviour of lone-actors, which could inform intelligence gathering and investigative practice, as such analyses already do in other crime prevention domains

Vulnerability to radicalisation in a general population: a psychometric network approach

A public health approach to countering the threat from extremism aims to manage vulnerability before behaviour escalates to require involvement from the criminal justice system. Fundamental to applying a public health approach is understanding how risk (and protective) factors can be modified, in other words, the functional roles of these factors. To unpack the functional roles of risk factors, a more dynamic approach to modelling the complex relationships between factors is needed. In the present study we surveyed a representative sample of the UK general population (n = 1500) where participants self-reported risk factors and indicators for vulnerability to radicalisation. Operationalising analytical guidance from a Risk Analysis Framework (RAF), we applied psychometric network modelling to visualise the relationships among risk factors relating to individual-level propensities, situational influences, and exposure to extremism-enabling environments. We present our results as a series of network graphs and discuss (a) how risk factors ‘cluster’ or ‘co-occur’, (b) the most influential risk factors which may be important for intervention and prevention, and (c) ‘risk pathways’ which suggest potential putative risk and/or protective factors. We present our findings as evidence for a public health approach to countering the threat from extremism

Background and Preparatory Behaviours of Right-Wing Extremist Lone Actors: A Comparative Study

The threat posed by lone actors ranks high on the list of terrorism-related security concerns. In recent years especially, discussions about these perpetrators have focused primarily on those associated with, or inspired by, Islamic State and other jihadist entities. However, a significant portion of lone actors actually hail from right-wing extremist milieus. This article serves to draw attention to this subcategory of lone-actor terrorists, with a particular focus on their backgrounds and pre-attack behaviours. To that end, two datasets are presented that allow a comparison to be made between right-wing extremist lone actors and other ideologically-motivated lone actors. While several differences are noted, perhaps the most surprising finding is the degree of similarity between right-wing extremist lone actors and those adhering to different ideological currents. The results contribute to a knowledge-base that can inform discussion about whether risk assessment tools and protocols should differentiate between ideological categories of lone actor terrorists