Associations of physical activity with driving-related cognitive abilities in older drivers: an exploratory study

The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between physical activity and driving-related cognitive abilities of older drivers. Thirty-eight female and male drivers ages 61 to 81 years (M = 70.2, SD = 5.0) responded to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and were assessed on a battery of neuropsychological tests, which included measures of visual attention, executive functioning, mental status, visuospatial ability, and memory. A higher amount of reported physical activity was significantly correlated with better scores on tests of visual processing speed and divided visual attention. Higher amounts of physical activity was significantly associated with a better composite score for visual attention, but its correlation with the composite score for executive functioning was not significant. These findings support the hypothesis that physical activity is associated with preservation of specific driving-related cognitive abilities of older adults

Simulating the prospects of technological catching up

Local increasing returns associated with static and dynamic scale effects, knowledge spillovers, polarisation effects and the distance that separates different regions are among the most important driving forces behind the dynamics of economic and technological convergence. This paper puts forward a computational simulation model that seeks to integrate these factors. The modelling exercise was designed to achieve a better understanding of the relationship between the aspects underlying the specific trajectories of regional technological accumulation and the aggregate convergence/divergence patterns stemming from these trajectories. Analysis of the simulation’s results allows us to draw several conclusions. Firstly, it is shown that the opportunities for interaction and the resulting knowledge spillovers are a necessary but not sufficient condition for convergence. Moreover, up to a certain point, an increase in the opportunities for interaction between regions may lead to further divergence. Secondly, when spatial friction in the interactions is either relatively low or high, regions which could be “losers” for a given initial distribution of technological capabilities may become “winners” for another one (“history matters”). Conversely, for intermediate levels of spatial friction leading to central polarisation, history is largely irrelevant – irrespective of the initial space distribution of technological capability and sequence of chance events, a polarised centre-periphery pattern emerges. Finally, when spatial distance imposes high friction on interactions between regions, and when they do not have to be very similar in their levels of technological capabilities in order to learn from each other, regions in the core of “continental masses” benefit in terms of increased technological capability (“space matters”).

The potential role of physical activity on driving performance and safety among older adults

The elderly represent the fastest growing driving population. Older drivers have a high crash rate per distance traveled, a high risk of injury or death in traffic accidents, and are commonly found to be ‘at fault’ in crashes. This reality has focused more interest on issues associated with the fitness to drive and the safety of older drivers. Many older adults depend greatly on their personal vehicle for transportation and suffer a marked loss of quality of life when, as a consequence of no longer being able or permitted to drive, their mobility becomes significantly restricted. The reasons for the deterioration of driving performance that occur during the aging process are multi-factorial and a great deal of research has focused on the identification of those factors. Nevertheless, some studies incorporating training programs have tried, with some success, to improve the driving-related abilities of older drivers. It has been demonstrated that physical activity can promote several skills that are associated with driving performance in older drivers. Few studies, though, have conducted exercise interventions among older drivers intended to enhance their driving-related abilities and promote road safety. In this context, the purpose of this work consists of examining the perceptual, cognitive, health, and physical factors related to fitness to drive in older adults and identifying possible strategies that can enhance their driving-related abilities. Moreover, potential mechanisms underlying the relationship among physical activity, driving ability, and road safety are discussed

Development process of a web platform to promote health literacy among young people – Your PEL

artigo apresentado em Coimbra no Annual Meeting 2019The project Your PEL - Promote and Empower Literacy in health in the young people in the areas of healthy diet, sexuality and tobacco and alcohol use, presenting the "ICT applied to Health" as an area of activity, shows the information diffusion as one of the axes of the National Health Plan, enabling the creation of tools and communication channels supported on the Web. The activities development aimed to innovation, makes use of the creative potential that the presente generation young people have in this domain.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

ANÁLISE E AVALIAÇÃO DA DISTRIBUIÇÃO GEOGRÁFICA DA INFRAESTRUTURA TURÍSTICA NO SÍTIO HISTÓRICO DE PIRENÓPOLIS (GO): SUBSÍDIOS AO PLANEJAMENTO TURÍSTICO

A análise e avaliação da distribuição da infraestrutura turística é um importante elemento para compreendercomo, a partir de objetos técnicos, o turismo produz o espaço geográfico. No caso da cidade goianade Pirenópolis, os elementos do patrimônio histórico-arquitetônico e do patrimônio natural compõem a ofertaturística, que necessita de um conjunto de infraestruturas que subsidiem o uso turístico e potencializem o desenvolvimentodessa atividade. O presente trabalho realiza a análise e a avaliação da distribuição da infraestruturaturística no polígono tombado de Pirenópolis, cotejando-a com a localização dos atrativos turísticos, no intuitode compreender sua contribuição para o desenvolvimento do turismo. Com este objetivo, foram realizados diversoslevantamentos de campo para identificação e registro da infraestrutura turística e dos atrativos turísticos daárea urbana. Esse inventário embasou a construção dos mapas dos atrativos turísticos e da infraestruturaturística, para realização do estudo e, assim, subsidiar as análises e discussões dos resultados. Pode-seconcluir que a distribuição geográfica da infraestrutura turística na área tombada obedece a padrões, segundoas diversas tipologias listadas, que não favorecem a visitação e fruição do patrimônio cultural, pois se distribuemaleatoriamente por todo o polígono

Impairments: Materiality and fiscal impact on Cape Verde’ major contributors

This study aims to evaluate the material level of impairment losses registered by the Cape Verdean companies, as well as to analyze its fiscal impact. For this purpose, we ran the Cape Verdean’ accounting standards about this subject and studied the tax procedures on impairment registration in the country. In the empirical study, we performed an analysis of the annual report and accounts for 2012 and 2011 of fifty-seven large companies in Cape Verde. These were the benchmark years for establishing the country's major contributors and the normative framework on impairment’ application. Evidences showed that, in its vast majority, companies registered impairment losses, namely on customer debts and inventories. We also found that, empirically, impairment value was materially relevant and had impact on tax level, giving the meaningful association between payed taxes (negative association) and turnover (positive association), and registered impairment. In a future work, already in progress, we intended to verify the impairment registration’ during the period between 2013 and 2016. We will also try to understand if there is a greater social responsibility by Cape Verde’ major contributors.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Your PEL questionnaire development - evaluation of the impact of health education programs in schools.

Artigo apresentado em Coimbra no âmbito do Anuual Meeting 2019 da Escola Superior de Tecnologia da SaúdeThe Your PEL project emerged in response to requests from regional school groups and community care units that have identified the need to assess the impact of interventions on developing attitudes and behaviors that reflect health gains. In this context, the need to construct an instrument for the impact evaluation of health education programs in schools in the areas of healthy diet, tobacco and alcohol use, and sexuality at the the secundary school level of education, which allows to monitorize the determinants of health and the effectiveness of the strategies developed.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Effects of age in Useful Field of View and Time-to-Arrival

The main aim of this study was to investigate possible age effects in Useful Field of View (UFOV) and Time to Arrival (TTA). Ninety-six male and female active drivers participated in this research: 32 young drivers (18-30 years old), 32 middle-aged drivers (38-50 years old) and 32 older drivers (60-75 years old). Concerning to UFOV, results showed that older drivers had poorer results in divided attention and selective attention. Furthermore, some nonlinear variation occur, revealing a much more evident decrease in visual attention performance from the middle-aged to the older group then from the younger to the middle-aged group. In TTA analysis, older adults were less consistent then the other drivers in judging a vehicle approaching at 50 km/h. TTA estimated accuracy increased when the approaching vehicle travels at higher speeds. Although not significant, it was founded a U-shape relationship between age and response bias of TTA. We conclude that UFOV is much more sensitive to age effects then TTA and interventions should be designed to enhance UFOV between older drivers. The effectiveness of TTA paradigm for driving behavior analysis is also discussed