R&D tax incentives: effects on investment and firms' survival

Innovation is often seen as a critical driver of economic growth. This paper evaluates the impact of the Portuguese tax incentive to R&D (SIFIDE) on R&D investment (creation of innovation) and on firms’ survival (maintenance of innovation), using PSM and Difference-in-Differences methods. Results show positive effects of the program on both R&D investment and firms’ survival, especially for the services sector (R&D) and for small firms (survival). In addition, the hypotheses of full crowding-out and no additionality on private R&D were rejected, implying that the incentive does not merely replace private with public funding

Socio-cultural and somatic factors associated with children’s motor competence

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of somatic and socio-cultural factors on children’s motor competence (MC). MC was assessed through the standing long jump (SLJ), distance throw of a tennis ball (TTB), and 20 m dash (20 m) in 181 children (84 girls) with a mean age of 6.10(0.47) years. The effect of socio-economic status, house/living space, educational practices, the child’s interaction with peers and siblings, and the sum of five skinfolds (SS) were analysed via structural equation modelling (SEM) in each motor skill. The SEM models displayed a good fit to the data. In addition, standardized direct effects are significant on different outcome variables, except for brotherhood relationship (BR) and peer relationship in TTB, and 20 m dash and BR in standing long jump (SLJ). SS are negatively related to all motor skills.This research was funded Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., grant number UID04045/2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Can self-esteem mediate the association between social support and different levelsof physical activity in adolescents?

The aim was to analyze the mediation role of self-esteem in the interaction between social support from the best friend, friends, and parents, and physical activity (PA). Participants were N=444 adolescents of both genders (male= 205), aged between 12-18 years (M= 16.02; SD= 1.57). Structural equation modeling, serial mediation and multigroup analysis were used to test the proposed hypothesis. Self-reported instruments were used to collect both PA social support and self-esteem. Self-esteem partially mediates the interaction between different social supports and vigorous PA, independently of adolescent sex. Interestingly, self-esteem fully mediated the interaction between parents’ social support and vigorous PA in female adolescents. In contrast, self-esteem revealed no mediation in the interaction between social support and light and moderate PA. In conclusion, self-esteem mediates the relationship between social support and vigorous PA, the strength of mediation is higher in girls than in boys, in both genders, the mediation is higher when the social support has come from parents.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Can self-esteem mediate the association between social support and different levels of physical activity in adolescents?

The aim was to analyze the mediation role of self-esteem in the interaction between social support from the best friend, friends, and parents, and physical activity (PA). Participants were N=444 adolescents of both genders (male= 205), aged between 12-18 years (M= 16.02; SD= 1.57). Structural equation modeling, serial mediation and multigroup analysis were used to test the proposed hypothesis. Self-reported instruments were used to collect both PA social support and self-esteem. Self-esteem mediates partially the interaction between different social supports and vigorous PA, independently of adolescent sex. Interestingly, self-esteem was fully mediating the interaction between parents’ social support and vigorous PA in female adolescents. In contrast, self-esteem revealed no mediation in the interaction between social support and light and moderate PA. In conclusion, self-esteem mediates the relationship between social support and vigorous PA, the strength of mediation is higher in girls than in boys, in both genders the mediation is higher when the social support has come from parents

The mediation role of perceived benefits and barriers in the relationship between support provided by significant others and physical activity of adolescents

We investigated whether the relationship between significant others’ social support and adolescents’ physical activity (PA) is mediated by perceived barriers and benefits of PA. In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed data from 497 adolescents (girls = 272, boys = 225) aged between 12-18 years (M= 15.87, SD = 1.43) from six different middle and secondary schools. We collected data regarding social cognitive variables and PA with self-report measures and calculated the metabolic equivalent of total amount PA. We performed structural equation modeling and mediation analyses and found our proposed models fit the data. In girls, perceived PA benefits mediated the association between support provided by friends (β = .13; IC 95% = .02 .29), a best friend (β = .14; IC 95% = .03, .33), and parents (β = .07; IC 95% = .01, .18), and PA. Similarly in boys, perceived PA benefits partially mediated the association between support provided by parents (β = .09; IC 95% = .04, .37), friends (β = .11; IC 95% = .05, .40), and a best friend (β = .10; IC 95% = .05, .40) and PA. Perceived barriers to PA did not display any significant mediation role for either sex. Interventions to foster others’ support for PA, especially from a best friend, are important for promoting PA among adolescentsThe author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the National Funding through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., under the project UID/04045/2020 and under the project UID/04748/2020info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

a cross-sectional linkage study

© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.BACKGROUND: Blood lipids and glucose levels dysregulation represent potential mechanisms intermediating the adverse cardiovascular effects of ambient particulate matter (PM) exposure. This study aims to estimate the effect of long-term PM10 exposure on blood lipids and glucose levels and to assess the potential mediation and/or modification action of abdominal obesity (AO) (waist-to-height ratio). METHODS: Our study was based on 2,390 participants of the first Portuguese Health Examination Survey (INSEF, 2015) with available data on blood lipids and glucose parameters and living within a 30-km radius of an air quality monitoring station with available PM10 measurements. PM10 concentrations were acquired from the air quality monitoring network of the Portuguese Environment Agency. Generalized linear models were used to assess the effect of 1-year PM10 exposure on blood lipids and glucose levels. An interaction term was introduced in the models to test the modification action of AO. RESULTS: We found an association between PM10 and non-fasting blood triglycerides (TG) after adjustment for age, sex, education, occupation, lifestyles-related variables and temperature but only in participants with AO. Per each 1 µg/m3 PM10 increment, there was a 1.84% (95% confidence interval: 0.02-3.69) increase in TG. For the remaining blood lipid and glucose parameters, no associations were found. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that even at low levels of exposure, long-term PM10 exposure interacts with AO to increase blood TG. Our findings suggest that reducing both AO prevalence and PM10 below current standards would result in additional health benefits for the population.publishersversionpublishe

Polar lipid profile of Saccharina latissima, a functional food from the sea

Increasing global demand for food has generated a need for new strategies to feed a fast-growing population. Oceans appear as a sustainable solution, providing alternative sources of food such as macroalgae. These sea vegetables have high nutritional value and provide functional and health benefits. The sugar kelp Saccharina latissima is an emerging edible seaweed used mainly for human consumption. Although much is known about its biochemical compositions its lipidome remains unexplored. The aim of the present study was to characterize the polar lipid profile of S. latissima using a lipidomic-mass spectrometry HILIC-LC-MS based analysis. This approach allowed the identification of 197 molecular species of polar lipids, including glycolipids, phospholipids and betaine lipids. Several molecular species identified are carriers of polyunsaturated fatty acids with nutritional value and have been reported with anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-proliferative activity. Saccharina latissima is an emerging candidate to promote blue biotechnology inspired by the ocean.publishe

VITASENIOR–MT: Architecture of a Telehealth Solution

This poster was awarded the Best Poster Award at the Portuguese Conference Gestão & Tecnologi@ - Criação de Valor em Saúde.VITASENIOR-MT is a telehealth solution under development that aims to monitor and improve the healthcare of elderly people living in the region of Médio Tejo. This solution performs both remote and local monitoring of biometric parameters of the elderly, and also of environmental parameters of their homes. The biometric variables include heart rate and temperature measurements collected automatically, by means of a bracelet, throughout the day. Blood pressure, body weight, and other biometric parameters are measured on a daily basis by the senior’s own initiative, and automatically recorded. The environmental parameters include temperature, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide measurements. A TV set is used as a mean of interaction between the user and the medical devices. The TV set is also used to receive medical warnings and recommendations according to clinical profiles, and to receive environmental alerts. All data and alerts can be accessible to senior’s family and healthcare providers. In alarm situations, an automatic operational procedure will be triggered establishing communication to predefined entities.This work has been financially supported by the IC&DT project VITASENIOR-MT Programa operacional regional do centro CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-023659.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Competencia motriz de niños de 10 años con diferentes años de práctica del atletismo

The present study aimed to verify whether, in children of 10 years of age practicing athletics, a greater number of years of practice of this modality would correspond to higher values of motor competence (MC), as determined by the Motor Quotient (MQ) in the Körperkoordinationstest Für Kinder (KTK). The cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted in an athletics club in Portugal. Thirty-two children were evaluated, 15 female (10.4±0.25 years of age, 2.5±0.92 years of practice) and 17 male (10.4±0.22 years of age, 2.2±1.1 years of practice). Although no significant differences were found between children with one or two years of athletics practice and children with three or four, a moderate positive correlation was found between the time of practice (TP) and MC in girls (ρ=0.543, p=0.036). Mean MC results were considerably higher (both sexes) than the generality of studies often reveal. Finally, there were no significant differences on MC of boys and girls. The present results allow us to speculate that athletics may have helped to fill some gaps in motor coordination so often observed in girls, and the time of practice may have been especially beneficial for this group. It is suggested a longitudinal study to, more than confirm the detected association, verify what happens with boys’ and girls’ MC throughout the years of athletics practice.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio