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Grip Strength, Fall Efficacy, and Balance Confidence as Associated Factors with Fall Risk in Middle-Aged and Older Adults Living in the Community
No full textBackground: Falls are a major public health concern among older adults, often resulting in injury, functional decline, and reduced quality of life. While handgrip strength (HGS), fall efficacy, and balance confidence have individually been associated with fall risk, their combined predictive value is still underexplored, particularly in physically active older adults. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between HGS, fall efficacy, and balance confidence and their association with fall risk in community-dwelling older adults engaged in regular exercise programs; A cross-sectional study was conducted with 280 participants aged 55 and over from community exercise programs near Lisbon, Portugal. Fall risk was assessed through self-reported falls in the past 12 months. HGS was measured with a dynamometer, fall efficacy using the Falls Efficacy Scale- International (FES-I), and balance confidence using the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale. Statistical analyses included Spearman correlations and binary logistic regression. Results: Falls were reported by 26.4% of participants. Fall efficacy and balance confidence were significantly associated with fall history, while HGS was not. Fall efficacy was significantly associated with increased fall risk, as indicated by the odds ratio (OR = 3.37, p < 0.001), while balance confidence was negatively associated (OR = 0.95, p < 0.001). HGS was positively correlated with balance and confidence but not with fall incidence. Conclusions: Psychological factors, particularly fall efficacy and balance confidence, play a critical role in fall risk among physically active older adults. However, this study included physically active middle-aged and older adults living in the community, which should be considered when interpreting the generalizability of the results. These findings support the integration of simple, validated psychological assessments into fall prevention strategies in community settings
Effects of the Ashtanga-Vinyasa Yoga Supta practice on the performance of aviation pilots of the Portuguese Airforce
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“Effeitos da prática de Ashtanga-Vinyasa Yoga Supta na performance dos pilotos de aviação da Força Aérea Portuguesa”
Contexto: Os pilotos militares desempenham uma função altamente especializada, exigindo um sistema vestibular eficiente e uma resposta rápida a situações de stress. Fatores como stress fisiológico, fadiga, desorientação espacial, hipóxia e forças G elevadas podem comprometer a capacidade de decisão. A identificação destes fatores abre novas oportunidades para treino e preparação cognitiva.
Objetivo: O Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Supta (AVYS) é uma prática fisicamente exigente, centrada em técnicas de respiração sincronizada e meditação em movimento. Este estudo investigou os efeitos de uma intervenção de 12 semanas de AVYS no desempenho de pilotos da Força Aérea Portuguesa, com o objetivo de avaliar se esta prática pode melhorar o desempenho e a segurança em voo.
Métodos: Foram realizados quatro estudos: uma Análise Bibliométrica sobre Tendências de Pesquisa em Yoga na Medicina Complementar; um Estudo de Caso-Controlo sobre a Resposta Autonómica e Desempenho Operacional de Pilotos em Simulações de Emergência; um Protocolo de Estudo sobre o Efeito do AVYS no Desempenho de Pilotos; e um Ensaio Clínico Randomizado para avaliar várias dimensões do desempenho dos pilotos, incluindo Variabilidade da Frequência Cardíaca (VFC), Capacidade Respiratória e Controlo Postural.
Resultados: Oito artigos, cinco publicados e três submetidos, apresentaram as seguintes conclusões: 1) AVYS melhorou desempenho operacional e segurança em voo; 2) AVYS promoveu menos erros e maior resiliência ao stress; 3) AVYS melhorou a saúde, a força e a capacidade pulmonar, mesmo em indivíduos altamente treinados; 4) AVYS teve um impacto positivo no controlo postural e na flexibilidade cognitiva, especialmente em condições de privação sensorial; 5) Integrar AVYS com treino militar melhorou significativamente o desempenho e a segurança em ambientes de alta pressão.
Conclusão: O AVYS impactou positivamente o desempenho dos pilotos da Força Aérea Portuguesa. São necessários mais estudos longitudinais para confirmar estes resultados e explorar outras modalidades de treino; - Context: Military pilots face high-stress situations that require efficient vestibular function and quick decision making. Fighter pilots experience higher levels of spatial disorientation due to the demands of their aircraft, with factors like stress, environmental exposure, fatigue, and G-forces negatively impacting performance. These challenges highlight the need for cognitive training that has not been widely explored.
Objective: This study examined the effects of 12-week Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Supta (AVYS) intervention on the performance of Portuguese Air Force pilots. AVYS, a physically demanding practice involving synchronized breathing and movement, was tested for its potential to improve pilot performance and flight safety.
Methods: Four studies were conducted, including a bibliometric analysis of yoga in complementary medicine, a case-control study on flight emergency simulations, and a randomized clinical trial evaluating components like Heart Rate Variability (HRV), respiratory capacity, Center of Pressure (CoP) and postural control responses, decision making, and operational performance. Five articles were written to discuss the findings.
Results: Eight articles, five published and three submitted, yielded the following conclusions: 1) AVYS improves operational performance and flight safety; 2) AVYS promoted reduced errors and enhanced stress resilience; 3) AVYS improved health, strength, and lung capacity, even in highly trained individuals; 4) AVYS positively impacted postural control and cognitive flexibility, particularly under sensory deprivation; 5) The integration of AVYS with military training significantly enhanced performance and safety in high-pressure environments
Modelação e previsão das taxas de mortalidade infantil nos países da CPLP entre 1985 e 2020 usando modelos de Séries Temporais
No full textCPLP, no período de 1985 a 2020, recorrendo à modelação de séries temporais com o emprego dos modelos
ARIMA. Ao longo do estudo, procurou-se não só descrever e analisar os dados históricos, mas também
prever o comportamento futuro destes indicadores, num contexto onde a mortalidade infantil se configura
como um dos principais indicadores de saúde pública.
Num primeiro momento, a investigação delineou os objetivos e a motivação do trabalho, que se fundamenta
na necessidade de reduzir as desigualdades entre os países da comunidade, nomeadamente entre os estados
africanos e os de indicadores socioeconómicos mais favoráveis, como Portugal e Brasil. Neste sentido,
o estudo procurou analisar as taxas de mortalidade infantil por género, permitindo identificar padrões e
tendências que se revelam cruciais para a compreensão do impacto das políticas de saúde implementadas
ao longo do tempo.
A aplicação dos modelos ARIMA revelou-se bastante robusta, tendo sido confirmada através de testes
de diagnóstico, como o de Ljung−Box e o de Lilliefors, bem como a análise de indicadores de desempenho
(RMSE, MAE e AIC). Estes procedimentos permitiram validar a adequação dos modelos ajustados,
evidenciando, por exemplo, a capacidade preditiva dos mesmos e a existência de quebras estruturais que
coincidem com mudanças significativas nas políticas de saúde.
Num diálogo fluido com os resultados, conclui-se que, apesar da tendência global de redução das taxas de
mortalidade infantil, subsistem disparidades marcantes entre os países da CPLP. Em particular, os países
africanos, tais como Angola, Guiné-Bissau, Guiné Equatorial e Moçambique, continuam a registar taxas
significativamente superiores às de países como Portugal e Brasil. Este facto sublinha a importância de se
desenvolverem estratégias de intervenção específicas e bem fundamentadas, que permitam atenuar estas
desigualdades e promover uma melhoria nos indicadores de saúde.
Em suma, o uso dos modelos ARIMA revelou-se útil para acompanhar a evolução das taxas de mortalidade
infantil ao longo do tempo nos países de língua portuguesa. Ainda que este tipo de modelo não permita
compreender as causas por detrás das variações observadas, oferece uma leitura clara das tendências e
flutuações que marcam o fenómeno; - Abstract:
Modeling and forecasting infant mortality rates in
CPLP countries over the period 1985-2020 using
time series models
This dissertation provides a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of infant mortality rates in the CPLP
countries over the period 1985 to 2020, using time series modelling with ARIMA models. Throughout the
study, the aim was not only to describe and analyse the historical data, but also to forecast the future
behaviour of these indicators, in a context where infant mortality is one of the most important public health
indicators.
The study began by outlining the objectives and motivation of the work, which was based on the need to
reduce inequalities between countries in the Community, particularly between African countries and those
with more favourable socio-economic indicators, such as Portugal and Brazil. In this context, the study
aimed to analyse infant mortality rates by gender, thus allowing the identification of patterns and trends
that are crucial for understanding the impact of health policies implemented over time.
The application of ARIMA models proved to be highly robust, as confirmed by rigorous diagnostic tests
such as the Ljung−Box and Lilliefors tests, and by the analysis of performance indicators (RMSE, MAE
and AIC). These procedures validated the suitability of the fitted models, highlighting, for example, their
predictive power and the existence of structural breaks coinciding with significant changes in health policy.
In a fluid dialogue with the results, it is concluded that despite the overall trend of decreasing infant
mortality rates, marked disparities persist among CPLP countries. In particular, African countries such
as Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea and Mozambique continue to have significantly higher rates
than countries such as Portugal and Brazil. This fact underlines the importance of developing specific and
well-founded intervention strategies that can reduce these inequalities and promote improvements in health
indicators.
In conclusion, the use of ARIMA models has proven useful for tracking the evolution of infant mortality
rates over time in Portuguese-speaking countries. Although this type of model does not allow for an
understanding of the underlying causes behind the observed variations, it provides a clear reading of the
trends and fluctuations that characterise the phenomenon
Agricultural practices as promoters of oleocanthal and oleacein availability in virgin olive oils from three olive cultivars
Get PDFVirgin olive oil (VOO) is one of the greatest differentiating elements within the Mediterranean Diet, mainly due to its health-promoting properties associated with the presence of specific antioxidants—the phenolic compounds (PC). Among all PC in VOO, oleocanthal and oleacein are two of the most important, mainly due to their strong association with health benefits. The presence of these PC in VOO can be induced by many factors, such as agricultural management approaches. To evaluate the relevance of the agronomic practices as inducers of oleocanthal and oleacein in VOO, monovarietal VOO from three cultivars were produced —‘Cobrançosa’ (COB), ‘Arbequina’ (ARB), and ‘Galega vulgar’ (GV)—by a laboratory-scale extraction method, considering two distinct agronomic systems: organic and integrated farming systems. From the obtained VOO, oleocanthal and oleacein were quantified by HPLC-TOFMS. Significantly higher oleocanthal and oleacein concentrations were found in all organic VOO, with COB being the cultivar presenting the highest concentrations, with 561 and 268 mg/kg for oleocanthal, and 348 and 164 mg/kg for oleacein for organic and integrated VOO, respectively. In contrast, GV showed considerably lower values than COB and closer to ARB, with 110 and 0.17 mg/kg for oleocanthal, and 113 and 0.18 mg/kg for oleacein for organic and integrated farming systems, respectively. These results clearly show that both agronomic practices and cultivar can highly influence the chemical and nutritional properties of VOO, with organic farming potentiating the concentration of oleocanthal and oleacein. Of the studied cultivars, COB showed the highest concentration of the target compounds
In vino veritas. An assessment of current research of amphorae contents from Conimbriga (Portugal)
No full textThis paper proposes an evaluation of current projects for identifying the contents of assumed wine transport amphorae recovered in the archaeological excavations in Conimbriga (prov. Lusitania, Portugal).
The sampling strategy of known typologies of wine amphorae of Italic, Gaullish and Iberian origin, as well as other, locally produced typologies of uncertain use is described, as well as the methodologies of analysis, both by GC-MS and by LC-MS/MS.
The results of those analyses are presented in conjunction with the typological classification, as means to assess the weight of the production of wine destined to export in the context of the local agricultural activity.
Methodological issues concerning sample retrieval and analytical procedures are discussed in the context of planned future research
Book of Abstracts of the XIX Iberian International Business Conference
Get PDFThe 2024 conference theme, "International Business in a Digital World: Challenges and Opportunities," invited deep reflection on how movements in the digital world, including AI, are driving changes in global markets.
This year's focus explored the integration of digital technologies, from cryptocurrencies to AI, into international business strategies, their impact on market dynamics, and the ethical, regulatory, and competitive landscapes shaped by these advances.CEFAGE; PAC
Antecedents of Psychological Capital (PsyCap): The Role of Technical and Social Variables
Get PDFThis study aimed to identify the technical (role conflict and role
ambiguity) and social (supervisor support and perceived organizational justice) antecedents of psychological capital (PsyCap)
Economia do conhecimento: repensar os fundamentos económicos
No full textO papel fundamental do conhecimento na criação de valor não é uma novidade ou sequer uma descoberta recente, mas atualmente tornou-se mais evidente pelo facto da base competitiva das economias modernas assentar na ciência, na tecnologia e na inovação, isto é, no conhecimento. Esta evidência é hoje palpável nas estatísticas, nas estratégias empresariais, nas políticas públicas de I&D&I (Investigação, Desenvolvimento e Inovação), no discurso e investigação académica, mas o corpo teórico da ciência económica ainda não está preparado para explicar o fenómeno económico tendo o conhecimento como fator fundamental. É preciso uma teoria do conhecimento como base para a teoria económica e isso exige repensar os fundamentos económicos. A profissão económica está relutante em compreender as implicações desta descontinuidade estrutural radical da transição para a economia do conhecimento e os desafios emergentes do papel central do conhecimento como um bem económico
Provas de Agregação, Arquitetura
No full textDocumentação das Provas de Agregação de Cristina Sofia da Silva Teixeira Aleixo, em Arquitetura, contendo Curriculum Vitae; Lição: "Introdução aos valores culturais do património arquitetónico" e Relatório de Unidade Corricular: "Património, arquitetura e sustentabilidade sociocultural", Área disciplinar de Arquitetur
Bolota - Produtos Diretos para Inovar
No full textEste capítulo descreve o estado da produção
e consumo de bolota em Portuga