Complexity as key to designing cognitive-friendly environments for older people

The lived environment is the arena where our cognitive skills, preferences, and attitudes come together to determine our ability to interact with the world. The mechanisms through which lived environments can benefit cognitive health in older age are yet to be fully understood. The existing literature suggests that environments which are perceived as stimulating, usable and aesthetically appealing can improve or facilitate cognitive performance both in young and older age. Importantly, optimal stimulation for cognition seems to depend on experiencing sufficiently stimulating environments while not too challenging. Environmental complexity is an important contributor to determining whether an environment provides such an optimal stimulation. The present paper reviews a selection of studies which have explored complexity in relation to perceptual load, environmental preference and perceived usability to propose a framework which explores direct and indirect environmental influences on cognition, and to understand these influences in relation to aging processes. We identify ways to define complexity at different environmental scales, going from micro low-level perceptual features of scenes, to design qualities of proximal environments (e.g., streets, neighborhoods), to broad geographical areas (i.e., natural vs. urban environments). We propose that studying complexity at these different scales will provide new insight into the design of cognitive-friendly environments.

Stable oxygen isotope composition of planktonic foraminifera in the Canary Islands region

Seasonal depth stratified plankton tows, sediment traps and core tops taken from the same stations along a transect at 29°N off NW Africa are used to describe the seasonal succession, the depth habitats and the oxygen isotope ratios (delta18O(shell)) of five planktic foraminiferal species. Both the delta18O(shell) and shell concentration profiles show variations in seasonal depth habitats of individual species. None of the species maintain a specific habitat depth exclusively within the surface mixed layer (SML), within the thermocline, or beneath the thermocline. Globigerinoides ruber (white) and (pink) occur with moderate abundance throughout the year along the transect, with highest abundances in the winter and summer/fall season, respectively. The average delta18O(shell) of G. ruber (w) from surface sediments is similar to the delta18O(shell) values measured from the sediment-trap samples during winter. However, the delta18O(shell) of G. ruber (w) underestimates sea surface temperature (SST) by 2 °C in winter and by 4 °C during summer/fall indicating an extension of the calcification/depth habitat into colder thermocline waters. Globigerinoides ruber (p) continues to calcify below the SML as well, particularly in summer/fall when the chlorophyll maximum is found within the thermocline. Its vertical distribution results in delta18O(shell) values that underestimate SST by 2 °C. Shell fluxes of Globigerina bulloides are highest in summer/fall, where it lives and calcifies in association with the deep chlorophyll maximum found within the thermocline. Pulleniatina obliquiloculata and Globorotalia truncatulinoides, dwelling and calcifying a part of their lives in the winter SML, record winter thermocline (~180 m) and deep surface water (~350 m) temperatures, respectively. Our observations define the seasonal and vertical distribution of multiple species of foraminifera and the acquisition of their delta18O(shell).

Can a Common Currency Foster a Shared Social Identity across Different Nations? The Case of the Euro

Fostering the emergence of a "European identity" was one of the declared goals of the euro adoption. Now, years after the physical introduction of the common currency, we assess whether there has been an effect on a shared European identity. We use two different datasets in order to assess the impact of the euro adoption on the fostering of a self-declared "European Identity". We find that the effect of the euro is statistically insignificant although it is precisely estimated. This result holds important implications for European policy makers. It also sheds new light on the formation of social identities.

Turismo rural y paisaje en zonas de montaña. Propuesta metodológica para identificar sus relaciones en las Sierras Meridionales de la Provincia de Albacete

Las zonas de montaña cuentan con especificidades geográficas y socioeconómicas. En ellas, a partir del patrimonio territorial natural y cultural, se ha producido un considerable impulso del turismo rural, que ha centrado el interés en la valoración de la singularidad y variedad de los paisajes. En este caso se presta atención a las sierras meridionales de la provincia de Albacete. El trabajo se apoya en una metodología que combina el uso de encuestas de preferencias de turistas y técnicas cartográficas a partir de algunas variables del sistema turístico en el medio rural. El trabajo se inserta dentro de los paradigmas del desarrollo local y el desarrollo sostenible, aplicado a los espacios rurales y a las zonas de montaña media del sureste de Castilla-La Mancha. La hipótesis se centra en la consideración del paisaje como elemento medular del turismo rural.

Political participation as public pedagogy : The Educational Situation in Young People´s Political Conversations in Social Media

In this article we argue that young people’s political participation in the social media can be considered ‘public pedagogy’. The argument builds on a previous empirical analysis of a Swedish net community called Black Heart. Theoretically, the article is based on a particular notion of public pedagogy, education and Hannah Arendt’s expressive agonism. The political participation that takes place in the net community builds up an educational situation that involves central characteristics: communication, community building, a strong content focus and content production, argumentation and rule following. These characteristics pave the way for young people’s public voicing, experiencing, preferences and political interests that guide their everyday political life and learning – a phenomenon that we understand as a form of public pedagogy. 

American or British English? : Attitudes towards English dialects among Swedish pupils

The two major varieties of English are American and British English. In Swedish compulsory school both varieties are taught. This essay examines the preferences and attitudes of pupils in 9th grades towards the two varieties, and if there are any gender differences. Previous research has shown that pupils are becoming more and more positive towards American English than they have been in earlier studies. This essay is based on a quantitative study carried out through questionnaires handed-out to 84 9th graders. The results show that the pupils prefer American English in speaking and for educational purposes. However, British English is viewed as more intelligent, professional, beautiful and correct. These findings mostly correspond to previous research but also show some contrasting features such as pupils wanting to speak British English rather than American English.

Collaborative Filtering with Data Classification : A Combined Approach to Hotel Recommendation Systems

Recommendation systems aim to help users make decisions more efficiently. The most widely used method in recommendation systems is collaborative filtering, of which, a critical step is to analyze a user's preferences and make recommendations of products or services based on similarity analysis with other users' ratings. However, collaborative filtering is less usable for recommendation facing the "cold start" problem, i.e. few comments being given to products or services. To tackle this problem, we propose an improved method that combines collaborative filtering and data classification. We use hotel recommendation data to test the proposed method. The accuracy of the recommendation is determined by the rankings. Evaluations regarding the accuracies of Top-3 and Top-10 recommendation lists using the 10-fold cross-validation method and ROC curves are conducted. The results show that the Top-3 hotel recommendation list proposed by the combined method has the superiority of the recommendation performance than the Top-10 list under the cold start condition in most of the times.

Musicalidades Quotidianas da Personalidade: estudo sobre o impacto da música na personalidade, comportamentos, emoções e quotidiano de jovens e adultos de língua portuguesa

Objetivos: A música, incomum pela sua ubiquidade e antiguidade, constitui uma das atividades humanas que ocupa um lugar significativo nas diversas culturas e vida diária. Geralmente agradável para grande parte das pessoas, produz numerosos e desmedidos efeitos, na sua maioria positivos para o ser humano. Esta investigação teve como objetivo principal estudar a relação entre alguns dos diferentes géneros musicais e os de traços de personalidade de jovens e de adultos com idades compreendidas entre os 18 e os 38 anos, fluentes em português. A investigação pretendeu descrever as preferências musicais em função da idade, género, estado civil e habilitações literárias; identificar os contextos, os períodos e as atividades mais comuns durante a escuta de música; reconhecer se a música é uma das atividades de lazer mais importantes para o grupo estudado; conhecer quais as razões mais frequentes apontadas pelos sujeitos para ouvir música; estudar a perceção que as pessoas têm sobre a influência da música na violência e no consumo de substâncias; verificar se os sujeitos consideram as preferências musicais como um fator importante e revelador de informações sobre a personalidade; avaliar o impacto e relação das preferências musicais com a personalidade e verificar quais os pares de emoções mais comuns, sentidos durante a escuta musical, e respetiva intensidade. Metodologia: A amostra foi constituída por 320 indivíduos com idades compreendidas entre os 18 e os 38 anos sendo a faixa etária mais comum a que se situa entre os 24 a 29 anos, maioritariamente do sexo feminino, solteiros, de nacionalidade portuguesa, detentores ou a frequentar um curso superior, nas áreas das ciências sociais/serviços ou exatas e tecnológicas. Os participantes aceitaram responder voluntariamente a uma bateria de testes (QCS, EPI, QMQEC e STOMP-PT). Para a caracterização da amostra, determinaram-se frequências absolutas e relativas ou valores médios e desvios-padrão. A normalidade da distribuição das pontuações médias dos instrumentos foi validada com o teste de Kolmogorov-Smirnov com correção de Lilliefors. A consistência interna estudou-se através do Alpha de Cronbach e da fórmula de Kuder Richarson. As diferenças entre grupos foram avaliadas recorrendo a uma ANOVA, a intensidade e magnitude das relações entre variáveis determinou-se através do coeficiente Eta quadrado (e 2) e com o coeficiente de correlação de Pearson avaliou-se a associação entre as variáveis em estudo. Resultados: Observou-se que a música energética é a mais típica dos escalões etários mais jovens, sendo que a rebelde trespassa todas as gerações, revelando os mais velhos também uma forte preferência pela música reflexiva. As escolhas musicais parecem não ser influenciadas pelo sexo e estado civil. Os indivíduos menos escolarizados parecem preferir músicas do tipo energético, excluindo as convencionais enquanto os detentores de maiores habilitações preferem os estilos reflexivos e rebeldes. É em casa, no quarto, ao fim de semana e quando estão sozinhos que os participantes mais ouvem música, constituindo esta a mais frequente atividade de lazer, por ser uma atividade essencial para a existência, não apelando à violência e ao consumo de substâncias e revelando as preferências musicais aspetos da personalidade. Encontraram-se diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre as dimensões da preferência musical e os traços de personalidade, sendo a música energética a que mais se destaca na extroversão e a rebelde no neuroticismo. Não se obtiveram resultados estatisticamente significativos entre os tipos de música e as emoções. Conclusão: Os resultados devem ser vistos a título de ensaio e como introdutórios, seguindo no entanto os referidos na literatura quer ao nível das preferências por idade, sexo e habilitações literárias, quer ao nível do contexto onde é ouvida, quer ainda entre as dimensões de preferência musical e traços de personalidade. / Aims: Music, unusual for its ubiquity and age, is one of the human activities that occupies a significant place in different cultures and daily life. Generally pleasant to most people, produces many and huge positive effects in humans. This investigation aimed to study the relationship between some of the different music preferences and personality types of young and adults aged between 18 and 38 years, fluent in Portuguese. The research intended to describe the musical preferences based on age, gender, marital status and educational attainment; identify contexts, periods and the most common activities during music listening; recognize the music as one of the most important leisure activities for the group studied; know which are the most frequent reasons given by the subjects to listen to music; study the perception that people have about the influence of music on violence and substance use; check whether the subjects consider the musical preferences as a major factor that reveals information about personality; assess the impact and relationship of musical preferences with the personality and see which pairs of most common emotions are felt during music listening, and its respective intensity. Methods: The sample consisted of 320 individuals aged between 18 and 38 years being the most common age group of between 24 to 29 years, mostly female, single, Portuguese, holders or to attend a higher education in the areas of social / services or exact science. Participants voluntarily agreed to answer a battery of tests (QCS, EPI, QMQEC and STOMP-PT). To characterize the sample, they were determined absolute and relative frequencies and mean values and standard deviations. The normality of the average scores of the instruments has been validated with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test with Lilliefors correction. Internal consistency was studied using Cronbach's alpha and Kuder Richardson formula. Differences between groups were assessed using an ANOVA, intensity and magnitude of the relationship between variables was determined by Eta squared coefficient and the Pearson correlation coefficient evaluated the association between the study variables. Results: It was observed that the energetic music is the most usual among the younger age groups, and the rebel pierces all generations, revealing the older ones a strong preference for reflective music. The musical choices do not seem to be influenced by sex and marital status. The less educated individuals seems to prefer the energetic type songs, excluding conventional, holders of higher qualifications prefer reflective and rebellious styles. It is at home, in the room, on the weekends and when they are alone that participants listen more music, making this the most common leisure activity, the essential for existence, not calling for violence and substance use and revealing aspects of personality. We found significant differences between the dimensions of music preferences and personality traits, with the energetic music standing out in extraversion and neuroticism on rebel. We did not get significant results among the types of music and emotions. Conclusions: The results should be viewed under test and has introductory , however following the reported in the literature both in terms of preferences by age, sex and education level , both in terms of the context in which it is heard, still follows music preference dimensions and personality traits .

Exercise Prescription for Patients with Non-specific Chronic Low Back Pain: a Qualitative Study of Patients' Experiences in Decision Making

Background The culture of current clinical practice calls for collaboration between therapists and patients, sharing power and responsibility. This paper reports on the findings of a qualitative study of exercise prescription for patients with NSCLBP, taking into account issues such as decision making and how this accords with patient preferences and experiences. Objective To understand the treatment decision making experiences, information and decision support needs of patients with NSCLBP who have been offered exercise as part of their management plan. Design A qualitative study using a philosophical hermeneutic approach. Methods Semi-structured interviews with eight patients (including use of brief patient vignettes) was undertaken to explore their personal experiences of receiving exercise as part of the management of their NSCLBP, and their involvement in decisions regarding their care. Findings The findings provide a detailed insight into patients’ perceptions and experiences of receiving exercise-based management strategies. Four themes were formed from the texts: (1) patients’ expectations and patients’ needs are not synonymous, (2) information is necessary but often not sufficient, (3) not all decisions need to be shared, and (4) wanting to be treated as an individual. Conclusions Shared decision making did not appear to happen in physiotherapy clinical practice, but equally may not be what every patient wants. The overall feeling of the patients was that the therapist was dominant in structuring the interactions, leaving the patients feeling disempowered to question and contribute to the decision making.

Recognition of Activities of Daily Living from Topic Model

Research in ubiquitous and pervasive technologies have made it possible to recognise activities of daily living through non-intrusive sensors. The data captured from these sensors are required to be classified using various machine learning or knowledge driven techniques to infer and recognise activities. The process of discovering the activities and activity-object patterns from the sensors tagged to objects as they are used is critical to recognising the activities. In this paper, we propose a topic model process of discovering activities and activity-object patterns from the interactions of low level state-change sensors. We also develop a recognition and segmentation algorithm to recognise activities and recognise activity boundaries. Experimental results we present validates our framework and shows it is comparable to existing approaches.

O e-portefólio em contextos de aprendizagem: potencialidades do Mahara

A ligeireza com que a tecnologia se desenvolve e a concorrência geral que se estabeleceram nos últimos anos na nossa sociedade, conduzem a uma exigência crescente de cidadãos mais capazes, criadores e inovadores. A sedução e o fascínio causados por essa mesma tecnologia nos jovens estudantes levam a uma distância frequentemente da sala de aula, sempre que esta persiste em resistir às mudanças do exterior. O importante é que haja uma articulação entre as preferências e as capacidades dos estudantes, em relação à tecnologia, através de práticas pedagógicas que permitam um “saber ensinar” mais aliciante e que despertem o interesse intelectual e a desejo para aprender. Este projecto centrou-se na pesquisa do e-Portefólio reflexivo e na contribuição das potencialidades do software Mahara para uma aprendizagem activa e reflexiva. Optamos por esta temática por ser a que melhor se adequa às necessidades/especificidades dos nossos alunos, e porque o Mahara permite que cada autor controle a informação (artefactos) que deseja conter no seu e-portefólio e partilhar com os outros usuários, o que o torna diferente de outros softwares de e-portefólios.

A estrutura psicossocial na turma de uma criança portadora de autismo

Dissertação submetida para satisfação parcial dos requisitos do grau de Mestre em Ciências da Educação — Especialização em Educação Especial

Condicionantes ecológicas que afectam o Sisão durante o início de um ano agrícola

Este estudo foi realizado durante o Outono de 2001, em três áreas agrícolas do Sul de Portugal e tem como objectivo determinar quais os factores que influenciam a selecção de habitat pelo Sisão no Outono. A amostragem baseou-se na realização de transectos a pé. A identificação das preferências de habitat e o desenvolvimento de modelos preditivos foi realizada recorrendo a modelação linear (GLM) e aditiva (GAM). Os resultados da análise à escala da paisagem indicaram que a espécie prefere restolhos de cereal e pousios. Adicionalmente, foram seleccionadas as áreas com melhores solos e mais próximas das linhas de drenagem. As análises relativas ao microhabitat sugerem que o Sisão utiliza preferencialmente áreas com vegetação herbácea baixa e com elevada disponibilidade de plantas verdes. Os resultados sugerem que a disponibilidade alimentar é ainda limitante durante esta época, pelo que a implementação de medidas agro-ambientais compreendendo a manutenção dos sistemas cerealíferos tradicionais e consequentemente dos restolhos e pousios nas áreas com solos mais produtivos, são as medidas adequadas para promover os habitats da espécie. ABSTRACT; This study was carried out in the autumn of 2001, in three cultivated areas of southem Portugal and aims to determine the factors that influence the habitat selection of the Little Bustard in that period of the year. Foot transects were used to locate Little Bustards. GLM and GAM modelling were performed to identify the species' habitat preferences and to develop explanative occurrence models. The results of the landscape analysis indicate that Little Bustards exhibit a preference for cereal stubbles and fallow lands. Additionally, birds were mostly found in fields with best soils and close to water drainage lines. Microhabitat analysis shows that birds seem to prefer short grassy vegetation, where the availability of green plants is higher. Results suggest that food availability is still limiting for the species at this season. Therefore, the implementation of agri-environmental schemes comprising the maintenance of traditional cereal farming and consequently stubbles and fallow land within areas with more productive soils, are adequate measures to promote suitable foraging habitats for the Little Bustard.

Música e ideação suicida na adolescência

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada ao Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada para obtenção de grau de Mestre na especialidade de Psicologia Clínica.