Higher Literacy Levels Research Articles

Review Of Entrepreneurial Literacy For Optimizing MSME Business Strategy In The Religious Tourism Area Of Sunan Ampel Tomb Surabaya

In this era of globalization, business challenges are increasingly complex along with technological developments and global market access. Entrepreneurial literacy is the main key in dealing with this dynamic, where a good understanding of business strategy is essential for business continuity. Religious tourism areas such as the Tomb of Sunan Ampel Surabaya have great potential as tourist destinations and centers of community economic activity. However, MSMEs in the region are faced with various challenges, such as intense competition, lack of entrepreneurial literacy, and lack of effective business strategy implementation. Ideally, MSMEs in the region should have a high level of entrepreneurial literacy and be able to optimize their business strategies to increase competitiveness and local economic contribution. This study aims to investigate business strategies that can be applied by MSMEs in the religious tourism area of Makam Sunan Ampel Surabaya, by considering entrepreneurial literacy as the main foundation. This research makes a new contribution by examining the relationship between entrepreneurial literacy and MSME business strategies in religious tourism areas, adding insight into the specific context of Sunan Ampel Tomb Surabaya. This research has high urgency because it provides a foundation for the development of MSMEs in the region, increasing their competitiveness, and at the same time supporting the development of religious tourism in Surabaya.This research use desciptive qualitative approach. The research subjects involved MSMEs. Data collection was carried out through observation, interviews and documentation. Data analysis involves data reduction, display, and inference, with triangulation used to ensure validity.The results of research, observations, and interviews show that the research emphasizes the need to improve MSME entrepreneurial literacy in the Religious Tourism Area of Sunan Ampel's Tomb. Effective training and mentorship, with more than 70% of MSMEs involved, encourages business adaptation to uncertainty. Collaboration with entrepreneurship experts and the business community plays an important role. The integration of technology and business networks supports sustainable business growth and supports local tourism. This study summarizes effective strategies to increase entrepreneurial literacy, strengthen the contribution of MSMEs, and safeguard cultural heritage.

A survey of suicide literacy in Japanese school teachers

School teachers are in a unique position to recognize suicide-related problems in their students and to appropriately support them; teachers may need high levels of suicide literacy. However, few studies have examined current levels of suicide literacy in teachers. This study aimed to investigate suicide literacy in school teachers. Teachers (n = 857) from 48 Japanese schools (primary and junior-/senior-high) answered a self-administered questionnaire assessing (a) knowledge about suicide, (b) intention to ask about students’ suicidal thoughts/plans, and (c) attitudes towards talking to students with mental health problems. The average proportion of correct answers to the knowledge questions (10 items) was 55.2%. Over half of the teachers knew that suicide is a leading cause of death in adolescents (55.0%), and that asking about suicidality is needed (56.2%). Half of the teachers intended to ask students about their suicidal thoughts (50.2%) and fewer intended to ask about experiences of planning suicide (38.8%). Most of the teachers (90.4%) agreed with the idea that talking to students with mental health problems was a teacher’s responsibility. Intention to ask about students’ suicidal thoughts/plans were higher in teachers in their 20s (vs. 40s–60s) and working at junior-/senior-high schools (vs. primary schools). Suicide literacy in Japanese school teachers was observed to be limited. However, teachers felt responsibility for helping students with mental health problems. The development and implementation of education programs may help improve teachers’ suicide literacy, which, in turn, could encourage effective helping behaviors of teachers for students struggling with suicidality.

The impact of environmental literacy on residents’ green consumption：Experimental evidence from China

The environmental pollution and climate change caused by rapid industrialization and economic growth have become worldwide concerns. In order to alleviate environmental pressures and seek sustainable development pathways, green consumption has become a focal point of attention. However, the practice of green consumption often constrained by individuals' levels of environmental literacy. Therefore, this study focuses on Shandong Province, comprehensively assessing residents' environmental literacy through four dimensions: environmental values, environmental responsibility, environmental problem perception, and environmental behavioral skills. Similarly, residents' green consumption is evaluated through four dimensions: green products, material recycling, biodiversity conservation, and efficient use of energy. The study investigates the connection between these two aspects to provide robust support for regional sustainable development. Data from 210 valid surveys collected through online questionnaires in Shandong Province revealed a generally high level of environmental literacy and green consumption, but relatively lower performance in dimensions like environmental behavioral skills, green products and material recycling. Further analysis demonstrates significant positive correlations between the four dimensions of environmental literacy and green consumption. Notably, environmental behavior skills and environmental responsibility played pivotal roles in influencing green consumption.

Social support, health literacy and anxiety among pregnant women during coronavirus 2019 pandemic in Thailand.

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to have a significant impact. Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to its effects, which may increase their anxiety levels. This study aims to investigate anxiety levels in pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand and to identify factors predicting such anxiety. The researchers collected data through an online questionnaire from November 2021 to May 2022. The sample included 404 pregnant women. The questionnaire consisted of personal information, health literacy related to COVID-19, social support, and anxiety related to COVID-19. The content validity of the questionnaire were verified by three experts, with content validity indices of 0.87, 0.80, and 0.87 for each domain, respectively. The reliability of the questionnaire were 0.96 for health literacy, 0.95 for social support, and 0.96 for anxiety. Moreover, in-depth telephone interviews were also conducted with pregnant women. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, stepwise multiple regression, and content analysis. Group of 404 pregnant women were studied, and the results showed that pregnant women had a high level of health literacy regarding COVID-19 and pregnancy (mean = 96.36, SD = 14.23) and social support level on a high level (mean = 83.99, SD = 11.34). Most of them were concerned about anxiety related to COVID-19 infection and pregnancy on a moderate level (mean = 47.78, SD = 11.49). The factors predicting the anxiety of pregnant women during the COVID-19 outbreak in Thailand included health literacy related to COVID-19 (β = 0.468) and social support (β = 0.283), with a prediction rate of 32.80% (R2 = 0.328) with statistical significance (p < 0.05). This study revealed the anxiety level of pregnant women during the COVID-19 outbreak in Thailand, which was moderate. Health literacy about COVID-19 and social support can predict the anxiety level of pregnant women.

Social Support, eHealth Literacy, and mHealth Use in Older Adults With Diabetes: Moderated Mediating Effect of the Perceived Importance of App Design.

Mobile healthcare has emerged as a prominent technological solution for self-management of health. However, the development and utilization of tailored mobile healthcare applications for older adults with diabetes mellitus remain limited. This study examined the relationship between social support and mobile healthcare use and further explored how this relationship varies with eHealth literacy and application design among older adults with diabetes mellitus. A descriptive cross-sectional trial was conducted with a structured self-report questionnaire, surveying 252 South Korean older adults with diabetes mellitus via offline and online modes. The mediating effect and moderated mediating effect were analyzed with the PROCESS macro of SPSS. eHealth literacy mediated the relationship between social support and mobile healthcare use. High levels of eHealth literacy and social support may increase mobile healthcare use among older adults with diabetes. Application design aesthetics facilitated mobile healthcare use. Future researchers, healthcare providers, and developers can contribute to the development of tailored mobile healthcare applications for older adults with diabetes mellitus by considering application design aspects such as font size, color, and menu configuration.

The effect of remittances on financial literacy in Mexico

This article studies the impact of remittances on financial literacy and its components using data for ENIF 2021 in Mexico. Using instrumental variables, random matching estimators and non-parametric estimations that control for the endogeneity of remittances and other econometric challenges, the study is the first to find that remittances increase the average level of financial literacy, and its components of financial knowledge, behavior, and attitudes. The effect is not monotonic, since the study finds that remittances reduce the probability of showing high levels of literacy, as well as that of its components of financial knowledge, behavior, and attitudes. Non-parametric estimations show that remittances move the distribution of financial literacy outcomes towards the center of the distribution, which explains why average values of financial literacy outcomes are above the average. These results may indicate that households acquire financial literacy through a process of learning by doing, which shows decreasing returns. They highlight the need for specific policies to increase the level of financial literacy among households that receive remittances. The limitation of the study is the lack of panel data.

Assessing the relative need and demand for financial education programs

We measure the relative need and demand for financial education programs among graduate stu- dents at a large university system. We find that self-assessed and measured financial literacy is sig- nificantly related to interest and demand for financial education. Individuals who self-report a high level of financial literacy but have low measured financial literacy are significantly less likely to be interested in financial education, while the opposite is true for financially literate individuals self- reporting a low level of financial literacy. Our study adds to research showing the importance of both believed and actual financial literacy measures and has implications for financial education programs.

Financial Literacy for Personal Financial Matters: A Study of Indian Army Officers

The basic as well as desirable needs of a person for decent survival in today’s materialistic and globalised world demand corresponding financial resources in hand. Irrespective of the profession and societal strata, individuals have their own financial aspirations and challenges. Financial literacy enables a person with understanding of financial terms and concepts besides imbibing skills, consciousness, talent and attitude to take important financial decisions. Military service having peculiar service conditions and limited exposure to financial field further makes it imperative to study the subject for inclusivity as very few studies have looked into financial issues pertaining to military personnel. The main aim of this research paper is to ascertain financial literacy of Commissioned Officers of Indian Army. For the study, 133 serving Commissioned Officers of Indian Army of varying age and length of service constituted the sample. Non-Probability technique of selecting sample has been used for the study wherein Purposive sampling is used to draw responses from the sample units. A structured questionnaire was developed to collect Primary data from serving Commissioned Officers of Indian Army. Detailed analysis has been carried out for the collected data using various tools and techniques in Microsoft Excel and SPSS. The study has brought out that financial literacy levels of serving commissioned officers of Indian Army are high. Though the demographic variables and financial literacy levels of Indian Army officers are not statistically associated, however overall high levels of financial literacy indicate their maturity of thought and quest for learning. Overall, the study outcomes indicate a healthy state for the organization and the Nation in terms of financial literacy of serving Commissioned Officers of Indian Army with respect to personal financial planning.

The readability of online patient education materials on maxillomandibular advancement surgery.

Maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) is an effective surgical option for patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). As a relatively new treatment option, patients may turn to the Internet to learn more. However, online patient education materials (OPEMs) on MMA may be written at a higher literacy level than recommended for patients. The aim of this study was to analyze the readability of OPEMs on MMA. A Google search of "maxillomandibular advancement" was performed, and the first 100 results were screened. Websites that met eligibility criteria were analyzed for their readability using the Automated Readability Index (ARI), Coleman-Liau Index (CLI), Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), Gunning Fog (GF), and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) and compared to the recommended sixth-grade reading level using one-tailed t tests. Readability scores were compared based on the type of website, including hospitals/universities or physician clinics, using ANOVA tests. The mean (SD) for ARI, CLI, FKGL, GF, and SMOG was 11.91 (2.43), 13.42 (1.81), 11.91 (2.06), 14.32 (2.34), and 13.99 (1.56), respectively. All readability scores were significantly higher than a sixth-grade reading level (p < 0.001). After comparing readability scores between different website types (university/hospital, clinic, and other), there was no statistical difference found. The available OPEMs on MMA surgery for OSA are above the recommended sixth-grade reading level. Identifying and reducing the gap between the reading levels of OPEMs and the reading level of the patient are needed to encouragea more active role, informed decisions, and better patient satisfaction.

Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurial Risk Attitude of Selected Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in Nigeria

Abstract The importance of financial literacy as a source of information for making financial decisions has been acknowledged, but little research has been done on how it affects SMEs’ attitudes about taking risks. In order to examine the financial literacy and risk-taking behavior of small and medium-sized firms in Ekiti State, Nigeria, the research created an integrated model from a knowledge-based viewpoint. A survey research design was used for this study with a multi-stage sampling procedure. The study analyzed the primary data collected from the questionnaire. 154 managers and owners of SMEs in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, made up the sample. According to the results of multiple regression, financial behavior, knowledge, and attitude all have a positive and substantial impact on how risk-averse small and medium-sized businesses in Ekiti State, Nigeria, are about taking risks. The study’s findings revealed that a high level of financial management literacy has a critical and significant influence on enhancing the entrepreneur’s risk-taking attitude, which leads to the growth of small businesses.

Digital transformation in education: a comparative analysis of Moldova and Estonia and recommendations for sustainable financing

This paper explores the digital transformation of education in Moldova, with a comparative analysis of Estonia's successful experience in this area. First, the article provides an overview of the current status of digital transformation in education in Moldova and identifies critical challenges in financing this process. Next, the Education Strategy 2030 in Moldova, which aims to improve the functionality of the educational system through the effective implementation of digital technologies to ensure the quality and sustainability of education, is discussed. The success factors of digital transformation in education in Estonia, including government support, high levels of digital literacy, a strong IT sector, and a culture of innovation and experimentation, are identified. Finally, the paper provides recommendations for financing digital transformation in education in Moldova, including allocating a specific portion of the state budget, seeking funding from international organizations and donors, and exploring opportunities for educational institutions to generate income. The implications for policy and practice and suggestions for future research are also discussed.

Associations of eHealth literacy and knowledge with preventive behaviours and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic: a population-based online survey

ObjectivesTo compare the associations of COVID-19 preventive behaviours and depressive and anxiety symptoms with eHealth literacy and COVID-19 knowledge among Korean adults.DesignA cross-sectional online survey was conducted in April 2020.SettingSeoul...

The Impact Of Financial Literacy, Financial Attitudes And Financial Behaviour On MSMEs Growth

This study is aimed at investigating the effect of financial literacy, financial attitudes and financial behaviour on the growth of micro- and small-sector enterprises (MSMEs) in Trenggalek Regency, Indonesia. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and a Likert scale. The analysis technique used in this research is partial least squares analysis using structural equation models (SEM-PLS). The results showed that financial literacy and financial behaviour has an effect on the growing of MSMEs In Trenggalek Regency. MSME managers who have a high level of literacy will have knowledge, skills and beliefs that will influence their attitudes and behaviour in making financial decisions. Financial attitudes have no effect on MSME growth. Although MSME owners have positive attitudes towards finance, they may be unable or unwilling to take financial steps that support the growth of their business

The Effect Of The #AwasModus Campaign At @bankbca Tiktok On Community Financial Literacy

&#x0D; In Indonesia, the increase in the level of financial inclusion and literacy in the community is not balanced. There is a considerable gap between the high level of financial inclusion and low financial literacy, which opens a gap of opportunity for bank fraud mode behavior to carry out its actions. The perpetrators of the fraud mode, on behalf of the bank irresponsibly. Bank BCA, which is also one of the banks that experienced this phenomenon, conducted a campaign that became one of the preventive measures to deliver educational messages to the public as a form of financial literacy. The purpose of this research is to find out whether there is an influence between the #AwasModus campaign message delivered by BCA on the level of public financial literacy. The concepts used in the study used the concepts of campaign messages and financial literacy. The method used is explanatory quantitative using a questionnaire survey to 201 respondents. And the results of this study indicate that the independent variable, namely the campaign message, has an influence on the dependent variable, namely financial literacy, by 33.1%. The conclusion of this study is that there is an influence between the #AwasModus campaign message on Tiktok @bankbca on people's financial literacy.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Factors associated with COVID-19 misinformation rebuttal among college students: a descriptive study.

The deluge of COVID-19 misinformation makes people confused, and acting on such misinformation can kill, leading to the tragic outcome of death. This makes it necessary to identify significant factors associated with college students' susceptibility. This descriptive study sought to ascertain factors significantly associated with college students' susceptibility to online COVID-19 misinformation. To assess college students' susceptibility to COVID-19 misinformation, we first chose as independent variables some demographic information, some well-developed, validated literacy tools, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Items. Second, we selected as the dependent variable COVID-19 myths from some authoritative, official websites. Third, we integrated the independent and dependent variables into an online questionnaire. Fourth, we recruited students from Nantong University in China to participate in an online questionnaire survey. Finally, based on the data collected, we conducted quantitative and qualitative analyses to relate the independent variables to the dependent variable. Five hundred forty-six students participated in the survey voluntarily, and all questionnaires they answered were valid. The participants had an average of 2.32 (SD = 0.99) years of higher education. They have a mean age of 20.44 (SD = 1.52) years. 434 (79.5%) of the 546 participants were females. The frequency of their Internet use averaged 3.91 (SD = 0.41), indicating that they logged onto the Internet almost every day. Their self-reported Internet skill was rated 3.79 (SD = 1.07), indicating that the participants rated their Internet skills as basically "good." The mean scores of the sub-constructs in the AAHLS were 6.14 (SD = 1.37) for functional health literacy, 5.10 (SD = 1.65) for communicative health literacy, and 11.13 (SD = 2.65) for critical health literacy. These mean scores indicated that the participants needed help to read health-related materials "sometimes," the frequency that they knew how to communicate effectively with professional health providers was between "often" and "sometimes," and the frequency that they were critical about health information was between "often" and "sometimes," respectively. The sum of their scores for eHealth literacy averaged 28.29 (SD = 5.31), showing that they had a relatively high eHealth literacy level. The mean score for each question in the GHNT was determined at 1.31 (SD = 0.46), 1.36 (SD = 0.48), 1.41 (SD = 0.49), 1.77 (SD = 0.42), 1.51 (SD = 0.50), and 1.54 (SD = 0.50), respectively. These mean scores showed that a high percentage of the participants answered the 6 questions wrongly, especially Questions 4-6. Similarly, participants performed unsatisfactorily in answering the 3 questions in the CRT, with a mean score of 1.75 (SD = 0.43), 1.55 (SD = 0.50), and 1.59 (SD = 0.49) for each question, respectively. In the PHQ-9, the participants reported that they never felt depressed or felt depressed only for 1-3 days in the past week. The mean score for myths 1-6 and 9-10 ranged from 1.15 (SD = 0.36) to 1.29 (SD = 0.46). This meant that the participants rated these myths false. However, most of the participants rated myths 7-8 true (1.54, SD = 0.50; 1.49, SD = 0.50), showing that they were highly susceptible to these 2 pieces of misinformation. Through data analysis via Logistic Regression (forward stepwise), we found that (1) at an average threshold of 0.5, Internet use frequency, functional health literacy, general health numeracy, reflective thinking tendency, and depression severity were significant predictors of susceptibility to misinformation for both male and female students, (2) at a higher threshold of 0.8, aggregated general health numeracy scores and functional health literacy scores, as well as depression severity were predictors of susceptibility to misinformation for both male and female students, (3) functional health literacy, general health literacy, and depression predicted resistance to misinformation for female students, and (4) internet use frequency and self-reported digital health literacy predicted resistance to misinformation for male students. We revealed the complexity, dynamics, and differences in age, gender, education, Internet exposure, communicative health literacy, and cognitive skills concerning college students' susceptibility to online COVID-19 misinformation. Hopefully, this study can provide valuable implications for counteracting COVID-19 misinformation among Chinese college students.

ASSOCIATION OF LEVEL OF EDUCATION AND OCCUPATION WITH DIABETIC FOOT ULCER IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS

Objective: Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a well-known microvascular complication of Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with several risk factors. This study intended to determine the association of the level of education and occupation with the severity and outcome of DFU in diabetic patients. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted from 1st January 2023 to 25th January 2023 in the Endocrinology Division of the Department of Medical Specialties, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar. Adult diabetic patients with DFU were enrolled in the study. All the relevant demographic, clinical, and biochemical characteristics were measured. Results: Out of 148 patients, only 50 (33.8%) patients were educated. The study participants had a mean age, BMI, HbA1c, and duration of DM of 56.48 years, 27.3 kg/m2, 10.3 % and 9.4 years, respectively. There was a substantial association between the level of education and occupation with the severity of DFU which was statistically significant (p-value = 0.001 and p-value = 0.01, respectively). Regarding the outcome of DFU, it was found that patients with medium and high levels of literacy and skilled occupation had lower rates of major amputations. These results were statistically non-significant however they were found to be clinically significant. Conclusion: A significant association was observed between the education level and occupation with the severity and outcome of DFU. This underpins the significance of structured education of patients with low and medium literacy levels and those with unskilled and semiskilled jobs regarding their foot care. Keywords: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Diabetic Foot ulcer, Occupation

Impact of Digital Literacy on University Students’ Use of Digital Resources in Nigeria

Digital literacy is a skill that university students must possess in order to use the many digital resources that are provided by university libraries. As a result, the study examined the impact of digital literacy on Nigerian university students’ use of Internet resources. The research examined how high and low levels of digital literacy influenced students’ utilization of digital resources and also explored the roles of university libraries in promoting and assisting students in enhancing their digital literacy and supporting their utilization of digital resources. The research also delved into effective strategies for improving digital literacy within Nigerian university libraries. Overall, the study established that digital literacy is vital for students in Nigerian universities and directly impacts their utilization of digital resources. The insights gained from this research shed light on the significance of promoting digital literacy in academic settings and the collaborative efforts required from institutions and libraries to empower students in this digital age.

Improving clinical trial consent form readability through artificial intelligence.

109 Background: High literacy levels are needed to understand oncology clinical trial (CT) informed consent forms (ICF), which represents a barrier to enrollment of older adults and diverse populations. ChatGPT-4 is an artificial intelligence chatbot that responds to user prompts and can summarize large amounts of text. We tested whether ChatGPT-4 could simplify CT information from ICFs. Methods: On May 22, 2023, we searched clinicaltrials.gov for interventional, therapeutic, NIH-funded, CTs involving adults with the 14 most prevalent cancer types. Only CTs with available study protocols that were currently recruiting, “enrolling by invitation”, and “active not recruiting” were included. Trials that were diagnostic, preventative, or supportive were excluded. Publicly available ICFs from the resulting CTs were downloaded and analyzed. Using the ChatGPT-4 plugin askyourpdf.com, we asked ChatGPT-4 to review each ICF and answer 8 questions recommended by the NCCN for patients considering a CT in a 6th grade literacy level. Our prompt included the following 8 questions: “1) What are the treatments used in the clinical trial? 2) Has the treatment been used for other types of cancer? 3) What are the risks and benefits of this treatment? 4) What side effects should I expect and how will they be managed? 5) How long will I be in the clinical trial? 6) Will I be able to get other treatment if this doesn’t work? 7) How will you know if the treatment is working? 8) Will the clinical trial cost me anything?” Reading level (readability) was assessed for both the ICFs and ChatGPT-4’s question responses using the validated Flesch-Kincaid (FK), Gunning Fog (GF), and SMOG indices using the online Readable App. Data was summarized with descriptive statistics and t-test was used to compare text reading levels between ICFs and ChatGPT-4’s answers. Results: Our search yielded 83 therapeutic oncology CTs, of which 70 had publicly available ICFs. ChatGPT-4 successfully analyzed 66 of the 70 ICFs (94.3%). The mean text reading levels of its answers were 6.2 (95% CI: 5.9-6.5), 8.6 (95% CI: 8.2-8.9), and 9.2 (95% CI: 8.9-9.4) based on FK, GF, and SMOG indices, respectively. Of 70 ICFs, 54 (77.1%) contained text that could be evaluated for readability analysis and were included in the analysis. The mean text reading levels was 7.9 (95% CI: 7.7-8.1), 9.3 (95% CI: 9.1-9.6), and 10.5 (95% CI: 10.2-10.8) based on FK, GF, and SMOG indices, respectively. ChatGPT-4’s text responses had a significantly lower reading level compared to ICFs text for all three readability indices (FK: p&lt;0.01, GF: p=0.02, SMOG: p&lt;0.01). Conclusions: ChatGPT-4 presented key information from oncology CT ICFs at a 6th to 9th grade reading level, which was significantly lower than the original ICFs. While further studies are needed to assess ChatGPT-4’s accuracy, this study shows its potential as tool for improving patients’ understanding of oncology CTs.

53 2-Back Performance Does Not Differ Between Cognitive Training Groups in Older Adults Without Dementia

Objective:Cognitive training is a non-pharmacological intervention aimed at improving cognitive function across a single or multiple domains. Although the underlying mechanisms of cognitive training and transfer effects are not well-characterized, cognitive training has been thought to facilitate neural plasticity to enhance cognitive performance. Indeed, the Scaffolding Theory of Aging and Cognition (STAC) proposes that cognitive training may enhance the ability to engage in compensatory scaffolding to meet task demands and maintain cognitive performance. We therefore evaluated the effects of cognitive training on working memory performance in older adults without dementia. This study will help begin to elucidate non-pharmacological intervention effects on compensatory scaffolding in older adults.Participants and Methods:48 participants were recruited for a Phase III randomized clinical trial (Augmenting Cognitive Training in Older Adults [ACT]; NIH R01AG054077) conducted at the University of Florida and University of Arizona. Participants across sites were randomly assigned to complete cognitive training (n=25) or an education training control condition (n=23). Cognitive training and the education training control condition were each completed during 60 sessions over 12 weeks for 40 hours total. The education training control condition involved viewing educational videos produced by the National Geographic Channel. Cognitive training was completed using the Posit Science Brain HQ training program, which included 8 cognitive training paradigms targeting attention/processing speed and working memory. All participants also completed demographic questionnaires, cognitive testing, and an fMRI 2-back task at baseline and at 12-weeks following cognitive training.Results:Repeated measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), adjusted for training adherence, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) condition, age, sex, years of education, and Wechsler Test of Adult Reading (WTAR) raw score, revealed a significant 2-back by training group interaction (F[1,40]=6.201, p=.017, η2=.134). Examination of simple main effects revealed baseline differences in 2-back performance (F[1,40]=.568, p=.455, η2=.014). After controlling for baseline performance, training group differences in 2-back performance was no longer statistically significant (F[1,40]=1.382, p=.247, η2=.034).Conclusions:After adjusting for baseline performance differences, there were no significant training group differences in 2-back performance, suggesting that the randomization was not sufficient to ensure adequate distribution of participants across groups. Results may indicate that cognitive training alone is not sufficient for significant improvement in working memory performance on a near transfer task. Additional improvement may occur with the next phase of this clinical trial, such that tDCS augments the effects of cognitive training and results in enhanced compensatory scaffolding even within this high performing cohort. Limitations of the study include a highly educated sample with higher literacy levels and the small sample size was not powered for transfer effects analysis. Future analyses will include evaluation of the combined intervention effects of a cognitive training and tDCS on nback performance in a larger sample of older adults without dementia.

Saffron growing in Italy: a sustainable secondary activity for farms in hilly and sub-mountain areas

ABSTRACTItaly has faced a renewed interest in the production of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) in recent times. However, little is known about the status of this agri-food chain. This exploratory study investigates saffron production (from agronomic to social and marketing aspects) in Italy through 162 interviews with farmers. A large part of them (38%) are young, often at a higher level of literacy (bachelor or master) and new entrants in the agricultural sector (data significantly higher than the average for Italian farms). In more than half the cases, saffron production is considered a complementary activity, with an average production of 332 g per farm per year. Saffron farms are spread throughout Italy and are generally located in hilly/sub-mountain areas (between 143 and 703 m a.s.l.). Only 1% of farmers use agrochemicals, and more than 90% do not need irrigation, while just 40% of farms are mechanized, saffron can then be considered a low-input and sustainable choice for farms in marginal areas. Farmers focus on a high-quality product, certified by quality and sustainability labels. However, supply chain coordination, and knowledge and innovation support should be further developed to promote this sustainable production.