Browsing by Author "Sousa, Carlos"
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- Co-designing an inclusive bus stop for a tourist transportation hubPublication . Pires Rosa, Manuela; Golestaneh, Seyed Homayoun; Mello, Germana Santiago de; Rodrigues, Joao; Sousa, Nelson; Gameiro, Celeste; Sousa, Carlos; Cavaleiro, Rui; Lamarão, HugoThis study explores the integration of sustainable mobility and universal design principles in creating accessible public transportation infrastructure. The research focuses on the co-design of a bus stop at Faro International Airport, engaging diverse stakeholders, including older tourists and adults with disabilities, through surveys, group reflections, walk-throughs, and workshops. The methodology incorporated multiple methods, such as, inquiries, observations and interviews, and digital prototyping to gather comprehensive insights into the specific needs of the participants. By addressing societal vulnerabilities and promoting social sustainability, the co-design process fostered innovation, resulting in a bus stop design that is functional, inclusive, and adaptable. The study underscores the role of sustainable mobility in enhancing equitable urban transportation systems and demonstrates how inclusive design principles contribute to achieving the broader goals of environmental, social, and economic sustainability. The design incorporates accessibility features, such as tactile paving, raised platforms, intuitive seating, and smart technology, tailored to the diverse needs of users. Special emphasis was placed on minimising barriers for individuals with mobility, visual, or hearing impairments while addressing the practical requirements of older adults. The inclusive bus stop serves as a model for future initiatives, highlighting the importance of active community engagement in designing transportation infrastructure that supports diverse societal needs.
- Comparative complete scheme and booster effectiveness of COVID‐19 vaccines in preventing SARS‐CoV‐2 infections with SARS‐CoV‐2 Omicron (BA.1) and Delta (B.1.617.2) variants: A case–case study based on electronic health recordsPublication . Kislaya, Irina; Peralta‐Santos, André; Borges, Vítor; Vieira, Luís; Sousa, Carlos; Ferreira, Bibiana; Pelerito, Ana; Gomes, João Paulo; Leite, Pedro Pinto; Nunes, Baltazar; Machado, Ausenda; Rodrigues, Ana Paula; Peixoto, Vasco Ricoca; Casaca, Pedro; Fernandes, Eugenia; Rodrigues, Eduardo; Ferreira, Rita; Isidro, Joana; Pinto, Miguel; Duarte, Sílvia; Santos, Daniela; Meneses, Luís; Almeida, José Pedro; Matias, Ana; Freire, Samanta; Grilo, TeresaBackground: Information on vaccine effectiveness in a context of novel variants of concern (VOC) emergence is of key importance to inform public health policies. This study aimed to estimate a measure of comparative vaccine effectiveness between Omicron (BA.1) and Delta (B.1.617.2 and sub-lineages) VOC according to vaccination exposure (primary or booster). Methods: We developed a case–case study using data on RT-PCR SARS-CoV2-positive cases notified in Portugal during Weeks 49–51, 2021. To obtain measure of comparative vaccine effectiveness, we compared the odds of vaccination in Omicron cases versus Delta using logistic regression adjusted for age group, sex, region, week of diagnosis, and laboratory of origin. Results: Higher odds of vaccination were observed in cases infected by Omicron VOC compared with Delta VOC cases for both complete primary vaccination (odds ratio [OR] = 2.1; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.8 to 2.4) and booster dose (OR = 5.2; 95% CI: 3.1 to 8.8), equivalent to reduction of vaccine effectiveness from 44.7% and 92.8%, observed against infection with Delta, to 6.0% (95% CI: 29.2% to 12.7%) and 62.7% (95% CI: 35.7% to 77.9%), observed against infection with Omicron, for complete primary vaccination and booster dose, respectively. Conclusion: Consistent reduction in vaccine-induced protection against infection with Omicron was observed. Complete primary vaccination may not be protective against SARS-CoV-2 infection in regions where Omicron variant is dominant.
- E-Learning associado ao Turismo: caso de estudo numa unidade curricular de uma licenciatura do ensino superiorPublication . CASCADA, PEDRO; Sousa, Carlos; Correia, Marisol B.; Ramos, Célia M. Q.O ensino à distância está cada vez mais presente nas instituições de ensino, em todos os níveis, através da utilização cada vez mais frequente das capacidades disponibilizadas pelas novas tecnologias de informação e comunicação. Neste âmbito, o e-Learning assume um papel cada vez mais importante para a disseminação do ensino à distância, sendo cada vez mais utilizado nos diversos graus de ensino com destaque para o ensino superior, bem como apresenta elevadas potencialidades para a formação e atualização de conhecimentos dos profissionais dos variados setores de atividade económica, com particular ênfase no turismo. Neste trabalho pretende-se caracterizar o ensino à distância, dando uma especial atenção ao eLearning, às suas características, funcionalidades e formas de utilização que lhe estão associadas, bem como um enquadramento do momento atual de utilização do e-Learning. O caso de estudo foi aplicado a através de um questionário (online) aplicado a estudantes de uma unidade curricular (UC) do ensino superior português, na área do turismo. Os resultados obtidos permitiram-nos concluir que uma maior frequência de utilização deste tipo de ferramentas pode corresponder a um melhor desempenho dos estudantes e possibilitou-nos tomar conhecimento da opinião dos inquiridos sobre a importância das funcionalidades e pedagogias associadas ao e-Learning, e se as mesmas devem ser mais utilizadas e desenvolvidas no futuro, quer para estudantes quer para futuros profissionais ligados à atividade turística, a qual é muito influenciada pelos avanços tecnológicos.
- E-Learning no ensino superior aplicado a uma unidade curricular em turismoPublication . CASCADA, PEDRO; Sousa, Carlos; Ramos, Célia M. Q.; Correia, Marisol B.No panorama do ensino superior português, a adoção do ensino à distância, através da utilização de ferramentas e estratégias de e-learning, b-learning e/ou m-learning, continuará progressivamente a ser considerado pelas universidades portuguesas, como complemento ao ensino presencial. Esta realidade permitirá a ocorrência de alterações profundas nas práticas de ensino, a otimização de custos e um melhor aproveitamento das potencialidades das novas tecnologias da informação e comunicação. Neste trabalho pretende-se caracterizar o ensino à distância, efetuar a descrição dos métodos de ensino relacionados e equacionar as vantagens da sua utilização. O estudo de caso foi desenvolvido através de um questionário (online) aplicado a estudantes de uma unidade curricular do ensino superior português. A investigação realizada permite concluir que existem condições para aumentar o uso do e-learning, uma vez que atualmente, a grande maioria dos estudantes têm computador em casa com ligação à internet. Por outro lado, os alunos estão cientes da importância destas novas ferramentas e estratégias de e-learning, como complemento à formação presencial.
- Holocene evolution of a barrier island system, Ria Formosa, South PortugalPublication . Sousa, Carlos; Boski, T.; Pereira, LauraHolocene evolution of the Ria Formosa barrier island system was studied through the examination of a large subsurface dataset acquired from 191 boreholes and five seismic refraction profiles. Two boreholes with total depths of 26 and 16.5 m were selected for a multi-proxy detailed laboratory analysis, including mean grain size distribution, organic matter (OM) content, color variation, shell identification, and benthic foraminifera assemblages. Selected cores are thought to be representative of the identified depositional sub-basins. Subsurface age data from 16 AMS C-14 dated samples were plotted against depth and resulted in a coherent age model of sedimentary infill. The system evolution was largely controlled by sediment availability, accommodation space, and Holocene sea level rise, first at a rapid rate of 7 mm/yr from 10 kcal yr BP to 7.25 kcal yr BP, followed by a slowdown to 1.1 mm/yr until present. A conceptual model for the origin and Holocene evolution of the Ria Formosa barrier island system implies three main steps, leading to the present system geomorphology: (1) marine flooding of incised palaeovalleys by the rapid transgression of palaeovalleys in the early Holocene
- Hotel websites characterisation framework for consumer's information needsPublication . Ramos, Célia M.Q.; Correia, Marisol B.; Rodrigues, Joao; Sousa, Carlos; CASCADA, PEDROOnline presence is essential for tourism organisations, and the quality of websites can influence customers. In the case of hotels, there are many studies to evaluate website performance based on functionality, usability and other factors, much less on the amount of different information available to the consumer. In the near future by using Big Data it is expected that hotel websites will be dynamic, they will adapt themselves on-the-fly, showing personalized information to each consumer. Different consumers will have different websites (information? available) from the same hotel. This paper presents a framework for the characterisation of hotel websites, focusing on the amount of information available to the consumer in each website, which was applied in a case study during the last months of 2013 to the websites of five-star hotels that operate in the tourist region of the Algarve, Portugal. The framework allowed to identify a set of exhaustive indicators for hotel website characterisation, which were then grouped into ten fundamental information dimensions. These dimensions further fell into four dimension groups. Finally, it is presented and discussed quantitative and qualitative evaluations, that illustrates which indicators and dimensions are more often considered on hotel websites to satisfy the consumer?s information needs.
- Mobility patterns of the elderly tourist in AlgarvePublication . Gameiro, Celeste; Pires Rosa, Manuela; Sousa, Carlos; Mestre, Ilidio; Monteiro, Jânio; Silva, António João; Mortal, António; Aníbal, Jaime; Silva, Manuela Moreira da; Oliveira, Miguel; Sousa, NelsonThe present work is part of the Project for Scientific Research and Techno-logical Development "Accessibility for All in Tourism" focuses on modal in-terfaces designed according to the concepts of "Universal Design" and "Age Sensitive Design". In this project 851 surveys were carried out for elderly tourists, who arrived in Algarve (Portugal) through the international Airport of Faro, in the summer of 2018, with a view to understanding their prefer-ences and needs in terms of mobility. It presents the characterization of the senior tourist in Algarve, according to: gender, age, academic qualification, situation in the relation to the profession, nationality, disability and/or disa-bilities that affects mobility and the need to use technical aids to move. It analyses and compares, from the point of view of sustainable mobility, the mobility of the elderly tourist, by gender and age group, in the country where they reside and in the Algarve region. This information is useful for local au-thorities and for transport operators in order to make the mobility of elderly tourists, in Algarve, more sustainable from a social, economic and environ-mental standpoint.
- Visual attention to the main image of a hotel website based on its position, type of navigation and belonging to Millennial generation: an eye tracking studyPublication . Espigares-Jurado, Francisco; Munoz-Leiva, Francisco; Correia, Marisol B.; Sousa, Carlos; Ramos, Celia; Faísca, LuísThis article focuses on the role played by the images that hotels use on their websites. Under this approach, this study analyses the main image used in a hotel website, considered an area of outstanding interest, which can help to improve the first impression when arriving at the website and, with it, increase the number of bookings. The absence of studies on this matter aroused the interest in it. The proposed experiment allows to check how these images influence the pattern or metrics of visual attention of users as well as their cognitive processing. The eye tracking technology was chosen with the intention of knowing several aspects of this fixation behaviour according to: the position of the image on the website, whether or not it belongs to the Millennial generation and the type of navigation it performs (exploratory vs. goal oriented), in addition to proposing some interaction effects between these classification variables studied. The results achieved revealed that an image in the upper area of a website is more effective, but there are some differences in the visual attention among groups of participants. This attention to it will depend, in part, on the type of task to be carried out within the website and the user age. Specifically, goal-oriented users showed a lower recurrent interest in the main image. The fixation was shorter in the group belonging to the Millennial generation, who do not need, given their greater experience in the web, a longer time to process the cognitive load of the image. Although the hypotheses proposed on the basis of the literature are not entirely satisfactory, the present study allows laying the foundations for more complex future works.