Science (Universidade Europeia)
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Design of a situation-awareness solution to support infrastructure inspections
No full textThis paper demonstrates how an interactive design approach, complemented with information visualization techniques, might contribute to reducing maintenance costs associated to inspections performed in industrial infrastructure, equipped with wind turbines, in particular by triggering events outlining for those situations requiring the intervention of the decision maker (context-awareness). The goal is to mitigate operational costs associated to blade inspections, lessening the time to conclude each inspection without compromising the quality and level of accuracy in identifying possible safety breaches that may compromise the operability of the blades, assuring in this way the sustainability of such critical infrastructures. The proposed solution addresses a digital cloud-based platform providing information to different stakeholders, enabling those who contracted the inspection services to follow undergoing or programmed actions and to receive notifications whenever their intervention is required. The solution also makes use of autonomous drones to collect on-site data and in this way support the information needs related to blade inspections. From a service-design perspective, a user-centered approach was followed to improve the User Experience (UX) in analyzing events related to blade inspections, complemented with information visualization techniques to streamline their interactions whenever required. The Agile Design Science Research Model (ADSR) was applied to the blade inspection process for a demonstration of the primary outcomes
The impact of analogic, digital and hybrid representations in the ideation phase of an artifact design: An educational perspective
No full textThe present study focuses on the understanding of the relationship effect between analogical and digital representation forms upon the reflective act and consequently with the creative result in product design. The action field is characterized by the operative constituents of the design process. Within three decades, we watched the influence of the digital age on project practice [1] without new procedures about the way which was integrate in design project curricula, but the reality is that technologies are developing fast. Based on this paradigm, we need to restructure the project habits, using new semantics to describe and materialize our concepts. The starting question is: are we articulating and using better the representation tools in the ideation phase of design project? With this research, we seek to quantify the semantics reflection process, using the synergistic of analogical and digital modelling, to create best creative results
Beyond the five senses: A synaesthetic-design approach to humanize healthcare environments
No full textSeveral areas, such as evidence-based healthcare design, salutogenic architecture and environmental psychology, agree with the importance of the built environment (e.g., space, equipment and environmental variables) in the patients’ healing process. Poor quality sensorial stimuli appears to increase psychological distress and, indirectly, be linked to negative implications for patients’ and workers’ health and well-being. These factors have been also associated with poor judgment regarding hospitals’ overall quality, which continue to be perceived as inhuman and stressful places. A systematic literature review on the topic revealed either a gap regarding the consideration of human senses in the design process or a poor understanding of its complexity and richness. This article explores the sensory dimension of healthcare environments, from the synaesthetic design perspective. This approach considers the entire phenomenology of human perception; Specifically, we intend to discuss the potential of sensory interactions between sensations, found to affect the general condition of well-being, for the conceptualization and development of sensory based solutions for healthcare environments. Research issues and challenges in the design of healthcare environments will be highlighted
Towards an accurate sleep apnea detection based on ECG signal: The quintessential of a wise feature selection
No full textA wise feature selection from minute-to-minute Electrocardiogram (ECG) signal is a challenging task for many reasons, but mostly because of the promise of the accurate detection of clinical disorders, such as the sleep apnea. In this study, the ECG signal was modeled in order to obtain the Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and the ECG-Derived Respiration (EDR). Selected features techniques were used for benchmark with different classifiers such as Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Support Vector Machine(SVM), among others. The results evidence that the best accuracy was 82.12%, with a sensitivity and specificity of 88.41% and 72.29%, respectively. In addition, experiments revealed that a wise feature selection may improve the system accuracy. Therefore, the proposed model revealed to be reliable and simpler alternative to classical solutions for the sleep apnea detection, for example the ones based on the Polysomnography
Anthropology and design: Shaping the future and designing the everyday
No full textThe field of anthropology of design or design anthropology has developed only over the last two decades, and primarily over the last few years has been attracting increasing attention both within and outside the academic sphere, where its practical value is expanding in different ways. The authors warn of the terminological and translation issues that accompany this anthropological direction. Design here is a broad term involving creating or bringing into being by integrating knowledge, experience, aspirations and free thought. The authors explain how anthropology of design or design anthropology works in practice using the example of research into toilets within the framework of the international action platform Give a Shit. They conclude that design anthropology facilitates a redirection from theoretical knowledge towards practical creation and co-management of solutions and the future
Technology resources for social and psychological assessment in childhood: exploratory study of "GPS4SUCCESS” App for use in school settings
No full textIn recent years, psychological research on children has stated significant developments, arising from
the childhood scientific reconceptualization. A transversal critical issue to this conceptual evolution is
the psychological assessment of children. In fact, psychological assessment of children is a difficult task
and is sometimes underestimated by psychologists, teachers and even families. In any investigation,
defining the variables/dimensions to be assessed and the best way to evaluate them is recognized as
one of the key subjects for a successful research. When the goal is to assess children, by positioning
them as participants and social actors, this becomes even more critical and even sensitive. If it is totally
uncontested the relevance and beneficial aspects of a psychological assessment when performed in a
scientific and ethical framework, the process of doing does not gather broad consensus. All these
concerns were taken into consideration when it was conceived a research study with the main goal of
contribute to understand the phenomenon of success and failure in the elementary/primary education,
from a longitudinal perspective. As a result, the aim is to identify predictable success or failure profiles,
creating an early detection system that works as an efficient decision support system enabling school
managers to identify the risks and opportunities for an intentional and early intervention. To do that,
psychological assessment on children between the ages of 8 and 10 years old had to be planned.
Considering that the evaluation of the target children should take place in the classroom context and
should cover both intra, inter and transpersonal aspects, the challenge of achieving results with a sample
of 2000 child took on a highly intricate nature.to overcome these challenges, present study aims to
present a technological tool (app) to be used to overcome not only the difficulties expected to administer
a large number of psychological tests to children, but also to treat their results efficiently without losing
their rigor. In this way, all ethical issues were also safeguarded. Thus, GPS4Success is a digital
application with a built-in mascot, the GPS, thought out and conceived with features that facilitate the
children’s ability to relate to it and with whom they are invited to interact. Throughout data collection, the
mascot provides tasks alongside their step by step guides and positive inputs stimulating children’s
awareness and engagement, decreasing the risk of demotivation and the monotony resulting from the
task. This app enables: collective data collection, autonomous and independent task execution and
respect for individual pace. The creation of this resource – GPS - as a built-in mascot stimulates children,
raising their attention and simultaneously helps them to perform the tasks requested in a fun and
pleasant way, emphasizing the playful aspect of the assignment. The implications of using a
technological tool as a data collection strategy for psychological assessment, as well as the advantages
and disadvantages of its use, and the possibility of being tailored to and used in the teaching-learning
process will be discussed in the light of current educational policy trends
Residents’ involvement in city brand co-creation and their perceptions of city brand identity: A case study in Porto
No full textThis study discusses residents’ involvement in the co-creation of a city brand, their perceptions about brand identity and authenticity and the fit with their sense of place. The city of Porto, Portugal, was chosen as a case study, since a new city brand was created in September 2014. The authors analysed the descriptive book explaining the strategy of the city brand created. In order to understand residents’ involvement, an interview with the head of communication of Porto City Council was conducted. Then, a focus group was developed with Porto residents from different parts of the city. The focus group gathered the residents’ perception about the brand created and their opinion about authenticity and place identity. Results indicate that, despite being partly involved in the creation of Porto city logo, residents would like to have contributed to the recognised place marketing strategy in a more active way. Citizens agree that the brand fits with their sense of place identity, but consider that the strategy is designed to attract tourists and not to reinforce citizens’ place attachment. The failure of internal place marketing is discussed in the paper and some recommendations for public policy are presented
The news and its impact on portuguese children’s perspectives
No full textThe aim of this research is to understand children`s involvement
with the news, and the impact of general issues on these audiences.
In 2014, with the participation of 42 Portuguese children in
six focus groups, the research concluded that the nature of children’s
involvement with the news is contextualised within the
following variables: gender; preferences; life experiences; skills to
process issues; forms of exposure and media coverage of events;
and family mediation. The data reveal that children frequently
watch the news and get involved and excited about these topics.
But, the results also reveal that children may feel disturbed when
viewing certain problematic events to which they direct their
attention mainly as a result of permanent media coverage of
such events via shocking images. The latter phenomenon arises
even more frequently during moments of crisis and terrorism,
imposing the need to focus on media literacy
Absorptive Capacity, Explicit and Implicit Knowledge Sharing Practices Within Consortia
No full textAbsorptive capacity is an important dimension of the innovative capacity of firms. One of the main factors influencing absorptive capacity is exposure to external sources of knowledge, namely consortia. Considering that absorptive capacity dynamics is an underdeveloped research topic in extant literature on knowledge management, this study's aim is to empirically analyze the relationship between cooperation within hotel marketing consortia and adoption of explicit and implicit knowledge management practices. Accordingly, a survey was conducted with 4* and 5* hotels in Portugal affiliated to a hotel marketing consortium. Results showed there is a strong relationship between level of cooperation within consortia and level of adoption of explicit and implicit knowledge management practices
Exogenous determinants of cost deviations and overruns in local infrastructure projects.
No full textExogenous determinants of cost deviations and overruns in local infrastructure projects.There is a significant concern about cost deviations and overruns in public projects, particularly by the local governments. The magnitude of expenditure on these infrastructure projects justifies the search for cost deviation reasons, particularly cost overruns. The existing literature also identifies a tendency towards cost overruns in infrastructure projects. However, the analysis of cost overruns determinants has mostly focused on endogenous project characteristics. This research uses a dataset of 4,305 public infrastructure projects, of which 3,338 are local projects, carried out in Portugal between 1980 and 2012. Exogenous determinants (e.g. political, institutional and governance, and economic-related) are also considered in the analysis. An average cost overrun of 19% (9 billion Euros in volume, with a 1 billion Euros overrun) is identified. It is found that central governments incur on an average cost overrun of 23% and local governments on 6%. The analysis confirmed that projects developed by local governments tend to perform better regarding cost deviations and overruns and that exogenous determinants (particularly the political, institutional and governance environment ones) have a strong impact on cost deviations and overruns. These findings on exogenous factors can help local governments to make better management decisions, enhancing governance and institutional frameworks to improve the decision-making process when launching new infrastructure