325 research outputs found

    O potencial para a cooperação entre empresas de turismo e produção de vinho na oferta de experiências turísticas : o caso da região do douro, em Portugal

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    The provision of tourism experiences depends on cooperative relationships of businesses operating not only in the same, but also in complementary industries, as it is the case of wine production industry. This paper then focuses on the occurrence, or not, of inter-sectoral and/or diagonal cooperation between businesses operating in wine and tourism industries. The aim is to understand and discuss the current situation of cooperation in the region and its (potential) adoption to the provision of tourism experiences. Data here presented was collected through interviewbased face-to-face questionnaire applied to businesses' decision makers, owners/managers. Results indicate cooperation is already being adopted by many of the owners/ managers of wine and tourism businesses in the region and that although visitor experiences were not clearly indicated by respondents as one of the reasons to cooperate, offering complementary and diversified products/services and activities is one of the main reasons for businesses, particularly for tourism businesses, to cooperate with wine businesses. It was acknowledged by respondents an increasing demand for wine-related activities (as participating in harvests and wine tasting) and the need to offer adequate products/services to meet wine-related demand expectations of tourists when vising the region. The results of this paper indicate that respondents, particularly tourism businesses, recognise that this offer is the result of cooperative relationships with wine businesses. Therefore, one can say that there is a great potential for cooperation between wine and tourism in the provision of tourism experiences in this region.8014-1B5A-933A | Goretti SilvaN/

    When gold stops glittering: corrosion mechanisms of René Lalique's Art Nouveau jewellery

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    ABSTRACT: Art Nouveau jewellery created by René Lalique is presently corroded. To identify the corrosion processes, Au-Ag-Cu alloys with compositions comparable to those used in the René Lalique’s jewellery were fabricated to be exposed to sulphide-containing environments. Using SEM-EDS, XRD, UV-Vis spectroscopy and ellipsometry, it was for the first time demon-strated that at the surface of tarnished Au alloys forms a corrosion film with a layer-by-layer structure. Considering the complex refractive indices of bulk Cu and Ag oxides and sulphides, a two-step corrosion mechanism was proposed. The formation of Cu-based compounds during the early corrosion stages is followed by the formation of Ag-based compounds. The thinness of the formed film, shown for one of the gold alloys to be of 80 nm, is due to a corrosion kinetics controlled by the presence of Au and by the formation of an Au-S self-assembled monolayer. The corrosion mechanism of gold alloys raises a new conservation challenge concerning the removal of nanometric layers.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Boosting cultural heritage in rural communities through an ICT platform: the Viv@vó project

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    Rural regions concentrate on themselves a very rich set of ancestral traditions. The perpetuation of such traditions has been achieved through transmission between generations. Unfortunately, all this knowledge is typically elders-centered and it lacks effective processes of digitalization, storage and providing-systems for that all this heritage can effectively be perpetuated through future generations that are digital-born. From this base, it was created a project case study limited to the Portuguese Northeast region, named Viv@vó – living in the grandma's house. This paper presents the ICT platform that was created in this project and some main achievements during the project development process. Tourism and mainly experience and cultural heritage tourism are growing in tourist’s interests. Rural regions have an untapped potential for this slice of tourism industry. Rural regions have an enormous collection of ancestral knowledge that we are responsible to deliver to future generations as an inheritance to which they are entitled.The present work was developed under the Viv@vó Project: "Living in the Grandma's House", with the reference NORTE-01- 0145-FEDER-023637, financed by the Regional Operational Program of the North, Notice 02/SAICT/2016.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Structural Data on the Periplasmic Aldehyde Oxidoreductase PaoABC from Escherichia coli: SAXS and Preliminary X-ray Crystallography Analysis

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    This work was financially supported by Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT-MCTES) through project PTDC/BIA-PRO/118377/2010, grants SFRH/BD/85806/2012 (ARC), SFRH/BPD/64917/2009 (MC), DAAD-441.00 and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Grant Le1171/6-1 (to SL). The access to the EMBL facilities was supported by the EU FP7 infrastructure grants P-Cube (Project Number 227764) and BioStruct-X (Project Number 283570).The periplasmic aldehyde oxidoreductase PaoABC from Escherichia coli is a molybdenum enzyme involved in detoxification of aldehydes in the cell. It is an example of an αβγ heterotrimeric enzyme of the xanthine oxidase family of enzymes which does not dimerize via its molybdenum cofactor binding domain. In order to structurally characterize PaoABC, X-ray crystallography and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) have been carried out. The protein crystallizes in the presence of 20% (w/v) polyethylene glycol 3350 using the hanging-drop vapour diffusion method. Although crystals were initially twinned, several experiments were done to overcome twinning and lowering the crystallization temperature (293 K to 277 K) was the solution to the problem. The non-twinned crystals used to solve the structure diffract X-rays to beyond 1.80 Å and belong to the C2 space group, with cell parameters a = 109.42 Å, b = 78.08 Å, c = 151.77 Å, β = 99.77°, and one molecule in the asymmetric unit. A molecular replacement solution was found for each subunit separately, using several proteins as search models. SAXS data of PaoABC were also collected showing that, in solution, the protein is also an αβγ heterotrimer.publishersversionpublishe

    Productivity measurement: the case of nature tourism firms in Portugal

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    Productivity measurement in the tourism sector has been raising increasing interest among researchers and is recognised as an important indicator for understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the sector and for enhancing its spillover effects on the economy. However, studies for Portugal and the particular activities included in the set of nature tourism activities are scarce. To overcome this research gap, this paper calculates the labour productivity and total factor productivity (TFP) measures of nature tourism firms to compare firms’ productivity performance across NUTS II regions in mainland Portugal during 2014–2017. Using data from SABI, Quadros do Pessoal, INE and the National Tourism Registry, the sample consists of 369 firms, representing 55% of firms operating in nature tourism in the mainland. Results show that the levels of TFP, unlike to labour productivity, are uneven over time and space. In 2015, a year of change in the business cycle, all regions experienced a negative increase in TFP except the Metropolitan Region of Lisbon, which seems to indicate that nature tourism in most of the country is less resilient to external economic shocks, performing better in periods of prosperity. Labour productivity growth does not present, in general, consistently positive results.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    The use of a geographic information system to increase outdoor tourism

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    Purpose: Outdoor tourism is a growing segment that still requires data for planning and management. Aimed to present the potential of the Geographic Information System (GIS) to improve outdoor tourism in the North of Portugal. To achieve this purpose, a case study was conducted on developing a Web-GIS in Northern Portugal. Methodology: Four steps were followed to develop the GIS tool with information about outdoor tourism in the North of Portugal. In the first step, municipalities in the North of Portugal sent information about outdoor activities. In the second step, the data were georeferenced and associated. In the last step, a Web-GIS was developed. Findings: The development of tools is an important source of support for tourism. This study identified that a tool such as the GIS could support a destination's decision-making and promotional processes, besides providing detailed information to the tourist and facilitating travel planning. Practical implications: GIS provides effective planning of outdoor tourism, once this tool allows an effective search of the tourist offer and, from the tourist's perspective, relevant suggestions of visits according to their location are presented, facilitating their experience in the region. Originality: Several studies relate to GIS and tourism, but there is still a gap in specific studies on outdoor activities. So, this study presents the importance of GIS to improve outdoor tourism in the North region of Portugal. Understanding this importance is essential in planning and managing tourism, helping further policymaking and marketing strategies.B913-0565-0908 | Elvira VieiraN/

    Productivity measurement: the case of nature tourism firms in Portugal

    Get PDF
    Productivity measurement in the tourism sector has been raising increasing interest among researchers and is recognised as an important indicator for understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the sector and for enhancing its spillover effects on the economy. However, studies for Portugal and the particular activities included in the set of nature tourism activities are scarce. To overcome this research gap, this paper calculates the labour productivity and total factor productivity (TFP) measures of nature tourism firms to compare firms? productivity performance across NUTS II regions in mainland Portugal during 2014?2017. Using data from SABI, Quadros do Pessoal, INE and the National Tourism Registry, the sample consists of 369 firms, representing 55% of firms operating in nature tourism in the mainland. Results show that the levels of TFP, unlike to labour productivity, are uneven over time and space. In 2015, a year of change in the business cycle, all regions experienced a negative increase in TFP except the Metropolitan Region of Lisbon, which seems to indicate that nature tourism in most of the country is less resilient to external economic shocks, performing better in periods of prosperity. Labour productivity growth does not present, in general, consistently positive results.B913-0565-0908 | Elvira Vieirainfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    The use of a geographic information system to increase outdoor tourism

    Get PDF
    Purpose: Outdoor tourism is a growing segment that still requires data for planning and management. Aimed to present the potential of the Geographic Information System (GIS) to improve outdoor tourism in the North of Portugal. To achieve this purpose, a case study was conducted on developing a Web-GIS in Northern Portugal. Methodology: Four steps were followed to develop the GIS tool with information about outdoor tourism in the North of Portugal. In the first step, municipalities in the North of Portugal sent information about outdoor activities. In the second step, the data were georeferenced and associated. In the last step, a Web-GIS was developed. Findings: The development of tools is an important source of support for tourism. This study identified that a tool such as the GIS could support a destination's decision-making and promotional processes, besides providing detailed information to the tourist and facilitating travel planning. Practical implications: GIS provides effective planning of outdoor tourism, once this tool allows an effective search of the tourist offer and, from the tourist's perspective, relevant suggestions of visits according to their location are presented, facilitating their experience in the region. Originality: Several studies relate to GIS and tourism, but there is still a gap in specific studies on outdoor activities. So, this study presents the importance of GIS to improve outdoor tourism in the North region of Portugal. Understanding this importance is essential in planning and managing tourism, helping further policymaking and marketing strategies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
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