Biblioteca Digital do IPB
Repositório de Publicações do Instituto Politécnico de Bragança
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Avaliação e caracterização do ambiente rural construído do Parque Natural de Montesinho, Portugal. O projeto INHAVIT
Publication . Luso, Eduarda; Ferreira, Débora
Em Portugal, nas últimas décadas, tem-se verificado um aumento da população e das cidades situadas no litoral e, pelo contrário, uma diminuição em localidades do interior, com maior gravidade nas zonas rurais. As causas são complexas e não consensuais, mas percebe-se claramente que fatores como a falta de investimento no interior, a emigração e migração para um litoral cada vez mais autista na sua relação com o resto do território, o abandono da agricultura e o envelhecimento da população constituem ingredientes suficientes para potenciar a desertificação de algumas zonas do país.
O abandono e desertificação de aldeias não é no entanto, um problema só de Portugal. Embora Portugal seja um dos países mais afetados por esta problemática que atinge todo o território nacional, trata-se de um problema europeu que se tem vindo a acentuar a partir da segunda metade do século XX.
Preocupados com este facto, que põe em risco o elevado abandono de aldeias e lugares do interior de Portugal, em particular os situados no nordeste transmontano, o Projeto InHaVit - Abordagens sustentáveis para a reabilitação e revitalização do património cultural construído no Parque Natural do Montesinho (PNM), financiado pela FCT – Fundação de Ciência e Tecnologia, tem como objetivo principal a avaliação e caracterização: (1) do ambiente rural construído do PNM, ao nível dos edifícios e ao nível das aldeias; e (2) de fatores socioeconómicos e ambientais que contribuam para a vulnerabilidade das aldeias e arquitetura vernacular do PNM. O conhecimento profundo destes aspetos ajudará a compreender as razões pelas quais se deu o abandono progressivo das aldeias. No final, o projeto irá propor estratégias de mitigação de riscos, reabilitação e conservação do património edificado, reconhecendo que a valorização e preservação da arquitetura vernácula é um elemento chave da identidade cultural e que se pode tornar um fator privilegiado para o desenvolvimento local.
Este artigo pretende mostrar a metodologia de trabalho relativo ao levantamento “in-situ” efetuada até ao momento, relativos ao ponto (1), bem como de alguns aspetos muito particulares desta região nomeadamente dos telhados em lousa e dos moinhos de água.
Biomonitoring of wildfire emissions exposure among firefighters during active fire missions
Publication . Barros, B.; Paiva, A.M.; Azevedo, R.; Alves, Sara Elisa Brás;; Esteves, F.; Fernandes, Adília; Vaz, Josiana A.; Slezakova, K.; Pereira, M.C.; Costa, S.; Almeida, A.; Teixeira, J. P.; Oliveira, M.; Morais, S.
The aim of this study was to conduct a multidisciplinary biomonitoring assessment of the exposure and health
impacts of wildfire emissions on firefighters from the Northern Portugal, one of the regions most affected by
wildfires. Firefighters from fourteen fire stations participated in pre- and post-exposure sampling campaigns
during two consecutive years. Self-reporting biometric characteristics, lifestyle, clinical information, career
years, environmental/occupational exposure along with urinary biomarkers of polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons metabolites (OHPAHs), metal(loid)s [from the priority pollutant lists compiled by the Agency
for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 14, United States Environmental Protection Agency 11, and the
Human Biomonitoring for Europe Initiative priority 4], lung injury, lipid peroxidation, DNA damage, blood
pressure, cardiac frequency, and hemogram were evaluated (Barros et al., 2025; Esteves et al., 2025; Paiva et
al., 2024a; Paiva et al., 2024b). Stronger correlations were found between OHPAHs and metal(loid) levels and
effect biomarkers after wildfire combat in comparison to pre-exposure. Wildfire exposure increased urinary
-smokers. For the latter,
copper, cadmium and barium ions correlated with lung injury; antimony and cadmium correlated with lipid
peroxidation; DNA oxidation correlated with antimony, cadmium, copper, lead, zinc, selenium, and rubidium
levels. Moreover, arsenic, antimony, lead, and copper induced lipid peroxidation, and lead was linked with
DNA oxidation among wildfire-exposed smokers. Significant positive correlations were found for age and/or
career length with cadmium, lead, barium, strontium, and mercury, and for body mass index with arsenic.
These results point to an increased risk of health effects both in non-smoking and smoking firefighters because
of their occupation, highlighting the necessity to strengthen prevention strategies.
Understanding Dropout in Postgraduate Education: Challenges and Institutional Responses
Publication . Fernandes, Joana M.S.R.
Despite growing enrolment in postgraduate education, completion rates remain low, often falling below those of undergraduate programmes. This disparity has raised concerns about the adequacy of current retention strategies, which are frequently designed with undergraduate students in mind and may overlook the specific needs of postgraduate learners. Master’s students often face distinct challenges, including balancing professional responsibilities, aca-demic demands, and family obligations, all of which contribute to a heightened risk of dropout. This study investigates the institutional factors contributing to non-completion in master’s education through a qualitative case study at a pub-lic higher education institution in Portugal. Using an adapted Delphi methodol-ogy, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with first-year stu-dents and follow-up interviews with postgraduates to validate and deepen the findings. The results reveal three key areas influencing student retention: the early alignment between coursework and dissertation topics, the consistency and support provided by thesis supervisors, and the degree of flexibility in insti-tutional scheduling and workload management. Based on these insights, the study proposes practical recommendations such as structured dissertation time-lines and increased opportunities for academic engagement, including participa-tion in conferences. These measures can help higher education institutions re-duce attrition and improve the postgraduate experience by aligning academic structures with students' lived realities.
Reassessing Master's Program Dropouts in Tourism: Is the labor market failing to compensate for the effort?
Publication . Fernandes, Joana M.S.R.; Esteves, Salete;
Each year, more students are enrolling in postgraduate degree pro-grams. However, many students will fail to complete the degree and drop out. Dropout results in economic and psychological repercussions and potentially hin-ders career advancement. Despite increasing enrolment in postgraduate pro-grams, existing studies predominantly focus on the undergraduate level. Still, master's students, assumed to possess maturity and experience, exhibit lower completion rates. This study focuses on master's students in tourism, a critical sector for countries reliant on skilled professionals. The research aims to eluci-date the factors influencing dropout decisions and students' perceptions regarding the economic implications. Findings suggest that motivation for pursuing a mas-ter's degree in tourism is often driven more by personal satisfaction than purely financial considerations. Furthermore, these graduates may not receive the ex-pected recognition for their advanced qualifications upon entering the labour market. As such, comprehensive analysis in tourism education is imperative to address dropout issues effectively and better align educational outcomes with job market demands.
Smart tourism destination advances through qualitative research and further research avenues: a systematic literature review
Publication . Vaz, Roberto; Carvalho, João Vidal de; Teixeira, Sandrina Francisca; Castanho, Rui
Smart tourism destinations have emerged in the last decade as a recent evolution of destination. These denote innovative tourist spaces based on hyper-connected technological infrastructures that promote sustainable development, efficient resource management, improved tourist experiences and meaningful interactions with residents, contributing to enhancing destinations' competitiveness in the tourist sector. However, its widespread understanding and operationalization benefiting from qualitative research practices remains poorly explored. This article provides a comprehensive systematic literature review combined with thematic analysis to examine 43 studies on smart tourism destination advancements through qualitative approaches in detail and identify critical research trends that require urgent attention. The results provide multiple theoretical and practical implications related to employing qualitative methods to advance this emerging field; the most representative geographic scope covered and others demanding attention; the fundamental themes addressed for the economic, sociocultural, environmental, managerial, political, and tourism informatics dimensions of smart tourism destinations; and several future research avenues to extend and shape the future of this area of knowledge.