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- Key factors influencing university students’ intention to use generative AI and its impact on satisfactionPublication . Silva, Osvaldo; Sousa, ÁureaABSTRACT: This study aims to explore the key determinants influencing university students’ behavioural intention to use Generative Artificial Intelligence (BI_GAI) tools in educational settings, as well as the impact of this intention on student satisfaction (SS). Grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the research incorporates the traditional constructs of Perceived Ease of Use (PE) and Perceived Usefulness (PU) and extends the model by integrating Perceived Intelligence (PI), Perceived Trust (PT), Perceived Risk (PR), Expected Benefits (EB), and Technology Self-Efficacy (TSE). Data were collected from 775 students at a Portuguese higher education institution through a questionnaire comprising 40 items across nine constructs (PE, PI, PU, PT, PR, BI_GAI, EB, TSE, and SS), alongside sociodemographic variables. The data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The results reveal that PE and PI have a significant positive effect on Behavioural Intention to Use GAI (BI_GAI), whereas PU does not have a statistically significant direct influence. Perceived Trust (PT) emerges as a key mediating variable in the relationship between PU and BI_GAI, while Perceived Risk (PR) does not act as a significant mediator between the TAM constructs and BI_GAI. Behavioural Intention to Use GAI has the strongest direct influence on Student Satisfaction (SS), highlighting its central role in understanding students’ engagement with GAI tools. Moreover, both EB and TSE significantly affect SS, both directly and indirectly through BI_GAI. These findings support the development of an expanded TAM-based model that provides a more holistic perspective on the technological, psychological, and educational factors shaping GAI adoption in higher education. The inclusion of constructs such as PI, PT, and TSE offers deeper insights into the mechanisms through which students evaluate and adopt GAI for learning purposes, ultimately contributing to enhanced academic satisfaction.
- Potential factors promoting university student motivation and satisfaction in a blended learning contextPublication . Silva, Osvaldo; Sousa, ÁureaABSTRACT: Blended learning has gained prominence in higher education in response to the growing integration of technology in society, aiming to enhance student engagement by combining face-to-face instruction with online components. This pedagogical approach supports autonomy, encourages active participation, and promotes critical thinking by enabling students to apply theoretical concepts to practical situations through digital tools and interactive platforms. This study investigates the key factors influencing student motivation and satisfaction in blended learning environments. It draws on two theoretical frameworks: Self-Determination Theory (SDT), which highlights the psychological needs of autonomy, relatedness, and competence as essential for intrinsic motivation; and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), which focuses on Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of use (PEOU) as predictors of technology acceptance. The research was conducted at a Portuguese university with a sample of 444 students, who completed a questionnaire comprising 38 items distributed across seven constructs (namely, Autonomy, Relatedness, Competence, PU, PEOU, Learning Motivation (LM), and Learning Satisfaction (LS)), along with sociodemographic data. The analysis employed Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), evaluating both the measurement model and the structural model, using bootstrapping to assess the significance of the path coefficients. The results confirmed most of the formulated hypotheses. Perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness were the strongest predictors of learning motivation, which, in turn, significantly influenced learning satisfaction. Additionally, PU and PEOU mediated the relationship between the SDT factors and learning motivation. However, PEOU did not mediate the relationship between competence and PU. These findings offer valuable insights for university leaders, educators, and student organisations, highlighting the importance of aligning blended learning strategies with students’ psychological and technological needs to enhance their motivation and overall satisfaction.
- Porquê Investigar, Desenvolver e Ensinar Biotecnologia na Universidade dos AçoresMachado, Artur da CâmaraOs Açores, apesar da sua reduzida dimensão geográfica, constituem um território de excecional riqueza ecológica, integrando ecossistemas diversificados que se estendem desde o mar profundo até ambientes terrestres marcados por intensa atividade vulcânica, expressa em múltiplas formas.
- Vertical forest strata position and niche shifts between juvenile and adult spidersPublication . Costa, Ricardo; Cardoso, Pedro; Rigal, François; Borges, P.A.V.; Miller, JeremyABSTRACT: Functional trait analyses have become a vital part of ecological and evolutionary research in recent years. Nevertheless, this progress highlights the persistent and significant gaps in our knowledge of species traits, a limitation known as the Raunkiæran shortfall. For spiders, the difficulty in properly identifying immature specimens has often contributed to discarding the contribution of these lifestages to intraspecific functional variability and community structure. Species microhabitat preferences along the vertical gradient in forest biomes are amongst the traits frequently unknown for spider juveniles, despite their relevance for multiple aspects of spiders' ecology. To bridge this knowledge gap, in this study, we used spider community data collected from the native forests on two islands belonging to the Azores Archipelago, a well-characterized and species-poor system ideal for trait-focused studies. Our goals were to compare the mean verticality and vertical range of adult and juvenile spiders belonging to different hunting guilds (hunters and web weavers) and ballooning propensity (frequent, occasional and rare ballooners). We did this using two-sample paired Wilcoxon signed rank tests and Kruskal–Wallis tests, followed by Dunn’s tests to check for differences in the variation of adult and juvenile verticality from species belonging to different functional groups. Across 22 species sampled at 16 sites on two islands, adult and juvenile spiders did not differ in their mean vertical position within the forest strata. Unexpectedly, however, adults occupied a significantly broader vertical range than juveniles, indicating greater habitat flexibility than anticipated. The pattern observed for vertical range remained when looking at the two hunting guilds considered (hunters and web-weavers), although, in the case of hunters, adults tended to have lower mean verticality than juveniles. Finally, for the three categories of ballooning propensity (frequent, occasional and rare), we observed that juveniles of rare ballooners had higher mean verticality, while, for all categories, these tended to have lower values of vertical range. Our findings show the importance of including juveniles in microhabitat studies, as well as how this seems to vary across functional groups. It is hoped that this study will serve as a valuable baseline to future research aiming to better incorporate immature life stages in spider community ecology, particularly as new standardised methodologies are developed to reliably associate juveniles with their adult forms.
- Toward a global repository of insect traits (GRIT)Publication . Cardoso, Pedro; Baker, Nathan; Canelas Boieiro, Mário Rui; Bonte, Dries; Borges, P.A.V.; Braby, Michael; Branco, Vasco; Chobanov, Dragan; Correia, Luís; Dalton, Daniel; Damas-Mora, Mariana; Didham, Raphael; Forster, Lynne; Glatz, Richard; Gorneau, Jacob; Hochkirch, Axel; Kirse, Ameli; Lichtenberg, Elinor; Macías-Hernández, Nuria; Miličić, Marija; Moir, Melinda; Moreno-García, Pablo; Neessen, Ruth; Noriega, Jorge; Penick, Clint; Perry, Kayla; Pryke, James; Rego, Carla; Roeder, Karl; Saussure, Stéphanie; Shirey, Vaughn; Sihvonen, Pasi; Svetnik, Ilja; Tarasov, Sergei; Trindade, Pedro; Welti, Ellen; Wong, Mark; Scherber, Christoph; Saunders, Manu Elinor; Gebert, FriederikeABSTRACT: The pace of biodiversity loss outstrips our ability to conserve Earth's most diverse group of named species—the insects (Arthropoda: Insecta). We increasingly rely on trait-based metrics to understand how insects respond to and affect their environment. Traits provide insights that aid conservation assessment and planning. Yet, we lack a centralised trait database for insects, hampering insights that could inform ecological research and conservation management planning. We propose the creation of the Global Repository of Insect Traits (GRIT). GRIT will cover all world regions, realms and insect taxa. It will provide open and FAIR access to comprehensive trait data compiled from both currently available and future datasets. This proposal is an open call for all to join a global network of collaborators in a collective effort to accelerate the compilation of insect trait data and increase the transparency of data sharing and accessibility in the field. We envision the use of state-of-the-art methods in trait acquisition and imputation to build computational tools that can extract and validate trait data from unstructured text, accelerating information availability by orders of magnitude. We anticipate the development of analytical tools that contribute to a governance structure, ensuring the long-term success of the database and extraction tools. Finally, we outline future opportunities and identify several research questions that could be readily answered once data are assembled. Recognising the numerous challenges inherent in this project, we invite a robust discussion on strategies to effectively address obstacles.
- Planeamento de campanhas publicitárias: Estratégias multicanal para alcançar o sucessoPublication . André, Miguel Arruda; Moniz, Ana Isabel Damião de Serpa ArrudaO presente relatório descreve a experiência de estágio na agência de marketing Zona de Ideias, no âmbito do Mestrado em Ciências Económicas e Empresariais, com especialização em Marketing. O principal objetivo foi aplicar conhecimentos académicos num contexto profissional, consolidar competências técnicas e interpessoais e aprofundar a compreensão do setor, com enfoque na realidade açoriana. A integração numa equipa multidisciplinar e a participação em projetos com impacto real reforçaram a capacidade de análise crítica, adaptação de mensagens a diferentes públicos e adoção de uma abordagem mais estratégica na produção de conteúdos. A colaboração contínua e o acesso a feedback construtivo contribuíram para o amadurecimento profissional e o desenvolvimento da autonomia. O contexto regional revelou desafios como a dimensão reduzida do mercado, os constrangimentos logísticos e alguma resistência à inovação, mas também oportunidades, como a forte identidade cultural, a proximidade entre agentes do setor e a crescente digitalização da economia local. Destaca-se o uso frequente de ferramentas tecnológicas, especialmente inteligência artificial (IA). A utilização do ChatGPT evidenciou o potencial da tecnologia para otimizar processos criativos, quando aplicada com sentido crítico e estratégico. O relatório inclui recomendações dirigidas à entidade de acolhimento, à instituição académica e a futuros estagiários, sublinhando a importância da articulação entre teoria e prática, da valorização da inovação e da aprendizagem contínua. Em síntese, o estágio foi uma etapa fundamental de preparação para o mercado de trabalho, contribuindo para a construção de um perfil profissional informado, flexível e alinhado com os desafios contemporâneos do marketing.
- Lisboa, 1755: o dia em que tudo mudouPublication . Camarinhas, Nuno; Coordenação e edição de Ana Teresa Alves (FCSH-UAc)No dia 1 de novembro de 1755, Lisboa viveu uma manhã que mudou a sua história. Era Dia de Todos-os-Santos e a cidade estava cheia de fiéis nas igrejas quando, pouco antes das dez, a terra começou a tremer violentamente.
- Do Rubi ao Attossegundo: Como o Laser Aprendeu a Medir o TempoVasconcelos, Cristina; Meirelles, GabrielaQuando Theodore Maiman operou o primeiro laser de rubi, em 1960, dificilmente imaginaria que estava a criar um dos instrumentos mais revolucionários da física contemporânea. O feixe vermelho emitido pelo laser— inicialmente visto como curiosidade de laboratório — abriu caminho a seis décadas de inovação que hoje atravessam a medicina, as telecomunicações, a indústria e a investigação fundamental.
- RED. Pre-Pri – Desenvolvimento de recursos digitais em contexto de educação pré-escolar e primeiro ciclo do ensino básicoPublication . Teixeira, Micaela Viveiros; Sousa, Francisco José RodriguesO presente estudo procura avaliar a utilização de Recursos Educativos Digitais (RED) em contexto escolar. Neste sentido, procurou-se realizar uma avaliação não somente dos RED criados ao longo dos estágios pedagógicos, bem como dos que estão disponíveis online. A metodologia utilizada foi baseada na Investigação do Design Educacional, uma vez que esta mostrou ser a mais adequada tendo em conta a natureza do projeto realizado. Este tem uma característica intervencionista, por existir a necessidade de haver uma relação entre a intervenção no ambiente e o estudo desta, de modo que exista um melhoramento. Procedeu-se à realização de observação direta, bem como de entrevistas a docentes e discentes, de modo a melhor perceber o que era avaliado. Neste sentido, importou perceber se os alunos conseguiam compreender melhor os conteúdos lecionados, recorrendo à utilização de RED ou por meio de métodos mais convencionais, muitas vezes como apoio, são utilizados os livros. Para além disto, tornou-se importante perceber se os docentes têm hábito de se basear neste tipo de recursos e perceber quais são e se existe facilidade na sua seleção ou não.
- Insights from the Dalberto Teixeira Pombo (DTP) Arthropod Collection – II. Long-term monitoring of arthropod fauna in the show cave Algar do Carvão (Terceira, Azores, Portugal)Publication . Fonseca Crespo, Luís Carlos; Amorim do Rosário, Isabel; Pereira, Fernando; Borges, P.A.V.; Ruzzier, EnricoABSTRACT: The second manuscript in the series "Dalberto Teixeira Pombo (DTP) Arthropod Collection" focuses on Algar do Carvão, a remarkable volcanic pit on Terceira Island, Azores, that is a Natural Monument, a show cave and part of the Terceira Island Natural Park. This volcanic cave is unique amongst the archipelago’s subterranean systems due to its distinctive geological features, including rare silica-based speleothems and its exceptional natural setting. Surrounded by remnants of native laurel forest, the cave hosts a specialised assemblage of arthropods, including several taxa endemic to the Azores and single island endemic species. Of particular interest are four obligate cave-dwelling species or subspecies (troglobionts): the centipede Lithobius obscurus azoreae Eason & Ashmole, 1992 (Chilopoda, Lithobiomorpha, Lithobiidae); the springtail Pseudosinella ashmoleorum da Gama, 1988 (Collembola, Entomobryomorpha, Entomobryidae); the spider Turinyphia cavernicola Wunderlich, 2008 (Arachnida, Araneae, Linyphiidae); and the ground beetle Trechus terceiranus Machado, 1988 (Insecta, Coleoptera, Carabidae), the last two being endemics to Terceira Island. These species are part of a fragile and narrowly distributed subterranean fauna shaped by the volcanic origin of the island and its isolation (0.4 Ma). Their presence highlights the conservation value of Algar do Carvão, which serves not only as a cave biodiversity hotspot, but also as a natural laboratory for studying evolution, adaptation to subterranean habitats and island biogeography. Despite being a show cave with frequent human visits, Algar do Carvão retains a relatively intact hypogean ecosystem, though it remains vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures, such as habitat disturbance and pollution.