Abstract
The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) plays a major role in tourism, travel and hospitality industry. The Integration of ICT in the tourism industry is essential for success of tourism enterprise, as such it is necessary to integrate ICT in higher education curricula. This paper analyzes the relevance given by the various Portuguese and Spanish institutions of higher education to ICT in their degrees. The analysis carried out was done in degree courses operating in the academic year 2018/2019, in Portuguese and Spanish universities and polytechnics. A comparison was also made with the reality of 2012/2013. Copyright © 2020. Elisabete PAULO MORAIS, Carlos R. CUNHA and João Pedro GOMES. Distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International CC-BY 4.0.

Abstract

Abstract
This study proposes two predictive models of classification that allow to identify, at the end of the 1st and 2nd semesters, the undergraduate students of a higher education institution more prone to academic dropout. The proposed methodology, which combines 3 popular data mining algorithms, such as random forest, support vector machines and artificial neural networks, in addition to contributing to predictive performance, allows to identify the main factors behind academic dropout. The empirical results show that it is possible to reduce to about 1/4 the 4 tens potential predictors of dropout, and show that there are essentially two predictors, concerning student’s curriculum context, that explain this propensity. This knowledge is useful for decision-makers to adopt the most appropriate strategic measures and decisions in order to reduce student dropout rates.

Abstract
Thin-film sensors surfaces are becoming popular to collect data in several specific and complex processes, namely plastic injection or metal stamping, allowing the digitization of such processes through the use of Internet of Things technologies. A particular challenge in such thin-film sensors surfaces is the data acquisition and signal conditioning system, which implementation is complex due to the characteristics of these sensors (e.g., low amplitude and noisy signals), but even more complex when implemented in real industrial processes, which are subject to harsh conditions, namely noise, dirt and aggressive elements. This work describes a modular data acquisition and signals conditioning system for thin-film sensors surfaces, meeting the requirements of scalability, robustness and low-cost, meaning that it can be easily expanded according to the number of sensors required for the application scenario.

Abstract

Abstract
The defense industry has unique features involving national sovereignty. Despite the characteristics that led to the separation of the military and civil spheres, since the 1990s, the number of dual-use projects has been growing. Taking into account that Portugal is a small European country, this paper analyzes the relationships within the defense industry in order to determine how university–industry–government relationships (the Triple Helix) function in this specific industry. The analysis of 145 projects of the Portuguese Ministry of Defense led to the following conclusions: first, academia was represented in more than 90% of the projects, and 40% of those projects have a dual-use application; second, there is a predominance of knowledge production, dissemination and application, for which the university’s institutional sphere is essential and third, the Triple Helix system evolves into a network of relationships that involve projects with both civil and military applications. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.