Abstract
With the consistent adoption of iVR and growing research on the topic, it becomes fundamental to understand how the perception of Realism plays a role in the potential of iVR. This work puts forwards a hypothesis-driven theoretical model of how the perception of each multisensory stimulus (Visual, Audio, Haptic and Scent) is related to the perception of Realism of the whole experience (Subjective Realism) and, in turn, how this Subjective Realism is related to Involvement and Presence. The model was validated using a sample of 216 subjects in a multisensory iVR experience. The results indicated a good model fit and provided evidence on how the perception of Realism of Visual, Audio and Scent individually is linked to Subjective Realism. Furthermore, the results demonstrate strong evidence that Subjective Realism is strongly associated with Involvement and Presence. These results put forwards a validated questionnaire for the perception of Realism of different aspects of the virtual experience and a robust theoretical model on the interconnections of these constructs. We provide empirical evidence that can be used to optimise iVR systems for Presence, Involvement and Subjective Realism, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of iVR experiences and opening new research avenues.

Abstract
Tourism business models have used several technologies in their development, such as Virtual Reality (VR). Previous studies show that VR allows tourism organizations to promote new types of relationships between tourists and destinations, to enhance the appeal and memorability of tourist experiences and to diversify consumption patterns, which could also be interesting for dealing with sustainability issues, such as seasonal demand of destinations or activities in wine tourism. Thus, we propose a conceptual model to analyze the influence of memorable tourism experiences on wine tourists' future intentions after a VR experience, providing additional details on the research methodology to empirically test the conceptual model. Innovation in business models with VR to promote new relationships with destinations or activities and diversify tourists' consumption patterns could be interesting to address seasonal activities, such as the grape harvest or grape-treading, which are not continuously available for tourist observation/ participation, despite their high appeal. On the other hand, the results could contribute to wine and other kinds of tourism, conditioned by mobility issues such as restrictions on movements or personal interaction, due to health crises or personal constraints, increasing these tourism experiences' accessibility also in times of unavailability. © 2023, Universidade de Aveiro. All rights reserved.

Abstract
In this study we explore the impact of multisensory stimuli in virtual reality on users' emotional responses, addressing a knowledge gap in this rapidly evolving field. Utilizing a range of sensory inputs, including taste, haptics, and smell, in addition to audiovisual cues, this study aims to understand how different combinations of these stimuli affect the users' emotional experience. Two immersive virtual experiences have been developed for this purpose. One included a scenario to evoke positive emotions through selectively chosen pleasant multisensory stimuli, validated in a focus group. The other sought the contrary: to trigger negative emotions by integrating selected combinations of unpleasant multisensory stimuli, also validated in the same focus group. Through a comparative analysis, our findings revealed significant differences in emotional responses between the groups exposed to positive and negative stimuli combinations. Results indicated that combinations involving haptics and taste were particularly effective in eliciting intense emotions using positive stimuli, but their impact was less significant with negative stimuli. This investigation suggests that a fully multisensory virtual environment integrating positive stimuli might lead to cognitive overload, reducing overall emotional responses. In contrast, environments with negative stimuli could enhance emotional engagement and be more likely to avoid cognitive overload. These findings have important implications for designing emotionally resonant and compelling virtual reality experiences. This research enhances the understanding of sensory integration in virtual reality and its effects on emotional engagement, offering valuable insights for developing more impactful virtual experiences.

Abstract
Over the years, various immersive virtual training environments (iVTEs) have been developed, allowing companies to start transitioning to Virtual Reality (VR) technologies to train their personnel. This transition forces companies to start using game engines as a foundation to develop such iVTEs, which also requires a multidisciplinary team. When developing such training environments, challenges on how to present tasks to users arise. The way these tasks are presented can dictate the efficacy of the VR training application. This paper presents three different task presentation methodologies (avatar animation, videos, and instruction manual) and assesses them using 36 participants, divided into those three groups. Usability, sense of presence, satisfaction, cybersickness, and technology acceptance variables were studied and results indicated that only the total number of actions performed had differences between groups where the instruction manual reported the higher number of actions (usability) when compared to the other conditions. Therefore it was concluded that the instruction manual proved to be where users kept losing focus and making more actions. It was also concluded that all conditions had a similar sense of presence, satisfaction, cybersickness, and acceptance scores.

Abstract
Cybersickness refers to the negative symptoms caused by exposure to a Virtual Reality (VR) experience. The literature is consensual that cybersickness is a key factor in an experience, as the non-existence of cybersickness provides an optimal virtual experience. Thus, it is of utmost importance to evaluate cybersickness when assessing VR applications to understand the impact of this factor on the user experience and, ultimately, on the VR application viability. However, there is a lack of Portuguese instruments to evaluate this variable. To tackle this, this aimed to translate and validate the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) to Portuguese so it can be used with the Portuguese population and maintain its psychometric properties. The new instrument was validated using a sample of 603 Portuguese subjects aged between 16 and 79. Based on the observed results, the obtained theoretical model shows that the Portuguese version of the SSQ is valid for properly evaluating cybersickness in VR experiences with Portuguese samples.

Abstract
Virtual reality (VR) for training helps minimize risks and costs by allowing more frequent and varied use of experiential training experiences, leading to active and improved learning. However, creating VR training experiences is costly and time-consuming, requiring software development experts. Additionally, current authoring tools are desktop-oriented, which detaches the process of creating the immersive experience from experiencing it in a situated context. This paper presents the development of an immersive authoring tool designed to create immersive virtual environments that can be used to train operatives. The authoring tool can record and replay animations of each action the user performed that can later be used to instruct other users how the task should be performed. Participants were divided into two groups, and the proposed authoring tool was evaluated using usability, satisfaction, presence and cybersickness. Between groups, Independent T-tests revealed that there were no significant differences between expert and non-expert groups in any of the studied variables. Also, the results showed that the authoring tool had high usability and satisfaction, average presence, and low probability of cybersickness symptoms.