Universidade da Madeira

Consumer satisfaction drivers in the Portuguese gluten-free food market: the role of product quality, service quality and assortment variety

Purpose The gluten-free food market has grown significantly, driven by health-related needs and lifestyle choices. This study examines how product quality, service quality and assortment variety are associated with consumer satisfaction in the Portuguese gluten-free food market....

Sexual Identity Well-Being in Older Lesbian Women Throughout the Life Cycle: A Qualitative Study in the Portuguese Context

Objective Population aging is a demographic phenomenon that has been intensifying in recent decades. Research has focused on the importance of sexual well-being as an essential component of health in older adults, although few studies have evaluated the experience of sexual ident...

Geotechnical Problems on Madeira Island: Slope Protection in Central Funchal—A Case Study

Volcanic islands are highly exposed to interacting geotechnical and hydrogeomorphological hazards, particularly where steep relief, intense rainfall, fractured volcanic rocks, and urban development coincide. This study analyzes the slope located along Avenida Sá Carneiro in centr...

Synthetic Cannabinoids: Metabolism, Biomarkers of Exposure and Advanced Analytical Strategies in Forensic and Clinical Toxicology

In the last twenty years, synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs), also frequently known as synthetic cannabinoids, have grown into one of the leading and structurally diverse types of new psychoactive substances. This has brought about major trouble for clinical and fore...

Stability and Bifurcation of a Multi-Trait Eco-Evolutionary Logistic-Type Model

We extend a two-dimensional discrete-time eco-evolutionary logistic model to the case of finitely many quantitative traits. The original planar model couples population density to a single mean trait under stabilizing selection; the extension retains this mechanism while allowing...

Response of the Carbonate System to Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement: A Mesocosm-Scale Experiment

Abstract We present the results of a mesocosm-scale experiment conducted in 2023 in the eastern Mediterranean Sea (Crete, Greece) to evaluate the effects of ocean liming via the addition of calcium hydroxide. We assessed two dosage regimes through repeated additions─low (20 μmol...

Can AI outperform humans on Instagram? Evidence from engagement and growth metrics

Purpose This study aims to examine how AI-generated and human-managed Instagram accounts perform as competing interactive marketing actors. It provides an empirical comparison of their overall engagement rates, passive and active interaction patterns, and follower growth efficien...

Waste Literacy Among Portuguese First-Year Tertiary Students After Compulsory Environmental Education

Waste management is essential for addressing local and global environmental challenges. Failure to manage waste effectively results in several consequences, including environmental degradation, public health risks, and economic costs. Besides the need for adequate and up-to-date...

An Empirical Express Method for Clay Slope Stability Assessment Based on Slip Surface Geometry and Factor of Safety Prediction

Clay slopes are particularly sensitive to variations in soil strength, groundwater conditions, and slope geometry, making their rapid and reliable assessment essential for geotechnical design, landslide prevention, and infrastructure risk management. This study develops and evalu...