Abstract
Individuals currently spend a considerable part of their day-to-day lives interacting with computer or smartphone screens. This study seeks to contradict this and is based on participant observation during a trip from 16-28 August 2018, to Istanbul and to South Asia. We have found that the role of technology may be a medium which shows that we are similar in many ways, despite being separated by large distances and by language. Observation is essentially a tool to uncover meanings, which a visitor and researcher may see. In particular, in the Maldives, on Meedhoo island, we saw a superior form of living. Harmony was the main element we saw on the island, including between genders, which we saw as being equal, despite what is to be found written in the media about certain cultures and religions. Albeit, Istanbul, in Turkey, revealed a culture that still remains very different from the West.

Abstract
Organizations of the agro-industrial sector, are now increasingly investing in the development of technological systems that allow the computerization of all its processes. Recently the methods and techniques of computer vision have been widely used for monitoring and inspection during the production and harvesting, allowing detect problems early and thus, improve the quality of products. In the field of mushroom production one of the most important aspects, and perhaps most prevalent, is to be able to predict its production. To this end it is proposed an Intelligent System Mushroom Harvest Forecast (SIPCC), based on techniques and methods of computer vision and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). This paper presents an architecture of a SIPCC functional and technical level, complemented with the analysis and presentation of data demonstrating its viability.

Abstract
In an increasingly globalized world, companies face the challenge of expanding into foreign markets. In the internationalization process there are cultural, governmental, geographic and economic issues that can affect the success of the company in its implementation process overseas. Marketing strategies and the standardization or adaptation levels of each element of the marketing mix can be seen as critical success factors that directly affect business success in the new market. Companies must decide between adapting their marketing strategy to local markets or rather standardizing them globally. Some companies use as a competitive advantage the adaptation of their strategy (partially or totally) through knowledge of the culture of the country to which they are internationalized. Adaptation has been the key to success for a number of brands, and L'Oréal is one of them. This study intends to focus on the internationalization strategy and knowledge of the culture of the countries to which they are internationalized, applied to cultural differences. It also aims to highlight the importance of product innovation in consumer markets at present, and to analyse beauty satisfaction and tendencies amongst millennials.

Abstract
We hear more and more about autonomous vehicles, however, where are we heading with automation? Recently, we have heard about some crashes of autonomous vehicles, which have occurred during trials. Therefore, can this technology be trusted? Equally important, what kind of moral and ethical questions are behind the decisions that a vehicle like this must make? Who should be saved if someone must die, in a car accident? The elderly, or perhaps younger people? Executives or the homeless? People who follow traffic rules, or is that not relevant? This article will start by reviewing some of the ethical questions that have already been raised and results found within the public domain. Then the article proceeds by discussing our survey, administered in Portugal, with 111 answers. For situations which would seemingly lead to an obvious consensus and to a 100% agreement on the matter, we found this to not be the case, as our survey never achieved such polarized results. For example, even when confronted with saving pet animals or children, there was still a split in the choice made (albeit pending heavily towards saving the children). This goes to show how people are different and make different choices in life. Are we superior to animals and do we have a greater right to life than pets? Of course, this is debatable, according to differing values and cultures. Therefore, it follows that much debate should ensue as to how to program autonomous vehicles to behave - in case the loss of life (in whatever form) is at stake. Automation, as such, is thus leading us down ambiguous avenues where grey areas abound and we may simply not know what is best all of the time. Automation is thus making us work harder at being human beings and is bringing us to new levels of rationality - where emotions should also play a big part. The spontaneity and intuitiveness of human decision-making being taken out of the equation (when an accident occurs without automated cars that is how we think) makes many pre-meditated decisions uncertain and unpopular. Profoundly humane issues, which are often culture specific, are thus yet to be discussed.

Abstract
As life expectancy grows and the population requirements for satisfactory health and wellness levels increases, there is a clear opportunity for the incorporation of alternative techniques and tools for promoting health and preventing disease. One of these tools, is the use of thermal water-based treatments, commonly known as thermalism, as tools to trigger patients’ overall wellness. Despite the collective assumption of the effects of thermalism, there is little to no scientific evidence of these treatments, thus impairing the potential of this activity to become more widespread in society. Thus, with this paper, we present a conceptual model for a non-invasive sensing system based on wearables that can monitor a set of patients’ biomarkers which will serve as the basis for the validation of the effects of thermalism. This system will also serve as a management and operation control tool for thermal SPA managers and technical directors. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Abstract