Complex tasks, delegation, and flexibility: What role for engagement and shared leadership?

Task complexity is one of the main factors studied by academics and is at the center of leaders’ concerns. It is related to delegation and flexibility, which are enhanced by workers’ engagement and depend on how leadership is shared. In this context, this research was carried out with the main objective of testing the serial mediating effect of engagement and shared leadership on the relationship between task complexity and flexibility and the relationship between task complexity and delegation. The sample for this study consists of 368 participants, all of whom work in organizations based in Portugal. The results indicate that task complexity is positively and significantly associated with engagement, shared leadership, flexibility, and delegation. Shared leadership has a positive and significant association with flexibility and delegation. The serial mediating effect of engagement and shared leadership on the relationship between task complexity and flexibility was confirmed. The serial mediating effect of engagement and shared leadership on the relationship between task complexity and delegation was not confirmed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Entropy-based independence test

WOS:000238021700039 (Nº de Acesso Web of Science)This paper presents a new test of independence (linear and non-linear) among distributions based on the entropy of Shannon. The main advantages of the presented approach are the fact that this measure does not need to assume any type of theoretical probability distribution and has the ability to capture the linear and non-linear dependencies, without requiring the specification of any kind of dependence model.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

On the integrated behaviour of non-stationary volatility in stock markets

This paper analyses the behaviour of volatility for several international stock market indexes, namely the SP 500 (USA), the Nikkei (Japan), the PSI 20 (Portugal), the CAC 40 (France), the DAX 30 (Germany), the FTSE 100 (UK), the IBEX 35 (Spain) and the MIB 30 (Italy), in the context of non-stationarity. Our empirical results point to the evidence of the existence of integrated behaviour among several of those stock market indexes of different dimensions. It seems, therefore, that the behaviour of these markets tends to some uniformity, which can be interpreted as the existence of a similar behaviour facing to shocks that may affect the worldwide economy. Whether this is a cause or a consequence of market globalization is an issue that may be stressed in future work

Stakeholders’ perspectives on hosting large-scale sports events

Special events, in general, and sports events, in particular, are a major focus and revenue generator for cities that host these events. They are time-specific, and they can have a variety of short- or long-term, positive or negative impacts, which contribute to both beneficial or harmful outcomes. If prolonged over time, these outcomes have been called “legacies.” This study sought to explore key stakeholders’ perspectives on the attributes needed to host large-scale sports events. The research concentrated on identifying the main factors that attract large-scale sports events to specific municipalities, motivations to sponsor these events, and the main challenges faced by official agencies during events. The data were collected from 22 participants in a focus group meeting including three main types of stakeholders: event organizers, event sponsors, and official entities. The interview transcripts were processed using mixed content analysis methods. The results revealed that the main themes mentioned by event organizers are media coverage, sports infrastructure, sponsor brands, discipline in sports, event organization, event and city security, motivation, capacity (e.g., accommodations), stakeholder commitment, residents, and territorial impacts. Sponsors are usually large, well-known firms, and discussions about them covered the following themes: event-sponsor fit, sponsorship returns, mega-event territorial marketing, brand strategy, and sponsorship competition. The main themes mentioned by official entities are accessibility, events that sell cities, destination visibility, security, protection of athletes and the public, hospitals, residents, changes, and territory. This study’s findings contribute to the existing literature by focusing on the specific case of large-scale sports events and examining three main event stakeholders’ perspectives. Managerial implications are also discussed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Experimentation with radio environment maps for resources optimisation in dense wireless scenarios

The rapidly increasing popularity of WiFi has created unprecedent levels of congestion in the unlicensed frequency bands, especially in densely populated urban areas. This results mainly because of the uncoordinated operation and the unmanaged interference between WiFi access points. Recently, Radio Environment Maps (REM) have been suggested as a support for coordination strategies that optimize the overall WiFi network performance. Despite some theoretical work done in this area, there are no clear experimental evidences of the benefit brought by WiFi coordination. In this context, the main objective of this experiment is to assess the benefit of a coordinated management of radio resources in dense WiFi networks using REMs for indoor scenarios. This experiment has used the w-iLab.t test environment provided by iMINDS, a cognitive-radio testbed for remote experimentation. It was shown that REMs are capable of detecting the presence of interfering links on the network (co-channel or adjacent channel interference), and a suitable coordination strategy can use this information to reconfigure Access Points (AP) channel assignment and reestablish the client connection. The coordination strategy almost double the capacity of a WiFi link under strong co–channel interference, from 6.8 Mbps to 11.8 Mbps, increasing the aggregate throughput of the network from 58.7 Mbps to 71.5 Mbps. However, this gain comes with the cost of a relatively high density network of spectrum sensors (12 sensors for an area of 60 × 20 m), increasing the cost of deployment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Paediatric visceral leishmaniasis: experience of a paediatric referral center 1990-2009

INTRODUCTION: Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) is a systemic infection, endemic in many parts of the world, including Portugal. The aim is to review all cases of VL admitted to our hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of all cases of VL admitted to a Level III Paediatric Hospital, between January 1990 and December 2009 (20 years). Demographic, epidemiological, clinical, laboratorial, therapeutic and follow-up data were analysed. RESULTS: During the study period, 54 children were admitted with VL, three of which were excluded from the study due to incomplete clinical records. The mean age was 27 months (seven months - twelve years) and 53% were female. Two thirds of the cases were diagnosed during Spring and Summer. The mean time for diagnosis was 31 days (2-188 days). The most common clinical findings were splenomegaly (100%), fever (96%), pallor (90%) and hepatomegaly (82%). Bone marrow aspiration was performed in all children, with amastigotes identified in 73% of the cases. Indirect immunofluorescence was performed in 30 cases, being positive in 29 (97%). All were treated with meglumine antimoniate. Three children relapsed during the first year after the initial episode. A 17 months-old child died due to cardiac failure. CONCLUSIONS: The early diagnosis of VL is essential to carry out prompt management and prevent potential fatal complications. In our analysis, the management with meglumine antimoniate resulted in an overall favourable outcom

A simple intra-operative maneuver to decrease a duodenal ulcer hemorrhage temporarily: description and anatomical bases

Intraoperative hemostatic suture to treat a bleeding duodenal ulcer is sometimes difficult when there is massive hemorrhage. The aims of this paper are: (1) to describe a practical and easy intraoperative procedure which quickly decreases a massively bleeding duodenal ulcer, allowing the surgeon to identify the bleeding site clearly and obtain definitive hemostasis by suturing the involved vessels with a low risk of common bile duct lesion; and (2) to study in cadavers the anatomical basis of this surgical procedure already successfully performed on patients. Fourteen patients with massive duodenal ulcer bleeding, after unsuccessful endoscopic hemostasis, were operated on and included in this study. After surgical anterior gastroduodenotomy, the surgeon introduced a finger in a downward and forward direction in the bursa omentalis vestibule through the omental foramen. This simple and quick procedure decreased hemorrhage by compressing the gastroduodenal artery against the first part of the posterior surface of the duodenum. Twenty-four fresh blocks of normal tissue were removed from cadavers and were injected with silicone rubber through the common hepatic artery. The distance between the gastroduodenal artery and the omental foramen was measured. With this maneuver the surgeon can clearly see the exact bleeding site and perform an adequate suture with a minor risk of common bile duct lesion

Nonlinear dynamics within macroeconomic factors and stock market in Portugal 1993-2003

The main objective of this paper is to assess how mutual information as a measure of global dependence between stock markets and macroeconomic factors can overcome some of the weaknesses of the traditional linear approaches commonly used in this context. One of the advantages of mutual information is that it does not require any prior assumption regarding the specification of a theoretical probability distribution or the specification of the dependence model. This study focuses on the Portuguese stock market where we evaluate the relevance of the macroeconomic and financial variables as determinants of the stock prices behaviour

Pre- and post-COVID practice of interventional pulmonology in adults in Portugal

Funding Information: We thank Prime Focus for providing language help and writing assistance to this article. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Sociedade Portuguesa de PneumologiaIntroduction and objectives: There is a lack of information regarding bronchoscopy practice in adults in Portugal. Our objective was to obtain an overview of the characteristics, resources, techniques and behaviors in national interventional pulmonology (IP) units, before and after SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. Materials and Methods: An online survey was developed by an expert panel with a total of 46 questions comprising the specifications of each unit, namely physical space, equipment, staff, procedure planning, monitoring, technical differentiation, and numbers pre- and post-COVID-19. Forty-one interventional pulmonology centers were invited to participate between April and May 2021. Results: 37 units (90.2%) responded to the survey. The majority (64.9%) have a fully dedicated space with a weekly presence of ≥3 chest physicians (82.1%) and support of an anesthesiologist on specific days (48.6%). There is marked heterogeneity in the IP unit's equipment, and 56.8% acquired disposable bronchoscopes after COVID-19 pandemics. Pre-bronchoscopy hemogram, platelet count and coagulation tests are regularly asked by more than 90% of the units, even when deep sedation or biopsies are not planned. In 97.3% of cases, topical anesthesia and midazolam are utilized. Propofol (21.6%) and fentanyl (29.7%) are occasionally employed in some institutions. Most units use ancillary sampling techniques to diagnose central or peripheral lesions, with radial EBUS being used for guidance of distal procedures in 37.8% of centers, linear EBUS and EUS-B-FNA for mediastinal diagnosis and/or staging in 45.9% and 27.0% of units, respectively. Cryobiopsies are used by 21.6% of respondents to diagnose diffuse lung diseases. Rigid bronchoscopy is performed in 37.8% of centers. There was a decrease in the number of flexible (p < 0.001) and rigid (p = 0.005) bronchoscopies and an upscale of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 outbreak. Conclusions: IP units have variable bronchoscopic practices, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, they complied with most international recommendations, as elective procedures were postponed and PPE levels increased.proofepub_ahead_of_prin

Modeling the drivers of large herbivore distribution in human‐dominated southern African savannas

African savanna ecosystems are home to the world's richest large herbivore (LH) assemblages. However, its landscapes are changing faster than any other region on Earth due to human activities and natural events. Therefore, understanding the factors influencing the distribution of LH in these human-dominated environments is crucial for decision-making on wildlife and habitat management. We combined ecological aerial surveys, camera trap, and dung count data to investigate how ecological (habitat types, perennial rivers, and rainfall) and anthropogenic (human settlements and cattle grazing areas) factors influence the distribution of LH species in Limpopo National Park (LNP). We used generalized linear models fitting binary logistic regression models to distinguish 25-km2 cells occupied (where the species were detected) by elephants (Loxodonta africana), buffalos (Syncerus caffer), zebras (Equus quagga), kudus (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), nyalas (Tragelaphus angasii), and impalas (Aepyceros melampus) from unoccupied regions (where the species were not detected) in the LNP landscape. We found that habitat type and rainfall were the most influential factors shaping the pattern of LH distribution in the LNP, except for elephants, whose prevalence was not associated with rainfall. The prevalence of zebras was positively associated with the proximity to perennial rivers, while kudus avoided these areas. While some species (zebras, kudus, and impalas) tended to avoid settlements, others (elephants, buffalos, and nyala) seemed attracted to settlements. Cattle grazing areas were the worst predictors of the distribution of all study species. Our results disclosed the role of ecological factors for the distribution of LH and showed that anthropogenic disturbances seemed to either (partially) prevent the occurrence of LH or show the potential for human–wildlife conflict risk in the study area. Therefore, the results highlight the need to investigate/quantify the potential human–wildlife conflict risk at finer spatial scales to improve future management.German Development BankZwillenberg‐Tietz FoundationLimpopo National Park AdministrationPeer Reviewe