Networking to death: on the dark side of start-ups’ external networking

Purpose Many start-ups do not survive the first few years of business. Previous studies suggest that networks play a role in start-ups' success, but this positive effect has limits. The purpose of this paper is to answer the call for a better understanding of the dark side of networks and the variables that condition variables' effect on the likelihood of start-ups' survival. Design/methodology/approach A longitudinal research design includes 139 start-ups (102 from Germany and 37 from Portugal) and a total of 252 participants. A generalized linear mixed model (GLMM)was applied to estimate all the coefficients, to test the mediation (H1), the moderation (H2) and the moderated mediation (H3) while considering the economic situation of the start-up (sales growth), start-ups' networking behavior, creativity orientation and ultimately the likelihood of survival. Findings Based on an empirical study from two different countries, the results show that effective networking is contingent on the start-up's economic situation and creative potential. Specifically, the results point to situations in which early sales growth may lead to external networking, which, in contexts of low creativity-oriented start-ups, can compromise the start-ups' success. Originality/value Based on the findings, the authors compare scenarios in which networking increases the chances for start-up survival with situations where networking can have adverse effects. This study highlights the importance of considering specific start-up parameters, such as start-ups' economic situation and level of creativity orientation, in the business venturing literature

Reply to: Caution over the use of ecological big data for conservation

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Global Spatial Risk Assessment of Sharks Under the Footprint of Fisheries

Effective ocean management and conservation of highly migratory species depends on resolving overlap between animal movements and distributions and fishing effort. Yet, this information is lacking at a global scale. Here we show, using a big-data approach combining satellite-tracked movements of pelagic sharks and global fishing fleets, that 24% of the mean monthly space used by sharks falls under the footprint of pelagic longline fisheries. Space use hotspots of commercially valuable sharks and of internationally protected species had the highest overlap with longlines (up to 76% and 64%, respectively) and were also associated with significant increases in fishing effort. We conclude that pelagic sharks have limited spatial refuge from current levels of high-seas fishing effort. Results demonstrate an urgent need for conservation and management measures at high-seas shark hotspots and highlight the potential of simultaneous satellite surveillance of megafauna and fishers as a tool for near-real time, dynamic management

Tenure matters for team cohesion & performance: The moderating role of trust in the coach

Research question: This study examines team performance as a function of team tenure, cohesion and trust in the coach. Specifically, we propose a moderated-mediation model to explain whether it translates into an objective measure of future team performance. Research methods: The study sample consists of 668 players from 73 professional and top amateur basketball league teams in Catalonia, Spain. Data collection consisted of a survey performed during a regular training session held at the beginning of the second part of the season as well as objective and subjective team performance indicators. Results and findings: Our findings suggest that the indirect effect of team tenure on performance through team cohesion is only significant for high and medium levels of cognitive trust in the coach and low levels of affective trust in the coach. Implications: These findings provide evidence that explains trust's contribution to fostering team dynamics and how team tenure translates into future team performance. The practical implications of this study suggest that simply promoting team cohesion without taking into account the cognitive trust in the coach will not necessarily increase performance. Therefore, coaches and managers must invest in the amount of work they do with team members and their skills in order to ensure team members have high cognitive trust in them

Bone density and fall risk screening in Algarve: A preliminary study

Osteoporosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality around the world and is a silent disease characterized by low bone strength that results in an increased risk of fracture. The benefits of being physically active in advanced ages to reduce the loss of bone mineral density (BMD) and improve functional capacities are well known. Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) is a peripheral bone densitometry technique that is rapidly gaining in popularity for the assessment of skeletal status, along with fall risk assessment. This chapter consists of a brief review of the literature on osteoporosis and describes ongoing activities on bone density and fall risk prevention in Algarve, Portugal as part of EIP AHA´s action group on fall prevention with the presentation of a preliminary study. This study aimed to demonstrate that the postmenopausal female seniors who adhere to the recommendations for the regular program of physical activity after osteoporosis screening one year later show a slower decrease in BMD.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Global spatial risk assessment of sharks under the footprint of fisheries

Effective ocean management and the conservation of highly migratory species depend on resolving the overlap between animal movements and distributions, and fishing effort. However, this information is lacking at a global scale. Here we show, using a big-data approach that combines satellite-tracked movements of pelagic sharks and global fishing fleets, that 24% of the mean monthly space used by sharks falls under the footprint of pelagic longline fisheries. Space-use hotspots of commercially valuable sharks and of internationally protected species had the highest overlap with longlines (up to 76% and 64%, respectively), and were also associated with significant increases in fishing effort. We conclude that pelagic sharks have limited spatial refuge from current levels of fishing effort in marine areas beyond national jurisdictions (the high seas). Our results demonstrate an urgent need for conservation and management measures at high-seas hotspots of shark space use, and highlight the potential of simultaneous satellite surveillance of megafauna and fishers as a tool for near-real-time, dynamic management

The sources of the glacial IRD in the NW Iberian Continental Margin over the last 40 ka

In this work, the first results of ice rafted detritus (IRD) provenance related to Heinrich Events in the NW Iberian Margin are presented and discussed. This study is based on multiproxies but thoroughly analyzes Sr and Nd isotope ratios measured in the detrital fraction of the sediment core KC 024-19, from the Galician continental slope (NE Atlantic), aiming to unravel the sources of the terrigenous component of the sampled sediments. In most of the core layers, the isotope signatures, as expected, are consistent with an origin, ultimately, in the nearby Variscan continental crust. However, allochthonous contributions were also deposited, namely during the four last Heinrich Events (HE). The non-carbonate detrital fraction of the sediments deposited during the HE1 (in its upper part), HE2, and HE4 displays εNd much lower than usual, suggesting that those layers incorporate clasts dropped by icebergs (Ice-Rafted Detritus - IRD) whose sources must have been located in Archaean cratons, such as those of northeastern America and Greenland. The low εNd values combined with dolomite peaks support the hypothesis that icebergs fed by the Laurentide ice sheet and launched through the Hudson Strait played a major role in the deposition of IRD during HE1, HE2, and HE4. The HE1 layer seems to record a complex evolution of this event, since, at its base, the coarse-grained non-carbonate fraction displays relatively high εNd values, pointing to European/Icelandic sources for the icebergs in the initial stages of HE1. The IRD content of the HE3 contrasts significantly with the other HE layers and the non-IRD layers because it has an isotope signature characterized by low 87Sr/86Sr ratios and high εNd values. This suggests that the most exotic components of the HE3 layer may have come from East Greenland – Fram Strait and/or result from a mixture of materials from western European and more juvenile (Iceland – Faeroes) crustal sources

Effects of ultraviolet radiation on the abundance, diversity and activity of bacterioneuston and bacterioplankton: insights from microcosm studies

The effects of ultraviolet-B (0.4 W m-2) radiation on the abundance, diversity and heterotrophic metabolism of bacterioneuston and bacterioplankton communities from Ria de Aveiro (Portugal) were assessed and compared to those of freshwater communities from Lake Vela (Portugal) in microcosm experiments. Exposure to 9 h of artificial ultraviolet radiation (UVR) led to 24–33% reduction in bacterial abundance and up to a 70% decrease in bacterial diversity. Maximum extracellular enzyme activity and monomer incorporation rates were reduced by 16–90% and 80–100%, respectively. Recovery of bacterial activity during post-UV dark incubations ranged from 10 to 100% for extracellular enzyme activity and 40% for monomer incorporation rates. In general, the heterotrophic activity of bacterioneuston was more inhibited by UVR than that of bacterioplankton. However, DGGE profiles revealed greater UVR-induced reductions in the diversity of bacterioplankton compared to bacterioneuston. The similarity between bacterioneuston and bacterioplankton communities in samples collected at early morning was lower than at noon (pre-exposed communities) and increased upon experimental irradiation, possibly indicating selection for UV-resistant bacteria. The observation that UV exposure resulted in enhanced reduction of bacterioneuston activity, but a lower reduction in bacterial diversity accompanied by enhanced dark recovery potential compared to bacterioplankton, indicates re-directioning of bacterioneuston metabolism towards stress defence/recovery strategies rather than the sustained heterotrophic metabolism. Our results indicate that UVR can significantly decrease the abundance, diversity and activity of bacteria inhabiting the surface and sub-surface layers of freshwater and estuarine systems with potentially important impacts on the biogeochemical cycles in these environments