E-mail as a predictor of silence behaviors

As e-mail became the number one communication channel within organizations, problems related to this fact started to arise. Employees no longer felt in control over their inbox and the term e-mail overload started to gain more relevance. Thus, the present study sought to investigate the impacts that e-mail overload and the quality of its content can have on employees, as well as what are its consequences to the individuals. As the outcomes can vary given different situations and individuals, the study was focused particularly on silence behaviors, that until to the moment have scarce empirical research. The results of the study were obtained through an online questionnaire answered by 97 individuals. With the support of the Job Demands-Resources Model, it was possible to test mediations, moderations and moderated mediations, to verify the impact of e-mail on silence behaviors. While the results found that both work engagement and exhaustion mediate the previous relationship, it was also found that the quality of the e-mail content moderates the relation between e-mail overload and work engagement, contrary to what happens in the relationship between e-mail overload and exhaustion. Further, the moderated mediation was partially confirmed since it was verified that, e-mail quality moderates the mediation between e-mail overload and work engagement, but it does not moderate the mediation between e-mail overload and exhaustion. The present study is particularly important to close one of the existent gaps regarding silence behaviors, as the subject does not have a large body of research nor it has been connected with e-mail. Further, it can be useful for managers to understand why some employees remain silent and what can be done to overcame such behaviors.Com o e-mail a tornar-se o canal de comunicação mais utilizado dentro das organizações, alguns problemas relacionados com este fato começaram a surgir. Os funcionários deixaram de sentir qualquer controle sobre a sua caixa de correio e o terma sobrecarga de e-mail passou a ter mais relevância. O presente estudo tem como objetivo investigar quais os impactos que esta sobrecarga de e-mail bem como a qualidade do seu conteúdo podem ter nos funcionários, e quais são as consequências que poderão advir dos mesmos, afetando assim os individuos. Como as consequências podem variar consoante diferentes situações e diferentes indivíduos, o estudo foca-se particularmente em comportamentos de silêncio como possível consequência. Os resultados foram obtidos através de um questionário online, contando com a participação de 97 indivíduos. Com o apoio do modelo Job Demand-Resources, foi possível testar mediações, moderações e moderações mediadas, para verificar o impacto de e-mail nos comportamentos de silêncio. Os resultados mostraram que tanto o envolvimento no trabalho como a exaustão medeiam a relação anterior. Já a qualidade do conteúdo do e-mail modera a relação entre a sobrecarga de e-mail e o envolvimento no trabalho, ao contrário do que acontece na relação entre sobrecarga de e-mail e exaustão. Além disso, a mediação moderada foi parcialmente confirmada, uma vez que se verificou que a qualidade do e-mail modera a mediação entre a sobrecarga de e-mail e o envolvimento no trabalho, mas não modera a mediação entre a sobrecarga e a exaustão. Este estudo é particularmente importante para tentar fechar uma das lacunas existentes em relação aos comportamentos de silêncio, uma vez que a pesquisa sobre o mesmo é escassa e, a existente ainda não estudou a sua relação com o e-mail. Assim, os resultados deste estudo podem ser bastante úteis para os gestores entenderem o porquê de alguns funcionários permanecerem em silêncio e o que pode ser feito para superar estes comportamentos

O processo de internacionalização de uma marca de calçado Portuguesa: o caso Josefinas

Dissertação de mestrado em Negócios InternacionaisEsta dissertação de Mestrado tem como objetivo analisar e retratar o processo de internacionalização de uma marca de calçado portuguesa. A escolha desta temática tem a ver com o fato de vivermos num mundo cada vez mais competitivo. Deste modo a internacionalização é essencial para que as empresas possam fazer frente a esta competitividade. A análise decorre da recolha de dados primários e secundários na empresa Bloomers SA, uma empresa, sediada em Braga. A Josefina é primeira marca própria da Bloomers, foi criada em 2013, sendo já uma marca de referencia no setor do calçado Português. A marca Josefinas é uma marca recente do mercado de calçado Português, tendo já iniciado o seu percurso internacional e um reconhecimento nos mercados nacional e internacional. Este estudo tem como objetivo a expansão do negócio com vista ao crescimento, à conquista de quota de mercado, assim aumentando a competitividade da empresa.Regarding the theme of business internationalization, I have decided to investigate and analyze the process of Josefinas internationalization. The choice of this theme stems from the fact that we live in an increasingly competitive world. Thus, internationalization is essential for businesses to cope with this competitiveness. The analysis results from the collection of primary and secondary data at Bloomers S.A., a company based in Braga. Created in 2013, Josefinas are Bloomers first brand and already a reference brand in the Portuguese footwear sector. Although a new brand in the Portuguese footwear market, Josefinas have already entered international trade and gained recognition in the national and international market. This study aims at expanding a business with the objective of growth, market share gaining, thus increasing the competitiveness of the company

Production of Medium-Chain Length Polyhydroxyalkanoates by Pseudomonas citronellolis Grown in Apple Pulp Waste

Background and objective: Apple pulp waste generated by the fruit processing industry is a sugar-rich material with great potential to be used as a feedstock for production of value added microbial products. The aim of this work was to use this feedstock for the cultivation of Pseudomonas citronellolis and production of medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates, a natural elastomer.Material and methods: The solid fraction of the apple pulp waste was discarded and the soluble fraction, rich in fructose (17.7 g l-1), glucose (7.5 g l-1) and sucrose (1.2 g l-1), was used for the batch bioreactor cultivation of Pseudomonas citronellolis NRRL B-2504.Results and conclusion: Pseudomonas citronellolis reached a polymer content in the biomass of 30% wt and a volumetric productivity of 0.025 g l-1 h-1. The polymer was mainly composed of 3-hydroxydecanoate (68% mol) and 3-hydroxyoctanoate (22% mol), with minor contents of 3-hydroxydodecanoate (5% mol), 3-hydroxytetradecanoate (4% mol) and 3-hydroxyhexanoate (1% mol), and had a molecular weight of 3.7×105 Da. It presented glass transition and melting temperatures of -12 and 53°C, respectively, and a thermal degradation temperature of 296°C. The polymer’s films were dense, ductile and permeable to oxygen and carbon dioxide. These results demonstrated that apple pulp waste is a suitable feedstock for the production of a biopolymer with properties that render it a promising alternative to some synthetic petrochemical-derived polyesters.Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest

Formation and Shaping of the Antirrhinum Flower through Modulation of the CUP Boundary Gene

Boundary domain genes, expressed within or around organ primordia, play a key role in the formation, shaping, and subdivision of planar plant organs, such as leaves. However, the role of boundary genes in formation of more elaborate 3D structures, which also derive from organ primordia, remains unclear. Here we analyze the role of the boundary domain gene CUPULIFORMIS (CUP) in formation of the ornate Antirrhinum flower shape. We show that CUP expression becomes cleared from boundary subdomains between petal primordia, most likely contributing to formation of congenitally fused petals (sympetally) and modulation of growth at sinuses. At later stages, CUP is activated by dorsoventral genes in an intermediary region of the corolla. In contrast to its role at organ boundaries, intermediary CUP activity leads to growth promotion rather than repression and formation of the palate, lip, and characteristic folds of the closed Antirrhinum flower. Intermediary expression of CUP homologs is also observed in related sympetalous species, Linaria and Mimulus, suggesting that changes in boundary gene activity have played a key role in the development and evolution of diverse 3D plant shapes

Selection and gene flow shape genomic islands that control floral guides

Genomes of closely-related species or populations often display localized regions of enhanced relative sequence divergence, termed genomic islands. It has been proposed that these islands arise through selective sweeps and/or barriers to gene flow. Here, we genetically dissect a genomic island that controls flower color pattern differences between two subspecies of Antirrhinum majus, A.m.striatum and A.m.pseudomajus, and relate it to clinal variation across a natural hybrid zone. We show that selective sweeps likely raised relative divergence at two tightly-linked MYB-like transcription factors, leading to distinct flower patterns in the two subspecies. The two patterns provide alternate floral guides and create a strong barrier to gene flow where populations come into contact. This barrier affects the selected flower color genes and tightlylinked loci, but does not extend outside of this domain, allowing gene flow to lower relative divergence for the rest of the chromosome. Thus, both selective sweeps and barriers to gene flow play a role in shaping genomic islands: sweeps cause elevation in relative divergence, while heterogeneous gene flow flattens the surrounding "sea," making the island of divergence stand out. By showing how selective sweeps establish alternative adaptive phenotypes that lead to barriers to gene flow, our study sheds light on possible mechanisms leading to reproductive isolation and speciation

Complexity and relevance for health and behavior

Acknowledgments: Gina Tomé is a postdoctorate funded by the Fundação Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) SFRH/BPD/108637/2015.Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate sleep and awakening quality (SQ and AQ) during COVID-19 in a large and diversified population in order to identify significant associations and risks in terms of demography, health and health-related behaviors, sleep variables, mental health, and attitudes. Methods/Results:Online surveys were used for data collection, received from 5479 individuals from the general population, sleep disorder patients, and COVID-involved (medical doctors (MDs) and nurses) and COVID-affected professionals (teachers, psychologists, and dentists). SQ and AQ were worse in adults, females, and high-education subjects. Feeling worse, having economic problems, depression, anxiety, irritability, and a high Calamity Experience Check List (CECL) score during COVID were significantly associated with poor SQ and AQ. Shorter sleep duration, increased latency, poor nutrition, low physical activity, increased mobile and social network use, more negative and less positive attitudes and behaviors were associated with poor AQ. Conclusions: The SQ logistic regression showed gender, morbidities, CECL, and awakenings as relevant, whereas, for AQ, relevant variables further included age and physical activity. Aiming to have a high stress compliance, each individual should sleep well, have important control of their mood, practice positive behaviors while dismissing negative behaviors and attitudes, practice exercise, have adequate nutrition, and beware of technologies and dependences.publishersversionpublishe

Patterning of Inflorescences and Flowers by the F-Box Protein DOUBLE TOP and the LEAFY Homolog ABERRANT LEAF AND FLOWER of Petunia[W]

Angiosperms display a wide variety of inflorescence architectures differing in the positions where flowers or branches arise. The expression of floral meristem identity (FMI) genes determines when and where flowers are formed. In Arabidopsis thaliana, this is regulated via transcription of LEAFY (LFY), which encodes a transcription factor that promotes FMI. We found that this is regulated in petunia (Petunia hybrida) via transcription of a distinct gene, DOUBLE TOP (DOT), a homolog of UNUSUAL FLORAL ORGANS (UFO) from Arabidopsis. Mutation of DOT or its tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) homolog ANANTHA abolishes FMI. Ubiquitous expression of DOT or UFO in petunia causes very early flowering and transforms the inflorescence into a solitary flower and leaves into petals. Ectopic expression of DOT or UFO together with LFY or its homolog ABERRANT LEAF AND FLOWER (ALF) in petunia seedlings activates genes required for identity or outgrowth of organ primordia. DOT interacts physically with ALF, suggesting that it activates ALF by a posttranslational mechanism. Our findings suggest a wider role than previously thought for DOT and UFO in the patterning of flowers and indicate that the different roles of LFY and UFO homologs in the spatiotemporal control of floral identity in distinct species result from their divergent expression patterns