Knowledge-centered culture and knowledge sharing: the moderator role of trust propensity

Purpose: This research aims to evaluate if knowledge-centered culture (KCC) fosters knowledge sharing equally across employees with different levels of trust propensity, an enduring individual characteristic. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted with 128 US-based employees. Findings: The authors found that KCC only promoted knowledge sharing in individuals with high levels of trust propensity. For individuals with low levels of trust propensity, KCC had no effect on knowledge sharing. Research limitations/implications: The authors focused exclusively on trust propensity as a moderator. Future research could analyze the role of other enduring individual differences in the relationship between KCC and knowledge sharing. Practical implications: A KCC may be inefficient in promoting knowledge sharing in employees with low propensity to trust. Recruitment and selection of individuals with a high propensity to trust is a possible solution to enhance the association between KCC and knowledge sharing in organizations. Originality/value: By identifying an enduring individual characteristic that shapes the relationship between KCC and knowledge sharing, the authors move toward the development of a contingent view of KCC and show that KCC fosters knowledge sharing differently across employees

Effects of a large irrigation reservoir on aquatic and riparian plants: a history of survival and loss

Dammed rivers have unnatural stream flows, disrupted sediment dynamics, and rearranged geomorphologic settings. Consequently, fluvial biota experiences disturbed functioning in the novel ecosystems. The case study is the large irrigation reservoir Alqueva in Guadiana River, Southern Iberia. The study area was divided into three zones: upstream and downstream of the dam and reservoir. For each zone, species composition and land use and land cover (LULC) were compared before and after the Alqueva Dam implementation. Data consist of aquatic and riparian flora composition obtained from 46 surveys and the area (%) of 12 classes of LULC obtained in 90 riverine sampling units through the analysis of historical and contemporary imagery. There was an overall decrease of several endemic species and on the riparian shrublands and aquatic stands, although di erences in the proportion of functional groups were not significant. Nevertheless, compositional diversity shows a significant decline in the upstream zone while landscape diversity shows an accentuated reduction in the reservoir area and downstream of the dam, which is likely related to the loss of the rocky habitats of the ‘old’ Guadiana River and the homogenization of the riverscape due to the irrigation intensification. The mitigation of these critical changes should be site-specific and should rely on the knowledge of the interactions between surrounding lands, ecological, biogeomorphologic, and hydrological components of the fluvial ecosystemsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Responses of CYP450 dependent system to aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons body burden in transplanted mussels from South coast of Portugal

Mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis were cross-transplanted at South Portugal from a reference site (site 1) to a site more contaminated with hydrocarbon compounds (site 2), and vice versa, in an active biomonitoring (ABM) concept, to assess the biotransformation capacity catalyzed by the mixed function oxygenase (MFO) system. Total alkanes (TAlk), the unresolved complex mixture (UCM), and total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (TPAHs) concentration increased respectively 6, 4.4 and 4.2 fold relatively to control, in mussels transplanted from site 1 to 2. In the cross-transplant, a 48, 57 and 62% depuration of TAlk, UCM and TPAHs concentrations occurred by the end of the 3-4th week. Petrogenic and biogenic (marine and terrigenous) sources of AHs, and petrogenic and pyrolitic (biomass and oil/fuel incomplete combustion) sources of PAHs were detected at both sites. CYP450, CYT b (5) and NADPH-RED in mussels transplanted from site 1 to 2 were induced from day 0 to 28, with a total increase of 35, 32 and 35%, respectively, while biochemical equilibrium to lesser environmental contamination occurs in mussels transplanted from site 2 to 1. A significant relationship between CYP450 and NADPH-RED was found with TPAH, with distinctive behavior at the two sites. MFO system components increase with exposure time at one site and decreases in the other, reflecting an adaptation to distinct environmental hydrocarbon loads. The ABM strategy proved to be useful to understand the environment real impact on the biochemical responses in mussels' local populations. In this study, CYP450 and NADPH-RED are a useful biomarker for hydrocarbon exposure.FCT: PRAXIS XXI/BD/3740/94info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluation of the effect of irrigation on biometric growth, physiological response and essential oil of Mentha spicata (L.)

A field experiment was performed on spearmint (Mentha spicata L.) under different irrigation regimes in a hilly area of Southern Italy. Objectives of the study include evaluating the physiological and biometrical response of mint from plant establishment up to its complete maturation, as well as the yield composition in essential oil at two different dates. Increasing levels of water stress affected later developing leaves and plant’s water status and net photosynthesis (from the beginning of stress (DAT 63), while affecting negatively the biometric response very soon and significantly from 35 DAT. Photosynthesis limitation played a critical role from DAT 53 on, namely later, in the harvest period (DAT 35–70). Under severe water stress, crop restricted water losses by modulating stomatal closure and, at harvest, showing lowered mesophyll conductance. Irrigation treatments did not affect the concentration of organic compounds, while the yield of essential oils was negatively affected by water stress due to reduced crop growth, in terms of total and leaf biomass, leaf area index (LAI) and crop heightinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

TIC e contextos lúdicos de aprendizagem: recursos para docentes da educação especial

Projecto de investigação no âmbito da Pós-Graduação em TIC em Contextos de Aprendizagem da Escola Superior de Educação de Paula FrassinettiO presente projeto de investigação debruça-se sobre a importância do lúdico com o apoio às TIC no processo ensino aprendizagem com alunos portadores de NEE, e pretende disponibilizar aos docentes um conhecimento mais amplo das diferentes ferramentas tecnológicas que podem ser utilizadas na estruturação e planeamento de uma pedagogia diferenciada, nomeadamente na utilização de guiões/tutoriais que lhes permitirá a criação e inovação dos seus próprios recursos didáticos. Numa primeira fase do projeto, partiu-se para um estudo sobre a importância dada ao lúdico com apoio das TIC para crianças com NEE, abordando várias temáticas. Numa segunda fase, e de forma a aferir qual o grau de importância dado ao lúdico, por parte dos docentes da educação especial, bem como perceber se estes recorrem a guiões ou tutoriais de utilização de diferentes recursos TIC para elaborarem os ses próprios recursos procedeu-se à elaboração de uma entrevista com um guião semiestruturado, cujos resultados foram alvo de tratamento de informação. De acordo com essa análise e retiradas as respetivas conclusões, foi elaborado um site que permite visualizar guiões e tutoriais sobre ferramentas lúdicas passíveis de serem utilizadas em contexto de sala de aula para professores da educação especial. Ficará também aberto a comentários para partilha de experiências através dos seus testemunhos. O site está disponível em http://fuisusana.wix.com/recursos-para-docentes.This research project focuses on the importance of playfulness with the support of ICT in the learning process with students with SEN and aims to provide teachers a broader knowledge of various technological tools that can be used in structuring and planning a differentiated pedagogy, including the use of guides / tutorials that will allow the creation and innovation of their own teaching resources. In the first phase of the project, we did a study on the importance given to play with ICT support for children with SEN, covering various topics. In a second step, in order to assess the degree of importance given to play on the part of teachers of special education, and see if they resort to guides or tutorials for using different ICT resources for preparing their own resources, we proceeded to the elaboration of a semistructured interview with a script, whose results were the target of processing information. According to this analysis and the respective conclusions drawn, we designed a site that lets you view scripts and tutorials on tools capable of recreational use in the context of the classroom for special education teachers. It will also be open to feedback and to share experiences through their testimonies. The site is available in http://fuisusana.wix.com/recursos-para-docentes