Sweat is a potential biological fluid for the non-invasive analytical assessment of diverse molecules, including biomarkers. Notwithstanding, the sampling methodology is critical, and it must be assessed prior to using sweat for clinical diagnosis. In the current work, the analytical methodology was further developed taking into account the sampling step, in view of the identification and level variations of sweat components that have potential to be stress biomarkers using separation by liquid chromatography and detection by tandem mass spectrometry, in order to attain a screening profile of 26 molecules in just one stage. As such, the molecule identification was used as a test for the evaluation of the sampling procedures, including the location on the body, using patches for long-term sampling and vials for direct sampling, through a qualitative approach. From this evaluation it was possible to conclude that the sampling may be performed on the chest or back skin. Additionally, possible interference was evaluated. The long-term sampling with patches can be used under both rest and exercise conditions with variation of the detected molecule’s levels. The direct sampling, using vials, has the advantage of not having interferences but the disadvantage of only being effective after exercise in order to have enough sample for sweat analysis.

Leadership competence development in the Portuguese fire services is an area to be explored and one where we must obtain more profound knowledge. The research seeks to identify the role of the initial training course for professional firefighters in the proficiency level of leadership competences in trainees at the Lisbon Fire Service. To achieve the objectives of the investigation, the researchers adopted a quantitative method with a longitudinal case study research design, using a questionnaire of leadership competences, applied to 126 trainees of the Initial Training Course for professional firefighters from Lisbon Fire Service (case study), at three different moments during a one-year training period (longitudinal study). From the obtained results, it was concluded that the leadership competences with the highest level of proficiency at the end of the course are problem solving, participatory leadership, delegative leadership, conflict management, influence by example, task orientation, decision making, vision and proactivity.

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is having a profound impact on the workforce. As AI automates more and more tasks, it becomes increasingly important for employees to reskill and upskill to stay relevant and competitive. There are several assumptions about the impact of AI on the workforce. This chapter focuses on the technological impact of AI on skills management and learning and development, that is, how these management practices contribute to meeting the reskilling needs of human resources. Furthermore, the way we learn and develop is also changing in the age of AI. Traditional learning methods are being complemented with new, more engaging, and interactive methods. AI is also creating new opportunities for lifelong learning. Other dimensions must be studied in relation to the impacts of AI, which will be suggested in the final considerations.

The World has been subjected to successive and rapid changes that modified its order and given rise to a constant state of certainty of uncertainties, as a fluid state of accelerated change and vagueness in the global scenario. For some authors we are living in an environment of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity (VUCA), as for others in a Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear and Incomprehensible (BANI) scenario that affects organizations, with serious implications for their leadership and management. In the case of countries' military organizations, this affects the operations’ design, the type of equipment used and fundamentally their training, from which we highlight leadership. So, how is military leadership characterized in a VUCA world and BANI scenario? According to this research question we carried out a systematic literature review with a qualitative approach doing an update of a previous similar study carried out by the authors, looking for new publications that could enrich the comprehension of the topic. Thus, studies were searched in different databases, according to the selected criteria. Guided by the review question we adopt the PRISMA protocol for screening process divided into three phases: identification, screening and inclusion of studies. So, eleven studies were added . Data collected point out that as traditional leadership models are unable to faithfully reflect the modelling of new challenges and realities and military leadership in a VUCA world and BANI scenario is characterized by a complex combination of competencies in a personal, relational and organizational level. Among them the capacity to think out of the box, to be creative, innovative, intuitive, resilient, flexible and adaptative, based on a state of constant awareness and mindfulness to see the global situation and make the best decisions. No other study was found addressing the same research question. So, it seems to be the first study to systematically analyze military leadership in a VUCA environment. This way, it can be a contribution to understanding this topic and to frame future empirical studies.

Leadership is a complex, dynamic phenomenon, shaped by the characteristics of the different actors involved and the relationships between them, making it a controversial and polysemic concept in the literature. In the military context, it has very specific characteristics that distinguish it and make it more demanding. For the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA), several reforms are underway, fundamentally in the field of staff training, in order to improve their performance in the exercise of their functions., The present study was driven by the following guiding question: “what military leadership competencies are described in the selected literature to be taken as a reference to the education and training of Angolan sub-officers?” For this, a systematic literature review on leadership competencies in the military context was conducted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) method, divided into three phases: identification, screening, and inclusion. Studies were consulted on Scopus, Science Direct, SciELO and in the Open Access Scientific Repository of Portugal (RCAAP), published between January 2018 and April 2023, according to the selected inclusion and exclusion criteria. The evidences of this study highlights that military leadership competencies mobilise, integrate and transfer a range of knowledge, resources, skills and values that systematically operate to solving the problems of the military professional context, and points to three different approaches to military leadership competencies, that configure three models.