Innovative entrepreneurship

The textbook is prepared by a team of authors who are participants of the international TEMPUS Project «ICo-op». The textbook contains materials for studying of key components of modern innovative entrepreneurship: organization forms of innovative enterprise, methods to HR management and practical applications of creative thinking, forms and strategy of bussines – planning, innovation management in enterprise, management & protection of intellectual property and formation of the risk management approaches. For students and teachers of Universities and for entrepreneurs-innovators

Innovative entrepreneurship

The textbook is prepared by a team of authors who are participants of the international TEMPUS Project «ICo-op». The textbook contains materials for studying of key components of modern innovative entrepreneurship: organization forms of innovative enterprise, methods to HR management and practical applications of creative thinking, forms and strategy of bussines – planning, innovation management in enterprise, management & protection of intellectual property and formation of the risk management approaches. For students and teachers of Universities and for entrepreneurs-innovators

A reference library for Canadian invertebrates with 1.5 million barcodes, voucher specimens, and DNA samples

The synthesis of this dataset was enabled by funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, from Genome Canada through Ontario Genomics, from NSERC, and from the Ontario Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science in support of the International Barcode of Life project. It was also enabled by philanthropic support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and from Ann McCain Evans and Chris Evans. The release of the data on GGBN was supported by a GGBN – Global Genome Initiative Award and we thank G. Droege, L. Loo, K. Barker, and J. Coddington for their support. Our work depended heavily on the analytical capabilities of the Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD, www.boldsystems.org). We also thank colleagues at the CBG for their support, including S. Adamowicz, S. Bateson, E. Berzitis, V. Breton, V. Campbell, A. Castillo, C. Christopoulos, J. Cossey, C. Gallant, J. Gleason, R. Gwiazdowski, M. Hajibabaei, R. Hanner, K. Hough, P. Janetta, A. Pawlowski, S. Pedersen, J. Robertson, D. Roes, K. Seidle, M. A. Smith, B. St. Jacques, A. Stoneham, J. Stahlhut, R. Tabone, J.Topan, S. Walker, and C. Wei. For bioblitz-related assistance, we are grateful to D. Ireland, D. Metsger, A. Guidotti, J. Quinn and other members of Bioblitz Canada and Ontario Bioblitz. For our work in Canada’s national parks, we thank S. Woodley and J. Waithaka for their lead role in organizing permits and for the many Parks Canada staff who facilitated specimen collections, including M. Allen, D. Amirault-Langlais, J. Bastick, C. Belanger, C. Bergman, J.-F. Bisaillon, S. Boyle, J. Bridgland, S. Butland, L. Cabrera, R. Chapman, J. Chisholm, B. Chruszcz, D. Crossland, H. Dempsey, N. Denommee, T. Dobbie, C. Drake, J. Feltham, A. Forshner, K. Forster, S. Frey, L. Gardiner, P. Giroux, T. Golumbia, D. Guedo, N. Guujaaw, S. Hairsine, E. Hansen, C. Harpur, S. Hayes, J. Hofman, S. Irwin, B. Johnston, V. Kafa, N. Kang, P. Langan, P. Lawn, M. Mahy, D. Masse, D. Mazerolle, C. McCarthy, I. McDonald, J. McIntosh, C. McKillop, V. Minelga, C. Ouimet, S. Parker, N. Perry, J. Piccin, A. Promaine, P. Roy, M. Savoie, D. Sigouin, P. Sinkins, R. Sissons, C. Smith, R. Smith, H. Stewart, G. Sundbo, D. Tate, R. Tompson, E. Tremblay, Y. Troutet, K. Tulk, J. Van Wieren, C. Vance, G. Walker, D. Whitaker, C. White, R. Wissink, C. Wong, and Y. Zharikov. For our work near Canada’s ports in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax, we thank R. Worcester, A. Chreston, M. Larrivee, and T. Zemlak, respectively. Many other organizations improved coverage in the reference library by providing access to specimens – they included the Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes, Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History, the Canadian Museum of Nature, the University of Guelph Insect Collection, the Royal British Columbia Museum, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Pacifc Forestry Centre, the Northern Forestry Centre, the Lyman Entomological Museum, the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, and rare Charitable Research Reserve. We also thank the many taxonomic specialists who identifed specimens, including A. Borkent, B. Brown, M. Buck, C. Carr, T. Ekrem, J. Fernandez Triana, C. Guppy, K. Heller, J. Huber, L. Jacobus, J. Kjaerandsen, J. Klimaszewski, D. Lafontaine, J-F. Landry, G. Martin, A. Nicolai, D. Porco, H. Proctor, D. Quicke, J. Savage, B. C. Schmidt, M. Sharkey, A. Smith, E. Stur, A. Tomas, J. Webb, N. Woodley, and X. Zhou. We also thank K. Kerr and T. Mason for facilitating collections at Toronto Zoo and D. Iles for servicing the trap at Wapusk National Park. This paper contributes to the University of Guelph’s Food from Thought research program supported by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund. The Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD; www.boldsystems.org)8 was used as the primary workbench for creating, storing, analyzing, and validating the specimen and sequence records and the associated data resources48. The BOLD platform has a private, password-protected workbench for the steps from specimen data entry to data validation (see details in Data Records), and a public data portal for the release of data in various formats. The latter is accessible through an API (http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/resources/api?type=webservices) that can also be controlled through R75 with the package ‘bold’76.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Missed teachable moments for promoting smoking cessation in primary care: a qualitative study in Armenia

Background Teachable moments (TM) have been advocated for endorsing health behavior change in a variety of settings. While primary healthcare settings have been the most potential venue for providing smoking cessation, physicians miss many TM to discuss smoking with their patients at every medical visit. The study aimed to reveal what influences primary healthcare physicians' (PHPs) decision to utilize TMs to facilitate smoking cessation counselling with patients. Methods The study team implemented a qualitative research through focus group discussions with PHPs using a semi-structured guide. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants (n=23) from two Armenian cities (the capital city Yerevan and the second largest city Gyumri). We transcribed the collected data and analyzed by the directed content analysis technique. Results The study results illustrated several misconceptions that hamper PHPs to utilize TM for providing smoking cessation counselling to their patients. Majority of PHPs reported that they preferred discussing smoking only with those patients who expressed explicit concern about smoking, as they were afraid of harming physician-patient relationship. PHPs' believed that asking patients about their smoking status could be intrusive and lead to conflict situations. Some of PHPs were considering smoking as a culturally sensitive issue and preferred checking smoking status of men rather than women. Physicians also tend to miss the opportunity to discuss smoking with special patient subgroups (elderly patients, patients with other co-morbidities) because of the misbelief that smoking "already harmed" them and their health problems take precedence over smoking cessation counseling. Conclusions Physicians missed opportunities to employ TMs for smoking cessation counseling with patients. Physicians appear to prioritize smoking cessation counseling based on patients' socio-demographic characteristic (age, gender), as well as diagnosis at the time of the visit. Specific interventions should be implemented to instruct physicians' to capitalize on TM and discuss smoking cessation during routine consultations with all patients

Tuberculosis and Tobacco in Armenia: Physicians’ perspective on two global epidemics

Introduction Aim: Tuberculosis and smoking are two colliding epidemics which independently pose a significant threat to global health. There is consistent epidemiological evidence of the association between smoking and TB. This study aims to investigate Armenian TB physicians’ perceptive on the association between smoking and TB treatment. Methods The study team implemented the qualitative study through in-depth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) with TB physicians. Study participants were from in-patient and outpatient healthcare settings from Yerevan (the capital city), Syunik and Gegharkunik marzes. Semi-structured guides were used for moderating the IDIs and FGDs. The snowball sampling technique was utilized to identify 21 TB physicians. Results The overwhelming majority of TB physicians knew about the influence of smoking on TB treatment and agreed that TB patients need to quit smoking. Improved TB treatment outcomes, accelerated recovery, and decreased risk of TB relapse were identified as the most common positive effects of smoking cessation among TB patients. Some physicians mentioned other benefits of quitting smoking which were not directly linked to TB treatment, such as improved health outcomes related to non-communicable diseases, improved metabolism, and stronger immune system. However, a few TB physicians were skeptical about smoking adversely affecting the TB treatment process and outcomes. They commented on the shortage of statistical data supporting the direct effect of smoking and the perception that smoking harms the body but does not specifically impede the process of TB treatment demonstrating their doubts regarding the adverse effects of smoking. Conclusions The acknowledgment of negative association of smoking on TB treatment process and outcomes could facilitate provision of smoking cessation interventions by TB physicians and ultimately address the dual burden of TB and tobacco in Armenia. Funding The study was supported by the Global Bridges Healthcare Alliance for Tobacco Dependence Treatment, hosted by Mayo Clinic and Pfizer Independent Grants for Learning and Change

Evaluation of smoking cessation training in Armenia

Background Healthcare providers play a central role in promoting smoking cessation. Patients getting advice from physicians are 1.6 times more likely to quit, and trained physicians are twice as likely to offer assistance to patients. This study aimed to design, implement, and evaluate the first smoking cessation training for primary healthcare physicians (PHP) in Armenia. Methods We recruited 58 PHPs for a two-day training (intervention group) and 51 PHPs in the control group from the two biggest cities. We utilized a quasi-experimental design to evaluate the training effectiveness using a self-administered questionnaire at baseline and 4-months follow-up. Practice score was calculated by awarding 1 point when the recommended practice was reported as being “Always” performed in physicians'' everyday work. We performed paired analysis to compare baseline and follow-up data using paired t-test and Wilcoxon test. Results Overall, 105 PHPs (57-intervention, 48-control) participated in both baseline and follow-up surveys. The self-reported mean practice score significantly increased in the intervention group (10.34 vs. 14.96; p< 0.001) but not in the control group (10.03 vs. 10.25; p=0.739). The improvements from baseline to follow-up in the intervention group were observed regarding most of the selected evidence-based recommendations. However, the most vivid improvements were observed pertaining to practices in assisting patients to quit. At follow-up, more intervention group PHPs were always proposing their help to patients in quitting (45.61% vs. 85.96%, p< 0.001) and prescribing pharmacological aids such as Nicotine replacement therapy (5.36% vs. 24.56%, p< 0.001), Cytisine (1.75% vs. 24.56%, p< 0.001) and Varenicline (3.51% vs. 8.77%, p< 0.001). Conclusions Training of healthcare providers can greatly improve compliance with the evidence-based smoking cessation recommendations. Similar tobacco dependence treatment trainings should be applied for all primary healthcare physicians in Armenia as well as adapted and implemented for other healthcare professional groups

Impact of COVID-19 on essential healthcare services at the primary healthcare level in Armenia: a qualitative study

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has presented significant global healthcare challenges, particularly impacting the continuity of essential health services in low- and middle-income countries. This study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the utilization and provision of essential health services in Armenia. Methods We employed a conventional qualitative study design, conducting semi-structured in-depth interviews (n = 17) within public and private primary healthcare (PHC) facilities in Armenia in 2021. Our study participants encompassed physicians providing specialty services in PHC facilities (e.g. endocrinologists, gynecologists/obstetricians, and pediatricians), regular visitors to PHC facilities (e.g. adults with chronic diseases, parents of children), and policymakers. Thematic analysis was conducted, yielding five emergent categories: mobilization and organization of PHC services during COVID-19; PHC visits during COVID-19; worsening of chronic conditions due to the decline in PHC visits; problems with routine childhood vaccinations; and patient-provider communication challenges. Results The number of in-person visits to PHC facilities declined due to adaptations in service delivery, imposed lockdown measures, and the public’s fear of visiting healthcare facilities. Maternal and child health services continued with no major disruptions. PHC providers deliberately limited the number of maternal and child visits to essential antenatal care, newborn screenings, and routine childhood immunizations. Still, children experienced some delays in vaccination administration. The pandemic resulted in a notable reduction in follow-up visits and monitoring of patients with chronic conditions, thereby exacerbating their chronic conditions. Phone calls were the primary method of patient-provider communication during the pandemic. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the delivery and utilization of essential healthcare services at PHC facilities, especially for those with chronic conditions who needed continuous care. Unified national-level guidance and technical capacity are needed to direct the provision of essential services at the PHC level, promote effective health communication, and implement digital platforms for the uninterrupted provision of essential care during public health emergencies

Data and scripts for "Experimental evidence on the influence of root-associated fungi on plant growth along altitude"

These files include the input data and scripts to reproduce the results from the article "Experimental evidence on the influence of root-associated fungi on plant growth along altitude". The fungal OTU and environmental data are stored in the "data_meta_otu.Rdata" file, and the scripts for performing the joint species distribution modelling described in the article are the files "S1-S5". The scripts should be run in the subsequent order from S1 to S5 in R software. As extensively explained in the main document, we investigated whether variations in root-associated fungal (RAF) community composition along altitudinal gradients influence plant growth at high altitudes, where both plants and fungi face harsher abiotic conditions. These data correspond to a translocation experiment between pairs of high and low altitude populations of Bistorta vivipara along three arctic altitudinal gradients in Kilpisjärvi. To separate the impact of shifting fungal communities from the overall influence of changing abiotic conditions, we used a root barrier to prevent new colonizations by RAF following translocation. To characterize the RAF communities, we applied DNA barcoding to the root samples using the ITS2 region. Through the utilization of joint species distribution modeling, we assessed the relationship between changes in plant functional traits resulting from experimental treatments and the corresponding changes in the RAF communities

Fungal communities decline with urbanization-more in air than in soil

Increasing evidence suggests that degradation of biodiversity in human populated areas is a threat for the ecosystem processes that are relevant for human well-being. Fungi are a megadiverse kingdom that plays a key role in ecosystem processes and affects human well-being. How urbanization influences fungi has remained poorly understood, partially due to the methodological difficulties in comprehensively surveying fungi. Here we show that both aerial and soil fungal communities are greatly poorer in urban than in natural areas. Strikingly, a fivefold reduction in fungal DNA abundance took place in both air and soil samples already at 1 km scale when crossing the edge from natural to urban habitats. Furthermore, in the air, fungal diversity decreased with urbanization even more than in the soil. This result is counterintuitive as fungal spores are known to disperse over large distances. A large proportion of the fungi detectable in the air are specialized to natural habitats, whereas soil fungal communities comprise a large proportion of habitat generalists. The sensitivity of the aerial fungal community to anthropogenic disturbance makes this method a reliable and efficient bioindicator of ecosystem health in urban areas.Peer reviewe