Analysis on the Credit Accessibility and Growth of Manufacturing Firms in the Cases of Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam

Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) contribute to income and employment generation, poverty reduction, and industry growth in the ASEAN region (Mendoza, 2015). Their significant contributions to economies have led countries to emphasize the importance of firm growth, which is influenced by credit accessibility. Majority of existing enterprises in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam are composed of MSMEs with limited financial resources to foster growth (Paratama, 2019). This hinders the potential of manufacturing MSMEs to have sufficient funding. However, existing literature suggests that credit access significantly provides a positive impact on firm growth only until a certain threshold point (Nizam et al., 2020). The threshold regression analysis results convey the significance of considering the potential existence of credit access thresholds, particularly with regard to firm size. This policy brief aims to provide a suggestive analysis by assessing the applicability of the established relationship and threshold levels to existing economic policies and the formulation of future programs

Plexus 2006

The PLEXUS staff wishes to recognize the hard work and support of the following individuals: Dean Thomas Cesario MD, Ellena Peterson MD, Gayle Pierce, Linda Hill, Carroll Rudy, Dale Fukuda from Printing Division. Co-Editors-in-Chief: Sarah Mourra, Boback Ziaeian Senior EditorsAudio: Joshua WaltzmanCreative Writing: Sarah MourraLayout & Design: Boback ZiaeianMarketing & Outreach: Manijeh TorkiVisual Arts: Grace Sun Associate EditorsAudio: Lauren CheungCreative Writing: Akiva KahnLayout & Design: Mariam NaqviMarketing & Outreach: Janet LimVisual Arts: Vicky MillaySelection Editors: Antony Hazel, Pooya Javidan, Jane LeeSelection Committee: Sarah Blaschko, Rasha Hindiyeh, Meghann Kaiser, Brian McMichael, C. Gail Ryan, Roya Saisan, Lena R. Schultz, Tracy Slone, Randy WeiFaculty Advisors: Johanna Shapiro, PhD; Lloyd Rucker, M

Rare coding variants in 35 genes associate with circulating lipid levels-A multi-ancestry analysis of 170,000 exomes.

Large-scale gene sequencing studies for complex traits have the potential to identify causal genes with therapeutic implications. We performed gene-based association testing of blood lipid levels with rare (minor allele frequency 170,000 individuals from multiple ancestries: 97,493 European, 30,025 South Asian, 16,507 African, 16,440 Hispanic/Latino, 10,420 East Asian, and 1,182 Samoan. We identified 35 genes associated with circulating lipid levels; some of these genes have not been previously associated with lipid levels when using rare coding variation from population-based samples. We prioritize 32 genes in array-based genome-wide association study (GWAS) loci based on aggregations of rare coding variants; three (EVI5, SH2B3, and PLIN1) had no prior association of rare coding variants with lipid levels. Most of our associated genes showed evidence of association among multiple ancestries. Finally, we observed an enrichment of gene-based associations for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol drug target genes and for genes closest to GWAS index single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Our results demonstrate that gene-based associations can be beneficial for drug target development and provide evidence that the gene closest to the array-based GWAS index SNP is often the functional gene for blood lipid levels.This work was supported by a grant from the Swedish Research Council (2016-06830) and grants from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI): R01HL142711 and R01HL127564. Please refer to the supplemental information for the full acknowledgements.S

Rare coding variants in 35 genes associate with circulating lipid levels-A multi-ancestry analysis of 170,000 exomes.

Large-scale gene sequencing studies for complex traits have the potential to identify causal genes with therapeutic implications. We performed gene-based association testing of blood lipid levels with rare (minor allele frequency 170,000 individuals from multiple ancestries: 97,493 European, 30,025 South Asian, 16,507 African, 16,440 Hispanic/Latino, 10,420 East Asian, and 1,182 Samoan. We identified 35 genes associated with circulating lipid levels; some of these genes have not been previously associated with lipid levels when using rare coding variation from population-based samples. We prioritize 32 genes in array-based genome-wide association study (GWAS) loci based on aggregations of rare coding variants; three (EVI5, SH2B3, and PLIN1) had no prior association of rare coding variants with lipid levels. Most of our associated genes showed evidence of association among multiple ancestries. Finally, we observed an enrichment of gene-based associations for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol drug target genes and for genes closest to GWAS index single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Our results demonstrate that gene-based associations can be beneficial for drug target development and provide evidence that the gene closest to the array-based GWAS index SNP is often the functional gene for blood lipid levels