The Relationship between Knowledge Transfer and Competitiveness in “SMES” with Emphasis on Absorptive Capacity and Combinative Capabilities

In order to improve SMES’ competitiveness, introduction of Knowledge into all aspects of production process and management levels is essential. The question is how the knowledge can be transfer into firms? The purpose of this study is to examine the role of knowledge transfer in Firm’s competitiveness. Firms’ need to manage resources flow effectively to be able to survive and to grow in competitive business environment. How can they do this? Over the last decade, the knowledge- based view has rapidly seized a prominent role in strategy research. The knowledge – based view explains that tacit knowledge is the critical component of the value that a firm adds to input , and that a firm’s ability to transfer this tacit knowledge is the essential source of sustained competitive advantage. Firms which have a good absorptive capacity and combinative capabilities are able to compete effectively. Absorptive capacity and combinative capability are main aspect of knowledge - transfer which has captured the attention of numerous studies in recent years. Large firms have possibilities to invest a large amount of money into R&D and to monopolize the knowledge which they have explored and then to exploit it, but the questions are: What about SMES? Are they able to explore and to exploit new knowledge? What are the advantages of K-T in SMES’ competitiveness? With consideration of SMES’ expansion in developed and developing countries, growth and survival of them depend on K-T in these firms and its relationship with firms’ competitiveness. When firms interact with external constituents, be they suppliers or customers, they seek to acquire and/or maintain access to knowledge that otherwise would not efficiently available. Based on the literature review a theoretical model of Small and medium enterprises (SME’S) competitiveness relating to that knowledge transfer is a function of absorptive capacity and combinative capability that characterize the competitiveness. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are assumed to play a key role in social and economic development. The theoretical model that was developed in this study predicted that knowledge transfer is a function of absorptive capacity and combinative capability that characterize the SMEs’ competitiveness. Absorptive capacity refers to the capability to understand and use new knowledge. Results from this study indicate that two dimensions of absorptive capacity, available complementary knowledge and prior related experience, are both important antecedents of knowledge transfer. Combinative capability refers to a firm’s capacity to combine and recombine existing knowledge. The theoretical model predicted that this capacity is a function of the opportunity, motivation, and ability to share knowledge. Key words: Competitiveness; Firm; Tacit; Strategy; Absorptive; Combinative; Knowledge; SMES; Capability; Capacity; Motivatio

Mapping local patterns of childhood overweight and wasting in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017

A double burden of malnutrition occurs when individuals, household members or communities experience both undernutrition and overweight. Here, we show geospatial estimates of overweight and wasting prevalence among children under 5 years of age in 105 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 2000 to 2017 and aggregate these to policy-relevant administrative units. Wasting decreased overall across LMICs between 2000 and 2017, from 8.4% (62.3 (55.1–70.8) million) to 6.4% (58.3 (47.6–70.7) million), but is predicted to remain above the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target of <5% in over half of LMICs by 2025. Prevalence of overweight increased from 5.2% (30 (22.8–38.5) million) in 2000 to 6.0% (55.5 (44.8–67.9) million) children aged under 5 years in 2017. Areas most affected by double burden of malnutrition were located in Indonesia, Thailand, southeastern China, Botswana, Cameroon and central Nigeria. Our estimates provide a new perspective to researchers, policy makers and public health agencies in their efforts to address this global childhood syndemic

Association of FABP2 gene polymorphism (rs1799883) with risk of obesity in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS) population

Background: The major issue to address in obesity etiology is to identify the genetic changes in the disease and their occurrence in different populations. Uncovering these genetic changes may be important in developing potential biomarkers for early diagnosis and prognosis of obesity. Among all obesity susceptibility genes studied before, convincing association has been found with variants in the FABP2 gene and this disease; however, the contributions of these genetic variants in different populations and ethnic groups are not similar. Accordingly, this study was carried out to replicate the previous findings to assess whether a missense variation (rs1799883) in this gene is associated with obesity in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS) population. Methods: A case&ndash;control study was designed to determine the possible association between rs1799883 and occurrence of obesity &ldquo;in phase IV of the study between the years of 2008 to 2011&rdquo;. The study group consisted of 217 subjects with body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) greater than 30 as cases and 159 healthy individual as control group (1820). All subjects were recruited among the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS) participants in phase IV of the study between the years of 2008 to 2011. The genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leucocytes using the salting out method and subsequently subjects were genotyped for this marker using The tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR). Association of risk allele with obesity was assessed using the SPSS software, version 20 (Chicago, IL, USA). Results: The results showed no significant differences between case and control groups in terms of allele frequency (P=0.61). According to the findings, the presence of T allele as the risk allele was not associated with increased risk of obesity in carriers of this allele compared to individuals carrying the normal allele (OR=1.17; CI%95= 0.62-2.19, P=0.61). Conclusion: The results did not support the previous findings of an association between genetic polymorphism in the FABP2 gene and risk of obesity. However, a number of replicated studies with other ethnicity are suggested to make a conclusion about the role of this genetic polymorphisms and susceptibility to obesity in Iranian population

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection and Its Risk Factors in the West of Iran: A Population-based Study

Introduction: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a serious global public health problem affecting billions of people globally. The lack of information of its seroprevalence among the general population is an obstacle for formulating effective policies to reduce the burden viral hepatitis. Therefore, this population based serological survey was conducted in Kurdistan province, where no epidemiological data was available to determine the prevalence and risk factors of HBV infection. Methods: 1613 healthy subjects were selected from all districts of Kurdistan province (in the western of Iran) using random cluster sampling. The subjects′ age ranged from 6 to 65 years old. Serum samples were tested for HBcAb, HBsAg and anti-HDV antibody. Screening tests were carried out by the third generation of ELISA. Various risk factors were recorded and multivariate analysis was performed. Results: The prevalence of HBsAg and HBcAb in Kurdistan was before 0.80% (95% CI 0.44; 1.34) and 5.02% (95% CI 4.03; 6.17), respectively. None of HBsAg carriers had positive anti-HDV antibody. Predictors of HBsAg or HBcAb in multivariate analysis were: older age and marriage. We did not find any significant differences between males and females. Conclusion : Our population based study suggests that intrafamilial HBV transmission plays a major role in HBV transmission in Kurdistan province. Furthermore, approximately 5% of general population in this province has prior exposure to HBV and less than 1% is HBsAg carriers. However, we could not find any case of HDV infection among them

Evaluation of pitting corrosion by dynamic speckle pattern analysis

Abstract There is an increasing interest in non-destructive and real-time high-resolution approaches for corrosion studies in metals. In this paper, we propose the dynamic speckle pattern method as a low-cost, easy-to-implement, and quasi in-situ optical technique for the quantitative evaluation of pitting corrosion. This type of corrosion occurs in a specific area of a metallic structure and causes holes formation leading to structural failure. A Custom 450 stainless steel sample, placed in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution and applied to a $$350 \,\hbox {mV}_{SCE}$$ 350 mV SCE potential to initiate the corrosion, is used as the sample. The speckle patterns formed by the scattering of a He-Ne laser light is changed over time due to any corrosion in the sample. The analysis of the time-integrate speckle pattern suggests that the growth rate of pitting decreases with time

MAPPING LOCAL PATTERNS OF CHILDHOOD OVERWEIGHT AND WASTING IN LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES BETWEEN 2000 AND 2017

A double burden of malnutrition occurs when individuals, household members or communities experience both undernutrition and overweight. Here, we show geospatial estimates of overweight and wasting prevalence among children under 5 years of age in 105 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 2000 to 2017 and aggregate these to policy-relevant administrative units. Wasting decreased overall across LMICs between 2000 and 2017, from 8.4% (62.3 (55.1–70.8) million) to 6.4% (58.3 (47.6–70.7) million), but is predicted to remain above the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target of <5% in over half of LMICs by 2025. Prevalence of overweight increased from 5.2% (30 (22.8–38.5) million) in 2000 to 6.0% (55.5 (44.8–67.9) million) children aged under 5 years in 2017. Areas most affected by double burden of malnutrition were located in Indonesia, Thailand, southeastern China, Botswana, Cameroon and central Nigeria. Our estimates provide a new perspective to researchers, policy makers and public health agencies in their efforts to address this global childhood syndemic

Mapping geographical inequalities in childhood diarrhoeal morbidity and mortality in low-income and middle-income countries, 2000-17: analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background: Across low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), one in ten deaths in children younger than 5 years is attributable to diarrhoea. The substantial between-country variation in both diarrhoea incidence and mortality is attributable to interventions that protect children, prevent infection, and treat disease. Identifying subnational regions with the highest burden and mapping associated risk factors can aid in reducing preventable childhood diarrhoea. Methods: We used Bayesian model-based geostatistics and a geolocated dataset comprising 15 072 746 children younger than 5 years from 466 surveys in 94 LMICs, in combination with findings of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017, to estimate posterior distributions of diarrhoea prevalence, incidence, and mortality from 2000 to 2017. From these data, we estimated the burden of diarrhoea at varying subnational levels (termed units) by spatially aggregating draws, and we investigated the drivers of subnational patterns by creating aggregated risk factor estimates. Findings: The greatest declines in diarrhoeal mortality were seen in south and southeast Asia and South America, where 54·0% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 38·1–65·8), 17·4% (7·7–28·4), and 59·5% (34·2–86·9) of units, respectively, recorded decreases in deaths from diarrhoea greater than 10%. Although children in much of Africa remain at high risk of death due to diarrhoea, regions with the most deaths were outside Africa, with the highest mortality units located in Pakistan. Indonesia showed the greatest within-country geographical inequality; some regions had mortality rates nearly four times the average country rate. Reductions in mortality were correlated to improvements in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) or reductions in child growth failure (CGF). Similarly, most high-risk areas had poor WASH, high CGF, or low oral rehydration therapy coverage. Interpretation: By co-analysing geospatial trends in diarrhoeal burden and its key risk factors, we could assess candidate drivers of subnational death reduction. Further, by doing a counterfactual analysis of the remaining disease burden using key risk factors, we identified potential intervention strategies for vulnerable populations. In view of the demands for limited resources in LMICs, accurately quantifying the burden of diarrhoea and its drivers is important for precision public health. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Mapping geographical inequalities in childhood diarrhoeal morbidity and mortality in low-income and middle-income countries, 2000-17: analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background: Across low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), one in ten deaths in children younger than 5 years is attributable to diarrhoea. The substantial between-country variation in both diarrhoea incidence and mortality is attributable to interventions that protect children, prevent infection, and treat disease. Identifying subnational regions with the highest burden and mapping associated risk factors can aid in reducing preventable childhood diarrhoea. Methods: We used Bayesian model-based geostatistics and a geolocated dataset comprising 15 072 746 children younger than 5 years from 466 surveys in 94 LMICs, in combination with findings of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017, to estimate posterior distributions of diarrhoea prevalence, incidence, and mortality from 2000 to 2017. From these data, we estimated the burden of diarrhoea at varying subnational levels (termed units) by spatially aggregating draws, and we investigated the drivers of subnational patterns by creating aggregated risk factor estimates. Findings: The greatest declines in diarrhoeal mortality were seen in south and southeast Asia and South America, where 54·0% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 38·1–65·8), 17·4% (7·7–28·4), and 59·5% (34·2–86·9) of units, respectively, recorded decreases in deaths from diarrhoea greater than 10%. Although children in much of Africa remain at high risk of death due to diarrhoea, regions with the most deaths were outside Africa, with the highest mortality units located in Pakistan. Indonesia showed the greatest within-country geographical inequality; some regions had mortality rates nearly four times the average country rate. Reductions in mortality were correlated to improvements in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) or reductions in child growth failure (CGF). Similarly, most high-risk areas had poor WASH, high CGF, or low oral rehydration therapy coverage. Interpretation: By co-analysing geospatial trends in diarrhoeal burden and its key risk factors, we could assess candidate drivers of subnational death reduction. Further, by doing a counterfactual analysis of the remaining disease burden using key risk factors, we identified potential intervention strategies for vulnerable populations. In view of the demands for limited resources in LMICs, accurately quantifying the burden of diarrhoea and its drivers is important for precision public health. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation