Un Análisis de los Factores Determinantes de la Innovación: El Estudio de Caso de las Empresas Familiares con Sede en Singapur

Family businesses play an important role in the growth of global economy, and while they are arguably perceived as a conservative form of organization with high risk aversion and reluctance to change, counterintuitive empirical evidence show that they are most effective in ideation and commercialization of innovation projects. In the current business environment of rapid change in work patterns, fast adoption of enabling technologies for seamless collaborations across industry and geography, along with intense competition and high uncertainty, enterprises have no choice but to maximize returns on innovation investments. Therefore, they are increasingly dependent on an ecosystem-based approach to innovation management, which has shown greater likelihood to create radical innovations and enable profit generation. The objective of this paper is to analyse determinants of open innovation practices in family-owned enterprises in consideration of the joint effect of in-company enablers and external factors. Drawing on a sample of 33 Singapore based family-owned firms, our findings confirmed the key drivers such as family and business culture, access to external funds, government supported initiatives, market dynamics, partnership, network, family capital, and external network.  Managerial implications about the necessity to leverage both environmental determinants and internal innovation capabilities to foster novel business ideas are also highlighted in the conclusion of the paper.Las empresas familiares desempeñan un papel importante en el crecimiento de la economía global, y aunque posiblemente se las perciba como una forma conservadora de organización con alta aversión al riesgo la evidencia empírica muestra que son más efectivas creando y comercializando proyectos de innovación. En el entorno empresarial actual de cambio rápido en los patrones de trabajo, la adopción rápida de tecnologías habilitadoras para colaboraciones fluidas en toda la industria y la geografía, junto con la intensa competencia y la alta incertidumbre, las empresas no tienen más remedio que maximizar los rendimientos de las inversiones en innovación. Por lo tanto, dependen cada vez más de un enfoque basado en el ecosistema para la gestión de la innovación, que ha demostrado una mayor probabilidad de crear innovaciones radicales y permitir la generación de ganancias. El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar los determinantes de las prácticas de innovación en las empresas familiares en consideración del efecto conjunto de los facilitadores internos y los factores externos. Basándose en una muestra de 33 empresas familiares con sede en Singapur, nuestros hallazgos confirmaron los impulsores clave como la cultura familiar y empresarial, el acceso a fondos externos, las iniciativas respaldadas por el gobierno, la dinámica del mercado, la asociación, la red, el capital familiar y la red externa. Las implicaciones gerenciales sobre la necesidad de aprovechar los determinantes ambientales y las capacidades de innovación interna para fomentar nuevas ideas de negocio también se destacan en la conclusión del artículo

Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Among Donor-Conceived Offspring in the U.S. National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study from Adolescence to Adulthood

introduction concerns about parents with minoritized sexual identities often focus on the belief that their children will be confused about their gender and report a non-heterosexual orientation compared to children reared by heterosexual parents. yet, few longitudinal studies exist. methods gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, and sexual experiences were examined in 75 U.S. donor-conceived offspring (39 assigned females at birth (AFAB) and 36 assigned males at birth (AMAB)) of lesbian parents, when the offspring had reached adulthood (ages 30-33). Additionally, 72 of these offspring (38 AFAB and 34 AMAB) had also completed surveys in adolescence (age 17, data collected 2004-2009) and emerging adulthood (age 25, data collected 2012-2017), which enabled us to examine the developmental pathways of their sexuality. results All AMAB offspring and 94.7% of AFAB offspring who identified as cisgender during adolescence continued to do so during emerging adulthood and adulthood. over time, sexual orientation was more fluid than gender identity, and AFAB offspring were more fluid than AMAB offspring. specifically, considering those who reported the same (heterosexual/straight; lesbian, gay/homosexual; or bisexual+) sexual orientation from adolescence through emerging adulthood to adulthood, 63.9% were AFAB and 82.4% were AMAB. More than half of AFAB offspring and 80.6% of AMAB offspring identified as heterosexual in adulthood, and the vast majority had had sex with a non-transgender man (86.5%) and a non-transgender woman (93.6%), respectively, in the last 5 years.conclusions this is the only study that has followed the biological offspring of lesbian parents from birth to adulthood, prospectively and longitudinally. the results indicate that offspring of lesbian parents are less likely to identify as transgender than the general public, but more likely to identify as LGB or queer. policy Implications As gender and sexual identity development significantly impacts well-being, creating supportive environments for offspring of lesbian parents and increasing public awareness of the connections among developmental milestones, health, and thriving are vital

Bioactivity in silica/poly(γ-glutamic acid) sol–gel hybrids through calcium chelation

Bioactive glasses and inorganic/organic hybrids have great potential as biomedical implant materials. Sol–gel hybrids with interpenetrating networks of silica and biodegradable polymers can combine the bioactive properties of a glass with the toughness of a polymer. However, traditional calcium sources such as calcium nitrate and calcium chloride are unsuitable for hybrids. In this study calcium was incorporated by chelation to the polymer component. The calcium salt form of poly(γ-glutamic acid) (γCaPGA) was synthesized for use as both a calcium source and as the biodegradable toughening component of the hybrids. Hybrids of 40 wt.% γCaPGA were successfully formed and had fine scale integration of Ca and Si ions, according to secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging, indicating a homogeneous distribution of organic and inorganic components. 29Si magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance data demonstrated that the network connectivity was unaltered with changing polymer molecular weight, as there was no perturbation to the overall Si speciation and silica network formation. Upon immersion in simulated body fluid a hydroxycarbonate apatite surface layer formed on the hybrids within 1 week. The polymer molecular weight (Mw 30–120 kDa) affected the mechanical properties of the resulting hybrids, but all hybrids had large strains to failure, >26%, and compressive strengths, in excess of 300 MPa. The large strain to failure values showed that γCaPGA hybrids exhibited non-brittle behaviour whilst also incorporating calcium. Thus calcium incorporation by chelation to the polymer component is justified as a novel approach in hybrids for biomedical materials

On graphs associated to sets of rankings

In this paper we analyze families of rankings by studying structural properties of graphs. Given a finite number of elements and a set of rankings of those elements, two elements compete when they exchange their relative positions in at least two rankings, and we can associate an undirected graph to a set of rankings by connecting elements that compete. We call this graph a competitivity graph. Competitivity graphs have already appeared in the literature as co-comparability graphs, f-graphs or intersection graphs associated to a concatenation of permutation diagrams. We introduce certain important sets of nodes in a competitivity graph. For example, nodes that compete among them form a competitivity set and nodes connected by chains of competitors form a set of eventual competitors. These sets are analyzed and a method to obtain sets of eventual competitors directly from a set of rankings is shown. © 2015 Elsevier B.V.This paper was partially supported by Spanish MICINN Funds and FEDER Funds MTM2009-13848, MTM2010-16153 and MTM2010-18674, and Junta de Andalucia Funds FQM-264. The authors would like to thank an anonymous referee for the valuable comments and remarks.Criado Herrero, R.; García, E.; Pedroche Sánchez, F.; Romance, M. (2016). On graphs associated to sets of rankings. Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics. 291:497-508. doi:10.1016/j.cam.2015.03.009S49750829

Antagonismo in vitro de Trichoderma asperellum Samuels, Lieckf. & Nirenberg (Ta13-17) contra hongos patógenos de Solanum lycopersicum L.

Trichoderma asperellum Samuels, Lieckf. & Nirenberg (Ta13-17) is a natural habitant of the soil that presents qualities as a biological control of fungal pathogens. It has mechanisms with antagonistic effects such as competition for space and nutrients, production of secondary metabolites, and lytic enzymes related to antibiosis and mycoparasitism. The objective was to evaluate the in vitro biocontrol capacity of the native strain T. asperellum (Ta13-17) against pathogenic fungi isolated from Solanum lycopersicum L. In dual culture in Petri dishes containing PDA, T. asperellum was confronted against five phytopathogenic fungi isolated from tomato. The percentage of inhibition of mycelial growth (ICM) and the degree of mycoparasitism were calculated. To calculate the antibiosis, ICM, sporulation inhibition and germination of conidia were determined in mycelium disks of each phytopathogen grown on PDA medium with liquid filtrate of T. asperellum added. Additionally, chitinase and glucanase production by T. asperellum was evaluated in minimal medium. A completely randomized design was used. The antagonist exhibited chitinase and glucanase activities from day three after sowing and inhibited growth of the phytopathogenic fungi at least 55 %. On the eleventh day, 100 % mycoparasitism was observed in C. lunata (ITC22) and A. alternata (ITC24); the rest of the phytopathogens showed at least 92,05 %. Antibiosis tests showed 100 % ICM for F. equiseti (ITC24) and 100% inhibition of sporulation and germination of conidia in C. cassiicola (ITC23), A. alternata (ITC23), and F. equiseti (ITC32).Trichoderma asperellum Samuels, Lieckf. & Nirenberg (Ta13-17) es un habitante natural del suelo que presenta cualidades como controlador biológico de patógenos fúngicos. Posee mecanismos con efecto antagónico, como son la competencia por espacio y nutrientes, la producción de metabolitos secundarios y enzimas líticas relacionadas con antibiosis y micoparasitismo, respectivamente. El objetivo del estudio fue determinar, in vitro, la capacidad de biocontrol de la cepa nativa T. asperellum Samuels, Lieckf. & Nirenberg (Ta13-17) contra hongos patógenos aislados de Solanum lycopersicum L. Se enfrentó a T. asperellum contra cinco hongos fitopatógenos aislados de tomate, en placas Petri con medio PDA en cultivo Dual. Se calcularon el porcentaje de inhibición del crecimiento micelial (ICM) y el grado de micoparasitismo. Para calcular la antibiosis, se preparó cultivo PDA en combinación con filtrado líquido de T. asperellum. Se sembró un disco de micelio de cada fitopatógeno y se determinaron ICM, inhibición de esporulación y germinación de conidios. Adicionalmente, se evaluó la producción de quitinasas y glucanasas de T. asperellum en medio mínimo. El diseño experimental fue completamente al azar. Los tratamientos en cada experimento se compararon mediante análisis de varianza seguido de la prueba de Tukey para

Diagnosing Sarcopenia with AI-Aided Ultrasound (DINOSAUR)—A Pilot Study

Background: Sarcopenia has been recognized as a determining factor in surgical outcomes and is associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications and readmission. Diagnosis is currently based on clinical guidelines, which includes assessment of skeletal muscle mass but not quality. Ultrasound has been proposed as a useful point-of-care diagnostic tool to assess muscle quality, but no validated cut-offs for sarcopenia have been reported. Using novel automated artificial intelligence (AI) software to interpret ultrasound images may assist in mitigating the operator-dependent nature of the modality. Our study aims to evaluate the fidelity of AI-aided ultrasound as a reliable and reproducible modality to assess muscle quality and diagnose sarcopenia in surgical patients. Methods: Thirty-six adult participants from an outpatient clinic were recruited for this prospective cohort study. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) 2019 guidelines. Ultrasonography of the rectus femoris muscle was performed, and images were analyzed by an AI software (MuscleSound® (Version 5.69.0)) to derive muscle parameters including intramuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) as a proxy of muscle quality. A receiver operative characteristic (ROC) curve was used to assess the predictive capability of IMAT and its derivatives, with area under the curve (AUC) as a measure of overall diagnostic accuracy. To evaluate consistency between ultrasound users of different experience, intra- and inter-rater reliability of muscle ultrasound parameters was analyzed in a separate cohort using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland–Altman plots. Results:The median age was 69.5 years (range: 26–87), and the prevalence of sarcopenia in the cohort was 30.6%. The ROC curve plotted with IMAT index (IMAT% divided by muscle area) yielded an AUC of 0.727 (95% CI: 0.551–0.904). An optimal cut-off point of 4.827%/cm2 for IMAT index was determined with a Youden’s Index of 0.498. We also demonstrated that IMAT index has excellent intra-rater reliability (ICC = 0.938, CI: 0.905–0.961) and good inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.776, CI: 0.627–0.866). In Bland–Altman plots, the limits of agreement were from −1.489 to 1.566 and −2.107 to 4.562, respectively. Discussion: IMAT index obtained via ultrasound has the potential to act as a point-of-care evaluation for sarcopenia screening and diagnosis, with good intra- and inter-rater reliability. The proposed IMAT index cut-off maximizes sensitivity for case finding, supporting its use as an easily implementable point-of-care test in the community for sarcopenia screening. Further research incorporating other ultrasound parameters of muscle quality may provide the basis for a more robust diagnostic tool to help predict surgical risk and outcomes.</p

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Effectiveness of initiating biologics in severe asthma patients with high steroid exposure

Peer reviewedPostprin

Chikungunya Virus Neutralization Antigens and Direct Cell-to-Cell Transmission Are Revealed by Human Antibody-Escape Mutants

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an alphavirus responsible for numerous epidemics throughout Africa and Asia, causing infectious arthritis and reportedly linked with fatal infections in newborns and elderly. Previous studies in animal models indicate that humoral immunity can protect against CHIKV infection, but despite the potential efficacy of B-cell-driven intervention strategies, there are no virus-specific vaccines or therapies currently available. In addition, CHIKV has been reported to elicit long-lasting virus-specific IgM in humans, and to establish long-term persistence in non-human primates, suggesting that the virus might evade immune defenses to establish chronic infections in man. However, the mechanisms of immune evasion potentially employed by CHIKV remain uncharacterized. We previously described two human monoclonal antibodies that potently neutralize CHIKV infection. In the current report, we have characterized CHIKV mutants that escape antibody-dependent neutralization to identify the CHIKV E2 domain B and fusion loop “groove” as the primary determinants of CHIKV interaction with these antibodies. Furthermore, for the first time, we have also demonstrated direct CHIKV cell-to-cell transmission, as a mechanism that involves the E2 domain A and that is associated with viral resistance to antibody-dependent neutralization. Identification of CHIKV sub-domains that are associated with human protective immunity, will pave the way for the development of CHIKV-specific sub-domain vaccination strategies. Moreover, the clear demonstration of CHIKV cell-to-cell transmission and its possible role in the establishment of CHIKV persistence, will also inform the development of future anti-viral interventions. These data shed new light on CHIKV-host interactions that will help to combat human CHIKV infection and inform future studies of CHIKV pathogenesis