21ST CENTURY EMERGING LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES IN MALAYSIAN HIGHER LEARNING INSTITUTIONS

Purpose: This paper explores the 21st-century emerging leadership competencies in a Malaysian higher learning institution. As the forces of change are transforming the leadership landscape, new leadership capabilities are required for the 21st-century evolving globalized environment. Hence, research is needed to determine the key emerging leadership competencies in the higher learning institutions. Findings: The significance of the results were the relevance of the leadership competency concept in the context of higher learning institution, future leaders need competencies for effective leadership, and the core competencies of academic leaders are necessary. Additionally, besides the discussion on the emerging leadership competencies of visioning and strategic thinking, leadership agility, adaptability and change, relationship and collaboration, the new findings from the field data were corporate leadership and cross-cultural competence. Research limitations/implications: This qualitative case study focused on one higher learning institution. At the same time the research also provided the in-depth context-rich information. Practical implications: The knowledge and adoption of the emerging leadership competencies concept would enhance the development of progressive leadership. Originality/value: There is limited study on the emerging leadership competencies in the higher learning institutions. Hence, there is value in this research. The findings were original contributions to knowledge. Also, this study showed the link between the expected attributes of institutional leadership to the dimensions of transformational leadership and the key emerging leadership competencies. JEL Classification: L29

A genome-wide meta-analysis uncovers six sequence variants conferring risk of vertigo.

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked DownloadVertigo is the leading symptom of vestibular disorders and a major risk factor for falls. In a genome-wide association study of vertigo (Ncases = 48,072, Ncontrols = 894,541), we uncovered an association with six common sequence variants in individuals of European ancestry, including missense variants in ZNF91, OTOG, OTOGL, and TECTA, and a cis-eQTL for ARMC9. The association of variants in ZNF91, OTOGL, and OTOP1 was driven by an association with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Using previous reports of sequence variants associating with age-related hearing impairment and motion sickness, we found eight additional variants that associate with vertigo. Although disorders of the auditory and the vestibular system may co-occur, none of the six genome-wide significant vertigo variants were associated with hearing loss and only one was associated with age-related hearing impairment. Our results uncovered sequence variants associating with vertigo in a genome-wide association study and implicated genes with known roles in inner ear development, maintenance, and disease.UK Biobank Resource European Commission European Commission Joint Research Centre United States Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health (NIH) - US

Large genome-wide association study identifies three novel risk variants for restless legs syndrome

Funder: Scottish Government; doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/100012095Funder: Cancer Research UK (CRUK); doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000289Abstract: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common neurological sensorimotor disorder often described as an unpleasant sensation associated with an urge to move the legs. Here we report findings from a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of RLS including 480,982 Caucasians (cases = 10,257) and a follow up sample of 24,977 (cases = 6,651). We confirm 19 of the 20 previously reported RLS sequence variants at 19 loci and report three novel RLS associations; rs112716420-G (OR = 1.25, P = 1.5 × 10−18), rs10068599-T (OR = 1.09, P = 6.9 × 10−10) and rs10769894-A (OR = 0.90, P = 9.4 × 10−14). At four of the 22 RLS loci, cis-eQTL analysis indicates a causal impact on gene expression. Through polygenic risk score for RLS we extended prior epidemiological findings implicating obesity, smoking and high alcohol intake as risk factors for RLS. To improve our understanding, with the purpose of seeking better treatments, more genetics studies yielding deeper insights into the disease biology are needed

Erfðafræði þroskaraskana, ósjálfráðrar hreyfingar, hvatvísi og þráhyggju

Neurodevelopmental disorders on the impulsivity-compulsivity spectrum are chronic disabling conditions with an early onset. High rates of comorbidity have been reported between Tourette syndrome (TS), Tics disorder (Tics), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and these disorders share cross-disorder risk, conferred by common variants. In this thesis the focus is on the genetics of human intracranial volume (ICV) and five impulsivity-compulsivity spectrum neurological disorders (Tourette, Tics, OCD, ADHD, and restless legs syndrome (RLS)) with the aim of finding novel sequence variants conferring risk of these behaviours and study their cross disorder risk. The genetics of these disorders is complex. Despite large meta analyses, relatively few sequence variants have been associated with these disorders and perturbed biochemical pathways have not been clearly outlined. Better understanding of their genetic underpinnings may greatly improve and accelerate diagnosis, give insights into disease processes, and point to novel targets for drug therapies. Copy number variations (CNVs) introduce insertion/deletion throughout the genome thereby impacting gene expression through gene dosage effect. A candidate gene study confirms AADAC deletion as a risk factor for TS. Moreover, a group of rare, recurrent CNVs, so called neuropsychiatric CNVs, confer high risk of ADHD. This association highlighted shared genetic risk of ADHD with ASD and schizophrenia. The GWAS meta-analysis of TS didn’t find any significant association while aggregate risk score of common variants confirmed polygenic nature of TS. Through large meta-analyses, more sequence variants conferring risk of diseases of the impulsivity-compulsivity spectrum have been uncovered. Colocalization analyses were used to identify affected genes and Mendelian randomization to search for causal relationships, with a focus on the biological insights these associations are beginning to produce. Variations in ICV can impact brain structure-function relationships. The GWAS meta-analysis of ICV uncovered 64 sequence variants explaining 5.0% of the trait’s variance. Genetic correlation analysis shows positive correlation between ICV and cognitive abilities and neurological traits. Phenome-wide genetic correlation (GC) and causal analyses were used to dissect complex polygenic nature of TS, Tics, ADHD, OCD, and RLS. GC of these five disorders with 1,140 published GWAS studies identified 59 common genetically correlated traits (FDR < 0.05). The hierarchical clustering of 59 correlated traits identified five latent clusters: (1) neuropsychiatric or neurotic disorders, (2) emotional disorders, (3) peripheral and muscular pain (4) obesity / poor lifestyle, and (5) cognition / learning traits. Rare and common variants associate with TS, ADHD, RLS, and ICV. The key question is whether variants, associated with structural changes in the brain, cause neurological disorders through their effect on brain structure or alternatively whether genetic predisposition to certain neurological disorders impacts brain structure or development. Bidirectional MR analyses of 34 correlated disorders compared with ICV revealed that ICV either has a causal effect on a neurodevelopmental disorder (ADHD) as well as on a neurodegenerative disorder (Parkinson’s) or these causal relationships may be driven by traits closely correlated with ICV.Taugaþroskaraskanir á hvatvísis-þráhyggju rófinu eru þrálát og hamlandi einkenni sem koma oft fram snemma á lífsleiðinni. Há tíðni fylgiraskana finnast samhliða Tourette heilkenni (TS), kækjum (Tics), þráhyggju- og áráttu- hegðun (OCD), athyglisbrest með og án ofvirkni röskun (ADHD), og einhverfurófsröskun (ASD) og dæmi eru um að sömu algengu breytileikarnir auka áhættu á mismunandi röskunum. Þessi ritgerð fjallar um erfðafræði rúmmáls heila og fimm taugaþroskaraskana á hvatvísis-þráhyggju rófinu (Tourette, Tics, OCD, ADHD, og fótaóeirð (RLS)) með það að markmiði að finna nýja breytileika sem ávísa áhættu af því að þróa þessar svipgerðir og að rannsaka áhættu á krossröskun. Erfðafræði þessara raskana er flókin. Þrátt fyrir stórar safngreiningar (meta-analysis), hafa tiltölulega fáir breytileikar fundist sem ávísa áhættu á þessum röskunum, né varpað ljósi á þá líffræðilegu ferla sem þar liggja að baki. Betri skilningur á erfðafræðilegri undirstöðu þessara raskana gæti stórbætt og flýtt fyrir greiningu, gefið betri innsýn inn í sjúkdómsferlið og bent á nýjar lyfjameðferðir. Eintakabreytileikar annaðhvort koma fyrir innskotum eða eyða út svæðum í erfðamenginu og hafa þannig áhrif á hversu mikið er tjáð af genum sem eru á þeirra áhrifasvæði. Leit í líklegum genum staðfestir að úrfelling á AADAC geninu er áhættu þáttur fyrir Tourette heilkenni. Þar að auki, höfum við sýnt fram á tengls á milli ákveðinna eintakabreytileika, sem hafa áður verið tengdir við einhverfu og geðklofa, og ADHD. Þessi fylgni varpar ljósi á þá erfðafræðilegu áhættu sem ADHD deilir með einhverfu og geðklofa. Safngreining niðurstaðna úr víðtækri erfðamengisleit skilaði engum erfðabreytileikum sem voru í marktægt hærri tíðni í TS en í viðmiðunarhópi. Þó staðfestir samanlagt arfgerðar-skor fjölgena eðli Tourette heilkennis. Stórar safngreiningar hafa auðkennt nýja breytileika sem ávísa áhættu á röskun á hvatvísis-þráhyggju rófinu. Staðsetning breytileika og aðrar aðferðir hafa verið notaðar til að tengja breytileika við gen og Mendelsku slembivali beitt til að rýna í orsakasamhengi, með fókus á líffræðilega ferla þessi gen taka þátt í. Breytileiki í rúmmáli heilans getur haft áhrif á tengsl á milli uppbyggingu og virkni í heilanum. Stór safngreining niðurstaðna úr víðtækri erfðamengisleit á rúmmáli heilans hefur leitt í ljós 64 breytileika í erfðamenginu sem útskýra um iv 5.0% dreifni svipgerðarinnar. Erfðafylgnigreining (GC) sýnir jákvæða fylgni á milli rúmmáls heilans og vitrænna hæfileika og taugasjúkdóma. Breið svipgerða erfðafylgni greining og orsakagreiningar voru notaðar til að kryfja flókin fjölgena sambönd á milli TS, kækja, ADHD, OCD og RLS. GC þessara fimm raskana á móti 1,140 birtra niðurstaðana úr heilgenóms erfðatengslaleitum, bar kennsl á 59 algeng svipbrigði sem eru sýna marktæka erfðafylgni (FDR < 0.05). Stigveldis þyrpingagreining á þessu 59 svipgerðum leiddi í ljós fimm dulda klasa; (1) taugaþroska- og geðraskanir, (2) tilfinningar raskanir, (3) útlima og vöðva verkir, (4) offita / óheilbrigður lífstíll, (5) vitsmuna / lærdóms svipgerðir. Sjaldgæfir og algengir breytielikar hafa verið tengdir við TS, ADHD, RLS og rúmmál heilans. Lykil spurning er hvort breytileikarnir, sem hafa verið tengdir við breytingar í heila, valdi taugasjókdómum í gegnum áhrifin sem þeir hafa á heilann, eða hvort erfðafræðileg tilhneiging til að þróa taugasjókdóma hefur áhrif á uppbyggingu og þroska heilans. Tvíátta Mendelsk slmbivals greining á 34 svipgerðum, með innbyrgðis fylgni, samanborið við rúmmál heilans gaf til kynna að rúmmál heilans annað hvort hefur áhrif á taugaþroska raskanir (ADHD) og taugasjókdóma (Parkinson’s) eða þá að orsakasamhengið sé stýrt af svipgerðum sem sýna sterka fylgni við rúmmál heilans.Gran support from the Marie Curie Initial Training Networks TS-EUROTRAIN (FP7-PEOPLE [Grant No. GA 316978]), and deCODE Genetics/Amgen, Iceland

Meta-analysis of cancer transcriptomes: A new approach to uncover molecular pathological events in different cancer tissues

To explore secrets of metastatic cancers, individual expression of true sets of respective genes must spread across the tissue. In this study, meta-analysis for transcriptional profiles of oncogenes was carried out to hunt critical genes or networks helping in metastasizing cancers. For this, transcriptomic analysis of different cancerous tissues causing leukemia, lung, liver, spleen, colorectal, colon, breast, bladder, and kidney cancers was performed by extracting microarray expression data from online resource; Gene Expression Omnibus. A newly developed bioinformatics technique; Dynamic Impact Approach (DIA) was applied for enrichment analysis of transcriptional profiles using Database for Annotation Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID). Furthermore, oPOSSUM (v. 2.0) and Cytoscape (v. 2.8.2) were used for in-depth analysis of transcription factors and regulatory gene networks respectively. DAVID analysis uncovered the most significantly enriched pathways in molecular functions that were 'Ubiquitin thiolesterase activity' up regulated in blood, breast, bladder, colorectal, lung, spleen, prostrate cancer. 'Transforming growth factor beta receptor activity' was inhibited in all cancers except leukemia, colon and liver cancer. oPOSSUM further revealed highly over-represented Transcription Factors (TFs); Broad-complex_3, Broad-complex_4, and Foxd3 except for leukemia and bladder cancer. From these findings, it is possible to target genes and networks, play a crucial role in the development of cancer. In the future, these transcription factors can serve as potential candidates for the therapeutic drug targets which can impede the deadly spread

Explaining Survival and Growth of Women Entrepreneurship: Organizational Ecology Perspective

Sociological perspectives about organizational founding, survival and growth under organizational ecology theory offer research avenues to look into their implications for new organizational forms. Women entrepreneurship or female run businesses in developing countries risk the liability of newness due to lack of their presence in commercial business activities. Though the presence and role of women in rural economy of these developing countries is more than significant yet the urban sector still lacks the luster of new social values to accept and value this new organizational form. There is need to explore into sociological processes involved in the growth of women entrepreneurship. The present study, using qualitative exploratory research design, elaborates the key sociological processes postulated by ecology theory by which female run businesses make their way to create inclusive markets and shared growth in a socially constrained business environment. The organizational ecology framework is postulated to study the women entrepreneurship process i.e. birth, survival, and growth of female run businesses through change in the social value structure of the society. This perspective treats women entrepreneurship as a distinct organizational form and depicts it as a social process involving the population of organizations than the individual process targeting the women entrepreneurs themselves. The propositions resulting from the postulated linkages can be tested using quantitative methods. The theoretical framework developed here nonetheless offers fresh insights into the women entrepreneurship, its process and outcomes

An Investigation into the Role of Leadership Commitment on Implementation of Green Banking: Moderating Influence of Responsible Leadership Characteristics

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of leadership commitment on implementation of green banking in Pakistan through the lens of moderating role of responsible leadership. The concept of green banking in modern banking industry is associated with pro-vision of environment friendly banking services through environment friendly banking operations and infrastructure. It can be referred to sustainable lending and depository product and services provide by banks through sustainable banking operations and infrastructure. An exploratory qualitative research design is used to postulate the theoretical model relating leadership role with implementation of green banking practices in Pakistan. Further studies are needed to empirically examine the postulated relationships signified by proposed model of the study. The proposed model and relationship will significantly contribute to better understanding of role of banks leadership towards transformation of conventional banking into sustainable banking practices and products

In silico analysis of glycinamide ribonucleotide transformylase inhibition by PY873, PY899 and DIA

In humans, purine de novo synthesis pathway consists of multi-functional enzymes. Nucleotide metabolism enzymes are potential drug targets for treating cancer and autoimmune diseases. Glycinamide ribonucleotide transformylase (GART) is one of the most important trifunctional enzymes involved in purine synthesis. Previous studies have demonstrated the role of folate inhibitors against tumor activity. In this present study, three components of GART enzyme were targeted as receptor dataset and in silico analysis was carried out with folate ligand dataset. To accomplish the task, Autodock 4.2 was used for determining the docking compatibilities of ligand and receptor dataset. Taken together, it has been suggested that folate ligands could be potentially used as inhibitors of GART. Keywords: In silico, Inhibition, PY873, PY899, Isophthalic aci

Managing Turnover Intentions among Faculty of Higher Education Using Human Resource Management and Career Growth Practices

Academic institutions cannot survive and perform well without competent and committed academic staff. Therefore, it is important to address the issue of faculty members’ turnover. Focus of this study is to investigate the impact of human resource practices (salary, performance appraisal, training and development) and career growth (career goal progress, professional ability development, promotion speed, and remuneration growth) on faculty members’ turnover intention. The study has used a cross sectional survey data from a sample of 270 full time faculty members of universities in Pakistan.&nbsp; The Partial Least Square (PLS) two step path modeling was used to test the direct and indirect hypotheses. The results indicate that salary and performance appraisals are significantly and negatively related to turnover intention. Besides, it was found that out of four dimensions of career growth, only promotion speed and remuneration growth have significant direct relationship with turnover intention. With regards to mediated relationships, it was found that organizational commitment mediates the relationships between career growth (career goal progress, promotion speed, remuneration growth) and turnover intention. These findings suggest that in order to reduce turnover intention among faculty members, the higher education institutions must institutionalize human resource policies and practices that enhance career growth and employees’ development

The Role of Potassium in Plants under Drought Stress: Mini Review

Drought stress is a major catastrophe to plant productivity. Drought stress significantly reduces the crop yield and quality, and probably exceeds losses from all other stresses. Potassium (K+) is an essential nutrient and affects the growth and development, and it also contribute significantly towards plants survival under drought stress. In this mini review we discussed the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms underlying K induced alleviation of drought stress