Exploring the Process of Corporate Entrepreneurship : An Empirical Look at Individual Personality Factors and Entrepreneurial Behaviour from the Perspective of Middle Managers

Corporate entrepreneurship has been a significant requirement for organisations in today’s fast paced market. There are opinions that perceive the urgency for organisation to breathe a culture of corporate innovation and entrepreneurial activity into the mindsets of executives as it is viewed not only of the organisation’s strategy but also as the focus of an organisation’s success (Kuratko et al., 2009). The profound impact of corporate entrepreneurship led us to research deeper to unfold new findings that would be beneficial for organisations to practice. With the intended strategy for organisation to be entrepreneurial, we observed the importance for key personnel to be aligned with the organisation’s vision. Compared to organisational factors, there is lack of reportage regarding personal factors, as information on this particular topic remains ambiguous.In the perspective of middle managers’ individual personality, the consequence of psychological ownership towards the improvement of entrepreneurial behaviour within the organisation is studied. Our research showed the significance of psychological ownership in fostering entrepreneurial behaviour in the perspective of middle managers to hold. The findings have added complexity in the corporate entrepreneurship process and implied that both organisational and personal factors are essential for organisations to consider in pursue of a higher entrepreneurial organisation. On the other hand, it would be another contribution to the context of literature regarding psychological ownership.We acknowledge our research is at the exploratory stage and suggest future researchers to develop the area of individual personality factors in corporate entrepreneurship, as the area of personal antecedents affecting corporate entrepreneurship still lacks depth and clarity. Importantly, the insights from this research would be able to assist organizations to more effectively promote the corporate entrepreneurship culture and strategise appropriately for the future success of the organization

BAC-pool sequencing and analysis confirms growth-associated QTLs in the Asian seabass genome

The Asian seabass is an important marine food fish that has been cultured for several decades in Asia Pacific. However, the lack of a high quality reference genome has hampered efforts to improve its selective breeding. A 3D BAC pool set generated in this study was screened using 22 SSR markers located on linkage group 2 which contains a growth-related QTL region. Seventy-two clones corresponding to 22 FPC contigs were sequenced by Illumina MiSeq technology. We co-assembled the MiSeq-derived scaffolds from each FPC contig with error-corrected PacBio reads, resulting in 187 sequences covering 9.7 Mb. Eleven genes annotated within this region were found to be potentially associated with growth and their tissue-specific expression was investigated. Correlation analysis demonstrated that SNPs in ctsb, skp1 and ppp2ca can be potentially used as markers for selecting fast-growing fingerlings. Conserved syntenies between seabass LG2 and five other teleosts were identified. This study i) provided a 10 Mb targeted genome assembly; ii) demonstrated NGS of BAC pools as a potential approach for mining candidates underlying QTLs of this species; iii) detected eleven genes potentially responsible for growth in the QTL region; and iv) identified useful SNP markers for selective breeding programs of Asian seabass

Vimentin and PSF Act in Concert to Regulate IbeA+ E. coli K1 Induced Activation and Nuclear Translocation of NF-κB in Human Brain Endothelial Cells

IbeA-induced NF-κB signaling through its primary receptor vimentin as well as its co-receptor PSF is required for meningitic E. coli K1 penetration and leukocyte transmigration across the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which are the hallmarks of bacterial meningitis. However, it is unknown how vimentin and PSF cooperatively contribute to IbeA-induced cytoplasmic activation and nuclear translocation of NF-κB, which are required for bacteria-mediated pathogenicities.IbeA-induced E. coli K1 invasion, polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) transmigration and IKK/NF-κB activation are blocked by Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), an inhibitor of NF-κB. IKKα/β phosphorylation is blocked by ERK inhibitors. Co-immunoprecipitation analysis shows that vimentin forms a complex with IκB, NF-κB and tubulins in the resting cells. A dissociation of this complex and a simultaneous association of PSF with NF-κB could be induced by IbeA in a time-dependent manner. The head domain of vimentin is required for the complex formation. Two cytoskeletal components, vimentin filaments and microtubules, contribute to the regulation of NF-κB. SiRNA-mediated knockdown studies demonstrate that IKKα/β phosphorylation is completely abolished in HBMECs lacking vimentin and PSF. Phosphorylation of ERK and nuclear translocation of NF-κB are entirely dependent on PSF. These findings suggest that vimentin and PSF cooperatively contribute to IbeA-induced cytoplasmic activation and nuclear translocation of NF-κB activation. PSF is essential for translocation of NF-κB and ERK to the nucleus.These findings reveal previously unappreciated facets of the IbeA-binding proteins. Cooperative contributions of vimentin and PSF to IbeA-induced cytoplasmic activation and nuclear translocation of NF-κB may represent a new paradigm in pathogen-induced signal transduction and lead to the development of novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of bacterial meningitis

Safety and efficacy of fluoxetine on functional outcome after acute stroke (AFFINITY): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Trials of fluoxetine for recovery after stroke report conflicting results. The Assessment oF FluoxetINe In sTroke recoverY (AFFINITY) trial aimed to show if daily oral fluoxetine for 6 months after stroke improves functional outcome in an ethnically diverse population. Methods AFFINITY was a randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial done in 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (four), and Vietnam (ten). Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of acute stroke in the previous 2–15 days, brain imaging consistent with ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, and a persisting neurological deficit that produced a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1 or more. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 via a web-based system using a minimisation algorithm to once daily, oral fluoxetine 20 mg capsules or matching placebo for 6 months. Patients, carers, investigators, and outcome assessors were masked to the treatment allocation. The primary outcome was functional status, measured by the mRS, at 6 months. The primary analysis was an ordinal logistic regression of the mRS at 6 months, adjusted for minimisation variables. Primary and safety analyses were done according to the patient's treatment allocation. The trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12611000774921. Findings Between Jan 11, 2013, and June 30, 2019, 1280 patients were recruited in Australia (n=532), New Zealand (n=42), and Vietnam (n=706), of whom 642 were randomly assigned to fluoxetine and 638 were randomly assigned to placebo. Mean duration of trial treatment was 167 days (SD 48·1). At 6 months, mRS data were available in 624 (97%) patients in the fluoxetine group and 632 (99%) in the placebo group. The distribution of mRS categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio 0·94, 95% CI 0·76–1·15; p=0·53). Compared with patients in the placebo group, patients in the fluoxetine group had more falls (20 [3%] vs seven [1%]; p=0·018), bone fractures (19 [3%] vs six [1%]; p=0·014), and epileptic seizures (ten [2%] vs two [<1%]; p=0·038) at 6 months. Interpretation Oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and epileptic seizures. These results do not support the use of fluoxetine to improve functional outcome after stroke

Design of a load frequency control scheme for multiple generators based on economic dispatch

The objective of this project is to develop a framework combining Load Frequency Control (LFC) and Economic Dispatch (ED) scheme via LabVIEW software for multiple generators operating in parallel in a microgrid. The purpose of LFC is to maintain the power system operating frequency at nominal frequency. ED is the optimisation for economic power generation which results in cheaper operation cost. The scope of this project will be to analyse parameters such as the distribution of power, frequency variation, and cost savings achieved for the microgrid testbed as compared to theoretical values. This report discusses the methods used in the approach of designing LFC and ED schemes. Simulations were done upon completion of the LFC and ED schemes in LabVIEW program to validate those features. The next step in the project was to integrate the program with actual generators to verify the developed LFC and ED scheme effectiveness experimentally. Analysis of the results had shown that the developed LFC and ED schemes were able to maintain nominal system frequency and optimise for cost efficient power generation respectively. In addition to that, power generation for each generator were also considered and kept within their limits by redistributing power sharing when necessary. This project had successfully achieved its objectives.Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Exploring the Process of Corporate Entrepreneurship : An Empirical Look at Individual Personality Factors and Entrepreneurial Behaviour from the Perspective of Middle Managers

Corporate entrepreneurship has been a significant requirement for organisations in today’s fast paced market. There are opinions that perceive the urgency for organisation to breathe a culture of corporate innovation and entrepreneurial activity into the mindsets of executives as it is viewed not only of the organisation’s strategy but also as the focus of an organisation’s success (Kuratko et al., 2009). The profound impact of corporate entrepreneurship led us to research deeper to unfold new findings that would be beneficial for organisations to practice. With the intended strategy for organisation to be entrepreneurial, we observed the importance for key personnel to be aligned with the organisation’s vision. Compared to organisational factors, there is lack of reportage regarding personal factors, as information on this particular topic remains ambiguous.In the perspective of middle managers’ individual personality, the consequence of psychological ownership towards the improvement of entrepreneurial behaviour within the organisation is studied. Our research showed the significance of psychological ownership in fostering entrepreneurial behaviour in the perspective of middle managers to hold. The findings have added complexity in the corporate entrepreneurship process and implied that both organisational and personal factors are essential for organisations to consider in pursue of a higher entrepreneurial organisation. On the other hand, it would be another contribution to the context of literature regarding psychological ownership.We acknowledge our research is at the exploratory stage and suggest future researchers to develop the area of individual personality factors in corporate entrepreneurship, as the area of personal antecedents affecting corporate entrepreneurship still lacks depth and clarity. Importantly, the insights from this research would be able to assist organizations to more effectively promote the corporate entrepreneurship culture and strategise appropriately for the future success of the organization

Relationship between Sleep Duration and Risk Factors for Stroke

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. While various risk factors have been identified, sleep has only been considered a risk factor more recently. Various epidemiologic studies have associated stroke with sleep such as sleep duration, and laboratory and clinical studies have proposed various underlying mechanisms. The pathophysiology is multifactorial, especially considering sleep affects many common risk factors for stroke. This review aims to provide an outline of the effect of sleep duration on common stroke risk factors. Appropriate sleep duration, especially in patients who have stroke risk factors, and increasing awareness and screening for sleep quality may contribute to primary prevention of stroke

Neurological and Sleep Disturbances in Bronchiectasis

Bronchiectasis unrelated to cystic fibrosis is a chronic lung disease that is increasingly recognised worldwide. While other common chronic lung conditions such as chronic obstructive lung disease have been associated with cardiovascular disease, there is a paucity of data on the relationship between bronchiectasis and cardiovascular risks such as stroke and sleep disturbance. Furthermore, it is unclear whether other neuropsychological aspects are affected, such as cognition, cerebral infection, anxiety and depression. In this review, we aim to highlight neurological and sleep issues in relation to bronchiectasis and their importance to patient care

Understanding the theme restaurant business in Singapore through comparison between Planet Hollywood, Hard Rock Cafe & Celebrities Asia

This research aims to provide an understanding of the theme restaurant business in Singapore in view of the difficulties faced by these restaurants in order to survive in the industry. The critical success factors of theme restaurants are identified and the popularity of the three selected restaurants is compared. From this study, it is hoped that valuable insights are gained on the future viability of theme restaurants in Singapore