The Role of Leadership in Business Model Innovation: A Case of an Entrepreneurial Firm from India

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between leadership and business model innovation (BMI) in an entrepreneurial firm. From the literature, it was found that the role of a leader in BMI was unexplored. A research framework was created which was the replication of the model created showing the relationship between leadership and innovation. Design/methodology/approach – The qualitative single in-depth case study was used to understand the effects of leadership in BMI. The case of an entrepreneurial firm in the graphic and animation education sector from India was chosen to test the research framework. The leader of Xplora Design Skools was observed closely, and he was interviewed multiple times. Findings – From the analysis, it was clear that, in this organization, the leader was a trigger for BMI through creating and influencing creativity and innovation in the organization. This case also shows that he was making tangible contribution to the work being done and motivating his employees. These initiatives show his influence on the process or execution of BMI. Originality/value – This is the first study explores the role of a leader in BMI in an entrepreneurial firm in emerging economy contexts like India

Characteristics of Residual Mixing Noise From Internal Fan/Core Mixers

The jet mixing noise from two fan/core mixer nozzles is studied. Acoustic data from two fan/core mixer nozzles are analyzed to determine the properties of the noise signatures. It was assumed that there were three major contributors to the total noise signature: noise from mixing of the fan and core streams internal to the nozzle; noise from residual mixing of the fan and core streams external to the nozzle; and the noise associated with the fully mixed jet. In general, the low frequency portion of the noise spectra can be associated with the fully mixed jet and can be predicted using an empirical correlation for single round nozzle jet noise. The properties of the noise in excess of the fully mixed levels are studied

Metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer: A rare cause of bowel obstruction

Prostate cancer most commonly metastasizes to bone, lymph nodes, lungs, or liver, but rarely spreads to the large intestine. This case highlights a rare case of castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) that spread locally to the large intestine and rectum, significant enough to cause bowel obstruction. Metastatic prostate carcinomas are considered an infrequent cause of bowel obstruction

A rare case of synovial sarcoma of the prostate causing urinary retention

Synovial sarcomas of the prostate are exceedingly rare malignant tumors. Only a few cases have been reported so far. We discuss a case of a 52-year-old male who presented with signs and symptoms of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma of the prostate. Since this sarcoma is rare, it can easily be misdiagnosed with BPH or adenocarcinoma of the prostate

Aluminum Bioavailability from Basic Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, an Approved Food Additive Emulsifying Agent, Incorporated in Cheese

Oral aluminum (Al) bioavailability from drinking water has been previously estimated, but there is little information on Al bioavailability from foods. It was suggested that oral Al bioavailability from drinking water is much greater than from foods. The objective was to further test this hypothesis. Oral Al bioavailability was determined in the rat from basic [26Al]-sodium aluminum phosphate (basic SALP) in a process cheese. Consumption of approximately 1g cheese containing 1.5% or 3% basic SALP resulted in oral Al bioavailability (F) of approximately 0.1% and 0.3%, respectively, and time to maximum serum 26Al concentration (Tmax) of 8-9h. These Al bioavailability results were intermediate to previously reported results from drinking water (F approximately 0.3%) and acidic-SALP incorporated into a biscuit (F approximately 0.1%), using the same methods. Considering the similar oral bioavailability of Al from food vs. water, and their contribution to the typical human\u27s daily Al intake ( approximately 95% and 1.5%, respectively), these results suggest food contributes much more Al to systemic circulation, and potential Al body burden, than does drinking water. These results do not support the hypothesis that drinking water provides a disproportionate contribution to total Al absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract

Immunomagnetic microbeads for screening with flow cytometry and identification with nano-liquid chromatography mass spectrometry of ochratoxins in wheat and cereal

Multi-analyte binding assays for rapid screening of food contaminants require mass spectrometric identification of compound(s) in suspect samples. An optimal combination is obtained when the same bioreagents are used in both methods; moreover, miniaturisation is important because of the high costs of bioreagents. A concept is demonstrated using superparamagnetic microbeads coated with monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) in a novel direct inhibition flow cytometric immunoassay (FCIA) plus immunoaffinity isolation prior to identification by nano-liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (nano-LC-Q-ToF-MS). As a model system, the mycotoxin ochratoxin A (OTA) and cross-reacting mycotoxin analogues were analysed in wheat and cereal samples, after a simple extraction, using the FCIA with anti-OTA Mabs. The limit of detection for OTA was 0.15 ng/g, which is far below the lowest maximum level of 3 ng/g established by the European Union. In the immunomagnetic isolation method, a 350-times-higher amount of beads was used to trap ochratoxins from sample extracts. Following a wash step, bound ochratoxins were dissociated from the Mabs using a small volume of acidified acetonitrile/water (2/8 v/v) prior to separation plus identification with nano-LC-Q-ToF-MS. In screened suspect naturally contaminated samples, OTA and its non-chlorinated analogue ochratoxin B were successfully identified by full scan accurate mass spectrometry as a proof of concept for identification of unknown but cross-reacting emerging mycotoxins. Due to the miniaturisation and bioaffinity isolation, this concept might be applicable for the use of other and more expensive bioreagents such as transport proteins and receptors for screening and identification of known and unknown (or masked) emerging food contaminants