A Study on the Impact of Sustainable Leadership and Core Competencies on Sustainable Competitive Advantage in the Information Technology (IT) Sector

The study is focused on assessing the impact of sustainable leadership and core competencies on sustainable competitive advantage in the information technology sector. The data are sourced from primary and secondary data. The primary data are sourced from IT sector employees. The secondary information is sourced from earlier publications related to sustainable leadership, sustainable competitive advantage, and core competencies. The primary data were collected through the field survey method, although some were collected via an online mode. The sample size was 297. The study used a simple stratified random sampling technique. The study results described a significant effect of sustainable leadership on sustainable competitive advantage. Sustainable leadership improves the prospects of associations in terms of their creation, constant advancement, sustained competitive edge, and long-term success. Sustainable leadership is a wellspring of gaining the upper hand for associations. Sustainable leadership benefits associations, development, consistent improvement, a supported upper hand, and long haul achievement. The study also found that the core competencies significantly influence the competitive advantage. The discoveries of the current study have significant ramifications for customers, top administration, and policymakers. The practitioners of IT companies are urged to cultivate an inventive and open correspondence climate in their associations dependent on existing logical discoveries. Likewise, they could utilize the current outcomes as a benchmark for gradually expanding their qualities and limits, which may prompt better natural productivity

Evaluation of the mosquitocidal efficacy of fluralaner, a potential candidate for drug based vector control

Abstract Vector control is a key intervention against mosquito borne diseases. However, conventional methods have several limitations and alternate strategies are in urgent need. Vector control with endectocides such as ivermectin is emerging as a novel strategy. The short half-life of ivermectin is a limiting factor for its application as a mass therapy tool for vector control. Isoxazoline compounds like fluralaner, a class of veterinary acaricides with long half-life hold promise as an alternative. However, information about their mosquitocidal effect is limited. We explored the efficacy of fluralaner against laboratory reared vector mosquitoes—Aedes aegypti, Anopheles stephensi, and, Culex quinquefasciatus. 24 h post-blood feeding, fluralaner showed a significant mosquitocidal effect with LC50 values in the range of 24.04–49.82 ng/mL for the three different mosquito species tested. Effects on life history characteristics (fecundity, egg hatch success, etc.) were also observed and significant effects were noted at drug concentrations of 20, 25 and 45 ng/mL for Ae. aegypti, An. stephensi, and, Cx. quinquefasciatus respectively. At higher drug concentration of 250 ng/mL, significant mortality was observed within 1–2 h of post blood feeding. Potent mosquitocidal effect coupled with its long half-life makes fluralaner an excellent candidate for drug based vector control strategies

Exergame Grading Scheme: Concept Development and Preliminary Psychometric Evaluations in Cancer Survivors

The challenge of using exergames to promote physical activity among cancer survivors lies in the selection of the exergames that match their fitness level. There is a need for a standardized grading scheme by which to judge an exergame’s capacity to address specific physical fitness attributes with different levels of physical engagement. The study aimed to develop an Exergame Grading Scheme and preliminarily evaluate its psychometric properties. Fourteen (14) items were created from the human movement and exergame literature. The content validity index (CVI) was rated by content experts with two consecutive rounds (N=5 and N=3 independently). The interrater reliability (IRR) was determined by two raters who used the Exergame Grading Scheme to determine the grading score of the five exergames performed by two cancer survivors (N=10). Each item had a score of 1 for item-level CVI and 1 for k. For IRR, 9 items had rho values of 1, 1 item had 0.93, and 4 items had between 0.80 and 0.89. This valid and reliable Exergame Grading Scheme makes it possible to develop a personalized physical activity program using any type of exergame or fitness mobile application in rehabilitation practice to meet the needs of cancer survivors

Exergame Grading Scheme: Concept Development and Preliminary Psychometric Evaluations in Cancer Survivors

The challenge of using exergames to promote physical activity among cancer survivors lies in the selection of the exergames that match their fitness level. There is a need for a standardized grading scheme by which to judge an exergame’s capacity to address specific physical fitness attributes with different levels of physical engagement. The study aimed to develop an Exergame Grading Scheme and preliminarily evaluate its psychometric properties. Fourteen (14) items were created from the human movement and exergame literature. The content validity index (CVI) was rated by content experts with two consecutive rounds ( and independently). The interrater reliability (IRR) was determined by two raters who used the Exergame Grading Scheme to determine the grading score of the five exergames performed by two cancer survivors (). Each item had a score of 1 for item-level CVI and 1 for . For IRR, 9 items had rho values of 1, 1 item had 0.93, and 4 items had between 0.80 and 0.89. This valid and reliable Exergame Grading Scheme makes it possible to develop a personalized physical activity program using any type of exergame or fitness mobile application in rehabilitation practice to meet the needs of cancer survivors

Exergame Grading Scheme: Concept Development and Preliminary Psychometric Evaluations in Cancer Survivors

The challenge of using exergames to promote physical activity among cancer survivors lies in the selection of the exergames that match their fitness level. There is a need for a standardized grading scheme by which to judge an exergame’s capacity to address specific physical fitness attributes with different levels of physical engagement. The study aimed to develop an Exergame Grading Scheme and preliminarily evaluate its psychometric properties. Fourteen (14) items were created from the human movement and exergame literature. The content validity index (CVI) was rated by content experts with two consecutive rounds ( and independently). The interrater reliability (IRR) was determined by two raters who used the Exergame Grading Scheme to determine the grading score of the five exergames performed by two cancer survivors (). Each item had a score of 1 for item-level CVI and 1 for . For IRR, 9 items had rho values of 1, 1 item had 0.93, and 4 items had between 0.80 and 0.89. This valid and reliable Exergame Grading Scheme makes it possible to develop a personalized physical activity program using any type of exergame or fitness mobile application in rehabilitation practice to meet the needs of cancer survivors

Podosome assembly is controlled by the GTPase ARF1 and its nucleotide exchange factor ARNO

Podosomes represent a class of integrin-mediated cell-matrix adhesions formed by migrating and matrix-degrading cells. We demonstrate that in macrophage-like THP1 cells and fibroblasts stimulated to produce podosomes, down-regulation of the G-protein ARF1 or the ARF1 guanine nucleotide exchange factor, ARNO, by small, interfering RNA or pharmacological inhibitors led to striking podosome elimination. Concomitantly, treatments inducing podosome formation increased the level of guanosine triphosphate (GTP)–bound ARF1. ARNO was found to colocalize with the adhesive rings of podosomes, whereas ARF1 was localized to vesicular structures transiently contacting podosome rings. Inhibition of ARF1 led to an increase in RhoA-GTP levels and triggered assembly of myosin-IIA filaments in THP1 cells, whereas the suppression of myosin-IIA rescued podosome formation regardless of ARF1 inhibition. Finally, expression of constitutively active ARF1 in fibroblasts induced formation of putative podosome precursors: actin-rich puncta coinciding with matrix degradation sites and containing proteins of the podosome core but not of the adhesive ring. Thus, ARNO-ARF1 regulates formation of podosomes by inhibition of RhoA/myosin-II and promotion of actin core assembly