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In animal cells, shape is mostly determined by the actomyosin cortex, a thin cytoskeletal network underlying the plasma membrane. Myosin motors generate tension in the cortex, and tension gradients result in cellular deformations. As such, many cell morphogenesis studies have focused on the mechanisms controlling myosin activity and recruitment to the cortex. Here, we demonstrate using super-resolution microscopy that myosin does not always overlap with actin at the cortex, but remains restricted towards the cytoplasm in cells with low cortex tension. We propose that this restricted penetration results from steric hindrance, as myosin minifilaments are considerably larger than the cortical actin meshsize. We identify myosin activity and actin network architecture as key regulators of myosin penetration into the cortex, and show that increasing myosin penetration increases cortical tension. Our study reveals that the spatial coordination of myosin and actin at the cortex regulates cell surface mechanics, and unveils an important mechanism whereby myosin size controls its action by limiting minifilament penetration into the cortical actin network. More generally, our findings suggest that protein size could regulate function in dense cytoskeletal structures. Cellular deformations are largely driven by contractile forces generated by myosin motors in the submembraneous actin cortex. Here we show that these forces are controlled not simply by cortical myosin levels, but rather by myosins spatial arrangement, specifically the extent of their overlap with cortical actin.

PurposeThis study aims to examine the impact of transformational leadership on green innovation and green learning in construction supply chains.Design/methodology/approachA theoretical framework of research hypotheses between transformational leadership, green learning and green innovation is developed. Using a survey questionnaire, data are collected from construction firms in Vietnam. Structural equation modeling is used to test the research hypotheses.FindingsThe results indicate that transformational leadership promotes both green learning and green innovation (i.e. green product innovation and green process innovation) while green learning positively affects green process innovation. Furthermore, it is found that green learning mediates the linkage between transformational leadership and green process innovation.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to the development of leadership research in construction by showing the significance of leadership at the supply chain level.Originality/valueLeadership is regarded as a key factor for most organizations' success and competitive advantages. In construction, leadership has been widely studied at the project and organizational levels while its important role is also explored at the supply chain level. Nevertheless, in terms of construction supply chains, there has been still very limited evidence about the effects of transformational leadership. Thus, this study fills the gap in knowledge by empirically examining the relationships between transformational leadership, green learning and green innovation.

This paper presents a high-level verification environment for the Advanced High-performance Bus (AHB) to Advanced Peripheral Bus (APB) bridge design using the UVM framework. In the verification model, we apply two advanced techniques including modularized interface and reactive slave to create an accurate, automated, and completely reusable testing environment. A detailed test plan with the full functions of the AHB and APB was built to verify the AHB-to-APB bridge design. The verification component (VC) of the AHB and APB has been developed and extended for the testbench. Therefore, the testbench can be reused while still ensuring each VC is separate and connected to the interfaces using the interface modularization method. The scoreboard is also meticulously developed to check designs automatically. The experimental result shows that the functional and toggle coverage scores are achieved up to 100% and 92%, respectively.

Purpose This study aims to take a whole-of-chain perspective to explore how entrepreneurial orientation (EO) influences collaborative performance in agri-food value-chains through enhancing the acquisition of knowledge. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through a survey of 233 actors, including farmers, intermediaries and retailers in one beef cattle value-chain in the Central Highlands, Vietnam. Structural equation modeling was used to test hypotheses. Findings The actors’ level of EO within a value-chain is positively associated with collaborative performance within the beef value-chain. Additionally, knowledge acquisition partially mediates the relationship between EO and collaborative performance. Research limitations/implications Generalizability is limited because of sampling constraints. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of EO from a whole-of-chain perspective in agri-food value-chains in an emerging economy and has implications for policymakers and agri-food marketers.

To determine the threshold of umbilical cord blood procalcitonin for early-onset neonatal infection diagnosis. This prospective study was conducted on 126 neonates in the neonatal care unit of Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Vietnam, from June 01, 2023 to August 31, 2024. All neonates showed signs at birth or risk factors for early-onset infection (EOI) and were divided into two groups: EOI group and non-EOI group. Umbilical cord blood samples were collected for procalcitonin analysis immediately after birth. The median procalcitonin (PCT) levels in umbilical cord blood were significantly higher in the EOI group (0.154 ng/ml [0.092-0.197]) compared to the non-EOI group (0.097 ng/ml [0.082-0.134]; p < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve determined the optimal threshold value of PCT of 0.142 ng/ml with an AUC 0.751 (95% CI: 0.661-0.841, p<0.001) in the total population. At this cut-off, the Se, Sp, PPV, and NPV were 68.2%, 76.8%, 61.2%, and 81.8%, respectively. The optimal cut-off value for preterm neonates was 0.122 ng/ml (AUC: 0.785, 95% CI: 0.658-0.911, p<0.001) corresponding a Se of 79.2%, Sp of 74.1%, PPV of 73.1%, and NPV of 80.0%. In term group, the optimal cut-off value was 0.150 ng/ml (AUC: 0.726, 95% CI: 0.583-0.860, p<0.01), with a Se of 60.0%, Sp of 80.4%, PPV of 52.2%, and NPV of 84.9%. Umbilical cord blood PCT concentration were elevated in neonates with EOI. PCT could be a valuable marker for the early diagnosis of EOI.

As part of the intergovernmental and public interventions to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, there are no existing regulations to ban the sale of petrol motorcycles (PM), but it is expected that motorcycle regulations will follow car regulations with several years of delay. There is an emerging trend in motorcycle uptake, which will lead to new development projects with existing brands, and new brands, and will clearly increase the need for development tools that satisfies design challenges specific to electric motorcycles (EM) and electric powertrains. There is significant importance in motorcycle design to quantify the vehicle-level performance indicators and specifications, which are not limited to total vehicle mass, range, acceleration performance, and top speed. Those performance indicators should be quantified for different powertrain configurations and component selections to identify the most suitable configuration for the specific motorcycle development. In this paper, an innovative powertrain sizing approach is proposed to provide solutions for EMs against the design challenges specific to electric motorcycles. The innovative approach is to apply the practice of design space exploration (DSE) in resilient system design (RSD) to EM development. As a proof of concept, a case study of battery sizing is presented, in which a powertrain sizing tool is used to identify battery pack sizing requirements using requirement-based design (RBD), sensitivity analysis and DSE. The case study shows that the RBD approach allows EM product developers to identify a single solution, while DSE clearly demonstrates the trade-off between different configurations, taking multiple design variables into account. The tool prioritises high accessibility and high confidence with limited information at the early phases of electric motorcycle powertrain component sizing and selection.

We use the original form of Gerstewitz’s nonlinear scalarization functional to characterize upper and lower set-less minimizers of set-valued maps acting from a nonempty set into a real linear space with respect to the lower (resp. upper) set-less relation introduced by Kuroiwa. Our main results are as follows: An upper set-less minimizer to a set-valued map (with respect to the image space) is an upper set-less minimal solution to a scalarization of the set-valued map (with respect to the space of real numbers), where the hypergraphical multifunction is involved in the scalarization and vice versa, a lower set-less minimizer to a set-valued map (with respect to the image space) is an upper set-less minimal solution to an appropriate scalarization of the set-valued map (in the space of real numbers), where the epigraphical multifunction is involved in the scalarization and vice versa, and a lower set-less minimizer to a set-valued map becomes a (Pareto) minimizer to the same map provided that the map enjoys a domination property.

The objective of this study was to develop a theoretical framework based on machine learning, the hydrodynamic model, and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to assess the risk of flooding downstream of the Ba River in the Phu Yen. The framework was made up of three main factors: flood risk, flood exposure, and flood vulnerability. Hazard was calculated from flood depth, flood velocity, and flood susceptibility, of which depth and velocity were calculated using the hydrodynamic model, and flood susceptibility was built using machine learning, namely, support vector machines, decision trees, AdaBoost, and CatBoost. Flood exposure was constructed by combining population density, distance to the river, and land use/land cover. Flood vulnerability was constructed by combining poverty level and road density. The indices of each factor were integrated using the AHP. The results showed that the hydraulic model was successful in simulating flood events in 1993 and 2020, with Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency values of 0.95 and 0.79, respectively. All machine learning models performed well, with area under curve (AUC) values of more than 0.90; among them, AdaBoost was most accurate, with an AUC value of 0.99.

This paper presents a method to design a compact high-gain multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) patch antenna. In a one-dimensional large-scale MIMO array, the conventional approach of using multiple patches and decoupling networks significantly increases the antenna size. To address this, this paper utilizes compact self-decoupled patches, enabling extremely small element spacing while maintaining high isolation levels. Accordingly, a compact size feature can be obtained. Then, gain and bandwidth enhancements are realized with a combination of multiple patches and T-junction dividers. The feasibility of the proposed concept is validated by measurement on a two-element MIMO antenna. The measured results demonstrate that the proposed antennas have good operation characteristics at 4.8 GHz with a small element spacing of 0.008λ. The measured operating bandwidth is about 5%, with isolation of better than 19 dB. A maximum broadside gain of 7.2 dBi can also be yielded.

This study investigates the influence of old directors on corporate social responsibility (CSR) using roughly 25,000 firm-year observations from 2001 to 2015 in the United States. We employ the widely used selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) model from psychology to explain the CSR decisions of old directors. Our results indicate that firms with a higher percentage of old directors tend to have lower engagement in CSR activities. To address endogeneity, we adopt the difference-in-differences method and use the event of sudden deaths and unexpected retirements of old directors and find that our results remain robust. Our analysis also reveals that the negative impact of old directors on CSR is more significant in firms where directors receive fewer reputational spillover benefits from CSR initiatives and/or firms exhibiting poor corporate governance. In addition, this adverse impact of old directors comes from two effects: a reduction in efforts to enhance CSR strengths and an increase in inaction to address CSR concerns. Overall, these findings suggest that the CSR decision-making process of old directors involves assessing the costs and benefits of CSR engagements, consistent with our hypothesis derived from the SOC model.