Sustainable development through eco-innovation: A focus on small and medium enterprises in Colombia.

This study examines the impact of eco-innovation on the economic, social, and environmental performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Colombia. SMEs are pivotal to Colombia's economic landscape, contributing significantly to job creation, economic growth, and regional development. The research utilizes structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze data collected from 568 SMEs through an electronic survey.

Preliminary findings on the influence of the presence of others' eyes on food intake.

The presence of others' eyes has been shown to influence food evaluation. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether the presence of others' gaze would lead to a reduction in food intake in accordance with social norms. In this study, we enlisted the participation of 30 volunteers.

Effects of different food hardness on cognitive inhibitory control function.

Mastication leads to an immediate enhancement in cognitive functions, including inhibitory control. Furthermore, the hardness of the food increases sympathetic nerve activity during and immediately after mastication. Hence, the cognitive function could be enhanced by increased sympathetic nerve activity.

The impact of emotional intelligence on operational effectiveness: The mediating role of organizational citizenship behavior and leadership.

Purpose: This article examines the influence of emotional intelligence on organizational citizenship behavior and transformational and transactional leadership, and the impact of these dimensions on operational effectiveness.

Design/methodology: The analysis was based on 180 valid questionnaires from organizations in Colombia's manufacturing sector of the Valle del Cauca region. The variables were analyzed using structural equation modeling to identify the relationships among the studied constructs.

Supply chain resilience in the Colombian defense sector before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A comparative study.

Unforeseen events can significantly affect organizations' supply chains and disrupt their continuous flow. Therefore, organizations need to develop a response capability that allows them to minimize the negative effect of such events and quickly recover from them, also known as resilience. This research performs a comparative analysis of the influence that risk, vulnerability, and adaptability have on the resilience capability of supply chains in Colombian defense sector organizations before and during the coronavirus outbreak.

Strategy and additive technologies as the catalyst for outsourcing, process innovation and operational effectiveness.

Purpose: There is rising interest in Industry 4.0 as a factor in the competitiveness of the organization. Although many companies are aware of the importance of Industry 4.

Cross-modal and subliminal effects of smell and color.

In the present study, we examined whether the cross-modal effect can be obtained between odors and colors, which has been confirmed under olfactory recognizable conditions and also occurs under unrecognizable conditions. We used two flavors of red fruits such as strawberries and tomatoes for this purpose. We also aimed to compare whether similar cross-modal effects could be achieved by setting the flavors at recognizable (liminal) and unrecognizable (subliminal) concentrations in the experiment.

The effect of background music tempo on eating speed and food intake volume within in healthy women.

Background: The effects of the different tempos of background music (BGM) on food intake and eating speed have not been fully studied.

Aim: The study aimed to investigate the influence of changing the tempo of BGM during meals on food intake and to explore strategies to support appropriate eating behavior.

Methods: Twenty-six healthy young adult women participated in this study.

Early Surfactant Therapy for Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Very Preterm Infants.

Background: It is currently considered that early initiation of nasal continuous positive airway pressure, using a less invasive exogenous surfactant administration and avoiding mechanical ventilation as much as possible to minimize lung damage, may reduce mortality and/or the risk of morbidities in preterm infants. The aim of our study was to quantify our experience and compare different strategies of surfactant administration, to investigate which method is associated with less morbidity.

Materials And Methods: A total of 135 preterm infants with early rescue surfactant administration for respiratory distress syndrome were included in the study.

An investigation of the impact of human capital and supply chain competitive drivers on firm performance in a developing country.

Purpose: This paper aims to determine the effect that human capital and key competitive drivers such as quality, agility, and cost have on firm performance, whether this effect is related to the firm's outsourcing strategy, and whether the firm size is relevant in explaining such relationships.

Design: This study uses structural equation modeling to test the hypothesized relationships for small to medium enterprises (SMEs) and large organizations using a custom survey based on a review of the literature and completed by 404 firms in the Valle del Cauca agro-industrial region in Colombia.

Findings: Human capital strategies are essential for the effective deployment of operational agility, quality, and cost management strategies, which impact firm performance through effective outsourcing strategies.

Case Report: Coexistence of generalized arterial calcification of infancy (GACI) and maternal infections with cytomegalovirus and -unexpected fatal complication in a newborn.

Generalized arterial calcification of infancy (GACI) is an extremely rare autosomal recessive condition characterized by the storage of calcium at the level of internal elastic membrane of arteries. The main consequences are intimal fibrous thickening and arterial occlusion. We present the case of a preterm male infant, born from an improperly dispensed pregnancy.

Creation of a pioneering interdisciplinary genital dermatology unit for Hispanic men: First 269 patients.

The role of circumcision in partially protecting against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and other dermatoses has been documented. Neonatal circumcision is not routinely practiced in South America. Although it is logical to assume that male genital dermatoses are more prevalent in Hispanic men, they are underrepresented in the existing literature.

Mastication of Hard Gumi Decreases the Gustatory Threshold for Sodium Chloride.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of hypertensive diseases and the various diseases associated with them. A major cause of these is excessive salt intake. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether chewing hard foods lowers the saltiness threshold.

The effect of an image of watchful eyes on the evaluation of the appearance of food.

It is known that an eye-like image promotes generosity. It is also known that the evaluation of the visual deliciousness of food is improved in the presence of an emotionally positive stimulus. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether the presence of open eyes (OPEN) causes generous behavior altering the evaluation of the visual deliciousness of food, and how the images of open and closed eyes (CLOSED) affect human emotions.

Fostering a healthcare sector quality and safety culture.

Purpose: Quality issues, increasing patient expectations and unsatisfactory media reports are driving patient safety concerns. Developing a quality and safety culture (QSC) is, therefore, crucial for patient and staff welfare, and should be a priority for service providers and policy makers. The purpose of this paper is to identify the most important QSC drivers, and thus propose appropriate operational actions for Saudi Arabian hospital managers and for managers in healthcare institutions worldwide.

Three-dimensional structure of nylon hydrolase and mechanism of nylon-6 hydrolysis.

We performed x-ray crystallographic analyses of the 6-aminohexanoate oligomer hydrolase (NylC) from Agromyces sp. at 2.0 Å-resolution.

Public talks and science listens: a community-based participatory approach to characterizing environmental health risk perceptions and assessing recovery needs in the wake of hurricanes katrina and rita.

In response to the human health threats stemming from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, inter-disciplinary working groups representing P30-funded Centers of the National Institute Environmental Health Sciences were created to assess threats posed by mold, harmful alga blooms, chemical toxicants, and various infectious agents at selected sites throughout the hurricane impact zone. Because of proximity to impacted areas, UTMB NIEHS Center in Environmental Toxicology was charged with coordinating direct community outreach efforts, primarily in south Louisiana. In early October 2005, UTMB/NIEHS Center Community Outreach and Education Core, in collaboration with outreach counterparts at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center @ Smithville TX/Center for Research in Environmental Disease sent two groups into southern Louisiana.

Community outreach as an iterative dialogue among scientists and communities in the Texas gulf coast region.

In response to significant environmental health challenges in Southeast Texas, a National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences Center at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston was created to promote and conduct inter-disciplinary research in the areas of: (1) the molecular biology of DNA repair, replication and mutagenesis, (2) asthma pathogenesis in response to oxidative stress and viral exposures, and (3) environmental toxicant biotransformation. In addition, the NIEHS Center maintains close ties with neighboring communities through an active Community Outreach & Education Program (COEP) that develops and disseminates translational materials for use in environmental health awareness outreach, toxicology consultation, K-12 curriculum enrichment and in developing site-specific Community Partnership projects. The COEP core service divisions include: Environmental Arts & Sciences, Asthma Outreach & Education, Theater Outreach & Education, and Public Forum & Toxics Assistance.

A missense mutation (GGC[435Gly]-->AGC[Ser]) in exon 8 of the CYP11B2 gene inherited in Japanese patients with congenital hypoaldosteronism.

Objectives: To clarify the underlying molecular mechanism of corticosterone methyl oxidase type II (CMO II) deficiency, Japanese patients newly diagnosed with CMO II deficiency were investigated.

Methods: We analyzed the patients' genomic DNA sequence on all 9 exons of the CYP11B2 gene. In addition, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and expression studies were performed.