External Acquisition Research Articles

The effect of business owners’ personal characteristics on enterprises’ human resource management strategies – a multigroup comparison model based on micro, small and medium-sized private enterprises

PurposeIt has been proven that the characteristics of top management in an organization have an impact on the organization’s employee management strategies. In micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, the business owner’s influence is constructive. However, there has been little discussion about the influence of business owners’ personal characteristics on enterprises’ human resource management (HRM) strategies.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, two complementary experimental designs – quantitative research and qualitative research – were adopted to verify the theoretical framework.FindingsThe results show that business owners with masculine characteristics tend to adopt the strategies of internal development and external acquisition, while those with feminine characteristics tend to adopt the strategies of internal development. Significant differences were found between the female business owner group and the male business owner group in terms of the relationship paths of gender role orientation, leadership style and gender role orientation and HRM strategies.Originality/valueFirstly, this is the first time to discuss human resource management strategies from the perspective of gender roles. Secondly, the data of this research is collected from entrepreneurs, which is another advantage of this research. Finally, this research has obtained more valuable research findings. This study found that feminine bosses tend to adopt internally developed human resource strategies, while masculine bosses value internally developed human resource management strategies and also tend to adopt external acquisition strategies. Studies have shown that companies that adopt defensive strategies rely more on internally developed human resource management strategies, while those with exploratory strategies are more inclined to externally acquired human resource management strategies. So, does the boss’s gender role orientation match the organizational strategy, that is, feminine bosses adopt defensive strategies, while masculine bosses adopt defensive and exploratory organizational strategies? This point provides new research ideas for the development of private enterprises.

Bumble bee microbiota shows temporal succession and increase of lactic acid bacteria when exposed to outdoor environments.

The large earth bumble bee (Bombus terrestris) maintains a social core gut-microbiota, similar as known from the honey bee, which plays an important role for host health and resistance. Experiments under laboratory conditions with commercial hives are limited to vertically transmitted microbes and neglect influences of environmental factors or external acquisition of microbes. Various environmental and landscape-level factors may have an impact on the gut-microbiota of pollinating insects, with consequences for pollinator health and fitness in agroecosystems. Still, it is not fully clear whether access to different flower diversities will have a significant influence on the bumble bee microbiota. Here, we tested in a semi-field experiment if the bumble bee microbiota changes over time when exposed to different flower diversities within outdoor flight cages. We used commercial hives to distinguish between vertically and horizontally transmitted bacteria, respectively from the nest environment or the exposed outside environment. The sequential sampling of foraging workers over a period of 35 days indicated a temporal progression of the bumble bee microbiota when placed outside. The microbiota increased in diversity and changed in composition and variability over time. We observed a major increase in relative abundance of the families Lactobacillaceae, Bifidobacteriaceae and Weeksellaceae. In contrast, major core-taxa like Snodgrassella and Gilliamella declined in their relative abundance over time. The genus Lactobacillus showed a high diversity and strain specific turnover, so that only specific ASVs showed an increase over time, while others had a more erratic occurrence pattern. Exposure to different flower diversities had no significant influence on the progression of the bumble bee microbiota. The bumble bee microbiota showed a dynamic temporal succession with distinct compositional changes and diversification over time when placed outdoor. The exposure of bumble bees to environmental conditions, or environmental microbes, increases dissimilarity and changes the gut-community composition. This shows the importance of environmental influences on the temporal dynamic and progression of the bumble bee microbiota.

Managing human capital in major league soccer: an empirical study of internal development and external acquisition

PurposeThis study examines factors that influence organizations’ choices of an internal human capital development strategy and an external human capital acquisition strategy. The human resource architecture indicates that organizations will use different human capital acquisition strategies. Following the resource-based view, human capital theory and the human resource architecture, we examine factors that impact the choices of different human capital acquisition strategies.Design/methodology/approachWe examine these important human capital decisions in the context of Major League Soccer. Data to test the hypotheses were collected from a variety of publicly available sources. We tested the hypotheses with regression analyses.FindingsWe find that while organizations employ both internal and external human capital strategies, organizations may have one dominant human capital strategy and the other strategy may be used to supplement the human capital needs of organizations. Additionally, our results indicate that organizations with an older workforce tend to use an internal human capital development strategy, while higher performing organizations are less likely to use an internal human capital development strategy.Originality/valueThis study makes contributions by examining the choices between internal and external human capital strategies and factors that influence the choice of an internal or external human capital strategy.

Milestones in understanding transport, sensing, and signaling of the plant nutrient phosphorus.

As an essential nutrient element, phosphorus (P) is primarily acquired and translocated as inorganic phosphate (Pi) by plant roots. Pi is often sequestered in the soil and becomes limited for plant growth. Plants have developed a sophisticated array of adaptive responses, termed P starvation responses, to cope with P deficiency by improving its external acquisition and internal utilization. Over the past 2 to 3 decades, remarkable progress has been made toward understanding how plants sense and respond to changing environmental P. This review provides an overview of the molecular mechanisms that regulate or coordinate P starvation responses, emphasizing P transport, sensing, and signaling. We present the major players and regulators responsible for Pi uptake and translocation. We then introduce how P is perceived at the root tip, how systemic P signaling is operated, and the mechanisms by which the intracellular P status is sensed and conveyed. Additionally, the recent exciting findings about the influence of P on plant-microbe interactions are highlighted. Finally, the challenges and prospects concerning the interplay between P and other nutrients and strategies to enhance P utilization efficiency are discussed. Insights obtained from this knowledge may guide future research endeavors in sustainable agriculture.

Do controlling shareholders collude with their related large shareholders? Evidence of equity pledges and shareholding increases from China

The key for controlling shareholders to prevent the risk of equity pledge is to increase the stock price, and the large shareholders' shareholding increases have the effect of increasing the stock price. Using the data of Chinese A-share firms from 2007 to 2019, this paper examines the relationship between the controlling shareholders' equity pledges and their related large shareholders' shareholding increases. We find that when the controlling shareholders pledge equity, their related large shareholders are more likely to increase their shareholdings. By analyzing the necessity, ability and motivation of related large shareholders to provide help, we find that shareholding increases of related large shareholders are behaviors of helping controlling shareholders to mitigate the risk of equity pledge. Based on the analysis of external acquisition threats, stability heterogeneity of control rights and exogenous impact of Vanke Equity Competition, it is shown that the controlling shareholders pledging equity promote their related large shareholders to increase their shareholdings for the purpose of preventing the risk of control transfer. In further analysis, we find that the shareholding increases of related large shareholders have the practical effect of improving the stock price and preventing pledge risks. This paper proves that the controlling shareholders pledging equity collude with their related large shareholders, which is reflected in the fact that the shareholding increases of the related large shareholders have become a means for controlling shareholders to prevent the risk of equity pledge.

Foliar nutrient resorption stoichiometry and microbial phosphatase catalytic efficiency together alleviate the relative phosphorus limitation in forest ecosystems.

Understanding how plants adapt to spatially heterogeneous phosphorus (P) supply is important to elucidate the effect of environmental changes on ecosystem productivity. Plant P supply is concurrently controlled by plant internal conservation and external acquisition. However, it is unclear how climate, soil, and microbes influence the contributions and interactions of the internal and external pathways for plant P supply. Here, we measured P and nitrogen (N) resorption efficiency, litter and soil acid phosphatase (AP) catalytic parameters (Vmax(s) and Km ), and soil physicochemical properties at four sites spanning from cold temperate to tropical forests. We found that the relative P limitation to plants was generally higher in tropical forests than temperate forests, but varied greatly among species and within sites. In P-impoverished habitats, plants resorbed more P than N during litterfall to maintain their N:P stoichiometric balance. In addition, once ecosystems shifted from N-limited to P-limited, litter- and soil-specific AP catalytic efficiency (Vmax(s) /Km ) increased rapidly, thereby enhancing organic P mineralization. Our findings suggested that ecosystems develop a coupled aboveground-belowground strategy to maintain P supply and N:P stoichiometric balance under P-limitation. We also highlighted that N cycle moderates P cycles and together shape plant P acquisition in forest ecosystems.

Realizing potential through absorptive capacity to create competitive advantage in hospitality organizations

PurposeAbsorptive capacity is a knowledge-processing ability that hospitality organizations should hone to create competitive advantage in a fierce business environment. This study aims to examine an integrative model explaining how hospitality organizations infuse external knowledge into competitive advantage via absorptive capacity processes and opportunity-capturing abilities.Design/methodology/approachThis study used structural equation modeling, using the R Lavaan package, with 288 survey responses collected from hospitality employees.FindingsStructural equation modeling with multiple indirect relationships presents a holistic picture of how hospitality organizations develop externally acquired knowledge into organizational outcomes through detailed absorptive capacity processes. Unit size is found to positively moderate the indirect relationship between external acquisition and competitive advantage through knowledge transformation only. Competitiveness level negatively moderates indirect relationships through assimilation and transformation.Practical implicationsThe findings highlight the importance of hospitality organizations’ knowledge management capabilities through acquisition, assimilation, transformation and exploitation processes. These integrative mechanisms can be facilitated by intraorganizational coordinative processes through collective interpretations and applications of knowledge and effective organizational routines based on management and technical support.Originality/valueThis study proposes an integrative model encompassing a process perspective and the role of intraorganizational coordination in bridging potential and realized absorptive capacity.

Hero Plumbers: The Transitional Challenges of a Family-Owned Business

This case study focuses on the transitional challenges of a family-owned business, including generational transfer of ownership, succession planning, bridge leadership during a crisis, and possible external acquisition of the business. The focus is on a family-owned plumbing company and its struggles to survive a generational transition and competition within the U. S. residential services industry. Options are presented to the business owner by a protagonist in the person of a consultant who specializes in helping businesses survive critical leadership issues.

A Wireless System for EEG Acquisition and Processing in an Earbud Form Factor with 600 Hours Battery Lifetime.

In recent years, in-ear electroencephalography (EEG) was demonstrated to record signals of similar quality compared to standard scalp-based EEG, and clinical applications of objective hearing threshold estimations have been reported. Existing devices, however, still lack important features. In fact, most of the available solutions are based on wet electrodes, require to be connected to external acquisition platforms, or do not offer on-board processing capabilities. Here we overcome all these limitations, presenting an ear-EEG system based on dry electrodes that includes all the acquisition, processing, and connectivity electronics directly in the ear bud. The earpiece is equipped with an ultra-low power analog front-end for analog-to-digital conversion, a low-power MEMS microphone, a low-power inertial measurement unit, and an ARM Cortex-M4 based microcontroller enabling on-board processing and Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity. The system can stream raw EEG data or perform data processing directly in-ear. We test the device by analysing its capability to detect brain response to external auditory stimuli, achieving 4 and 1.3 mW power consumption for data streaming or on board processing, respectively. The latter allows for 600 hours operation on a PR44 zinc-air battery. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first wireless and fully self-contained ear-EEG system performing on-board processing, all embedded in a single earbud. Clinical relevance- The proposed ear-EEG system can be employed for diagnostic tasks such as objective hearing threshold estimations, outside of clinical settings, thereby enabling it as a point-of-care solution. The long battery lifetime is also suitable for a continuous monitoring scenario.

A viral mutualist employs posthatch transmission for vertical and horizontal spread among parasitoid wasps

Heritable symbionts display a wide variety of transmission strategies to travel from one insect generation to the next. Parasitoid wasps, one of the most diverse insect groups, maintain several heritable associations with viruses that are beneficial for wasp survival during their development as parasites of other insects. Most of these beneficial viral entities are strictly transmitted through the wasp germline as endogenous viral elements within wasp genomes. However, a beneficial poxvirus inherited by Diachasmimorpha longicaudata wasps, known as Diachasmimorpha longicaudata entomopoxvirus (DlEPV), is not integrated into the wasp genome and therefore may employ different tactics to infect future wasp generations. Here, we demonstrated that transmission of DlEPV is primarily dependent on parasitoid wasps, since viral transmission within fruit fly hosts of the wasps was limited to injection of the virus directly into the larval fly body cavity. Additionally, we uncovered a previously undocumented form of posthatch transmission for a mutualistic virus that entails external acquisition and localization of the virus within the adult wasp venom gland. We showed that this route is extremely effective for vertical and horizontal transmission of the virus within D. longicaudata wasps. Furthermore, the beneficial phenotype provided by DlEPV during parasitism was also transmitted with perfect efficiency, indicating an effective mode of symbiont spread to the advantage of infected wasps. These results provide insight into the transmission of beneficial viruses among insects and indicate that viruses can share features with cellular microbes during their evolutionary transitions into symbionts.

Official position of the Brazilian Association of Bone Assessment and Metabolism (ABRASSO) on the evaluation of body composition by densitometry: part I (technical aspects)\u2014general concepts, indications, acquisition, and analysis

ObjectiveTo review the technical aspects of body composition assessment by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and other methods based on the most recent scientific evidence.Materials and methodsThis Official Position is a result of efforts by the Scientific Committee of the Brazilian Association of Bone Assessment and Metabolism (Associação Brasileira de Avaliação Óssea e Osteometabolismo, ABRASSO) and health care professionals with expertise in body composition assessment who were invited to contribute to the preparation of this document. The authors searched current databases for relevant publications. In this first part of the Official Position, the authors discuss the different methods and parameters used for body composition assessment, general principles of DXA, and aspects of the acquisition and analysis of DXA scans.ConclusionConsidering aspects of accuracy, precision, cost, duration, and ability to evaluate all three compartments, DXA is considered the gold-standard method for body composition assessment, particularly for the evaluation of fat mass. In order to ensure reliable, adequate, and reproducible DXA reports, great attention is required regarding quality control procedures, preparation, removal of external artifacts, imaging acquisition, and data analysis and interpretation.

Prostate MRI using a rigid two-channel phased-array endorectal coil: comparison with phased array coil acquisition at 3\u2009T

BackgroundTo compare image quality, lesion detection and patient comfort of 3T prostate MRI using a combined rigid two-channel phased-array endorectal coil and an external phased-array coil (ERC-PAC) compared to external PAC acquisition in the same patients.MethodsThirty three men (mean age 65.3y) with suspected (n = 15) or biopsy-proven prostate cancer (PCa, n = 18) were prospectively enrolled in this exploratory study. 3T prostate MRI including T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) was performed using an ERC-PAC versus PAC alone, in random order. Image quality, lesion detection and characterization (biparametric PI-RADSv2.1) were evaluated by 2 independent observers. Estimated signal-to-noise ratio (eSNR) was measured in identified lesions and the peripheral zone (PZ). Patient comfort was assessed using a questionnaire. Data were compared between sequences and acquisitions. Inter/intra-observer agreement for PI-RADS scores was evaluated.ResultsTwenty four prostate lesions (22 PCa) were identified in 20/33 men. Superior image quality was found for ERC-PAC compared to PAC for T2WI for one observer (Obs.1, p < 0.03) and high b-value DWI for both observers (p < 0.05). The sensitivity of PI-RADS for lesion detection for ERC-PAC and PAC acquisitions was 79.2 and 75% for Obs.1, and 79.1 and 66.7%, for Obs.2, without significant difference for each observer (McNemar p-values ≥0.08). Inter−/intra-observer agreement for PI-RADS scores was moderate-to-substantial (kappa = 0.52–0.84). Higher eSNR was observed for lesions and PZ for T2WI and PZ for DWI using ERC-PAC (p < 0.013). Most patients (21/33) reported discomfort at ERC insertion.ConclusionDespite improved image quality and eSNR using the rigid ERC-PAC combination, no significant improvement in lesion detection was observed, therefore not supporting the routine use of ERC for prostate MRI.

Boundary spanning through external technology acquisition: The moderating role of star scientists and upstream alliances

Building on the theories of knowledge recombination, we argue that the external acquisition of technologies acts as a boundary spanning mechanism that impacts on the recipient firm’ subsequent technology development. The effect is moderated by two additional mechanisms, namely the retention of star scientists and the experience in upstream strategic alliances. We tested our hypotheses on a sample of 6208 USPTO patented technologies acquired by 350 biotechnology firms over the period 1980–2012. Findings reveal an inverted U-shaped effect of the pioneering nature of the acquired technology on firm's subsequent developments, in terms of (self) citations of firm's subsequent patents to the acquired one. Moreover, the main relationship is negatively moderated by the retention of star scientists, while the experience in upstream alliances demonstrates to be a positive moderator.

Community Environmental Detection and Community Outdoor Space Health Promotion Based on Cloud Resource Scheduling Mechanism.

In the context of rapid economic growth, people's living standards are improving day by day, and China's urbanization process is also gradually accelerating. Urban renewal is a very complex project. The renewal and expansion of most cities in the country usually involve demolishing and rebuilding. This way of urban renewal only pays attention to the renewal efficiency of cities and towns, and ignores the health needs of residents, which will make community residents lack a sense of security, pleasure, comfort, and belonging to the community, and greatly reduce the quality of life and physical fitness of community residents. Building a healthy city is an important goal of today's society, and community is the basic unit of a city, so it is urgent to build a health-promoting community. We should pay attention to and study the social environment, the external space environment of residential areas, and the interaction between them, so as to make develop them in a healthy direction and create a healthy and positive community. Therefore, it is an urgent task to improve the community residents' attention to the above problems and build community outdoor space, which has very important practical significance. In this paper, we use the cloud resource scheduling mechanism and the Internet of things to study the healthy role of community outdoor space planning. Through the transplantation of embedded Linux system, the development of communication interface and the external acquisition sensing device, we collect the information of working status and running status, and transmit it to the database built in the cloud through the 4G module on the motherboard. Then, HTML + java script + CSS + JSON + Ajax technology is used to write the display interface and logical relationship, so that the data can be displayed on the mobile terminal and PC, which can provide a useful technical exploration for outdoor space planning. The community Internet of Things technology realizes the intelligent community environment detection, and the community cloud resource scheduling mechanism combined with the community Internet of Things can obtain the residents' help information in time and allocate the community outdoor resources in real time, which can not only meet the health needs of community members but also be conducive to the sustainable development of a health-promoting community. In addition, the cloud resource scheduling mechanism and the Internet of things also provide new ideas for the study of the health promotion research of community outdoor space planning.

Agglomeration, social capital and interorganizational ambidexterity in tourist districts

Knowledge is a basic factor of competitiveness with a firm’s exploration and exploitation capabilities acting as the main antecedents of innovation. However, a firm has two main options to obtain new knowledge: internal generation and external acquisition. This paper analyzes how tourism firms located in tourist districts develop ambidexterity through the combination of co-exploration and co-exploitation. Specifically, we study how the features that characterize a tourist district, such as the level of firm and institutional agglomeration, affect the development of co-exploration and co-exploitation capabilities, taking into account the mediation effect of social capital.The population under study includes all the Spanish hotels located in Spanish coastal towns, making a total sample of 210 establishments. The results confirm that agglomeration has a positive impact on the ambidexterity of Spanish hotels. Moreover, the results show that agglomeration causes an increase of social capital in hotels, and that social capital has a positive impact on ambidexterity. We find that social capital partially mediates the effect of agglomeration on ambidexterity. Some implications for managers and policymakers are presented.

Unpacking the “O” in VRIO: The role of workflow interdependence in the loss and replacement of strategic human capital

AbstractResearch Summary: An underresearched and undertheorized factor in the resource‐based view's VRIO acronym is the “O”: organizational deployment. Exploiting a rule change that exogenously shifted the workflow interdependence of NBA basketball teams, we examine how the benefit provided by a resource depends upon the way it is deployed in an organization's workflow. We also examine how workflow interdependence influences the relative effectiveness of two capabilities for obtaining resources—external acquisition versus internal development. We find that losing star players is more damaging under conditions of greater pooled interdependence and that external acquisition capabilities are more effective for mitigating this damage. Conversely, we find that losing non‐star players is more damaging under conditions of greater reciprocal interdependence and that internal development capabilities are more effective for mitigating this damage.Managerial Summary: Different organizations arrange their workflows in different ways. Some organizations use more individual‐focused workflows, where the performance of each employee is relatively independent of the performance of coworkers, while others use more team‐focused workflows, where the performance of each employee depends critically on the performance of coworkers. Does an organization's way of arranging its workflow affect the amount of damage done when a key employee quits? Does the answer depend upon whether the departing employee is a star performer? Does it depend upon the organization's capability for recruiting high‐potential replacements from other organizations, or its capability for improving the performance of its existing employees? By analyzing data from NBA basketball teams, we find that the loss of a star player is more damaging when teams use a more individual‐focused workflow, but that capability for recruiting high‐potential players mitigates this damage. Conversely, we also find that the loss of a non‑star player is more damaging when teams use a more team‐focused workflow, but that capability for improving performance of a team's existing players mitigates this damage. So, our results suggest that organizations should develop capabilities that fit their workflow and their relative risk of losing star employees versus non‑stars.

Co-Integration Approach to Analysing The Impact of External Debt Management on Economic Growth of Nigeria

This study examined the impact of External debt management on economic growth of Nigeria. Using annual time series data collected over the period of 33 years (1986 – 2018). The data for the study were collected from the CBN statistical bulletin annual report. The variables on which data are collected include: Real Gross Domestic Product, External Debt, External Debt service, Balance of Payment and Exchange Rate. Data were analyzed using the Ordinary least squares (OLS) multiple regression analysis. It proceeded with Descriptive statistics; Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) unit root test, Co-integration test and Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL). The study revealed that impact of external debt management on economic growth of Nigeria over the period under review was statistically significant with external debt, external debt service payment and balance of payment but statistically insignificant with exchange rate. The study recommended that governments should establish and adopt an optimal balance between external debt acquisition and application /allocation of the acquired funds to productive projects for the purpose of making a high output and a steady economic growth. The management should live up to expectation by encouraging efficient commitment of borrowed funds to productive projects so as to comply with debt serving agreement and outright payments, measures such as improving exports should be implemented to ensure that local currencies are stable.

Technological Innovation and Value Creation of Enterprise Innovation Ecosystem Based on System Dynamics Modeling

Based on the analysis of the dynamic interrelationships of enterprise innovation factors according to system dynamics, we build a dynamic causality diagram and a flow graph model of the enterprise innovation ecosystem to study the potential business value creation paths focusing on technological innovation. The system model is simulated using data from high-tech enterprises. Our results show that the model can reasonably simulate the operation of the enterprise innovation ecosystem. Two paths to value creation are identified: (1) input-technological innovation-commercialization of results-value creation; (2) external acquisition of technology-digestion and absorption-value creation as a complementary path. Also, the technological innovation path expands and extends the industrial chain and supply chain of enterprises and better promotes the value creation of enterprises in the same supply chain. Furthermore, our results show that R&amp;D investment and technical cooperation investment should be allocated rationally in order to improve the utility of value creation investment.

Effect of HTE certification on external resource acquisition and firm performance: evidence from China

ABSTRACT This paper argues that the high-tech enterprise certification (HTE certification) can facilitate firm performance and that this effect is mediated by external resource acquisition, including venture capital and human resource in the context of China. Using the Chinese industrial enterprise database and difference–in-difference approach, our results indicate that: (a) HTE certification is positively associated with external resource acquisition, namely, venture capital and human resource; (b) both venture capital and human resource are positively related to firm performance and (c) the external resource acquisition including venture capital and human resource mediates the relationship between HTE certification and firm performance.

Quantitative comparison of data-driven gating and external hardware gating for 18F-FDG PET-MRI in patients with esophageal tumors

BackgroundRespiratory motion during PET imaging reduces image quality. Data-driven gating (DDG) based on principal component analysis (PCA) can be used to identify respiratory signals. The use of DDG, without need for external devices, would greatly increase the feasibility of using respiratory gating in a routine clinical setting. The objective of this study was to evaluate data-driven gating in relation to external hardware gating and regular static image acquisition on PET-MRI data with respect to SUVmax and lesion volumes.MethodsSixteen patients with esophageal or gastroesophageal cancer (Siewert I and II) underwent a 6-min PET scan on a Signa PET-MRI system (GE Healthcare) 1.5–2 h after injection of 4 MBq/kg 18F-FDG. External hardware gating was done using a respiratory bellow device, and DDG was performed using MotionFree (GE Healthcare). The DDG raw data files and the external hardware-gating raw files were created on a Matlab-based toolbox from the whole 6-min scan LIST-file. For comparison, two 3-min static raw files were created for each patient. Images were reconstructed using TF-OSEM with resolution recovery with 2 iterations, 28 subsets, and 3-mm post filter. SUVmax and lesion volume were measured in all visible lesions, and noise level was measured in the liver. Paired t-test, linear regression, Pearson correlation, and Bland-Altman analysis were used to investigate difference, correlation, and agreement between the methods.ResultsA total number of 30 lesions were included in the study. No significant differences between DDG and external hardware-gating SUVmax or lesion volumes were found, but the noise level was significantly reduced in the DDG images. Both DDG and external hardware gating demonstrated significantly higher SUVmax (9.4% for DDG, 10.3% for external hardware gating) and smaller lesion volume (− 5.4% for DDG, − 6.6% for external gating) in comparison with non-gated static images.ConclusionsData-driven gating with MotionFree for PET-MRI performed similar to external device gating for esophageal lesions with respect to SUVmax and lesion volume. Both gating methods significantly increased the SUVmax and reduced the lesion volume in comparison with non-gated static acquisition. DDG resulted in reduced image noise compared to external device gating and static images.