Growth Rate Advantage Research Articles

Startup Valuation In A Logistics Aggregator (Case Study At Pt Linknau)

The large number of startups in Indonesia is supported by an increase in internet user penetration which reaches 64.8% of the Indonesian population or 171.17 million users (APJII 2019). The potential of Indonesia's creative economy and startups is very large which is supported by abundant natural resources, local cultural diversity spread throughout the archipelago, and diversity of human resources. The objectives of this study are as follow Describe the financial performance of start-ups in logistics aggregators at PT Linknau. Analyzing company size, profitability, economic growth rate, market traction and competitive advantage against start-up valuation in logistics aggregators (Case Study at PT Linknau). The data used in this study are primary data and secondary data. Primary data is in the form of interviews conducted in depth interviews with the CEO of PT Linknau and secondary data in the form of financial statements of start-up Companies PT Linknau from 2019-2022. The results show that the valuation of The First Chicago Method to be the most suitable company valuation method for assessing PT Linknau's company valuation. The main reason why this method is the most suitable method is because currently the company is already in a condition of generating operating income, according to Damiano et. al. (2020).

Understanding Snail Mucus Biosynthesis and Shell Biomineralisation through Genomic Data Mining of the Reconstructed Carbohydrate and Glycan Metabolic Pathways of the Giant African Snail (Achatina fulica).

The giant African snail (Order Stylommatophora: Family Achatinidae), Achatina fulica (Bowdich, 1822), is the most significant and invasive land snail pest. The ecological adaptability of this snail involves high growth rate, reproductive capacity, and shell and mucus production, driven by several biochemical processes and metabolism. The available genomic information for A. fulica provides excellent opportunities to hinder the underlying processes of adaptation, mainly carbohydrate and glycan metabolic pathways toward the shell and mucus formation. The authors analysed the 1.78 Gb draft genomic contigs of A. fulica to identify enzyme-coding genes and reconstruct biochemical pathways related to the carbohydrate and glycan metabolism using a designed bioinformatic workflow. Three hundred and seventy-seven enzymes involved in the carbohydrate and glycan metabolic pathways were identified based on the KEGG pathway reference in combination with protein sequence comparison, structural analysis, and manual curation. Fourteen complete pathways of carbohydrate metabolism and seven complete pathways of glycan metabolism supported the nutrient acquisition and production of the mucus proteoglycans. Increased copy numbers of amylases, cellulases, and chitinases highlighted the snail advantage in food consumption and fast growth rate. The ascorbate biosynthesis pathway identified from the carbohydrate metabolic pathways of A. fulica was involved in the shell biomineralisation process in association with the collagen protein network, carbonic anhydrases, tyrosinases, and several ion transporters. Thus, our bioinformatic workflow was able to reconstruct carbohydrate metabolism, mucus biosynthesis, and shell biomineralisation pathways from the A. fulica genome and transcriptome data. These findings could reveal several evolutionary advantages of the A. fulica snail, and will benefit the discovery of valuable enzymes for industrial and medical applications.

The Effect Of Company Size, Profitability, Economic Growth Rate, Market Traction And Competitive Advantage On Startup Valuation In Logistics Aggregators

The large number of startups in Indonesia is supported by an increase in internet user penetration which reaches 64.8% of the Indonesian population or 171.17 million users (APJII 2019). The potential of Indonesia's creative economy and startups is very large which is supported by abundant natural resources, local cultural diversity spread throughout the archipelago, and diversity of human resources. The objectives of this study are as follow Describe the financial performance of start-ups in logistics aggregators at PT Linknau. Analyzing company size, profitability, economic growth rate, market traction and competitive advantage against start-up valuation in logistics aggregators (Case Study at PT Linknau). The data used in this study are primary data and secondary data. Primary data is in the form of interviews conducted in depth interviews with the CEO of PT Linknau and secondary data in the form of financial statements of start-up companies PT Linknau from 2019-2022. The results show that the valuation of the Real Option Method (ROM) from 2019 to 2023 is seen increasing. It can be seen that the highest value of ROM valuation in 2023 is right in executing investments and finding the optimal value of PT Linknau itself.

Correlated responses to selection for different cell size in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii using divergent evolutionary pathways

AbstractCell size is an important trait that is often correlated with organisms’ survival under different thermal environments, and in the case of phytoplankton, it is also related to survival under different light irradiance. While smaller phytoplankton thrive under warm and high light (summer conditions), larger cells seem to be more efficient under cool and low light conditions (winter conditions). In this study, we used different evolutionary pathways, nitrogen depletion and size selection, to select for differences in average cell diameter in the single-celled alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. We tested whether there was a size-related fitness (growth rate) advantage across two light intensities and two temperatures; environmental effects that have dramatic effects on algal growth. Under these environmental conditions we then tested how the evolutionary pathway to reduced cell size affected fitness and photophysiology. The results suggest that the relationship between size and growth rate in C. reinhardtii is strongly correlated with changes in the photosynthetic apparatus in different sized cells. Large-selected cells evolved to have smaller light-harvesting antennae, making them less susceptible to photodamage. However, they accumulate larger amounts of reactive oxygen species, potentially due to their lack of antioxidant carotenoids. In addition, the maximum growth rate was reduced, potentially due to their reduced ability to repair PSII due to lower metabolic rates. Similar responses were observed in lines that evolved to have smaller cells under nitrogen depletion. The results demonstrate that different evolutionary pathways to reduced cell size result in different changes in metabolism, with N-depleted and Small-selected cell lineages having similar sizes, but thriving differently under winter/summer conditions. With large production systems in mind, it is possible to assume that the choice of strains selected using adaptative laboratory evolution or direct selection on size can affect the overall production yield and carbon capture according to the seasons and possibly other abiotic parameters.

Dynamics of a national Omicron SARS-CoV-2 epidemic during January 2022 in England

Rapid transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant has led to record-breaking case incidence rates around the world. Since May 2020, the REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission-1 (REACT-1) study tracked the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection in England through RT-PCR of self-administered throat and nose swabs from randomly-selected participants aged 5 years and over. In January 2022, we found an overall weighted prevalence of 4.41% (n = 102,174), three-fold higher than in November to December 2021; we sequenced 2,374 (99.2%) Omicron infections (19 BA.2), and only 19 (0.79%) Delta, with a growth rate advantage for BA.2 compared to BA.1 or BA.1.1. Prevalence was decreasing overall (reproduction number R = 0.95, 95% credible interval [CrI], 0.93, 0.97), but increasing in children aged 5 to 17 years (R = 1.13, 95% CrI, 1.09, 1.18). In England during January 2022, we observed unprecedented levels of SARS-CoV-2 infection, especially among children, driven by almost complete replacement of Delta by Omicron.

The rapid replacement of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant by Omicron (B.1.1.529) in England.

The emergence of the B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant caused international concern due to its rapid spread in Southern Africa. It was unknown whether this variant would replace or co-exist with (either transiently or long-term) the then-dominant Delta variant on its introduction to England. We developed a set of hierarchical logistic growth models to describe changes in the frequency of S gene target failure (SGTF) PCR tests, which was a proxy for Omicron. The doubling time of SGTF cases peaked at 1.56 days (95% CI: 1.49, 1.63) on the 5th of December, while triple positive cases were halving every 5.82 days (95% CI: 5.11, 6.67) going into Christmas 2021. We were unable to characterize the replacement of Delta by Omicron with a single rate. The replacement rate decreased by 53.56% (95% CrI: 45.38, 61.01) between the 14th and 15th of December, meaning the competitive advantage of Omicron approximately halved. Preceding the changepoint, Omicron was replacing Delta 16.24% (95% CrI: 9.72, 23.41) faster in those with two or more vaccine doses, indicative of vaccine escape being a substantial component of the competitive advantage. Despite the slowdown, Delta had almost entirely been replaced in England within a month of the first sequenced domestic case. The synchrony of changepoints across regions at various stages of Omicron epidemics suggests that the growth rate advantage was not attenuated due to biological mechanisms related to strain competition. The step-change in replacement could have resulted from behavioral changes, potentially elicited by public health messaging or policies, that differentially affected Omicron.

Competition for water and species coexistence in phenologically structured annual plant communities.

Both competition for water and phenological variation are important determinants of plant community structure, but ecologists lack a synthetic theory for how they affect coexistence outcomes. We developed an analytically tractable model of water competition for Mediterranean annual communities and demonstrated that variation in phenology alone can maintain high diversity in spatially homogenous assemblages of water-limited plants. We modelled a system where all water arrives early in the season and species vary in their ability to grow under drying conditions. As a consequence, species differ in growing season length and compete by shortening the growing season of their competitors. This model replicates and offers mechanistic explanations for patterns observed in empirical studies of how phenology influences coexistence among Mediterranean annuals. Additionally, we found that a decreasing, concave-up trade-off between growth rate and access to water can maintain high diversity under simple but realistic assumptions. High diversity is possible because: (1) later plants escape competition after their earlier season competitors have gone to seed and (2) early-season species are more than compensated for their shortened growing season by a growth rate advantage. Together, these mechanisms provide an explanation for how phenologically variable annual plant species might coexist when competing only for water.

Understanding how fast SARS-CoV-2 variants transmit from household studies

Understanding how fast SARS-CoV-2 variants transmit from household studies

Lolium perenne engineered for elevated leaf lipids exhibits greater energy density in field canopies under defoliation

Co-expression of diacylglycerol O -acyltransferase (DGAT1) and a lipid droplet-stabilizing protein called Cys-oleosin (collectively ‘HME’ technology) increases foliar lipid concentrations and plant biomass, which could elevate energy yields from perennial ryegrass (PR, Lolium perenne L.)-based pastures. Quantifying the feasible benefits of HME PR necessitates that herbage growth and energy density are quantified on a ground area basis under regular defoliation. We examined the translation, from spaced pots indoors to field canopies (swards), of the fatty acid (FA), gross energy (GE), and biomass enhancing traits associated with HME technology expression in PR. Under controlled indoor conditions in spaced pots, hemizygous HME seedlings with 32% higher leaf FA content (1.2%DW) than null controls exhibited a faster rate of leaf extension. These effects translated into a stable 0.2–0.5 kJ/gDW increase in herbage GE concentration, and a 6–10% herbage growth rate advantage when HME ‘miniswards’ were grown under moderate light competition (LAI 7–9) for five defoliation and regrowth cycles (harvests). However, subsequent growth in a dense canopy (LAI>10) eliminated this HME herbage growth advantage. In two field trials in the Midwest United States, hemizygous HME swards exhibited 25–34% (0.8–1%DW) higher end-of-season herbage FA content than null control swards, and 0.2–0.5 kJ/gDW higher end-of-season herbage GE. Herbage growth rates were generally similar for HME and null control swards across both field seasons. This thorough analysis of trait translation shows that the benefits of enhanced FA and GE translate to HME PR canopies grown in the field. The intrinsic growth advantage of HME PR may be diminished in field canopies such that yield benefits are realized only under limited conditions.

An analysis of progressive sectors: agriculture position

In the economic development of a region, there needs to be attention in developing sectors that have the potential and also have good growth. This study aims to identify the economic sectors included in the progressive sector. This research uses secondary data in the form of Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) of Bolaang Mongondow Regency and North Sulawesi Province in 2013-2017 and will then be analyzed using the Location Quotient method and Shift Share analysis. The results of the study concluded that there are five economic sectors which are the base sectors namely the Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries sectors; Mining and Excavation sectors, the Electricity and Gas Procurement Sector, Real Estate Sector and Education Services Sector. However, only the Mining and Excavation sector has a progressive growth rate and competitive advantage. As for the Agriculture position itself, it has a non-progressive growth rate and lacks a competitive advantage. In addition, there are four sectors namely the Construction sector, the Wholesale Trade, and Retail; Car and Motorcycle Repair sectors; The Financial Services and Insurance sectors and the Government Administration, Defense, and Social Security sectors are required to be able to move progressively even though those sectors are not included in the base sector.

Pure and even-aged forestry of fast-growing conifers under climate change: on the need for a silvicultural paradigm shift

Pure and even-aged (PEA) forests of fast-growing conifer species have for a long time been key providers of industrial raw material. Despite recent concerns regarding their greater sensitivity to major natural disturbances, their impacts on biodiversity and their funding efficiency, PEA conifer forests could remain a major economic target given the ongoing European strategy for bioeconomy. These forests are encountered in contrasted climates and in both native and introduced contexts across Europe, giving rise to high uncertainties regarding their growth responses to current climate change. Using the French National Forest Inventory data, we studied the radial growth of eight major conifer species in European forestry across 16 regional native and introduced PEA forest systems (n > 10 000 trees). Growth trends over the 2006–2016 period exhibited a significant negative association with the absolute growth level in 2006, with the strongest negative growth trends found for emblematic PEA forestry species (e.g. Norway spruce and Douglas fir), and the strongest positive trends for pine species (e.g. Scots pine). While the greater growth rate advantage of some species may shorten rotation and lower risk exposures for future decades, their recent lowered productivity may affect the forest sector in the long run. The prevalence of PEA forests across European forest landscapes and their increasingly reported lower resilience to climate change compared to more complex forest systems call for the establishment of a long-term European forest policy strategy. Maintaining the environmental, social and economic benefits of forests should remain a priority in the European agenda, regardless of the financial costs at stake.

Metamorphosis and skeletal development of hybrid Epinephelus awoara (♀) and Epinephelus tukula (♂) progenies

Here, we explored the metamorphosis and skeletal development of hybrids between Epinephelus awoara (♀) and Epinephelus tukula (♂) (EAT). Currently, many varieties with good characters have been produced by cross breeding, which plays an important role in the development of aquaculture. However, few basic studies have focused on the developmental biology of hybrid progeny. We studied the morphological characteristics and body structure of larvae and juveniles of the hybrid and measured their body length. The results showed that the metamorphosis process of the hybrid grouper was comparable to that of other groupers. Moreover, using whole-mount bone-staining technology, the ontogeny and ossification of the cranium, appendage skeleton and vertebral column were observed and described in the larvae and juveniles. Newly hatched larvae did not have a skeleton. Head cartilage and the pectoral fin developed at 3 days after hatching (DAH), and the total length (TL) was 2.74 ± 0.06 mm. Cartilage of the dorsal fin and pelvic fin developed at 15 DAH (3.90 ± 0.97 mm TL). The vertebral column and caudal fin cartilage appeared at 18 DAH (4.69 ± 0.58 mm TL). Cartilage was observed in the anal fin at 22 DAH (6.16 ± 1.76 mm TL). The second dorsal fin spine and pelvic fin spine were fully ossified between 24 and 26 DAH (8.01 ± 1.41–9.29 ± 1.64 mm TL). The first skeletal part that completed ossification was the pelvic fin, which occurred at the 44 DAH (24.64 ± 3.63 mm TL). The vertebral column was fully ossified at 47 DAH (29.70 ± 1.97 mm TL). The dorsal fin and anal fin were ossified at 51 DAH (34.64 ± 1.92 mm TL) and the cephalic skeleton, caudal fin and pectoral fin were fully ossified at 68 DAH (41.89 ± 2.16 mm TL). These results provide abundant biological data on the metamorphosis and skeletal development of larvae and juvenile groupers, as well as analysis of the growth and survival rate advantage of hybrid offspring.

Phenotypic characteristics contributing to the enhanced growth of Escherichia coli bloom strains.

During bloom events, Escherichia coli cell counts increase to between 10,000 and 100,000 cfu/100 ml of water. The strains responsible for bloom events belong to E. coli phylogenetic groups A and B1, and all have acquired a capsule from Klebsiella. A pan-genome comparison of phylogroup A E. coli revealed that the ferric citrate uptake system (fecIRABCDE) was overrepresented in phylogroup A bloom strains compared with non-bloom E. coli. A series of experiments were carried out to investigate if the capsule together with ferric citrate uptake system could confer a growth rate advantage on E. coli. Capsulated strains had a growth rate advantage regardless of the media composition and the presence/absence of the fec operon, and they had a shorter lag phase compared with capsule-negative strains. The results suggest that the Klebsiella capsule may facilitate nutrient uptake or utilization by a strain. This, together with the protective roles played by the capsule and the shorter lag phase of capsule-positive strains, may explain why it is only capsule-positive strains that produce elevated counts in response to nutrient influx.

Persistence of cooperation in diffusive public goods games.

Diffusive public goods (PG) games are difficult to analyze due to population assortment affecting growth rates of cooperators (producers) and free-riders. We study these growth rates using spectral decomposition of cellular densities and derive a finite cell-size correction of the growth rate advantage which exactly describes the dynamics of a randomly assorted population and approximates the dynamics under limited dispersal. The resulting effective benefit-to-cost ratio relates the physical parameters of PG dynamics to the persistence of cooperation, and our findings provide a powerful tool for the analysis of diffusive PG games, explaining commonly observed patterns of cooperation.

The B12 receptor BtuB alters the membrane integrity of Caulobacter crescentus.

Vitamin B12 is one of the most complex biomolecules in nature. Since few organisms can synthesize B12de novo, most bacteria utilize highly sensitive and specialized transporters to scavenge B12 and its precursors. In Gram-negative bacteria, BtuB is the outer membrane TonB-dependent receptor for B12. In the fresh water bacterium Caulobacter crescentus, btuB is among the most highly expressed genes. In this study, we characterized the function of BtuB in C. crescentus and unveiled a potential new function of this receptor involved in cellular fitness. Under standard minimal or rich growth conditions, we found that supplements of vitamin B12 to cultures of C. crescentus provided no significant advantage in growth rate. Using a B12 methionine auxotroph, we showed that BtuB in C. crescentus is capable of transporting B12 at low pico-molar range. A btuB knockout strain displayed higher sensitivity to detergents and to changes in osmotic pressure compared to the wild-type. Electron micrographs of this knockout strain revealed a morphology defect. The sensitivity observed in the btuB knockout strain was not due to changes in membrane permeability or altered S-layer levels. Our results demonstrate that btuB deletion mutants exhibit increased susceptibility to membrane stressors, suggesting a potential role of this receptor in membrane homeostasis. Because we only tested BtuB's function under laboratory conditions, we cannot eliminate the possibility that BtuB also plays a key role as a B12 scavenger in C. crescentus when growing in its highly variable and nutrient-limited natural environment.

Habitat partitioning during character displacement between the sexes.

Ecological differences between the sexes are often interpreted as evidence of within-species ecological character displacement (ECD), a hypothesis with almost no direct tests. Here, we experimentally test two predictions that are direct corollaries of ECD between the sexes, in a salamander. First, we find support for the prediction that each sex has a growth rate advantage in the aquatic microhabitat where it is most commonly found. Second, we test the prediction that selection for ECD in the breeding environment may affect partial migration out of this environment. We found that phenotype-dependent migration resulted in a shift in the phenotypic distribution across treatments, with the highest sexual dimorphism occurring among residents at high founding density, suggesting that migration and ECD can both be driven by competition. Our work illustrates how complex patterns of habitat partitioning evolve during ECD between the sexes and suggest ECD and partial migration can interact to effect both ecological dynamics and evolution of sexual dimorphism.

The Changing Pattern of Population Structure of Staphylococcus aureus from Bacteremia in China from 2013 to 2016: ST239-030-MRSA Replaced by ST59-t437.

To investigate the epidemiology and genetic structure of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia in China, a total of 416 isolates from 22 teaching hospitals in 12 cities from 2013 and 2016 were characterized by antibiogram analysis, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), spa typing and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing. The predominant meticillin-susceptible (MSSA) genotypes in 2013 were ST188 (19.1%), ST7 (8.7%), and ST398 (7.8%), respectively, and they continued to be the main genotypes in 2016. The prevalence of meticillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) were 36.5% (66/181) and 36.6% (86/235) in 2013 and 2016, respectively. Interestingly, the susceptibility rates of MRSA to rifampicin and fluoroquinolones increased significantly from 2013 to 2016 (P < 0.01), and this was associated with changes in genetic structure. ST239-t030-MRSA, the predominant genotype among all MRSAs in 2013 (34.8%), was replaced by ST59-t437-MRSA (15.1%) in 2016. Further analysis revealed that the ST239-t030-MRSA were more resistant to rifampicin, tetracycline and fluoroquinolones than ST59-t437-MRSA (P < 0.01). To further gain insight into the mechanisms underlying the changes of genetic structure, in vitro competition and fitness measurements were performed. Importantly, ST239-t030-MRSA displayed lower growth rate and lower competitive advantage compared to ST59-t437-MRSA. Together, our findings reveal that fitness advantage of ST59-t437-MRSA over ST239-t030-MRSA may lead to changes in genetic structure and increased susceptibility of MRSA to rifampicin and fluoroquinolones in Chinese patients with S. aureus bacteremia. Our study supports temporal dynamics in MRSA clone diversities, further providing critical insights into the importance of continued monitoring of MRSA.

Evolution of pathogen virulence across space during an epidemic.

We explore pathogen virulence evolution during the spatial expansion of an infectious disease epidemic in the presence of a novel host movement trade-off, using a simple, spatially explicit mathematical model. This work is motivated by empirical observations of the Mycoplasma gallisepticum invasion into North American house finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) populations; however, our results likely have important applications to other emerging infectious diseases in mobile hosts. We assume that infection reduces host movement and survival and that across pathogen strains the severity of these reductions increases with pathogen infectiousness. Assuming these trade-offs between pathogen virulence (host mortality), pathogen transmission, and host movement, we find that pathogen virulence levels near the epidemic front (that maximize wave speed) are lower than those that have a short-term growth rate advantage or that ultimately prevail (i.e., are evolutionarily stable) near the epicenter and where infection becomes endemic (i.e., that maximize the pathogen basic reproductive ratio). We predict that, under these trade-offs, less virulent pathogen strains will dominate the periphery of an epidemic and that more virulent strains will increase in frequency after invasion where disease is endemic. These results have important implications for observing and interpreting spatiotemporal epidemic data and may help explain transient virulence dynamics of emerging infectious diseases.

Determinants of maximum tree height inEucalyptusspecies along a rainfall gradient in Victoria, Australia

We present a conceptual model linking dry‐mass allocational allometry, hydraulic limitation, and vertical stratification of environmental conditions to patterns in vertical tree growth and tree height. Maximum tree height should increase with relative moisture supply and both should drive variation in apparent stomatal limitation. Carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) shouldnotvary with maximum tree height across a moisture gradient when only hydraulic limitation or allocational allometry limit height, but increase with moisture when both hydraulic limitationandallocational allometry limit maximum tree height. We quantified tree height and Δ along a gradient in annual precipitation from 300 to 1600 mm from mallee to temperate rain forest in southeastern Australia;Eucalyptuson this gradient span almost the entire range of tree heights found in angiosperms worldwide. Maximum tree height showed a strong, nearly proportional relationship to the ratio of precipitation to pan evaporation. Δ increased with ln P/Ep, suggesting that both hydraulic limitation and allocational allometry set maximum tree height. Coordinated shifts in several plant traits should result in different species having an advantage in vertical growth rate at different points along a rainfall gradient, and in maximum tree height increasing with relative moisture supply, photosynthetic rate, nutrient supply, and xylem diameter.

Clonal diversity driven by parasitism in a freshwater snail

One explanation for the widespread abundance of sexual reproduction is the advantage that genetically diverse sexual lineages have under strong pressure from virulent coevolving parasites. Such parasites are believed to track common asexual host genotypes, resulting in negative frequency-dependent selection that counterbalances the population growth-rate advantage of asexuals in comparison with sexuals. In the face of genetically diverse asexual lineages, this advantage of sexual reproduction might be eroded, and instead sexual populations would be replaced by diverse assemblages of clonal lineages. We investigated whether parasite-mediated selection promotes clonal diversity in 22 natural populations of the freshwater snail Melanoides tuberculata. We found that infection prevalence explains the observed variation in the clonal diversity of M.tuberculata populations, whereas no such relationship was found between infection prevalence and male frequency. Clonal diversity and male frequency were independent of snail population density. Incorporating ecological factors such as presence/absence of fish, habitat geography and habitat type did not improve the predictive power of regression models. Approximately 11% of the clonal snail genotypes were shared among 2-4 populations, creating a web of 17 interconnected populations. Taken together, our study suggests that parasite-mediated selection coupled with host dispersal ecology promotes clonal diversity. This, in return, may erode the advantage of sexual reproduction in M.tuberculata populations.