Research papers

The new frontier of genome engineering with CRISPR-Cas9

Jennifer A. Doudna, Emmanuelle Charpentier

The advent of facile genome engineering using the bacterial RNA-guided CRISPR-Cas9 system in animals and plants is transforming biology. We review the history of CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeat) biology from its initial discovery through the elucidation of the CRISPR-Cas9 enzyme mechanism, which has set the stage for remarkable developments using this technology to modify, regulate, or mark genomic loci in a wide variety of cells and organisms from all three domains of life. These results highlight a new era in which genomic manipulation is no longer a bottleneck to experiments, paving the way toward fundamental discoveries in biology, with applications in all branches of biotechnology, as well as strategies for human therapeutics.

Evolutionary cell biology: Two origins, one objective

Michael Lynch, Mark C. Field, Holly V. Goodson, Harmit S. Malik, José B. Pereira‐Leal, David S. Roos, Aaron P. Turkewitz, Sh…

All aspects of biological diversification ultimately trace to evolutionary modifications at the cellular level. This central role of cells frames the basic questions as to how cells work and how cells come to be the way they are. Although these two lines of inquiry lie respectively within the traditional provenance of cell biology and evolutionary biology, a comprehensive synthesis of evolutionary and cell-biological thinking is lacking. We define evolutionary cell biology as the fusion of these two eponymous fields with the theoretical and quantitative branches of biochemistry, biophysics, and population genetics. The key goals are to develop a mechanistic understanding of general evolutionary processes, while specifically infusing cell biology with an evolutionary perspective. The full development of this interdisciplinary field has the potential to solve numerous problems in diverse areas of biology, including the degree to which selection, effectively neutral processes, historical contingencies, and/or constraints at the chemical and biophysical levels dictate patterns of variation for intracellular features. These problems can now be examined at both the within- and among-species levels, with single-cell methodologies even allowing quantification of variation within genotypes. Some results from this emerging field have already had a substantial impact on cell biology, and future findings will significantly influence applications in agriculture, medicine, environmental science, and synthetic biology.

A five-factor asset pricing model

Eugene F. Fama, Kenneth R. French

ESC Working Group Cellular Biology of the Heart: Position Paper: improving the preclinical assessment of novel cardioprotective therapies

Sandrine Lecour, Hans Erik Bøtker, Gianluigi Condorelli, Sean M. Davidson, David García‐Dorado, Felix B. Engel, Péter Ferdin…

Ischaemic heart disease (IHD) remains the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. As a result, novel therapies are still needed to protect the heart from the detrimental effects of acute ischaemia-reperfusion injury, in order to improve clinical outcomes in IHD patients. In this regard, although a large number of novel cardioprotective therapies discovered in the research laboratory have been investigated in the clinical setting, only a few of these have been demonstrated to improve clinical outcomes. One potential reason for this lack of success may have been the failure to thoroughly assess the cardioprotective efficacy of these novel therapies in suitably designed preclinical experimental animal models. Therefore, the aim of this Position Paper by the European Society of Cardiology Working Group Cellular Biology of the Heart is to provide recommendations for improving the preclinical assessment of novel cardioprotective therapies discovered in the research laboratory, with the aim of increasing the likelihood of success in translating these new treatments into improved clinical outcomes.

An Investigation into Physics Teaching in Senior High Schools

Isaac Buabeng, Theophilus Aquinas Ossei-Anto, Joseph Ghartey Ampiah

This study sought to examine the activities that go on in physics classrooms in Senior High Schools in Ghana.Specifically, the study sought to investigate the pattern of interaction and instructional methods used for teachingphysics and level of coverage of physics syllabus. The survey design was employed for the study in whichquestionnaire was used for data collection. Participants for the study were physics teachers and final year physicsstudents. Findings from the study suggest that classroom interaction seemed to be mostly teacher-centered andtended not to support inquiry-based teaching and learning which is noted for promoting conceptual change andenhance performance. It is recommended among other things that physics teachers should be exposed to efficientpedagogies of teaching and presenting information to learners. The traditional way of teaching where teacher decideson what goes on in the classroom has a limited space in the 21st century science classrooms, particularly physics.

Medical Physics Innovations in Cancer Screening and Therapy within Ghana's Healthcare Framework

Kwasi Aidoo, Amoako Annan, Achamfu Agyeiwa, Amoah Ampaw

This study addresses a current research gap in Physics concerning Application of Medical Physics Techniques in Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment in Resource-Limited Settings in Ghana. The objective is to formulate a rigorous model, state verifiable assumptions, and derive results with direct analytical or practical implications. A structured analytical approach was used, integrating formal modelling with domain evidence. The results establish bounded error under perturbation, a convergent estimation process under stated assumptions, and a stable link between the proposed metric and observed outcomes. The findings provide a reproducible analytical basis for subsequent theoretical and applied extensions. Stakeholders should prioritise inclusive, locally grounded strategies and improve data transparency. Application of Medical Physics Techniques in Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment in Resource-Limited Settings, Ghana, Africa, Physics, conference paper This work contributes a formal specification, transparent assumptions, and mathematically interpretable claims. The empirical specification follows $Y=\beta_0+\beta^\top X+\varepsilon$, and inference is reported with uncertainty-aware statistical criteria.

Medical Physics Innovations in Cancer Screening and Therapy within Ghana's Healthcare Framework

Kwasi Aidoo, Amoako Annan, Achamfu Agyeiwa, Amoah Ampaw

This study addresses a current research gap in Physics concerning Application of Medical Physics Techniques in Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment in Resource-Limited Settings in Ghana. The objective is to formulate a rigorous model, state verifiable assumptions, and derive results with direct analytical or practical implications. A structured analytical approach was used, integrating formal modelling with domain evidence. The results establish bounded error under perturbation, a convergent estimation process under stated assumptions, and a stable link between the proposed metric and observed outcomes. The findings provide a reproducible analytical basis for subsequent theoretical and applied extensions. Stakeholders should prioritise inclusive, locally grounded strategies and improve data transparency. Application of Medical Physics Techniques in Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment in Resource-Limited Settings, Ghana, Africa, Physics, conference paper This work contributes a formal specification, transparent assumptions, and mathematically interpretable claims. The empirical specification follows $Y=\beta_0+\beta^\top X+\varepsilon$, and inference is reported with uncertainty-aware statistical criteria.

Applying evolutionary biology to address global challenges

Scott P. Carroll, Peter Søgaard Jørgensen, Michael T. Kinnison, Carl T. Bergstrom, R. Ford Denison, Peter D. Gluckman, Thoma…

BACKGROUND Differences among species in their ability to adapt to environmental change threaten biodiversity, human health, food security, and natural resource availability. Pathogens, pests, and cancers often quickly evolve resistance to control measures, whereas crops, livestock, wild species, and human beings often do not adapt fast enough to cope with climate change, habitat loss, toxicants, and lifestyle change. To address these challenges, practices based on evolutionary biology can promote sustainable outcomes via strategic manipulation of genetic, developmental, and environmental factors. Successful strategies effectively slow unwanted evolution and reduce fitness in costly species or improve performance of valued organisms by reducing phenotype-environment mismatch or increasing group productivity. Tactics of applied evolutionary biology range broadly, from common policies that promote public health or preserve habitat for threatened species—but are easily overlooked as having an evolutionary rationale, to the engineering of new genomes. ADVANCES The scope and development of current tactics vary widely. In particular, genetic engineering attracts much attention (and controversy) but now is used mainly for traits under simple genetic control. Human gene therapy, which mainly involves more complex controls, has yet to be applied successfully at large scales. In contrast, other methods to alter complex traits are improving. These include artificial selection for drought- and flood-tolerant crops through bioinformatics and application of “life course” approaches in medicine to reduce human metabolic disorders. Successful control of unwanted evolution depends on governance initiatives that address challenges arising from both natural and social factors. Principal among these challenges are (i) global transfer of genes and selection agents; (ii) interlinked evolution across traditional sectors of society (environment, food, and health); and (iii) conflicts between individual and group incentives that threaten regulation of antibiotic use and crop refuges. Evolutionarily informed practices are a newer prospect in some fields and require more systematic research, as well as ethical consideration—for example, in attempts to protect wild species through assisted migration, in the choice of source populations for restoration, or in genetic engineering. OUTLOOK A more unified platform will better convey the value of evolutionary methods to the public, scientists, and decision-makers. For researchers and practitioners, applications may be expanded to other disciplines, such as in the transfer of refuge strategies that slow resistance evolution in agriculture to slow unwanted evolution elsewhere (for example, cancer resistance or harvest-induced evolution). For policy-makers, adoption of practices that minimize unwanted evolution and reduce phenotype-environment mismatch in valued species is likely essential to achieve the forthcoming Sustainable Development Goals and the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

Genomic surveillance elucidates Ebola virus origin and transmission during the 2014 outbreak

Stephen Gire, Augustine Goba, Kristian G. Andersen, Rachel Sealfon, Daniel J. Park, Lansana Kanneh, Simbirie Jalloh, Mambu M…

In its largest outbreak, Ebola virus disease is spreading through Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria. We sequenced 99 Ebola virus genomes from 78 patients in Sierra Leone to ~2000× coverage. We observed a rapid accumulation of interhost and intrahost genetic variation, allowing us to characterize patterns of viral transmission over the initial weeks of the epidemic. This West African variant likely diverged from central African lineages around 2004, crossed from Guinea to Sierra Leone in May 2014, and has exhibited sustained human-to-human transmission subsequently, with no evidence of additional zoonotic sources. Because many of the mutations alter protein sequences and other biologically meaningful targets, they should be monitored for impact on diagnostics, vaccines, and therapies critical to outbreak response.

A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling

Jörg Henseler, Christian M. Ringle, Marko Sarstedt

Discriminant validity assessment has become a generally accepted prerequisite for analyzing relationships between latent variables. For variance-based structural equation modeling, such as partial least squares, the Fornell-Larcker criterion and the examination of cross-loadings are the dominant approaches for evaluating discriminant validity. By means of a simulation study, we show that these approaches do not reliably detect the lack of discriminant validity in common research situations. We therefore propose an alternative approach, based on the multitrait-multimethod matrix, to assess discriminant validity: the heterotrait-monotrait ratio of correlations. We demonstrate its superior performance by means of a Monte Carlo simulation study, in which we compare the new approach to the Fornell-Larcker criterion and the assessment of (partial) cross-loadings. Finally, we provide guidelines on how to handle discriminant validity issues in variance-based structural equation modeling.

Improving Secondary School Students' Achievement and Retention in Biology Through Video-based Multimedia Instruction

Amosa Isiaka Gambari, Akawo Angwal Yaki, MEd, Eli S. Gana, Queen Eguono Ughovwa, MEd

The study examined the effects of video-based multimedia instruction on secondary school students' achievement and retention in biology. In Nigeria, 120 students (60 boys and 60 girls) were randomly selected from four secondary schools assigned either into one of three experimental groups: Animation + Narration; Animation + On-screen Text; Animation + Narration + On-screen Text or a control group. The pretest, posttest experimental, and control group design was adopted. A 50-item multiple-choice objective test termed Biology Achievement Test (BAT) was used for collecting data. The validated BAT was tested for reliability using Kuder Richardson (KR20), which yielded 0.89. T-test, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and Scheffe’s post-hoc analysis were used in determining the significant differences among the four groups. The results showed that there was no statistically significant difference among the experimental groups. Generally, students under multimedia instruction performed better than their colleagues in the conventional teaching method. However, students in conventional teaching method had better retention than other groups.

Improving Secondary School Students' Achievement and Retention in Biology Through Video-Based Multimedia Instruction

Amosa Isiaka Gambari, Akawo Angwal Yaki, Eli S. Gana, Queen Eguono Ughovwa

The study examined the effects of video-based multimedia instruction on secondary school students’ achievement and retention in biology. In Nigeria, 120 students (60 boys and 60 girls) were randomly selected from four secondary schools assigned either into one of three experimental groups: Animation + Narration; Animation + On-screen Text; Animation + Narration + On-screen Text or a control group. The pretest, posttest experimental, and control group design was adopted. A 50-item multiple-choice objective test termed Biology Achievement Test (BAT) was used for collecting data. The validated BAT was tested for reliability using Kuder Richardson (KR20), which yielded 0.89. T-test, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and Scheffe’s post-hoc analysis were used in determining the significant differences among the four groups. The results showed that there was no statistically significant difference among the experimental groups. Generally, students under multimedia instruction performed better than their colleagues in the conventional teaching method. However, students in conventional teaching method had better retention than other groups.

Review of Particle Physics

K.A. Olive

The Review summarizes much of particle physics and cosmology. Using data from previous editions, plus 3,283 new measurements from 899 papers, we list, evaluate, and average measured properties of gauge bosons and the recently discovered Higgs boson, leptons, quarks, mesons, and baryons. We summarize searches for hypothetical particles such as heavy neutrinos, supersymmetric and technicolor particles, axions, dark photons, etc. All the particle properties and search limits are listed in Summary Tables. We also give numerous tables, figures, formulae, and reviews of topics such as Supersymmetry, Extra Dimensions, Particle Detectors, Probability, and Statistics. Among the 112 reviews are many that are new or heavily revised including those on: Dark Energy, Higgs Boson Physics, Electroweak Model, Neutrino Cross Section Measurements, Monte Carlo Neutrino Generators, Top Quark, Dark Matter, Dynamical Electroweak Symmetry Breaking, Accelerator Physics of Colliders, High-Energy Collider Parameters, Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, Astrophysical Constants and Cosmological Parameters. All tables, listings, and reviews (and errata) are also available on the Particle Data Group website: http://pdg.lbl.gov . Contents Abstract, Contributors, Highlights and Table of Contents Acrobat PDF (4.4 MB) Introduction Acrobat PDF (595 KB) Particle Physics Summary Tables Gauge and Higgs bosons Acrobat PDF (204 KB) Leptons Acrobat PDF (167 KB) Quarks Acrobat PDF (115 KB) Mesons Acrobat PDF (976 KB) Baryons Acrobat PDF (384 KB) Searches (Supersymmetry, Compositeness, etc.) Acrobat PDF (120 KB) Tests of conservation laws Acrobat PDF (383 KB) Reviews, Tables, and Plots Detailed contents for this section Acrobat PDF (73 KB) Constants, Units, Atomic and Nuclear Properties Acrobat PDF (395 KB) Standard Model and Related Topics Acrobat PDF (8.37 MB) Astrophysics and Cosmology Acrobat PDF (3.79 MB) Experimental Methods and Colliders Acrobat PDF (3.82 MB) Mathematical Tools of Statistics, Monte Carlo, Group Theory Acrobat PDF (1.77 MB) Kinematics, Cross-Section Formulae, and Plots <jats:ext-link xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xl

TIMSS 2011 Science Assessment Results: A Review of Ghana’s Performance

Isaac Buabeng, Kofi Acheaw Owusu, Forster D. Ntow

This paper reviews Ghana’s performance in the TIMSS 2011 survey in comparison with other African and some highperforming countries which participated in the TIMSS assessment. Students’ achievement in the science contentareas assessed were summarized and teacher preparation constructs of teachers of the students who took part in theassessment explored with the aim of finding any possible linkage between teacher preparation and studentsachievement. Two set of reviews were done. First, results on the eighth grade (JHS 2) science content achievement inbiology, chemistry, physics, and earth science for Ghana, Morocco and Tunisia were compared. The second reviewcompared how Ghana prepares her teachers to Finland and Singapore who were among the first five performingcountries on the TIMSS 2011 assessment. Some mismatch was identified in terms of teacher preparation andstudents’ achievement in the case of Ghana. Ghanaian teachers scored relatively high on most of the constructs thatwere measured by the TIMSS report under teacher preparation but these were not reflected in the students’achievement. In view of this, it is recommended that other indicators such as classroom instruction, resources forteaching science, and school climate are investigated with the aim of finding any other underlying factors that couldaccount for the mismatch between Ghanaian students’ achievement on the TIMSS science assessment and teachers’preparation.

A comparison of colorectal cancer in Nigerian and North American patients: Is the cancer biology different?

Saurabh Saluja, Olusegun Isaac Alatise, Adewale Adisa, Justine Misholy, Joanne Chou, Mithat Gönen, Martin R. Weiser, T. Pete…

CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics

W.M. Haynes

Proudly serving the scientific community for over a century, this 95th edition of the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics is an update of a classic reference, mirroring the growth and direction of science. This venerable work continues to be the most accessed and respected scientific reference in the world. An authoritative resource consisting of

Rich Feature Hierarchies for Accurate Object Detection and Semantic Segmentation

Ross Girshick, Jeff Donahue, Trevor Darrell, Jitendra Malik

Object detection performance, as measured on the canonical PASCAL VOC dataset, has plateaued in the last few years. The best-performing methods are complex ensemble systems that typically combine multiple low-level image features with high-level context. In this paper, we propose a simple and scalable detection algorithm that improves mean average precision (mAP) by more than 30% relative to the previous best result on VOC 2012 -- achieving a mAP of 53.3%. Our approach combines two key insights: (1) one can apply high-capacity convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to bottom-up region proposals in order to localize and segment objects and (2) when labeled training data is scarce, supervised pre-training for an auxiliary task, followed by domain-specific fine-tuning, yields a significant performance boost. Since we combine region proposals with CNNs, we call our method R-CNN: Regions with CNN features. We also present experiments that provide insight into what the network learns, revealing a rich hierarchy of image features. Source code for the complete system is available at http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~rbg/rcnn.

Digest of Education Statistics

is the 34th in a series of publications initiated in 1962. (The Digest has been issued annually except for combined editions for the years 1977–78, 1983– 84, and 1985–86.) Its primary purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from kindergarten through graduate school. The Digest includes a selection of data from many sources, both government and private, and draws especially on the results of surveys and activities carried out by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The publication contains information on a variety of subjects in the field of education statistics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, in addition to educational attainment, finances, federal funds for education, employment and income of graduates, libraries, and international education. Supplemental information on population trends, attitudes on education comparisons, education characteristics of the labor force, government finances, and economic trends provides background for evaluating education data. Although the Digest contains important information on federal education funding, more detailed information on federal activities is available from federal education program offices. For example, the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs supports the National Clearinghouse on Bilingual Education, which compiles information on students and teachers involved in bilingual education.

Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics

Scott Freeman, Sarah L. Eddy, Miles McDonough, Michelle K. Smith, Nnadozie Okoroafor, Hannah Jordt, Mary Pat Wenderoth

To test the hypothesis that lecturing maximizes learning and course performance, we metaanalyzed 225 studies that reported data on examination scores or failure rates when comparing student performance in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses under traditional lecturing versus active learning. The effect sizes indicate that on average, student performance on examinations and concept inventories increased by 0.47 SDs under active learning (n = 158 studies), and that the odds ratio for failing was 1.95 under traditional lecturing (n = 67 studies). These results indicate that average examination scores improved by about 6% in active learning sections, and that students in classes with traditional lecturing were 1.5 times more likely to fail than were students in classes with active learning. Heterogeneity analyses indicated that both results hold across the STEM disciplines, that active learning increases scores on concept inventories more than on course examinations, and that active learning appears effective across all class sizes--although the greatest effects are in small (n ≤ 50) classes. Trim and fill analyses and fail-safe n calculations suggest that the results are not due to publication bias. The results also appear robust to variation in the methodological rigor of the included studies, based on the quality of controls over student quality and instructor identity. This is the largest and most comprehensive metaanalysis of undergraduate STEM education published to date. The results raise questions about the continued use of traditional lecturing as a control in research studies, and support active learning as the preferred, empirically validated teaching practice in regular classrooms.

Global, regional, and national levels and causes of maternal mortality during 1990–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013

Nicholas J Kassebaum, Amelia Bertozzi-Villa, Megan Coggeshall, Katya Anne Shackelford, Caitlyn Steiner, Kyle R Heuton, Diego…

Computational Biology and Bioinformatics in Nigeria

Segun Fatumo, Moses P. Adoga, Opeolu O. Ojo, Olugbenga Oluwagbemi, Tolulope Adeoye, Itunuoluwa Ewejobi, Marion O. Adebiyi, E…

Over the past few decades, major advances in the field of molecular biology, coupled with advances in genomic technologies, have led to an explosive growth in the biological data generated by the scientific community. The critical need to process and analyze such a deluge of data and turn it into useful knowledge has caused bioinformatics to gain prominence and importance. Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary research area that applies techniques, methodologies, and tools in computer and information science to solve biological problems. In Nigeria, bioinformatics has recently played a vital role in the advancement of biological sciences. As a developing country, the importance of bioinformatics is rapidly gaining acceptance, and bioinformatics groups comprised of biologists, computer scientists, and computer engineers are being constituted at Nigerian universities and research institutes. In this article, we present an overview of bioinformatics education and research in Nigeria. We also discuss professional societies and academic and research institutions that play central roles in advancing the discipline in Nigeria. Finally, we propose strategies that can bolster bioinformatics education and support from policy makers in Nigeria, with potential positive implications for other developing countries.

Relationship between occupational stress, emotional intelligence, and self-efficacy among faculty members in faculty of nursing Zagazig University, Egypt

Saher Hamdy Elsayed, Hanaa Hamdy Ali El-Zeiny, D. A. Adeyemo

Background/Aim: Different studies, in international context, have linked occupational stress to emotional intelligence or self-efficacy of faculty members. However, investigating the relationship between these three constructs in this context was limited. So, the researchers investigated the relationship between occupational stress, emotional intelligence and self-efficacy among faculty members. Method: The study was conducted at the Faculty of Nursing, Zagazig University using a descriptive correlational design. A convenience sample of 91 faculty members working in Faculty of Nursing Zagazig University during the academic year 2011-2012 were recruited for the study. Four tools were used for data collection: Questionnaire about demographic data, Emotional Intelligence Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, and Occupational Stress Scale. Results: The study findings indicate that the majority of faculty members experience a high level of occupational stress, while they have a low level of emotional intelligence and self-efficacy. The occupational stress was negatively related with faculty members’ emotional intelligence and self-efficacy. Conclusion and Recommendation: The findings of current study confirm that occupational stress has negative relationships with the faculty members’ emotional intelligence and self-efficacy. Therefore, we suggest that the Faculty of Nursing should keep the stress level of their faculty members lower and help them to stay healthier by holding training courses on emotional intelligence improving their social skills and increase their efficiency at work. Moreover, the perceived self-efficacy can be improved among the faculty members through training programmes and courses this would help the faculty members enhance their stress bearing capacity and also improve their productivity.

Copper Active Sites in Biology

Edward I. Solomon, David E. Heppner, Esther M. Johnston, Jake W. Ginsbach, Jordi Cirera, Munzarin F. Qayyum, Matthew T. Kieb…

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVReviewNEXTCopper Active Sites in BiologyEdward I. Solomon*, David E. Heppner, Esther M. Johnston, Jake W. Ginsbach, Jordi Cirera, Munzarin Qayyum, Matthew T. Kieber-Emmons, Christian H. Kjaergaard, Ryan G. Hadt, and Li TianView Author Information Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States*E-mail: [email protected]Cite this: Chem. Rev. 2014, 114, 7, 3659–3853Publication Date (Web):March 3, 2014Publication History Received17 June 2013Published online3 March 2014Published inissue 9 April 2014https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/cr400327thttps://doi.org/10.1021/cr400327treview-articleACS PublicationsCopyright © 2014 American Chemical SocietyRequest reuse permissionsArticle Views32519Altmetric-Citations1308LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail Other access optionsGet e-Alertsclose SUBJECTS:Copper,Crystal structure,Ligands,Peptides and proteins,Redox reactions Get e-Alerts

Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM)

Joe F. Hair, Marko Sarstedt, Lucas Hopkins, Volker G. Kuppelwieser

Purpose – The authors aim to present partial least squares (PLS) as an evolving approach to structural equation modeling (SEM), highlight its advantages and limitations and provide an overview of recent research on the method across various fields. Design/methodology/approach – In this review article, the authors merge literatures from the marketing, management, and management information systems fields to present the state-of-the art of PLS-SEM research. Furthermore, the authors meta-analyze recent review studies to shed light on popular reasons for PLS-SEM usage. Findings – PLS-SEM has experienced increasing dissemination in a variety of fields in recent years with nonnormal data, small sample sizes and the use of formative indicators being the most prominent reasons for its application. Recent methodological research has extended PLS-SEM's methodological toolbox to accommodate more complex model structures or handle data inadequacies such as heterogeneity. Research limitations/implications – While research on the PLS-SEM method has gained momentum during the last decade, there are ample research opportunities on subjects such as mediation or multigroup analysis, which warrant further attention. Originality/value – This article provides an introduction to PLS-SEM for researchers that have not yet been exposed to the method. The article is the first to meta-analyze reasons for PLS-SEM usage across the marketing, management, and management information systems fields. The cross-disciplinary review of recent research on the PLS-SEM method also makes this article useful for researchers interested in advanced concepts.