Entrepreneurship for sustainable development: co-evolutionary evidence from the tourism sector

Purpose – This paper aims to enhance understanding of how sustainable entrepreneurship (SE) contributes to sustainable development in the tourism sector. To do so, specific factors that act as enablers or inhibitors of SE are identified according to a co-evolutionary lens. Design/methodology/approach – A co-evolutionary explanation of the firm? Environment relationship is adopted to undertake a qualitative empirical study of the Castelli Romani tourism destination (Italy), via 23 semi-structured interviews according to a narrative approach. Findings – The paper demonstrates that entrepreneurs play a crucial role in sustainable development but cannot act in isolation. In fact, according to the co-evolutionary approach, they influence and are influenced by 20 factors. Accordingly, SE can be conceptualised as resulting from effective co-evolutionary interactions between micro (i.e. entrepreneurs and their firm), meso (i.e. the destination where tourism firms are based) and macro (i.e. the wider socio-economic and natural system) levels. Practical implications – Several actions are suggested to entrepreneurs and policymakers to help achieve specific sustainable development goals. These actions focus on: (1) training courses, (2) investments in technologies, (3) creation of innovative business models, (4) exploitation of cultural and natural resources, (5) community involvement and (6) multi-level partnerships. Originality/value – This is the first study that adopts a co-evolutionary lens to investigate the influencing factors of SE in tourism, shedding light on the effects of their dynamic interdependence. Thus, it provides a more nuanced SE conceptualisation that takes a holistic and dynamic view of sustainability

Imprese agricole, territorio e turismo in sinergia per lo sviluppo sostenibile

The aim of this paper is to understand the role played by Italian farms in the local sustainable development processes, through the analysis of the agritourism phenomenon. In order to do so, the study proposes an integrated and dynamic vision of the three sustainability dimensions, focusing on the relationship between farms, territories and tourists in a co-evolutionary perspective. The proposed framework is tested through the analysis of ten case studies localized in the Lazio region. Findings show that farms, through the strategic choice of agritourism, activate sustainability-oriented synergies based on effective co-evolutionary adaptations between multiple actors, improving the territories competitiveness with positive effects on the social wellbeing. Common vision and both ethical and moral values are the fundamental pre-requisites to realize these synergies. Overall, the study adds new elements on the sustainability literature. Thus, both theoretical and managerial implications emerge, together with suggestions for future research

Beyond Myth: A Systematic Literature Review on the Emergence of Unicorn Firms

Purpose – This study aims to provide a systematic and comprehensive examination of the underlying factors enabling the emergence of unicorn firms. By addressing this research gap and offering an integrative framework, it seeks to support future research efforts in understanding this phenomenon and contribute to the academic debate around it. Design/methodology/approach – This study employs a systematic literature review (SLR) approach and thematic analysis of articles retrieved from Scopus and Web of Science databases. Findings – The study sheds light on internal characteristics, ranging from the entrepreneurial (human capital and knowledge) to firm-specific level (business model, corporate governance, resources), and external ones related to the funding factors (financial patterns, venture capitalists, firm evaluation) and the ecosystem (entrepreneurial and technology) around the phenomenon of unicorn firms. Originality – This is the first systematic literature review on unicorns that offers insights into the internal and external factors driving the emergence of such firms, contributes to shed light on the main criticalities that blur their understanding, and presents a research agenda for developing this field of research

Lobular patterns of cerebellar resting-state connectivity in adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by core deficits in social functioning. Core autistics traits refer to poor social and imagination skills, poor attention-switching/strong focus of attention, exceptional attention to detail, as expressed by the autism-spectrum quotient. Over the years, the importance of the cerebellum in the aetiology of autism spectrum disorder has been acknowledged. Neuroimaging studies have provided a strong support to this view, showing both structural and functional connectivity alterations to affect the cerebellum in autism spectrum disorder. According to the underconnectivity theory, disrupted connectivity within cerebello-cerebral networks has been specifically implicated in the aetiology of autism spectrum disorder. However, inconsistent results have been generated across studies. In this study, an integrated approach has been used in a selected population of adults with autism spectrum disorder to analyse both cerebellar morphometry and functional connectivity. In individuals with autism spectrum disorder, a decreased cerebellar grey matter volume affected the right Crus II, a region showing extensive connections with cerebral areas related to social functions. This grey matter reduction correlates with the degree of autistic traits as measured by autism-spectrum quotient. Interestingly, altered functional connectivity was found between the reduced cerebellar Crus II and contralateral cerebral regions, such as frontal and temporal areas. Overall, the present data suggest that adults with autism spectrum disorder present with specific cerebellar structural alterations that may affect functional connectivity within cerebello-cerebral modules relevant to social processing and account for core autistics traits

A [68Ga]Ga-DOTANOC PET/CT radiomic model for non-invasive prediction of tumour grade in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours

Predicting grade 1 (G1) and 2 (G2) primary pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour (panNET) is crucial to foresee panNET clinical behaviour. 51 patients with G1-G2 primary panNET demonstrated by pre-surgical [68Ga]Ga-DOTANOC PET/CT and diagnostic conventional imaging were grouped according to the tumour grade assessment method: histology on the whole excised primary lesion (HS) or biopsy (BS). First-order and second-order radiomic features (RFs) were computed from SUV maps for the whole tumour volume on HS. The RFs showing the lowest p-values and the highest Area Under the Curve (AUC) were selected. Three radiomic models were assessed: A (trained on HS, validated on BS), B (trained on BS, validated on HS), C (using the cross-validation on the whole dataset). The second-order Normalized homogeneity and Entropy was the most effective RFs couple predicting G2 and G1. The best performance was achieved by model A (test AUC=0.90, sensitivity=0.88, specificity=0.89), followed by model C (median test AUC=0.87, sensitivity=0.83, specificity=0.82). Model B performed worse. Using HS to train a radiomic model leads to the best prediction, although a “hybrid” (HS+BS) population performs better than biopsy-only. The non-invasive prediction of panNET grading may be especially useful in lesions not amenable to biopsy while [68Ga]Ga-DOTANOC heterogeneity might recommend FDG PET/CT

Development and validation of a measure for academic locus of control

Previous research highlighted the significant role of locus of control in predicting academic achievement and dropout, emphasizing the need for reliable measures to identify factors that foster academic success. This study aimed to develop an academic locus of control (ALoC) measure. Participants were 432 Italian university students (69 males, 363 females) pursuing bachelor’s (N = 339) and master’s (N = 123) degrees in Italy. The ALoC scale resulted in two factors, internal (6 items) and external ALoC (12 items), which demonstrated satisfactory dimensionality and invariance across students’ gender and attending degree. Internal and external ALoC were, respectively, negatively, and positively associated with academic dropout. This study confirmed the importance of locus of control for academic achievement, suggesting that university programs should address students’ personal sense of failure while promoting a sense of mastery and responsibility for academic outcomes

Manual de contenidos y actividades 2016 : Cátedra Integral Niños y Adolescentes “B”

Etimológicamente Ortodoncia significa orto: recto, doncia: diente, que se traduce por la alineación de las irregularidades de posiciones dentarias. Si bien el objetivo primario consistió simplemente en la corrección de mal posiciones dentarias, en la actualidad alcanza la resolución de problemas dentomaxilofaciales, comprendiendo entonces no sólo la armonía oclusal sino colaborando en el restablecimiento de la armonía del rostro humano tanto en la faz estética como funcional.Una oclusión deficiente genera no sólo un mal alineamiento de los dientes, sino que también puede comprometer a otras estructuras como los maxilares, articulación témporo mandibular, músculos masticadores, de la mímica, etc. Pueden generar problemas fonatorios, respiratorios, de deglución, de postura, etc. De allí la importancia del Trabajo Interdisciplinario no sólo con otras especialidades odontológicas como la Prótesis, Implantología, Periodoncia, Cirugía, sino con otras pertenecientes a las ciencias médicas y de la salud.Todo lo explicitado nos lleva a comprender que la capacitación de un profesional odontólogo en esta área requiere una preparación extensa y continua para ser capaces de reconocer las alteraciones del Sistema Cráneo Cérvico Mandibular e Hioideo Integrado al resto del organismo. Diagnosticar las posibles alteraciones en forma temprana, conocer su génesis y posibilidades de tratamiento en cualquier etapa de la vida, del mismo modo que las medidas preventivas para interceptarlas.Fil: Irazuzta, María Laura del Carmen. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Odontología. Cátedra Integral Niños y Adolescentes B. Área Ortodoncia; ArgentinaFil: Piacenza, Adriana Beatríz. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Odontología. Cátedra Integral Niños y Adolescentes B. Área Ortodoncia; ArgentinaFil: Baiocco, Javier. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Odontología. Cátedra Integral Niños y Adolescentes B. Área Ortodoncia; ArgentinaFil: Dantur, Karina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Odontología. Cátedra Integral Niños y Adolescentes B. Área Ortodoncia; ArgentinaFil: Gait, María Teresa de las Mercedes. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Odontología. Cátedra Integral Niños y Adolescentes B. Área Ortodoncia; ArgentinaFil: Barbero, Sonia Silvia María. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Odontología. Cátedra Integral Niños y Adolescentes B. Área Ortodoncia; ArgentinaFil: Fornero, Sofia Belén. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Odontología. Cátedra Integral Niños y Adolescentes B. Área Ortodoncia; ArgentinaOtras Ciencias Biológica

Manual de contenidos y actividades 2017. Cátedra integral niños y adolescentes B. Área ortodoncia

La Ortodoncia es una especialidad de la Odontología que estudia el Crecimiento y Desarrollo del Sistema Estomatognático integrado al sistema Cráneo Cérvico Mandibular e Hioideo y el desarrollo de las Arcadas dentarias y su Oclusión.Se interesa por el Diagnóstico y la prevención de las maloclusiones, y los medios terapéuticos y las fuerzas mecánicas que se utilizan para corregir un problema dentario o una alteración del crecimiento máxilofacial.Etimológicamente Ortodoncia significa orto: recto, doncia: diente, que se traduce por la alineación de las irregularidades de posiciones dentarias. Si bien el objetivo primario consistió simplemente en la corrección de mal posiciones dentarias, en la actualidad alcanza la resolución de problemas dentomaxilofaciales, comprendiendo entonces no sólo la armonía oclusal sino colaborando en el restablecimiento de la armonía del rostro humano tanto en la faz estética como funcional.Una oclusión deficiente genera no sólo un mal alineamiento de los dientes, sino que también puede comprometer a otras estructuras como los maxilares, articulación témporo mandibular, músculos masticadores, de la mímica, etc. Pueden generar problemas fonatorios, respiratorios, de deglución, de postura, etc. De allí la importancia del Trabajo Interdisciplinario no sólo con otras especialidades odontológicas como la Prótesis, Implantología, Periodoncia, Cirugía, sino con otras pertenecientes a las ciencias médicas y de la salud.Todo lo explicitado nos lleva a comprender que la capacitación de un profesional odontólogo en esta área requiere una preparación extensa y continua para ser capaces de reconocer las alteraciones del Sistema Cráneo Cérvico Mandibular e Hioideo Integrado al resto del organismo.Debemos comprender la normalidad para poder diagnosticar las posibles alteraciones en forma temprana, conocer su génesis y posibilidades de tratamiento en cualquier etapa de la vida, del mismo modo que las medidas preventivas para poder interceptarlas.Fil: Irazuzta, María Laura del Carmen. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Odontología. Cátedra Integral Niños y Adolescentes B. Área Ortodoncia; ArgentinaFil: Piacenza, Adriana Beatríz. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Odontología. Cátedra Integral Niños y Adolescentes B. Área Ortodoncia; ArgentinaFil: Baiocco, Javier. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Odontología. Cátedra Integral Niños y Adolescentes B. Área Ortodoncia; ArgentinaFil: Dantur, Karina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Odontología. Cátedra Integral Niños y Adolescentes B. Área Ortodoncia; ArgentinaFil: Gait, María Teresa de las Mercedes. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Odontología. Cátedra Integral Niños y Adolescentes B. Área Ortodoncia; ArgentinaFil: Barbero, Sonia Silvia María. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Odontología. Cátedra Ortodoncia B; ArgentinaFil: Fornero, Sofia Belén. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Odontología. Cátedra Integral Niños y Adolescentes B. Área Ortodoncia; ArgentinaFil: Soruco, Ana Mariela. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Odontología. Cátedra Integral Niños y Adolescentes B. Área Ortodoncia; ArgentinaOtras Ciencias de la Salu

Predictors of Enhancing Human Physical Attractiveness: Data from 93 Countries

People across the world and throughout history have gone to great lengths to enhance their physical appearance. Evolutionary psychologists and ethologists have largely attempted to explain this phenomenon via mating preferences and strategies. Here, we test one of the most popular evolutionary hypotheses for beauty-enhancing behaviors, drawn from mating market and parasite stress perspectives, in a large cross-cultural sample. We also test hypotheses drawn from other influential and non-mutually exclusive theoretical frameworks, from biosocial role theory to a cultural media perspective. Survey data from 93,158 human participants across 93 countries provide evidence that behaviors such as applying makeup or using other cosmetics, hair grooming, clothing style, caring for body hygiene, and exercising or following a specific diet for the specific purpose of improving ones physical attractiveness, are universal. Indeed, 99% of participants reported spending \u3e10 min a day performing beauty-enhancing behaviors. The results largely support evolutionary hypotheses: more time was spent enhancing beauty by women (almost 4 h a day, on average) than by men (3.6 h a day), by the youngest participants (and contrary to predictions, also the oldest), by those with a relatively more severe history of infectious diseases, and by participants currently dating compared to those in established relationships. The strongest predictor of attractiveness-enhancing behaviors was social media usage. Other predictors, in order of effect size, included adhering to traditional gender roles, residing in countries with less gender equality, considering oneself as highly attractive or, conversely, highly unattractive, TV watching time, higher socioeconomic status, right-wing political beliefs, a lower level of education, and personal individualistic attitudes. This study provides novel insight into universal beauty-enhancing behaviors by unifying evolutionary theory with several other complementary perspectives

Integrating the natural environment into tourism firms' business model for sustainability

: The link between the business model (BM) and sustainability is recognized in tourism research and practice, especially as far as its socioeconomic consequences are concerned. Moreover, prior studies have highlighted some key factors influencing the sustainable business models (SBMs) of tourism firms but have mainly done so by adopting static perspectives. Thus, how these firms can contribute to sustainability through their BMs with positive effects, particularly on natural resources, remains overlooked. Thus, we adopt coevolutionary lenses to explore the main processes surrounding tourism firms' SBM. Coevolution conceives the firm-environment relationship as both circular, with mutual influence and reciprocal changes, and dialectical. Accordingly, we analyze 28 Italian agritourism firms during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency period focusing on the dynamics of their relationship with various multilevel actors (including institutions, local communities, tourists) by considering internal and external factors influencing their SBM. The dialectical nature of this relationship is stressed. We find three new factors: sustainable tourism culture, tourist loyalty, and local natural resource setting. Moreover, from the coevolutionary analysis of the findings, we derive a framework that conceptualizes agritourism SBMs as a virtuous coevolutionary process through effective coadaptations between multilevel actors influenced by 12 factors. Tourism entrepreneurs and policy-makers should carefully consider the factors influencing SBMs and try to act upon them to effectively organize and manage relationships of mutual functionality in light of current challenges, especially environmental concerns