Minimally invasive vs. open segmental resection of the splenic flexure for cancer: a nationwide study of the Italian Society of Surgical Oncology-Colorectal Cancer Network (SICO-CNN)

Background Evidence on the efficacy of minimally invasive (MI) segmental resection of splenic flexure cancer (SFC) is not available, mostly due to the rarity of this tumor. This study aimed to determine the survival outcomes of MI and open treatment, and to investigate whether MI is noninferior to open procedure regarding short-term outcomes. Methods This nationwide retrospective cohort study included all consecutive SFC segmental resections performed in 30 referral centers between 2006 and 2016. The primary endpoint assessing efficacy was the overall survival (OS). The secondary endpoints included cancer-specific mortality (CSM), recurrence rate (RR), short-term clinical outcomes (a composite of Clavien-Dindo > 2 complications and 30-day mortality), and pathological outcomes (a composite of lymph nodes removed >= 12, and proximal and distal free resection margins length >= 5 cm). For these composites, a 6% noninferiority margin was chosen based on clinical relevance estimate. Results A total of 606 patients underwent either an open (208, 34.3%) or a MI (398, 65.7%) SFC segmental resection. At univariable analysis, OS and CSM were improved in the MI group (log-rank test p = 0.004 and Gray's tests p = 0.004, respectively), while recurrences were comparable (Gray's tests p = 0.434). Cox multivariable analysis did not support that OS and CSM were better in the MI group (p = 0.109 and p = 0.163, respectively). Successful pathological outcome, observed in 53.2% of open and 58.3% of MI resections, supported noninferiority (difference 5.1%; 1-sided 95%CI - 4.7% to infinity). Successful short-term clinical outcome was documented in 93.3% of Open and 93.0% of MI procedures, and supported noninferiority as well (difference - 0.3%; 1-sided 95%CI - 5.0% to infinity). Conclusions Among patients with SFC, the minimally invasive approach met the criterion for noninferiority for postoperative complications and pathological outcomes, and was found to provide results of OS, CSM, and RR comparable to those of open resection

PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF A QUESTIONNAIRE MEASURING THE ANTECEDENTS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION INTENTION

A limit of the questionnaires measuring Entrepreneurial Intention (EI) is the lack of a multidimensional vision of its antecedents. The definition of a multidimensional model of the main drivers affecting the intentions of aspiring entrepreneurs in building a start-up seems a fundamental milestone to overcome this pitfall. This paper aims to explore the internal consistency reliability of a new multidimensional questionnaire measuring the antecedents of EI and Entrepreneurial Education Intention (EEI). The tool consists in a self-administered online questionnaire that has been built in accordance with the Theory of Planned Behavior in entrepreneurship research. It includes 54 items adapted by others studies or created by the authors and it has been administered to college students and graduates (N = 70). Cronbach's Alpha and Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) were performed using SPSS v23. The value of Cronbach's Alpha and the CFA confirmed the internal stability of the questionnaire, even if the post hoc diagnostic information forced the authors to remove some items with a low value of their standardized regression weights and to estimate some within-factor correlated errors to improve model fit. Although the number of subjects involved in the study was small, this pilot study shows a good internal consistency reliability of the questionnaire. (C) 2017 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy.org.U

Entrepreneurial Self-Identity, Perceived Corruption, Exogenous and Endogenous Obstacles as Antecedents of Entrepreneurial Intention in Italy

Although entrepreneurship is considered one of the most powerful drivers of national economies around the world, there is little consensus about what informal factors foster entrepreneurial intention. In accordance with recent literature, entrepreneurial self-identity perception, the perception of corruption in the entrepreneurship ecosystem, and perceived exogenous and endogenous obstacles to entrepreneurship were hypothesized as antecedents of college students’ and graduates’ entrepreneurial intention. A study with a sample (N = 153) composed of college students and graduates from an Italian university was conducted. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to test the research hypotheses. The hypotheses that entrepreneurial self-identity perception and corruption perception of the entrepreneurial ecosystem are positive antecedents of entrepreneurial intention were confirmed. Corruption was considered as a viable and socially acceptable strategy that entrepreneurs might adopt in order to easily overcome governmental norms and rules about managing firms. It was hypothesized that the perception of corruption of the entrepreneurial ecosystem might be a positive antecedent of entrepreneurial intention if the subjects perceived the corruption as pervasive of the economic ecosystem and the effort made by national government to control corruption as ineffective. From this point of view, the positive causal relationship between perceived corruption and entrepreneurial intention could reveal college students and graduates’ propensity to perceive corruption as a phenomenon capable of generating a “grease the wheel„ effect

Estilo atribucional de niños con o sin Dificultad Específica de Aprendizaje Estilo atribucional de niños con o sin Dificultad Específica de Aprendizaje Attributional style of children with and without Specific Learning Disability

Resumen Introducción. La literatura ha mostrado que los alumnos con Trastornos específicos del aprendizaje (TEA) se distinguen a menudo por un sistema metacognitivo carente con bajos niveles de atribución a factores internos, como el esfuerzo y las habilidades personales, y altos niveles de atribución a factores externos, como la facilidad de la actividad, la suerte y la ayuda por parte de terceras personas. Método. El estudio realizado pretende analizar las atribuciones desarrolladas en un ámbito escolar por alumnos con Trastornos específicos del aprendizaje (N=38; edad en meses: M=100,24; SD=5,828) y compararlas con las de alumnos sin TEA (N=70, de los cuales 38 con el mismo nivel de rendimiento de los alumnos con TEA y 32 con nivel de rendimiento opuesto). Los instrumentos utilizados son la Prueba de Atribución 4-10 años, pruebas de aprendizaje que han sido validadas a nivel nacional y la escala de relación profesor-alumno. Resultados. Los análisis demuestran que los únicos que no tienen un estilo atributivo del tipo "esfuerzo estratégico" son los alumnos con TEA y que, entre ellos, los niños que consiguen las mejores puntuaciones en las pruebas de aprendizaje validadas a nivel nacional son los que eligen con menor frecuencia (especialmente en los casos de éxito) el factor habilidad y consideran sobre todo la suerte como causa principal. Si se considera la percepción que el docente tiene sobre la relación con los alumnos de la muestra, el resultado más significativo se refiere a la Dependencia: los niños con TEA son percibidos como mucho más dependientes respecto a sus compañeros sin TEA. Discusión y Conclusión. Los resultados revelan que los TEA no causan un sistema atributivo desadaptativo, pero provocan un mayor nivel de dependencia hacia el maestro. De hecho, estos niños no tienen un estilo atributivo a locus interno tan fuerte y estable y son propensos a atribuir sus propios resultados a factores externos a su persona. Por consiguiente, todo parecer indicar que no son conscientes de su potencial y que solicitan más ayuda, incluso cuando no es necesaria

Teachers’ Perception of the Relationship With Pupils Having Specific Learning Disabilities

Research Findings: The presence of Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) increases the risk of scholastic failure. According to the literature, a successful relationship with the teacher can lead to greater participation, raise the pupil’s motivation in school activities and have a positive effect on learning outcomes. Hence the aim of this study: to investigate teachers’ perception of the relationship with primary school pupils in Years 2 and 3 who have SLD (n = 38) and to compare it with that of pupils without SLD, with an achievement level that is the same as (n = 38) or the opposite from (n = 32) the achievement of their peers diagnosed or considered as having specific learning disabilities. Teachers’ perceptions of relationships were examined using the Student Teacher Relationship Scale (Fraire, Longobardi, Prino, Sclavo, & Settanni, in press; Pianta, 2001). The teachers perceive a higher level of Dependency for pupils with SLD (F = 14.252; df = 2; p < .001), in particular for those who do not yet have an official diagnosis (t = 2.529; df = 62.367; p < .05). This research has enabled a start to be made on an issue that in the Italian context has yet not received the attention it deserves

Platinum(II) complexes containing unsaturated ligands. Nucleophilic substitution versus nucleophilic attack to ligand: a stereochemistry driven outcome

he reactivity of mixed complexes [PtCl2(L)(L')] (L = MeCN, EtCN, CO), L' = PPh3; L = eta(2)-C2H4, CO; L' = MeCN, EtCN) towards diethylamine has been investigated. The processes are chemo-(substitution versus addition) and stereo-selective in dependence of the stereochemistry of the precursor. The structures of [SP4-4]-[PtCl(CONEt2)(NHEt2)(PPh3)], [SP4-4]-1, trans-[PtCl2(NHEt2)(PPh3)], trans-2, and cis-[PtCl2{(E-)HN=C(NEt2)Me}(PPh3)], cis-3a, are reported

Helical Sense-Responsive and Substituent-Sensitive Features in Vibrational and Electronic Circular Dichroism, in Circularly Polarized Luminescence, and in Raman Spectra of Some Simple Optically Active Hexahelicenes

Four different hexahelicenes, 5-aza-hexahelicene (<b>1</b>), hexahelicene (<b>2</b>), 2-methyl-hexahelicene (<b>3</b>), and 2-bromo-hexahelicene (<b>4</b>), were prepared and their enantiomers, which are stable at r.t., were separated. Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra were measured for compound <b>1</b>; for all the compounds, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) spectra were recorded. Each type of experimental spectrum was compared with the corresponding theoretical spectrum, determined via Density Functional Theory (DFT). Following the recent papers by Nakai et al., this comparison allowed to identify some features related to the helicity and some other features typical of the substituent groups on the helical backbone. The Raman spectrum of compound <b>1</b> is also examined from this point of view