Did COVID lockdowns harm entrepreneurship? Not exactly

The prevalent view is that COVID lockdowns have severely harmed entrepreneurship, but have they? Gorgi Krlev, Katharina Scheidgen, Franziska Günzel-Jensen, Miriam Wolf, and Ali Aslan Gümüsay write that physical distancing created new digital spaces and led to unconventional ways of integrating new people, new products, and new purpose into entrepreneurship. They observed instances in which entrepreneurs opened their mind in fundamental ways to provide services which deviated clearly from their original mission

Vitamin D deficiency prevalence in summer compared to winter in a city with high humidity and a sultry climate

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is high in winter because of reduced exposure to sunlight. It seems that in places with high humidity and a sultry climate, exposure to sunlight in summer can be low too. This study was designed to determine the vitamin D deficiency prevalence in Sari, a city with a high humidity climate at the end of summer, and compare it to winter. Material and methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on men and women aged 10 to 70. Clustered blood samples were received from 351 subjects who participated in this study toward the end of summer, and in winter. The levels of serum vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase and PTH were measured. T test and X2 were used for data analysis. Results: 351subjects (66.4% women, 33.6% men) aged 11 to 69 (mean age &#177; SD 37.11 &#177; 12.6) participated in the study. The mean 25-(OH) D concentration in summer was 13.41 &#177; 13, and in winter it was 11.7 &#177; 11, and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.02). The prevalence of 25-OHvitamin D deficiency was 87.5% (307) in winter and 78.6% (276) in summer (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study shows that although in this area with a high humidity climate, seasonal variation of vitamin D is statistically significant, the prevalence of Vitamin D insufficiency is as high in summer as in winter. (Pol J Endocrinol 2011; 62 (3): 249&#8211;251)Background: Vitamin D deficiency is high in winter because of reduced exposure to sunlight. It seems that in places with high humidity and a sultry climate, exposure to sunlight in summer can be low too. This study was designed to determine the vitamin D deficiency prevalence in Sari, a city with a high humidity climate at the end of summer, and compare it to winter. Material and methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on men and women aged 10 to 70. Clustered blood samples were received from 351 subjects who participated in this study toward the end of summer, and in winter. The levels of serum vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase and PTH were measured. T test and X2 were used for data analysis. Results: 351subjects (66.4% women, 33.6% men) aged 11 to 69 (mean age &#177; SD 37.11 &#177; 12.6) participated in the study. The mean 25-(OH) D concentration in summer was 13.41 &#177; 13, and in winter it was 11.7 &#177; 11, and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.02). The prevalence of 25-OHvitamin D deficiency was 87.5% (307) in winter and 78.6% (276) in summer (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study shows that although in this area with a high humidity climate, seasonal variation of vitamin D is statistically significant, the prevalence of Vitamin D insufficiency is as high in summer as in winter. (Pol J Endocrinol 2011; 62 (3): 249&#8211;251

Effect of auditory stimulation on traumatic coma duration in intensive care unit of Medical Sciences University of Mazandarn, Iran

Background: Sensory deprivation is one of the common complications of coma patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a familiar voice to consciousness level in coma patients. Methods: A total of 13 patients with traumatic coma (8 ≥ Glasgow′s coma scale [GCS]) admitted in ICU ward were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. The experimental group was treated twice a daily each time 15 min with a familiar recorded MP3 sound for 2 weeks. The control group received only natural voices of environment. GCS applied to evaluate patients′ level of consciousness. Finding: Findings showed that duration to reach GCS = 15 was significantly shorter in the experimental group (χ 2 = 12/96, P < 0/001). Conclusion: These findings imply that providing familiar auditory stimulation programs for coma patients in the ICU could be effective

Crises and entrepreneurial opportunities : Digital social innovation in response to physical distancing

As physical distancing is a core measure of containing the spread of COVID-19, this pandemic is a crisis that has uprooted social interaction. While current research mainly focuses on crises as a challenge for entrepreneurial ventures and potential regulatory response mechanisms, we complement this research by addressing the question of how crises in general—and COVID-19's physical distancing measures in particular—shape entrepreneurial opportunities for social innovation. Based on two rounds of data collection—desktop research mapping out 95 entrepreneurial activities in Germany and four focus groups—we find first that entrepreneurs are proactive agents in alleviating the negative consequences of the COVID-19 crisis. They do so by creating two types of digital social innovation: digital brokering and digitized services. Second, we note that negative societal consequences of crises can be buffered by shifts in entrepreneurs’ strategic orientation through improvised venturing, rapid pivoting and pro-social product extension. Third, we note variance in the persistence of changes with consequences for entrepreneurial opportunities and social innovation: Whereas some social innovation are rather ephemeral, others might endure and promise long-term impacts. We offer key insights for the literature on crisis, social innovation and hybrid organizing as well as on the implications for entrepreneurship practice and policy