Perceived obstacles in the undertaking of the entrepreneurial career : an empirical study on STEM and business alumni

The goal of this study is to inquire the perceived expected and encountered obstacles in undertaking a career in entrepreneurship, both among university students and entrepreneurs. These perceptions were studied considering their academic background, with a major categorization between business and STEM alumni. The sample was drawn mainly among Italian citizens. Typical results have been found, such as a gender gap in the entrepreneurial propensity and a high proportion of entrepreneurs that had a mixed founding team composition. Despite no significant differences were found among university students, there are instead elements that distinguish and influence the perceptions among entrepreneurs. In particular, the experience in an incubator and the heterogeneity of the team composition appear to be perceived differently. The first element is evaluated in a relatively more favourable way by STEM alumni, while the same is true for the team composition by business alumni.O objetivo deste estudo é investigar a percepção dos obstáculos esperados e encontrados no início de uma carreira em empreendedorismo, tanto entre estudantes universitários como empreendedores. Estas percepções foram estudadas tendo em consideração os seus percursos acadêmicos, com uma subdivisão principal entre alumni de gestão e de CTEM. A amostra estatística foi retirada maioritariamente entre cidadãos italianos. Resultados espectáveis foram encontrados, como a disparidade de género na propensão a uma carreira de empreendedorismo e uma alta proporção de empreendedores que tiveram uma equipa fundadora com percursos acadêmicos e profissionais distintos. Embora não tenham sido encontradas diferenças significativas entre os estudantes universitários, existem elementos que distinguem e influenciam as percepções entre os empreendedores. Em particular, a experiência numa incubadora e a heterogeneidade na composição da equipa parecem ser percebidas de maneira diferente. O primeiro elemento é percebido de forma relativamente mais favorável pelos alumni de CTEM, enquanto o mesmo acontece com a heterogeneidade da composição da equipa pelos alumni de gestão

A usable web for long-stay hospitalised children

This paper analyses the problems that should be considered when designing a web site for disadvantaged children. We focus our research on long-stay hospitalised children who use the Internet to communicate with realities located outside their usual surroundings, especially with distance education related activities. We introduce a case study which focuses on the use of the Internet in some Italian hospitals and then we sketch out some guidelines for designing usable web sites for hospitalised children

Italian wolves (Canis lupus italicus Altobello, 1921) and molecular detection of taeniids in the Foreste Casentinesi National Park, Northern Italian Apennines

After centuries of massive decline, the recovery of the wolf (Canis lupus italicus) in Italy is a typical conservation success story. To learn more about the possible role of parasites in the wolves' individual and population health and conservation we used non-invasive molecular approaches on fecal samples to identify individual wolves, pack membership, and the taeniids present, some of which are zoonotic. A total of 130 specimens belonging to 54 wolves from eight packs were collected and examined. Taeniid eggs were isolated using a sieving/flotation technique, and the species level was identified by PCR (gene target: 12S rRNA and nad1). Taeniid prevalence was 40.7% for Taenia hydatigena, 22.2% for T. krabbei, 1.8% for T. polyachanta and 5.5% for Echinococcus granulosus. The prevalence of E. granulosus is discussed. Our results show that the taeniid fauna found in wolves from the Foreste Casentinesi National Park is comparable to that described for other domestic and wild Italian canids and provides insights into the wolves' diet and their relationship with the environment

Euroasiatic wild pigs and ASF virus genotype II: a new challenge

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Undergoing head and neck cancer surgery: A grounded theory

Surgery is the treatment of choice in most head and neck cancers. Very often, the surgery is radical with high impact on the psychosocial, functional and aesthetic fields. The aim of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of the patient's, clinician's and key informant's point of view when surgery is proposed, to improve the quality of pathways in terms of patients' practical, psychological and relational needs. We followed a Grounded Theory approach with semi-structured interviews. Seventeen participants (six patients, nine healthcare professionals and two volunteers) were interviewed immediately before surgery. The study generated a process of "persuading the patient of an obligation" as the core category. The other principal categories that emerged highlighted the patients' doubts and fears regarding the surgery consequences and, in parallel, strategies employed by the healthcare professionals to rebut hindering issues impeding surgery. In particular, healthcare professionals involved patients in an affiliation process through simplified communication to sustain the choice of surgery; the family plays a supportive role in this process. The interplay between the organisational process and patients' experience results in "I will let you convince me" at the end of the decision-making process, where the main aim was to save and be saved