Attitudes and perceptions regarding entrepreneurship around the world : a cluster analysis approach

Nowadays it is believed that entrepreneurship could be a driving force in growth and develop-ment. For the achievement of a relevant national entrepreneurship rate the social and economic business environment can be crucial. However, despite the international attention given to entrepreneurship, it is not known if it is a global phenomenon or if there are particular regions where the entrepreneurial activity is specially recognized by society. Applying cluster analysis statistical techniques to a dataset gathered by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) and that includes, in 2010, 59 countries this paper intends to identify groups of countries with the same population attitude and perception regarding entrepreneurship

Attitudes and perceptions regarding entrepreneurship around the world : a cluster analysis approach

Nowadays it is believed that entrepreneurship could be a driving force in growth and development. For the achievement of a relevant national entrepreneurship rate the social and economic business environment can be crucial. However, despite the international attention given to entrepreneurship, it is not known if it is a global phenomenon or if there are particular regions where the entrepreneurial activity is specially recognized by society. Applying cluster analysis statistical techniques to a dataset gathered by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) and that includes, in 2010, 59 countries this paper intends to identify groups of countries with the same population attitude and perception regarding entrepreneurship

Temporal bacterial and metabolic development of the preterm gut reveals specific signatures in health and disease

Background - The preterm microbiome is crucial to gut health and may contribute to necrotising enterocolitis (NEC), which represents the most significant pathology affecting preterm infants. From a cohort of 318 infants, <32 weeks gestation, we selected 7 infants who developed NEC (defined rigorously) and 28 matched controls. We performed detailed temporal bacterial (n = 641) and metabolomic (n = 75) profiling of the gut microbiome throughout the disease. Results - A core community of Klebsiella, Escherichia, Staphyloccocus, and Enterococcus was present in all samples. Gut microbiota profiles grouped into six distinct clusters, termed preterm gut community types (PGCTs). Each PGCT reflected dominance by the core operational taxonomic units (OTUs), except of PGCT 6, which had high diversity and was dominant in bifidobacteria. While PGCTs 1–5 were present in infants prior to NEC diagnosis, PGCT 6 was comprised exclusively of healthy samples. NEC infants had significantly more PGCT transitions prior to diagnosis. Metabolomic profiling identified significant pathways associated with NEC onset, with metabolites involved in linoleate metabolism significantly associated with NEC diagnosis. Notably, metabolites associated with NEC were the lowest in PGCT 6. Conclusions - This is the first study to integrate sequence and metabolomic stool analysis in preterm neonates, demonstrating that NEC does not have a uniform microbial signature. However, a diverse gut microbiome with a high abundance of bifidobacteria may protect preterm infants from disease. These results may inform biomarker development and improve understanding of gut-mediated mechanisms of NEC

EMPOWERING RESEARCH IN ARCHITECTURE BY COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND WIDER INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION / ARCHITEKTŪROS TYRIMŲ SUAKTYVINIMAS SKATINANT VISUOMENĖS DALYVAVIMO IR TYRĖJŲ TARPTAUTINIO BENDRADARBIAVIMO VEIKSNIUS

The paper focuses on the actual state of architecture and planning practices in Lithuania and Latvia stating the common features and differences as well as identifying a number of challenges and possible solutions and their impacts on academic research carried out by junior fellows of the universities. The transition from a planned socialist economy to a free market and the following change in the structure of social order has objectively caused radical changes in the need and the offer of professional services where the largest market share is held by relatively small or very small architectural companies. Limited resources lead to dominance of the fulfillment of primary functional and aesthetical needs of the customer while the broader dialogue with public is usually delayed or missing. This often leads to public dissatisfaction of the results of implementation of development projects. The authors of the paper stress that the enhanced dialogue between architect and urban community supported by local governments and citizens could radically improve the situation and simultaneously contribute to the quality of architectural solutions. The share of responsibility for the future quality of built environmental goes to an academic education and especially to research systems. Multi-professional collaboration and integrated cross-border research practices should be encouraged as more beneficial for accumulating the experience of different cultures and to achieving optimal qualities in the future urban environment. Santrauka Straipsnyje nagrinėjami architektūros mokslo tyrimų tobulinimo klausimai. Į pirmą planą iškeliamas jaunųjų tyrėjų pradedamų darbų tematikos aktualizavimas, kurį lemia tyrėjo, mokslo padalinio ir visos institucijos pasirengimas vykdyti tam tikrų sričių tyrimus, pasirenkamos strateginės mokslo darbų plėtotės kryptys. Teritorinių miesto bendruomenių įtraukimas į mokslo tyrimus sudaro prielaidas aktualizuoti atliekamų darbų temas, gauti tinkamą pradinę informaciją, patikrinti, kiek realiai veiksmingos yra tyrimo išvados ir rekomendacijos. Vykdomų mokslo darbų kokybę gerina ir glaudesnių bendradarbiavimo ryšių plėtotė tarp pačių tyrėjų ir tarp institucijų. Žurnale pateikiamų straipsnių pavyzdžiais iliustruojamas minėtų veiksnių naudojimas jaunųjų mokslininkų tyrimuose. Raktiniai žodžiai: architektūra; miesto planavimas; miesto bendruomenė; mokslo tyrimai; tarptautinis bendradarbiavima