Echolocation-related reversal of information flow in a cortical vocalization network

The mammalian frontal and auditory cortices are important for vocal behavior. Here, using local-field potential recordings, we demonstrate that the timing and spatial patterns of oscillations in the fronto-auditory network of vocalizing bats (Carollia perspicillata) predict the purpose of vocalization: echolocation or communication. Transfer entropy analyses revealed predominant top-down (frontal-to-auditory cortex) information flow during spontaneous activity and pre-vocal periods. The dynamics of information flow depend on the behavioral role of the vocalization and on the timing relative to vocal onset. We observed the emergence of predominant bottom-up (auditory-to-frontal) information transfer during the post-vocal period specific to echolocation pulse emission, leading to self-directed acoustic feedback. Electrical stimulation of frontal areas selectively enhanced responses to sounds in auditory cortex. These results reveal unique changes in information flow across sensory and frontal cortices, potentially driven by the purpose of the vocalization in a highly vocal mammalian model

Entrepreneurs’ age, institutions, and social value creation goals: a multi-country study

This study explores the relationship between an entrepreneur's age and his/her social value creation goals. Building on the lifespan developmental psychology literature and institutional theory, we hypothesize a U-shaped relationship between entrepreneurs’ age and their choice to create social value through their ventures, such that younger and older entrepreneurs create more social value with their businesses while middle age entrepreneurs are relatively more economically and less socially oriented with their ventures. We further hypothesize that the quality of a country’s formal institutions in terms of economic, social, and political freedom steepen the U-shaped relationship between entrepreneurs’ age and their choice to pursue social value creation as supportive institutional environments allow entrepreneurs to follow their age-based preferences. We confirm our predictions using multilevel mixed-effects linear regressions on a sample of over 15,000 entrepreneurs (aged between 18 and 64 years) in 45 countries from Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data. The findings are robust to several alternative specifications. Based on our findings, we discuss implications for theory and practice, and we propose future research directions

Determinación de vanadio por espectrometría de absorción atómica en fuel oils

El vanadio, uno de los contaminantes fundamentales presente en los crudos, causa serios problemas en los procesos de refinación del petróleo, ya que envenena el catalizador utilizado en el craqueo. En este trabajo se comparan dos métodos alternativos de procesamiento de muestras de fuel oils de elevado y bajo contenido en vanadio, para determinar la concentración de este elemento en ellos por espectrometría de absorción atómica. Las determinaciones se realizaron en los laboratorios de Absorción Atómica del Centro de Investigaciones del Petróleo y la Refinería Ñico López con el objetivo de comparar los resultados interlaboratorios. De los equipos, fueron optimizados los parámetros de trabajo siguientes: corriente de la lámpara, ancho de banda espectral, altura del quemador y flujos de acetileno y óxido nitroso. La optimización de los parámetros se realizó por el método de estudio univariante. La mineralización de los fuel oils se realizó por dos vías: 1) con el empleo de un disolvente orgánico (turbocombustible) y 2) la utilización de un proceso mixto de digestión (con ácido sulfúrico) e incineración en la mufla, con la posterior disolución de las cenizas empleando ácido nítrico (1:1). Al aplicar el análisis estadístico a los resultados, se comprobó que ambos métodos de disolución son equivalentes, no obstante, se recomienda el empleo del método directo, al no estar implicado en él, el procesamiento de muestras que conduce a efectos de contaminación o pérdida del analito y al incremento del tiempo de análisis

The impact of work-related values and work control on the career satisfaction of female freelancers

Using the job demands-resources theory incorporating a job-crafting perspective to develop a set of hypotheses, this study contributes to the self-employment and freelancing literature by examining whether female freelancers use their agency to mobilize their personal resources (i.e. work-related values) to craft their work resources (i.e. work–control indicators: work autonomy and time-spatial flexibility) to achieve more career satisfaction. Our structural partial least squares model (N = 203) shows that the work-related value ‘intrinsically rewarding work’ prompts two motivational processes that affect career satisfaction: one running directly to ‘career satisfaction’ and one through ‘work autonomy’. Although the value ‘work–life balance’ is positively associated with greater ‘time-spatial flexibility’, this does not affect career satisfaction. Moreover, we find negative associations between the value ‘financial security’, on the one hand, and the two work resources, on the other hand. Hence, the value financial security is negatively related to work autonomy towards career satisfaction. We conclude that female freelancers’ multiple, oftentimes blended values compete with one another, implying that achieving meaningful work, work–life balance and financial independence simultaneously is difficult in female freelancers’ careers. We discuss the study’s implications for future research and advocate labour–market stakeholders (e.g. freelancers, freelancers’ networks, career coaches, temporary work agencies, unions, local and national governments, educational institutions and public and private organizations) to partner in developing value-based career strategies and policies that account for less linear career paths in increasingly flexible and individualized markets and truly support (female) workers developing portfolios that better match with their multiple work-related values on a long-term basis

Business performance and angels presence: A fresh look from France 2008–2011

Business angels enjoy a strong reputation for being more efficient than other investors among policy makers, practitioners, and scholars. However, due to the limited availability of specific financial data, previous research has barely assessed the impact of angels on companies’ performance. This paper seeks to bridge this gap by providing evidence from a unique dataset made up of 432 angel-backed French companies which are compared to two control groups, one randomly selected and another one consisting of similar enterprises. This double comparison process enables us to purge our analysis of structural effect and to demonstrate the importance of the methodology in generating the sample. Indeed, the results we obtain significantly differ depending on the control group. Our results show that the positive influence of angels depends on the condition of the comparison. The set of BA-backed companies is more likely to exhibit superior performance when it is compared to a random sample whereas the companies’ performance is either identical or worse when it is compared to a sample composed of k-nearest neighbors. In addition, using a quantile regression technique makes it possible to differentiate the effect of business angels based on the distribution of the value of the growth rate. © 2017, Springer Science+Business Media New York

Strategic alliances and firm performance in startups with a social mission

Innovation with a social purpose is strictly linked to entrepreneurship and economic development. However, those startups that pursue a social mission often operate in really novel markets and raise some scepticism in the eyes of investors. Startups can improve their business performance by leveraging on equity and non-equity based strategic alliances, so to pursue growth. However, sustainable growth requires to attract the right investments at the right stage of development of the startup. This study draws on international business theory and proposes a novel framework that explains the mechanisms regulating strategic alliances and firm performance in a startups context. We use a sample of 3,913 UK high-tech startups engaging in social innovation to test our hypotheses and we derive an explanation for some of the mechanisms behind strategic alliances effect on startups performance, startups scalability and the balance needed between performance and the pursuit of a social mission

Leveraging the macro-level environment to balance work and life: an analysis of female entrepreneurs' job satisfaction

This study investigates the interactive effect of female entrepreneurs’ experience of work–life imbalance and gender-egalitarian macro-level conditions on their job satisfaction, with the prediction that the negative linear relationship between work–life imbalance and job satisfaction may be buffered by the presence of women-friendly action resources, emancipative values, and civic entitlements. Data pertaining to 7,392 female entrepreneurs from 44 countries offer empirical support for these predictions. Female entrepreneurs who are preoccupied with their ability to fulfill both work and life responsibilities are more likely to maintain a certain level of job satisfaction, even if they experience significant work–life imbalances, to the extent that they operate in supportive macro-level environments

Similarity between optical response kinetics of conducting polymer thin film based gas sensors and electrochromic devices

Chemically deposited polyaniline (PANI) thin films were used as optically active materials in optochemical gas sensors (OGS) as well as in electrochromic devices (ECDs). An electrochemically deposited poly(3-methylthiophene) (P3MT) thin film based ECD was also prepared to be compared to PANI based ECDs. In all these optical devices, the optical response kinetic curves of PANI and P3MT films can be fitted quite well with two terms of the same exponential expression: one faster and one slower. The faster one could be attributed to a rapid specific surface or interface reaction process, and the slower one to a volumetric or bulk diffusion-reaction process. The physical meanings of the fitting parameters come from the Langmuir adsorption theory and Freundlich isotherm in the case of OGS and the Butler-Volmer equation for polymer based ECDs