Wanting to change the world, is it too much of a good thing? How sustainable orientation shapes entrepreneurial behaviour

Purpose: When pursuing a sustainable orientation (SO), entrepreneurs can resolve environmental and social problems and act as change agents by pursuing opportunities related to market failures. While many studies focus on entrepreneurial intention, very few try to explain entrepreneurial behaviour. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the circumstances under which people could be led to become sustainable entrepreneurs. It examines the effect of SO, as well as the entrepreneurial motivation to change society as key drivers of entrepreneurial behaviour. Design/methodology/approach: The hypotheses were tested in three waves (six-month interval) on a sample of 197 university students that are neither entrepreneurs, nor involved in any entrepreneurial processes. The authors measured entrepreneurial behaviour as a dependent variable and used subjective norms towards entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, entrepreneurial attitude as well as entrepreneurial motivation and SO as independent variables. Findings: Contrary to the expectations, sustainability orientation has a negative impact on entrepreneurial action. However, individuals who think that entrepreneurship can change society (instrumentality) exhibit higher entrepreneurial action. Furthermore, this belief positively moderates the negative impact of SO on entrepreneurial action. In other words, if someone thinks that entrepreneurship can change the world, not only he/she is more inclined to engage in entrepreneurial actions but their values of SO will not decrease their entrepreneurial action. Research limitations/implications: A longer timeframe of longitudinal research is needed to overcome the limitation regarding the assessment of entrepreneurial action. Practical implications: As a practical implication, educators who want to engage their institution as an engine of change towards sustainable development could highlight cases of sustainable businesses where profits, environmental and social issues were not neglected to improve the perceived feasibility and thus, entrepreneurial action. Originality/value: Results demonstrate the negative effect of SO on entrepreneurship as a career choice, but not for those who believe that they can change society through this mean. This research highlights the relevance of Socio Cognitive Career Theory in the field of entrepreneurship, especially the neglected effect of outcome expectations on entrepreneurship as a career choice. © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

Funding Nonprofit Radio Technology Initiatives in Canada

Media organizations worldwide are struggling to find sustainable financial models since the arrival of the internet. Nonprofit radio is no different. Using a thematic analysis of 62 Canadian nonprofit stations’ financial statements from 2012–2015, this study examines the impact of the Community Radio Fund of Canada’s Radiometers’ grant competition. Although results show a small financial gain for those who received funding, the study fails to determine the value of relying on such a grant for long-term technological sustainability. This study also shows the classic income effect by demonstrating how stations continued spending on technology whether they received grants or not. Recommendations include creating a matching fund program to encourage stations to find alternative sources of income to sustain their projects and increase accountability.Les organisations de médias à travers le monde luttent pour trouver des modèles financiers durables depuis l’arrivée d’internet. La radio à but non lucratif n’y échappe pas non plus. En effectuant une analyse thématique des états financiers de 62 stations canadiennes à but non lucratif de 2012-2015, cette étude examine l’impact de la compétition Radiomètres du Fonds canadien de la radio communautaire. Malgré le fait que les résultats démontrent un petit gain financier pour ceux ayant reçu du financement, l’étude ne parvient pas à démontrer la valeur de ce type de subvention pour une durabilité technologique à long terme. Cette étude valide aussi l’effet de revenu classique en démontrant que les stations continuent à effectuer des dépenses en technologie, peu importe s’ils ont obtenu ou non une subvention. Les recommandations comprennent la création d’un programme de fonds de contrepartie, afin d’encourager les stations à trouver des sources alternatives de revenus afin de soutenir leurs projets et d’accroître l’imputabilité

Patient-specific model of a scoliotic torso for surgical planning

A method for the construction of a patient-specific model of a scoliotic torso for surgical planning via inter- patient registration is presented. Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI) of a generic model are registered to surface topography (TP) and X-ray data of a test patient. A partial model is first obtained via thin-plate spline registration between TP and X-ray data of the test patient. The MRIs from the generic model are then fit into the test patient using articulated model registration between the vertebrae of the generic model’s MRIs in prone position and the test patient’s X-rays in standing position. A non-rigid deformation of the soft tissues is performed using a modified thin-plate spline constrained to maintain bone rigidity and to fit in the space between the vertebrae and the surface of the torso. Results show average Dice values of 0.975 ± 0.012 between the MRIs following inter-patient registration and the surface topography of the test patient, which is comparable to the average value of 0.976 ± 0.009 previously obtained following intra-patient registration. The results also show a significant improvement compared to rigid inter-patient registration. Future work includes validating the method on a larger cohort of patients and incorporating soft tissue stiffness constraints. The method developed can be used to obtain a geometric model of a patient including bone structures, soft tissues and the surface of the torso which can be incorporated in a surgical simulator in order to better predict the outcome of scoliosis surgery, even if MRI data cannot be acquired for the patient.Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR

Noninvasive Clinical Assessment of Trunk Deformities Associated With Scoliosis

Besides the spinal deformity, scoliosis modifies notably the general appearance of the trunk resulting in trunk rotation, imbalance, and asymmetries that constitutes patients' major concern. Existing classifications of scoliosis, based on the type of spinal curve as depicted on radiographs, are currently used to guide treatment strategies. Unfortunately, even though a perfect correction of the spinal curve is achieved, some trunk deformities remain, making patients dissatisfied with the treatment received. The purpose of this study is to identify possible shape patterns of trunk surface deformity associated with scoliosis. First, trunk surface is represented by a multivariate functional trunk shape descriptor based on 3-D clinical measurements computed on cross sections of the trunk. Then, the classical formulation of hierarchical clustering is adapted to the case of multivariate functional data and applied to a set of 236 trunk surface 3-D reconstructions. The highest internal validity is obtained when considering 11 clusters that explain up to 65% of the variance in our dataset. Our clustering result shows a concordance with the radiographic classification of spinal curves in 68% of the cases. As opposed to radiographic evaluation, the trunk descriptor is 3-D and its functional nature offers a compact and elegant description of not only the type, but also the severity and extent of the trunk surface deformity along the trunk length. In future work, new management strategies based on the resulting trunk shape patterns could be thought of in order to improve the esthetic outcome after treatment, and thus patients satisfaction.CIHR / IRS

A Novel Method for the 3-D Reconstruction of Scoliotic Ribs From Frontal and Lateral Radiographs

Among the external manifestations of scoliosis, the rib hump, which is associated with the ribs' deformities and rotations, constitutes the most disturbing aspect of the scoliotic deformity for patients. A personalized 3-D model of the rib cage is important for a better evaluation of the deformity, and hence, a better treatment planning. A novel method for the 3-D reconstruction of the rib cage, based only on two standard radiographs, is proposed in this paper. For each rib, two points are extrapolated from the reconstructed spine, and three points are reconstructed by stereo radiography. The reconstruction is then refined using a surface approximation. The method was evaluated using clinical data of 13 patients with scoliosis. A comparison was conducted between the reconstructions obtained with the proposed method and those obtained by using a previous reconstruction method based on two frontal radiographs. A first comparison criterion was the distances between the reconstructed ribs and the surface topography of the trunk, considered as the reference modality. The correlation between ribs axial rotation and back surface rotation was also evaluated. The proposed method successfully reconstructed the ribs of the 6th-12th thoracic levels. The evaluation results showed that the 3-D configuration of the new rib reconstructions is more consistent with the surface topography and provides more accurate measurements of ribs axial rotation.Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and MENTOR, a strategic training program of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Multilevel Analysis of Trunk Surface Measurements for Noninvasive Assessment of Scoliosis Deformities

Study Design. Reliability study. Objectives. To assess between-acquisition reliability of new multilevel trunk cross sections measurements, in order to define what is a real change when comparing 2 trunk surface acquisitions of a same patient, before and after surgery or throughout the clinical monitoring. Summary of Background Data. Several cross-sectional surface measurements have been proposed in the literature for noninvasive assessment of trunk deformity in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). However, only the maximum values along the trunk are evaluated and used for monitoring progression and assessing treatment outcome. Methods. Back surface rotation (BSR), trunk rotation (TR), and coronal and sagittal trunk deviation are computed on 300 cross sections of the trunk. Each set of 300 measures is represented as a single functional data, using a set of basis functions. To evaluate between-acquisition variability at all trunk levels, a test-retest reliability study is conducted on 35 patients with AIS. A functional correlation analysis is also carried out to evaluate any redundancy between the measurements. Results. Each set of 300 measures was successfully described using only 10 basis functions. The test-retest reliability of the functional measurements is good to very good all over the trunk, except above the shoulders level. The typical errors of measurement are between 1.20° and 2.2° for the rotational measures and between 2 and 6 mm for deviation measures. There is a very strong correlation between BSR and TR all over the trunk, a moderate correlation between coronal trunk deviation and both BSR and TR, and no correlation between sagittal trunk deviation and any other measurement. Conclusion. This novel representation of trunk surface measurements allows for a global assessment of trunk surface deformity. Multilevel trunk measurements provide a broader perspective of the trunk deformity and allow a reliable multilevel monitoring during clinical follow-up of patients with AIS and a reliable assessment of the esthetic outcome after surgery.CIHR /IRS

Multimodal image registration of the scoliotic torso for surgical planning

Background This paper presents a method that registers MRIs acquired in prone position, with surface topography (TP) and X-ray reconstructions acquired in standing position, in order to obtain a 3D representation of a human torso incorporating the external surface, bone structures, and soft tissues. Methods TP and X-ray data are registered using landmarks. Bone structures are used to register each MRI slice using an articulated model, and the soft tissue is confined to the volume delimited by the trunk and bone surfaces using a constrained thin-plate spline. Results The method is tested on 3 pre-surgical patients with scoliosis and shows a significant improvement, qualitatively and using the Dice similarity coefficient, in fitting the MRI into the standing patient model when compared to rigid and articulated model registration. The determinant of the Jacobian of the registration deformation shows higher variations in the deformation in areas closer to the surface of the torso. Conclusions The novel, resulting 3D full torso model can provide a more complete representation of patient geometry to be incorporated in surgical simulators under development that aim at predicting the effect of scoliosis surgery on the external appearance of the patient’s torso.Canadian Institute for Health and Research (CIHR

3D registration of MR and X-ray spine images using an articulated model

Présentation: Cet article a été publié dans le journal : Computerised medical imaging and graphics (CMIG). Le but de cet article est de recaler les vertèbres extraites à partir d’images RM avec des vertèbres extraites à partir d’images RX pour des patients scoliotiques, en tenant compte des déformations non-rigides due au changement de posture entre ces deux modalités. À ces fins, une méthode de recalage à l’aide d’un modèle articulé est proposée. Cette méthode a été comparée avec un recalage rigide en calculant l’erreur sur des points de repère, ainsi qu’en calculant la différence entre l’angle de Cobb avant et après recalage. Une validation additionelle de la méthode de recalage présentée ici se trouve dans l’annexe A. Ce travail servira de première étape dans la fusion des images RM, RX et TP du tronc complet. Donc, cet article vérifie l’hypothèse 1 décrite dans la section 3.2.1.Abstract This paper presents a magnetic resonance image (MRI)/X-ray spine registration method that compensates for the change in the curvature of the spine between standing and prone positions for scoliotic patients. MRIs in prone position and X-rays in standing position are acquired for 14 patients with scoliosis. The 3D reconstructions of the spine are then aligned using an articulated model which calculates intervertebral transformations. Results show significant decrease in regis- tration error when the proposed articulated model is compared with rigid registration. The method can be used as a basis for full body MRI/X-ray registration incorporating soft tissues for surgical simulation.Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR

L’Approche expérienciée de l’éducation

L’originalité de cette démarche scientifique, tant au niveau de son objet que de sa méthode, découle de la théorie de la réciprocité éducative. Elle implique en effet de centrer la recherche sur les conduites épistémiques qui s’inscrivent dans la manière dont les personnes vivent quotidiennement la construction de leur savoir en relation avec autrui. C’est dans cette perspective que se trouvera éclairé le néologisme « expériencier » proposé.The original aspects of my scientific approach both in its object and in its method follows my theory on « educational reciprocity ». This means that the research is centered on epistemic behaviors which are part of the way people live their own knowlegde construction day after day in a relationship with others. This is how the French neologism « expériencier » I suggest is to be understood