Challenge-based learning as a practice for engineering education to develop students' entrepreneurial mindset

This paper aims to investigate the implications of Challenge Based Learning programs on entrepreneurial skills, mindset and intentions of university students using a quantitative approach. Using an original database, we analyzed pre and post levels of entrepreneurial skills, mindset and intention of 127 students who attended a Challenge Based Learning program. Results show a positive and significant effect of Challenge Based Learning programs on entrepreneurial mindset and skills – such as financial literacy, creativity and planning – of the students. Moreover, results show a positive but non-significative effect on entrepreneurial intention

Entrepreneurship education: the effects of challenge-based learning on the entrepreneurial mindset of university students

The aim of this paper is to investigate the implications of Challenge-Based Learning programs on entrepreneurial skills, and on the mindset and intentions of university students, through a quantitative approach. Resorting to an original database, we analyzed the pre-and post-levels of entrepreneurial skills, mindset and intention of 127 students who attended a Challenge-Based Learning program. Results show a positive and significant effect of Challenge-Based Learning programs on the entrepreneurial mindset and skills—that is, financial literacy, creativity, and planning—of the students

Molecular Dynamics of Mesophilic-Like Mutants of a Cold-Adapted Enzyme: Insights into Distal Effects Induced by the Mutations

Networks and clusters of intramolecular interactions, as well as their “communication” across the three-dimensional architecture have a prominent role in determining protein stability and function. Special attention has been dedicated to their role in thermal adaptation. In the present contribution, seven previously experimentally characterized mutants of a cold-adapted α-amylase, featuring mesophilic-like behavior, have been investigated by multiple molecular dynamics simulations, essential dynamics and analyses of correlated motions and electrostatic interactions. Our data elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the ability of single and multiple mutations to globally modulate dynamic properties of the cold-adapted α-amylase, including both local and complex unpredictable distal effects. Our investigation also shows, in agreement with the experimental data, that the conversion of the cold-adapted enzyme in a warm-adapted variant cannot be completely achieved by the introduction of few mutations, also providing the rationale behind these effects. Moreover, pivotal residues, which are likely to mediate the effects induced by the mutations, have been identified from our analyses, as well as a group of suitable candidates for protein engineering. In fact, a subset of residues here identified (as an isoleucine, or networks of mesophilic-like salt bridges in the proximity of the catalytic site) should be considered, in experimental studies, to get a more efficient modification of the features of the cold-adapted enzyme

Il ruolo del crowdsourcing nel trasferimento tecnologico: una soluzione innovativa.

XII Rapporto Netval sulla Valorizzazione della Ricerca Pubblica Italian

Comparison of polyfluoroalkyl compound concentrations in maternal serum and amniotic fluid: A pilot study

The extent to which polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) are detectable in amniotic fluid is unknown. Using paired samples from 28 women, we compared the concentration of 8 PFCs measured in serum, the standard matrix for assessing human exposure, amniotic fluid from routine amniocentesis, and urine. Perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), perfluorononanoate (PFNA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) were detected in all maternal serum samples. The number of amniotic fluid samples with detectable concentrations differed by PFC (PFOA n=24; PFNA n=10; PFOS n=9; PFHxS n=4). The correlation coefficient between maternal serum and amniotic PFC levels varied considerably by PFC (PFOA ρ=0.64, p<0.001; PFNA ρ=0.05, p=0.9; PFOS ρ=0.76, p=0.01; PFHxS ρ=0.80, p=0.2). Using linear regression, PFOA appeared to be commonly detected in amniotic fluid if the serum concentration exceeded approximately 1.5 ng/mL whereas PFOS was rarely detected in amniotic fluid until the serum concentration was about 5.5 ng/mL. No PFCs were detected in urine