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

Modelling the fate of chemicals in humans using a lifetime physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model in MERLIN-expo

This chapter presents the human model implemented in MERLIN-Expo. This model is a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model that describes the relationship between an external dose and an internal dosimetry using parameters related to the anatomy and physiology of individuals and the physico-chemical properties of the contaminants. The goal of the PBPK model is to simulate the toxicokinetics of contaminants in humans, e.g. the amounts or concentrations of contaminants in different organs/tissues, under various exposure conditions. The generic PBPK model is based on a detailed compartmentalisation of the human body and parameterised with relationships describing the time evolution of the physiology and anatomy of the individuals. In this chapter, we present the detailed description of the human model and the conditions to apply it in MERLIN-Expo. Finally, the model predictability is evaluated by a direct comparison between computational predictions and experimental data on small case studies