Envisioning the Future of Learning for Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship

How can educators, teachers and trainers stay current and address the dynamic opportunities of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship teaching and training? This book offers an overview of the VISION research project, which provides an understanding of the future of education in these areas and describes the approach taken by the VISION team, including the findings of interviews with more than 130 global stakeholders

Οι τίτλοι παραστατικοί δικαιωμάτων κτήσης μετοχών (warrants) ως υβριδικός τίτλος χρηματοδότησης

Οι τίτλοι παραστατικοί δικαιωμάτων κτήσης μετοχών (warrants) στη βασική τους μορφή είναι για τους περισσότερους στην ημεδαπή έννομη τάξη άγνωστοι, λόγω της πρόσφατης νομοθετικής κατοχύρωσης τους στο πεδίο του εταιρικού δικαίου με τον νόμο 4548/2018. Σε μία προσπάθεια απλής απόδοσης της έννοιας και της λειτουργίας τους μπορούμε να πούμε πως οι εταιρικοί τίτλοι κτήσης μετοχών αποτελούν κινητές αξίες, τίτλους που δίνουν το δικαίωμα στον κάτοχο τους («ενσωματώνουν δικαίωμα») να αποκτήσει μετοχές της εταιρείας που τους εξέδωσε και τους διέθεσε σε αυτόν. Δεδομένης της πολυπλοκότητας τους ως χρηματοπιστωτικών μέσων και του έως έναν βαθμό «αχαρτογράφητου» αυτών, η παρούσα εργασία στοχεύει περισσότερο στο να καταδείξει και να καταστήσει σαφή τα βασικά εκείνα χαρακτηριστικά των τίτλων κτήσης μετοχών ως μίας ιδιαίτερης κατηγορίας τίτλων, το πως ακριβώς αυτοί λειτουργούν, ιδίως ως ένα υβριδικό μέσο χρηματοδότησης, το γιατί μία ανώνυμη εταιρεία επιλέγει να προβεί σε έκδοση τους αλλά και το ποια είναι η θέση του δικαιούχου τους σε όλη αυτή τη διαμορφούμενη με την έκδοση τους κατάσταση. Στο Β΄ μέρος της παρούσας γίνεται μνεία και στα ζητήματα της διαδικασίας έκδοσης τους, της ιδιαίτερης σύμβασης που καταρτίζεται μεταξύ εκδότριας των τίτλων εταιρείας και δικαιούχου αλλά και της άσκησης του ενσωματωμένου σε αυτούς δικαιώματος, προς τον σκοπό μίας όσο το δυνατόν πληρέστερης προσέγγισης τους.Warrants in their basic form are unknown to the most in the domestic legal order, due to their recent regulation in the field of corporate law by the law no. 4548/2018. In an effort to simply convey their meaning and function, we could say that warrants are securities which entitle their holder to acquire shares of the company which issued and delivered them to him. Given their complexity as financial instruments and the fact that they are “uncharted” to some extent, this paper mostly aims to demonstrate and clarify those basic characteristics of warrants as a special class of securities, to demonstrate how exactly they function, especially as a hybrid financing instrument, why a limited company chooses to issue them and what is the position of their holder within the company after their issuance. Part B of the present document also refers to the issues of their issuance procedure, the special contract which is drawn up between the issuer - company and the holder, as well as to the exercise of the embedded option, in order to approach warrants as fully as possible

Pedagogical Orientations and Evolving Responsibilities of Technological Universities:A Literature Review of the History of Engineering Education

Current societal changes and challenges demand a broader role of technological universities, thus opening the question of how their role evolved over time and how to frame their current responsibility. In response to urgent calls for debating and redefining the identity of contemporary technological universities, this paper has two aims. The first aim is to identify the key characteristics and orientations marking the development of technological universities, as recorded in the history of engineering education. The second aim is to articulate the responsibility of contemporary technological universities given their different orientations and characteristics. For this, we first provide a non-systematic literature review of the key pedagogical orientations of technological universities, grounded in the history of engineering education. The five major orientations of technological universities presented in the paper are technical, economic, social, political, and ecological. We then use this historical survey to articulate the responsibilities of contemporary technological universities reflecting the different orientations. Technological universities can promote and foster the development of scientific, professional, civic, legal, or intra- and inter- generational responsibility. We argue that responsibility is not specific to any particular orientation, such that the concept is broadened to complement each orientation or mix of orientations of a technological university. Our contribution thus serves as a call for technological universities to self-reflect on their mission and identity, by offering a lens for identifying the orientations they currently foster and making explicit the responsibility arising from their current orientation or the ones they strive to cultivate.</p

Pedagogical Orientations and Evolving Responsibilities of Technological Universities:A Literature Review of the History of Engineering Education

Current societal changes and challenges demand a broader role of technological universities, thus opening the question of how their role evolved over time and how to frame their current responsibility. In response to urgent calls for debating and redefining the identity of contemporary technological universities, this paper has two aims. The first aim is to identify the key characteristics and orientations marking the development of technological universities, as recorded in the history of engineering education. The second aim is to articulate the responsibility of contemporary technological universities given their different orientations and characteristics. For this, we first provide a non-systematic literature review of the key pedagogical orientations of technological universities, grounded in the history of engineering education. The five major orientations of technological universities presented in the paper are technical, economic, social, political, and ecological. We then use this historical survey to articulate the responsibilities of contemporary technological universities reflecting the different orientations. Technological universities can promote and foster the development of scientific, professional, civic, legal, or intra- and inter- generational responsibility. We argue that responsibility is not specific to any particular orientation, such that the concept is broadened to complement each orientation or mix of orientations of a technological university. Our contribution thus serves as a call for technological universities to self-reflect on their mission and identity, by offering a lens for identifying the orientations they currently foster and making explicit the responsibility arising from their current orientation or the ones they strive to cultivate.</p

Education for innovation: engineering, management and design multidisciplinary teams of students tackling complex societal problems through Design Thinking

[EN] Innovation education involves a different approach both for professors and students. It requires understanding people, technology and business to develop truly innovative solutions that can succeed in the market. The aim of this paper is to analyze the benefits, learning outcomes and self-learning perception about innovation from students participating in an innovative learning experience co-developed by an Electrical Engineering School, a Business School and a Design Institute. Challenge Based Innovation (CBI) is a program created by CERN to host educational projects where multidisciplinary teams of students tackle innovation challenges. The objective is to design solutions to social problems through Design Thinking. It was observed that engineering students, after this learning experience increase their understanding of user’s needs and the relevance of focusing on them when approaching innovation challenges. Also, they improve their ability to ideate break-through solutions thanks to a better understanding of the relationship between people, business and technology due to their in-depth interaction with management and design students. Furthermore, their self-confidence is significantly increased along with their entrepreneurial skills. The level of engineering student’s understating of innovation as a whole is higher with this approach compared to standard design-build projects performed at the Engineering Schools.Keywords: Design Thinking, Innovation, Challenge Based Education, Multidisciplinary projectshttp://ocs.editorial.upv.es/index.php/HEAD/HEAD18Charosky, G.; Hassi, L.; Leveratto, L.; Papageorgiou, K.; Ramos, J.; Bragos, R. (2018). Education for innovation: engineering, management and design multidisciplinary teams of students tackling complex societal problems through Design Thinking. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1081-1087. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAD18.2018.81501081108

Physiological parameters for Prognosis in Abdominal Sepsis (PIPAS) Study : a WSES observational study

BackgroundTiming and adequacy of peritoneal source control are the most important pillars in the management of patients with acute peritonitis. Therefore, early prognostic evaluation of acute peritonitis is paramount to assess the severity and establish a prompt and appropriate treatment. The objectives of this study were to identify clinical and laboratory predictors for in-hospital mortality in patients with acute peritonitis and to develop a warning score system, based on easily recognizable and assessable variables, globally accepted.MethodsThis worldwide multicentre observational study included 153 surgical departments across 56 countries over a 4-month study period between February 1, 2018, and May 31, 2018.ResultsA total of 3137 patients were included, with 1815 (57.9%) men and 1322 (42.1%) women, with a median age of 47years (interquartile range [IQR] 28-66). The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 8.9%, with a median length of stay of 6days (IQR 4-10). Using multivariable logistic regression, independent variables associated with in-hospital mortality were identified: age > 80years, malignancy, severe cardiovascular disease, severe chronic kidney disease, respiratory rate >= 22 breaths/min, systolic blood pressure 4mmol/l. These variables were used to create the PIPAS Severity Score, a bedside early warning score for patients with acute peritonitis. The overall mortality was 2.9% for patients who had scores of 0-1, 22.7% for those who had scores of 2-3, 46.8% for those who had scores of 4-5, and 86.7% for those who have scores of 7-8.ConclusionsThe simple PIPAS Severity Score can be used on a global level and can help clinicians to identify patients at high risk for treatment failure and mortality.Peer reviewe

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Analysis of the role of the insulin - PI3k – mTOR- p70s6k signaling pathway in neural cell biology

The dysregulation of the "Insulin - PI3k - mTOR - p70s6k» axis has been associated with the development of serious diseases, such as cancer. Consequently, the inhibition of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway with specific agents represents a clinically relevant target and has been employed to combat various types of cancers, including neuroblastoma.The results of this study revealed that targeting molecules which are acting upstream on this pathway, such as the PI3K kinase, leads to a reversible inhibition of neuroblastoma cell proliferation, by forcing the cells to enter a G0-like state or quiescence, as it is shown by the significant reduction of Ki67 and the increase in p27 protein levels, a phenomenon which is reversed after removal of the inhibitor. In contrast, the application of drugs acting downstream on this signaling axis, such as the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin causes permanent changes in the biology of neuroblastoma cells, including inhibition of the differentiation potential and abnormal proliferation, the latter reflected by an unusually rapid passage through the early prophase stages of mitosis after the removal of the drug. Importantly, these phenomena are accompanied by an irreversible inhibition of the p70s6k kinase activity. We further observed that activation of stress response pathways such as the p38MAPK kinase cascade is essential for both, the activation of p70s6k and the recovery of cells, after drug withdrawal, since inhibition of p38MAPK impairs the expression of the proliferation markers Ki67 and PH3, and the formation of midbodies. Interestingly, the inhibition of p38MAPK activity during recovery from rapamycin treatment induces a survival state in which the cells do not proliferate (Ki67-), and they also form primary cilia, microtubule-based organelles known to be involved in sensing the surrounding milieu and processing of developmental signals. The presence of these structures in neuronal progenitors has also been shown to be essential for the spatial organization of the cells in the neural tissues. Interestingly, the induction of ciliogenesis was observed only during recovery of the cells from the inhibition of mTOR, which may be related to the deregulation of the cell cycle checkpoint control mechanisms by rapamycin.In conclusion, our data reveal an interplay between the mTOR - p38 - p70s6k molecules which appears to have an active role in the recovery of neuroblastoma cell from stress conditions that are caused by the inhibition of the PI3k/Akt – mTOR axis. Thus, therapies that are based on application of drugs (like the rapalogs) which inhibit mTOR, either as monotherapy, or in combination with inhibitors of molecules that induce survival, such as the p38MAPK kinase, may not be effective because the cells can acquire new properties. In contrast, approaches which are based on targeting molecules that are located upstream of the PI3k - mTOR pathway (such analogs of LY294002) in combination with inhibition of p38MAPK or of the chaperon protein Hsp90, might provide a new strategy for treating cancers such as neuroblastoma. Finally, from this work it is disclosed that neuroblastoma cells have mechanisms of inducing ciliogenesis, a process that merits further investigation since it can be associated with the development of chemoresistance, and hence could be an attractive target for drug development against this disease.Διαταραχές στην ενεργοποίηση του άξονα «Iνσουλίνη - PI3k – mTOR - p70s6k» έχουν συνδεθεί με την ανάπτυξη ασθενειών, ανάμεσά τους και ο καρκίνος. Η αναστολή των μονοπατιών PI3k/Akt και mTOR με εξειδικευμένους αναστολείς όπως είναι χημικά μόρια με δράση ανάλογη του LY294002 και της ραπαμυκίνης, αποτελεί μια από τις στρατηγικές που έχουν χρησιμοποιηθεί ευρύτατα για την καταπολέμηση διαφόρων τύπων καρκίνων, όπως είναι το νευροβλάστωμα. Τα αποτελέσματα της παρούσας μελέτης έδειξαν ότι η στόχευση μορίων, που βρίσκονται ανοδικά στο μονοπάτι αυτό, όπως είναι η PI3k αναστέλλει με αντιστρεπτό τρόπο τον πολλαπλασιασμό των νευροβλαστωματικών κυττάρων καθώς τα οδηγεί σε μια κατάσταση ομοιάζουσα της G0, όπως φαίνεται από την ελαχιστοποίηση της έκφρασης της πρωτεΐνης ki67 και την αύξηση της p27, ένα φαινόμενο το οποίο αντιστρέφεται μετά την απομάκρυνση του αναστολέα LY294002. Αντίθετα, η δράση της ραπαμυκίνης, η οποία στοχεύει σε μόρια που βρίσκονται χαμηλά στο μονοπάτι όπως είναι το mTOR, προκαλεί μόνιμες μεταβολές στη βιολογία των κυττάρων, όπως είναι η παρεμπόδιση της διαφοροποίησης και η μη ομαλή πρόοδος του πολλαπλασιασμού (γρήγορη διέλευση από τις φάσεις της μίτωσης μετά την απομάκρυνσή της), διαδικασίες οι οποίες συνοδεύονται από αναστολή της ενεργότητας της κινάσης p70s6k. H δράση μονοπατιών που ενεργοποιούνται σε συνθήκες στρες, όπως είναι η σηματοδότηση από την p38MAPK είναι απαραίτητη για την ενεργοποίηση της p70s6k και την ανάκαμψη των κυττάρων, αφού η αναστολή της μετά την απομάκρυνση του LY294002 και της ραπαμυκίνης οδηγεί σε μείωση της έκφρασης των μορίων – δεικτών του πολλαπλασιασμού στα κύτταρα (Ki67, pH3 και ακετυλιωμένη τουμπουλίνη). Παρατηρήσαμε επίσης ότι η αναστολή της p38MAPK κατά την ανάκαμψη από ραπαμυκίνη, οδηγεί τα κύτταρα σε μια εναλλακτική κατάσταση επιβίωσης, κατά την οποία τα κύτταρα δεν πολλαπλασιάζονται (Ki67-) και εμφανίζουν χαρακτηριστικές τριχοειδείς προεκβολές, που είναι γνωστές ως πρωτογενή μικροτριχίδια (primary cilia). Η παρουσία αυτών των δομών στα πρόδρομα νευρικά κύτταρα είναι θεμελιώδης για την χωρική οργάνωση των κυττάρων στους νευρικούς ιστούς. Ο σχηματισμός των μικροτριχιδίων παρατηρήθηκε μόνο κατά την ανάκαμψη από την αναστολή του mTOR και όχι της κινάσης PI3K, γεγονός που ίσως συνδέεται με την απορρύθμιση των σημείων ελέγχου του κυτταρικού κύκλου από τη ραπαμυκίνη. Συμπερασματικά, τα αποτελέσματα αυτής της μελέτης αναδεικνύουν για πρώτη φορά μια αλληλεπίδραση μεταξύ των πρωτεϊνών mTOR – p38 – p70s6k, η οποία φαίνεται ότι έχει ενεργό ρόλο στην ανάκαμψη των νευροβλαστωματικών κυττάρων από συνθήκες στρες που προκαλούνται από την παρεμπόδιση του άξονα PI3k/Akt – mTOR. Κατά συνέπεια, θεραπείες που στηρίζονται στη χρήση φαρμάκων (όπως ανάλογα της ραπαμυκίνης) που αναστέλλουν το mTOR είτε ως μονοθεραπεία είτε σε συνδυασμό με αναστολείς μορίων που επάγουν την επιβίωση, όπως η p38MAPK, ενδέχεται να μην είναι αποτελεσματικές επειδή τα κύτταρα μπορεί να αποκτούν νέες ιδιότητες. Αντίθετα, προσεγγίσεις που στοχεύουν σε μόρια που βρίσκονται ανοδικά στο μονοπάτι PI3k – mTOR (όπως μόρια ανάλογα του LY294002) σε συνδυασμό με την αναστολή της p38MAPK ή της Hsp90 θα μπορούσαν να αποτελούν έναν νέο τρόπο αντιμετώπισης καρκίνων όπως το νευροβλάστωμα. Αποκαλύπτεται τέλος, ότι τα νευροβλαστωματικά κύτταρα έχουν μηχανισμούς δημιουργίας πρωτογενών μικροτριχιδίων, ένα χαρακτηριστικό που αξίζει περαιτέρω διερεύνηση, αφού μπορεί να συνδέεται με την ανάπτυξη χημειοανθεκτικότητας, και θα μπορούσε να αποτελέσει έναν ελκυστικό φαρμακευτικό στόχο για την αντιμετώπισή του νευροβλαστώματος