Competenze dei fondatori e performance attesa delle start-up: un\u2019analisi empirica

Le start-up sono uno stimolo eccezionale all\u2019occupazione e le risorse finanziarie, che vengono elargite in base alla performance attesa, svolgono un ruolo chiave per il loro successo. Mentre sono stati studiati gli aspetti contestuali e individuali che favoriscono la performance delle start-up, la relazione tra performance attesa delle start-up e competenze dei fondatori necessita ulteriore attenzione. Questo studio contribuisce a tale tema validando empiricamente, su un campione di 1690 start-up, un framework analitico sull\u2019impatto di profondit\ue0 e eterogeneit\ue0 delle competenze sulla performance attesa. Lo studio fornisce importanti implicazioni per il management evidenziando le caratteristiche dei fondatori che favoriscono il successo delle start-up. In particolare, il nostro studio suggerisce che, nelle prime fasi di vita della start-up, la presenza di competenze simili ed approfondite impatta positivamente sulla performance attesa e quindi sulla capacit\ue0 di reperire fondi.Start-ups represent an important occupational driver and the financial resources that are crucial for their success, are provided based on their expected performance. While dispositional factors that favor the start-ups\u2019 performance have already been investigated, the relationship between founders\u2019 competences and start-ups\u2019 expected performance it\u2019s an overlooked phenomenon. This research contributes to this field of research by empirically validating an analytical framework about the impact of competence depth and breadth on the start-ups\u2019 expected performance. Based on a sample of 1690 start-ups, this paper provides relevant implications for management, highlighting the founders\u2019 characteristics that favor start-ups\u2019 success. In particular, our study suggests that, at the beginning, similar and deep competences positively impact the expected start-ups\u2019 performance and therefore their ability to raise funds

Risk-Aversion for Negative Health Outcomes May Promote Individual Compliance to Containment Measures in Covid-19 Pandemic

First-person experience of stressful life events can change individuals' risk attitudes, driving to increased or decreased risk perception. This shift to more risk-averse or risk-loving behaviors may find a correlate in the individual psycho-socio-emotional profile. To this purpose, we aimed to estimate the relationship between differences in risk-taking attitudes toward possible negative health outcomes and psycho-socio-emotional dimensions modulating the experience of life-threatening situations, in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. In March 2020, we launched the PsyCovid Study (https://wprn.org/item/428452) to assess psycho-socio-emotional changes due to Covid-19 pandemic in the Italian population. Additionally, we distributed to 130 participants the Covid-19 Risk Task, including monetary and health-related stimuli, estimating a measure of risk-aversion toward health and classifying participants on the basis of their risk-attitude profiles. The set of psycho-socio-emotional variables was reduced to three PCA components: Proactivity, Isolation, Inactivity. The individual degree of risk-aversion toward negative health outcomes was directly related to Proactivity, encasing empathic, social support and positive coping strategies, which may prompt individuals to put in place self-protection strategies toward possible negative health consequences. These findings indicate that a risk-averse profile toward possible negative health outcomes may be associated to higher levels of individual prosocial and proactive dispositions, possibly making individuals' more compliant with the social and hygienic guidelines and, thus, reducing their exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 infection

Regional reductions of gray matter volume in familial dyslexia

An in vivo anatomic study of gray matter volume was performed in a group of familial dyslexic individuals, using an optimized method of voxel-based morphometry. Focal abnormalities in gray matter volume were observed bilaterally in the planum temporale, inferior temporal cortex, and cerebellar nuclei, suggesting that the underlying anatomic abnormalities may be responsible for defective written language acquisition in these subjects

Years of life that could be saved from prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) causes premature death and loss of life expectancy worldwide. Its primary and secondary prevention can result in a significant number of years of life saved. AIM: To assess how many years of life are lost after HCC diagnosis. METHODS: Data from 5346 patients with first HCC diagnosis were used to estimate lifespan and number of years of life lost after tumour onset, using a semi-parametric extrapolation having as reference an age-, sex- and year-of-onset-matched population derived from national life tables. RESULTS: Between 1986 and 2014, HCC lead to an average of 11.5 years-of-life lost for each patient. The youngest age-quartile group (18-61 years) had the highest number of years-of-life lost, representing approximately 41% of the overall benefit obtainable from prevention. Advancements in HCC management have progressively reduced the number of years-of-life lost from 12.6 years in 1986-1999, to 10.7 in 2000-2006 and 7.4 years in 2007-2014. Currently, an HCC diagnosis when a single tumour <2 cm results in 3.7 years-of-life lost while the diagnosis when a single tumour 65 2 cm or 2/3 nodules still within the Milan criteria, results in 5.0 years-of-life lost, representing the loss of only approximately 5.5% and 7.2%, respectively, of the entire lifespan from birth. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatocellular carcinoma occurrence results in the loss of a considerable number of years-of-life, especially for younger patients. In recent years, the increased possibility of effectively treating this tumour has improved life expectancy, thus reducing years-of-life lost

Self-ordered pointing and visual conditional associative learning tasks in drug-free schizophrenia spectrum disorder patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is evidence of a link between schizophrenia and a deficit of working memory, but this has been derived from tasks not specifically developed to probe working memory per se. Our aim was to investigate whether working memory deficits may be detected across different paradigms using the self-ordered pointing task (SOPT) and the visual conditional associative learning task (VCALT) in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and healthy controls. The current literature suggests deficits in schizophrenia spectrum disorder patients versus healthy controls but these studies frequently involved small samples, broad diagnostic criteria, inclusion of patients on antipsychotic medications, and were not controlled for symptom domains, severity of the disorder, etc. To overcome some of these limitations, we investigated the self-monitoring and conditional associative learning abilities of a numerically representative sample of healthy controls and a group of non-deteriorated, drug-free patients hospitalized for a schizophrenia spectrum disorder with florid, mainly positive psychotic symptoms.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Eighty-five patients with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder (DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of schizophrenia (<it>n </it>= 71) or schizophreniform disorder (<it>n </it>= 14)) and 80 healthy controls entered the study. The clinical picture was dominated by positive symptoms. The healthy control group had a negative personal and family history of schizophrenia or mood disorder and satisfied all the inclusion and exclusion criteria other than variables related to schizophrenia spectrum disorders.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Compared to controls, patients had worse performances on SOPT, VCALT and higher SOPT/VCALT ratios, not affected by demographic or clinical variables. ROC curves showed that SOPT, VCALT, and SOPT/VCALT ratio had good accuracy in discriminating patients from controls. The SOPT and VCALT scores were inter-correlated in controls but not in patients.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The selection of a clinically homogeneous group of patients, controlled for a number of potential confounding factors, and the high level of significance found in the different analyses confirm the presence of SOPT and VCALT abnormalities in a large preponderance of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder with positive symptoms. SOPT, VCALT, and SOPT/VCALT ratio showed good accuracy in discriminating patients from healthy controls. These conclusions cannot be extended to schizophrenia spectrum disorder patients with a different clinical profile from our patient population.</p

Efficacy and safety of growth hormone treatment in children with short stature: the Italian cohort of the GeNeSIS clinical study

Purpose: We examined auxological changes in growth hormone (GH)-treated children in Italy using data from the Italian cohort of the multinational observational Genetics and Neuroendocrinology of Short Stature International Study (GeNeSIS) of pediatric patients requiring GH treatment. Methods: We studied 711 children (median baseline age 9.6&nbsp;years). Diagnosis associated with short stature was as determined by the investigator. Height standard deviation score (SDS) was evaluated yearly until final or near-final height (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;78). Adverse events were assessed in all GH-treated patients. Results: The diagnosis resulting in GH treatment was GH deficiency (GHD) in 85.5&nbsp;% of patients, followed by Turner syndrome (TS 6.6&nbsp;%). Median starting GH dose was higher in patients with TS (0.30&nbsp;mg/kg/week) than patients with GHD (0.23&nbsp;mg/kg/week). Median (interquartile range) GH treatment duration was 2.6 (0.6\u20133.7) years. Mean (95&nbsp;% confidence interval) final height SDS gain was 2.00 (1.27\u20132.73) for patients with organic GHD (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;18) and 1.19 (0.97\u20131.40) for patients with idiopathic GHD (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;41), but lower for patients with TS, 0.37 ( 120.03 to 0.77, n&nbsp;=&nbsp;13). Final height SDS was&nbsp;&gt; 122 for 94&nbsp;% of organic GHD, 88&nbsp;% of idiopathic GHD and 62&nbsp;% of TS patients. Mean age at GH start was lower for organic GHD patients, and treatment duration was longer than for other groups, resulting in greater mean final height gain. GH-related adverse events occurred mainly in patients diagnosed with idiopathic GHD. Conclusions: Data from the Italian cohort of GeNeSIS showed auxological changes and safety of GH therapy consistent with results from international surveillance databases

Citizen science: involving citizens in research projects and urban planning

Starting from the relationship between urban planning and mobility management, TeMA has gradually expanded the view of the covered topics, always following a rigorous scientific in-depth analysis. This section of the Journal, Review Notes, is the expression of a continuous updating of emerging topics concerning relationships among urban planning, mobility and environment, through a collection of short scientific papers. The Review Notes are made of four parts. Each section examines a specific aspect of the broader information storage within the main interests of TeMA Journal. In particular, the Economy, business and land use section aims at presenting recent advancements on relevant topics that underlie socio-economic relationships between firms and territories. The present note tackles the issue of citizen science, a new data collection methodology for research project that generates sustainability benefits, and that is recently finding applications in urban context to solve social and environmental issues while providing useful information that can be also used to develop urban plans