Development and Validation of a Multidimensional Scale of Entrepreneurial Risk Perception

International audienceThe article proposes a multidimensional scale used to improve the assessment of risk perception within an entrepreneurial setting, focusing on the risk perception of newly created ventures. Although there has been evidence found to indicate the multidimensionality of risk, entrepreneurial scholars typically use unidimensional measurements. Risk perception can influence decision making differently according to the types of risks considered. Entrepreneurial risk can be broken into two categories: risk of failure and risk of missed opportunity.<br/

Influence of nutrients on enhancing laccase production by Botryosphaeria rhodina MAMB-05

The physiological requirements needed to enhance the production of laccases by the ascomycete Botryosphaeria rhodina MAMB-05 in submerged cultivation were examined under non-induced and induced (veratryl alcohol, VA) conditions. Under non-induced conditions (–VA), the initial pH, C:N ratio, and inorganic N source did not influence laccase production, in contrast to Tween 80, soybean oil, and copper, which significantly increased laccase production, and proline and urea, which suppressed laccase formation. In addition, Tween 60 could serve as the sole carbon source for the production of these enzymes. Under VA-induced conditions of fungal growth, factors such as inoculum type, time-point of addition of inducer, initial pH, C:N ratio, and type of N source, influenced the production of laccases; however, unlike the non-induced conditions, proline and urea did not act as suppressors. Each of these physiological conditions exerted different effects on biomass production. The nutritional conditions examined for B. rhodina MAMB-05 are discussed in relation to their influence on fungal growth and laccase production. [Int Microbiol 2007; 10(3):177-185

Electroconvulsive therapy use in adolescents: a systematic review

Abstract\ud \ud \ud \ud Background\ud \ud Considered as a moment of psychological vulnerability, adolescence is remarkably a risky period for the development of psychopathologies, when the choice of the correct therapeutic approach is crucial for achieving remission. One of the researched therapies in this case is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The present study reviews the recent and classical aspects regarding ECT use in adolescents.\ud \ud \ud \ud Methods\ud \ud Systematic review, performed in November 2012, conformed to the PRISMA statement.\ud \ud \ud \ud Results\ud \ud From the 212 retrieved articles, only 39 were included in the final sample. The reviewed studies bring indications of ECT use in adolescents, evaluate the efficiency of this therapy regarding remission, and explore the potential risks and complications of the procedure.\ud \ud \ud \ud Conclusions\ud \ud ECT use in adolescents is considered a highly efficient option for treating several psychiatric disorders, achieving high remission rates, and presenting few and relatively benign adverse effects. Risks can be mitigated by the correct use of the technique and are considered minimal when compared to the efficiency of ECT in treating psychopathologies

AI is a viable alternative to high throughput screening: a 318-target study

: High throughput screening (HTS) is routinely used to identify bioactive small molecules. This requires physical compounds, which limits coverage of accessible chemical space. Computational approaches combined with vast on-demand chemical libraries can access far greater chemical space, provided that the predictive accuracy is sufficient to identify useful molecules. Through the largest and most diverse virtual HTS campaign reported to date, comprising 318 individual projects, we demonstrate that our AtomNet® convolutional neural network successfully finds novel hits across every major therapeutic area and protein class. We address historical limitations of computational screening by demonstrating success for target proteins without known binders, high-quality X-ray crystal structures, or manual cherry-picking of compounds. We show that the molecules selected by the AtomNet® model are novel drug-like scaffolds rather than minor modifications to known bioactive compounds. Our empirical results suggest that computational methods can substantially replace HTS as the first step of small-molecule drug discovery

Understanding the relation between Zika virus infection during pregnancy and adverse fetal, infant and child outcomes: a protocol for a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis of longitudinal studies of pregnant women and their infants and children

IntroductionZika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy is a known cause of microcephaly and other congenital and developmental anomalies. In the absence of a ZIKV vaccine or prophylactics, principal investigators (PIs) and international leaders in ZIKV research have formed the ZIKV Individual Participant Data (IPD) Consortium to identify, collect and synthesise IPD from longitudinal studies of pregnant women that measure ZIKV infection during pregnancy and fetal, infant or child outcomes.Methods and analysisWe will identify eligible studies through the ZIKV IPD Consortium membership and a systematic review and invite study PIs to participate in the IPD meta-analysis (IPD-MA). We will use the combined dataset to estimate the relative and absolute risk of congenital Zika syndrome (CZS), including microcephaly and late symptomatic congenital infections; identify and explore sources of heterogeneity in those estimates and develop and validate a risk prediction model to identify the pregnancies at the highest risk of CZS or adverse developmental outcomes. The variable accuracy of diagnostic assays and differences in exposure and outcome definitions means that included studies will have a higher level of systematic variability, a component of measurement error, than an IPD-MA of studies of an established pathogen. We will use expert testimony, existing internal and external diagnostic accuracy validation studies and laboratory external quality assessments to inform the distribution of measurement error in our models. We will apply both Bayesian and frequentist methods to directly account for these and other sources of uncertainty.Ethics and disseminationThe IPD-MA was deemed exempt from ethical review. We will convene a group of patient advocates to evaluate the ethical implications and utility of the risk stratification tool. Findings from these analyses will be shared via national and international conferences and through publication in open access, peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration numberPROSPERO International prospective register of systematic reviews (CRD42017068915).</jats:sec

Revisiting Entrepreneurial Risk Taking : Combined Effects of Cognitive Heuristics

International audienceThe article examines ways in which new information about a new venture project influences the risk perceptions associated with the project and the decision to join it. The authors suggest that alterations in the framing of available data about a venture creation project change risk perceptions linked to the project, people's willingness to join the project and begin the venture. Availability and anchoring are cited as heuristics through which additional information about a new venture can bias risk perceptions and decision making. The authors also discuss how intuitive thinking may actually result in biased estimates that are subsequently used as a basis in decision making.<br/

Development and Validation of a Multidimensional Scale of Entrepreneurial Risk Perception

International audienceThe article proposes a multidimensional scale used to improve the assessment of risk perception within an entrepreneurial setting, focusing on the risk perception of newly created ventures. Although there has been evidence found to indicate the multidimensionality of risk, entrepreneurial scholars typically use unidimensional measurements. Risk perception can influence decision making differently according to the types of risks considered. Entrepreneurial risk can be broken into two categories: risk of failure and risk of missed opportunity.<br/

Perceptions culturelles et intention d’entreprendre : Une comparaison entre des étudiants brésiliens et français

Dans cette étude, nous complétons les travaux existants qui s’intéressent à l’influence de la culture nationale sur l’entrepreneuriat. Plus précisément, nous présentons une recherche empirique visant à cerner l’impact de différentes dimensions de la culture sur l’intention d’entreprendre. Différemment des recherches antérieures, nous utilisons un instrument de mesure créé spécialement pour appréhender la culture entrepreneuriale d’une région ou d’un pays, le questionnaire C-ENT (Culture of Entrepreneurship), développé par Stephan (2007). Nous proposons ainsi un modèle théorique qui détaille des dimensions de la culture beaucoup plus proches du comportement entrepreneurial que celles examinées dans les recherches antérieures, et nous présentons un premier test empirique de ce modèle en nous focalisant sur deux pays assez particuliers en ce qui concerne leurs niveaux d’intention entrepreneuriale, à savoir le Brésil et la France. Nos résultats sont cohérents avec les rapports du Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, dans le sens où les étudiants brésiliens de notre échantillon présentent globalement un niveau d’intention entrepreneuriale supérieur à la moyenne des étudiants français. Cela dit, nos résultats indiquent aussi une absence relative d’effets directs de la culture sur l’intention d’entreprendre, ce qui ouvre plusieurs voies de recherche pour l’avenir. Nous suggérons et discutons ces différentes pistes de recherche, en relevant aussi les dimensions de la culture entrepreneuriale à retenir et les construits psychologiques auxquels elles semblent être reliées.In this study we complement existing literature on the influence of national culture on entrepreneurship. More precisely, we present an empirical study aiming to measure the impact of different cultural dimensions over entrepreneurial intentions. Different from previous research, we use a measurement instrument specifically created to capture the entrepreneurial culture of a region or country, i.e., the questionnaire C-ENT (Culture of Entrepreneurship) developed by Stephan (2007). Thus, we suggest a theoretical model that details cultural dimensions that are much closer to entrepreneurial behavior than those use in previous research, and we present a first empirical test of this model, focusing on two countries—Brazil and France—that present particularly interesting levels of entrepreneurial intentions. Our results are consistent with Global Entrepreneurship Monitor reports, in the sense that Brazilian students in our sample exhibit on average higher levels of entrepreneurial intentions than French students. That said, our results also suggest a relative lack of direct effects of culture on entrepreneurial intentions, opening several questions for further research. We discuss these different questions, suggesting dimensions of entrepreneurial culture that should be retained and the psychological constructs to which they seem to be connected.En este articulo, complementamos la literatura existente en el campo de la influencia de la cultura nacional sobre el comportamiento y la actividad emprendedora. Más precisamente, presentamos una investigación empírica cuyo objetivo es medir el impacto de diferentes dimensiones de la cultura en la intención de emprender. A diferencia de investigaciones precedentes, utilizamos un instrumento de medida específicamente creado para capturar la cultura emprendedora de una región o de un país, el cuestionario C-ENT (Culture of Entrepreneurship) elaborado por Stephan (2007). De este modo, proponemos un modelo teórico que incluye dimensiones culturales mucho más próximas al comportamiento emprendedor que los modelos adoptados por investigaciones precedentes. Además, presentamos un primer test empírico de este modelo, con el foco situado en dos países particularmente interesantes en lo que se refiere a sus niveles de intención emprendedora – Brasil y Francia. Nuestros resultados son coherentes con los resultados del Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, pues muestran que los estudiantes brasileños de nuestra muestra presentan un nivel de intenciones emprendedoras superior al de los estudiantes franceses. Nuestros resultados también revelan una ausencia relativa de efectos directos de la cultura en la intención de emprender, lo que abre diversas perspectivas para futuras investigaciones. Finalmente, discutimos tales perspectivas sugiriendo dimensiones de la cultura emprendedora en las que para profundizar así como constructos psicológicos que parecen estar relacionados con ellas.In der vorliegenden Studie werden bereits existierende Arbeiten über den Einfluss von Landeskulturen auf Unternehmertum vervollständigt. Eine empirische Untersuchung wurde durchgeführt, die aufzeigt, welche Auswirkungen die verschiedenen Dimensionen einer Kultur auf die unternehmerischen Absichten ausüben. Im Gegensatz zu früheren Untersuchungen, wurde das Messinstrument C-ENT (Culture of Entrepreneurship) verwendet, das von Stephan (2007) speziell zur Erforschung der unternehmerischen Kultur einer Region oder eines Landes entwickelt wurde. Es wurde ein theoretisches Modell vorgeschlagen, welche die Kulturdimensionen detailliert aufzeigt und sich näher am unternehmerischen Verhalten orientiert als vorangehende Forschungen. Das Modell wurde anhand eines ersten empirischen Testverfahrens mit Fokus auf Brasilien und Frankreich geprüft, die hinsichtlich der unternehmerischen Absichten besondere Merkmale aufzeigen. Die Ergebnisse sind insofern mit dem Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) konsistent, indem die brasilianischen verglichen mit den französischen Studierenden im Mittel ein höheres Niveau an unternehmerischen Absichten aufzeigen. Von den Ergebnissen ist zudem abzuleiten, dass keine direkten Einflüsse der Kultur auf das unternehmerische Verhalten auszumachen sind, was wiederum neue Ansätze für künftige Forschungsarbeiten eröffnet. Die Autoren diskutieren diese Ansätze und schlagen vor, die unternehmerischen Kulturdimensionen sowie die psychologischen Konstrukte, die hierbei in Verbindung zu stehen scheinen, weiter zu untersuchen