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Through the lenses of Entrepreneurial Event Theory and the Affective Processing Principle, this study aims to explore the interplay between cognition and emotion in the entrepreneurship education-entrepreneurial intention link, exploring the specific role of fear, conceptualized as a negative, avoidance-oriented, emotion. A moderation- mediation empirical model was tested on a sample of Italian University students. The results of the study discovered significant interactions. Fear decreases all the direct and mediating relations, suggesting that an assessment of the importance of emotions in the students' learning and decision-making processes is a vital issue that entrepreneurship scholars are advised to take into account to foster the formation of intentional behavior. Theoretical advancements and implications for academics, professors, and students will be finally discussed.

Six permutation patterns force quasirandomness, Discrete Analysis 2024:8, 26 pp. Quasirandomness is a major theme in combinatorics, with several important applications. The broad idea is to say that a combinatorial structure is quasirandom if it has important properties that a random structure of the same type will have with high probability. And what turns this idea from a source of possible definitions into a theory with applications is that it often turns out that quite different-looking properties are equivalent. For example, the following three properties of a graph with $n$ vertices and density $\alpha$ are equivalent (up to adjustments to the error terms). 1. The number of quadruples $(x,y,z,w)$ such that $xy, yz, zw$ and $wx$ are edges of $G$ is approximately $\alpha^4n^4$. 1. For every small graph $H$ with $k$ vertices, the number of functions $f:V(H)\to V(G)$ such that $f(x)f(y)$ is an edge of $G$ for every edge $xy$ of $H$ is approximately $\alpha^{|E(H)|}n^k$. 1. For every set $X$ of vertices of $G$, the number of edges $xy$ with $x,y\in X$ differs from $\alpha\binom{|X|}2$ by at most a small multiple of $n^2$. The fact that the first property implies the third is particularly useful because often it is easier to verify the first but also easier to deduce consequences from the third. The theory of quasirandom graphs was developed by Thomason and by Chung, Graham and Wilson. Later, similar equivalences were discovered for other combinatorial structures, such as hypergraphs and subsets of finite Abelian groups. This paper is about a notion of quasirandomness for permutations, originally introduced by Joshua Cooper. As with graphs, it can be defined in several equivalent ways. One central property of a permutation $\pi$ of $\{1,2,\dots,n\}$ is known as _balance_: we say that $\pi$ is balanced if for every pair of intervals $I$ and $J$, $$|I\cap\pi(J)|-|I||J|/n|$$ is at most a small multiple of $n$. That is, $\pi$ spreads every interval out so that it is evenly distributed in $\{1,2,\dots,n\}$. Another, more relevant to this paper, concerns permutation patterns. Given some fixed permutation $\sigma$ of $\{1,2,\dots,k\}$, we say that $\sigma$ _occurs in_ $\pi$ _at_ $(x_1,\dots,x_k)$ if $x_1

According to the Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS) of the FAO, Italy has one of the largest numbers of local small ruminant breeds among European countries. In Southern Italy, namely the Campania Region, Bagnolese and Laticauda sheep breeds and Cilentana goat breeds are considered endangered according to the DAD-IS. Conservation of endangered animal breeds is a goal of the European Union (EU). However, the role of infectious diseases as risk factors for endangered breeds has rarely been considered. Small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV) infect sheep and goats, causing slow-progressive, persistent, and debilitating diseases that can lead to animal death and productivity loss. In this study, we investigated the presence of SRLV in Bagnolese, Laticauda, and Cilentana breeds using a commercial ELISA in parallel with an in-house ELISA. The results of the two tests were in good agreement (Cohen Kappa 0.84, 95 % CI = 0.76–0.93). Discrepancies between the two tests were resolved using western blotting. In total, 430 samples were tested (248 Bagnolese, 125 Laticauda, and 57 Cilentana). The apparent prevalence rates were 12.5 %, 6.4 %, and 1.7 % in Bagnolese, Laticauda, and Cilentana, respectively. In the molecular analysis of 11 proviral partial sequences, subtypes B2 and A24 were identified in two Bagnolese herds. Owing to the beneficial role of sheep and goat breeding in marginal areas, it is important to screen the entire population and implement control/eradication of SRLV infections in conjunction with each conservation program.

Aim/Purpose: In undergraduate training, helping students improve argumentative text comprehension (CoT) by identifying the elements of an argumentative text and critical thinking (CT) by reconstructing the meaning of the text and constructing their own reflections is relevant. Argumentative skills are essential on both the personal and professional levels. Background: In recent decades, concern has developed over undergraduates' poor skills in reframing and articulating their thinking on a topic, which affects critical thinking and the ability to express unique perspectives. Customized interventions in higher education could develop argumentative abilities for professional and personal use. In this regard, argument maps (AM) could be a useful tool for the visualization of arguments. They provide logical relationships between statements to help understand the reasoning chain. Methodology: Hybrid presence-distance research was conducted over four days. A quasi-experiment with one group and three tests -- S1, S2, and S3 -- was conducted. Contribution: Our study aims to investigate and enrich the research landscape, especially in the Italian university context, regarding the use of AM to support text comprehension and the development of argumentative skills. Findings: Our preliminary descriptive analysis showed that AM improves students' CoT and CT proficiency levels. These abilities improved from the beginning to the end of the experiment. Inferential analysis showed a beneficial pathway inflection on final learning improvement. Early encouraging results suggest that AMs can improve argumentation comprehension, production, and critical thinking in teaching and learning. Recommendations for Practitioners: The learner could better manage knowledge and understand different perspectives with AM usage rules. Recommendation for Researchers: It is essential to remember that critical thinking is a multifaceted and complex concept. This article examined it as a proxy variable for text comprehension and argumentation skills. The length of exposure to the method, contexts and instruments (analog or digital), and age/education of participants must be considered when doing AM research. Impact on Society: The method would improve awareness of shared ideas and make it easier to enrich and rethink one's thoughts on the topic. Future Research: To study AM roles in diverse types of information, future research could incorporate quantitative and qualitative approaches. Cross-curricular learning for everyday life in digital and AI-driven environments, as well as text comprehension and critical thinking, could also be examined. Further research could cover other aspects of the topic of critical thinking.

Abstract Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), specifically liver steatosis and fibrosis with steatohepatitis (NASH), is often associated with visceral adiposopathy, whose pathogenetic features have been proposed as tumorigenic triggers. We performed a prospective analysis in 653 metabolic women to reveal any conditions that may predict and concur to cancer development during a 8-years period of follow-up. Among clinical and biochemical variables, only AST and non-invasive liver fibrosis scores (AARPRI, APRI, FIB-4, mFIB4) significantly distinguished cancer-developer women (n = 62, 9.5%) from those who did not develop cancer (p

AI-powered educational tools (AIEd) include early warning systems (EWS) to identify at-risk undergraduates, offering personalized assistance. Revealing students' subjective experiences with EWS could contribute to a deeper understanding of what it means to engage with AI in areas of human life, like teaching and learning. Our investigation hence explored students' subjective experiences with EWS, characterizing them according to students’ profiles, self-efficacy, prior experience, and perspective on data ethics. The results show that students, largely senior workers with strong academic self-efficacy, had limited experience with this method and minimal expectations. But, using the EWS inspired meaningful reflections. Nonetheless, a comparison between the Computer Science and Economics disciplines demonstrated stronger trust and expectation regarding the system and AI for the former. The study emphasized the importance of helping students’ additional experiences and comprehension while embracing AI systems in education to ensure the quality, relevance, and fairness of their educational experience overall.

The post-digital era is characterised by the vast presence of platforms that impose their digital affordances and algorithmic control on our behaviour. This environment is challenging education and training, with implications for digital and transmedial literacy. Investigating instructional methodologies is crucial to fostering critical comprehension of such novel informational environments. Argument maps (AMs), which were first created and evaluated in static information contexts (analogical/old web), could be useful in the emergence of dynamic (post-digital) textual forms. The current paper describes a comprehensive literature review based on the above assumptions. We looked into state-of-the-art research on using AMs to handle dynamic information. We found 150 papers using a PRISMA procedure and then examined 19 of them. Our review produced pertinent data about the current state of AMs, including the types of texts on which they are used and the tools (especially digital and artificial intelligence [AI]-based) that have been employed. Our research lays the groundwork for teaching the literacies needed in new informational settings, such as multimodal, dynamic, algorithmic and data-driven contexts, with a specific focus on AMs as effective mediational tools.

Abstract Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most common chronic liver disease in children and adolescents, increasing the risk of its progression toward nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis, and cancer. There is an urgent need for noninvasive early diagnostic and prognostic tools such as epigenetic marks (epimarks), which would replace liver biopsy in the future. We used plasma samples from 67 children with biopsy‐proven NAFLD, and as controls we used samples from 20 children negative for steatosis by ultrasound. All patients were genotyped for patatin‐like phospholipase domain containing 3 (PNPLA3), transmembrane 6 superfamily member 2 (TM6SF2), membrane bound O‐acyltransferase domain containing 7 (MBOAT7), and klotho‐β (KLB) gene variants, and data on anthropometric and biochemical parameters were collected. Furthermore, plasma cell‐free DNA (cfDNA) methylation was quantified using a commercially available kit, and ImageStream(X) was used for the detection of free circulating histone complexes and variants. We found a significant enrichment of the levels of histone macroH2A1.2 in the plasma of children with NAFLD compared to controls, and a strong correlation between cfDNA methylation levels and NASH. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that combination of cfDNA methylation, PNPLA3 rs738409 variant, coupled with either high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol or alanine aminotransferase levels can strongly predict the progression of pediatric NAFLD to NASH with area under the curve >0.87. Conclusion: Our pilot study combined epimarks and genetic and metabolic markers for a robust risk assessment of NAFLD development and progression in children, offering a promising noninvasive tool for the consistent diagnosis and prognosis of pediatric NAFLD. Further studies are necessary to identify their pathogenic origin and function.

IntroductionThyroid cancer incidence is increasing, and adiposity-related conditions are gaining space in its pathogenesis. In this study, we aimed to detect any anthropometric, biohumoral, and clinical features that might be associated with thyroid nodule malignancy, potentially representing novel non-invasive markers of thyroid cancer.Materials and methodsThe study was conducted in a group of 142 consecutive outpatients (47 men and 95 women) who underwent fine-needle aspiration biopsy/cytology (FNAB/C) due to suspicion of malignancy from January 2018 to September 2022. We compared lipid and glycemic blood profiles as well as non-invasive liver fibrosis indexes such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratio (AAR), AST to platelet ratio index (APRI), and fibrosis index based on four factors (FIB-4) between patients with benign and malignant newly diagnosed nodules. Then, we performed receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to assess their best cutoff values for discrimination of malignant nodules and chi-squared test to evaluate the association of specific dysmetabolic conditions with malignancy. To understand whether and to what degree dysmetabolic conditions increased the risk of thyroid nodule malignancy, we also calculated the odds ratio (OR) of the main biomarkers.ResultsAfter FNAB/C, 121 (85%) patients were diagnosed with benign thyroid nodules, while 21 (15%) individuals were diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Comparing patients with benign and malignant nodules, we found that individuals with thyroid cancer exhibited increased body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.048) and fasting plasma glucose (p = 0.046). Intriguingly, considering non-invasive scores for liver fibrosis, subjects with thyroid cancer presented increased AAR (p < 0.001) and APRI (p = 0.007), and these scores were associated with malignancy (p < 0.005) with OR = 7.1 and OR = 5, respectively. Moreover, we showed that only in the cancer group, low levels of vitamin D correlated with stigmata of impaired metabolism.DiscussionIn our study, AAR and APRI scores were associated with thyroid nodule malignancy and could be used to predict it and to speed up the diagnostic process. From a pathogenic point of view, we speculated that metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) along with hyperglycemia and vitamin D deficiency may represent putative drivers of thyroid carcinogenesis.

BackgroundOral semaglutide is the first glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) designed for oral administration; it offers a promising opportunity to facilitate an early approach to Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). The study aimed to evaluate, in a real-life setting, the effects of oral semaglutide on the body composition of patients with T2D after 26 weeks of therapy.MethodsThirty-two patients with T2D were evaluated at baseline (T0) and after three (T3) and six (T6) months of therapy with oral semaglutide. At each time point, body composition was assessed using a phase sensitive bioimpedance analyzer. Clinical, anthropometric and laboratory parameters, and the main biometric surrogates of liver steatosis and fibrosis, were also analyzed and compared.ResultsA significant and early reduction in anthropometric and glucometabolic parameters, alanine aminotransferase, Fatty Liver Index, and Fat Mass was observed. Visceral Adipose Tissue (VAT) decreased, while Fat Free Mass and Skeletal Muscle Mass (SMM) were preserved during therapy, resulting in a beneficial increase in the SMM/VAT ratio. Finally, an overall improvement in body fluid distribution was observed.ConclusionOur real-world data confirm the clinical efficacy of oral semaglutide and highlight its ability to improve the nutritional status of patients with T2D.

Background: In forensic pathology, asphyxia presents a problem as frequently as it is thorny and challenging. Some knowledge in forensic pathology is still considered to be traditionally acquired and is not critically assessed with modern statistical or technical tools. In this study, we seek to examine the injuries that are considered to be typical of cases of hanging (neck lesions, haemorrhages, and pleural and epicardial petechiae). Methods: We evaluated whether there was, indeed, a statistically significant association between these injuries and deaths from hanging as compared to non-hanging deaths. We collected 399 cases (32 deaths by hanging and 367 cases of non-hangings), built contingency tables and performed chi-square tests for each variable (lesion) examined; we also analysed this association in various subgroups of the sample (according to sex, age and weight ranges). Results: Our results did not deviate from the expected outcome based on traditional knowledge, although they do provide a more detailed demonstration and clarification of traditional knowledge regarding this topic. Conclusions: These findings provide valuable insights for future discussion, examination and deepening of knowledge that is traditionally accepted but often undersupported in the literature.

Abstract Genome‐wide association studies in adults have identified variants in hydroxysteroid 17‐beta dehydrogenase 13 (HSD17B13) and mitochondrial amidoxime reducing component 1 (MTARC1) as protective against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We aimed to test their association with pediatric NAFLD liver histology and investigate their function using metabolomics. A total of 1450 children (729 with NAFLD, 399 with liver histology) were genotyped for rs72613567T>TA in HSD17B13, rs2642438G>A in MTARC1, and rs738409C>G in patatin‐like phospholipase domain‐containing protein 3 (PNPLA3). Genotype–histology associations were tested using ordinal regression. Untargeted hepatic proteomics and plasma lipidomics were performed in a subset of children. We found rs72613567T>TA in HSD17B13 to be associated with lower odds of NAFLD diagnosis (odds ratio, 0.7; 95% confidence interval, 0.6–0.9) and a lower grade of portal inflammation (p A in MTARC1 was associated with a lower grade of hepatic steatosis (p = 0.02). Proteomics found reduced expression of HSD17B13 in carriers of the protective ‐TA allele. MTARC1 levels were unaffected by genotype. Both variants were associated with down‐regulation of fibrogenic pathways. HSD17B13 perturbs plasma phosphatidylcholines and triglycerides. In silico modeling suggested p.Ala165Thr disrupts the stability and metal binding of MTARC1. Conclusion: Both HSD17B13 and MTARC1 variants are associated with less severe pediatric NAFLD. These results provide further evidence for shared genetic mechanisms between pediatric and adult NAFLD.

ObjectiveIncreased Fibroblast Growth Factor-21 (FGF-21) circulating levels have been described in obesity. In this observational study, we analysed a group of subjects with metabolic disorders to unravel the putative link between visceral adiposity and FGF-21 serum levels.MethodsTotal and intact serum FGF-21 concentration was measured with an ELISA assay respectively in 51 and 46 subjects, comparing FGF-21 levels in dysmetabolic conditions. We also tested Spearman’s correlations between FGF-21 serum levels and biochemical and clinical metabolic parameters.ResultsFGF-21 was not significantly increased in high-risk conditions such as visceral obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, diabetes, smoking, and atherosclerosis. Waist Circumference (WC), but not BMI, positively correlated with total FGF-21 levels (r=0.31, p

Eggs are critically important for avian reproduction as all birds are oviparous. Accordingly, the recognition and care of own eggs represent the cornerstones of avian breeding, whereas the elimination of foreign objects, including brood-parasitic eggs and non-egg items from the nest are known to also increase fitness by refocusing incubation effort on the parents' own eggs. But egg recognition also plays a role in some avian obligate brood parasites' reproductive strategy through the pecking of already present eggs in the hosts' clutch to reduce nestmate competition with the parasite's own hatchling. Here we tested egg shape recognition in this parasitic egg-pecking context by exposing two different series of 3D printed models to captive obligate brood-parasitic shiny cowbirds (Molothrus bonariensis) in artificial nests. Natural egg-shaped models were pecked more often compared with increasingly thinner models, but there was no effect of increasing angularity on pecking rates, implying that a natural, rather than an artificial, range of variability elicited adaptive responses from parasitic cowbirds.

Abstract Background and objectives Lung Ultrasound Score (LUS) identifies and monitors pneumonia by assigning increasing scores. However, it does not include parameters, such as inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter and index of collapse, diaphragmatic excursions and search for pleural and pericardial effusions. Therefore, we propose a new improved scoring system, termed “integrated” lung ultrasound score (i-LUS) which incorporates previously mentioned parameters that can help in prediction of disease severity and survival, choice of oxygenation mode/ventilation and assignment to subsequent areas of care in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods Upon admission at the sub-intensive section of the emergency medical department (SEMD), 143 consecutively examined COVID-19 patients underwent i-LUS together with all other routine analysis. A database for anamnestic information, laboratory data, gas analysis and i-LUS parameters was created and analyzed. Results Of 143 enrolled patients, 59.4% were male (mean age 71 years) and 40.6% female. (mean age 79 years: p = 0.005). Patients that survived at 1 month had i-LUS score of 16, which was lower than that of non-survivors (median 20; p = 0.005). Survivors had a higher PaO2/FiO2 (median 321.5) compared to non-survivors (median 229, p