Navigating the technopreneurial odyssey: determining how technopreneurial self-efficacy, technopreneurial education and technological optimism cultivate tech-driven entrepreneurial intentions

Purpose This study aims to assess the impact of technopreneurial self-efficacy, technopreneurial education and technological optimism on Generation Z students’ intentions to engage in technopreneurship in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach The research employed a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional survey design. Data from 304 university students are analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Findings The findings confirm significant positive effects: technopreneurial self-efficacy has a direct impact on technopreneurship intention, and technopreneurship education mediates this relationship. Moreover, technological optimism moderates the relationships between technopreneurial self-efficacy and intention, as well as between technopreneurial education and intention. Research limitations/implications The study contributes to existing bodies of knowledge by expanding the tenets of the theory of planned behaviour, the generation cohort theory and the technology acceptance model by exploring how technopreneurs’ self-efficacy, technopreneurship education and technological optimism influence Generation Z students' intentions to engage in technopreneurship in South Africa. Practical implications The study findings can benefit educational institutions and policymakers by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of fostering technopreneurship, which will ultimately drive economic growth and innovation. Originality/value This study closes the gaps in the technopreneurship literature in emerging economies and underscores the importance of cultivating a technopreneurial mindset among youth to drive sustainable economic development

From perceived parental entrepreneurial passion to technopreneurship intention: The moderating role of perseverance and perceived parental entrepreneurial rewards

In light of significant advancements in both theoretical and practical aspects of technopreneurship, supported by empirical research, there remains an unexplored area within the academic domain pertaining to the impact of perceived parents’ entrepreneurial passion towards a career in technopreneurship and technopreneurship intention among Generation Z students remains unexplored in the academic domain. This study thus aims to examine how perceived parents’ entrepreneurial passion, perceived desirability and perceived feasibility would stimulate attitude towards a career in technopreneurship and technopreneurship intention among Generation Z students in Zimbabwe. It is based on a nomothetic quantitative methodology, where a survey was applied to collect responses from Generation Z university students in the Harare Metropolitan Province of Zimbabwe. Through structural equation modelling, the findings are validated, confirming that perceived parents’ entrepreneurial passion, perceived desirability and perceived feasibility do indeed influence attitudes towards pursuing a career in technopreneurship. The study also discovered that attitude towards a career in technopreneurship has a positive and a significant impact on technopreneurship intention. Moreover, the results support the moderation role of perseverance and perceived parental entrepreneurial rewards on the nexus be�tween attitude towards a career in technopreneurship and technopreneurship intention. Based on the results, the study concludes that perceived parents’ entrepreneurial passion, perceived desirability and perceived feasibility would stimulate attitude towards a career in technopreneurship and technopreneurship intention among Generation Z students

From Whistleblowing to Action: Students’ narratives on Combating White-Collar Crime in South Africa

This study explores the perspectives of university students in South Africa on combating white-collar crime, extending beyond traditional whistleblowing approaches. Utilizing the Gioia methodology, this qualitative inquiry adopts an inductive approach to gather in-depth insights from participants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 students from a university in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. This approach facilitated a detailed exploration of personal experiences and perceptions related to white-collar crime. The study revealed that students in South Africa support proactive measures to address white-collar crime, such as implementing ethics bowls, enforcing strict regulations with qualification revocation, and integrating corporate governance and business ethics modules into all degree programs. Participants highlighted the significance of establishing feedback mechanisms between academia and industry, conducting lifestyle audits, and utilizing negative reinforcement to expose students to the repercussions of unethical conduct. Moreover, students proposed the use of "mystery employees" as a tactic to uncover and probe white-collar crime within organizations. This research adds to the discussion on white-collar crime by emphasizing the perspectives of students, a group often neglected in conversations about this type of crime and its prevention. Using the Gioia methodology and analyzing qualitative data from a specific region, the study provides new insights into the efficacy of anti-white-collar crime measures and proposes potential policy and educational interventions customized for the South African context

Azithromycin Treatment Alters Gene Expression in Inflammatory, Lipid Metabolism, and Cell Cycle Pathways in Well-Differentiated Human Airway Epithelia

Prolonged macrolide antibiotic therapy at low doses improves clinical outcome in patients affected with diffuse panbronchiolitis and cystic fibrosis. Consensus is building that the therapeutic effects are due to anti-inflammatory, rather than anti-microbial activities, but the mode of action is likely complex. To gain insights into how the macrolide azithromycin (AZT) modulates inflammatory responses in airways, well-differentiated primary cultures of human airway epithelia were exposed to AZT alone, an inflammatory stimulus consisting of soluble factors from cystic fibrosis airways, or AZT followed by the inflammatory stimulus. RNA microarrays were conducted to identify global and specific gene expression changes. Analysis of gene expression changes revealed that the AZT treatment alone altered the gene profile of the cells, primarily by significantly increasing the expression of lipid/cholesterol genes and decreasing the expression of cell cycle/mitosis genes. The increase in cholesterol biosynthetic genes was confirmed by increased filipin staining, an index of free cholesterol, after AZT treatment. AZT also affected genes with inflammatory annotations, but the effect was variable (both up- and down-regulation) and gene specific. AZT pretreatment prevented the up-regulation of some genes, such as MUC5AC and MMP9, triggered by the inflammatory stimulus, but the up-regulation of other inflammatory genes, e.g., cytokines and chemokines, such as interleukin-8, was not affected. On the other hand, HLA genes were increased by AZT. Notably, secreted IL-8 protein levels did not reflect mRNA levels, and were, in fact, higher after AZT pretreatment in cultures exposed to the inflammatory stimulus, suggesting that AZT can affect inflammatory pathways other than by altering gene expression. These findings suggest that the specific effects of AZT on inflamed and non-inflamed airway epithelia are likely relevant to its clinical activity, and their apparent complexity may help explain the diverse immunomodulatory roles of macrolides

Investigating bacterial contributions to thermal tolerance in three intertidal marine snail Tegula species

In this era of climate change there is an urgent need to better understand the mechanisms that allow organisms to thrive vs. fail in thermally stressful environments. In particular, there is growing evidence that the “holobiont” (host animal + microbiome community of bacteria, fungi, and archaea that live in an organism) affects how organisms respond to environmental stressors such as temperature and thus should be studied further. Rocky intertidal species such as Tegula snails are ideal organisms for these types of studies because closely related species exhibit variability in heat tolerance. Here, we assess potential microbiome bacterial contributions to thermal tolerance in Tegula eiseni, Tegula funebralis, and Tegula gallina that co-occur in southern California but occupy different intertidal heights that vary in thermal stress exposure. 16S sequencing of the V4 region of individuals of each species exposed to control conditions (ambient temperature = 15°C) or a single short duration 5.5-hour heat stress (maximum temperature = 34°C) revealed distinct bacterial communities across species. Moreover, unique bacterial genera of the microbiome were significantly enriched (more abundant) in each Tegula species. Lutimonas, Polaribacter, and the exopolysaccharide (EPS)-producing bacteria Pelagicoccus were most abundant in T. gallina, the species that occupies the highest intertidal heights and thus experiences heat stress most frequently. These results suggest that microbiome-derived metabolites such as EPS could be contributing to the higher thermal tolerance of T. gallina. Overall, this study demonstrates that the bacterial microbiome should be considered when examining mechanisms of thermal tolerance in marine invertebrates

Inhibition of mitochondrial function by metformin increases glucose uptake, glycolysis and GDF-15 release from intestinal cells

Funder: BBSRCAbstract: Even though metformin is widely used to treat type2 diabetes, reducing glycaemia and body weight, the mechanisms of action are still elusive. Recent studies have identified the gastrointestinal tract as an important site of action. Here we used intestinal organoids to explore the effects of metformin on intestinal cell physiology. Bulk RNA-sequencing analysis identified changes in hexose metabolism pathways, particularly glycolytic genes. Metformin increased expression of Slc2a1 (GLUT1), decreased expression of Slc2a2 (GLUT2) and Slc5a1 (SGLT1) whilst increasing GLUT-dependent glucose uptake and glycolytic rate as observed by live cell imaging of genetically encoded metabolite sensors and measurement of oxygen consumption and extracellular acidification rates. Metformin caused mitochondrial dysfunction and metformin’s effects on 2D-cultures were phenocopied by treatment with rotenone and antimycin-A, including upregulation of GDF15 expression, previously linked to metformin dependent weight loss. Gene expression changes elicited by metformin were replicated in 3D apical-out organoids and distal small intestines of metformin treated mice. We conclude that metformin affects glucose uptake, glycolysis and GDF-15 secretion, likely downstream of the observed mitochondrial dysfunction. This may explain the effects of metformin on intestinal glucose utilisation and food balance

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

International genome-wide meta-analysis identifies new primary biliary cirrhosis risk loci and targetable pathogenic pathways

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a classical autoimmune liver disease for which effective immunomodulatory therapy is lacking. Here we perform meta-analyses of discovery data sets from genome-wide association studies of European subjects (n1⁄42,764 cases and 10,475 controls) followed by validation genotyping in an independent cohort (n1⁄43,716 cases and 4,261 controls). We discover and validate six previously unknown risk loci for PBC (Pcombinedo5108) and used pathway analysis to identify JAK-STAT/IL12/IL27 signalling and cytokine–cytokine pathways, for which relevant therapies exist