Drawing upon the self-determination theory, we develop a two-stage multi-path mediation model in which psychological autonomy mediates the relationship between active engagement in entrepreneurship ...and well-being partially through its effect on psychological competence and relatedness. We test this model on a representative sample of 1837 working individuals (251 early-stage entrepreneurs) from Sweden. We find active engagement in entrepreneurial work tasks to be strongly associated with well-being relative to non-entrepreneurial work. Thus, we highlight the importance of individual self-organization—with autonomy at its core—which makes entrepreneurial work more beneficial in terms of basic psychological needs compared to other work alternatives.
•We examine variations in well-being and basic psychological needs between entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurial employees.•We draw on a unique and representative data sample, originates from the 2011 Swedish Global Entrepreneurship Monitor.•Our analysis clearly shows that well-being is strongly and positively associated with entrepreneurial task engagements.•Our theorizing demonstrates the positive contribution of entrepreneurship to basic psychological needs and well-being.
Epithelial organoids are stem cell–derived tissues that approximate aspects of real organs, and thus they have potential as powerful tools in basic and translational research. By definition, they ...self-organize, but the structures formed are often heterogeneous and irreproducible, which limits their use in the lab and clinic. We describe methodologies for spatially and temporally controlling organoid formation, thereby rendering a stochastic process more deterministic. Bioengineered stem cell microenvironments are used to specify the initial geometry of intestinal organoids, which in turn controls their patterning and crypt formation. We leveraged the reproducibility and predictability of the culture to identify the underlying mechanisms of epithelial patterning, which may contribute to reinforcing intestinal regionalization in vivo. By controlling organoid culture, we demonstrate how these structures can be used to answer questions not readily addressable with the standard, more variable, organoid models.
A new approach to search for axions in the storage ring experiments, applicable at a short coherence time of the in-plane polarization as is the case for protons is discussed. The technique can ...readily be applied at any storage ring equipped with internal polarimeter for the radial polarization of the beam (COSY, NICA, PTR). A possibility of substantial broadening of the range of attainable axion masses in storage rings with the hybrid electric and magnetic bending is pointed out, the PTR proton storage ring being an example.
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bstract
Solutions of the Maxwell equations for electrostatic systems with manifestly vanishing electric currents in the curved space-time for stationary metrics are shown to exhibit a non-vanishing ...magnetic field of pure geometric origin. In contrast to the conventional magnetic field of the Earth it can not be screened away by a magnetic shielding. As an example of practical significance we treat electrostatic systems at rest on the rotating Earth and derive the relevant geometric magnetic field. We comment on its impact on the ultimate precision searches of the electric dipole moments of ultracold neutrons and of protons in all electric storage rings.
Membrane potential is a fundamental property of biological cells. Changes in membrane potential characterize a vast number of vital biological processes, such as the activity of neurons and ...cardiomyocytes, tumorogenesis, cell-cycle progression, etc. A common strategy to record membrane potential changes that occur in the process of interest is to utilize organic dyes or genetically-encoded voltage indicators with voltage-dependent fluorescence. Sensors are introduced into target cells, and alterations of fluorescence intensity are recorded with optical methods. Techniques that allow recording relative changes of membrane potential and do not take into account fluorescence alterations due to factors other than membrane voltage are already widely used in modern biological and biomedical studies. Such techniques have been reviewed previously in many works. However, in order to investigate a number of processes, especially long-term processes, the measured signal must be corrected to exclude the contribution from voltage-independent factors or even absolute values of cell membrane potential have to be evaluated. Techniques that enable such measurements are the subject of this review.
Ever decreasing efficiency of antibiotic treatment due to growing antibiotic resistance of pathogenic bacteria is a critical issue in clinical practice. The two generally accepted major approaches to ...this problem are the search for new antibiotics and the development of antibiotic adjuvants to enhance the antimicrobial activity of known compounds. It was therefore the aim of the present study to test whether alkylresorcinols, a class of phenolic lipids, can be used as adjuvants to potentiate the effect of various classes of antibiotics. Alkylresorcinols were combined with 12 clinically used antibiotics. Growth-inhibiting activity against a broad range of pro- and eukaryotic microorganisms was determined. Test organisms did comprise 10 bacterial and 2 fungal collection strains, including E. coli and S. aureus, and clinical isolates of K. pneumoniae. The highest adjuvant activity was observed in the case of 4-hexylresorcinol (4-HR), a natural compound found in plants with antimicrobial activity. 50% of the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 4-HR caused an up to 50-fold decrease in the MIC of antibiotics of various classes. Application of 4-HR as an adjuvant revealed its efficiency against germination of bacterial dormant forms (spores) and prevented formation of antibiotic-tolerant persister cells. Using an in vivo mouse model of K. pneumoniae-induced sepsis, we could demonstrate that the combination of 4-HR and polymyxin was highly effective. 75% of animals were free of infection after treatment as compared to none of the animals receiving the antibiotic alone. We conclude that alkylresorcinols such as 4-HR can be used as an adjuvant to increase the efficiency of several known antibiotics. We suggest that by this approach the risk for development of genetically determined antibiotic resistance can be minimized due to the multimodal mode of action of 4-HR.
We are the first to examine how parental unemployment experienced during early-, mid- and late-childhood affects adult life satisfaction. Using German household panel data, we find that parental ...unemployment induced by plant closures and experienced during early (0–5 years) and late (11–15 years) childhood leads to lower life satisfaction at ages 18–31. Nevertheless, parental unemployment can also have a positive effect depending on the age and gender of the child. Our results are robust even after controlling for local unemployment, individual and family characteristics, parental job loss expectations, financial resources, and parents’ working time when growing up. These findings imply that the adverse effects associated with parental unemployment experienced at a young age tend to last well into young adulthood and are more nuanced than previously thought.
The structural inhomogeneities of silicon films embedded within W/Si multilayer mirrors were studied by X‐ray reflection, grazing‐incidence small‐angle X‐ray scattering (GISAXS) and X‐ray ...photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In the diffuse scattering spectra, evidence of laterally and vertically ordered in‐layer inhomogeneities was consistently observed. In particular, specific substructures resonant in nature (named here `ridges') were detected. The properties of the ridges were similar to the roughness determined by quasi‐Bragg peaks of scattering, which required a high interlayer correlation of particles. The XPS showed the nanocrystalline nature of the Si particles in the amorphous matrix. The geometric characteristics and in‐layer and inter‐layer correlations of the nanoparticles were determined. In GISAXS imaging, the unusual splitting of the waists between the Bragg sheets into filament structures was observed, whose physical nature cannot yet be explained.
The nature of the observed bulk inhomogeneities in the silicon layers in W/Si multilayers is established. In the diffuse scattering spectra, specific substructures, which are clearly resonant in nature, are observed. The physical nature of some of them is not established.
Advances in the synthesis and scalable manufacturing of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) remain critical to realizing many important commercial applications. Here we review recent ...breakthroughs in the synthesis of SWCNTs and highlight key ongoing research areas and challenges. A few key applications that capitalize on the properties of SWCNTs are also reviewed with respect to the recent synthesis breakthroughs and ways in which synthesis science can enable advances in these applications. While the primary focus of this review is on the science framework of SWCNT growth, we draw connections to mechanisms underlying the synthesis of other 1D and 2D materials such as boron nitride nanotubes and graphene.