The mature learner: understanding entrepreneurial learning processes of university students from a social constructivist perspective.

Entrepreneurship is identified as a highly complex (Neck and Greene 2011), unpredictable (Kuratko 2004), dynamic (Cope 2005) and constantly evolving (Anderson 2000) phenomenon that is embedded into and emerges from its social and cultural context (Jack and Anderson 2002; Rae 2001). Consequently, entrepreneurial learning is understood as a social learning process (Korsgaard and Anderson 2011) of profoundly experiential nature (Krueger 2007). The thesis addresses the development of entrepreneurship education and discusses the discrepancy between the large quantity of educations and their limited ability to respond to its current needs (Gibb 2005). A closer look is taken at the concept of learning and how the major learning theories contribute to understanding and enabling learning processes. It is argued that social constructivism (Gergen 1999) provides a good explanation of the entrepreneurial learning process (Chell 2000; Fletcher 2006; Rae 2006) as it considers knowledge to be constructed by the individual based on her experiences with the world. But when looking at entrepreneurship students in a university context a question emerges. If learning is based on knowledge from lived experiences, how can university students, who do not possess entrepreneurship experience, learn to be entrepreneurial? Based on a constructivist methodology (Gergen 1999) the research question is investigated in the scope of a qualitative study with 4 entrepreneurship education programmes in Europe. Semi-structured interviews to explore general aspects on learning were held with altogether 54 learners and 19 lecturers. To analyse data, a constructivist approach to Grounded Theory (Charmaz 2000) was chosen. The results demonstrate that constructivism provides a good explanation of learning “ especially in a higher education context. But while entrepreneurs seem to construct knowledge through experiencing practice, students seem to learn through experiencing knowledge in the scope of the education. Thereby, they use and develop certain personal qualities. First of all, the learning process requires a high level of responsibility for their learning which functions as a driving force to engage with new knowledge. Information is gathered and knowledge is experienced through social exchange with peers and lecturers; and new knowledge schemes are built through critical and independent reflection on their learning. Thus, entrepreneurial learning emerges as an iterative process, altering discussion and critical reflection of knowledge. It brings about a personal development that concludes on a stage where learners successfully integrate their seeking for both social integrity and individuality. This stage seems to mark their individual readiness for entrepreneurial activities and may be considered as a stage of personal maturity - or entrepreneurial maturity - a stage where all previous qualities are harmoniously reconciled

“Too Many betas do not Spoil the Broth”: The Role of Beta Brain Oscillations in Language Processing

Over the past 20 years, brain oscillations have proven to be a gateway to the understanding of cognitive processes. It has been shown that different neurocognitive aspects of language processing are associated with brain oscillations at various frequencies. Frequencies in the beta range (13–30 Hz) turned out to be particularly important with respect to cognitive and linguistic manipulations during language processing. Beta activity has been involved in higher-order linguistic functions such as the discrimination of word categories and the retrieval of action semantics as well as semantic memory, and syntactic binding processes, which support meaning construction during sentence processing. From a neurophysiological point of view, the important role of the beta frequencies for such a complex cognitive task as language processing seems reasonable. Experimental evidence suggests that frequencies in the beta range are ideal for maintaining and preserving the activity of neuronal assemblies over time. In particular, recent computational and experimental evidence suggest that beta frequencies are important for linking past and present input and the detection of novelty of stimuli, which are essential processes for language perception as well as production. In addition, the beta frequency’s role in the formation of cell assemblies underlying short-term memory seems indispensable for language analysis. Probably the most important point is the well-known relation of beta oscillations with motor processes. It can be speculated that beta activities reflect the close relationship between language comprehension and motor functions, which is one of the core claims of current theories on embodied cognition. In this article, the importance of beta oscillations for language processing is reviewed based both on findings in psychophysiological and neurophysiological literature

Ethical Implications of the Mild Encephalitis Hypothesis of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a serious mental disease with a high mortality rate and severe social consequences. Due to insufficient knowledge about its etiopathogenesis, curative treatments are not available. One of the most promising new research concepts is the mild encephalitis hypothesis of schizophrenia, developed mainly by Karl Bechter and Norbert Müller. According to this hypothesis, a significant subgroup of schizophrenia patients suffer from a mild, but chronic, form of encephalitis with markedly different etiologies ranging from viral infections, traumas to autoimmune diseases. This inflammatory process is thought to occur in the beginning or during the course of the disease. In this article, we investigate the consequences of the mild encephalitis hypothesis of schizophrenia for the scientific community, and evaluate these consequences ethically. The mild encephalitis hypothesis implies that schizophrenia would no longer be considered an incurable psychiatric disorder. Instead, it would be considered a chronic, but treatable, neurological disease. This paradigm shift would doubtlessly have significant consequences: (1) major reforms would be necessary in the theoretical conceptualization of schizophrenia, which would challenge the psychiatric diagnostic systems, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders version 5 and ICD-10. (2) Psychotic patients should be treated in interdisciplinary teams, optimally in neuropsychiatric units; additionally, specialists for endocrinology, diabetology, and cardiology should be consulted for the frequently occuring somatic comorbidities. (3) Current diagnostic procedures and (4) therapies would have to be modified significantly. (5) There might be repercussions for the pharmaceutical industry as well: first, because old drugs with expired patent protection could partly replace expensive drugs and, second, because there would be a demand for the development of new anti-inflammatory drugs. (6) Legal evaluation of compulsory treatment orders might have to be reconsidered in light of causal therapies; leading to increased legal approval and reduced need for compulsory treatment orders due to better patient compliance. (7) The social inclusion of patients might improve, if treatment became more effective regarding cognitive and social functioning. (8) The stigmatization of patients and their relatives might decrease

A critical review of voluntary environmental initiatives in tourism: policy implications for rejuvenation

Environmental policy is one of the key management dimensions of rejuvenation strategies in mature tourism destinations. Among these, voluntary environmental initiatives are increasingly becoming a relevant theoretical possibility and are an empirical reality. Voluntary environmental initiatives are primarily undertaken in developed countries, mostly in Europe, that is on itself a mature tourism destination. This paper critically reviews the literature on voluntary environmental initiatives in tourism and extract policy implications for rejuvenation strategies. The main argument is that environmental management at tourism destinations can become a social dilemma for stakeholders at the destination, though these dilemmas are not inevitable. This paper shows that there are economic and non-economic incentives for different stakeholders to undertake voluntary environmental initiatives, and that many successful examples exist where voluntary action has fostered rejuvenation of degraded destinations. Voluntary initiatives should not be taken as a new panacea solution for tourism rejuvenation, but rather one strategy that can contribute in conjunction with others, to a better management of natural resources at destinations, improving environmental quality to guarantee the long-run competitiveness of tourism destinations

Understanding the entrepreneurial learning process and its impact on students' personal development: a European perspective.

Based on what we know about the multiplex nature of entrepreneurship, we argue that entrepreneurship is a difficult topic to teach. One response has been a shift to constructionist perspectives where learning is seen as an active process of constructing rather than merely acquiring knowledge. We wonder how is it possible for students, lacking much professional experience, to 'construct useful entrepreneurial knowledge? We address this question by analysing the learning experiences of 54 students and 19 lecturers in different European Entrepreneurship education programs. The study explores the nature and processes of entrepreneurial learning in the university context. It provides understanding of how learners “ across cultures and educational backgrounds “ engage in the learning process. We identify three personal qualities, which constitute this process: a multi-dimensional sense of responsibility, independent ways of thinking, and the ability to connect to ones own and other peoples needs. We identified the particular dynamics in which these qualities interact and develop and conclude with suggestions on how education may stimulate this process

The personality of freestyle snowboarders: Implications for product development

Several approaches with reference to customer involvement in the product development process can be found in the research literature. The majority of studies, focusing primarily on customer invol-vement in the product or service development process, are based on research in the area of new product development. However, these studies did not describe which customers or groups of custo-mers are suitable to be involved in the product development process of services. Meanwhile some researchers have drawn their focus on this topic. The empirical personality psychological traits approach as well as the differential psychology put the individual in the focus of the analyses. To this end, a research of snowboarders’ personality profile and their involvement in product design was carried out on a sample of 50 respondents active in the alpine region of Austria, Switzerland and Italy. The results have revealed that snowboarders differ from general population. The stan-dard deviations of all five scales are lower for the freestyle snowboarders than for those of the reference population. Freestyle snowboarders are scoring higher on dimensions of extraversion, open ness to experience, compatibility and conscientiousness. This research is an attempt to bring together psychology and social leisure sciences and to derive new findings regarding this under-investigated extreme sport segment, which in many cases displays typical lead user consumers in the field of sport tourism

The Willed Body Donor Interview project: Medical student and donor expectations

The Anatomical Donations Program at the University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS) has begun a multiphase project wherein interviews of donors will be recorded and later shown to medical students who participate in the anatomical dissection course. The first phase of this project included surveys of both current UMMS medical students and donors concerning their perceptions of such a program. A five‐question survey administered via Qualtrics software was electronically mailed to all current medical students at UMMS, and a survey was mailed to registered and potential donors requesting information from the UMMS on anatomical donations. A total of 224 medical student responses (response rate 33%) and 54 donor responses (response rate 27%) were received. Seventy‐four percent of students and 81% of donors reported they would participate in this program if it existed. Students and donors supported the implementation of this program for varying reasons, though many felt strongly they would not want to participate in a donor interview program. These qualitative results support those of previous studies that show a majority of students desire a closer personal relationship with the donor, and these are the first results to be reported on donor perceptions of a donor interview program. Although many students and donors are in favor of instituting this program, others feel strongly that such an experience could be traumatic. The causes of these differing reactions need to be further explored, and the opinions of those who object to this study will be respected by maintaining voluntary participation in future phases of this study. Anat Sci Educ 6: 90–100. © 2012 American Association of Anatomists.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/97164/1/1326_ftp.pd

Inhibition of protein kinase C μ by various inhibitors. Inhibition from protein kinase c isoenzymes

AbstractVarious inhibitors were tested for their potential to suppress the kinase activity of protein kinase C μ (PKCμ) in vitro and in vivo. Among the staurosporine-derived, rather selective PKC inhibitors the indolocarbazole Gö 6976 previously shown to inhibit preferentially cPKC isotypes proved to be a potent inhibitor of PKCμ with an IC5 of 20 nM, whereas the bisindolymaleimide Gö 6983 was extremely ineffective in suppressing PKCμ kinase activity with a thousand-fold higher ICm of 20 μM. Other strong inhibitors of PKCμ were the rather unspecific inhibitors staurosporine and K252a. Contrary to the poor inhibition of PKCμ by Gö 6983, this compound was found to suppress in vitro kinase activity of PKC isoenzymes from all three subgroups very effectively with IC50 values from 7 to 60 nM. Thus, Gö 6983 was able to differentiate between PKCμ and other PKC isoenzymes being useful for selective determination of PKCμ kinase activity in the presence of other PKC isoenzymes