Small business survey: linking 2006 and 2007 waves to the IDBR

This report describes work to link two waves of the Small Business Survey (SBS) to the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR)1. The first is the Annual Small Business Survey 2006/07, hereafter SBS 2006; the second is the survey for 2007/8, hereafter SBS 2007. The linking work has been undertaken by Belmana and Middlesex University; IFF Research conducted both surveys and has overseen this work. The focus of this research was to understand the strengths and weaknesses of different methods of linking and then develop an approach for application to the 2006 and 2007 waves of the survey. A particular difficulty, as older waves of SBS are linked to the IDBR, is the changes to businesses that would have occurred since the survey. This work has taken steps to reduce the effect of the age of the survey on the quality of the data linking, by linking to historic vintages of the IDBR and the Companies House register. The report also reviews earlier work by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) linking the 2010 and 2012 SBS surveys to the IDBR. The project draws on insights from this, but introduces new linking methods that improve link rates. Various quality checks have been undertaken and, given the surveys were conducted almost a decade ago, the ability to link a higher proportion of respondents to the IDBR than achieved for the 2010 survey indicates the linking of SBS can be undertaken even for relatively old waves. Some preliminary analysis of the linked survey data suggests that there is potential for understanding the more long-term outcomes for businesses and correlating these with SBS responses

Exploring financial literacy education strategies based on small- and micro-enterprise business practices

Purpose: This study explored the nature of business practices of small- and micro-enterprises within the South African context to propose recommendations for financial literacy education strategies. Design/methodology/approach: The data collection technique used for this qualitative study included semi-structured in-depth interviews with a case study of 10 small- and micro-enterprise owners who collectively trade within five of the nine South African provinces. Findings/results: Small- and micro-enterprises do not need to differ significantly because the respective business practice themes identified are relevant within both contexts. Both category enterprises make use of a cash basis system, generally have inventory management systems in place and do not have sophisticated financial planning practices. The micro-enterprises studied do not have business plans or accurate pricing strategies and cash management is a concern. The small-enterprise participants generally did not show interest in competitors and their enterprises had more sophisticated bookkeeping practices in place than micro-enterprises. Practical implications: Financial literacy education strategies for the owners should focus on providing guidance on tax matters, significance of business plans and how to prepare them, debtors management strategies, inventory management strategies, and a basic bookkeeping system that evolves from the cash basis of accounting to the accrual basis of accounting. It should also aim to educate owners on the importance of financial planning and risk management. Originality/value: This research provides an evidence-based description of the characteristics of South African small- and micro-enterprises, which could prove valuable in developing future owner financial literacy education programmes as well as other support strategies targeted at this audience.</p

Mentoring during surgical training: Consensus recommendations for mentoring programmes from the Association of Surgeons in Training

AbstractMentoring has been present within surgical training for many years, albeit in different forms. There is evidence that formal mentoring can improve patient outcomes and facilitate learning and personal growth in the mentee. The Association of Surgeons in Training (ASiT) is an independent educational charity working to promote excellence in surgical training. This document recommends the introduction of a structured mentoring programme, which is readily accessible to all surgical trainees.A review of the available evidence – including an ASiT-led survey of its membership – highlights the desire of surgical trainees to have a mentor, whilst the majority do not have access to one. There is also limited training for those in mentoring roles. In response, ASiT have implemented a pilot mentoring scheme, with surgical trainees acting both as mentors and mentees. Based on the existing literature, survey data and pilot experience, ASiT formalises in this document consensus recommendations for mentoring in surgical training

Mice lacking C1q or C3 show accelerated rejection of minor H disparate skin grafts and resistance to induction of tolerance

Complement activation is known to have deleterious effects on organ transplantation. On the other hand, the complement system is also known to have an important role in regulating immune responses. The balance between these two opposing effects is critical in the context of transplantation. Here, we report that female mice deficient in C1q (C1qa(−/−)) or C3 (C3(−/−)) reject male syngeneic grafts (HY incompatible) at an accelerated rate compared with WT mice. Intranasal HY peptide administration, which induces tolerance to syngeneic male grafts in WT mice, fails to induce tolerance in C1qa(−/−) or C3(−/−) mice. The rejection of the male grafts correlated with the presence of HY D(b)Uty-specific CD8(+) T cells. Consistent with this, peptide-treated C1qa(−/−) and C3(−/−) female mice rejecting male grafts exhibited more antigen-specific CD8(+)IFN-γ(+) and CD8(+)IL-10(+) cells compared with WT females. This suggests that accumulation of IFN-γ- and IL-10-producing T cells may play a key role in mediating the ongoing inflammatory process and graft rejection. Interestingly, within the tolerized male skin grafts of peptide-treated WT mice, IFN-γ, C1q and C3 mRNA levels were higher compared to control female grafts. These results suggest that C1q and C3 facilitate the induction of intranasal tolerance

V/STOL lift fan commercial short haul transports: Continuing conceptual design study

A design study of commercial V/STOL transport airplanes for a 1985 operational time period has been made. The baseline mission considered was 400 nmi at a cruise speed of M = 0.75 and a 100-passenger payload with VTOL. Variations from the baseline included mission distance, payload, cruise speed, and propulsion system failure philosophy. All designs used propulsion systems consisting of multiple gas generators driving remote tip turbine lift and lift/cruise fans. By considering the fan to be designed for operational reliability, significant simplication of the airplane systems and reduction in airplane size and cost can be achieved

NMR experiment factors numbers with Gauss sums

We factor the number 157573 using an NMR implementation of Gauss sums.Comment: 4 pages 5 figure

Promoting healthy eating in pregnancy: What kind of support services do women say they want?

Aim: To identify characteristics of the services and support women want to enable them to eat healthily during pregnancy to make a potential future service acceptable to this population. Background: An unhealthy diet during pregnancy may have a significant influence on pregnancy outcome, either directly through nutrient deficiencies or indirectly through maternal weight gain. Many pregnant women in the United Kingdom gain too much weight in pregnancy, and this weight gain may lead to an increased risk of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and having an obese child. Thus, there is a need for interventions aimed at improving healthy eating in pregnancy. It is crucial in developing successful interventions to understand how participation can be maximised by optimising intervention acceptability. Methods: Four focus groups were conducted; two with prenatal women (n = 9) and two with postnatal women (n = 14). Discussion focused on identifying relevant characteristics of a service targeting prenatal and postnatal women's eating to ensure that a future service was acceptable to the women. Findings: The participants’ responses were clustered into three broad themes: (1) early information leading to routine formation of healthier eating habits, (2) the delivery of practical sessions to increase information and (3) health professionals providing support and signposting to services. The participants reported wanting a practical service held in a convenient location, preferably led by women who have been pregnant themselves. The participants also reported wanting to be offered this service in pregnancy to help them get into a routine before they gave birth. Several suggestions for how this service should be marketed were mentioned, including through midwives and the internet. This research provides practical information for how to design support for prenatal women to increase their knowledge and practical skills regarding eating healthily during their pregnancy

Revisiting the Local Scaling Hypothesis in Stably Stratified Atmospheric Boundary Layer Turbulence: an Integration of Field and Laboratory Measurements with Large-eddy Simulations

The `local scaling' hypothesis, first introduced by Nieuwstadt two decades ago, describes the turbulence structure of stable boundary layers in a very succinct way and is an integral part of numerous local closure-based numerical weather prediction models. However, the validity of this hypothesis under very stable conditions is a subject of on-going debate. In this work, we attempt to address this controversial issue by performing extensive analyses of turbulence data from several field campaigns, wind-tunnel experiments and large-eddy simulations. Wide range of stabilities, diverse field conditions and a comprehensive set of turbulence statistics make this study distinct