To be or not to be – factors that influence entrepreneurial intention : a Botswana study

This study explores whether final year university students possess entrepreneurial intention and which factors determine such a career choice. A quantitative study of 228 fourth year undergraduate students from the University of Botswana was undertaken to investigate the relationship between entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial self-efficacy and whether this is influenced by internal and environmental factors. This study offers empirical proof that entrepreneurial interests lead to entrepreneurial intent when students posses entrepreneurial self-efficacy. Students with a creative cognitive style show strong entrepreneurial intent irrespective of the level of self-concept. It is suggested that environmental factors do not have a significant influence on the decision to pursue self-employment.Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010.Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)unrestricte

Watchbird Home Monitoring System

Chickadee
 Tech 
has 
presents 
a 
remotely 
accessible 
home 
monitoring 
system 
called
 Watchbird.  

The
 system
 will
 allow
 users
 to 
check 
via 
their cell
 phones 
what the 
status
 of
 their door
 locks,
 windows,
 and
 stoves
 are in 
their 
homes.

  A
 considerable
 percentage 
of
 people
 leave
 their
 homes
 without
 locking
 their
 doors
, 
and 
that
 many
 burglaries
 actually
 occur
 through
 an
 unlocked
 door
.

 Watchbird will
 provide
 users
 with
 peace
 of
 mind 
in 
an 
unobtrusive
 and 
low‐cost 
manner

There is more than one way to turn a spherical cellular monolayer inside out: type B embryo inversion in Volvox globator

Höhn S, Hallmann A. There is more than one way to turn a spherical cellular monolayer inside out: type B embryo inversion in Volvox globator. BMC Biology. 2011;9(1): 89.Background: Epithelial folding is a common morphogenetic process during the development of multicellular organisms. In metazoans, the biological and biomechanical processes that underlie such three-dimensional (3D) developmental events are usually complex and difficult to investigate. Spheroidal green algae of the genus Volvox are uniquely suited as model systems for studying the basic principles of epithelial folding. Volvox embryos begin life inside out and then must turn their spherical cell monolayer outside in to achieve their adult configuration; this process is called 'inversion.' There are two fundamentally different sequences of inversion processes in Volvocaceae: type A and type B. Type A inversion is well studied, but not much is known about type B inversion. How does the embryo of a typical type B inverter, V. globator, turn itself inside out? Results: In this study, we investigated the type B inversion of V. globator embryos and focused on the major movement patterns of the cellular monolayer, cell shape changes and changes in the localization of cytoplasmic bridges (CBs) connecting the cells. Isolated intact, sectioned and fragmented embryos were analyzed throughout the inversion process using light microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy techniques. We generated 3D models of the identified cell shapes, including the localizations of CBs. We show how concerted cell-shape changes and concerted changes in the position of cells relative to the CB system cause cell layer movements and turn the spherical cell monolayer inside out. The type B inversion of V. globator is compared to the type A inversion in V. carteri. Conclusions: Concerted, spatially and temporally coordinated changes in cellular shapes in conjunction with concerted migration of cells relative to the CB system are the causes of type B inversion in V. globator. Despite significant similarities between type A and type B inverters, differences exist in almost all details of the inversion process, suggesting analogous inversion processes that arose through parallel evolution. Based on our results and due to the cellular biomechanical implications of the involved tensile and compressive forces, we developed a global mechanistic scenario that predicts epithelial folding during embryonic inversion in V. globator

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Electron beam lithography of a diffractive element for surface plasmon resonance sensing

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing is seen as a viable option for developing biological sensors that provide portable, real-time, integrated detection systems. Certain implementations of this sensing technique have already been commercialized, but there is a continued trend to provide systems that are ever-more compact and integrated. In accordance with this trend, previous work has designed a multi-channel SPR device which relies on diffractive lenses to couple light to and from its sensing spots. This thesis presents the development of a fabrication process for these lenses using electron beam lithography, and presents optical results from a prototype device. The fabrication process is demonstrated to provide a high degree of control for pattern alignment and for the size of fabricated features. The developed method is then used to create a reflective diffractive lens on a silicon substrate. The diffraction efficiency of the lens is measured to be approximately 18%, and the focal spot size of the lens is in accordance with predictions based upon the fabricated profile.La résonance plasmonique de surface (SPR) est considérée comme une option convenable pour le développement de capteurs biologiques offrant un système de détection portatif, en temps réel et intégré. Certains instruments utilisant cette technique de détection ont déjà été commercialisés; cependant, la tendance se maintient pour le développement de systèmes qui sont encore plus compacts et intégrés. Dans cette même direction, un dispositif SPR à multiples canaux basé sur des lentilles diffractives pour focaliser la lumière vers et depuis les régions de détection a été conçu précédemment. Cette thèse présente la conception d'un procédé de fabrication pour ces lentilles utilisant la lithographie par faisceau d'électrons ainsi que les résultats optiques obtenus avec un prototype. Il est démontré que le procédé de fabrication permet un grand contrôle de l'alignement du motif et de la taille des détails. La méthode conçue est ensuite utilisée pour créer une lentille diffractive et réflective sur un substrat de silicium. L'efficacité de diffraction de la lentille est de 18% environ et la taille du faisceau au foyer est en accord avec les prédictions basées sur le profile de fabrication

The role of context in adolescent hopelessness: differences in associated variables and felt experience

Although sizeable, the literature on hopelessness in young people is fragmented and lacks integrated consideration of the possible effects that social context plays in the genesis, maintenance and experience of hopelessness. The current research comprised two studies designed to allow for clarification and integration of the literature. Study 1 was a quantitative survey of students (n=450) drawn from metropolitan and rural high schools in New South Wales, Australia. While levels of hopelessness did not differ between the rural and metropolitan samples, regression analyses revealed differences between the variables associated with hopelessness in each of the groups. Results suggest that hopelessness was experienced differently between groups, with the metropolitan experience of hopelessness characterised by affective distress and perceived lack of support, and the rural experience by a perceived lack of control over external events affecting their lives. Study 2 was a qualitative, interview-based study designed to clarify and expand on the results of Study 1. Young people were sampled from university and residential rehabilitation populations. Descriptions of hopelessness were compared between university and rehabilitation sample groups, and between those who described a metropolitan or a rural background. Metropolitan youth were more likely to describe hopelessness as characterised by distress and withdrawal from valued activities, while rural youth described hopelessness as involving a loss of positive personal qualities, and decreased confidence in their own abilities. Compared to the university sample, young people in residential rehabilitation were more likely to describe hopelessness with reference to shame or moral failure, withdrawal from others, and loss of positive qualities of the self. Participants in the residential rehabilitation sample were also more likely to identify history of family conflict and abuse in their accounts of the aetiology of hopelessness. Taken together, these results suggest that social context plays a role in influencing individuals’ understanding and experience of hopelessness. Implications for interpretation of the literature and clinical applications are discussed

Mozart. English

"Sans peur et sans reproche." --- Translation of Mozart, ein Künstlerleben. The tone king : a life romance of the famous musician Wolfgang Mozart / from the German of Heribert Rau ; translated by J.E. St. Quintin Rae