Innovative Way of Transferring Education and Training Facilities in Namibia. The Adult Skills Development for Self_Emplyments (ASDSE) Project

This paper investigates new ways to transfer entrepreneurial education to previously disadvantaged individuals. It analyses the case of the ASDSE project, implemented in the form of partnership between the Namibian Government, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) and a commercial bank. The main concept was to train the District Learner Officials already in the field for the National Literacy Programme in Namibia (NLPN), and at a later stage to assign them to the tasks of selecting, training and monitoring the entrepreneurs. Since the launch of this project 330 loans amounting to N$770,000 (US$ 150,000)were disbursed to unemployed and underemployed Namibians, 70% of which are women, the majority being heads of households. Previously, to receive the loan, each entrepreneur had to receive extensive training on basic entrepreneurial skills. It is encouraging to note that to date, thanks to the constant follow-up of the entrepreneurs, the repayment rate by entrepreneurs is 98% with only 2% defaultsNamibia, micro credit, SMME

Immigration in Italy: An overview

The expansion and the rooting of non European immigrants which is taking place in the more advanced European countries, mirror a world context which is marked by imbalances both in terms of growth and welfare. A correct analysis of migration, of its structural characteristics and of the new dynamics of migration flows must consider the globalisation process as well as the effect that this is having with regard to the movement of people, in this context the pull and push factors mutually reinforce a phenomenon which can influence either in a positive or in a negative way the international relationships among countries. In the last quarter of the century, a steady increase of migrants have crossed Europe; this has generated a complex relationship made of integration and rejection, adaptation and conflicts, which has influenced all aspect of both economic and social life, producing new phenomenon, giving birth to new problems which require new approaches and solutions. Italy is part of such depiction since has witnessed in the last decades, a solid influx of immigrants which have increased with a high rate of growth. In fact in 2006 Italy with 2,938,922 legal immigrants, appears to be among the major destination of migrants in Europe, following Germany, Spain and France with 7,287,980, 3,371,394 and 3,263,186 immigrants respectively and just before Great Britain with 2,857,000 immigrants. Using the available statistical data, disaggregated at national, regional and provincial level, it will be possible to have an overall picture of the phenomenon described above and to compare the Italian case with the events in the other European countries. In this way we can have a better understanding of the process underlying migration in order to identify future scenariosInternational Migration, Europe, Italy

Association between alcohol consumption and rotator cuff tear

Background and purpose - Long-term alcohol intake is associated with various negative effects on capillary microcirculation and tissue perfusion. We hypothesized that alcohol consumption might be a risk factor for both the occurrence and the severity of rotator cuff tears (RCTs). Patients and methods - A case-control study was performed. We studied 249 consecutive patients (139 men and 110 women; mean age 64 (54-78) years) who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Tear size was determined intraoperatively. The control group had 356 subjects (186 men and 170 women; mean age 66 (58-82) years) with no RCT. All participants were questioned about their alcohol intake. Participants were divided into: (1) non-drinkers if they consumed less than 0.01 g of ethanol per day, and (2) moderate drinkers and (3) excessive drinkers if women (men) consumed > 24 g (36 g) per day for at least 2 years. Results - Total alcohol consumption, wine consumption, and duration of alcohol intake were higher in both men and women with RCT than in both men and women in the control group. Excessive alcohol consumption was found to be a risk factor for the occurrence of RCT in both sexes (men: OR = 1.7, 95% CI: 1.2-3.9; women: OR = 1.9, 95% CI: 0.94-4.1). Massive tears were associated with a higher intake of alcohol (especially wine) than smaller lesions. Interpretation - Long-term alcohol intake is a significant risk factor for the occurrence and severity of rotator cuff tear in both sexes

The 2000 SMALL BUSINESS BASELINE SURVEY

Executive summary The aim of the Baseline Survey was to generate information on the characteristics of entrepreneurs and enterprises in the Khomas region. It is necessary to stress, that Khomas region is very different from the other regions where the survey was previously conducted since it is an urbanised region with 90% of its constituency falling within the Windhoek city boundaries. The only other main centre being that of Dordabis, which, however does not have the status of a local authority For this reason the census was conducted mainly in the capital city. Information were collected in order to: •Establish the number and types of small and micro businesses; •Illustrate the characteristics of small and micro businesses; •Develop a database for measuring the impact of the SME policy and programmes; •Compare the results in Khomas with results obtained in Erongo and Otjozondjupa and in the four northern regions. The methodology applied was based on three questionnaires: •The first was presented to the local authority town clerk, it concerned to their policies towards SMEs. •The second was the census form for all businesses in a town. •The third was the survey questionnaire used for interviewing a sample of those businesses. A stratified random sample was drawn.The Namibian Economic Policy Research Unit undertook the surveys and analysed the data. The main findings of the Baseline survey can be summarised as follows: The local authority had a list of registered businesses by type. However, data on businesses was very limited and the majority of businesses in the location area were not registered. •The local authority still did not have an annual plan for the SME sector, although several activities were planned to support SME's. •Direct outsourcing activities to local firms were minimal (refuse removal), however a tender policy in order to favor local SME was in action. •Local authorities appeared to act in an enabling way towards SME's. •Very few Chambers of Commerce members were in the SME category. In the census a total of 5 359 small and micro businessesSMME, Namibia,

Adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder: pain intensity and distribution

Purpose Papers regarding adhesive capsulitis (AC) of the shoulder focused on etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment; until now, information on shoulder pain characteristics is still scarce. Our aim was to analyze pain intensity and distribution in patients with AC. Methods The study group was composed of 278 (133M–145F) consecutive patients with AC. After diagnosis, shoulder pain distribution was assessed through an upper limb pain map and pain intensity through a visual analog scale. Patients were distinguished on the basis of gender, age, time elapsed from onset of symptoms, and severity of functional limitation. Data were submitted to statistical analysis. Results Intensity of shoulder pain caused by AC was higher in females (p 0.05). Conclusion Shoulder pain due to AC may be influenced by gender and severity of functional limitation. AC pain distribution principally involves anterior aspect of the shoulder with downward extension of the arm until its distal third

The effects of rotator cuff tear on shoulder proprioception

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of rotator cuff tear (RCT) and its severity on shoulder proprioception. Methods: We studied 132 consecutive patients (67 M-65 F; mean age ± SD, 66.03 ± 9.04; range, 43–78) who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Tear size was determined intra-operatively. The control group included 82 subjects (38 M-44 F; mean age ± SD, 65.87 ± 8.06; range, 41–75) with no RCT. All participants, wearing an eye mask, were submitted to the evaluation of the joint position sense (JPS) at 30°, 60°, 90°, 120°, and 150° of shoulder forward flexion during the sitting position, using a digital inclinometer securely attached to the subject’s arm using hook-and-loop straps. The passive placement and active replacement method was used; the order of the tested angles was randomly selected. The entire test was repeated three times. The error score, by averaging the three trials, was measured as the absolute difference between the target angle and the observed angle. Statistics were performed. Results: The intraclass correlation coefficient for all degrees of flexion movement measured was > 0.90, exhibiting a very high correlation. We found significant differences between cases and controls regarding the results of joint position sense error at all measurements (p < 0.05). According to RCT size, we found significant differences between groups at 30° (F = 27.27, p < 0.001), 90° (F = 5.37, p = 0.006), 120° (F = 10.76, p < 0.001), and 150° (F = 30.93, p < 0.001) of shoulder flexion; in details, patients with massive RCT showed greater absolute error value than those with both small and large RCT at 30°, 90°, 120°, and 150° of shoulder flexion (p < 0.05). Conclusions: RCT provokes an alteration of shoulder proprioception, evaluated as the loss of joint position sense, and the impairment is related to tear severity

Environmental migration in the Mediterranean area: the case of the MENA countries

The study offer a contribution to the analysis of the problems linked to the environmental migration focusing on a specific Mediterranean area, that of the Middle East and Northern Africa. After a brief analysis of the socio-economic and environmental context, used to describe the vulnerability features of the area, the studies will assess the regional migration system particularly the so called "forced migrants". Due to the lack of an accepted common international definition of environmental refugees, following the most recent literature in this study we have used the definition of forded migration to assess the environmental migration. This in fact, among the causes of migration considers not only the "physical environment" but a plethora of socio economic factors which interact among themselves and force people to migrate. In this definitions we include: Internal Displaced Persons, forced to move for the modification of the habitat where they live caused by natural or human disasters but also Migrants and IDPs forced to move due to the implementation of developmental project such as the construction of mega infrastructure such as dams, or the mining and deforestation activities, as well as the the migrants who sick asylum due to conflicts, civil wars or internal persecutionMigration, Environment, DEvelopment

Assessing the cervical range of motion in infants with positional plagiocephaly

Purpose: To determine if infants with positional plagiocephaly have limitations of active and passive cervical range of motion measured with simple and reliable methods. Methods: The examiners assessed bilateral active and passive cervical rotations and passive cervical lateral flexion. Cervical assessment was performed twice by 2 different physicians to assess intertester reliability. To assess intratester reliability the first investigator performed a second examination 48 hours after the first one. Results: One-hundred nine subjects were analyzed; 70.7% of the sample had head positional preference on the right, while 29.3% had head positional preference on the left (x2 35.52, P <0.001). Cervical rotations and lateral flexion showed reliable levels of agreement for intra and intertester reliability. Conclusions: The most limited range of motion in infants with positional plagiocephaly was cervical active rotation which affected more than 90% of patients. Passive cervical rotations and lateral flexion were limited in more than 60% of patient

Highly Isotactic Poly(N-butenyl-carbazole): Synthesis, Characterization, and Optical Properties

The synthesis of isotactic poly(N-butenyl-carbazole) (i-PBK) by using homogeneous isospecific Ziegler-Natta catalytic system is reported. The achieved polymer is crystalline and shows, to DSC and X-ray analysis, two distinct crystalline phases.i-PBK FTIR spectrum and X-ray diffraction pattern are compared with those of poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK). The observed differences are tentatively associated with higher flexibility of thei-PBK chains due to the alkylene group connecting the carbazole group to the main chain.i-PBK optical properties are also compared with those of PVK and isotactic poly(N-pentenyl-carbazole) (i-PPK), a higher homologue ofi-PBK recently used as emitting layer in organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) showing white light emission. The close similarity of the fluorescence spectra ofi-PBK andi-PPK is a promising basis for optical applications of this polymer