Resources Available to Aspiring Business Entrepreneurs

This project will attempt to uncover the resources that are available to all types of aspiring entrepreneurs, whether they be sole proprietors, partnerships or corporations. The means of assistance that exist are sometimes not as easily identified as others or may not come to mind immediately. Many local, state, and federal government agencies aim at aiding entrepreneurs, as do business consultants, trade associations, literary works, education classes, online computer networks, and seminars. Often, some of the not-so-widely-known services are overlooked or neglected when they could be utilized by the user in endless ways. By not only identifying these resources but also by providing means of contact, it is my hope that this paper will aid business people in every field. This inspiration is founded on my own hopes to eventually pursue the field of entrepreneurship. Identifying such useful resources and familiarizing myself with the opportunities associated with start-up businesses will hopefully benefit not only myself but others as well

The Following Sea: Cultural Perceptions and Knowledge on Traditional Sailing in Sāmoa

Traditional Polynesian voyaging techniques, which rely solely on the surrounding natural environment, have been undergoing a revival in the past 50 years. This study examines the Aiga Folau o Sāmoa, or the Sāmoa Voyaging Society, a modern entity which accurately undertakes traditional sailings around the world, and the cultural perceptions and knowledge on traditional voyaging lore and techniques in Sāmoa. Research efforts included primary interviews, visits, participant observation, as well as secondary sources. The study investigated not only how traditional sailing techniques enabled a watercraft to be navigated accurately over the open sea but also current cultural knowledge and perceptions of this information in present-day Sāmoa. The study revealed that most of this knowledge lies with the Aiga Folau o Sāmoa. Currently the Ministry of Education, Sports, and Culture (MESC) is documenting words in the Sāmoan language pertaining to sailing culture, however this has not been finalized for publication. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has also published a draft of an education module on traditional voyaging in the Pacific, but it too remains in draft form and has yet to be implemented

Illuminativa - the coalescence of light and craft thinking

This project constitutes a practice-led investigation of light as a metaphor for divine wisdom and how it might interact conceptually, physically and creatively with manual craft. The genesis of the project lies in Saint Bonaventure’s 13th Century work On the Reduction of the Arts to Theology. His treatise proposes a connective relationship between manual skill, sense perception, intellectual capacity and divine wisdom (as the source of all illumination). In this research, light is explored as form – as a connective agent, one that is interactive yet ephemeral, providing disclosure and exchange. Light itself is also the research tool. It is used to capture, develop and express a subjective interpretation of Bonaventure’s theory of illuminated connectivity. The resulting artefacts (combining analogue and digital techniques) and approaches to research propose a reconsideration of creative consciousness in contemporary graphic design practice

In Würde zu sich stehen : Konzept und Wirksamkeit eines peer-geleiteten Programms zu Offenlegung und Stigmabewältigung

Background: Due to the stigma associated with mental disorders, many people with mental illness face the difficult choice whether to disclose their illness to others. (Non-)Disclosure is a key reaction in coping with stigma. Disclosure as well as non-disclosure have risks and benefits, depending on the environment and the individual. Methods: "Honest, Open, Proud" (HOP; German: ,In Würde zu sich stehen'/IWS) is a peer-led group program to support people with mental illness in their disclosure decisions. It is not HOP’s aim to make participants disclose, but to support a well-informed and empowered decision. Results: Currently three RCTs, with several others underway, show HOP's positive effects in terms of reductions in stigma stress, disclosure distress, self-stigma, or depressive symptoms. Adolescent participants reported better quality of life, recovery, and attitudes to help-seeking. Adaptations for different diagnoses and age groups have been developed. Conclusions: HOP appears to be a feasible and effective program to support people with mental illness in their disclosure decisions and in their coping with stigma. Future developments and public health implications are discussed

In Würde zu sich stehen : Konzept und Wirksamkeit eines peer-geleiteten Programms zu Offenlegung und Stigmabewältigung

Background: Due to the stigma associated with mental disorders, many people with mental illness face the difficult choice whether to disclose their illness to others. (Non-)Disclosure is a key reaction in coping with stigma. Disclosure as well as non-disclosure have risks and benefits, depending on the environment and the individual. Methods: "Honest, Open, Proud" (HOP; German: ,In Würde zu sich stehen'/IWS) is a peer-led group program to support people with mental illness in their disclosure decisions. It is not HOP’s aim to make participants disclose, but to support a well-informed and empowered decision. Results: Currently three RCTs, with several others underway, show HOP's positive effects in terms of reductions in stigma stress, disclosure distress, self-stigma, or depressive symptoms. Adolescent participants reported better quality of life, recovery, and attitudes to help-seeking. Adaptations for different diagnoses and age groups have been developed. Conclusions: HOP appears to be a feasible and effective program to support people with mental illness in their disclosure decisions and in their coping with stigma. Future developments and public health implications are discussed

Lipid synthesis and secretion by primary cultures of rat mammary epithelial cells

Lipid synthesis and secretion was measured in primary rat mammary epithelial cells cultured on basement matrix in medium supplemented with lactogenic hormones. The cells grew and differentiated to form alveolar‐like structures reminiscent of lactating mammary gland. They synthesized abundant triacylglycerol, containing fatty acids characteristic of rat milk (C10:O‐C14:0), using 14C‐glucose, 14C‐oleic acid or 14C‐glycerol as precursors. Basal levels of triacylglycerol secretion were measured using 14C‐oleic acid labeling; 1.3±0.3% of the labeled cellular triacylglycerol was secreted into the medium in 24 hours. Secreted lipid droplets were surrounded by a bilayer membrane with an electron‐dense inner coat characteristic of fat globules secreted by the mammary gland. The rate of triglycerol secretion was increased to 998±98% of control (P<0.01) by the addition of phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate (PMA) in combination with staurosporine, a protein kinase inhibitcn. Several other protein kinase inhibitors, when combined with PMA, also markedly stimulated secretion. Effective protein kinase inhibitors included sphingosine (has diverse cellular effects including the inhibition of protein kinase C; 13‐fold increase in secretion), and KT5823 (a cGMP dependent protein kinase inhibitor; 5‐fold increase). KT5720 (a cAMP‐dependent protein kinase inhibitor) did not alter secretion. Kinase inhibitors were effective only in the presence of a phorbol ester. 4α‐phorbol‐12,13‐didecanoate, a phorbol ester which does not activate protein kinase C (PKC), could substitute for PMA. Lipid release was not mediated by disruption of cell‐cell tight junctions, as EGTA did not release lipid. Based on these observations we suggest that two signals are needed to enable or stimulate lipid secretion in cultured rat mammary epithelial cells: (1) inhibition of a protein kinase and (2) a PKC‐independent effect of phorbol ester. We have, for the first time, characterized a cell culture model suitable for studying lipid synthesis and secretion by mammary epithelial cells