Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Developing a Multi-Criteria Decision Making Model for PESTEL Analysis

Although the conceptual structure and nature of PESTEL (Political, Economic, Socio-cultural, Technological,Environment and Legal) analysis requires an integrated approach to analysis, the technical framework ofPESTEL does not adequately support such an approach. PESTEL analysis, as it stands, mainly provides ageneral idea about the macro environmental conditions and situation of a company. This study presents a modelto address problems encountered in the measurement and evaluation process of PESTEL analysis. The integratedstructure of PESTEL factors and sub-factors were modeled by AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) and ANP(Analytic Network Process) techniques. Relationships between PESTEL factors were determined by DEMATEL(Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory). Global weights of the sub-factors were calculated usingANP. The PESTEL analysis model proposed in the study could determine the extent to which the macroenvironment of a company provides suitable conditions to achieve the aims of the company.
Characteristics of Ventricular Shunt Malfunctions among Patients with Neurocysticercosis

OBJECTIVE Ventricular shunts used to relieve hydrocephalus among patients with neurocysticercosis have been plagued by high shunt malfunction rates. We examined the characteristics of shunt malfunctions among patients with neurocysticercosis. METHODS This is a retrospective chart review of data for 122 patients who were admitted with a diagnosis of cysticercosis during a 5.5-year period. Cases of hydrocephalus requiring shunt placement were reviewed with respect to the segment of shunt obstruction, disease activity at the time of shunt placement, and the effects of antihelminthic treatment on shunt failures and longevity. RESULTS Twenty-one patients required 49 operations for relief of hydrocephalus, including 22 new shunt placements, 23 revisions, and 4 cyst extirpations. Of these shunt failures, 78% occurred within the first 12 months and 96% within 3 years. Of the failures that occurred in the distal segment, 75% occurred within 6 months. By comparison, 33% of proximal segment obstructions and 50% of the total number of valve obstructions occurred within the first 6 months. Of the shunts placed during the vesicular stage of infection, 63% required revisions, compared with 29% of those placed during the colloidal through calcified stages. Nineteen shunts were placed during the vesicular stage, and nine patients received a full course of antihelminthic treatment after shunt placement. In less than 6 months, 33% of the cases involving shunt placement followed by antihelminthic treatment exhibited shunt failure, compared with 90% of the cases without antihelminthic treatment (P < 0.05, &khgr;2 test). CONCLUSION Among patients with vesicular stage cysticercosis, placement of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt followed by a course of antihelminthic medication seems to promote shunt longevity.
Countermeasure analysis of inventory financing and its risk management in perfect price fluctuation

This text is a hypothesis in different economic status, in different cases of price fluctuations, in two or more than two cases of inventory combinations, applies Markowitz portfolio management theory to inventory financing and study on borrower how to obtain optimum inventory mix in the configuration of the stock portfolio by analyzing factors of risk. On the basis of theoretical derivation,we takes borrower and bank as the main research object, to analyze the case of inventory combination pledge loan. Study results indicate that for price fluctuation , inventory rationality can effectively reduce the risk of the borrower and the bank.
Failure of Evidence-Based Cancer Care in the United States: The Association Between Rectal Cancer Treatment, Cancer Center Volume, and Geography

Objective:This study examines recent adherence to recommended neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy guidelines for patients with rectal cancer across geographic regions and institution volume and assesses trends over time. Background:A recent report by the Institute of Medicine described US cancer care as chaotic. Cited deficiencies included wide variation in adherence to evidence-based guidelines even where clear consensus exists. Methods:Patients operated on for clinical stage II and III rectal cancer were selected from the 2006–2011 National Cancer Data Base. Multivariable logistic regressions were used to assess variation in chemotherapy and radiation use by cancer center type, geographical location, and hospital volume. The analysis controlled for patient age at diagnosis, sex, race/ethnicity, primary payer, average household income, average education, urban/rural classification of patient residence, comorbidity, and oncologic stage. Results:There were 30,994 patients who met the inclusion criteria. Use of neoadjuvant radiation therapy and chemotherapy varied significantly by type of cancer center. The highest rates of adherence were observed in high-volume centers compared with low-volume centers (78% vs 69%; adjusted odds ratio = 1.46; P < 0.001). This variation is mirrored by hospital geographic location. Primary payer and year of diagnosis were not predictive of rates of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Conclusions:Adherence to evidence-based treatment guidelines in rectal cancer is suboptimal in the United States, with significant differences based on hospital volume and geographic regions. Little improvement has occurred in the last 5 years. These results support the implementation of standardized care pathways and a Centers of Excellence program for US patients with rectal cancer.
An Exploratory Study of Garden Center Selection For Landscape Plants

Abstract An exploratory study employing qualitative research methods was conducted to identify the criteria customers use in selecting retail outlets for landscape plants. A small convenience sample of subjects residing in Atlanta, Athens, and outlying areas of Georgia were asked where they purchased landscape plants and why they chose particular retail outlets. Findings suggested that choice of retail outlet typically depended on the type of purchase. Many of the participants purchased bedding plants primarily at mass merchandisers, while purchasing larger shrubs, trees, and more unusual plants at garden centers. Customer informational needs appeared to be a major reason for the different retail choices. Based on information obtained through focus group and individual interviews, perceived quality of plants appeared to be of paramount importance for every type of plant purchase, while the importance of price, breadth of assortment, expertise of sales assistants, location, and other factors depended more .
Transient finite-element analysis using a surface admittance boundary condition to incorporate eddy-current effects

We present a time-domain finite-element formulation for modeling electromagnetic fields in two-dimensional regions containing conductors, dielectrics, and magnetic materials. Such an analysis is needed to determine terminal parameters (equivalent to resistance and inductance per unit length) for multiconductor transmission lines excited with time-varying signals. We use a novel separation of the excitation and response within the formulation and a surface admittance boundary condition to provide a time-domain solution capable of incorporating both proximity-effect and skin-effect eddy currents over a wide range of material parameters. We use a Prony expansion to convert the inherent convolution integral into a recursive expression, resulting in an efficient numerical procedure that can incorporate nonlinear material effects.
Treatment of onychomycosis with efinaconazole 10% topical solution and quality of life.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the benefits of efinaconazole topical solution, 10% on quality of life in onychomycosis patients. METHODS An analysis of 1,655 patients, aged 18 to 70 years, randomized to receive efinaconazole topical solution, 10%, or vehicle from two identical multicenter, double-blind, vehicle-controlled, 48-week studies evaluating safety and efficacy. The primary endpoint was complete cure rate (0% clinical involvement of target toenail, and both negative potassium hydroxide examination and fungal culture); clinical improvement defined as ≤ 10-percent improvement in nail involvement both at Week 52. Quality of life was assessed using a validated OnyCOE-t™ questionnaire. Improvement in quality of life was compared in those patients clinically and not clinically improved. RESULTS Efinaconazole topical solution, 10%, was significantly more effective than vehicle irrespective of QoL domain. Greatest improvement in mean score was seen in those domains with the lowest baseline scores. All mean scores in the group considered to have clinically improved with efinaconazole exceeded 80.0 at Week 52. Mean treatment satisfaction scores with efinaconazole in those patients who were clinically improved increased from 79.9 (Week 24) to 89.2 (Week 52), compared to a corresponding drop in those patients considered not improved from 65.3 to 58.0. The correlation between change in percent affected nail and change in mean domain scores was significant with efinaconazole for all domains. LIMITATIONS A period of 52 weeks may be too brief to evaluate improvement in quality of life in onychomycosis patients. Some of the questions in the OnyCOE-t questionnaire may be more relevant than others to the study population and the onychomycosis population as a whole. CONCLUSION Once-daily efinaconazole topical solution, 10%, provided statistically greater improvement in all aspects of quality of life compared to vehicle. Improvement was most marked in those patients considered clinically improved and correlated with a change in percent affected nail.
Assesment of Human Exposure to Extremely Low Frequency Electric Fields Using Different Body Models and the Boundary Element Analyisis

The paper deals with the boundary element modeling of the human body exposed to extremely low frequency (ELF) electric fields. Two models are presented throughout this work; a multidomain body of revolution and the realistic representation of the human body. The formulation of the problem is based on the quasi-static approximation and the related Laplace equation variant of the continuity equation which is solved by the boundary element method (BEM) thus providing the distribution of scalar potential and the induced current density inside the body. Some illustrative computational results, arising from both models, are also presented in this work
A comprehensive investigation on the formation of organo-sulfur molecules in dark clouds via neutral-neutral reactions

Fifteen reactions on the doublet HCnS and singlet/triplet H2CnS(n= 1; 2) potential energy surfaces have been investi- gated theoretically via electronic structure calculations to unravel the formation of hydrogen deficient, sulfur bearing molecules via bimolecular reactions of two neutral species in cold molecular clouds. Various barrierless reaction pathways to synthe- size astronomically observed CnS and hitherto undetected HCnS(n= 1; 2) isomers are oered. These data present important guidance to search for rotational transitions of the elusive thioformyl HCS(X 2 A 0 ) and thioketenyl HCCS(X 2 ) radicals in the interstellar medium.
Insider Threat Study: Illicit Cyber Activity in the Information Technology and Telecommunications Sector

Abstract : The insider threat issue is a problem faced by all industries and sectors today. It is an issue of growing concern as the consequences of insider incidents can include not only financial losses, but the loss of clients and business days. The actions of a single insider can cause damage to an organization ranging from a few lost staff hours to negative publicity and financial damage so extensive that a business may be forced to lay off employees or even close its doors. Furthermore, insider incidents can have repercussions extending beyond the affected organization to include disruption of operations or services critical to a specific sector. In The National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, the President s Critical Infrastructure Protection Board emphasizes the importance of continual evaluation to identify vulnerabilities in, and threats to, government and private information networks and systems. In particular, The National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace stresses the need to maintain functioning networks and systems that are interconnected between thirteen critical infrastructure sectors comprised of public and private institutions:
More is different.

The reductionist hypothesis may still be a topic for controversy among philosophers, but among the great majority of active scientists I think it is accepted without question. The workings of our minds and bodies, and of all the animate or inanimate matter of which we have any detailed knowledge, are assumed to be controlled by the same set of fundamental laws, which except under certain extreme conditions we feel we know pretty well. It seems inevitable to go on uncritically to what appears at first sight to be an obvious corollary of reductionism: that if everything obeys the same fundamental laws, then the only scientists who are studying anything really fundamental are those who are working on those laws. In practice, that amounts to some astrophysicists, some elementary particle physicists, some logicians and other mathematicians, and few others. This point of view, which it is the main purpose of this article to oppose, is expressed in a rather wellknown passage by Weisskopf (1):
Migrant Workers In South-east Asia:economic And Social Inequality In Indonesia, Malaysia, And Singapore

This thesis explores migrant labor in South-East Asia by addressing the topic of migration, specifically its causes and consequences. Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore are countries that experienced rapid industrialization from the mid-1960s throughout the 1990s. Simultaneously, the migration of people within the region increased. A key focus is how regional development has contributed to migration flows and to the position of migrants in these countries. Using a migration systems framework from Castles’ and Miller’s The Age of Migration (2003) that draws on theoretical elements from economics, historicalstructuralism and transnationalism, this thesis finds that several factors explain the causes of migration in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore and the lasting implications migration had in their respective societies. Both macroand micro-structures influenced industrialization and a migratory labor market. The historical, political, and economic linkages shared among the countries, alongside regional integration and attractive government-led industrialization strategies contributed to large-scale flows of migrant workers within the region. These same factors made migration and settlement increasingly difficult. Consequently, human rights violations of migrants in these countries became more pronounced. Singapore’s dominance of Indonesia and Malaysia in the semi-periphery of South-East Asia conditioned the environment that migrants faced in their host societies. Migrant workers from Indonesia and Malaysia enjoyed better treatment in Singapore,
The Information Content of Insider Trades: Whose Trades Matter and When?

By virtue of their positions, corporate executives have access to valuable information about the firms they work for and the industries they work in. They also have an opportunity to profit from said information by trading in their firms’ stock in their personal portfolios. Certain trades, however, are more informative than others, which begs the question: Whose insider trades matter and when? I find that there is no major difference between insider trading activity by CEOs and CFOs, which is in stark contrast to the discoveries of other researchers. I also find that clusters of coordinated trades made by multiple executives are very powerful drivers of abnormal stock returns and that trades of opposing signs dampen abnormal stock returns. Overall, I confirm that abnormal returns on insider trades are persistent over 6- and 12-month investment horizons.
An inherited p53 mutation that contributes in a tissue-specific manner to pediatric adrenal cortical carcinoma

The incidence of pediatric adrenal cortical carcinoma (ACC) in southern Brazil is 10–15 times higher than that of pediatric ACC worldwide. Because childhood ACC is associated with Li-Fraumeni syndrome, we examined the cancer history and p53 status of 36 Brazilian patients and their families. Remarkably, 35 of 36 patients had an identical germ-line point mutation of p53 encoding an R337H amino acid substitution. Differences within intragenic polymorphic markers demonstrated that at least some mutant alleles arose independently, thus eliminating a founder effect. In tumor cells, the wild-type allele was deleted, and mutant p53 protein accumulated within the nuclei. Although these features are consistent with Li-Fraumeni syndrome-associated adrenal tumors, there was no history of increased cancer incidence among family members. Therefore, this inherited R337H p53 mutation represents a low-penetrance p53 allele that contributes in a tissue-specific manner to the development of pediatric ACC.
The frequency of fungal infection in biopsies of oral mucosal lesions.

OBJECTIVE To determine the frequency of fungal infection in biopsies of oral mucosal lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS Histopathology reports issued between 1991-1995 inclusive were reviewed. During this period, a single section of each mucosal biopsy had been stained using the periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) technique. RESULTS A total of 223 (4.7%) biopsies contained PAS-positive fungi: 191 individuals were affected, 124 (64.9%) of whom were male. There was a significant (P < 0.01) positive association of fungal infection with moderate and severe epithelial dysplasia, median rhomboid glossitis and squamous papillomas. Where a subsequent biopsy was available, 21.9% dysplasias which were infected with fungi worsened in histological severity, as compared with 7.6% of dysplasias which were not infected at any stage. There was a significant negative association of fungal infection with benign fibrous overgrowths (P < 0.01), benign hyperkeratoses, lichenoid reactions and pyogenic granulomas (P < 0.05). The difference in frequency of infection between the tongue and other sites was also significantly higher (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS There is a statistically significant association between histologically-determined fungal infection and epithelial dysplasia, and we recommend that a PAS stain be performed whenever oral epithelial dysplasia is diagnosed, especially in male patients. On histological confirmation of dysplasia, anti-fungal therapy should be considered in the management of these lesions.
Customer Satisfaction And Service Quality: Customerâ€Ÿs Re-Patronage Perspectives

The purpose of this paper was to examine the relationship between customer satisfaction, service quality and customerâ€™s re-patronage intentions in the context of restaurant industry in Nigeria. The respondents were 377 restaurant customers who completed the self-administered questionnaire. Pearson correlation analysis indicated that service quality and customer satisfaction had a direct positive effect on customerâ€™s patronage intentions. Multiple linear regression highlighted customer satisfaction as a stronger predictor of re-patronage intentions compared to service quality. Possible interpretations, limitations, and implications for marketing professionals are discussed.
Effects of Gender, Occupational Stereotyping, and Culture on Perceived Service Quality in Anglo-Saxon and Middle Eastern Cultures

ABSTRACT This article investigates whether customers perceive receiving better service from same-gender service providers or from opposite-gender service providers. It also examines how occupational stereotyping and cultural values influence the perceived quality of service in eight industries. Based on 1,180 respondents from four counties, insights are provided on the effects of gender, occupational stereotyping, and culture on service quality. The study found significant gender and cultural effects on service quality and significant interaction effects of gender and culture. It was also determined that occupational stereotyping and culture significantly affect perceived service quality within each culture, which could have important managerial implications.
Innovative HRM Practices: A Comparison of Public and Private Sector Banks of India

Due to globalisation, public sector banks are facing tough competition from the private sector banks, both domestic and foreign. To improve their efficiency and to excel in performance, they have realised the significance of innovative HRM practices, which were earlier being used largely by private sector banks. The present study is based on primary data collected from four hundred two employees of eight banks of India comprising of four banks each from the public and private sector. We examine if there is any statistically significant difference between public and private sector banks in the implementation of forty nine innovative HRM practices. These practices fall under seven different heads: recruitment and selection, training and development, performance management, compensation management, career development, employee motivation and employee security. The results of the t-tests indicate that in the area of innovative HRM, organisational policies and practices in the public and private sectors remain different in many important respects. It has been found that the private sector banks are far ahead of the public sector banks regarding the implementation of these practices. Further, it has been found with the help of different statistical tools that the level of implementation of these innovations in the eight surveyed banks also varies when examined individually.
Corporate social responsibility and social entrepreneurship: drivers of sports sponsorship policy

ABSTRACT Sport policy has increasingly become influenced by corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives aimed at incorporating social, economic and environmental concerns. More recently, sport has incorporated social policies that are entrepreneurial in nature, which has lead to an increase in sports event sponsorship coming from both a social entrepreneurship and CSR perspective. The aim of this study is to analyse the reasons why organisations sponsor sport events at a community level and to identify the drivers that support this decision-making. For this study, 35 public and private sector organisations were involved, from several economic sectors. A questionnaire was applied to the Chief Executive Officers, vice presidents, directors and managers (N = 80) and analysed through an exploratory factor analysis and correlation analysis. The results show for drivers that were most relevant to sports sponsorship policy: customer loyalty and motivation of employees, reputation and social networks, innovation and opportunity, and CSR. The findings are helpful to organisations developing policy initiatives about how to use sports sponsorship to increase their social entrepreneurship and CSR initiatives.