Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effective Small Business Management: An Entrepreneurial Approach

Section 1. The Challenges and Rewards of Entrepreneurship Chapter 1. Entrepreneurship: A Powerful Economic Force Section 2. Building a Business Plan: Beginning Considerations Chapter 2. Strategic Management: Gaining a Competitive Edge Chapter 3. Choosing a Form of Ownership Chapter 4. Franchising and the Entrepreneur Chapter 5. Buying an Existing Business Chapter 6. Conducting a Feasibility Analysis and Crafting a Winning Business Plan Section 3. Building a Business Plan: Financial Issues Chapter 7. Creating a Solid Financial Plan Chapter 8. Managing Cash Flow Section 4. Building a Business Plan: Marketing Your Company Chapter 9. Creating a Marketing Plan Chapter 10. Creative Use of Advertising and Promotion Chapter 11. Pricing and Credit Strategies Chapter 12. Global Marketing Strategies for Entrepreneurs Chapter 13. E-Commerce and Entrepreneurship Section 5. Putting the Business Plan to Work: Finding Financing Chapter 14. Sources of Equity Financing Chapter 15. Source of Debt Financing Section 6. Location and Layout Chapter 16. Location, Layout, and Physical Facilities Section 7. Managing a Small Business: Techniques for Enhancing Profitability Chapter 17. Purchasing, Quality Management, and Vendor Analysis Chapter 18. Managing Inventory Section 8. Managing People: A Company's Most Valuable Resource Chapter 19. Staffing and Leading a Growing Company
Production starting time control for compensating forecast error and customer loss in waiting

Production systems play a key role in modern society, and significant improvements have been achieved through the years. However, due to the diversity of human behavior, customer demand uncertainty does exist in practice. Consequently, production solutions that are capable of coping with such diverse behavior are necessary. To have a better competitive position, forecasting is an important element in production management. Thus, there is always research for improving forecasting accuracy and the development of new methods is on-going. Apart from working on new forecast methods or improving existing models, this research focused on working with the expected forecast error in a most economical way. To achieve this goal, the aim was to achieve a balance between the effect of forecast error with time and the customer loss in the waiting period. In this research, a production approach named Make-to-Balance (MTB) is introduced. To verify the concept and the operating result of the proposed model, a simulation process was built with STELLA, and a software program was also coded in C# language. The SETLLA results and program results match well in different situations (one general case and four extreme cases) and identify the correctness of the MTB model. The program eases the calculations and it was found in this research
Surgical treatment of isolated cardiac echinococciasis: report of five cases.

OBJECTIVE Cardiac echinococcosis is a rare pathology and in about half of cases it is not accompanied by other organs involvement. We report on our experience of surgical treatment of isolated cardiac echinococcosis (ICE). METHODS Among 5 patients with ICE operated in our clinic 1 had pericardial and epicardial involvement, 1 patient had the single cyst in the apicolateral wall of the left ventricle and 3 patients had singular cysts of interventricular septum. All patients underwent chest X-Ray, transthoracic echocardiography, and ultrasound examinations of the internal organs, hemagglutinin tests and microbiologic evaluation of operative specimens. RESULTS Two operations were performed on a beating heart and three - using cardiopulmonary bypass. In cases of intramyocardial localizations the cyst enucleation and closure of residual cavities by plication were performed and in a case of peri- and epicardial involvement the extirpation of cysts and partial pericardiectomy were carried out. All patients postoperatively received therapy with albendazole. No intra- and postoperative complications were observed. Control echocardiography did not reveal any disturbances of myocardial performance. Two years follow-up showed absence of cyst recurrence. CONCLUSION The prevailed localization of echinococci cysts in ICE is the myocardium of the LV and IVST, places with the highest myocardial mass and good perfusion. Ideal echinococcectomy is an effective surgical treatment of isolated cardiac echinococciasis.
Integrated reporting in South Africa in 2012: Perspectives from South African institutional investors

Purpose - – This paper aims to explore the initial reactions of the South African institutional investment community to the first sets of integrated reports being prepared by companies listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange. The research highlights a shift in attitude towards ESG and integrated reporting, initial views on the first sets of integrated reports and obstacles to the preparation of high-quality reports. The study also includes recommendations for preparers. Design/methodology/approach - – Detailed interviews are carried out with 20 experts from the South African institutional investment industry. Interpretive thematic analysis is used to identify themes and principles and construct an initial assessment of the investors’ views on South African integrated reporting. Findings - – The new reporting framework is seen as an improvement on the traditional annual report of South African listed companies. In general, there is more emphasis on non-financial measures and evidence of an effort to integrate financial and environmental, social and governance metrics to provide a better understanding of organisational sustainability. The length of reports, repetition and a check box approach to reporting does, however, detract from the usefulness of the reports and undermine the development of an integrated thinking ethos. Research limitations/implications - – The study is limited to exploring the views of only a single group of stakeholders at one point in time. The reader’s attention is also drawn to the fact that the study was carried out before the International Integrated Reporting Council’s framework for integrated reporting was applied by South African preparers. Nevertheless, its interpretive style allows identification of challenges to effective integrated reporting. Originality/value - – This paper is the first to examine the views of institutional investors and analysts on South African integrated reports. It makes an important contribution to the academic literature by adding to the limited body of research on integrated reporting and corporate governance in an African setting. The study is also important for practitioners seeking to improve the quality of their integrated reports and for academics wanting to understand the problems and possible strategies for addressing these.
Rates of firearm homicide by Chicago region, age, sex, and race/ethnicity, 2005–2010

Background The United States reports the highest levels of firearm homicide incidences compared to other high income countries,1 and the focus and causes of these incidences within the US differ by demographic characteristics and location such as urban versus rural environment. Despite these findings, few studies have published on rates varied by region within a city. Objective This study aims to provide descriptive analysis of the rates of firearm homicide by age, sex, and race/ethnicity in each of the seven City of Chicago regions, and to determine if the rates of firearm homicide differ by demographics among the seven City of Chicago regions. Methods The Illinois Violent Death Reporting System conducts routine surveillance of violent deaths. Decedents were selected according to the following criteria: manner of death was homicide, weapon type was firearm, and location of injury that led to death was the City of Chicago. Location of injury was broken down by regions: North, Northwest, Center, West, South, Southwest, and Far South. Multiyear rates per 100,000 and corresponding 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Results There were 2,254 victims of homicide by firearm in the City of Chicago. The overall rate across Chicago for all demographics was 12.9 (12.1–13.5 per 100,000) with an average age of 27.4. The highest age group (20–24) for firearm homicide rates was 43.2 (39.7–46.7) per 100,000. For the youngest age group (10–14), only the Southwest (3.3–10.4) region reported any firearm incidence. The 20 to 24 age group reported the highest rates of all age groups within the South (107.9–151.7), West (80.3–108.2), and Far South (69.6–105.3) regions, whereas the North and Northwest reported the lowest rates for all regions by age. Black firearm homicide rates were 33.5 (31.9–35.1) per 100,000 versus Hispanic and non-Hispanic white firearm homicide rates of 8.5 (7.7–9.3) and 1.2 (1–1.5) per 100,000, respectively. Lastly, the West reported the highest firearm rates at 29.1 (657). Conclusion In conclusion, Chicago is a large city that has high variation in firearm homicide rates among its constituent regions; therefore, an overall firearm homicide rate for the city of Chicago as a whole is not an accurate representation of the true nature of firearm homicides. Policy implementation may be made more effective by providing more regional analysis and targeted interventions via multipronged initiatives to help reduce future firearm rates, and funding for issues that address systemic poverty and adequate access to care and medical facilities. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Epidemiologic study, level IV.
The rough and rosy road: Sites of contestation in Malaysia's shackled media industry

This article examines the politics of state media control in Malaysia, with a particular focus on the period since the economic and political turmoil of 1997 and 1998. It argues that the Barisan Nasional (BN) regime has pursued a two-pronged approach to media control, through a strategy of legislative regulation and corporate ownership. Regulatory controls such as stringent printing permit legislation have been weakened by the rise of the Internet as a form of political communication but the regime also has an array of more oppressive legislation at its disposal which has been used as a threat against Internet organizations that challenge its control. Moreover, the broader political economy of Internet access and the finincial limitations of such efforts limit the impact of the Internet as an alternative vehicle of communication. In the realm of corporate ownership, however, the regime has also experienced problems in its media strategy as factional struggles within and between the component parties of the ruling coalition have resulted in 'newspaper wars' between their respective publications, indicating very publicly the limits of the BN's media control strategy, as well as undermining its self-promoted image as a consensus builder. The article concludes that whilst neither of these challenges is sufficiently strong to undermine regime domination of the media industry and push significantly for democratization in the country, they are nonetheless important representations of the limits of the state's control.
Self-Perceived Health Improvements Among Prison Inmates

Despite the extensive resources expended on providing medical care to inmates, inmates’ health perception is an understudied topic. The current study investigates inmates’ perception of health status while incarcerated using a sample of 136 soon-to-be released prisoners. Prisoners with poor health perception prior to their current incarceration were most likely to perceive health improvement. Sociodemographic characteristics were generally not associated with the perceived health improvement during incarceration. Analysis results suggest correctional institutions may play a vital role in delivering much-needed medical care to a segment of the prisoner population, including determining how they feel about their health. It is important to explore the policies and practices to increase continuity of health care following release to maintain perceived health improvement.
Country‐of‐origin contingencies: Competing perspectives on product familiarity and product involvement

Purpose – This study was undertaken to clarify how product familiarity and product involvement can moderate the importance that consumers place on COO image when they evaluate products for purchase or consumption. The authors adopted a contingency approach and empirically examined, by way of competing hypotheses, the alternative possibilities by which product familiarity and product involvement may influence the importance that consumers place on COO image when they evaluate products.Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered from 388 consumers in Australia across four different product classes. Data analysis was conducted using hierarchical regression analysis with interactions and post hoc slope analysis.Findings – Overall, the study findings suggest that the importance that consumers place on COO image when they evaluate products is contingent on the product context. Specifically, the study findings show that consumers consider COO image to be more important for their product evaluations when the.
Mechanical and histological analysis of bone-pedicle screw interface in vivo: titanium versus stainless steel.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the differences in bone interface between titanium and stainless steel pedicle screws in the lumbar spine. METHODS Eighteen adult mini-pigs that underwent total laminectomy, posterolateral spinal fusion (L4-L5) were randomly selected to receive stainless steel (9) or titanium pedicle screw devices (9). In both groups, the devices were CCD (Sofamore Danek) type with the same size and shape. The postoperative observation time was 3 months. Screws from L4 were harvested along their long axis of pedicle for histomorphometric study. Bone-screw interface and bone volume from thread were examined using linear intercept techniques. Mechanical testing (torsional test and pull-out test) was performed on the screws from L5. RESULTS The titanium screw group had a significantly higher maximum torque (P < 0.05) and angle related stiffness (P < 0.05) measured by torsional test. In the pull-out tests, no differences were found between the two groups in relation to the maximum load, stiffness and energy to failure. Direct bone contact with the screw in percentage was 29.4% for stainless steel and 43.8% for titanium (P < 0.05). No differences in the bone purchase between the vertebral body part and pedicle part were found. CONCLUSION Pedicle screws made of titanium have a better bone-screw interface binding than screws made of stainless steel. Torsional tests are more informative for bone-screw interface study. Pull-out tests seem less valuable when comparing bone purchase of screws made from different materials.
Knowledge-management in the public sector: Its role in facilitating the delivery of health infrastructure

iii DECLARATION . v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . vi TABLE OF CONTENTS . vii LIST OF TABLES . xii LIST OF FIGURES . xiii Abbreviations and Acronyms . xiv DEFINITION OF TERMS . xv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 1.
Are Plant Populations Seed Limited? A Critique and Meta‐Analysis of Seed Addition Experiments

We examine the relative importance of processes that underlie plant population abundance and distribution. Two opposing views dominate the field. One posits that the ability to establish at a site is determined by the availability of suitable microsites (establishment limitation), while the second asserts that recruitment is limited by the availability of seeds (seed limitation). An underlying problem is that establishment and seed limitation are typically viewed as mutually exclusive. We conducted a meta‐analysis of seed addition experiments to assess the relative strength of establishment and seed limitation to seedling recruitment. We asked (1) To what degree are populations seed and establishment limited? (2) Under what conditions (e.g., habitats and life‐history traits) are species more or less limited by each? (3) How can seed addition studies be better designed to enhance our understanding of plant recruitment? We found that, in keeping with previous studies, most species are seed limited. However, the effects of seed addition are typically small, and most added seeds fail to recruit to the seedling stage. As a result, establishment limitation is stronger than seed limitation. Seed limitation was greater for large‐seeded species, species in disturbed microsites, and species with relatively short‐lived seed banks. Most seed addition experiments cannot assess the relationship between number of seeds added and number of subsequent recruits. This shortcoming can be overcome by increasing the number and range of seed addition treatments.
EFFECT OF DIFFERENT DIETARY LEVELS OF NACL AND KCL ON PERFORMANCE OF BROILER CHICKS FED PLANT DIETS

This work was conducted to study the effect of dietary supplementation of NaCl and KCl to broiler's plant diets on performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality. Three days old broiler chickens (Arbor Acres; n: 108) were randomly distributed among 6 dietary treatments of 3 replicates each with 6 unsexed chickens each. Experimental treatments included 3 dietary levels of NaCl (0.0, 0.3 and 0.5%) and 2 dietary levels of KCl (0.0 and 0.6%) in a (3x2) factorial design. Experimental diets and water were offered ad. libitum throughout the experimental period from 3 to 56 days of age. Results revealed that the highest average body weights and gains were due to NaCl addition of 0.3% with 0.6% KCl as compared to those fed without or with 0.5% NaCl and 0.6% KCl. Feed intake was significantly increased and feed conversion ratio was also, improved with increasing dietary NaCl from 0.0 to 0.3% with diminishing responses due to further increase of NaCl up to 0.5% (0.22% Na). On the other hand, no significant main effect of KCl or interaction between NaCl and KCl on feed intake or conversion ratio was noted. Feeding the control plant diet significantly reduced dressing and breast meat percentages as compared to other dietary NaCl levels. Plant diet supplementation with KCl (0.6%) significantly increased dressing percentage by 4%. Kidney, pancreas and gizzard enlargements were observed as control diets were fed. Shearing force, bound water and bone breaking strength were not affected by dietary NaCl and KCl, whereas meat plasticity was affected by KCl level and the interaction.
Treating patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease: implications of recent pharmacologic studies.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE As the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) continues to rise, physicians will be challenged to manage increasing numbers of patients with moderate to severe AD. Despite the need for active treatment and management, the growing AD population has been overlooked in the primary care setting. Currently, the approved treatments for AD are the cholinesterase inhibitors donepezil, riva-stigmine, and galantamine and the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist memantine. The objective of this article is to review recent pharmacologic studies and discuss implications for treatment of moderate to severe AD. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SELECTION A PubMed search was performed for publications from 1995 to 2004 using the search terms moderate or severe, efficacy, and Alzheimer. The search was limited to randomized, controlled trials published in English. The search was further restricted to prospective studies of pharmacologic agents that included patients with severe dementia (Mini-Mental State Examination score < 10). A total of 96 citations were retrieved. Of these, 5 met the inclusion criteria. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies in patients with moderate to severe AD have been conducted for donepezil and memantine. Patients treated with donepezil monotherapy showed improved cognition, stabilized function, and improved behavioral symptoms. Patients treated with memantine monotherapy showed less than expected decline in cognition, function, and behavioral symptoms. Patients who received memantine treatment adjunctive to stable, long-term donepezil treatment derived cognitive, functional, and behavioral benefits from add-on therapy. CONCLUSION Overall, published studies of donepezil and memantine report treatment benefits.
Synthesis and cytotoxic evaluation of several oleanolic acid–uracil/thymine conjugates

A total of 16 targeted oleanolic acid–uracil/thymine hybrids were designed and synthesized as potential cytotoxic agents. Most IC50 values were under 10.0 μM, with some of them under 0.1 μM in vitro test against tested cells (Hep-G2, A549, BGC-823, MCF-7 and PC-3). These hybrids displayed much more potent inhibitory activities compared with oleanolic acid and commercial anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). The combination of fluorescence staining observation and flow cytometric analysis suggested that selected oleanolic acid–uracil hybrid 6a possessed clear cell apoptosis inducing effects. And the underlying mechanisms for the antitumor activity were associated with loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential, arrest of the Hep-G2 cell line at the G1 phase and activation of effector caspase-3/9 to trigger cell apoptosis.
Modern strategic management: balancing strategic thinking and strategic planning for internal and external stakeholders

The later years of the 20th century were spent searching for new strategy paradigms as managers and researchers sought to resolve the intricacies of customising strategy process and content to context. In particular. this paper builds on a popular view in the strategy literature that all individuals in the organisation can think strategically, not just the CEO. In the modern organisation, all staff are encouraged to demonstrate autonomy and responsibility combining thought, and analysis, and action. In this context the paper goes on to explain the interaction of internal and external stakeholders in the organisation from the board of directors down to line management in an evolved or sophisticated strategy process. Contemporary definitions of strategic thinking, strategic planning. and strategic management are developed.
An Empirical Study of Corporate Bailouts from Around the World: 1987–2005

Using a carefully hand–collected sample of 104 corporate bailouts from around the world, we empirically study corporate bailouts at the firm level. We classify corporate bailouts into different types and find some bailed–out firms recover better than others. First, firms that experience sudden declines in performance, as opposed to firms that suffer prolonged declines in performance, and firms that are only financially distressed but not economically distressed, recover better than other bailed–out firms. Second, firms that receive cash injections, especially in the form of equity as opposed to loans, recover worse than other bailed–out firms. Third, and perhaps not surprisingly, firms bailed out by the government recover worse than firms bailed out by other stakeholders. Each of these findings holds (i) in the presence of other findings in multiple regression models, (ii) when we compare bailed–out firms to non–bailed–out matching firms, and (iii) when we control for different types of sample selection bias. An event study on bailout announcements provides corroborating evidence to our performance recovery findings.