Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How to Build Quality Management in a Small to Medium Enterprise

Copyright © 2018, Tres Bishop. This article is published under a Creative Commons BY-NC license. Permission is granted to copy and distribute this article for non-commercial purposes, in both printed and electronic formats Quality management (QM) in one of its many forms has become an integral part of contemporary business. Since its mainstream introduction to the United States in the early 1980’s it has become more than a strategy or a competitive differentiator. QM is now a customer expectation. Most of the voluminous research done in this field was conducted by large businesses for large businesses. However, the vast majority of businesses in the United States and the world at large are small to medium enterprises (SMEs). These organizations have largely been ignored by the quality movement. This study attempts to narrow that gap by investigating what is currently known in the field by the academic and practitioner communities in the hope that future researchers will use this data to further investigate this phenomenon. The findings from this research study indicate that QM is appropriate to the SME environment. There are specific critical to success factors and barriers to implementation that are unique to SME’s that should be considered prior to implementation. Additionally, there is evidence to suggest that QM is not universal in nature as previously thought, but tends to be context dependent. Most of the studies that were conducted were survey based. There was comparatively little qualitative research done in this field and no action research projects that this author could find which creates opportunities for future research. What is currently known to the academic and practitioner communities about how society may better utilize the practices of quality management to increase performance in smaller organizations?
Exact Solutions to a Two-Block $l_{1}$ Optimal Control Problem

Abstract In this paper we illustrate some new ideas in the theory of l 1 –norm minimisation. A simple looking mathematical programming problem, namely the minimisation of the sum of the one norms of two signals connected by convolution constraints, is investigated. This describes an l 1 model matching problem for which there are no zero interpolation conditions, and just one rank interpolation condition. Despite its apparent simplicity, finding exact solutions for this problem is a challenging task. We extend the class of problems for which exact optimal solutions can be found by combining a primal/dual formulation with dynamic programming ideas. These solutions have the desirable feature of yielding a control law in feedback form.
Influence of tumor characteristics on the outcome of liver transplantation among patients with liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) may recur after liver transplantation (LT), mainly in patients with multinodular and large tumors. However, factors predictive of outcome after LT in patients with small tumors remain ill defined. We investigated which factors were related to mortality or tumor recurrence among 47 liver transplant recipients with liver cirrhosis and HCC and compared them with 107 patients with liver cirrhosis without tumor who underwent LT in the same period. Patients with HCC were older (P < .001), more frequently had cirrhosis of a viral origin (P < .001), and had lower Child‐Pugh scores (P < .001) than patients without tumor. Survival of patients with and without tumor was not significantly different (P = .20). Among patients with HCC, those with lower recurrence‐free survival rates had liver cirrhosis of a viral origin, vascular invasion, bilobar disease, and tumor‐node‐metastasis (TNM) stage IV. At multivariate analysis, the only factor associated with mortality or recurrence was TNM stage IV (P = .02). Our results suggest that in patients with HCC and TNM stage IV, LT might be contraindicated.
Social Competence and Behavioral Problems of Learning Disabled Boys Aged 6-11

Parents' reports on social competence and behavioral problems were obtained for 123 learning disabled boys aged 6–11 who were referred for a psychoeducational assessment at the Center for Disorders of Communication at the University of Vermont. One parent of each boy completed the Child Behavior Checklist developed by Achenbach and Edelbrock (1983). On average, the parents of LD boys reported significantly lower levels of social competence and more behavior problems than normative samples of parents. On the social competence scales, the LD boys were significantly lower than the normative samples in their participation in activities, their social involvement and school performance. On the behavior problem scales, the LD boys had significantly higher scores for both “externalizing” and “internalizing” types of problems, including problems related to depression, uncommunicativeness, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, social withdrawal, hyperactivity, aggressivness and “delinquency. ” Compared to a sample of other clinically-referred boys, a significantly larger proportion of LD boys showed a hyperactive profile pattern, and smaller proportions showed profile patterns indicative of depressed-social withdrawal-aggressive behavior and delinquency. There were significant, but low, positive correlations between IQ scores on the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised and social competence scores and negative correlations between IQ scores and behavior problem scores.
Laser-assisted hatching in assisted reproduction.

AIM The use of a 1.48 um diode laser for assisted hatching was investigated in animal experimentation. Laser assisted hatching was offered to patients with advanced maternal age to evaluate a possible benefit. METHODS Using the Fertilase(r) system we investigated the impact of openings with different size in the zona of mouse embryos on the hatching process, as well as that of two openings. Laser-drilling was performed at the blastocyst stage to look for differences in timing and efficacy of hatching. The possible benefit of assisted hatching was studied in 24 couples with advanced maternal age (38.8+2.1 years) and compared to a control group (37.8+2.5 years) treated in the same time period but without assisted hatching. RESULTS A certain diameter of a laser drilled opening in the zona pellucida is necessary for efficient hatching. When two openings are present in the zona, the embryo will use both openings for hatching and subsequently become trapped. Laser-drilling at th e expanded blastocyst stage causes an immediate collapse of treated blastocysts and the onset of hatching is retarded. Assisted hatching in 24 patients with advanced maternal age resulted in a significant increase (p<0.01) in the implantation rate when compared to 24 untreated patients. CONCLUSION The use of a 1.48 microm diode laser to drill an opening into the zona pellucida provides a good alternate to conventionally applied techniques. The procedure is efficient and safe as long as it is applied properly. In a human in vitro fertilization program, selected patients will have a benefit form assisted hatching.
Validation of the NHANES ADL scale in a sample of patients with report of cervical pain: Factor analysis, item response theory analysis, and line item validity

Background. Few functional outcomes scales have used Item Response Theory (IRT) for validation. IRT allows individual line item validations and offers substantial advantages over classic methods of scale validation or the simplest from of IRT known as Rasch. Rasch analysis reduces data to dichotomous variables thus decreasing the sensitivity of Likert-type data responses. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to create an outcome scale associated with the latent trait of functioning and disability, validated using IRT, in a population with report of cervical pain. Methods. Using the NHANES database, a recently created scale (NHANES ADL scale) was analysed using factor analysis, internal analyses of consistency, IRT, and comparison with internal measures of functioning and disability. Results. The newly created NHANES ADL scale demonstrated uni-dimensionality, was internally reliable, and was correlated to internal measures of functioning and disability. Additionally, the majority of the scale items demonstrate strong discrimination and suitable thresholds. Discussion. The NHANES ADL scale effectively measures physical, social, and emotional disability in patients with a cervical impairment, and may be an efficient measure of perceived limitations from working and generalized daily physical activity. Conclusion. The newly created NHANES ADL scale demonstrates internal consistency, unidimensionality, and line item validity. The NHANES ADL scale appears to be a useful instrument in measurement of functioning and disability in patients with report of cervical pain.
Effect of neem extract against the bacteria isolated from marine fish.

Marine ornamental fishes are exceedingly valuable due to their high demand in domestic and international markets. There is a growing global interest to rear the fishes in captivity. But problem due to bacteria and fungi are the major hitch in captive condition. Since, the use of antibiotics is banned, an attempt was made to ascertain in vitro assay of the neem leaves extract against the bacterial pathogens isolated from infected fishes. Bacterial strains isolated from infected regions of the clown fishes Amphiprion sebae and A. ocellaris were identified as Aeromonas hydrophila, Enterobacter sp. , E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus sp. , Streptococcus sp. , Vibrio cholerae, V. alginolyticus, V. parahaemolyticus and Yersinia enterocolitica. Ethanol and methanol extracts were highly inhibitory to the bacterial isolates when compared to other solvents. Ethanol extracts exhibited low minimum inhibitory concentration (75-250 microg ml(-1)) as compared to other extracts. The present finding revealed that the neem leaf extract significantly reduces the bacterial pathogens and their infection in marine ornamental fishes.
Protein–DNA complexes are the primary sources of replication fork pausing in Escherichia coli

Replication fork pausing drives genome instability, because any loss of paused replisome activity creates a requirement for reloading of the replication machinery, a potentially mutagenic process. Despite this importance, the relative contributions to fork pausing of different replicative barriers remain unknown. We show here that Deinococcus radiodurans RecD2 helicase inactivates Escherichia coli replisomes that are paused but still functional in vitro, preventing continued fork movement upon barrier removal or bypass, but does not inactivate elongating forks. Using RecD2 to probe replisome pausing in vivo, we demonstrate that most pausing events do not lead to replisome inactivation, that transcription complexes are the primary sources of this pausing, and that an accessory replicative helicase is critical for minimizing the frequency and/or duration of replisome pauses. These findings reveal the hidden potential for replisome inactivation, and hence genome instability, inside cells. They also demonstrate that efficient chromosome duplication requires mechanisms that aid resumption of replication by paused replisomes, especially those halted by protein–DNA barriers such as transcription complexes.
Comparing crowdworkers' and conventional knowledge workers' self-regulated learning strategies in the workplace

This paper compares the strategies used by crowdworkers and conventional knowledge workers to self-regulate their learning in the workplace. Crowdworkers are a self-employed, radically distributed workforce operating outside conventional organisational settings; they have no access to the sorts of training, professional development and incidental learning opportunities that workers in conventional workplaces typically do. The paper explores what differences there are between crowdworkers and conventional knowledge workers in terms of self-regulated learning strategies they undertake. Data were drawn from four datasets using the same survey instrument. Respondents included crowdworkers from CrowdFlower and Upwork platforms and conventional knowledge workers in the finance, education and healthcare sectors. The results show that the majority of crowdworkers and conventional knowledge workers used a wide range of SRL strategies. Among 20 strategies explored, a statistically significant difference was uncovered in the use of only one strategy. Specifically, crowdworkers were significantly less likely than the conventional workers to articulate plans of how to achieve their learning goals. The results suggest that, despite working outside organisational structures, crowdworkers are similar to conventional workers in terms of how they self-regulate their workplace learning. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of these findings and proposing directions for future research.
Struggling to Mother: A Consequence of Inhibitive Nursing Interactions in the Neonatal Nursery

This paper reports on one aspect of a grounded theory study of women's experiences of mothering in the nursery. Over 60 hours of interview data with 28 Australian women were analyzed. The analysis revealed that mothering in the nursery was a three-way interaction. “Struggling to mother” was the label given to the major category that represented how women responded to unsatisfactory nursing encounters. The findings illuminate how inhibitive nursing interactions relegate women to the periphery of care and engender an array of negative emotional responses that leave women feeling inconsequential to the welfare of their infant. Ultimately this has implications for how women take up their role as mothers in the nursery and for their sense of confidence, competence, and connection with their infant.
An Empirical Analysis of Inter Linkages between Financial Attitudes, Financial Behaviour and Financial Knowledge of Salaried Individuals

Financial literacy is the ability to make informed judgments and to take effective decisions regarding the use and management of money. Past research on financial literacy had indicated that levels of financial literacy are low across the world. Various initiatives such as financial education programs are being taken by governments, organizations and agencies to improve the level of financial literacy among the population. For financial education programs to be effective they must be built around the various dimensions of financial literacy such as financial knowledge, financial behaviour and financial attitudes so that people benefit the most out of financial literacy programs. Thus in order to improve the financial literacy of the population, focus should not only be on financial knowledge and financial awareness but assessment of financial attitude and financial behaviour is also necessary. Also inter linkages between financial attitudes; financial behaviour and financial knowledge must be studied thoroughly, in order to know the relationship between different dimensions of financial literacy. The results of the study suggests that it is not only financial knowledge which shapes overall financial literacy of an individual but financial attitudes and financial behaviour of the individual has a considerable effect on overall financial literacy of an individual. Thus in order to improve the level of financial literacy amongst the population, financial education programs should not only aim at increasing financial knowledge of the population but must also focus on developing positive financial behaviour and favourable financial attitudes among the population.
Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Health Hazards of Mobile Phone Users among the Junior College Students

Background: The mobile phone is a modern-day invention, which has managed to reach many parts of the world enabling telecommunications across areas where it was not possible before. In the year 2000, there were an estimated 500 million mobile phone users worldwide. Today, there is about 3.3 billion users.The use of mobile phones among young children and adolescents are also increasing dramatically. Objectives: To assess the knowledge regarding health hazards of mobile phone among junior college students. To assess the attitude regarding health hazards of mobile phone among junior college student. To find out the association between knowledge and attitude regarding health hazards of mobile phone use with selected demographic variables. Methods/Approach: The research approach adopted for present research is explorative research aimed assessing the knowledge and attitude regarding health hazards of mobile phone users on health among the junior college students. The research design used for this study is Descriptive survey research design. This study was one phase where data collected by survey method to assess knowledge and attitude of junior college students regarding health hazards of mobile phone use. Results: Knowledge score regarding physical health hazards of mobile phone majority of students were having average knowledge i.e.26 (65%) arts, 32(80%) commerce, & 28(70%) science. For knowledge score regarding psychological health hazards of mobile phone majority of students were having poor knowledge i.e.35 (88%) arts, 24(60%) commerce& 21(53%) science . Whereas 24(60%) arts, 26(65%) commerce & 29(73%) science, were having average knowledge regarding physical &psychological health hazards of mobile phone use.
Framework for Designing The Assessment Models of Readiness SMEs to Adopt Indonesian National Standard (SNI), Case Study: SMEs Batik in Surakarta

Since the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is released, the opportunity to expand market share has become very open, but the level of competition is also very high. Standardization is believed to be an important factor in seizing opportunities in the AEC’s era and other free trade agreements in the future. Standardization activities in industry can be proven by obtaining certification of SNI (Indonesian National Standard). This is a challenge for SMEs, considering that currently only 20% of SMEs had SNI certification both product and process. This research will be designed a model of readiness assessment to obtain SNI certification for SMEs. The stages of model development used an innovative approach by Roger (2003). Variables that affect the readiness of SMEs are obtained from product certification requirements established by BSN (National Standardization Agency) and LSPro (Certification body). This model will be used for mapping the readiness for SNI certification of SMEs’product. The level of readiness of SMEs is determined by the percentage of compliance with those requirements. Based on the result of this study, the five variables are determined as main aspects to assess SME readiness. For model validation, trials were conducted on Batik SMEs in Laweyan Surakarta.
Exploring Solutions for the Negative Impact of US Quantitative Easing on Taiwan

Because Taiwan is export-oriented and highly connected with the US in terms of trade, Quantitative Easing (QE) of the Federal Reserve System (FED) had significant negative impacts on Taiwan. We examine several possible solutions for these negative impacts via the Delphi technique and the Analytic Hierarchy Process, synthesizing judgements from experts. The empirical results point out that a “negative influence on international trade affairs” is the predominant main criteria, and “improvement of international trade and investment regulations”, “easing the impact of increases in the prices of raw materials obtained internationally”, and “raising the competitiveness of the nation’s export industry” are important sub-criteria. Especially, “improvement of international trade and investment regulations” corresponds with the global imbalance phenomenon. To strengthen the trade environment in Taiwan, experts suggest that an overall improvement in balance of payment is necessary that encompasses investment activities and trade regulations. We look forward our results offering useful suggestions.
Formation energies of carbon related defects in Cu2ZnSnS4

Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) is one of the most promising absorber materials for highly efficient and low cost solar cells. A cost-effective method for the production of high quality CZTS makes use of the growth of nanocrystals in an amine solution of the involved metals, which can lead to considerable carbon incorporation in the final sample. In this study, preferred configurations and formation energies of carbon related defects in CZTS are calculated, leading to the finding, that two carbon atoms on a sulfur vacancy are a dominant defect, with minor influence on carrier lifetime, since it shows no mid-gap trapping states.
Genetic and histological assessment of surgical margins in resected liver metastases from colorectal carcinoma: minimum surgical margins for successful resection.

HYPOTHESIS There have been few reports on the minimum surgical margins (SMs) required for successful liver resection in patients with colorectal metastases. This minimum requirement may be narrower than the previously recommended margin of 10 mm. OBJECTIVES To identify the minimum margins by assessing the presence of micrometastases around the tumor using genetic and histological techniques, and to investigate whether SMs are associated with patterns of tumor recurrence or patient survival. DESIGN Prospective and retrospective studies. SETTING Tertiary referral cancer center. PATIENTS AND METHODS Fifty-eight patients who underwent 62 liver resections for hepatic metastasis from colorectal cancer between December 1, 1996, and November 30, 2000, were included in the study. Tissue samples taken from the tumor, surrounding liver parenchyma, and Glisson pedicle near the tumor were tested for K-ras and p53 mutations using the mutant allele-specific amplification method. For the retrospective study on patient outcomes, 194 patients who had undergone liver resections between 1980 and 2000 were analyzed according to their SMs. RESULTS Of the 62 sets of samples from liver metastases, 39 were positive for K-ras and p53 gene mutations or both. Micrometastases in the liver parenchyma surrounding colorectal metastases were present in 2.0% (4/199) of tested samples and were located within 4 mm of the tumor border. Micrometastases via Glisson pedicle were more common (14.3% [3/21]), but these were also confined to a short distance from the tumor edge (</=5 mm). Of the 5 micrometastases detected by genetic analysis, only 2 were confirmed by histopathological examination. The analysis of patient outcomes demonstrated that the incidence of cut-end recurrence (relapse in the bed of resection) decreased from 20.0% to a range of 5.6% to 7.5% when the SM is 2 mm or more. The incidence of definite cut-end recurrence in patients with SMs less than 2 m, 2 to 4 mm, and 5 mm or wider was 13.3% (6/45), 2.8% (1/36), and 0% (0/102), respectively. The SM was not a significant prognostic factor in patient survival. CONCLUSIONS Micrometastases around liver tumors are not common, and most are confined to the immediate vicinity of the tumor border. We propose an SM of 2 mm as a clinically acceptable minimum requirement, which carries approximately a 6% risk of margin-related recurrence. Because liver resection provides the only chance of cure, complete removal of the tumor with a minimum margin is justified when technically unavoidable because of the size, location, number of tumors, or successive resections.