Infants, toddlers and young children with cleft lip and palate (CLP) often present with multiple risk profiles due to the complex interaction between genotypical, phenotypical and environmental risk factors influencing their communication development at different ages. Current research recommends the need for a comprehensive early communication intervention (ECI) approach to the treatment of young children with CLP. The areas of strength and weakness in communication development and the factors influencing children with CLP at specific age-group intervals are under-emphasized. The aim of this study was to identify and describe the age-specific risk factors and assets which could influence the communication development of young children with CLP visiting a university-based ECI clinic, the Clinic for High-Risk Babies (CHRIB). Furthermore, the developmental areas of strength and weakness in the child with CLP at three specific age-group intervals, ranging from 1 month to 48 months were described. A retrospective, descriptive, between-subject developmental design with a correlation approach was employed. Purposive sampling was implemented as a non-randomized sampling method and 227 participants were included in the study. The data was extracted from the CHRIB database and analyzed by means of basic descriptive and advanced inferential statistical methods. Extensive data processing of all the potential factors that could have an influence on the early communication developmental areas of children with CLP was performed. A final analysis of the most important associations was performed in the SPSS. The findings revealed that expressive and receptive language and listening skills presented as the most vulnerable communication areas across all three age-groups. The cumulative effect of the risk factors was the greatest in the *[12;24) months age-group since this age group presented with the highest frequency of delayed communication development. The majority of participants in all three age-groups presented with areas of strength, which include age-appropriate cognitive skills, pragmatic development, gestural development and gross motor development. Low birth weight presented as a persistent phenotypical risk factor which influenced the development of functions related to language use in the [1;12) and [12;24) months age groups, and gross motor development and receptive language in the *[12;24) months age group. The environtypical factors such as education and occupation of the mother, as well as the type of day care, indicated significant associations with listening skill development in the [1;12) months group and with the development of functions relating to language use in the [12;24) months age group. Parent-child interaction showed recurrent significant associations with receptive and expressive language across the three age groups. The findings indicated that young children with CLP have unique communication profiles at different age intervals and that these age-specific risk factors and assets should be recognized to ensure a comprehensive approach to ECI services to these young children and their families. / Dissertation (MCommunication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / Unrestricted

The purpose of this study is to explain how investment-specific and firm-specific risk affects small and medium sized enterprises’ (SMEs) choice of capital budgeting technique for strategic investments.Furthermore, this study also aims to identify which of these risks affects the choice of capital budgeting technique to the greatest extent. This study assumes a positivistic perspective and adopts a deductive reasoning. The theoretical framework consists of the expected utility theory, the stakeholder theory  and existing research of risk and capital budgeting. The research method has been quantitative and data have been collected through a survey. The results indicates that both investment-specific and firm-specific risk has a significant impact on SMEs’ choice of capital budgeting technique for strategic investments. The results also indicates that SMEs under high levels of risk choose unsophisticated capital budgeting techniques. Furthermore, the findings shows that investment specific risk has a greater impact on SMEs’ choice of technique than firm-specific risk. Since this study examines investment-specific and firm-specific risk simultaneously, it differs from previous research. Previous research have examined each risk independently and therefore drawn individual conclusions for each individual risk’s impact on the choice of capital budgeting technique. This study also differs from previous research since the firm-specific risk is based on firm’s debt structure rather than the firm’s capital structure. Through this, the study contributes to existing research by explaining, previously neglected, underlying factors to SMEs’ choice of capital budgeting technique. / Studien syftar till att förklara hur investeringsspecifik och företagsspecifik risk påverkar små och medelstora företags (SME-företag) val av kapitalbudgeteringsteknik vid strategiska investeringar, samt kartlägga vilken av dessa risker som påverkar valet i störst utsträckning.  Studien utgår från den positivistiska forskningsfilosofin tillsammans med en deduktiv forskningsansats där teorin om förväntad nytta och intressentteorin tillsammans med tidigare forskning om risk och kapitalbudgetering utgjort den teoretiska referensramen. Studiens forskningsmetod har varit kvantitativ där data insamlats genom en enkätundersökning. Efter genomförda analyser av den insamlade datan framgår det att investeringsspecifik och företagsspecifik risk har en signifikant påvisbar påverkan på SME-företags val av kapitalbudgeteringsteknik vid strategiska investeringar. Studiens hypoteser om att hög investeringsspecifik samt hög företagsspecifik risk leder till ökad användning av osofistikerade tekniker har genom resultatet visat sig stämma. Av resultatet framgår även att investeringsspecifik risk har större påverkan än företagsspecifik risk på valet av teknik. Denna studie skiljer sig från tidigare forskning då både investeringsspecifik och företagsspecifik risk undersökts samtidigt. Tidigare forskning har undersökt varje risk individuellt och har således dragit individuella slutsatser för varje enskild risks påverkan på SME-företags val av kapitalbudgeteringsteknik. Likaså skiljer sig studien från tidigare forskning genom att den företagsspecifika risken utgjorts av företagens skuldstruktur snarare än företagens kapitalstruktur. Studien bidrar genom detta till att förklara bakomliggande faktorer till valet av kapitalbudgeteringsteknik som av tidigare forskning försummats.

Based on the concentrations of ten heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, Fe) in 144 road dust samples collected from 36 sites across 4 seasons from 2016 to 2017 in Beijing, this study systematically analyzed the levels and main sources of health risks in terms of their temporal and spatial variations. A combination of receptor models (positive matrix factorization and multilinear engine-2), human health risk assessment models, and Monte Carlo simulations were used to apportion the seasonal variation of the health risks associated with these heavy metals. While non-carcinogenic risks were generally acceptable, Cr and Ni induced cautionary carcinogenic risks (CR) to children (confidence levels was approximately 80% and 95%, respectively). Additionally, fuel combustion posed cautionary CR to children in all seasons, while the level of CR from other sources varied, depending on the seasons. Heavy metal concentrations were the most influential variables for uncertainties, followed by ingestion rate and skin adherence factor. The values and spatial patterns of health risks were influenced by the spatial pattern of risks from each source.

Bakgrund: Analytikerhus och banker har i dagsläget en betydande roll för värderingen av företag och allmänhetens investeringsbeslut som följer dessa aktörers råd. Oavsett värderingsmetod så har analytikern en stor frihet i värderingsprocessen och det finns mycket möjligheter för subjektiva bedömningar och antaganden. Varför är detta viktigt? Jo, analytikernas ändamål skiljer sig mellan företag. Vissa aktieanalytiker arbetar med uppdragsanalyser, där ett företag begär en publik analys för att marknadsföra både sitt bolag och sin aktie, fokus kan ofta befinna sig på möjligheter för företaget i fråga snarare än hot. Vissa aktieanalytiker jobbar med M&A transaktioner, där det istället kan vara fördelaktigt för köparens team att komma fram till en låg värdering för att köpa ett bolag billigt men för säljaren gäller motsatsen. Olika ändamål kan skapa utrymme för missvisande värderingar. Syfte: Studiens syfte är att analysera hur svenska analytikerhus och banker jobbar med företagsspecifika riskpremier för att sedan kunna analysera hur de skiljer sig åt och belysa hur och när riskpremierna används av de olika analytikerna. Metod: Studien grundar sig i en kvalitativ undersökning i form av intervjuer med svenska analytiker från analytikerhus och banker, vars dagliga verksamhet består av företagsvärdering och/eller rådgivning. Efter empiriska data presenterats har denna ställts mot befintliga teorier och annan forskning för att skapa en redogörelse över hur analytikerna skiljer sig åt gällande riskpremierna Slutsats: En justerad CAPM används av nästan alla respondenter. De främsta riskerna som identifierades hos analytikerna vissa sig vara branschrisk, vinstvolatilitet, överlevnadsrisk, ledning, kund- och leverantörsberoende. Största skillnad var vilka risker analytikerna väljer att inkludera i prognos och i riskpremier. Författarna har identifierat att en storlekspremie används endast vid arbete med onoterade bolag av revisionsbyrå. Erfarenhet har visat sig vara avgörande vid skattningen av avkastningskravet, författarna menar att det kan finnas en koppling till bias i detta sammanhang. / Background: Analyst firms and banks currently play a significant role in the valuation of companies and the public's investment decisions that follow the advice of these players. Regardless of the valuation method, the analyst has a great deal of freedom in the valuation process and there are many opportunities for subjective assessments and assumptions. Why is this important? Well, the purpose of the analysts differs between companies. Some stock analysts work with commissioned analyzes, where a company requests a public analysis to market both its company and its stock, the focus can often be on opportunities for the company in question rather than threats. Some equity analysts work with M&A transactions, where it may instead be advantageous for the buyer's team to arrive at a low valuation to buy a company cheaply, but for the seller the opposite applies. Different purposes can create room for misleading valuations. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to analyze how Swedish analyst firms and banks work with firm-specific risk premiums in order to then be able to analyze how they differ and shed light on how and when the risk premiums are used by the various analysts.  Methodology: The study is based on a qualitative study in the form of interviews with Swedish analysts from analyst firms and banks, whose daily operations consist of company valuation and / or financial advice. After empirical data has been presented, this has been set against existing theories and previous research to create a description of how analysts differ regarding current risk premiums.  Conclusion: An adjusted CAPM is used by almost all respondents. The main risks identified by the analysts turned out to be industry risk, profit volatility, survival risk, management, customer and supplier dependence. The biggest difference was which risks the analysts choose to include in the forecast and in risk premiums. The authors have identified that a size premium is only used when working with unlisted companies by an auditing firm. Experience has proven to be crucial in estimating the required rate of return, the authors believe that there may be a connection to bias in this context.

Систематизированы специфические особенности торговой недвижимости в условиях стабильной и нестабильной рыночной среды, выявлены факторы влияющие на изменение стоимости объекта в условиях неопределенности и обоснован усовершенствованный подход к определению рыночной стоимости объекта торгового назначения, основанный на учете влияния факторов внешней среды на стоимость объектов доходной недвижимости в зависимости от специфики данного сегмента рынка недвижимости. / The features of real estate trade in a stable and international market environment are systematized, factors influencing changes in the value of an object under conditions of uncertainty are identified, and a modernized approach to determining the market value of a real estate object is substantiated, based on taking into account external environmental factors on the cost of profitable real estate, depending on the specifics this segment of the real estate market.