Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
WHEN FAMILY FIRMS ARE ACQUIRED

We examine the acquisitions of 71 publicly traded family owned targets for the period 1984-2006 to study the conflicting roles of entrenchment and alignment of interests in these firms. While targets experience positive returns at the acquisition announcement, we find that the target abnormal returns are U shaped, with both low levels and high levels of ownership receiving the higher returns. We also find that the returns for children of the founder are almost five times as great as that of the founder controlled firm, demonstrating that founder run firms leave little excess value to be generated by an acquisition. JEL Classifications: G34 INTRODUCTION The family owned firm makes up more than 90 percent of all business in the United States, ranging from small mom and pop stores to giants such as Wal-Mart and Marriott. They generate about half of the Gross Domestic Product and half of the total wages. However fewer than 30 percent of successful family businesses make it to the second generation, 12 percent to the third, and about 3 percent make it to the fourth generation or beyond (Family Business Institute, 2013). Thus, succession issues and exit strategies become crucial. We focus on one strategy: the sale of the family business by either the founder or by subsequent generations. As Mickelson and Worley (2003, p. 252) note, “in general, there are few empirical articles on M&As involving family firms”. We help to fill that gap by investigating the types of public family firms that have chosen acquisitions as an exit strategy. In particular, we examine the premium paid to the targets’ shareholders when family owned firms are acquired. Our major contribution is determining that there are large differences by degree of ownership as well as by generational distance. We explain these differences using both the finance literature on corporate governance and acquisition returns to targets as well as the family firm literature on firm valuation and the competing effects of alignment versus entrenchment.
Vδ2+ and α/Δ T cells show divergent trajectories during human aging

Chronological aging and a variety of stressors are driving forces towards immunosenescence. While much attention was paid to the main T cell component, α/β T cells, few studies concentrate on the impact of age on γ/δ T cells' characteristics. The latter are important players of adaptive immunity but also have features associated with innate immunity. Vδ2+ are the main component of γ/δ while Vδ1+ T cells expand upon Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and with age. The Vδ2+ T cells are not influenced by persistent infections but do contribute to immunosurveillance against bacterial pathogens. Here, we focus on Vδ2+ T cells and report that their composition and functionality is not altered in older adults. We have performed a side-by-side comparison of α/β and Vδ2 cells by using two robust markers of T cell replicative history and cell differentiation (CD28 and CD27), and cytokine secretion (IFN-γ and TNF-α). Significant differences in Vδ2 versus α/β homeostasis, as well as phenotypic and functional changes emerged. However, the data strongly suggest a sustained functionality of the Vδ2 population with age, independently of the challenge. This suggests differential trajectories towards immunosenescence in α/β and Vδ2+ T cells, most likely explained by their intrinsic functions.
Enhancing information awareness through speech-induced anthropomorphism

1 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 2 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 7 LIST OF TABLES . 8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 10 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 12 1.1 MOTIVATION . 12 1.1.1. Problems with current interfaces . 12 1.1.2. The case for a humanised approach. 14 1.1.3. Pitfalls of a humanised approach. 15 1.1.4. Exploiting speech output to enhance information awareness. 17 1.2 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES . 17 1.2.1. Benefits of speech in the user-interface . 18 1.2. 2. Linguistic variation in a humanised system. 19 1.2. 3. Avoiding rudeness in a humanised system. 20 1.2. 4. Enhancing information awareness . 21 1.2. 5. Designing an experimental environment . 22 1.2. 6. Evaluating the humanised interaction style. 24 1.3 THESIS STATEMENT. 27 1.4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY. 28 1.4. 1. Delineation of the problem space. 28 1.4. 2. Spoken message design. 28 1.4. 3. Designing and prototyping the experimental environment. 28 1.4. 4. Evaluating the concept . 29 1.4. 5. Analysis and implications for design. 29 1.5 SUMMARY . 30 CHAPTER 2: REINFORCING SOCIAL ACCEPTABILITY . 31 2.1 OVERVIEW . 31
R 2 STATISTICS FOR MIXED MODELS

The R statistic, when used in a regression or ANOVA context, is appealing because it summarizes how well the model explains the data in an easy-tounderstand way. R statistics are also useful to gauge the effect of changing a model. Generalizing R to mixed models is not obvious when there are correlated errors, as might occur if data are georeferenced or result from a designed experiment with blocking. Such an R statistic might refer only to the explanation associated with the independent variables, or might capture the explanatory power of the whole model. In the latter case, one might develop an R statistic from Wald or likelihood ratio statistics, but these can yield different numeric results. Example formulas for these generalizations of R are given. Two simulated data sets, one based on a randomized complete block design and the other with spatially correlated observations, demonstrate increases in R as model complexity increases, the result of modeling the covariance structure of the residuals.
Structure and dynamics of protonated Mg 2 SiO 4 : An ab-initio molecular dynamics study

We studied structural and dynamical properties of H1 absorbed in Mg2SiO4 by ab-initio molecular dynamics. We first calculated the T 5 0 equation of state of pure forsterite as a function of pressure, and we determined the relative stabilities of the olivine, b-spinel, and spinel polymorphs. The results show that the ab-initio model successfully reproduces the known structural properties of the system. In the protonated phases, in agreement with experimental evidence, our computations show that H1 is absorbed preferentially in the b-spinel phase. The most stable absorption site is located close to the O1 atom, which is coordinated by five Mg21 cations and not directly bound to Si. In addition to this stable absorption site, the computation reveals other low-energy positions, forming an extended network of hydrogen bonds, that could play an important role in the diffusion of H1 in b-spinel. We analyze the dependence of structure and dynamics of the pure and protonated phases as a function of temperature and pressure.
Role of Probiotics in Diabetes: A Review of Their Rationale and Efficacy

The commensal bacteria that are present in our body since infancy are known to play a role in metabolism, in health as well as disease. Diabetes is a growing epidemic, and a long-term solution that targets the disease at the molecular level is yet to be developed. In this article, we have reviewed the link between the body’s microbiota and disturbed glucose metabolism, as well as the reasons for bacterial dysbiosis and the mechanisms by which it causes inflammation. The link between dysbiosis and diabetes is convincing, particularly since probiotics have been shown to be of some benefit in normalising disturbed metabolism in diabetes patients. Probiotics have recently been found to have a wide application in diseases such as autoimmune, inflammatory, and allergic conditions. The efficacy of probiotics in diabetes has been proven by their ability to lower fasting glucose and insulin levels in a preclinical setting as well as in human trials. However, there is heterogeneity in these studies, including the species used, probiotic dosage, and the magnitude of efficacy. Based on the robust understanding of the benefits of probiotics in diabetes at the cellular level, in both animal studies and clinical trials, combined with their excellent tolerability, probiotics should be explored for their application in clinics.
The lulling effect: the impact of child-resistant packaging on aspirin and analgesic ingestions.

In 1972 the Food and Drug Administration imposed a protective bottlecap requirement on aspirin and other selected drugs. This regulation epitomizes the technological approach to social regulation. The strategy for reducing children's poisoning risks was to design caps that would make opening containers of hazardous substances more difficult. This engineering approach will be effective provided that children's exposure to hazardous products does not increase. If, however, parents leave protective caps off bottles because they are difficult to open, or increase children's access to these bottles because they are supposedly "child proof," the regulation may not have a beneficial effect. Indeed, in this case there was no significant impact of the regulation on aspirin poisoning rates, but there has been an alarming, upward shift in the trend of analgesic ingestion rates since 1972. The source of this pattern appears to be attributable to a general reduction in parental caution with respect to such medicines, which has had an adverse spillover effect on unregulated products. The economic mechanisms involved can be best understood by considering the nature of individuals' response to regulatory protection.
Contrasting spatial, temporal and environmental patterns in observation and specimen based species occurrence data

Species occurrence data records the location and time of an encounter with a species, and is valuable for many aspects of ecological and evolutionary analyses. A key distinction within species occurrence data is between (1) collected and preserved specimens that can be taxonomically validated (i.e., natural history collections), and (2) observations, which are more error prone but richer in terms of number and spread of observations. In this study we analyse the distribution in temporal, spatial, taxonomic and environmental coverage of specimen- and observation based species occurrence data for land plants in Norway, a region with strong climatic and human population density gradients. Of 4.8 million species occurrence records, the majority (78%) were observations. However, there was a greater species richness in the specimen record (N = 4691) than in the observation record (N = 3193) and most species were recorded more as specimens than observations. Specimen data was on average older, and collected later during the year. Both record types were highly influenced by a small number of prolific contributors. The species most highly represented in the observation data set were widespread or invasive, while in the specimen records, taxonomically challenging species were overrepresented. Species occurrence records were unevenly spatially distributed. Both specimen and observation records were concentrated in regions of Norway with high human population density and with high temperatures and precipitation, but in different regions within Norway. Observation and specimen records thus differ in taxonomic, temporal, spatial and environmental coverage for a well-sampled group and study region, potentially influencing the ecological inferences made from studies utilizing species occurrence data. The distribution of observation data dominates the dataset, so inferences of species diversity and distributions do not correspond to the evolutionary or physiological knowledge of species, which is based on specimen data. We make recommendations for users of biodiversity data, and collectors to better exploit the complementary strengths of these distinct biodiversity data types.
Temporal Neuromodulation of Retinal Ganglion Cells by Low-Frequency Focused Ultrasound Stimulation

Significant progress has been made recently in treating neurological blindness using implantable visual prostheses. However, implantable medical devices are highly invasive and subject to many safety, efficacy, and cost issues. The discovery that ultrasound (US) may be useful as a noninvasive neuromodulation tool has aroused great interest in the field of acoustic retinal prostheses (ARPs). We have investigated the responsiveness of rat retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) to low-frequency focused US stimulation (LFUS) at 2.25 MHz and characterized the neurophysiological properties of US responses by performing in vitro multielectrode array recordings. The results show that LFUS can reliably activate RGCs. The US-induced responses did not correspond to the standard light responses and varied greatly among cell types. Moreover, dual-peak responses to US stimulation were observed that have not been reported previously. The temporal response properties of RGCs, including their latency, firing rate, and response type, were modulated by the acoustic intensity. These findings suggest the presence of a temporal neuromodulation effect of LFUS and potentially open a new avenue in the development of ARP.
Hepatitis B Virus Infection and B‐Cell Non‐Hodgkin's Lymphoma in a Hepatitis B Endemic Area: A Case‐control Study

Several studies have reported a higher prevalence of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients with B‐cell non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma and suggested a pathogenic role for HCV, but studies on hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma are limited. To determine the association between HBV infection and non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma, we performed a case‐control study in Korea, a hepatitis B endemic area. We recruited 222 patients newly diagnosed with non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma at Seoul National University Hospital between January 1997 and December 1998 as cases. Four age‐ and sex‐matched controls were selected for each case, and the control groups comprised of 439 patients with non‐hematological malignancy (control group 1) and 444 subjects with non‐malignant conditions (control group 2). Relative risk of developing non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma among individuals tested positive for hepatitis B surface antigen was calculated after controlling for other potential risk factors of lymphoma, such as smoking, alcohol drinking, transfusion history and HCV infection. Hepatitis B surface antigen was positive in 28 of 222 patients (12.6%) with non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma compared with 32 of 439 (7.3%) in control group 1, and 21 of 444 (4.7%) in control group 2 (P=0.001). The crude odds ratio for B‐cell non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma among the HBV carriers was 2.54 (1.46–4.45) and the adjusted odds ratio was 3.30 (1.69–6.45) by multivariate analysis. The present study suggests that the risk of B‐cell non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma is increased in HBV carriers and warrants further investigation of the possible role of hepatitis B virus in the pathogenesis of B‐cell non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Towards comparing programming paradigms

Rapid technological progress in computer sciences finds solutions and at the same time creates ever more complex requirements. Due to an evolving complexity today's programming languages provide powerful frameworks which offer standard solutions for recurring tasks to assist the programmer and to avoid the re-invention of the wheel with so-called “out-of-the-box-features”. In this paper, we propose a way of comparing different programming paradigms on a theoretical, technical and practical level. Furthermore, the paper presents the results of an initial comparison of two representative programming approaches, both in the closed SAP environment.
Clinical efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens FLEEOX vs. XELOX in patients with initially unresectable advanced gastric cancer: a propensity score analysis

Purpose This study was designed to assess the effectiveness of FLEEOX (5-Fu, leucovorin, etoposide, oxaliplatin, and epirubicin) compared with XELOX (capecitabine and oxaliplatin) as neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for initially unresectable advanced gastric cancer (AGC). Methods This study reviewed patients who underwent FLEEOX or XELOX for initially unresectable AGC. To reduce the bias in patient selection, we conducted propensity score match (PSM) with 1:1 ratio. Tumor and pathological response, surgical characteristics, chemotherapy-related toxicity and overall survival (OS) were analyzed. Results From January 2004 to December 2012, 436 patients were enrolled; 99 pairs of patients were generated after PSM. The tumor response rates were 80.8% and 68.7% in FLEEOX and XELOX (P=0.018). 80 patients (80.8%) in FLEEOX and 63 (63.6%) in XELOX received radical resection (P<0.001). The pathological complete response rate and R0 rate were 11.1% and 69.7% in FLEEOX, respectively, while 4.8% and 38.4% in XELOX (P<0.001). Median OS time was longer in FLEEOX (30.0 vs. 25.1 months, P<0.001). In addition, more toxicities occurred in FLEEOX, including leukocytopenia (17.2% vs. 7.1%, P=0.024), nausea (17.2% vs. 6.1%, P=0.012) and vomiting (22.2% vs. 10.1%, P=0.016). The overall toxicity rate was higher in FLEEOX (71.7% vs. 35.4%, P<0.001). Conclusion The FLEEOX regimen as NAC for patients with initially unresectable AGC can improve tumor response rate, radical resection rate, R0 rate, and OS as compared to XELOX regimen. More chemotherapy-related toxicity was observed in FLEEOX group, although no chemotherapy-related deaths and aborting were observed. Further randomized clinical trials on the FLEEOX regimen are necessary.
Electrocardiographic ST-Segment Depression and Exposure to Traffic‐Related Aerosols in Elderly Subjects with Coronary Artery Disease

Background Air pollutants have not been associated with ambulatory electrocardiographic evidence of ST-segment depression ≥ 1 mm (probable cardiac ischemia). We previously found that markers of primary (combustion-related) organic aerosols and gases were positively associated with circulating biomarkers of inflammation and ambulatory blood pressure in the present cohort panel study of elderly subjects with coronary artery disease. Objectives We specifically aimed to evaluate whether exposure markers of primary organic aerosols and ultrafine particles were more strongly associated with ST-segment depression of ≥ 1 mm than were secondary organic aerosols or PM2.5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm) mass. Methods We evaluated relations of air pollutants to ambulatory electrocardiographic evidence of cardiac ischemia over 10 days in 38 subjects without ST depression on baseline electrocardiographs. Exposures were measured outdoors in retirement communities in the Los Angeles basin, including daily size-fractionated particle mass and hourly markers of primary and secondary organic aerosols and gases. Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate odds of hourly ST-segment depression (≥ 1 mm) from hourly air pollution exposures and to estimate relative rates of daily counts of ST-segment depression from daily average exposures, controlling for potential confounders. Results We found significant positive associations of hourly ST-segment depression with markers of combustion-related aerosols and gases averaged 1-hr through 3–4 days, but not secondary (photochemically aged) organic aerosols or ozone. The odds ratio per interquartile increase in 2-day average primary organic carbon (5.2 μg/m3) was 15.4 (95% confidence interval, 3.5–68.2). Daily counts of ST-segment depression were consistently associated with primary combustion markers and 2-day average quasi-ultrafine particles < 0.25 μm. Conclusions Results suggest that exposure to quasi-ultrafine particles and combustion-related pollutants (predominantly from traffic) increase the risk of myocardial ischemia, coherent with our previous findings for systemic inflammation and blood pressure.
Xanthatin inhibits corneal neovascularization by inhibiting the VEGFR2-mediated STAT3/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

Alkali burn is one of the main causes of corneal injury. The inflammation and neovascularization caused by alkali burns aggravate corneal damage, resulting in loss of vision. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of xanthatin in the treatment of alkali burn-induced inflammation and neovascularization. A CCK-8 assay was used to detect the effects of different concentrations of xanthatin on the proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The effects of xanthatin on the migration of HUVECs and the ability of lumen formation were examined using a scratch test and lumen formation assay, respectively. A total of 60 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups to establish a corneal alkali burn model, and were treated with PBS and xanthatin eye drops four times a day. A slit lamp microscope recorded changes of the cornea at 0, 4, 7, 10 and 14 days, and the inflammatory indices of the cornea and the neovascular area were evaluated. The expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) in the cornea under different treatment conditions were detected using immunofluorescence and western blot analysis. In order to investigate the mechanism of xanthatin on the inhibition of inflammation and neovascularization, HUVECs were treated with xanthatin and PBS following VEGF treatment. The subcellular localization of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) was detected using immunofluorescence. The expression levels of VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2), STAT3, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and Akt were detected using western blot analysis. The results revealed that xanthatin inhibited the proliferation of HUVECs in a concentration-dependent manner. The migration ability and lumen-forming ability of the HUVECs were also inhibited by xanthatin. Slit lamp microscopy showed that the inflammatory index and the area of neovascularization in the xanthatin-treated group were significantly reduced, compared with those in the PBS treatment group. The xanthatin treatment group exhibited a lower protein expression level of VEGF and increased protein expression level of PEDF, compared with the PBS treatment group. In the VEGF-treated HUVECs, xanthatin significantly decreased the expression levels of p-VEGFR2, phosphorylated (p-)STAT3, p-PI3K and p-Akt. In conclusion, the present study confirmed that xanthatin inhibited corneal neovascularization and inflammation in the alkali burn model, elucidating the underlying mechanisms involved in its protective effects. Therefore, xanthatin may be a novel drug for the treatment of corneal alkali burn.
Standing at work and progression of carotid atherosclerosis.

OBJECTIVES The association between the amount of standing at work and the progression of carotid intima media thickness (IMT) was studied among 584 active working men participating in the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study. METHODS Ultrasound measurements of atherosclerotic changes in the carotid arteries were performed at the beginning of the study and after 4 years. Analyses of changes in IMT included adjustments for risk factors and stratification by base-line levels of atherosclerosis and prevalent ischemic heart disease (IHD). RESULTS Significant relationships were found between the amount of standing at work and atherosclerotic progression. After adjustment for the heaviness of the work, psychosocial job factors, income, and biological and behavioral risk factors, the mean change in maximum IMT for those standing not at all, a little, a lot, and very much was 0.24, 0.25, 0.28, and 0.33 mm, respectively. For men with IHD the respective changes were 0.08, 0.15, 0.37, and 0.75 mm -- a 9-fold difference between the no-exposure and high-exposure group. For the men with carotid stenosis, the respective difference was 3-fold. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide the first empirical support in a population study for the role of hemodynamic factors in the progression of atherosclerosis induced by long-term standing. Men with carotid stenosis or IHD appear especially vulnerable to the adverse effects associated with standing at work. Reducing the duration of standing at work should be considered both in the occupational rehabilitation of such patients and in the primary prevention of atherosclerosis.