Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Corporate Venture Capital and the Acquisition of Entrepreneurial Firms - DISSERTATION EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This dissertation uses quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the “direct” (e.g. the effect when acquiring portfolio companies) and “indirect” (the effect on all startups the firm acquires) impact of corporate venture capital investments on the acquisition of technology startups. In the first study, I examine the acquisition of startups by 61 top CVC investors between 1987 and 2003. I find evidence that established firms use external venturing programs as a mechanism for identifying and monitoring potential acquisition targets. The strategic investors in my sample had a prior equity investment in one of every five startups they acquired in this 16-year period. Interestingly, I find that firms are more likely to destroy value acquiring startups from within their CVC portfolio (e.g. “trying before they buy”) than when acquiring startups outright. I then explore several alternate explanations for these puzzling results. Overall, the evidence suggests that value-destroying takeovers of portfolio companies stem from managerial overconfidence or agency problems at the CVC program level.I supplement the quantitative analysis with interviews with CVC managers, independent VCs, and entrepreneurs. While many of the managers I spoke with agreed that acquisitions of portfolio companies ended up destroying value, several of them made comments like, “even if we overpay for the startups we invest in first and then acquire, it is still worth it to us to stay connected to the community of startups and venture capitalists. ” I explore this potential for spillover benefits in the second empirical study. Specifically, I examine the extent to which CVC investments provide information flows that can improve the firm’s acquisition performance more generally. I find that CVC investments do in fact provide a boost to acquisition performance relative to noninvestors; however, this advantage dissipates quickly and is subject to diminishing returns. Contrary to my expectations, however, I do not find that acquisition returns are higher when firms’ portfolio companies are concentrated in the same industries as the startups they acquired. Instead, investments in startups in IT and life science industries increase acquisition returns (when acquiring startups in IT) by roughly the same magnitude.
Effect of Externally Cued Training on Dynamic Stability Control During the Sit-to-Stand Task in People With Parkinson Disease

Background Previous studies have shown that people with Parkinson disease (PD) have difficulty performing the sit-to-stand task because of mobility and stability-related impairments. Despite its importance, literature on the quantification of dynamic stability control in people with PD during this task is limited. Objective The study objective was to examine differences in dynamic stability control between people with PD and people who were healthy and the extent to which externally cued training could improve such control during the sit-to-stand task in people with PD. Design This was a quasi-experimental controlled trial. Methods The performance of 21 people with PD was compared with that of 12 older adults who dwelled in the community. People with PD were randomly assigned to 2 groups: a group that did not receive training and a group that received audiovisually cued training (3 times per week for 4 weeks) for speeding up performance on the sit-to-stand task. Outcome measures recorded at baseline and after 4 weeks included center-of-mass position, center-of-mass velocity, and stability against either backward or forward balance loss (backward or forward stability) at seat-off and movement termination. Results Compared with people who were healthy, people with PD had greater backward stability resulting from a more anterior center-of-mass position at seat-off. This feature, combined with decreased forward stability at movement termination, increased their risk of forward balance loss at movement termination. After training, people with PD achieved greater backward stability through increased forward center-of-mass velocity at seat-off and reduced the likelihood of forward balance loss at movement termination through a posterior shift in the center-of-mass position. Limitations The study applied stability limits derived from adults who were healthy to people with PD, and the suggested impact on the risk of balance loss and falling is based on these theoretical stability limits. Conclusions For people with PD, postural stability against backward balance loss at task initiation was increased at the expense of possible forward balance loss at task termination. Task-specific training with preparatory audiovisual cues resulted in improved overall dynamic stability against both forward and backward balance loss.
International Agreements in the Area of Banking and Finance: Accomplishments and Outstanding Issues

The deregulation of domestic financial markets, in association with technological progress, has led to an explosion of cross-border financial transactions and the cross-border establishment of premises. In turn, this has led to a need for international agreements on how the business of international finance and banking should be conducted. Private and public sector bodies have generally both been actively involved, but leadership has varied depending on the purpose of the agreement in question. Agreements to facilitate the conduct of cross-border financial transactions have in large measure been driven by private sector agents. Conversely, agreements to deliberately encourage the expansion of cross-border competition and to promote and maintain financial stability have been led by the public sector given the possibility of significant economic externalities. Many agreements to promote financial stability have been reached by committees operating at the Bank for International Settlements under the aegis of the Governors of the Group of Ten. Such agreements have moral authority, being based on discussions among representatives of sovereign states, but are nevertheless enforceable only by domestic legislation or regulation.
Sn-seeded GaAs nanowires grown by MOVPE

It has previously been reported that in situ formed Sn nanoparticles can successfully initiate GaAs nanowire growth with a self-assembled radial p–n junction composed of a Sn-doped n-type core and a C-doped p-type shell. In this paper, we investigate the effect of fundamental growth parameters on the morphology and crystal structure of Sn-seeded GaAs nanowires. We show that growth can be achieved in a broad temperature window by changing the TMGa precursor flow simultaneously with decreasing temperature to prevent nanowire kinking at low temperatures. We find that changes in the supply of both AsH3 and TMGa can lead to nanowire kinking and that the formation of twin planes is closely related to a low V/III ratio. From PL results, we observe an increase of the average luminescence energy induced by heavy doping which shifts the Fermi level into the conduction band. Furthermore, the doping level of Sn and C is dependent on both the temperature and the V/III ratio. These results indicate that using Sn as the seed particle for nanowire growth is quite different from traditionally used Au in for example growth conditions and resulting nanowire properties. Thus, it is very interesting to explore alternative metal seed particles with controllable introduction of other impurities.
Introducing Human Resource Management

1. An Introduction to Human Resource Management 2. Human Resource Strategy and Planning 3. Recruitment 4. Selection: Shortlisting and Interviews 5. Selection: Supplementing the Interview 6. The Employment Relationship 7. Training and the Learning Process 8. Training and Development Programmes 9. Performance Appraisal and Performance Management 10. Payment Systems 11. Counselling and Employee Welfare 12. Health and Safety 13. Partnership and Employee Involvement 14. Discipline and Grievance 15. Dismissal, Redundancy and Outplacement 16. The Way Forward
What should South African HIV vaccine trials do about social harms?

Abstract Phase I and II HIV vaccine trials are currently underway in South Africa. Sites are being prepared for Phase III vaccine trials. Participants in these trials risk exposure to ‘social harms’ that may impact on participant enrolment and retention and threaten their welfare. Potential social harms should be prevented, minimised and/or addressed. This paper examines the literature on potential social harms in HIV vaccine trials. It outlines the type and severity and frequency of potential social harms and ways these have been monitored in settings in the developed world and Thailand. We argue that many of these social harms are likely to manifest in South African trials, however, it is also likely social harms may manifest differently in our setting, such as domestic violence. Therefore careful formative research is required to identify what constitutes a social harm in our setting. Measures should be carefully tailored to record such events and methods established to prevent or address these.
The handbook of commercial mortgage-backed securities

In addition to an overview of the historical background of commercial real estate finance and commercial property markets, this reference provides an up-to-date examination of evolving GAP principles for users and investors in CMBS. It then moves on to give a framework for risk and relative value analysis of CMBS and an option-based approach to valuing details and prepayment risk in CMBS. Additional topics include: performing financial due diligence associated with commercial mortgage securitization; legal perspectives on disclosure on the bond structure of CMBS; and federal income taxation of RELICS and CMBS.
Other mechanisms to explain the role of reduced folate carrier in cancer

Kastrup et al. recently evaluated the reduced folate carrier (RFC) expression and reported the importance of this gene in the outcome of hematological malignancies, also suggesting that impairment of RFC, due to a reduction in the intracellular folate concentration, may represent a tumorigenic event and contribute to the development of lymphomas (1). We would underline these findings discussing other mechanisms that may explain their results: in particular a vitamin as thiamine may better clarify the role of RFC in cancer cells. Thiamine is a vitamin required in the diet and imported through specific transporters in eukaryotic cells. It is also a cofactor for many enzymes of various metabolic pathways, including the mitochondrial enzymes pyruvate dehydrogenase and alfa-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase. Thiamine is metabolized to thiamine pyrophosphate, the cofactor of transketolase, which is involved in ribose synthesis, necessary for cell replication. Previous studies demonstrated that efflux of intracellular thiamine was increased in cells with high expression of RFC and methotrexate inhibits thiamine influx (2). High levels of thiamine could significantly increase tumour growth through transketolase activation and the effect of thiamine on tumour proliferation was demonstrated by in vivo experiments in mice with the ascites tumour (3). Furthermore, thiamine inhibits intracellular and physiological ability of p53 to repress replication or to prevent such cells from progressing into mitosis (4). The prognostic role of RFC could also be explained by ability of this carrier to transport other drugs: some transporters included as RFC in solute carriers family (SLC) are highly homologous to RFC. Despite the similarity between them, these proteins were not found to transport folates and methotrexate but different chemotherapeutic agents: in a previous study, we observed a prognostic role of RFC in other malignancies treated without methotrexate (5). To conclude, high levels of RFC are essential for a correct uptake of methotrexate but also for efflux of intracellular thiamine and maybe for the transport of other anticancer agents.
Bis{1-[2-(diphenylphosphino)ethyl]-3-ethylimidazol-2-ylidene}palladium(II) bis(hexafluoridophosphate) acetonitrile 2.85-solvate

In the structure of the title compound, [Pd(C(19)H(21)N(2)P)(2)](PF(6))(2)·2.85CH(3)CN, the two six-membered NHC-phosphane chelate rings form a distorted square-planar coordination geometry around the Pd(II) atom, which lies 0.212 (1) Å above the coordination plane. The sum of the bond angles at Pd(II) is 358.3°, with C-Pd-P bite angles of 84.03 (10) and 83.54 (9)°. The structure includes three acetonitrile solvent mol-ecules, one with partial site occupation and one with severe disorder, which was eventually excluded from the refinement.
Tinnitus Suppression by Cochlear Implants

The beneficial effects of cochlear implants on tinnitus have been noted in several studies, but few detailed appraisals of the phenomenon have been made. Six patients fitted with the UCSF/Storz cochlear implant device were studied. The effects of use of the implant device on tinnitus were monitored, and suppression of tinnitus was tracked throughout periods of stimulation and poststimulation. Tinnitus was effectively suppressed in five of six patients with the device on and with noise input, and reduction of perceived tinnitus loudness occurred in four of six with the device on but without acoustic input to the speech processor. Unilateral stimulation frequently resulted in bilateral tinnitus suppression. These studies reveal that profound tinnitus suppression is obtained by patients using their cochlear implants. Further work is required to quantify the optimal mode of stimulation, but these findings suggest that tinnitus sufferers may ultimately benefit from development of electrical stimulation tinnitus suppression devices.
THE EFFECT OF INDUSTRY ON THE VALUE CREATION IN ACQUISITIONS: EVIDENCE FROM TURKEY

Acquisitions are supposed to create value for both the acquirer and the target firm. In this paper, I try to explain the sectoral differences in the profitability of the acquisitions. I analyze 171 out of 898 acquisitions in different industries, in Turkey from 2010 through 2014. I show that the acquisitions in Mining are more profitable compared to other industries with a daily increase of 1.67% in the market value of the acquiring firm. In services and healthcare, acquisitions decrease the value of the acquiring firms with an average decrease of 1.94% and 1.65% in market value, respectively. By calculating the intra-industry effect of acquisitions, I isolate the effect of acquisitions on the market value of the acquirer firm in IT and show that the effect is more significant than the one calculated using the market model
The How and Why of Soft Information Production in Bank Lending

Although soft information plays a central role in the relationship banking literature, the mechanism behind its production is unexplored and remains unclear. Assuming that this type of information is collected primarily through instances of face-to-face contact, this paper analyzes the determinants of lender-borrower interactions. The findings suggest that a bank may prefer to gather qualitative information mainly regarding non-opaque firms with low credit risk and low coverage of financial products provided by the same bank. The results are consistent with this study’s proposed classification of active and passive soft information collection and might help suggest new insights regarding the intensity and quality of bank-firm relationships. JEL Classification: G20, G21, G32
Discount Rate Dynamics and Stock Prices

Basic volatility and predictability characteristics of the aggregate US stock market over the last century can be understood in terms of the dynamic properties of mean reverting equity discount rates. Additionally, high prices in good times and low prices in bad times can be understood in terms of the dynamics of both equity discount rates and return on capital, and the negative correlation between them.
INI1 immunohistochemical expression in glioblastoma: correlation with MGMT gene promoter methylation status and patient survival

Aims: INI1 expression and its correlation with MGMT gene promoter methylation status and follow-up was investigated in 77 surgically removed glioblastomas then treated with radiotherapy (RT) or RT plus temozolomide (TMZ). Methods: INI1 was determined by immunohistochemistry and MGMT by methylation-specific PCR. Results: INI1 was expressed in 83.1% of cases. The median overall survival (OS) was 13.6 months in INI1+ tumours and 7.2 months in INI1- tumours. 31.3% of patients with INI1+ tumours were alive compared with 15.4% of patients with INI1- tumours. MGMT methylation was detected in 31.2% of cases. OS was significantly different between patients with methylated tumours and un-methylated tumours (p < 0.04), and between patients with RT+ TMZ and RT alone (p < 0.001). Considering both treatment and MGMT, the difference in OS was significant (p < 0.002). The difference in OS according to MGMT and INI1 was significant (p < 0.04). The longest median OS was recorded among methylated and INI1+ tumours. Among un-methylated tumours, the median OS was 11.1 months in INI1+ and 6.5 months in INI1- tumours. No patients were alive with un-methylated and INI1- tumours. Conclusions: Loss of INI1 immunohistochemical expression in glioblastoma may be indicating an underlying molecular aberration accounting for the more aggressive clinical behaviour.
The Chloroplast Function Database: a large-scale collection of Arabidopsis Ds/Spm- or T-DNA-tagged homozygous lines for nuclear-encoded chloroplast proteins, and their systematic phenotype analysis.

A majority of the proteins of the chloroplast are encoded by the nuclear genome, and are post-translationally targeted to the chloroplast. From databases of tagged insertion lines at international seed stock centers and our own stock, we selected 3246 Ds/Spm (dissociator/suppressor-mutator) transposon- or T-DNA-tagged Arabidopsis lines for genes encoding 1369 chloroplast proteins (about 66% of the 2090 predicted chloroplast proteins) in which insertions disrupt the protein-coding regions. We systematically observed 3-week-old seedlings grown on agar plates, identified mutants with abnormal phenotypes and collected homozygous lines with wild-type phenotypes. We also identified insertion lines for which no homozygous plants were obtained. To date, we have identified 111 lines with reproducible seedling phenotypes, 122 lines for which we could not obtain homozygotes and 1290 homozygous lines without a visible phenotype. The Chloroplast Function Database presents the molecular and phenotypic information obtained from this resource. The database provides tools for searching for mutant lines using Arabidopsis Genome Initiative (AGI) locus numbers, tagged line numbers and phenotypes, and provides rapid access to detailed information on the tagged line resources. Moreover, our collection of insertion homozygotes provides a powerful tool to accelerate the functional analysis of nuclear-encoded chloroplast proteins in Arabidopsis. The Chloroplast Function Database is freely available at http://rarge.psc. riken.jp/chloroplast/. The homozygous lines generated in this project are also available from the various Arabidopsis stock centers. We have donated the insertion homozygotes to their originating seed stock centers.
Load pattern-based classification of electricity customers

Accurate knowledge of the customers' consumption patterns represents a worthwhile asset for electricity providers in competitive electricity markets. Various approaches can be used for grouping customers that exhibit similar electrical behavior into customer classes. In this paper, we focus on two approaches for customer classification-a modified follow-the-leader algorithm and the self-organizing maps. We include an overview of basic theory for these methods and discuss the performance of the customer classification on the real case of a set of customers supplied by a distribution company. We compare the results obtained from the two approaches by means of two suitably defined adequacy indicators and discuss the potential applications of the surveyed approaches.
Cancer Prevention in Primary Care: Screening for cervical cancer

Cervical screening has been shown to be effective in several countries, although not by means of randomised controlled trials. A screening programme has been in operation in the United Kingdom since 1964, but it has, in the past, been beset with problems of organisation, accountability, and commitment. The introduction in 1988 of a systematic call and recall system and the setting up of an NHS cervical screening programme national coordinating network has brought a greater sense of coherence. Coverage of the target population in England between 1989-90 and 1992-3 increased from 61% to 83%, and there is a strong indication that cervical screening is now beginning to reach those most at risk - namely, older women from lower social classes. Primary care is central to the overall success of the cervical screening programme. General practitioners are in a unique position to invite women for a smear test, to take smears, to ensure that abnormal smear test results are followed up, and to check on reasons for non-attendance. Numerous studies have looked at the involvement of general practice in cervical screening, identifying many ways in which the programme can be improved. Many practices are now running well organised and effective programmes. * This is the seventh in a series of articles looking at how cancer can be prevented in general practice In England and Wales during 1988, 4467 new cases of invasive carcinoma of the cervix were registered (4940 in the United Kingdom as a whole), making it the eighth commonest cancer in women. Although only 15.5% of cases occur in women under 35, it is the most common cancer in this age group, accounting for 25% of all new cancers. Since the early 1970s there has been a significant increase in the incidence of both carcinoma in situ and invasive …
HIV-1–Infected Individuals in Antiretroviral Therapy React Specifically With Polyfunctional T-Cell Responses to Gag p24

Background: Still no effective HIV-1 prophylactic or therapeutic vaccines are available. However, as the proportion of HIV-1–infected individuals on antiretroviral treatment is increasing, knowledge about the residual immune response is important for the possible development of an HIV-1 vaccine. Methods: In this study, the magnitude, breadth, and quality of the HIV-1–specific T-cell response in HIV-1–infected viremic individuals (n = 19) and individuals on highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) (n = 14) using multicolor flow cytometry were determined. Results: We found that magnitude and breadth of the CD8 T-cell response were significantly higher in viremic individuals than individuals on HAART (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.0001, respectively) and that the functionality of the overall HIV-1–specific response was significantly different in individuals on HAART and viremic individuals (P = 0.0020). In individuals on HAART, the remaining responses were primarily detected upon stimulation with overlapping peptides from Gag p24, integrase, and Nef. The Gag p24 response was more polyfunctional than corresponding responses observed in viremic individuals. Conclusions: Identification of highly immunogenic regions also recognized by individuals on HAART may be important for HIV-1 vaccine development. Irrespective of HLA haplotype, specific regions within the HIV-1 genome that is targeted more frequently in individuals on HAART have been identified. However, further studies are required to establish if these particular regions could be interesting for a future vaccine that might limit the time and opportunity for escape mutations.