Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Acquisition of Non Public Firms in Europe: Bidders’ Returns, Payment Methods and Stock Market Evolution

This paper studies the returns of non public firms acquisitions. Like the American studies do, we show the existence of a “non public firms acquisition effect” for the European multi-acquirer firms: abnormal returns are much higher for non-public firms (subsidiaries or private held firms) than for public firms. Our results also show that the returns are influenced by the stock market cycles: the returns are significantly higher when the market is bullish than when it is bearish. According to us, this result is consistent with Shleifer and Vishny (1988) and with Amihud and Lev (1981) and can be explained by agency phenomena. Indeed, we think that when the market is bearish, managers have incentive to compensate for the decrease of their income if it is index-linked to the performance of the firm, thanks to deals that will maximize their own wealth, at the risk of destroying value for their shareholders.
The amphiregulin gene encodes a novel epidermal growth factor-related protein with tumor-inhibitory activity

We have isolated the gene for a novel growth regulator, amphiregulin (AR), that is evolutionarily related to epidermal growth factor (EGF) and transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-alpha). AR is a bifunctional growth modulator: it interacts with the EGF/TGF-alpha receptor to promote the growth of normal epithelial cells and inhibits the growth of certain aggressive carcinoma cell lines. The 84-amino-acid mature protein is embedded within a 252-amino-acid transmembrane precursor, an organization similar to that of the TGF-alpha precursor. Human placenta and ovaries were found to express significant amounts of the 1.4-kilobase AR transcript, implicating AR in the regulation of normal cell growth. In addition, the AR gene was localized to chromosomal region 4q13-4q21, a common breakpoint for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
A System for the Dynamic Control and Thermal Characterization of Ultra Low Power Gas Sensors

This paper describes a system for the simultaneous dynamic control and thermal characterization of the heating and cooling phases of an ultralow-power (ULP) micromachined sensor, featuring thermal characteristics that are quite similar to those of innovative ULP semiconducting metal-oxide gas sensors. A pulsewidth-modulated (PWM) excitation system has been realized using a microcontroller featuring an ARM7 core to characterize the thermal behavior of a device formed by a Pt microheater and a Pt temperature sensor, over an insulating membrane. Three operating modes, i.e., constant target heater resistance, constant heating power, and cooling phase monitoring, were implemented. Objectives of the research were to analyze the relation between the time period and duty cycle of the PWM signal and the operating temperature of such ULP micromachined systems, to observe the thermal time constants of the device during the heating and cooling phases, and to measure the total thermal conductance. Experiments indicated that an approximately constant heater temperature in the constant target heater resistance regime (i.e., after the initial thermal transient due to the heating algorithm) can only be obtained if the time period of the heating signal is smaller than 50 μs, i.e., much faster than the time constant of the device. Constant power experiments show quantitatively a unique time constant τ for both the heater and the temperature sensor (T-sensor) in the heating phase (with a known applied power) and the cooling phase (with zero power). This time constant decreases during heating in a range of 2.3-2 ms as a function of an increasing temperature rise ΔT between the ambient and the operating temperature. Moreover, we observed that, in the chosen operating temperature range, the thermal conductance is a linear function of ΔT. Finally, repeatability of experimental results was assessed by guaranteeing that the standard deviation of the controlled temperature was within ±5.5°C in worst-case conditions.
In‐clinic endoscopic polypectomy for chronic rhinosinusitis with polyps: a treatment strategy pilot study in ten adults

Shaun J. Kilty MD December 12, 2014 Department of OtolaryngologyHead and Neck Surgery, The University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), Ottawa, ON, Canada. Corresponding Author: Dr. Shaun Kilty Department of OtolaryngologyHead and Neck Surgery Ottawa Hospital, Civic Campus Parkdale Clinic, Room 458 1053 Carling Ave., Ottawa, ON, Canada Ph: (613) 798-5555 ext. 18510 Fax: (613) 729-2412
The oil of wheat stem rust uredospores. I. The sterol and carotenes of the unsaponifiable matter.

Uredospores of Puccinia graminis var. tritici, race 15B, contain approximately 20% by weight of ether-extractable oil which was separated into fatty acid and unsaponifiable fractions. The latter contains a sterol which was isolated and identified as ergost-7-enol. An investigation of the carotenes has confirmed the presence of β - and γ-carotene as the major carotenoid components and further established the presence of the minor components, phytoene, lycopene, a cis-β-carotene, and a cis-γ-carotene.
Sustainability Service In-Store: Service Work and the Promotion of Sustainable Consumption

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore, illustrate, and conceptualize how sustainability service is performed and the role it plays in the promotion of sustainable consumption. Design/methodology/approach – Theoretically, this paper takes a practice theory approach, conceptualizing the provision of sustainability service as a set of complex, socio-material, and performative practices. Methodologically, this paper draws on an ethnographic study of a retail chain – W-Store – and its sustainability service. Interviews with management and focus group interviews with shop assistants and consumers, as well as observations made in-store, make up the material analysed. Findings – The provision of sustainability service is accomplished in this case via three service practices; arranging green shopping trails, answering sustainability questions, and promoting sustainability to green consumers in-store. The analysis shows that the retailing of sustainable products is not simply a matter of including sustainability products in the range and instructing shop assistants to promote them. Sustainability service – as enacted at W-Store – was dependent on the successful combination and configuration of human competence (service staff) and IT and organizational artefacts. There also needed to be congruence between consumers and their images and between retailers and the version of sustainability they were enacting. Finally, the provision of sustainability service required an investigative and adaptive organization capable of keeping up as well as developing vis-a-vis changing sustainability discourses and issues. However, once the necessary conditions had been met, sustainability service worked towards promoting sustainable consumption by making green shopping possible, educating consumers on sustainability issues, and motivating them via positive feedback and dialogue.Originality/value – Underscores the importance of investigating sustainability service and offers both a conceptual approach to and an analysis of this particular type of retail service work.
Biodegradable and Bioactive PCL–PGS Core–Shell Fibers for Tissue Engineering

Poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) has increasingly become a desirable biomaterial due to its elastic mechanical properties, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. Here, we report microfibrous core–shell mats of polycaprolactone (PCL)–PGS prepared using wet–wet coaxial electrospinning. The anticoagulant heparin was immobilized onto the surface of these electrospun fiber mats, and they were evaluated for their chemical, mechanical, and biological properties. The core–shell structure of PCL–PGS provided tunable degradation and mechanical properties. The slowly degrading PCL provided structural integrity, and the fast degrading PGS component increased fiber elasticity. Young’s modulus of PCL–PGS ranged from 5.6 to 15.7 MPa. The ultimate tensile stress ranged from 2.0 to 2.9 MPa, and these fibers showed elongation from 290 to 900%. The addition of PGS and grafting of heparin improved the attachment and proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Core–shell PCL–PGS fibers demonstrate improved performance as three-dimensional fibrous mats for potential tissue-engineering applications.
Collaboration between developed and developing country‐based firms: Danish‐Ghanaian experience

This paper presents a conceptual model of partners’ assessment of the performance of their co‐partners in a collaborative relationship. The model’s usefulness has been illustrated through a study of 12 collaborative arrangements between Danish and Ghanaian companies. The results indicate gaps in partners’ expectations and perceived performance of their co‐partners. The perceptual gaps have been explained with reference to differences in motives of collaboration, intensity of interaction, cultural differences as well as the active involvement of a catalyst institution in the development of the relationship. The paper also draws attention to the policy and strategy implications of the empirical evidence.
Defragmenting the effect of major news announcements on financial markets

The issue of High Frequency Trading (HFT) and its impact on financial markets is hitting the headlines hard nowadays. This paper looks at the effects of three major news announcements on two major currency pairs namely the Australian dollar against the US dollar and the Euro against the US dollar. The three major news announcements are the cash rate from the Reserve Bank of Australia, the minimum bid rate from European Central Bank (ECB) and the official bank rate from the Bank of England. A one minute data interval analysis is used over a time period of four years. Findings suggest the effects of the specific news under analysis to be insignificant for a trader to benefit from the fluctuations in the two major currency markets. The use of other macroeconomic news or higher frequency data is warranted to defragment the effects of major news announcements further.
Internal Benefits of Service-Worker Customer Orientation: Job Satisfaction, Commitment, and Organizational Citizenship Behaviors

Implementation of the marketing concept in service firms is accomplished through individual service employees and their interactions with customers. Although prior research has established a link between service-worker customer orientation and performance outcomes, little research has addressed other potentially important outcomes of customer orientation. Drawing from the literature on person–situation interaction and fit theory, the authors develop and test a model that explains how service-worker customer orientation affects several important job responses, including perceived job fit, job satisfaction, commitment to the firm, and organizational citizenship behaviors. Across three field studies in two distinct services industries, the results indicate that the positive influence of customer orientation on certain job responses is stronger for service workers who spend more time in direct contact with customers than for workers who spend less time with customers. The authors discuss the implications of the results for services marketing managers and researchers.
Festperf: a service quality measurement scale for festivals.

As a service quality measurement tool, SERVPERF has gained an increasing level of prominence among marketing theorists. However, despite the apparent usefulness of this "performance-only"measure of quality in various settings, research is yet to confirm or discount which, if any, of the SERVPERF dimensions are salient in a festival setting. Consequently, it is unknown which specific factors, if any, are predictors of visitor satisfaction and repurchase intent. Results of this study at an Australian Jazz and Blues Festival led to the creation of FESTPERF, a three-factor solution that differed from the generic SERVPERF instrument and did not replicate the SERVQUAL factors. Two of these factors, Professionalism and Environment, predicted visitor satisfaction that may, in turn, lead to repurchase. The third factor, Core Service, did not predict intent by festival goers to revisit. A practical implication of this research is the availability of an event-specific model of service quality for further testing at other types of music festivals (e.g., rock, gospel, or pop, or at other special events.).
A Study on Quality of Work Life of Employees in Textile Industry – Sipcot, Perundurai.

Quality of work life is the quality of the content of relationship between employees and their total working environment with human dimensions added to the usual technical and economic ones. Quality of work life involves job security, good working conditions, adequate and fair compensation and equal employment opportunity all together. QWL aims at to meet the twin goals of enchanced effectiveness of organization and improved quality of life at work for employees. The study focused on the factor influences QWL of employees, level of satisfaction of employees on present level of QWL and the influence of QWL. 50 employees of textile units of equal capacity have taken as samples. Motivational insights are the important factor that influences the QWL of employees and their life. Higher compensation has been prime expectation of the employees to improve their life. QWL of employees had an influence on the employees' productivity.
Risk of Invasive Haemophilus influenzae Type b (Hib) Disease in Adults with Secondary Immunodeficiency in the Post-Hib Vaccine Era

ABSTRACT Prior to the introduction of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccines, invasive Hib disease affected almost exclusively children. According to some recent studies, in the postvaccine era, adults, the elderly, and immunocompromised persons can be affected more often than children. As the production of type-specific anti-capsular polysaccharide antibodies is the major defense mechanism against Hib, individuals with defects in humoral immune responses have high susceptibility to infections caused by Hib. We hypothesized that nonvaccinated adults with chronic conditions causing immunosuppression may lack protective antibody to Hib. We assessed serum anti-Hib IgG levels and bactericidal activity in 59 patients with chronic renal failure, 30 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, 28 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and 20 patients with multiple myeloma compared to 32 healthy controls of similar age. Considering antibody at >0.15 μg/ml as the protective correlate in unvaccinated individuals, we detected subprotective Hib antibody levels in 29% of chronic renal failure, 20% of diabetes, 14% of COPD, and 55% of myeloma patients compared to 3% of healthy controls. Additionally, 70% of myeloma and 58% of chronic renal failure patients did not have detectable serum bactericidal activity against Hib. Among individuals with severe diseases causing secondary immunodeficiency, patients with multiple myeloma and chronic renal failure are at an increased risk of invasive Hib disease. Considering that Hib continues to circulate in the population, this study provides a rationale for the immunization of some adult patients with secondary immunodeficiency with the pediatric Hib vaccine to achieve protective immunity.
Measure of Correlation Orthogonal to Change in Firing Rate

There are a number of measures of correlation for spikes of two neurons and for spikes at two successive time bins in one neuron: covariance, correlation coefficient, mutual information, and information-geometric measure in the log-linear model. It is desirable to have a measure that is not affected by change in the firing rates of neurons. We explain the superiority of the information-geometric measure from the point of view of geometry, by which the correlation and firing rates are separated orthogonally, that is, without correlation. We then analyze characteristics of other measures and show analytically how they are related to firing rates.
Economic Injury Levels: Reality and Practicality

For at least 20 years, the economic injury level (EIL) concept has been generally accepted by entomologists as the backbone of progressive concepts in insect control, namely, integrated control, insect pest management, and integrated pest management. The concept serves as the economic foundation in decision-making processes. In sharp contrast to their theoretical importance, however, economic injury levels have often been the weakest component in management programs. Very few firm, research-based EILs have been established. Many ElLs in use are static and do not reflect changes in prices and other factors. The research community continually finds itself being asked “Where are the EILs? “
A segmentation study of consumers’ attitudes toward direct mail

The growing perception that direct marketing results in the invasion of consumer privacy has resulted in proposals to limit marketing practices. Restrictions on practices could be avoided if direct marketers segment their markets based on consumer attitudes toward direct marketing practices. This study reports the results of a segmentation study that clusters individuals based on their attitudes toward direct mail. The results suggest there is substantial heterogeneity across groups of consumers and that paying attention to consumers’ attitudes toward direct mail could reduce the possibility of governmental intervention in direct mail practices and improve the efficiency of direct marketing.
Socioeconomic variation in admission for diseases of female genital system and breast in a national cohort aged 15-43

Abstract Objective: To investigate socioeconomic variation among young women in the risk of hospital admission for diseases (including neoplasms) of the female genital system and breast and for the common surgical procedures of dilatation and curettage and hysterectomy. Design: Large nationally representative cohort study with individual records of confirmed admissions to NHS and private hospitals since birth and data on occupational and educational experience. Setting: England, Scotland, and Wales. Patients: General population sample of 1628 women, 1549 of whom had a complete admissions record for the ages of 15-43 years. Main outcome measures: The percentage of women admitted for neoplasms or other diseases of the female genital system and breast or who had dilatation and curettage or hysterectomy beween the ages of 15 and 43 years. Results: By the age of 43, 35% of women had been admitted, 17% had undergone dilatation and curettage at least once, and 10% had had a hysterectomy. There were significant inverse educational gradients, the risk of admission increasing more than twofold between the most and least educated women. The differential risk was most striking for disorders of menstruation, in which only 1% of those with the highest educational qualifications and 19% of those with minimal qualifications had been admitted to hospital. There was a significant educational gradient in the hysterectomy rate (from 1% to 15%) and a twofold difference in the risk of dilatation and curettage. There were also significant gradients in risk of admission and of hysterectomy according to partner's social class. Conclusions: Socioeconomic variations in the risk of dilatation and curettage and of hysterectomy were large. Lessening the socioeconomic gradient in risks of admissions and surgery for diseases of the female genital system and breast, particularly for menstrual disorders, could have important resource implications.
Context Matters: The Experience of 14 Research Teams in Systematically Reporting Contextual Factors Important for Practice Change

PURPOSE We aimed to advance the internal and external validity of research by sharing our empirical experience and recommendations for systematically reporting contextual factors. METHODS Fourteen teams conducting research on primary care practice transformation retrospectively considered contextual factors important to interpreting their findings (internal validity) and transporting or reinventing their findings in other settings/situations (external validity). Each team provided a table or list of important contextual factors and interpretive text included as appendices to the articles in this supplement. Team members identified the most important contextual factors for their studies. We grouped the findings thematically and developed recommendations for reporting context. RESULTS The most important contextual factors sorted into 5 domains: (1) the practice setting, (2) the larger organization, (3) the external environment, (4) implementation pathway, and (5) the motivation for implementation. To understand context, investigators recommend (1) engaging diverse perspectives and data sources, (2) considering multiple levels, (3) evaluating history and evolution over time, (4) looking at formal and informal systems and culture, and (5) assessing the (often nonlinear) interactions between contextual factors and both the process and outcome of studies. We include a template with tabular and interpretive elements to help study teams engage research participants in reporting relevant context. CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrate the feasibility and potential utility of identifying and reporting contextual factors. Involving diverse stakeholders in assessing context at multiple stages of the research process, examining their association with outcomes, and consistently reporting critical contextual factors are important challenges for a field interested in improving the internal and external validity and impact of health care research.
Factors Influencing the Adoption of E-Leader: An Empirical Field Study of Jordanian Banks

Recently, managers in the banking industry face challenges in leading employees who are geographically dispersed. The e-leader approach to leadership represents a solution to this challenge because it allows leaders to use technology to implement leadership processes. This research used data obtained from bank managers in Jordan to test a model of e-leader adoption derived from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). 240 questionnaires were distributed to managers with 216 returned; however, 193 of the returned questionnaires were used for the purpose of this study. The findings provided support for the proposition that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, reliability, and responsiveness influence attitudes towards e-leader adoption. The findings also showed that these five variables accounted for almost half of the variance in attitude towards e-leader adoption. A positive attitude towards e-leader adoption accounts for a substantial amount of the variance in actual e-leader adoption.
Drivers of customer satisfaction and relationship quality in system delivery projects

In a survey of CEOs of multinational corporations worldwide, becoming more customer focused, increasing customer satisfaction, and improving customer loyalty were among the primary challenges their companies were facing. Research has shown that increasing customer satisfaction typically leads to improved financial performance of various types. However, little is known about the factors that drive customer satisfaction in project management. This research investigates 3129 system delivery projects in the facilities management industry to understand how customers' perceptions of project management performance at the different lifecycle phases of projects are associated with customer satisfaction and relationship quality. In addition the decision-making role of the respondent as moderator is also investigated. The findings show a significant and positive relationship between customer perceived project management performance at the different phases of the project and customer satisfaction and relationship quality. The study contributes to an increased understanding of the drivers of customer satisfaction and relationship quality in complex system delivery projects. Future research opportunities are also discussed.