Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determinants of Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions: An Econometric Study of Transactions in the Euro Zone between 2001 and 2010

Following to the previous literature, this paper intends to study the main determinants that lead to cross-border mergers and acquisitions in the EURO zone, by analysing a total sample of 980 transactions occurred between 2001 and 2010 in the 13 EURO zone original member countries, 218 of which are cross-border operations. Nevertheless, and unlike the previous literature, which identified the currency differences and geographical proximity as the most important proxies of this kind of transactions, it is our intention to analyse thoroughly other factors, namely valuation differences and international taxation issues, that may influence the likelihood of crossborder operations. The Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression results suggest that some issues such as international tax arbitrage and a lower complexity of the target country’s fiscal rules, the quality of accounting disclosure, the level of each country’s bureaucracy, the standards of corporate governance, and bilateral trade increase the likelihood of mergers between two countries. Similarly to previous literature, valuation appears to play a key role in motivating this specific type of transactions: firms in countries whose stock market has increased its value and that present, at some point, a relatively high market-to-book value tend to be acquirers, while firms from economies with a lower performance tend to be targets.
Stock Price Performances of Target Firms in Unsuccessful Acquisitions

This paper examines the stock price returns of 459 targets in unsuccessful M&A deals from 1990 to 2001. An information hypothesis that includes new information arrived after the M&A proposal explains better than the synergy hypothesis the evidence for failed acquisitions. The average abnormal return announcement to termination is a negative 10.61%. Abnormal returns vary according to the identity of the party who terminates the deal. When the target firm rejects a deal, the target stock price drops by 4.33%. The loss is 14.49% when the bidder terminates the deal. In the long-run, abnormal returns are generally insignificant.
EFFECT OF SHORT‐TERM EQUAL‐VOLUME RESISTANCE TRAINING WITH DIFFERENT WORKOUT FREQUENCY ON MUSCLE MASS AND STRENGTH IN UNTRAINED MEN AND WOMEN

Changes in muscle mass and strength will vary, depending on the volume and frequency of training. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of short-term equal-volume resistance training with different workout frequency on lean tissue mass and muscle strength. Twenty-nine untrained volunteers (27–58 years; 23 women, 6 men) were assigned randomly to 1 of 2 groups: group 1 (n = 15; 12 women, 3 men) trained 2 times per week and performed 3 sets of 10 repetitions to fatigue for 9 exercises, group 2 (n = 14; 11 women, 3 men) trained 3 times per week and performed 2 sets of 10 repetitions to fatigue for 9 exercises. Prior to and following training, whole-body lean tissue mass (dual energy x-ray absorptiometry) and strength (1 repetition maximum squat and bench press) were measured. Both groups increased lean tissue mass (2.2%), squat strength (28%), and bench press strength (22–30%) with training (p < 0.05), with no other differences. These results suggest that the volume of resistance training may be more important than frequency in developing muscle mass and strength in men and women initiating a resistance training program.
Postal Surveys versus Electronic Mail Surveys

The advent of computer-based technology has led to a consideration of change in research methods that exploit the advantages of computer-mediated communications. In survey research, electronic mail (e-mail) has anecdotally shown particular promise as a data collection tool. This article compares traditional postal and nontraditional e-mail surveys within the context of a larger listserv evaluation project in terms of overall return rate, distribution of survey returns over time, response to initial and follow-up mailings, representativeness of respondent groups, thoroughness of survey completion, and the likelihood of respondents to include additional written comments. In summary, whereas postal surveys were shown to be superior to e-mail surveys with regard to response rate, all things being equal, the decision of which to use may be situation-specific, dependent on issues such as survey cost, desire for convenience and timeliness in data collection, and need for higher response rates, among others.
Abnormal Volume Traded as an Indication of Insider Trading in Jse Listed Companies

This research examines the volume traded in shares included in the JSE All Share Index for the period 1 January 2000 to 24 June 2009, to determine if this measure can be used as an indicator of potential insider trading, using event study methodology. 142 price-sensitive announcements qualified for analysis after controlling for confounding events. Of these, 34 announcements exhibited significant abnormal volume traded prior to the public announcement of the related event. The announcements were categorised into seven categories: Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and governance; financial structure; investment/disinvestment; key personnel; mergers and acquisitions; trading updates; and ‘other’. Two categories exhibited significant cumulative abnormal returns – BEE and governance, and key personnel. We find that volume traded is a useful indicator of potential insider trading, and should be used in conjunction with other methods.
Neuropeptide Y Counteracts the Anorectic and Weight Reducing Effects of Ciliary Neurotropic Factor

Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), a cytokine of the interleukin‐6 superfamily, has been shown to induce hypophagia and weight loss. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and orexin are potent orexigenic signals in the hypothalamus. Anorexia, normally seen in response to infection, injury and inflammation, may result from diminished hypothalamic orexigenic signalling caused by persistently elevated cytokines, including CNTF. To test this hypothesis, we first examined the effects of chronic intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) infusion of CNTF for 6–7 days on food intake and body weight as well as hypothalamic NPY and orexin gene expression in male rats. Subsequently, the effectiveness of NPY replacement to counteract the effects of CNTF by coinfusion of NPY and CNTF was evaluated. Chronic i.c. v. infusion of CNTF (2.5 µg/day) reduced body weight (14.3% vs control) at the end of 7 days. Food intake remained suppressed for 5 days postinfusion and subsequently gradually returned to the control range by day 7. Serum leptin concentrations in these rats were in the same range seen in control rats. Chronic i.c. v. infusion of higher doses of CNTF (5.0 µg/day) produced sustained anorexia and body weight loss (29% vs controls) through the entire duration of the experiment. This severe anorexia was accompanied by markedly suppressed serum leptin concentrations. Furthermore, CNTF infusion alone significantly reduced hypothalamic NPY gene expression (P < 0.05) without affecting orexin gene expression. As expected, in fusion of NPY alone (18 µg/day) augmented food intake (191.6% over the initial control, P < 0.05) and produced a 25.1% weight gain in conjunction with a 10‐fold increase in serum leptin concentrations at the end of the 7‐day period. Interestingly, coinfusion of this regimen of NPY with the highly effective anorectic and body reducing effects of CNTF (5.0 µg/day) not only prevented the CNTF‐induced anorexia and weight loss, but also normalized serum leptin concentrations and hypothalamic NPY gene expression. These results demonstrate that chronic central infusion to produce a persistent elevation of the cytokine at pathophysiological levels (a situation that may normally manifest during infection, injury and inflammation) produced severe anorexia and weight loss in conjunction with reduction in both serum leptin concentrations and hypothalamic NPY gene expression. Reinstatement of hypothalamic NPY signalling by coinfusion of NPY counteracted these CNTF‐induced responses.
Understanding international web site usage

Purpose – The technology acceptance model (TAM) has been one of the most influential theories in the information technology literature, but it has not been used in the marketing literature to understand consumer acceptance of international web sites. Thus, the purpose of this study is to use TAM to study international consumers' acceptance and use of MNEs web sites designed specifically for their country.Design/methodology/approach – This study applies and extends the TAM to study the B2C international web sites of American and Japanese MNEs for Brazilian, German, and Taiwanese consumers. In total, there were 2,243 usable questionnaires and the structural equation modeling method was used to analyze the data.Findings – This study provides strong support for the applicability of TAM in explaining international web site usage in Brazil, Germany, and Taiwan and shows that cultural adaptation is an important explanatory variable that should be included in the TAM when exploring cross‐cultural issues.Originali.
Mutations of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 p6Gag Domain Result in Reduced Retention of Pol Proteins during Virus Assembly

ABSTRACT One of the crucial steps in the assembly of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and other retroviruses is the incorporation and retention of all the key viral enzymes in released virions. The viral enzymes protease, reverse transcriptase, and integrase of HIV-1 are initially synthesized as Gag-Pol fusion polyproteins. It has been shown that the incorporation of Gag-Pol polyproteins during virus assembly requires the Gag domains that are shared by the Gag and Gag-Pol precursors. We now report that truncation of the C-terminal p6 domain of HIV-1 Gag, which is present in the Gag precursor but not in the Gag-Pol precursor, drastically reduced the amount of Pol proteins in the mutant virions. Mutations in the lentivirus conserved motif P(T/S)APP in p6 also drastically reduced the amount of Pol proteins in mutant virions. The steady-state levels of Gag-Pol precursors and cleaved Pol proteins in the transfected cells were not affected by mutations in p6. The incorporation of unprocessed Gag-Pol precursors into p6 mutant virions was detected when the viral protease was mutated, suggesting that the interactions among mutant Gag molecules and Gag-Pol precursors were not significantly affected. These results suggest that the p6 domain of HIV-1 Gag may play an important role in recruiting or retaining cleaved Pol proteins during virus assembly.
Refugees and residents: densities and habitat preferences of lorikeets in urban Melbourne

Lorikeet densities were measured across four habitat types in urban Melbourne. Musk Glossopsitta concinna and Rainbow Lorikeets Trichoglossus haematodus were shown to preferentially use established streetscapes with predominantly native vegetation. The high densities of Musk Lorikeets recorded possibly reflect a paucity of flowering in Victorian BoxIronbark forests during the autumnlwinter of 2002 and the availability of supplementary nectar resources in the urban environment. Future planting decisions in recently developed streetscapes will dictate the long-term resource potential for lorikeets and other nectarivores in urban Melbourne.
Pricing the Global Industry Portfolios

We investigate the ability of several international asset pricing models to price the returns on 36 FTSE global industry portfolios. The models are the international capital asset pricing model (ICAPM) the ICAPM with exchange risks, and global two-factor and three-factor Fama-French (1996, 1998) models. We apply the methodology of Hansen and Jagannathan (1997). While all of the models can correctly price the basic assets, exchange risks are unimportant and only the global three-factor Fama-French model passes a robustness check which requires the models to also price portfolios sorted by book-to-market ratio.
Pediatric vs adult pulmonary tuberculosis: A retrospective computed tomography study.

AIM To compare the manifestations of chest tuberculosis (TB) in pediatric and adult patients based on contrast enhanced computed tomography of chest. METHODS This was a retrospective study consisting of 152 patients of chest TB including 48 children and 104 adults who had undergone contrast enhanced computed tomography of chest prior to treatment. The patterns and severity of parenchymal, mediastinal and pleural manifestations were analyzed and compared among different age groups. RESULTS Parenchymal changes observed include consolidation, air space nodules, miliary TB, cavitation, bronchiectasis and fibrosis and these were noted in 60% of children, 71% of adolescents and 76.9% of adults. These changes were more common in right upper lobe in all age groups. There was no significant difference in the frequency of these changes (except nodules) in different age groups. Centrilobular nodules were seen less commonly in children less than 10 years (P = 0.028). Pleural effusion was noted in 28 (18.42%) patients and pericardial effusion in 8 (5.3%) patients. No significant difference in the serosal involvement is seen among children and adults. Mediastinal adenopathy was seen 70% of children, 76.3% adolescents and 76.9% of adults and paratracheal nodes were seen most frequently. Nodes had similar features (except matting) among all age groups. Matting of nodes was seen more commonly in children (P = 0.014). CONCLUSION Pediatric chest tuberculosis can have severe parenchymal lesions and nodal involvement similar to adults. The destructive lung changes observed in children needs immediate attention in view of the longer life span they have and hence in formulating optimal treatment strategies.
Anti‐Müllerian hormone (AMH), inhibin‐α, growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9), and bone morphogenic protein‐15 (BMP15) mRNA and protein are influenced by photoperiod‐induced ovarian regression and recrudescence in Siberian hamster ovaries

Exposure of Siberian hamsters to short photoperiod (SD) inhibits ovarian function, including folliculogenesis, whereas function is restored with their transfer to long photoperiods (LD). To investigate the mechanism of photo‐stimulated recrudescence, we assessed key folliculogenic factors–anti‐Müllerian hormone (AMH), inhibin‐α, growth differentiation factor‐9 (GDF9), and bone morphogenic protein‐15 (BMP15)–across the estrus cycle and in photo‐regressed and recrudescing ovaries. Adult hamsters were exposed to either LD or SD for 14 weeks, which respectively represent functional and regressed ovaries. Select regressed hamsters were transferred back to LD for 2 (post‐transfer week 2; PTw2) or 8 weeks (PTw8). Ovaries were collected and fixed in formalin for immunohistochemistry or frozen in liquid nitrogen for real‐time PCR. AMH, inhibin‐α, GDF9, and BMP15 mRNA and protein were detected in all stages of the estrus cycle. Fourteen weeks of SD exposure increased (P < 0.05) ovarian AMH, GDF9, and BMP15, but not inhibin‐α mRNA levels as compared to LD. Transfer of regressed hamsters to stimulatory long photoperiod for 8 weeks returned AMH and GDF9 mRNA levels to LD‐treated levels, and further increased mRNA levels for inhibin‐α and BMP15. Immunostaining for AMH, inhibin‐α, GDF9, and BMP15 proteins was most intense in preantral/antral follicles and oocytes. The overall immunostaining extent for AMH and inhibin‐α generally mirrored the mRNA data, though no changes were observed for GDF9 or BMP15 immunostaining. Shifts in mRNA and protein levels across photoperiod conditions suggest possible syncretic roles for these folliculogenic factors in photo‐stimulated recrudescence via potential regulation of follicle recruitment, preservation, and development. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 80: 895–907, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Rising and Senior Stars in European Financial Analyst Rankings: The Talented and the Famous

Using Institutional Investors (I/I) and Extel rankings and I/B/E/S data for European analysts over 15 years, we show that European analyst rankings are determined more by popularity than by intrinsic skills, the first determinant of recognition being employer size. Becoming an I/I star is like joining a club: talent for issuing high-quality recommendations is required to be initially ranked but is irrelevant to being re-elected or reaching the top level. Our findings also underline the importance of analyst rankings’ design features. These features could probably be improved by reducing the impact of recognition in the election process.
Chromosome segregation in mitosis and meiosis.

A MODEL FOR CHROMOSOME BEHAVIOR DURING MITOSIS AND MEIOSIS . The Mitotic Cell Cycle . •. Interphase . Metaphase . •. Anaphase . Meiosis . •.
Incidence of cardiac arrhythmias in chronic renal failure, especially during hemodialysis.

Dr. S.C. Chhabra, Professor (Addl.) of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, New Dayanand Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab (India) Dear Sir, With great interest we read the article by Kimura et al. [1] discussing the incidence and causative factors of cardiac arrhythmias in patients on maintenance hemodialysis. A number of studies to define the same have been published previously [2–5]. We have conducted a similar study and would like to present our findings so as to compare our observations with the study quoted above. Holter monitoring was done in 25 patients with chronic renal failure over a period of 24 h beginning the night before dialysis. Monitoring was extended till 4 h after dialysis. The incidence of ventricular and supraven-tricular arrhythmias analysed by sub-grouping into frequent, sporadic, and non-arrhythmia groups (as taken by the previous investigators) is compared in figure 1. Contrary to the observations of Kimura et al., both ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias were infrequent in our cases, nor did hemodialysis precipitate arrhythmias in these cases. The only patient with frequent ventricular premature depolarizations (VPDs) had precipitation during dialysis, and of the 3 with supraventricular premature depolarizations (SVPDs), only 1 had more frequent SVPDs during dialysis. In fact, the patient with frequent ventricular arrhythmias had been known as having ischaemic heart disease and had undergone coronary bypass 5 years ago. Our observations suggest that arrhythmias may not be a causative factor in dialysis-induced hypotension. In fact, arrhythmias were not observed in any of the 5 episodes of hypotension during hemodialysis. Another interesting observation in our study was the occurrence of marked sinus tachycardia late during dialysis (3rd and 4th h) which persisted till 4 h after dialysis. This sinus tachycardia, as shown in figure 2, correlated
Tolerable Hearing-Aid Delays: IV. Effects on Subjective Disturbance During Speech Production by Hearing-Impaired Subjects

Objective: We assessed the effects of time delay in a hearing aid on subjective disturbance and reading rates while the user of the aid was speaking, using hearing-impaired subjects and real-time processing. The time delay was constant across frequency. Design: A digital signal processor was programmed as a four-channel, fast-acting, wide-dynamic-range compression hearing aid. One of four delays could be selected on the aid to produce a total delay of 13, 21, 30, or 40 msec between microphone and receiver. Twenty-five subjects, mostly with near-symmetric hearing impairment of cochlear origin, were fitted bilaterally with behind-the-ear aids connected to the processor. The aids were programmed with insertion gains prescribed by the CAMEQ loudness equalization procedure for each subject and ear. Subjects were asked to read aloud from scripts: speech production rates were measured and subjective ratings of the disturbance of the delay were obtained. Subjects required some training to recognize the effects of the delay to rate it consistently. Results: Subjective disturbance increased progressively with increasing delay and was a nonmonotonic function of low-frequency hearing loss. Subjects with mild or severe low-frequency hearing loss were generally less disturbed by the delay than those with moderate loss. Disturbance ratings tended to decrease over successive tests. Word production rates were not significantly affected by delay over the range of delays tested. Conclusions: The results follow a pattern similar to those presented in Stone & Moore (1999), obtained using a simulation of hearing loss and normally hearing subjects, except for the nonmonotonic variation of disturbance with low-frequency hearing loss. We hypothesize that disturbance is maximal when the levels in the ear canal of the low-frequency components are similar for the unaided and aided sounds. A rating of 3, which is probably just acceptable, was obtained for delays ranging from 14 to 30 msec, depending on the hearing loss. Some acclimatization to the subjective disturbance occurred over a time scale of about 1 hour.
An analysis of the mechanism of 5‐hydroxytrypt‐amine‐induced vasopressor responses in ganglion‐blocked anaesthetized dogs

5‐Hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT) administered intravenously (i.v., 1–30 μg kg−1) to ganglion‐blocked anaesthetized dogs produced dose‐related increases in diastolic blood pressure and we have analysed the mechanism involved. Cyproheptadine and methysergide (10–100 μg kg−1 i.v.) were potent and specific antagonists of the 5‐HT induced rise in blood pressure, while the α‐adrenoceptor blocking agent phentolamine (0·3–3 mg kg−1 i.v.) also caused dose‐related inhibition. Syrosingopine pretreatment converted the vasopressor action of 5‐HT to a vasodepressor action and acute bilateral adrenalectomy caused a marked reduction in the 5‐HT‐induced rise in blood pressure. In two dogs, 5‐HT (30 μg kg−1 i.v.) markedly increased the venous plasma concentrations of noradrenaline and adrenaline. We concluded that the 5‐HT‐induced rise in diastolic pressure in the ganglion blocked anaesthetized dog is due largely to the release of catecholamines of which a substantial component is from the adrenal gland. The rise in diastolic blood pressure is specifically blocked by low doses of cyproheptadine and methysergide suggesting that the release of catecholamines is mediated by specific 5‐HT receptors located mainly within the adrenal medulla.
Innovation management of logistics service providers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a sound basis to facilitate further research on innovation management at logistics service providers (LSPs). Design/methodology/approach – Content analysis of extant literature was undertaken and supplemented by conceptual deliberations.Findings – Future LSP‐specific innovation research should be undertaken. While comparatively much knowledge on innovation management by LSPs does already exist, it is hardly integrated. More comprehensive studies of LSPs' innovation processes and systems are required.Research limitations/implications – The review is limited to articles written in English and published in academic journals from 1999 to mid‐2009. This research should be supplemented by empirical research, in particular case studies.Practical implications – LSPs can compare their own innovation management concepts to the body of scientific knowledge presented here. As long as research does not take their specific context into account, LSPs are required to adapt.