Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
What drives investment decisions on equity stake in private equity? The Italian case before and after the great financial crisis

How to cite this paper: Cesario, G. , & Gigante, G. (2021). What drives investment decisions on equity stake in private equity? The Italian case before and after the great financial crisis [Special issue]. Corporate Ownership & Control, 18(3), 224–240. http://doi.org/10.22495/cocv18i3siart1 Copyright © 2021 The Authors This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/ ISSN Online: 1810-3057 ISSN Print: 1727-9232 Received: 03.02. 2021 Accepted: 21.04. 2021 JEL Classification: G34, G24 DOI: 10.22495/cocv18i3siart1 The paper aims at developing a framework in the context of the Italian market to explain whether the equity stake acquired by private equities (PEs) in a target company changes according to certain firm-specific and deal-specific characteristics. In addition, the study analyzes whether the 2008 global financial crisis has affected investment decisions as well. The study focuses on a sample of 178 deals involving Italian companies in one of two different timeframes: 1) the pre-crisis period, including deals from 2003–2007 and 2) the post-crisis period, including deals from 2013–2017. The sample was extracted from the Private Equity Monitor Report (http://www.privateequitymonitor.it /pubblicazioni.php) and selected from 937 available deals in the period 2002–2018. The analysis has been carried out by using multivariate regressions to understand which factors influence the percentage of equity acquired by private equities. The results of the analysis show that PEs acquire higher stakes whenever the company is not privately owned by a family, the economy is recovering from a crisis and the company has lower margins or has recently recorded lower revenue growth. The paper contributes to the existing research on Italian private equity activity by widening the scope of other similar studies available so far. Thanks to an innovative approach we also initiate a new stream of analyses and studies aiming at fine-tuning, improving, and updating the framework that might predict, ex-ante, the level of PE investments in a certain economy as a ―dependent variable‖ of companies‘ specific characteristics.
Electron Transfer between [Au25(SC2H4Ph)18]−TOA+ and Oxoammonium Cations

We report intermolecular electron transfer between 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxoammonium tetrafluoroborate (TEMPO+BF4–) and thiol-stabilized [Au25(SC2H4Ph)18]−TOA+ (abbreviated as Au25–) nanoclusters. The TEMPO+ cations are generated by single electron oxidation of piperidine aminoxyl radical TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl-oxy). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electron spin resonance (ESR) explicitly indicate that two consecutive single-electron transfer reactions occur between TEMPO+ cations and Au25– nanoclusters. Nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) analysis demonstrates that the methylene proton resonances of the thiolate ligands can also be used to monitor the redox process. UV–vis spectroscopic analysis reveals the changes in the absorption peaks of Au25 nanoclusters upon consecutive single-electron transfers between the nanoclusters and TEMPO+ cations. The ease of control over the redox process involving TEMPO+ allows the preparation of pure Au25(SC2H4Ph)18+ nanoclusters. The interesting ele.
ASSESSING BIOPHILIC CRITERIA IN URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS OF SAUDI ARABIA: A CASE STUDY OF THE DIPLOMATIC QUARTER IN RIYADH CITY

One of the most important modern approaches used in urban development to achieve the principles and requirements of sustainability is the biophilic concept. There is a high recognition of the social and environmental benefits of connecting people with nature. Within the framework of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)’s endeavor to successfully achieve the 2030 Vision and the element of sustainability in urban life in residential neighborhoods, this study aimed to study and evaluate the elements of achieving the biophilic approach. Moreover, this study examines the biophilic design and planning criteria in the Diplomatic Quarter (DQ) in Riyadh City as a case study to determine to what extent the DQ achieves the selected biophilic approach criteria. The DQ analysis indicates that the biophilic criteria are highly achieved, which is reflected in the high percentage of green areas and parks and the great connectivity with local nature. Also, this study confirmed the importance of the biophilic concept in urban planning as a trending approach and paved the way to apply the biophilic approach in other urban communities and neighborhoods all over KSA.
Internet Computer Consensus

We present the Internet Computer Consensus (ICC) family of protocols for atomic broadcast (a.k.a., consensus), which underpin the Byzantine fault-tolerant replicated state machines of the Internet Computer. The ICC protocols are leader-based protocols that assume partial synchrony, and that are fully integrated with a blockchain. The leader changes probabilistically in every round. These protocols are simple and robust: in any round where the leader is corrupt (which itself happens with probability less than 1/3) or the network is asynchronous, each ICC protocol will effectively allow other parties to step in and propose blocks for that round and to move the protocol forward to the next round. In case there was no agreement on a single block in a round, a decision for this round will be taken in a later round with synchronous network behavior and an honest leader. The task of reliably disseminating the blocks to all parties is an integral part the protocol. We present three different protocols, along with various minor variations on each. The first of these protocols (ICC0) illustrates the combination of the main building blocks in a simplified manner for an easier presentation and analysis. Protocol ICC1 is designed to be integrated with a peer-to-peer gossip sub-layer, which reduces the bottleneck created at the leader for disseminating large blocks, a problem that all leader-based protocols must address. Our Protocol ICC2 addresses the same problem by substituting a lowcommunication reliable broadcast subprotocol (which may be of independent interest) for the gossip sub-layer.
WHY DO UNIVERSITY STUDENTS PERPETRATE INTERNET PLAGIARISM? A MULTIPLE LINEAR REGRESSION ANALYSIS

In the new era of fourth industrial revolution (IR 4.0), technology has undergone a lot of advancement and this includes the internet. The internet has become a tool and catalyser in prompting students to cheat and do plagiarism. Academic integrity is fundamental in strengthening the education system. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to thoroughly investigate the level of internet plagiarism and its determinants among undergraduate students in Higher Education Institution. A total of 375 sample size was gathered using multi-tier sampling which is through cluster and simple random sampling technique. In Spearman correlation analysis, there was positive nexus between each determinants of internet plagiarism on the level of internet plagiarism. To add, the main findings found that the main determinants of the internet plagiarism were family, task commitment or time factors pressures (β = 0.226, t-value = 3.574) and lack of understanding of institutional rules regarding the consequences of plagiarism (β = 0.281, t-value = 4.435). In suggestion, institution should encourage students to use the internet in a way that promotes academic honesty and ensure that lectures are vigilant in their approach to identify and punish the plagiariser.
Health profile of workers in an industrial area of Thrissur district: a cross-sectional study

Industrialization is considered as the important tires of economic development in any part of the world. However, rapid unplanned industrialization and urbanization without environment and social impact assessment is creating very serious problems for the human environment. Worst and directly affected during this process are the industrial workers, who are exposed directly to the physical, physiological and social environment of the industry.
Effects of rehabilitation training on cardiopulmonary function, life quality and inflammatory factors in serum of elderly patients with COPD

Objective: This paper discussed the impacts of rehabilitative training on cardiopulmonary function, life quality and serum inflammatory factors in elderly patients suffering with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: A total of 155 elderly patients with COPD in our hospital were selected and divided into the control group and the observation group. The control group was given by conventional treatment, while the observation group was treated with cardiopulmonary rehabilitation therapy in addition to the treatment in the control group. The cardiopulmonary function, life quality and serum inflammatory factors after treatment were compared between the patients in the two groups. Results: After treatment, the measures of cardiopulmonary indicators [forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)%, FEV1 and the ratio of FEV1 to forced vital capacity (FVC) (FEV1/FVC)] in patients of the observation group were obviously higher than which in the control group (P<0.05). Compared with the patients in control group, the patients in the observation group had evidently decreased COPD assessment test (CAT) scores, and notably increased scores of the 36-item Health Survey Scale (SF-36), as well as St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). Moreover, there was a statistically evident difference in the 6-min walk distance (6MWD) between the two groups (P<0.05). For the observation group, the levels of anti-inflammatory factors [interleukin-10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β)] were markedly elevated, while that of inflammatory factors [C-reactive protein (CRP) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)] were declined, compared to thoes in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation training can significantly improve the cardiopulmonary function and life quality in elderly patients suffering with COPD, and as such it possess a high clinical treatment value.
A Review of Bowel Preparation Before Colorectal Surgery

Infectious complications are the biggest problem during bowel surgery, and one of the approaches to minimize them is the bowel cleaning method. It was expected that bowel cleaning could facilitate bowel manipulation as well as prevent infectious complications and further reduce anastomotic leakage. In the past, with the development of antibiotics, bowel cleaning and oral antibiotics (OA) were used together. However, with the success of emergency surgery and Enhanced Recovery After Surgery, bowel cleaning was not routinely performed. Consequently, bowel cleaning using OA was gradually no longer used. Recently, there have been reports that only bowel cleaning is not helpful in reducing infectious complications such as surgical site infection (SSI) compared to OA and bowel cleaning. Accordingly, in order to reduce SSI, guidelines are changing the trend of only intestinal cleaning. However, a consistent regimen has not yet been established, and there is still controversy depending on the location of the lesion and the surgical method. Moreover, complications such as Clostridium difficile infection have not been clearly analyzed. In the present review, we considered the overall bowel preparation trends and identified the areas that require further research.
THE EFFECT OF LEADER-MEMBER EXCHANGE, CO-WORKER COOPERATION AND LOCUS OF CONTROL ON EMPLOYEE OUTCOMES IN LEBANESE SMES: PERCEPTIONS OF POLITICS AS A MEDIATOR

Purpose – This study aims to investigate the nature of the relationships between three variables (leadermember exchange, locus of control and co-worker cooperation) and two employee outcomes (job satisfaction and turnover intention). It also examines whether these relationships are mediated by perceptions of politics. Design/methodology/approach – Survey data was obtained from 300 employees from Lebanese SMEs located between Tripoli and Beirut. Mediation was tested using Baron and Kenny (1986)’s framework. Findings – Results revealed that leader-member exchange and co-worker cooperation are positively related to job satisfaction and negatively related to turnover intention. Locus of control, on the other hand, is negatively related to job satisfaction and positively related to turnover intention. Also, perceptions of politics partially mediated some of these relationships while it fully mediated others. Originality/value – This study extends research on organizational politics to Eastern cultures by examining SMEs in a country like Lebanon. It also attempts to explain inconsistency in the literature by adding a mediating variable to the model of determinants and employee outcomes. That is, it suggests that the effect of leader-member exchange, locus of control and co-worker cooperation on outcomes is through the mechanism of perceptions of politics.
Acute-phase reactants in children with recurrent tonsillitis treated by tonsillectomy versus long-acting penicillin

Abstract Introduction Tonsillitis is widespread among children and has serious poststreptococcal complications, and both the patients and the otolaryngology surgeon have to face the question on what is the role and benefit of using long-acting penicillin and whether it is an alternative method of treatment to surgery? This study was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of tonsillectomy compared with long-acting penicillin in the treatment of recurrent tonsillitis, comparing their effects on the levels of the antistreptolysin O titer (ASOT) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Patients and methods A total of 200 patients aged 4–15 years with recurrent tonsillitis and signs of chronic tonsillitis, after exclusion of patients with bleeding diathesis, anemia, chronic illness, and criteria of rheumatic fever, who were attending the Ismailia General Hospital were included in this study; they were divided to two groups comprising 100 patients each. The first group was treated by tonsillectomy, whereas the second group was treated using long-acting penicillin monthly for 6 months. They were clinically evaluated; ESR and ASOT levels were recorded for all patients before management, after 3 months, and after 6 months. Results The mean ESR readings before management, after 3 months, and after 6 months for the first group treated by tonsillectomy were 45.28, 22.36, and 7.4 ml/h, respectively (P-value<0.0021); for the second group treated with penicillin, they were 45.39, 14.98, and 6.48 ml/h, respectively (P-value<0.020). The mean ASOT readings for the tonsillectomy group were 518.29, 253.28, and 117.13 IU/ml, respectively (P-value<0.004), whereas for the penicillin group, they were 526.70, 413.39, and 262.98 IU/ml, respectively (P-value<0.072). Conclusion This study demonstrates that the first line of treatment of recurrent chronic tonsillitis is tonsillectomy, as it is both clinically effective and cost-effective for children and that the second line of treatment is long-acting penicillin with a long-term follow-up, and in patients, have contraindications for surgery such as bleeding diathesis.
Urban heat islands in the Arctic cities: an updated compilation of in situ and remote-sensing estimations

Abstract. Persistent warm urban temperature anomalies – urban heat islands (UHIs) – significantly enhance already amplified climate warming in the Arctic. Vulnerability of urban infrastructure in the Arctic cities urges a region-wide study of the UHI intensity and its attribution to UHI drivers. This study presents an overview of the surface and atmospheric UHIs in all circum-Arctic settlements (118 in total) with the population larger than 3000 inhabitants. The surface UHI (SUHI) is obtained from the land surface temperature (LST) data products of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) archive over 2000–2016. The atmospheric UHI is obtained from screen-level temperature provided by the Urban Heat Island Arctic Research Campaign (UHIARC) observational network over 2015–2018. Several other UHI studies are included for comparisons. The analysis reveals strong and persistent UHI during both summer and winter seasons. The annual mean surface UHI magnitudes vary from −0.6 ∘ C (Hammerfest) to 4.3 ∘ C (Murmansk). Thus, the observed UHI is likely an important climatic factor that must be included in future adjustment of urban construction, safety, and environmental quality codes.
The Liquidity And Activity Effect On Profitability Of Pulp And Paper Sub-Sector Manufacturing Companies In Indonesia

The purpose of this research is: To find out if liquidity affects profitability in Pulp and Paper Sub-Sector Manufacturing Companies on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. To find out if activity affects profitability in Pulp and Paper Sub-Sector Manufacturing Companies on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. To find out if liquidity and activity together affect profitability in Pulp and Paper Sub-Sector Manufacturing Companies on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. In this study the use is a quantitative approach. The population in this study is a Pulp and Paper Sub Sector Manufacturing Company on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. There are 9 Pulp and Paper Sub Sector Manufacturing Companies registered with IDX. The conclusion of this discussion is as follows: There is an influence of liquidity on profitability. There is an effect of activity on profitability. There is a shared influence of liquidity and activity on profitability.
Thyroid function and gallstone disease: is there an association?

The disorders associated with biliary tract stones dates way back to the 21 Egyptian dynasty and not just in the modern era. Around 2000 years ago, young Egyptian women had gallstones, during the period of The Roman Empire, as suggested by archaeological evidence. The core process involved in this chronic hepatobiliary disease, Cholelithiasis, is impaired cholesterol, bilirubin and bile acid metabolism, resulting in the formation of gallstones in the hepatic duct, common bile duct or gallbladder. In the western population, majority of the Gallstones are cholesterol stones. Around 6.12% of the adult Indian population is affected by Cholelithiasis. The incidence has increased these days, partly because to the wide use of ultrasonography in the last two decades and also due to the changing socio-economic conditions and other epidemiological factors including diet. Some of the non-modifiable risk factors for cholesterol gallstone formation are ethnicity, increasing age of the patient, female gender and a family history of gallstones. On the contrary, the modifiable risk factors for the formation of cholesterol stones include sedentary lifestyle, obesity and rapid loss of weight. Diseases like cirrhosis, chronic haemolysis and Crohn's disease have been identified as risk factors for the formation of black pigment stones. Gallstone disease in children is rare and has been found to have an association with risk factors which are similar to those in adults, particularly obesity.
Endometrial histopathology in abnormal uterine bleeding

Introduction: In routine practice abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) is a distinct entity. In women of reproductive age with episodic unpredictable bleeding it is an indication of number of pathologic disorder. Histopathological assessment of endometrial curetting’s has high sensitivity. The present study was done in suspected AUB patients to evaluate histopathological patterns in endometrial biopsy among different age groups. Methodology: A retrospective study done on 284 cases at tertiary teaching hospital, Karnataka. The study period was from Jan 2015 to April 2016. Clinical history and findings were collected and recorded. The histopathology study of endometrial patterns and age specific correlation was made. Results: The majority of cases belonged to the age group of (41-50) years. The frequent histopathologic pattern was proliferative and secretory in (41.54% and 13.38% respectively). Endometrial hyperplasia in (34.50%) cases in fourth and fifth decades was the commonest pathology. Among these atypical hyperplasia constituted for ( 6.12%) cases. Endometrial carcinoma was diagnosed in (1.40%) cases in the post-menopausal age group . Chronic non-specific endometritis was noted in (2.11%) cases. Conclusion: AUB has been reported to cause a significant impact on quality of women' s health ranging from infertility to premalignant and malignant changes in the endometrium. So evaluation of endometrial curettings would help to assess the functional status of endometrium for an effective planned treatment.
Impact of some Amino Acids on Vegetative Parameters, Flowering and Chemical Constituents of Dahlia Cut Flowers

The present research was accomplished during the two consecutive seasons of 2017-2018 and 20182019 at the Baramoon Experimental Research field, Dakahlia Governorate, Hort. Res. Institute, Agric. Res. Center, Ministry of Agric. , Egypt. Therefore, an experiment was undertaken to examine the best treatment of some amino acids (Tryptophan, Arginine, Glycine and combination between them) as foliar usage at concentration of 100 ppm, beside the control treatment on enhancing vegetative characteristics, flowering and chemical constituents of dahlia (Dahlia pinnata L.) cut flowers (local variety). The results demonstrated that application of dahlia plants with a mixture of amino acids at 100 ppm as a foliar, accorded the highest plant height (81.1 86.0 cm), number of inflorescences (63.0 66.6), inflorescences fresh weight (15.59 16.70 g), inflorescence diameter (12.3 12.6 cm), total chlorophyll, total carbohydrates in leaves and flowers, N, P and K contents in the leaves. In addition, arginine at 100 ppm registered proclaimed considerable rates in vegetative and flowering parameters, pursued by plants sprayed by glycine in number of flowers then tryptophan in both seasons, respectively. The weakest values were obtained from untreated plants (control) in both seasons.
Clinico-hematological evaluation in cases of pancytopenia at tertiary care centre: largest cross-sectional study

Background: Pancytopenia is characterised by a reduction in all the three cellular elements of blood (erythrocytes, leukocytes and platelets) below the normal reference range leading to anaemia, leucopenia and thrombocytopenia. It is a feature of many serious conditions. The present study was conducted to assess aetiology, clinical profile and bone marrow morphology of conditions presenting with pancytopenia. Methods: A two years cross-sectional study from July 2017 to June 2019 was conducted in the Department of Pathology. Total of 300 pancytopenia patient were studied and their clinical features, peripheral smear finding and bone marrow morphology were studied by using marrow aspiration and biopsy. Results: Among 300 cases studied, maximum patients were in the age group 11-20 years (19.66%) with male (50.66%) predominance. Most of the patients presented with weakness (91.66%) and fever (56.66%) as chief complains. The commonest physical finding was pallor (94%) followed by splenomegaly (27.33%). Macrocytic anaemia (43.66%) was commonest peripheral finding. The commonest cause of pancytopenia was megaloblastic anaemia (32.66%) followed by dimorphic anaemia (21%), aplastic anaemia (16%) and acute leukaemia (13.33%). Conclusions: The present study concludes that detailed clinical history, primary haematological investigations along with bone marrow examinations is essential to determine the cause of pancytopenia.