Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Re-evaluating the effect of mergers and acquisitions on the short-run performance of the European banking institutions

The last two decades since the early 1990s were characterised by important factors that influenced the banking institutions in the EU – introduction of the euro, globalisation, deregulation and technological advance. The speed and depth of these changes were unprecedented. For many European banks, mergers and acquisitions (M&A’s) became a universal response to these trends. Consequently, the number of operating banks has been continuously decreasing since the early 1990s due to integration processes. However, the influence of the above-mentioned factors was studied insufficiently in the existing literature, and the obtained results were mixed and inconclusive. The thesis attempts to add to the knowledge on M&A’s and to determine the impact of external shocks in relation to the banking acquisitions in the European Union. The thesis re-evaluates and investigates the role of the introduction of the euro in the post-merger outcomes in the European banking sector. Following the methodology by Ekkayokkaya et al., (2009), the analysis is replicating the paper based on the sample of 1479 banking mergers in 1990-2004 and is further extending the research to the period of 1990-2015 to capture the abnormal returns for the banks involved into MA however, the only type of targets, that was able to bring positive gains to the bidders, was investment companies. It was also found that market was able to react positively on the deals announced during the crisis, thus showing optimistic attitude to the efforts to diversify into the other industries. Overall, banks were unable to benefit from low asset prices due to their own poor financial performance and economic uncertainty. The second perspective analysed in the thesis was the attempt to utilise the combined approach by deploying market-based methodology (event study) and the methodology based on the accounting data, following Asimakopoulos and Athanasoglou (2013). The objective was to replicate the above-mentioned study and determine the connection between short-run market reaction on the M&A’s and the accounting variables presented by financial ratios. Further, the research was extended to cover modern EU-28 configuration and time period between 1990 and 2015. As a result, 197 bank-to-bank acquisitions were analysed using market return model and subsequently by applying OLS- and GARCH-based regression analysis. The findings indicate that mergers do not create value for the bidders’ shareholders, whereas targets’ shareholders benefit from +2.5% growth in their wealth. It was also found, that accounting data provides a weak explanation of the abnormal returns around the deal announcement. Only bank size was considered to be negatively related to the cumulative abnormal returns, implying that integration costs are likely to be the key barrier towards the post-acquisition synergies. The findings also indicate the most value-generating mergers in the sample are deals between smaller banks with higher profitability and lower credit risks.
The Influence of 'Relationship' Partners on Client Managers' Negotiation Positions

To foster positive relationships with clients, audit firms often assign non-decision-making liaisons to engagements (i.e., “relationship partners,” hereafter RPs). Yet, little is known about RPs’ influence on disagreements that arise during fieldwork. We conduct an experiment with financial executives to examine the influence of RP intervention during auditor-client negotiations, and whether such influence depends on the extent to which the engagement partner and client have tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to resolve the issue (i.e., negotiation “ripeness”). We find that, without a RP, clients concede less during a more ripe negotiation stage (i.e., mutually hurting stalemate) than a less ripe stage. Yet, it is at this more ripe stage that certain RP intervention approaches can maintain clients’ trust in the audit firm and move them toward the auditor’s position (compared to no RP intervention). RPs can help end stalemates and minimize relationship impairment. We discuss implications for audit firms, regulators, and researchers.
Simulation analysis of the stability mutant R96H of T4 lysozyme.

Free energy simulation methods are used to analyze the effects of the mutation Arg 96----His on the stability of T4 lysozyme. The calculated stability change and the lack of significant structural rearrangement in the folded state due to the mutation are in agreement with experimental studies [Kitamura, S. , & Sturtevant, J. M. (1989) Biochemistry 28, 3788-3792; Weaver, L. H. , et al. (1989) Biochemistry 28, 3793-3797]. By use of thermodynamic integration, the contributions of specific interactions to the free energy change are evaluated. It is shown that a number of contributions that stabilize the wild type or the mutant partially cancel in the overall free energy difference; some of these involve the unfolded state. Comparison of the results with conclusions based on structural and thermodynamic data leads to new insights into the origin of the stability difference between wild-type and mutant proteins. Of particular interest is the importance of the contributions of more distant residues, solvent water, and the covalent linkage of the mutated amino acid. Also, the analysis of the interactions of Arg/His 96 with the C-terminal end of a helix (residues 82-90) makes it clear that the nearby carbonyl groups (Tyr 88 and Asp 89) make the dominant contribution, that the amide groups do not contribute significantly, and that the helix-dipole model is inappropriate for this case.
Diagnosis Method Based on Skewness Wave and Information Divergence for a Diesel Engine

A novel diagnosis method is proposed based on the Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence information for fault diagnosis of the diesel engine. A skewness wave (SW) is defined in the time domain using the vibration signal, and a method to obtain the skewness information wave (SIW) is also proposed. Practical example of diagnosis for a bearing used in a diesel engine is provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. This paper also compares the proposed method with the conventional Hilbert-transform-based envelope technique. The analyzed results show that the bearing fault such as the inner-race defect is effectively identified by the proposed method. However, the fault is difficult to detect using the compared technique.
Effect of medium conditioned with rat hepatoma BRL cells on ‘2-cell block’ of random-bred mouse embryos cultured in vitro

Summary The phenomenon of developmental arrest at the 2-cell stage of zygotes obtained from certain mouse strains during in vitro culture is known as the 2-cell block. The effect of conditioned medium (CM) with rat hepatoma BRL cells on the 2-cell block of CD-1 mouse zygotes was investigated in comparison with that of CM with rat hepatoma Reuber H-35 cells. In control medium with EDTA, 75.4% of 2-cell embryos developed to the 4- to 8-cell stages. In the same conditions, the BRL Mr <10000 fraction inhibited the development of 2-cell embryos to the 4- to 8-cell stages (57.7%), although the inhibition by this fraction was weaker than by the Reuber Mr <10000 fraction (19.8%). As a result of reversed-phase column chromatography, a 2-cell stage specific inhibitor of the cleavage of mouse embryos (Fr.B-25), which separated into the Mr <10000 fraction of the Reuber CM, was detected at a low level in the BRL Mr <10000 fraction. On the other hand, the Mr >10000 fraction of BRL CM accelerated the development of the embryos (90.3%). This beneficial effect was also evident even in the absence of EDTA. RT-PCR analysis revealed that mRNAs encoding the β-A or β-B subunit of activins (Mr ~29000), which are well characterized cytokines that act as releasers of the 2-cell block, were expressed in BRL cells. These results indicate that BRL cells synthesize Fr.B-25 at low levels, and that activins contained in the BRL CM probably contributed to overcoming the 2-cell block of CD-1 zygotes cultured in vitro.
PAPER 327 A TIME SERIES ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF THE MAHARISHI TECHNOLOGY OF THE UNIFIED FIELD : REDUCTION OF TRAFFIC FATALITIES IN THE UNITED STATES

This study assessed the influence of the group practice of the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field on nationwide traffic fatalities in the United States during 1982. A substantial body of previous research indicates that as few as the square root of one percent of a population participating in the group practice of this program is sufficient to improve the quality of life in the entire society. A time series analysis of 1982 daily V. S. traffic fatality totals, adjusted for yearly trends based on 1975-1981 daily totals, was performed. It was found that a significant decrease in national traffic fatalities occurred immediately after the number collectively participating in this technology at Maharishi International University reached a high level, in excess of the number predicted to be necessary. The decrease in national traffic fatalities was also greater following days on which there was, in addition, a substantial increase in the number participating in the technology. These effects indicate the practicality of improving the national quality of life through the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field.
Genotypic characterization and biofilm formation of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are recognized as one of the most dangerous foodborne pathogens. The production of Shiga toxins together with intimin protein is among the main virulence factors. However, the ability to form biofilm can protect bacteria against environmental factors (i.e. desiccation, exposure to UV rays, predation, etc.) and sanitization procedures (cleaning, rinsing, chlorination), increasing their survival on food products and in manufacturing plants. Forty-five isolates collected from food and fecal samples were genotyped by pulsed field gel electrophoresis analysis with XbaI restriction enzyme and investigated by searching for toxins (stx1, stx2) and intimin (eae) genes and serogroup (O157, O26, O145, O111, O103 and O104). Afterward, the ability to develop biofilm in microtiter assay and the production of adhesive curli fimbriae and cellulose on agar plates were tested. Our study demonstrated that biofilm formation has a great variability among STEC strains and cannot be related to a specific pulsotype nor even to serogroup or presence of virulence genes.
Integration processes in knowledge-intensive industries of the Russian economy (using the aircraft industry as an example)

Abstract The aim of this article is to examine integration processes taking place in knowledge-intensive sectors of the modern Russian economy in terms of their history and to evaluate them using methods of economic analysis. The article identifies three phases of development of knowledge-intensive sectors of the Russian economy: the Soviet phase, the phase of transformation (from the early 1990s to mid-2000s) and the present one, which can be roughly described as a quasi-nationalization phase. Furthermore, the authors of the article discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the Soviet experience in managing high-tech industries; analyse typical mistakes, which were made during the privatization of knowledge-intensive enterprises and their consequences for the Russian economy and reveal the main problems and risks associated with the policy of creating tightly integrated multi-tiered structures, which stay under control of the state. The article presents figures describing changes in financial indicators relating to a number of integrated structures in high-tech industries.
Long‐term follow‐up after temporal lobe resection for lesions associated with chronic seizures

A follow-up study was conducted on 60 patients who had standard en bloc anterior temporal lobe resection, including mesiotemporal structures, as treatment for temporal lobe lesions associated with chronic, medically intractable seizures. Lesions were identified as glial tumors, hamartomas, or vascular malformations. Long-term outcome was assessed in terms of seizure frequency and certain psychosocial sequelae. Seizure onset occurred at an average age of 15 years (median = 13.5 years), and patients experienced seizures for an average of 13 years prior to surgery. The mean time of follow-up was 8.4 years postsurgery (median = 6 years). The Kaplan-Meier curve at median follow-up showed a seizure-free rate of 80%. Late seizure recurrence was documented for three patients; two had been seizure-free for 10 years and one for 15 years after surgery, before re-onset of seizures in the absence of tumor recurrence. A prolonged history of seizures prior to surgery was associated with a poorer seizure outcome (p = 0.061, suggesting that secondary epileptogenesis at sites distant to the lesion may develop with years of uncontrolled seizures. There was a low tumor recurrence rate of 3.3% (two cases). The psychosocial outcome was generally good, with 67% working or engaged in educational studies, and improvement noted in 59% of cases for one or more of the psychosocial factors investigated. This study confirms that anterior temporal lobe resection for temporal lesions associated with chronic seizures is a successful treatment with a high seizure-free rate following surgery and good psychosocial outcome.
Bayesian Analysis of Speaker Diarization with Eigenvoice Priors

The speaker diarization problem consists in determining how many speakers there are in a given speechﬁle and in partitioning the speech ﬁle into intervals each of which is assigned to one of the speakers. Thecollection of all intervals assigned to a given speaker is known as a cluster. We assume that the givenspeech ﬁle has already been partitioned into segments, that is, intervals each containing the speech of asingle speaker. These segments may be of very short duration and the possibility that the same speakeris talking in two successive segments is not excluded. The problem then is how to cluster the segmentsso that there is a 1–1 correspondence between speakers and cl usters.In his thesis, Valente showed how the speaker clustering problem could be formulated in a principledway in terms of Bayesian model selection [1]. The primary problem, namely determining the number ofspeakers in the given speech ﬁle, can be viewed as one of deter mining the number of components in amixture distribution where each mixture component is a speaker model; a Bayesian approach formulatesthis problem more generally, as one of calculating a posterior probability distribution over the numberof mixture components. Similarly a Bayesian approach to the question of which segments should beassigned to which speakers results in a posterior probability distribution on all possible assignments.
Characterization of the active transport of chlorotetracycline in staphylococcus aureus by a fluorescence technique.

The antibiotic chlorotetracycline (CTC) is used as a fluorescent chelate probe to investigate its active transport in respiring Staphylococcus aureus cells. CTC chelation to magnesium or calcium leads to fluorescence enhancement. This enhancement is further increased when the polarity of its environment is decreased, as occurs when the complex moves from an aqueous environment into a membrane. Upon addition of CTC to a dispersion of S. aureus cells, a time dependent fluorescence enhancement is detected which is a monitor of the transport of the CTC-divalent cation complex into the membrane. This uptake has been shown to be energy dependent and exhibits saturation kinetics with an apparent Km of 107 ± 20 μM by the same technique. The initial rates of antibiotic uptake are shown to have a pH optimum between 5.5 and 6.5. The effects of exogenously added EDTA and paramagnetic Mn2+ indicate that the CTC-divalent cation complex is transported to the inside of the membrane. Exogenously added magnesium inhibits the accumulation process. This implies that the membrane CTC binding site involves a divalent cation sequestered away from the surface of the membrane, and only free CTC is bound to that site. The uptake of CTC is also temperature dependent with a maximal rate at 40°. Arrhenius plots of the initial fluorescence enhancement rates are found to be biphasic with a 27° transition temperature. The break in the plots presumably reflects an order-disorder transition involving the fatty acids of the cell membrane. Thus, transport of the CTC involves movement through the fatty acid region of the membrane. This movement is facilitated by the more fluid state of the membrane above the transition temperature.
The CLN 3 Gene is a Novel Molecular Target for Cancer Drug Discovery 1

Juvenile Batten disease is a neurodegenerative disease caused by accelerated apoptotic death of photoreceptors and neurons attributable to defects in the CLN3 gene. CLN3 is antiapoptotic when overexpressed in NT2 neuronal precursor cells. CLN3 negatively modulates endogenous ceramide levels in NT2 cells and acts upstream of ceramide generation. Because defects in regulation of apoptosis are involved in the development of cancer, we evaluated the expression of CLN3 on both mRNA and protein levels in a variety of cancer cell lines and solid colon cancer tissue. We also observed the effect of the blocking of CLN3 protein expression on cancer cell growth, survival, ceramide production, and apoptosis by using an adenovirus-bearing antisense CLN3 construct. We show that CLN3 mRNA and protein are overexpressed in glioblastoma (U-373G and T98g), neuroblastoma (IMR-32 and SK-N-MC), prostate (Du145, PC-3, and LNCaP), ovarian (SK-OV-3, SW626, and PA-1), breast (BT-20, BT-549, and BT-474), and colon (SW1116, SW480, and HCT 116) cancer cell lines but not in pancreatic (CAPAN and As-PC-1) or lung (A-549 and NCIH520) cancer cell lines. CLN3 is also up-regulated in mouse melanoma and breast carcinoma cancer cell lines. We found CLN3 expression is 22–330% higher than in corresponding normal colon control tissue in 8 of 10 solid colon tumors. An adenovirus-expressing antisense CLN3 (Ad-ASCLN3) blocks CLN3 protein expression in DU-145, BT-20, SW1116, and T98g cancer cell lines as seen by Western blot. Blocking of CLN3 expression using Ad-AS-CLN3 inhibits growth and viability of cancer cells. It also causes elevation in endogenous ceramide production through de novo ceramide synthesis and results in increased apoptosis as shown by propidium iodide and JC-1 staining. This suggests that Ad-AS-CLN3 may be an option for therapy in some cancers. More importantly these results suggest that CLN3 is a novel molecular target for cancer drug discovery.
Characterizing KIF16B in Neurons Reveals a Novel Intramolecular “Stalk Inhibition” Mechanism That Regulates Its Capacity to Potentiate the Selective Somatodendritic Localization of Early Endosomes

An organelle's subcellular localization is closely related to its function. Early endosomes require localization to somatodendritic regions in neurons to enable neuronal morphogenesis, polarized sorting, and signal transduction. However, it is not known how the somatodendritic localization of early endosomes is achieved. Here, we show that the kinesin superfamily protein 16B (KIF16B) is essential for the correct localization of early endosomes in mouse hippocampal neurons. Loss of KIF16B induced the aggregation of early endosomes and perturbed the trafficking and functioning of receptors, including the AMPA and NGF receptors. This defect was rescued by KIF16B, emphasizing the critical functional role of the protein in early endosome and receptor transport. Interestingly, in neurons expressing a KIF16B deletion mutant lacking the second and third coiled-coils of the stalk domain, the early endosomes were mistransported to the axons. Additionally, the binding of the motor domain of KIF16B to microtubules was inhibited by the second and third coiled-coils (inhibitory domain) in an ATP-dependent manner. This suggests that the intramolecular binding we find between the inhibitory domain and motor domain of KIF16B may serve as a switch to control the binding of the motor to microtubules, thereby regulating KIF16B activity. We propose that this novel autoregulatory “stalk inhibition” mechanism underlies the ability of KIF16B to potentiate the selective somatodendritic localization of early endosomes.
Effect of information sharing and capacity adjustment on healthcare service supply chain: the case of flood disaster

In recent years, flood has becoming disastrous events in Malaysia causing loss of lives and properties. The damages brought by flood is partly due to lack of appropriate preparedness and effective responses toward such events. Several researchers have reported studies on flood preparedness and response. However, their studies lack of holistic views. This research attempted to holistically analyze the evacuation planning and flood preparedness. A system dynamic model consisting of an evacuation sub - model and a medical service supply sub - model were developed based on historical hydrological data for Kelantan River basin in Malaysia. Decisions on evacuation can be made based on river level and flood risk information. The efficiency of the medical service supply model is showed through the Bullwhip Effect. The effect of information sharing together with capacity adjustment on the bullwhip effect were studied. The results of this research indicates that reducing delay time to provide medical resources to evacuees need and sharing demand information in the upstream medical supply model yields better performance.