Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The preferences of private equity investors in selecting target acquisitions: An international investigation

This study investigates the characteristics and attributes that private equity investors prefer when selecting target acquisitions. These characteristics are examined against a matched sample of firms subject to corporate acquisitions via tender/merger offer during 2000–2009, across seven countries: Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the USA, France, Germany and Sweden. We show that firm-specific characteristics are more influential in target selection than external or institutional variables. In particular, private equity targets exhibit lower stock volatility and long-term growth prospects, are larger, and have greater abnormal operating income relative to tender/merger offer target firms. Further, private equity bidders exhibit ‘home bias’, implying that familiarity motivates target selection. Institutional factors remain largely insignificant across all tests.
Enhancing the Applicability of Hotel Uniform Accounting in Hong Kong

The Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry (USALI) sets the accounting standards for the industry by providing detailed guidance for categorizing, organizing, and presenting financial information. In order to keep up with the dynamic hotel business environment and corresponding needs for modifying the reporting format, the USALI is regularly updated every five to ten years. This study investigated hotel management's satisfaction with the details (line items) in the Rooms departmental schedule of the latest edition of the USALI in Hong Kong and sought for modification options to enhance its applicability in local hotels. Industry professionals' opinions were collected from in-depth interviews with seven Rooms Division Managers and 14 financial controllers as well as one focus group interview with 10 committee members of the Hotel Controllers & Accountants Association of Hong Kong. The findings contribute significantly towards fine-tuning hotel performance reporting.
ENDOVASCULAR OCCLUSION OF WIDE-NECKED ANEURYSMS WITH A NEW INTRACRANIAL MICROSTENT (NEUROFORM) AND DETACHABLE COILS

OBJECTIVE:The long-term durability of the endovascular occlusion of cerebral aneurysms is one of the major factors limiting the more widespread use of this technique. Long-term occlusion of wide-necked aneurysms has improved with new assistive devices that seem to improve aneurysm occlusion while protecting the parent vessel. We report the use of a new intracranial stent—the Neuroform microstent—in the treatment of patients with wide-necked cerebral aneurysms. METHODS:Patients identified as harboring wide-necked intracranial aneurysms were evaluated for stent-assisted coiling. After appropriate anticoagulation was performed, depending on whether the aneurysm was ruptured or unruptured, the Neuroform stent was delivered across the neck of the aneurysm and deployed with a coil pusher. After stent placement, standard coil occlusion of the aneurysm was achieved in the majority of cases. RESULTS:Fifty-six patients were identified as having wide-necked intracranial aneurysms suitable for stent-assisted coiling. A total of 49 aneurysms in 48 patients were treated with this procedure. In eight cases, stent deployment failed. Forty-one of the aneurysms were initially stented, followed by coil placement. Six aneurysms were stented only, and one aneurysm was initially coiled, followed by stent placement. There were five deaths (8.9%), one of which occurred secondary to a stroke after the procedure (1.8%). Four patients (7%) experienced thromboembolic events, three of which were considered to have been secondary to the procedure (5.3%). In addition, there were two femoral pseudoaneurysms. The overall complication rate was 10.7%. Five patients were available for follow-up angiographic evaluation, and their cases are discussed. CONCLUSION:Intracranial stenting may overcome important technical limitations in current endovascular therapy by improving the occlusion of wide-necked aneurysms while protecting the parent vessel.
The influence of equivocality in purchasing tasks on the selection of transaction channels in online auctions

Online auctions are one of the most active business models used in electronic commerce. Previous researchers address issues of online auction behaviour focusing on the factors influencing bidding intentions, but how bidders choose transaction channels to complete the consumption process is not examined before. This study conducts an experiment to manipulate the equivocality of purchasing task. Results show that when purchasing a product with higher task equivocality, bidders tend to choose a communication channel with higher information richness, and select a payment and product delivery channel with lower risk. When purchasing a product with lower task equivocality, bidders tend to select a communication channel with lower information richness, and tolerate higher risk to complete the payment and product delivery process.
Teaching and learning for planners

Abstract New types of planning jobs generated by the current crisis in urban social policy demand innovative approaches to planning education. Real-world workshops, which involve student-faculty teams in the community, raise a number of interesting —but difficult—issues and practical problems. Although sometimes interpreted as a cost, this close involvement with social and political aspects of urban problem solving may be an opportunity for both students and staff to gain important insights.
Multilevel implementation of delay-insensitive logic

In real design, multilevel implementation is very important since logic elements have restricted number of inputs. We proposed an approach to multilevel delay-insensitive (DI) implementation of logic functions. It bases on Shannon decomposition. The multilevel DI model is given. It is shown that such implementation contains intermediate signaling. We formulated conditions the intermediate signaling can be avoided. Using our approach we processed several examples and compared two-level implementation complexity with multilevel one.
Toward a new era of administrative reform? The myth of post-NPM in New Zealand

This article explores the supposed shift from New Public Management (NPM) to a new era of “post-NPM” by looking at one critical case, New Zealand. It finds limited evidence of such a shift, suggesting that the wider literature needs to move to a more careful methodological treatment of empirical patterns. To contribute to such a move, this article applies a three-pronged approach to the study of changing doctrines in executive government. After setting out the broad contours of what NPM and post-NPM supposedly constitute, the article proceeds to a documentary analysis of State Services Commission doctrines; this is followed by an analysis of “Public Service Bargains” based on elite interviews and finally a case-study approach of the Crown Entities Act 2004. Far from a new era of administrative reform, the “messy” patterns that emerge suggest a continuation of traditional understandings and ad hoc and politically driven adjustments, leading to diversification.
Neural Network Modeling of EEG Patterns in Encephalopathy

Summary: The EEG is an accessible tool for detecting encephalopathy, which usually manifests as delirium and sometimes as coma. Several disturbances have been described in the EEG of patients with encephalopathy, including diffuse slowing and periodic discharges. The pathophysiology of these EEG alterations, however, is poorly understood. This article shows that simulating activity of large populations of neurons, using neural mass models and neural network analysis, may increase our understanding of EEG disturbances in encephalopathy. We provide a brief introduction on the concepts of neural mass modeling and graph theoretical network analysis, and insights from this approach in previous work on neurologic disease, with a focus on encephalopathy. Finally, we speculate how anatomically coupled neural mass modeling combined with network analysis could provide new insights in pathophysiology of encephalopathy.
Optimising variability tolerant standard cell libraries

This paper describes an approach to optimise transistor dimensions within a standard cell library. The goal is to extract high-speed and low-power circuits which are more tolerant to the random fluctuations that will be prevalent in future technology nodes. Using statistically enhanced SPICE models based on 3D-atomistic simulations, a Genetic Algorithm optimises the device widths within a circuit using a multi-objective fitness function. The results show the impact of threshold voltage variation can be reduced by optimising transistor widths, and suggest a similar method could be extended to the optimisation of larger circuits.
Cognitive performance in transient global hypoxic brain injury due to moderate drowning

ABSTRACT Introduction: Drowning is a serious and frequently neglected public health threat. Primary respiratory impairment after submersion often leads to brain dysfunction. Depending on the period of global hypoxia (respiratory failure), clinical aspects of neurological dysfunction are evident on the first evaluation after the water rescue. Nowadays, many neuropsychological assessments after drowning are inconclusive, with some studies reporting only minor neurological or cognitive impairments. The aim of this study is to identify measures in neuropsychological tests that most contribute to classify volunteers as moderate drowning subjects or healthy controls. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first neuropsychological prospective case-control study of moderate drowning in a country with large coastal cities. Method: Fifteen moderate drowning patients (DP), who met the inclusion criteria, were compared with 18 healthy controls (HC). All subjects were assessed on memory, learning, visual spatial ability, executive function, attention, and general intellectual functioning and underwent structural magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the brain at 3.0 T, in order to exclude subjects with anatomic abnormalities. Results: Neuropsychological tests assessing learning, execution function, and verbal fluency—Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) general learning ability, Digit Span total, Phonological Verbal Fluency (total FAS correct), and Brief Visuospatial Memory Test Revised (BVMT) correct recognition—have the strongest discriminating ability, using predictive models via the partial least squares (PLS) approach for data classification, while the other tests have shown similar predictive values between groups. Conclusions: Learning, execution function, and verbal fluency domains were the most critically affected domains. Serious impairments in the same domains have already been reported in severe drowning cases, and we hypothesize that subtle alterations found in moderate drowning cases, although not sufficient to be detected in daily routine, may possibly have a negative impact on cognitive reserve.
Phytopharmacology and phytotherapy of regulatory T cells:A new approach to treat multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disorder of central nervous system characterized by demyelination, inflammation, and axonal injury. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been defined as CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ T-cells that play a critical role in maintaining self-tolerance and preventing autoimmune diseases. Dysfunction and decreased numbers of Tregs may lead to MS. Web of Science and PubMed databases were searched using the Endnote software for the publications about the role of Tregs in MS published from 2000 to February 2016. The medicinal plants and their derivatives, including Hypericum perforatum, Astragalus membranaceus, Pterodon emarginatus Vogel, curcumin, resveratrol, matrine, Bu Shen Yi Sui Capsule, and Hyungbangpaedok-san have been reported to regulate the function of Tregs in MS. The medicinal plants and their derivatives reported in this study might be useful for upregulation of Tregs through suppressing the activation of autoreactive T cells and hence controlling MS. They should be investigated in clinical trials to help to prevent and treat MS.
Involvement of TACE/ADAM17 and ADAM10 in etoposide‐induced apoptosis of germ cells in rat spermatogenesis

Germ cell apoptosis is important to regulate sperm production in the mammalian testis, but the molecular mechanisms underlying apoptosis are still poorly understood. We have recently shown that in vitro, etoposide induces upregulation of TACE/ADAM17 and ADAM10, two membrane‐bound extracellular metalloproteases. Here we show that in vivo these enzymes are involved in etoposide‐, but not in heat shock‐, induced apoptosis in rat spermatogenesis. Germ cell apoptosis induced by DNA damage was associated with an increase in protein levels and cell surface localization of TACE/ADAM17 and ADAM10. On the contrary, apoptosis of germ cells induced by heat stress, another cell death stimulus, did not change levels or localization of these proteins. Pharmacological in vivo inhibition of TACE/ADAM17 and ADAM10 prevents etoposide‐induced germ cell apoptosis. Finally, Gleevec (STI571) a pharmacological inhibitor of p73, a master gene controlling apoptosis induced by etoposide, prevented the increase of TACE/ADAM17 levels. Our results strongly suggest that TACE/ADAM17 participates in in vivo apoptosis of male germ cells induced by DNA damage. J. Cell. Physiol. 227: 829–838, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
THE FIELD OF MANAGEMENT'S DEVOTION TO THEORY: TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING?

Many nice things can be said about theory. Theories help us organize our thoughts, generate coherent explanations, and improve our predictions. In short, theories help us achieve understanding. But theories are not ends in themselves, and members of the academic field of management should keep in mind that a blanket insistence on theory, or the requirement of an articulation of theory in everything we write, actually retards our ability to achieve our end: understanding. Our field’s theory fetish, for instance, prevents the reporting of rich detail about interesting phenomena for which no theory yet exists. And it bans the reporting of facts—no matter how important or competently generated—that lack explanation, but that, once reported, might stimulate the search for an explanation. It is well known that the top journals in management require that all manuscripts contribute to theory (Colquitt & Zapata-Phelan, 2007; Rynes, 2005; Sutton & Staw, 1995). 1 The current editorial statement of AMJ (its “Information for Contributors”) mirrors those of our other top journals and illustrates this insistence explicitly: “All articles published in the Academy of Management Journal must also make strong theoretical contributions. ” And, believe me, there is no breaching or skirting this policy. After years of comparing notes with colleagues about the rejection letters we have received, it seems the most annoying passage—which I am sure editors have preprogrammed for handy one-click insertion—is this one: “The reviewers all agree that your paper addresses an important topic and is well argued; moreover, they find your empirical results convincing and interesting. At the same time, however, the reviewers believe the paper falls short in making a theoretical contribution. Therefore, I’m sorr y. etc., etc., etc.”
A method for quantitative cell tracking using SPECT for the evaluation of myocardial stem cell therapy

PurposeA promising SPECT-based method for evaluating stem cells therapy uses 111In-labelled cells, transfected with a reporter gene. Cells are first transplanted to the infarct, and subsequently interrogated for transgenic expression using a systemic injection of an 131I-labelled reporter probe. The method is impeded by the physical effects of scatter, 131I/111In cross-talk, and attenuation. We hypothesize that correcting for physical effects improves detection of transgenic expression in transplanted cells when 111In localization is available. MethodsCanine bone marrow mesenchymal cells (BMMCs), radiolabelled and transfected, were injected into infarcted myocardium. Next, a reporter probe was injected systemically, and 22 SPECT scans were acquired over 20 h. Finally, 99mTc-sestamibi was injected and imaged. The animal was killed, the heart sectioned, and counted for 131I and 111In in a well-counter (‘gold standard’). Canine SPECTs were reconstructed in two ways: with corrections for physical effects and without corrections. The first 111In reconstruction and the 99mTc reconstruction were used to define volumes-of-interest over the transplanted BMMC (VBMMC) and normal myocardium (VNM), respectively. Results131I reconstructions without corrections for physical effects had negligible differential uptake. With corrections, VBMMC was consistently higher than VNM, demonstrating transgene expression. 131I had the following VBMMC:VNM activity ratio: without correction for physical effects=0.869; with corrections=1.23; and well-counter=1.21. VNM showed the following 131I:111In activity ratio: without corrections=3.07; with corrections=1.38; and well-counter=1.58. ConclusionsIn dual-isotope SPECT, corrections for physical effects were required to detect transgene expression in cells transplanted into an infarction when localization information was available.
The Layered Structure of Human Mitochondrial DNA Nucleoids*

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) occurs in cells in nucleoids containing several copies of the genome. Previous studies have identified proteins associated with these large DNA structures when they are biochemically purified by sedimentation and immunoaffinity chromatography. In this study, formaldehyde cross-linking was performed to determine which nucleoid proteins are in close contact with the mtDNA. A set of core nucleoid proteins is found in both native and cross-linked nucleoids, including 13 proteins with known roles in mtDNA transactions. Several other metabolic proteins and chaperones identified in native nucleoids, including ATAD3, were not observed to cross-link to mtDNA. Additional immunofluorescence and protease susceptibility studies showed that an N-terminal domain of ATAD3 previously proposed to bind to the mtDNA D-loop is directed away from the mitochondrial matrix, so it is unlikely to interact with mtDNA in vivo. These results are discussed in relation to a model for a layered structure of mtDNA nucleoids in which replication and transcription occur in the central core, whereas translation and complex assembly may occur in the peripheral region.
Are European Convertibles More Debt-Like than the Us Issues? An Empirical Analysis

The popular financial press often suggests that convertible debt issued by European firms is more debt-like in nature than convertible debt issued by US firms. This paper is the first to formally test the validity of this common perception. Our evidence indicates that European convertibles are effectively structured to be more debt-like than US convertibles. We also show that European convertible debt announcements induce less negative stockholder reactions than US announcements, which is consistent with the larger debt component of the former securities. Lastly, we explore some potential explanations for the relatively more debt-like design of European convertibles. Our results indicate that this finding may be attributable to both issuer-related and institutional differences across European and US convertible debt markets.
Impact of timing and cycles of systemic chemotherapy on survival outcome of colorectal liver metastases patients treated by percutaneous microwave ablation

Abstract Purpose: The aim of this retrospective study is to determine the optimal timing and number of cycles of systemic chemotherapy in patients with colorectal liver metastases (CLM) treated by ultrasound-guided percutaneous microwave ablation (PMWA). Materials and methods: In total 199 patients with 318 CLM, median number of tumours one per patient and median maximum size of tumours 3.0 cm, treated by PMWA combined with or without systemic chemotherapy were included in our study. Chemotherapy was administered pre-ablatively in 148 of those patients (74.4%), and post-ablatively in 142 (73.6%). Chemotherapy regimens included FOLFOX/XELOX, FOLFIRI/XELIRI, and sequential monotherapy. Prognostic factors were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses, using log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards model, respectively. Results: The estimated 5-year rates of progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 10.1% and 27.9%, respectively. The number of CLM (P = 0.003), maximum size of CLM (P < 0.001) and topography (P = 0.030) were independent prognostic factors for PFS of patients with CLM while age (P = 0.002), maximum size of CLM (P = 0.006) and post-ablative chemotherapy (P = 0.046) for OS. In further analysis, CLM patients receiving more than six cycles of post-ablative chemotherapy had significantly better OS (P = 0.015) than those without post-ablative chemotherapy. Conclusion: This study revealed chemotherapy administered after (more than six cycles) PMWA improved the OS of CLM patents. And, PMWA was a safe procedure in view of the absence of procedure-related death and low rate of major complications.
Testing and forecasting the degree of integration in the US inflation rate

In this article we model the log of the US inflation rate by means of fractionally integrated processes. We use the tests of Robinson (1994) for testing this type of hypothesis, which include, as particular cases, the I(0) and I(1) specifications, and which also, unusually, have standard null and local limit distributions. A model selection criterion is established to determine which may be the best model specification of the series, and the forecasting properties of the selected models are also examined. The results vary substantially depending on how we specify the disturbances. Thus, if they are white noise, the series is I(d) with d fluctuating around 0.25; however, imposing autoregressive disturbances, the log of the US inflation rate seems to be anti-persistent, with an order of integration smaller than zero. Looking at the forecasting properties, those models based on autocorrelated disturbances (with d 0) seem to predict better over longer periods of time. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A CGE Analysis of Japanese FTAs under Different Market Structures

In this paper, we investigate the possible impacts from Japanese FTA policy under various market structures. For this, we employ a multi-region multi-sector static CGE model. The model includes 15 sectors and 15 regions. As the benchmark data, we use GTAP version 5 data. We consider four FTA scenarios (FTA with Korea, China, ASEAN, and Mexico) and seven market structures and examine how the assumptions on market structure alter the results from FTAs. Our main findings are summarized as follow. First, the formation of FTA increases welfare of Japan in all scenarios and models. Second, the formation of FTA increases welfare of partner regions in most cases, but under some FTA scenarios and models, partner regions can suffer from FTA. Third, with respect to Japan, the perfect competition model generates the smallest welfare gains in most scenarios. Fourth, in contrast to Japan, the perfect competition model does not necessarily generate the small welfare change for partner regions. Finally, the effects of FTAs on the number of firms and firm scale are significantly different across models and FTA scenarios.