bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Planning For Entrepreneurial Innovation: Field Studies in Poland and Ukraine and Lessons Learned
Authors: Abetti Pier A. 
Published: October 2006

ABSTRACTFormer Socialist Central and Eastern European Countries are working to achieve economic self‐sufficiency. The creation of high‐value‐added jobs to retain their skilled workpeople and the achievement of international economic competitiveness are major challenges they face. In this article the author proposes the strategy of regional economic development through entrepreneurial innovation, with emphasis on technological companies. The viability of this approach, and the lessons learned from it, are assessed using case study material from Poland and Ukraine.
Vertically Related Markets: Export Rivalry Between DC and LDC Firms*
Authors: Chang Winston W. , Chen Fang‐Yueh 
Published: October 2006

AbstractWe present a model of export rivalry in vertically related markets where a DC firm produces a high‐quality good as well as a key input utilized by an LDC firm to produce a low‐quality export good. the DC firm acts as a Stackelberg leader by setting the price of the input and the quantity of its export good. We show that the DC firm's decision on vertical supply depends on the cost, demand, and quality parameters of both producers, and that the LDC government should tax either its final good exports or its key input imports.
A SIGNALING MODEL OF COMPETITIVE POLITICAL PRESSURES
Authors: Lohmann Susanne 
Published: October 2006

This paper models competitive political pressures as a signaling phenomenon. People participate in collective action in support of or against the status quo, or they abstain. Their actions and abstentions inform the decision of a policymaker who may overturn the status quo in favor of a policy alternative. By providing an informational microfoundation for the widely used reduced‐form “pressure production functions” and “political influence functions,” the analysis allows me to reexamine the role of the free rider problem in creating a bias towards vocal special interests.The signaling hypothesis finds empirical support with a study of pro‐ and anti‐Gulf War demonstrations that took place in San Francisco and Kansas City (Missouri) in early 1991.
The cost of capital in internationally integrated markets: The case of Nestlé
Authors: Stulz René M. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis paper argues that the cost of capital for firms in small countries should be estimated using the global CAPM rather than a local CAPM. Two related formulas showing the mistake made when using a local CAPM rather than a global CAPM are presented. the global CAPM is implemented for the case of Nestlé and the results are compared to the cost of capital estimate one obtains for Nestlé using a local CAPM when the global CAPM is appropriate.
Corporate governance and incentives in German companies: Evidence from top executive turnover and firm performance
Authors: Kaplan Steven N. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis paper examines executive turnover—both for management and supervisory boards—and its relation to firm performance in the largest companies in Germany in the 1980s. Turnover of the management board increases significantly with poor stock performance and particularly poor (i.e. negative) earnings, but is unrelated to sales growth and earnings growth. These turnover‐performance relations do not vary with measures of stock ownership and bank voting power. Supervisory board appointments and turnover also increase with poor stock performance, but are unrelated to other measures of performance.
The role of defensive strategies and ownership structure of target firms: Evidence from UK hostile takeover bids
Authors: Sudarsanam P. S. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe outcome of a hostile takeover bid hinges on an interplay of the defensive strategies of targets and the offensive strategies of bidders. This study examines the determinants of outcome for a sample of 205 hostile bids for UK public company targets over the period 1983–1989. the impact of a number of defensive strategies adopted by the targets, their ownership structure which could aid or hinder the deployment of those strategies, and the method of payment selected by bidders is investigated using multivariate logit methodology. the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers in the UK and its influence on the choice of defensive and offensive strategies is described. the study finds outcome in hostile bids in the UK is significantly influenced by the use of certain defensive strategies, the presence of large institutional shareholders in targets, the size of targets and the method of payment chosen by the bidder. the results of this study are useful in devising effective strategies to frustrate or prosecute hostile bids.
Going public in the 1980s: Evidence from Sweden
Authors: Rydqvist Kristian , Högholm Kenneth 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe paper explores the going public decision in a sample of family‐owned corporations in Sweden, 1970–1991. the issuers' motivations for going public are documented and contrasted with economic theory. We find that the average firm is old, that a significant portion of the shares are sold by existing shareholders, that most going public activity took place after an exceptionally sharp stock price increase, and that going public activity is not related to the business cycle. the findings suggest that firms were taken public by their owners who wanted to liquidate their investment to finance consumption or portfolio diversification. the findings strike the common view that firms go public to finance growth. Data from other European countries exhibit similar patterns and suggest that our findings for Sweden may extend to other markets as well.
Does the cost of capital differ across countries? An agency perspective*
Authors: Stulz René M. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractIn this keynote speech, I ask the question: Does the cost of capital differ for firms located in different countries? I argue that there are two ways to look at the cost of capital. First, there is the neoclassical perspective, which assumes that there are no agency problems. In integrated markets, the neoclassical cost of capital is the same in every country. Second, there is the agency perspective. Agency costs increase the cost of capital understood as the expected rate of return necessary for an investment to leave the value of the firm unaffected. Adjusting the cost of capital for agency costs, I argue that it differs across countries because of differences in corporate governance. I then provide a comparison of the agency‐adjusted cost of capital between Japan and the US.
Interim dividend cuts and omissions in the UK
Authors: Balachandran Balasingham , Cadle John , Theobald Michael 
Published: October 2006

AbstractUK firms that cut or omit interim dividends during the period 1986–1993 are studied. Price reactions to cuts and omissions were found to be significantly negative and stronger for initial reductions. Future earnings variables were found to be predictable from interim dividend reductions. Gearing, company size and interim earnings change variables were found to have explanatory power for the decision to determine whether to cut or omit an interim dividend.
Expiration day effects of stock index derivatives in Germany
Authors: Schlag Christian 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThere is a significant increase in trading volume on quarterly futures expiration days in Germany. Delays in the opening for the majority of index stocks indicate that a large part of this extraordinary volume is indeed traded right at the opening of the market. an increase in trading activity is also observed over the 10‐minute settlement period for index options. Volatility remains unchanged around the expiration of a futures contract. an increase is found for the 10‐minute settlement period of DAX options. Return reversals as the measure for the economic costs of contract expirations are significantly higher when a futures contract expires at the open. When an option expires at the close no clear pattern for reversals can be found.
Arithmetic versus geometric mean estimators: Setting discount rates for capital budgeting
Authors: Cooper Ian 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis paper addresses an issue central to the estimation of discount rates for capital budgeting: should the geometric mean or arithmetic mean of past data be used when estimating the discount rate? the use of the arithmetic mean ignores estimation error and serial correlation in returns. Unbiased discount factors have been derived that correct for both these effects. In all cases, the corrected discount rates are closer to the arithmetic than the geometric mean.
Pyrolysis gas chromatographic analyses of untreated and flameproofed wools
Authors: Urbas E. , Küllik E. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe thermal degradation of untreated and wool treated by various flame retardants, using pyrolysis gas chromatography, has been studied. The concentration of CO, CO2 and benzene produced does not appear to be affected by the flame retardants studied. The latter slightly decreases the concentration of toluene produced while the HCN production depends on the chemical composition of the retardant and on the temperature of exposure.
Home Office Legislation, Regulations and Controls in the UK in respect of premises within the scope of the Fire Precautions Act 1971
Authors: Christian S. D. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe Fire Precautions Act 1971, in contrast with previous legislation, is directed exclusively to the provision of fire precautions in buildings after occupation. The system of control is by fire certificate and can be applied to a class of premise (listed in Section 1) by means of a designating order. In the case of any particular use of premise, the Secretary of State, under Section 12, may by Regulation, make provision as to precautions which are to be taken in relation to the risk to persons in case of fire.
Command and Control in Policing: A Systems Assessment of the Gold, Silver and Bronze Structure
Authors: Pearce Trevor , Fortune Joyce 
Published: October 2006

A police force exhibits characteristics that are typical of those that can be found in many large, formal, bureaucratic organisations. It has a profound sense of hierarchy and shows a strong awareness of the power of procedure and the benefits to be gained from being systematic. It can be argued that such values and beliefs are entirely appropriate. Rules of evidence, for example, require a very strong discipline and offer very little opportunity for individual interpretation.In the context of such an orderly, systematic approach, the application of systems thinking, with its emphasis on Weltanschauung, viewpoint and perspective, may at first appear inappropriate to police activity. However, this paper argues that this is not the case. It uses systems thinking to examine one important aspect of policing where method and procedure are very important ‐the command and control of major incidents/operations ‐ and shows that its application enables important lessons to be drawn about the strengths and weaknesses of the mechanisms in place.
Beyond the Crisis Window for Reform: Some Ramifications for Implementation
Authors: Boin R. Arjen , Otten Marc H.P. 
Published: October 2006

In the policy literature, crises are often presented as opportunities for reform initiation. Little is known, however, about the effects that crises may have on the implementation of such reform initiatives. This article explores how a crisis may affect the administrative relations between central authorities and field administrations. The crisis impact on central‐field relations appears to be twofold. First, a crisis may facilitate, if not induce, the centralization of decision‐making processes. Secondly, a crisis may affect the degree of consensus between central authorities and field administrations with regard to problem definitions and preferred solutions.This paper uses a case study of the Dutch prison system to explore the crisis impact on these two dimensions of central‐field relations. In this particular case, crisis circumstances did not facilitate a successful implementation of a major policy overhaul. We suggest that crises may offer opportunities for reform implementation, but only under highly restricted conditions. When these conditions are not met, crises may have perverse effects on central‐field relations which limit the prospects for the effective implementation of reform.
Midkine, a heparin‐binding growth factor, is expressed in neural precursor cells and promotes their growth
Authors: Zou Peng , Muramatsu Hisako , Miyata Takaki , Muramatsu Takashi 
Published: October 2006

AbstractMidkine, a heparin‐binding growth factor, was found to be expressed in neural precursor cells, which consist of neural stem cells and the progenitor cells. When embryonic brain cells were allowed to form neurospheres enriched in neural precursor cells, numbers were significantly smaller from the midkine‐deficient brain than from the wild‐type brain. Dissociated neurosphere cells yielded nestin‐positive neural precursor cells and differentiated neuronal cells upon culture on a substratum. Neural precursor cells from the midkine‐deficient brain spread poorly and grew less effectively on a substratum coated with poly‐l‐lysine than the cells on midkine‐coated substratum. Neural precursor cells from the wild‐type brain spread and grew well on both the substrata. Differentiation to neurons and glia cells was not affected by the absence of midkine. Heparitinase digestion of dissociated neurosphere cells resulted in poor growth of neural precursor cells, while chondroitinase digestion had no effect. These results indicate that midkine is involved in the growth of neural precursor cells and suggest that the interaction with heparan sulfate proteoglycans is important in midkine action to these cells.
Potential implications of endogenous aldehydes in β‐amyloid misfolding, oligomerization and fibrillogenesis
Authors: Chen Kun , Maley Jason , Yu Peter H. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractAldehydes are capable of inducing protein cross‐linkage. An increase in aldehydes has been found in Alzheimer's disease. Formaldehyde and methylglyoxal are produced via deamination of, respectively, methylamine and aminoacetone catalyzed by semicarbazide‐sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO, EC 1.4.3.6. The enzyme is located on the outer surface of the vasculature, where amyloidosis is often initiated. A high SSAO level has been identified as a risk factor for vascular disorders. Serum SSAO activity has been found to be increased in Alzheimer's patients. Malondialdehyde and 4‐hydroxynonenal are derived from lipid peroxidation under oxidative stress, which is also associated with Alzheimer's disease. Aldehydes may potentially play roles in β‐amyloid aggregation related to the pathology of Alzheimer's disease. In the present study, thioflavin‐T fluorometry, dynamic light scattering, circular dichroism spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy were employed to reveal the effect of endogenous aldehydes on β‐amyloid at different stages, i.e. β‐sheet formation, oligomerization and fibrillogenesis. Formaldehyde, methylglyoxal and malondialdehyde and, to a lesser extent, 4‐hydroxynonenal are not only capable of enhancing the rate of formation of β‐amyloid β‐sheets, oligomers and protofibrils but also of increasing the size of the aggregates. The possible relevance to Alzheimer's disease of the effects of these aldehydes on β‐amyloid deposition is discussed.
15‐deoxy‐Δ12,14‐prostaglandin J2 (15d‐PGJ2) and ciglitazone modulate Staphylococcus aureus‐dependent astrocyte activation primarily through a PPAR‐γ‐independent pathway
Authors: Phulwani Nirmal K. , Feinstein Douglas L. , Gavrilyuk Vitaliy , Akar Candan , Kielian Tammy 
Published: October 2006

AbstractBrain abscesses arise from a focal parenchymal infection by various pathogens, particularly Staphylococcus aureus. We have shown that astrocytes are activated upon exposure to S. aureus and may contribute to the excessive tissue damage characteristic of brain abscess. Therefore, modulating astrocyte activation may facilitate a reduction in brain abscess severity. Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor‐γ (PPAR‐γ) agonists are potent inhibitors of microglial activation; however, the effects of these compounds on S. aureus‐dependent astrocyte activation have not yet been examined. Here, we demonstrate that two chemically distinct PPAR‐γ agonists, 15‐deoxy‐Δ12,14‐prostaglandin J2 (15d‐PGJ2) and ciglitazone, suppress the production of several pro‐inflammatory molecules in S. aureus‐stimulated astrocytes including interleukin‐1β and nitric oxide (NO). Interestingly, 15d‐PGJ2 attenuated Toll‐like receptor 2 (TLR2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression, but failed to modulate macrophage inflammatory protein‐2 (MIP‐2/CXCL2) production, suggesting that 15d‐PGJ2 is not a global inhibitor of astrocyte activation. Another novel finding of this study was the fact that both 15d‐PGJ2 and ciglitazone were capable of attenuating pre‐existing astrocyte activation, indicating their potential benefit in a therapeutic setting. Importantly, 15d‐PGJ2 and ciglitazone were still capable of inhibiting S. aureus‐induced pro‐inflammatory mediator release in PPAR‐γ‐deficient astrocytes, supporting PPAR‐γ‐independent effects of these compounds. Collectively, these results suggest that 15d‐PGJ2 and ciglitazone exert their anti‐inflammatory actions on astrocytes primarily independent of the PPAR‐γ pathway.
Ethanol inhibits cold‐menthol receptor TRPM8 by modulating its interaction with membrane phosphatidylinositol 4,5‐bisphosphate
Authors: Benedikt Jan , Teisinger Jan , Vyklicky Ladislav , Vlachova Viktorie 
Published: October 2006

AbstractEthanol has opposite effects on two members of the transient receptor potential (TRP) family of ion channels: it inhibits the cold‐menthol receptor TRPM8, whereas it potentiates the activity of the heat‐ and capsaicin‐gated vanilloid receptor TRPV1. Both thermosensitive cation channels are critically regulated by the membrane lipid, phosphatidylinositol 4,5‐bisphosphate (PIP2). The effects of this phospholipid on TRPM8 and TRPV1 are also functionally opposite: PIP2 is necessary for the activation of TRPM8 but it constitutively inhibits TRPV1. This parallel led us to investigate the possible role of PIP2 in the ethanol‐induced modulation of rat TRPM8, heterologously expressed in HEK293T cells. In this study, we characterize the effects of ethanol (0.1–10%) on whole‐cell currents produced by menthol and by low temperature (< 17°C). We show that the inclusion of PIP2 in the intracellular solution results in a strong reduction in the ethanol‐induced inhibition of menthol‐evoked responses. Conversely, intracellular dialysis with anti‐PIP2 antibody or with the PIP2 scavenger, poly l‐lysine, enhanced the ethanol‐induced inhibition of TRPM8. A 20 min pre‐incubation with wortmannin caused a modest decrease in inhibition produced by 1% ethanol, indicating that the ethanol‐induced inhibition is not mediated by lipid kinases. These findings suggest that ethanol inhibits TRPM8 by weakening the PIP2–TRPM8 channel interaction; a similar mechanism may contribute to the ethanol‐mediated modulation of some other PIP2‐sensitive TRP channels.
Impaired long‐term depression in P2X3 deficient mice is not associated with a spatial learning deficit
Authors: Wang Yue , Mackes Jennifer , Chan Stephen , Haughey Norman J. , Guo Zhihong , Ouyang Xin , Furukawa Katsutoshi , Ingram Donald K. , Mattson Mark P. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe hippocampus is a brain region critical for learning and memory processes believed to result from long‐lasting changes in the function and structure of synapses. Recent findings suggest that ATP functions as a neurotransmitter or neuromodulator in the mammalian brain, where it activates several different types of ionotropic and G protein‐coupled ATP receptors that transduce calcium signals. However, the roles of specific ATP receptors in synaptic plasticity have not been established. Here we show that mice lacking the P2X3 ATP receptor (P2X3KO mice) exhibit abnormalities in hippocampal synaptic plasticity that can be restored by pharmacological modification of calcium‐sensitive kinase and phosphatase activities. Calcium imaging studies revealed an attenuated calcium response to ATP in hippocampal neurons from P2X3KO mice. Basal synaptic transmission, paired‐pulse facilitation and long‐term potentiation are normal at synapses in hippocampal slices from P2X3KO. However, long‐term depression is severely impaired at CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus synapses. Long‐term depression can be partially rescued in slices treated with a protein phosphatase 1–2 A activator or by postsynaptic inhibition of calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II. Despite the deficit in hippocampal long‐term depression, P2X3KO mice performed normally in water maze tests of spatial learning, suggesting that long‐term depression is not critical for this type of hippocampus‐dependent learning and memory.
Evidence that quinolinic acid severely impairs energy metabolism through activation of NMDA receptors in striatum from developing rats
Authors: Ribeiro César A. J. , Grando Vanessa , Dutra Filho Carlos S. , Wannmacher Clóvis M. D. , Wajner Moacir 
Published: October 2006

AbstractIn the present study we investigated the effect of intrastriatal administration of 150 nmol quinolinic acid to young rats on critical enzyme activities of energy production and transfer, as well as on 14CO2 production from [1–14C]acetate at distinct periods after quinolinic acid injection. We observed that quinolinic acid injection significantly inhibited complexes II (50%), III (46%) and II–III (35%), as well as creatine kinase (27%), but not the activities of complexes I and IV and citrate synthase in striatum prepared 12 h after treatment. In contrast, no alterations of these enzyme activities were observed 3 or 6 h after quinolinic acid administration. 14CO2 production from [1–14C]acetate was also significantly inhibited (27%) by quinolinic acid in rat striatum prepared 12 h after injection. However, no alterations of these activities were observed in striatum homogenates incubated in the presence of 100 μm quinolinic acid . Pretreatment with the NMDA receptor antagonist MK‐801 and with creatine totally prevented all inhibitory effects elicited by quinolinic acid administration. In addition, α‐tocopherol plus ascorbate and the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor l‐NAME completely abolished the inhibitions provoked by quinolinic acid on creatine kinase and complex III. Furthermore, pyruvate pretreatment totally blocked the inhibitory effects of quinolinic acid injection on complex II activity and partially prevented quinolinic acid‐induced creatine kinase inhibition. These observations strongly indicate that oxidative phosphorylation, the citric acid cycle and cellular energy transfer are compromised by high concentrations of quinolinic acid in the striatum of young rats and that these inhibitory effects were probably mediated by NMDA stimulation.