World History II (GA Southern)

This Grants Collection for World History II (formerly World Civilizations II) was created under a Round Eleven ALG Textbook Transformation Grant. Affordable Learning Georgia Grants Collections are intended to provide faculty with the frameworks to quickly implement or revise the same materials as a Textbook Transformation Grants team, along with the aims and lessons learned from project teams during the implementation process. Documents are in .pdf format, with a separate .docx (Word) version available for download. Each collection contains the following materials: Linked Syllabus Initial Proposal Final Reporthttps://oer.galileo.usg.edu/history-collections/1006/thumbnail.jp

The Internet: The Frontier of Cultural Soft Power in Cross-Cultural Transmission

As a significant carrier of culture and cultural products, the Internet plays a significant role in cross-cultural transmission. Within the framework of Soft Power theory, the phenomenon of cross-cultural transmission on the Internet is analyzed, and further study of its causes are conducted. Culture has become a prominent element of soft power. With globalization and consumerism as the context, cultural industry flourishes. Meanwhile, the Internet develops exponentially, becomes a powerful agent between culture and economy and performs as the frontier of cultural soft power in cross-cultural transmission.

Deciphering of interactions between platinated DNA and HMGB1 by hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry

A high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein has been reported to recognize both 1,2-intrastrand crosslinked DNA by cisplatin (1,2-cis-Pt-DNA) and monofunctional platinated DNA using trans-[PtCl2(NH3)(thiazole)] (1-trans-PtTz-DNA). However, the molecular basis of recognition between the trans-PtTz-DNA and HMGB1 remains unclear. In the present work, we described a hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) method in combination with docking simulation to decipher the interactions of platinated DNA with domain A of HMGB1. The global deuterium uptake results indicated that 1-trans-PtTz-DNA bound to HMGB1a slightly tighter than the 1,2-cis-Pt-DNA. The local deuterium uptake at the peptide level revealed that the helices I and II, and loop 1 of HMGB1a were involved in the interactions with both platinated DNA adducts. However, docking simulation disclosed different H-bonding networks and distinct DNA-backbone orientations in the two Pt-DNA-HMGB1a complexes. Moreover, the Phe37 residue of HMGB1a was shown to play a key role in the recognition between HMGB1a and the platinated DNAs. In the cis-Pt-DNA-HMGB1a complex, the phenyl ring of Phe37 intercalates into a hydrophobic notch created by the two platinated guanines, while in the trans-PtTz-DNA-HMGB1a complex the phenyl ring appears to intercalate into a hydrophobic crevice formed by the platinated guanine and the opposite adenine in the complementary strand, forming a penta-layer π–π stacking associated with the adjacent thymine and the thiazole ligand. This work demonstrates that HDX-MS associated with docking simulation is a powerful tool to elucidate the interactions between platinated DNAs and proteins

Motives and Consequences of Mergers and Acquisitions

Mergers and acquisitions, nowadays, play significant roles for helping companies achieve certain objectives and financial strategies. This dissertation, firstly, presents three major types of motives of participating in M & A. This part involves the motives that increase or decrease shareholders' value or has uncertain impact on shareholders'value. The motives which increase shareholders' value include the synergy motive, improvement of managerial efficiency, achievement of economies of scale or scope, increased market power and increased revenue growth; whereas the motives which decrease shareholders' value include the agency motive, managerial hubris and free cash flow; the diversification motive has uncertain impact on shareholders' value. Secondly, the effects of engaging in M & A are examined based on four approaches in literature review. Generally speaking, M & A increase shareholders' value for the target company, whereas they decrease shareholders' value for the acquiring company or the newly combined company. Lastly, this dissertation advances quantitative research methodology- an accounting study-to measure the changes in the financial performance of the target and the acquiring company. In order to control firm-specific, industry-specific, economic wide factor that may pose impact on the post-acquisition performance of the acquiring firm, the different financial performance indicators of the acquiring firm are compared with those of its non-acquiring peers. Moreover, two cases- Vodafone's acquisition of Mannesmann AG and the merger between AOL and Time Warner- are selected in order to check the literature results. The findings present that both the target company and the acquiring company had a healthy financial performance before mergers and acquisition, but the acquiring firm suffered a great deal of loss after mergers and acquisitions

Motives and Effects of Mergers and Acquisitions

Mergers and acquisitions, nowadays, play significant roles for helping companies achieve certain objectives and financial strategies. This dissertation, firstly, presents three major types of motives of participating in M & A. This part involves the motives that increase or decrease shareholders' value or has uncertain impact on shareholders' value. The motives which increase shareholders' value include the synergy motive, improvement of managerial efficiency, achievement of economies of scale or scope, increased market power and increased revenue growth; whereas the motives which decrease shareholders' value include the agency motive, managerial hubris and free cash flow; the diversification motive has uncertain impact on shareholders' value. Secondly, the effects of engaging in M & A are examined based on four approaches in literature review. Generally speaking, M & A increase shareholders' value for the target company, whereas they decrease shareholders' value for the acquiring company or the newly combined company. Lastly, this dissertation advances quantitative research methodology- an accounting study-to measure the changes in the financial performance of the target and the acquiring company. In order to control firm-specific, industry-specific, economic wide factor that may pose impact on the post-acquisition performance of the acquiring firm, the different financial performance indicators of the acquiring firm are compared with those of its non-acquiring peers. Moreover, two cases- Vodafone's acquisition of Mannesmann AG and the merger between AOL and Time Warner- are selected in order to check the literature results. The findings present that both the target company and the acquiring company had a healthy financial performance before mergers and acquisition, but the acquiring firm suffered a great deal of loss after mergers and acquisitions