Economic impact of political barriers to cross-border acquisitions: An empirical study of CNOOC's unsuccessful takeover of Unocal

In 2005, the US Congress challenged the acquisition by CNOOC (a Chinese state-owned enterprise) of Unocal (a US firm). This challenge creates a political barrier for foreign companies to acquire US oil companies. This paper examines the stock price reaction of US oil companies to this political opposition. Using an event study methodology, we find that this political barrier resulted in a substantial decline in the market value of US oil companies. For a period of 44 days, during which six anti-CNOOC-takeover political events occurred, the cumulative decline in the market value of a portfolio of 13 US oil refining firms was $47.5 billion and that of a portfolio of 66 US oil and gas exploration firms was$11.4 billion. This study is the first to analyze and quantify the stock price reaction of US non-merging firms to political barriers to cross-border acquisitions. It also has a policy implication regarding the recent enactment of the Foreign Investment and National Security Act of 2007. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.postprin

Exploring Libraries’ Efforts in Inclusion and Outreach Activities Using Social Media

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A rare case of a male infant with down-turner syndrome and review of cases

Individuals with double aneuploidy of Down-Turner syndrome are very rare and to date, fewer than 50 cases have been reported, worlwide. We report a case of a male infant who presented with dysmorphic features of upslanting eyes, flat nasal bridge, wide spaced nipples and macroglossia. Based on the clinical features, he was diagnosed with Down syndrome. His peripheral blood sample was taken and sent for cytogenetic analysis for confirmation. Chromosome analysis of his lymphocyte cell culture revealed a mosaic pattern of double aneuploidy with monosomy X identified in 31 metaphases and trisomy 21 in 14 metaphases: (45,X[31]/47,XY,+21[14]). Further analysis with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using Vysis LSI SRY Spectrum Orange/CEP X Spectrum Green Probe and Vysis CEP Y Spectrum Aqua Probe and Vysis LSI 21 Spectrum Orange Probe performed on the cells (nuclei and metaphases) has confirmed the presence of the abnormal two cell lines (81% monosomy X and 19% trisomy 21) in the patient. Ultrasound investigations of his pelvic region showed normal testes and no evidence of uterus, ovary or vagina. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first Down-Turner syndrome reported in Malaysia. In conclusion, this case demonstrates the importance of Giemsa-banded karyotype and FISH analyses as diagnostic tools in identifying the chromosomal abnormality and determining the ratio of the normal:abnormal cells present in the patient. An annotated bibliography of earlier reported cases of Down-Turner with documented karyotyping is also included in this report

Use of evidential reasoning for eliciting bayesian subjective probabilities in human reliability analysis: A maritime case

Modelling the interdependencies among the factors influencing human error (e.g. the common performance conditions (CPCs) in Cognitive Reliability Error Analysis Method (CREAM)) stimulates the use of Bayesian Networks (BNs) in Human Reliability Analysis (HRA). However, subjective probability elicitation for a BN is often a daunting and complex task. To create conditional probability values for each given variable in a BN requires a high degree of knowledge and engineering effort, often from a group of domain experts. This paper presents a novel hybrid approach for incorporating the evidential reasoning (ER) approach with BNs to facilitate HRA under incomplete data. The kernel of this approach is to develop the best and the worst possible conditional subjective probabilities of the nodes representing the factors influencing HRA when using BNs in human error probability (HEP). The proposed hybrid approach is demonstrated by using CREAM to estimate HEP in the maritime area. The findings from the hybrid ER-BN model can effectively facilitate HEP analysis in specific and decision-making under uncertainty in general

Cryo-electron tomography structure of Arp2/3 complex in cells reveals new insights into the branch junction

The actin-related protein (Arp)2/3 complex nucleates branched actin filament networks pivotal for cell migration, endocytosis and pathogen infection. Its activation is tightly regulated and involves complex structural rearrangements and actin filament binding, which are yet to be understood. Here, we report a 9.0 Å resolution structure of the actin filament Arp2/3 complex branch junction in cells using cryo-electron tomography and subtomogram averaging. This allows us to generate an accurate model of the active Arp2/3 complex in the branch junction and its interaction with actin filaments. Notably, our model reveals a previously undescribed set of interactions of the Arp2/3 complex with the mother filament, significantly different to the previous branch junction model. Our structure also indicates a central role for the ArpC3 subunit in stabilizing the active conformation

Worth a Thousand Words: Hong Kong Images project at the University of Hong Kong Libraries

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Is It Time to Call Time on Bone Marrow Biopsy for Staging Ewing Sarcoma (ES)?

Primary malignant bone sarcomas are rare and Ewing sarcoma (ES), along with osteosarcoma, predominates in teenagers and young adults. The well-established multimodality treatment incorporates systemic chemotherapy with local control in the form of surgery, with or without radiation. The presence and extent of metastases at diagnosis remains the most important prognostic factor in determining patient outcome; patients with skeletal metastases or bone marrow infiltration having a significantly worse outcome than those with lung metastases alone. There is, however, no accepted staging algorithm for ES. Large cooperative groups and national guidelines continue to advocate bone marrow biopsy (BMB) for staging but functional imaging techniques, such as 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) with computerised tomography (CT) have been increasingly used for staging cancers and whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI) for staging skeletal metastases. This review outlines the current literature, from which we conclude that BMB is no longer required for the staging of ES as it does not influence the standard of care management. BMB may, however, provide prognostic information and insights into the biology of ES in selected patients on prospective clinical trials

Emergence of CD26+ cancer stem cells with metastatic properties in colorectal carcinogenesis

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Identification of microRNA 885-5p as a novel regulator of tumor metastasis by targeting CPEB2 in colorectal cancer

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The psychophysiological effects of Tai-chi and exercise in residential Schizophrenic patients: a 3-arm randomized controlled trial

Background Patients with schizophrenia are characterized by high prevalence rates and chronicity that often leads to long-term institutionalization. Under the traditional medical model, treatment usually emphasizes the management of psychotic symptoms through medication, even though anti-psychotic drugs are associated with severe side effects, which can diminish patients’ physical and psychological well-being. Tai-chi, a mind-body exercise rooted in Eastern health philosophy, emphasizes the motor coordination and relaxation. With these potential benefits, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) is planned to investigate the effects of Tai-chi intervention on the cognitive and motor deficits characteristic of patients with schizophrenia. Methods/design A 3-arm RCT with waitlist control design will be used in this study. One hundred and fifty three participants will be randomized into (i) Tai-chi, (ii) exercise or (iii) waitlist control groups. Participants in both the Tai-chi and exercise groups will receive 12-weeks of specific intervention, in addition to the standard medication and care received by the waitlist control group. The exercise group will serve as a comparison, to delineate any unique benefits of Tai-chi that are independent of moderate aerobic exercise. All three groups will undergo three assessment phases: (i) at baseline, (ii) at 12 weeks (post-intervention), and (iii) at 24 weeks (maintenance). All participants will be assessed in terms of symptom management, motor coordination, memory, daily living function, and stress levels based on self-perceived responses and a physiological marker. Discussion Based on a promising pilot study conducted prior to this RCT, subjects in the Tai-chi intervention group are expected to be protected against deterioration of motor coordination and interpersonal functioning. They are also expected to have better symptoms management and lower stress level than the other treatment groups.published_or_final_versio