Analyst forecast accuracy and firm growth

This study examines the affect of business segment industry specialization as a supplement to portfolio complexity on forecast error and Tobin’s Q. After controlling for diversification and growth potential, forecast error is negatively related to business segment industry specialization. Diversification (high growth firms) increases (decreases) forecast error. High growth, focused firms are associated with noncomplex portfolios and business segment industry specialization. Within a simultaneous equation model, forecast error does not predict the firm’s Tobin Q ratio; however, Tobin’s Q does predict whether analysts forecast accurately

The effect of state anti-takeover laws on board composition

The external discipline of corporate control activities (takeovers) and the internal discipline imposed by corporate boards are two ways in which agency costs can be controlled in firms. State anti-takeover laws (ATLs) reduce the probability of takeovers. Therefore, ATLs diminish one of the two (agency cost) control mechanisms available to firms. The question that arises in this context is whether firms subject to ATLs take steps to bolster the remaining control mechanism, namely the board of directors. In this study, we analyze the effects of ATLs in Ohio and Pennsylvania. We assess board composition changes following passage of ATLs in these states. Thus, we test the substitution hypothesis of FAMA and Jensen (1983a and 1983b). Specifically, we test whether or not Ohio and Pennsylvania firms increased outsider representation following passage of ATLs. We extend the literature on ATLs focuses on shareholder losses on the announcement of ATLs and the reduction of the probability of takeovers following ATLs. We contribute to the literature testing the substitution hypothesis that has, thus far, produced mixed results. Finally, we address the critical issue of whether or not board composition is a tractable tool in the quest for shareholder value

CNBC\u27s squawk box: rocket fuel for share prices?

The late 1990\u27s have seen the emergence of the individual investor. The most celebrated fact associated with this phenomenon may be the increasing use of online investing by individual investors. The rapid emergence of online brokerages, with their increasing market values relative to full service brokerages, is testament to this revolution. Coinciding with this revolution is an increased demand for investment information by individual investors. Both the financial information industry and the broadcasting industry have tried to meet this demand. Numberous Internet sits, such as Yahoo and WSRN, provided basic financial information. Other Internet sites, such as Vcall, provide live coverage of analyst conferences. Two recent Internet IPOs, Market Watch and The Street Dot Com, were structured to finance Internet sites that will provide financial news. Cable television has not been left behind with the surge in demand of financial information. Programs by CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, and Bloomberg are capitalizing on the exploding demand for financial information

Capital Budgeting and State Approval of Power Plants

John A. Helmuth is an Associate Professor of Finance in the Department of Accounting and Finance, College of Business Administration at Rochester Institute of Technology. Donald Kent is an Assistant Professor of Accounting at Robert Wesleyan College, Rochester, New York. Jeffrey P. Lessard is an Assistant Professor of Finance in the Department of Accounting and Finance, College of Business Administration at Rochester lnstitute of Technology

Trends in the medical management of patients with heart failure

BACKGROUND: Despite the availability of effective therapies, heart failure (HF) remains a highly prevalent disease and the leading cause of hospitalizations in the U.S. Few data are available, however, describing changing trends in the use of various cardiac medications to treat patients with HF and factors associated with treatment. The objectives of this population-based study were to examine decade-long trends (1995 - 2004) in the use of several cardiac medications in patients hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) and factors associated with evidence-based treatment. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 9,748 residents of the Worcester, MA, metropolitan area who were hospitalized with ADHF at all 11 central Massachusetts medical centers in 1995, 2000, 2002, and 2004. RESULTS: Between 1995 and 2004, respectively, the prescription upon hospital discharge of beta-blockers (23%; 67%), angiotensin pathway inhibitors (47%; 55%), statins (5%; 43%), and aspirin (35%; 51%) increased markedly, while the use of digoxin (51%; 29%), nitrates (46%; 24%), and calcium channel blockers (33%; 22%) declined significantly; nearly all patients received diuretics. Patients in the earliest study year, those with a history of obstructive pulmonary disease or anemia, incident HF, non-specific symptoms, and women were less likely to receive beta blockers and angiotensin pathway inhibitors than respective comparison groups. In 2004, 82% of patients were discharged on at least one of these recommended agents; however, only 41% were discharged on medications from both recommended classes. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that opportunities exist to further improve the use of HF therapeutics

Le FORUM, Vol. 39 No. 3

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/francoamericain_forum/1046/thumbnail.jp

Single-Cell Transcriptional Analysis of Normal, Aberrant, and Malignant Hematopoiesis in Zebrafish

Hematopoiesis culminates in the production of functionally heterogeneous blood cell types. In zebrafish, the lack of cell surface antibodies has compelled researchers to use fluorescent transgenic reporter lines to label specific blood cell fractions. However, these approaches are limited by the availability of transgenic lines and fluorescent protein combinations that can be distinguished. Here, we have transcriptionally profiled single hematopoietic cells from zebrafish to define erythroid, myeloid, B, and T cell lineages. We also used our approach to identify hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells and a novel NK-lysin 4+ cell type, representing a putative cytotoxic T/NK cell. Our platform also quantified hematopoietic defects in rag2E450fs mutant fish and showed that these fish have reduced T cells with a subsequent expansion of NK-lysin 4+ cells and myeloid cells. These data suggest compensatory regulation of the innate immune system in rag2E450fs mutant zebrafish. Finally, analysis of Myc-induced T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia showed that cells are arrested at the CD4+/CD8+ cortical thymocyte stage and that a subset of leukemia cells inappropriately reexpress stem cell genes, including bmi1 and cmyb. In total, our experiments provide new tools and biological insights into single-cell heterogeneity found in zebrafish blood and leukemia

PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF WEATHER EVENTS VERSUS ACTUAL CLIMATE DATA

After some parts of the world experienced a particularly cold winter in 2009-2010 and climate scientists from the Hadley Center for Climate Prediction and Research were accused of manipulating data, a controversy over the veracity of global warming sparked. The purpose of this IQP is to understand how climate data is sampled and analyzed, and to reassert that despite recent weather events, a global analysis of temperature in space and time strongly indicates a warming trend. We will also point to weaknesses in the arguments offered by the so called global warming skeptics

Assessing differentiation potential of C2C12 myoblastic cells on hydrogels, and development of stimulation device to induce contraction on regular and micropatterned C2C12 cells

We examined the differentiation characteristics of C2C12 mouse myoblasts on polyacrylamide hydrogels of varying stiffness’ in comparison to widely used polystyrene tissue culture plates. The benchmarks we used included formation of myotube fibers, BrdU incorporation, myosin heavy chain expression, and fiber contraction. As a method of observing fiber contraction, we designed, built, and used an electrical stimulation device which allowed us to run a current through the cells after they had differentiated while viewing and recording the cells in real time. The data suggest that cells grown on hydrogels proliferate less but differentiate more similar to those in vivo