63 research outputs found
Domain-independent neural underpinning of task-switching: an fMRI investigation
No full textThe ability to shift between different tasks according to internal or external demands, which is at the core of our behavioral flexibility, has been generally linked to the functionality of left fronto-parietal regions. Traditionally, the left and right hemispheres have also been associated with verbal and spatial processing, respectively. We therefore investigated with functional MRI whether the processes engaged during task-switching interact in the brain with the domain of the tasks to be switched, that is, verbal or spatial. Importantly, physical stimuli were exactly the same and participants’ performance was matched between the two domains. The fMRI results showed a clearly left-lateralized involvement of fronto-parietal regions when contrasting task-switching vs. single task blocks in the context of verbal rules. A more bilateral pattern, especially in the prefrontal cortex, was instead observed for switching between spatial tasks. Moreover, while a conjunction analysis showed that the core regions involved in task-switching, independently of the switching context, were localized both in left inferior prefrontal and parietal cortices and in bilateral supplementary motor area, a direct analysis of functional lateralization revealed that hemispheric asymmetries in the frontal lobes were more biased toward the left side for the verbal domain than for the spatial one and vice versa. Overall, these findings highlight the role of left fronto-parietal regions in task-switching, above and beyond the specific task requirements, but also show that hemispheric asymmetries may be modulated by the more specific nature of the tasks to be performed during task-switching
Determinants of business angels investments: an empirical analysis of the italian informal venture capital market product=determinants-of-business-angels-investments-an-empirical-analysis-of-the-italian-informal-venture-capital-market
No full textThe aim of this study is to analyze the returns of business angels’ investments and their determinants. In this research the author wants to investigate the relationship existing between the performance of business angels investments and a series of explanatory variables widely used in the literature dealing with formal venture capital investments. Thanks to the data provided by surveyed business angels about their exits, it has been possible to build a dataset containing the details of about 90 disinvestments made in Italy during the 2007-2010 time period. This study shows that the most important features business angels look for when financing new firms is the management team, followed by the potential growth of the market. - See more at: http://dl4.globalstf.org/?wpsc-product=determinants-of-business-angels-investments-an-empirical-analysis-of-the-italian-informal-venture-capital-market#sthash.8tNaCe5V.dpu
What drives the returns of business angels’ investments? An empirical analysis of the Italian informal venture capital market
No full textThe aim of this study is to analyze the returns of business angels’ investments and their determinants. In this research the author wants to investigate the relationship existing between the performance of business angels’ investments and a series of explanatory variables widely used in the literature dealing with formal venture capital investments. Thanks to the data provided by surveyed business angels about their exits, it has been possible to build a dataset containing the details of about 90 disinvestments made in Italy during the 2007-2010 time periods. This study shows that the most important features business angels look for when financing new firms is the management team, followed by the potential growth of the market. Furthermore, the exit strategy and the industry financed have a significant impact on the IRR of angels’ investment
The EWMAST Control Charts with Estimated Limits: Properties and Recommendations.
No full textZhang extends the traditional EWMA control chart to the case of stationary processes, showing how the control limits can be analytically adjusted as a function of the process variance and autocorrelation. When parameters are unknown, the author also suggests how to estimate the control limits. Zhang's proposal is operationally simple and fully automatic. For this reason, it looks quite appealing from the practitioner's point of view. However, the impact of parameter estimation on the chart performance is not investigated. Since charts designed using estimated parameters can have an unsatisfactory behaviour, we study the impact of the estimation errors and give practical recommendations on the smallest sample size for which satisfactory accuracy is obtained
Operazioni straordinarie e tutela degli investitori: il caso della pressure to tender
No full textIl lavoro si propone di commentare la delibera CONSOB n. 17731 del 5 aprile 2011 con la quale è stato in più parti modificato il Regolamento Emittenti (Reg. n. 11971 del 14 maggio 1999) introducendo, fra le altre, disposizioni volte a contrastare la c.d. pressure to tender (o coazione a vendere).
Il fenomeno della pressure to tender si verifica quando i c.d. azionisti mar-ginali, ossia quegli oblati la cui adesione, singolarmente considerata, non è de-terminante per il successo dell’offerta, basano le proprie valutazioni in ordine alla convenienza di un’eventuale adesione non sull’effettiva convenienza del prezzo offerto ma sui propri timori sul deprezzamento dei titoli nell’ipotesi di successo dell’offerta medesima.
I problemi di coordinamento tra gli azionisti marginali nell’ambito della scelta circa l’adesione ad offerte pubbliche di acquisto c.d. coercitive sono da tempo oggetto di riflessione nell’esperienza giuridica statunitense, che ha ela-borato tutta una serie di correttivi volti ad assicurare che il trasferimento del controllo avvenga a seguito di una scelta non distorta da parte degli oblati.
L’articolo analizza i nuovi art. 39-bis e 40-bis del Regolamento Emittenti. In primo luogo si espone in maniera critica la scelta compiuta dalla CONSOB di limitare l’applicazione dei rimedi proposti alle sole offerte promosse da sog-getti che detengano una partecipazione rilevante nella società target (c.d. “insi-ders”). Conseguentemente, si segnalano i possibili arbitraggi normativi che una tale scelta potrebbe comportare con la disciplina in materia di operazioni con parti correlate di cui al Regolamento CONSOB n. 17221/10. In un secondo momento si pone l’attenzione ai tre diversi correttivi alla pressure to tender previsti dalla nuova normativa regolamentare: a) la necessità, prevista dall’art. 39-bis, di un parere degli amministratori indipendenti “sull’offerta e la congrui-tà del corrispettivo”; b) una riapertura dei termini dell’offerta (c.d. “second round requirement”); c) l’esenzione dall’applicazione del rimedio sub b) qualo-ra l’offerente subordini l’efficacia della propria offerta all’approvazione da parte di una “maggioranza della minoranza” (c.d. “voting requirement”).
La parte finale dell’articolo pone a confronto i due diversi strumenti corret-tivi del second round requirement e del voting requirement, prendendo in con-siderazione anche le contigue discipline in tema di OPA preventiva parziale e OPA residuale ex artt. 107-108 T.U.F. oltre che in materia di fusione semplificata ex art. 2505-bis c.c., per poi esporre le ragioni di una preferenza per il se-condo dei due.The paper proposes a comment on the CONSOB resolution n. 17731 of April, 5, 2011, which modified the Stock Exchange Regulations for Listed Companies (Res. n. 11971 of May, 14, 1999, “Regolamento Emittenti”) by providing new remedies to the pressure to tender phenomenon.
The pressure to tender phenomenon happens when tender decisions of mar-ginal investors facing a takeover are not based on their own opinion on the of-fered acquisition price but on the fear that, if they do not tender, the bidder might still gain the control and their minority shares could consequentially be depreciated.
Marginal investors’ coordination problem in coercive tender offers has re-ceived much attention in United States, where Courts have designed many dif-ferent remedies aimed to assure an “undistorted choice”, when the bid succeeds only if the offered price is higher than the “independent target’s value”.
The paper analyses art. 39-bis and art. 40-bis of the Regolamento Emittenti. Firstly, the author cr
NECK DISSECTIONS: MISCONCEPTIONS, MALPRACTICE AND COMMON CONTROVERSIES
No full textB a c k g ro u n d. Neck metastases are the single most
important prognostic factor in Head and Neck Squamous Cell
Carcinoma. Wise approach to neck treatment is then mandatory
to give a chanche for cure.
Still, there are some issues about neck dissection that
need to be clarified.
M e t h o d s. Through a review of the literature and of
everyday clinical observations, the following issues are discussed:
Functional Neck Dissection, biopsies, nodal levels,
Selective Neck Dissections, Spinal Accessory Nerve, neck dissection
classification.
R e s u l t s. Integration of historical, anatomical, clinical
and surgical concepts and up-to-date knowledge can allow to
understand how to behave in diverse clinical situations.
Conclusions. Standardized guidelines are far to be achieved.
Wise behaviour, however, may allow to avoid some
mistakes. The aim of this paper is to make the above mentioned
issues clear and hopefully give more diffusion to concepts that
too often seem to be overlooked
TECNICHE DI RICOSTRUZIONE DELLA SUPERFICIE POSTERIORE DEL PADIGLIONE AURICOLARE E DELLA MASTOIDE CON LEMBI LOCALI
No full textB a c k g ro u n d. Reconstruction of the posterior auricular
surface and of the mastoid has never been given much attention
and there are no techniques described.
The authors describe two techniques for reconstruction
of these areas after cancer excision with local flaps.
M e t h o d s . 13 patients have been treated after cancer
resection with an advancement flap from the posterior auricular
surface and a bilobed flap from the mastoid.
R e s u l t s. All flaps healed uneventfully with a satisfactory
aesthetic outcome. No relevant complications have been
o b s e r v e d .
C o n c l u s i o n s. Reconstruction of the posterior auricular
surface and of the mastoid with the techniques described
allows satisfactory defect closure even in complex situations
such as cartilage or bone exposure
Dimensional measurements in the shipbuilding industry: on-site comparison of a state-of-the-art laser tracker, total station and laser scanner
No full textThanks to recent technological innovations, some large-volume-metrology measuring instruments—that would have been considered out of context one/two decades ago—are now efective for the shipbuilding industry, where dimensional errors of a few millimetres are generally tolerated. This paper considers three state-of-the-art instruments: a laser tracker, a total station, and a laser scanner, all with the latest generation of technology. While the frst instrument type has long been widespread for applications in industrial metrology, the last two have traditionally been used in other felds, such as as-built surveying, civil engineering, architecture and topography. Instruments are compared using experimental tests concerning the dimensional verifcation of cruise-ship modules in the relatively under-explored context of the construction of the hull, which represents the ship’s framework. The comparison is structured based on several qualitative and quantitative criteria,
including but not limited to (i) simplicity of use for operator(s), (ii) time of acquisition/analysis of measurement data, (iii) metrological performance, and (iv) cost. The main contribution of this article is the on-site testing of instruments of interest, in the typical (unfavourable) working conditions of shipyards
Absolute quantitative PCR for detection of molecular biomarkers in melanoma patients: a preliminary report
No full textMalignant melanoma is the most malignant tumours of skin and mucous membranes mainly due to its aggressive biological behaviour and tendency to generate early metastases. Unfortunately, the mechanisms underlying the development, progression and the expression of an aggressive melanoma phenotype still remain largely unknown
Testing the domain-general nature of monitoring in the spatial and verbal cognitive domains
No full textWhile it is well-established that monitoring the environment for the occurrence of relevant events represents a key executive function, it is still unclear whether such a function is mediated by domain-general or domain-specific mechanisms. We investigated this issue by combining event-related potentials (ERPs) with a behavioral paradigm in which monitoring processes (non-monitoring vs. monitoring) and cognitive domains (spatial vs. verbal) were orthogonally manipulated in the same group of participants. They had to categorize 3-dimensional visually presented words on the basis of either spatial or verbal rules. In monitoring blocks, they additionally had to check whether the word displayed a specific spatial configuration or whether it contained a certain consonant. The behavioral results showed slower responses for both spatial and verbal monitoring trials compared to non-monitoring trials. The ERP results revealed that monitoring did not interact with domain, thus suggesting the involvement of common underlying mechanisms. Specifically, monitoring acted on lower-level perceptual processes (as expressed by an enhanced visual N1 wave and a sustained posterior negativity for monitoring trials) and on higher-level cognitive processes (involving larger positive modulations by monitoring trials over frontal and parietal scalp regions). The source reconstruction analysis of the ERP data confirmed that monitoring was associated with increased activity in visual areas and in right prefrontal and parietal regions (i.e., superior and inferior frontal gyri and posterior parietal cortex), which previous studies have linked to spatial and temporal monitoring. Our findings extend this research by supporting the domain-general nature of monitoring in the spatial and verbal domains
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