Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Collusion and Price Rigidity

We consider an infinitely repeated Bertrand game, in which prices are publicly observed and each firm receives a privately observed, i.i. d. cost shock in each period. We focus on symmetric perfect public equilibria, wherein any "punishments" are borne equally by all firms. We identify a tradeoff that is associated with collusive pricing schemes in which the price to be charged by each firm is strictly increasing in its cost level: such "fully sorting" schemes offer efficiency benefits, as they ensure that the lowest-cost firm makes the current sale, but they also imply an informational cost (distorted pricing and/or equilibrium-path price wars), since a higher-cost firm must be deterred from mimicking a lower-cost firm by charging a lower price. A rigid-pricing scheme, where a firm's collusive price is independent of its current cost position, sacrifices efficiency benefits but also diminishes the informational cost. For a wide range of settings, the optimal symmetric collusive scheme requires (i) the absence of equilibrium-path price wars and (ii) a rigid price. If firms are sufficiently impatient, however, the rigid-pricing scheme cannot be enforced, and the collusive price of lower-cost firms may be distorted downward in order to diminish the incentive to cheat. When the model is modified to include i.i. d. public demand shocks, the downward pricing distortion that accompanies a firm's lower-cost realization may occur only when current demand is high. Copyright 2004, Wiley-Blackwell.
Elevated Serum Level of IL-33 and sST2 in Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis

Objective Interleukin (IL)-33 is a cytokine belonging to the IL-1 family and was recently identified as a ligand for ST2, which belongs to the IL-1 receptor (IL-1R) family. In this study, we aimed to investigate the possible pathophysiological role of IL-33/sST2 in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods The levels of IL-33/sST2 and vascular endothelial growth factor in serum samples of 140 patients with AS and 90 controls were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein level, and human leukocyte antigen B27 were measured by standard laboratory techniques. Disease activity in AS was measured by the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index. Hip involvement, peripheral arthritis, and eye involvement were also recorded. Results The serum levels of IL-33/sST2 were remarkably higher in the patients with AS than the healthy groups and significantly correlated with vascular endothelial growth factor and the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index. The sST2 levels correlated with erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, platelet, and human leukocyte antigen B27. Elevated levels of IL-33/sST2 were detected in the patients with peripheral arthritis, and sST2 were detected to be increased in the patients with hip involvement. By contrast, levels of IL-33 but not sST2 increased in the patients with eye involvement. Conclusion IL-33/sST2 may regulate the immunological or inflammatory process of AS.
Diagnostic accuracy of dual-time-point 18F-FDG PET/CT for the detection of axillary lymph node metastases in breast cancer patients

Background The diagnostic accuracy of FDG-PET/CT for the detection of axillary lymph node metastases in breast cancer patients acquired 60 min after FDG administration is reported to be only moderate, especially due to low sensitivity. Purpose To test whether a delayed scan 90 min after FDG administration could enhance the diagnostic accuracy of FDG-PET/CT for the detection of axillary lymph node metastases. Material and Methods Thirty-eight women suffering from primary breast cancer (mean age 52 years; range 25–78 years; standard deviation 14 years) underwent a pre-therapeutic dual-time-point FDG-PET/CT scan. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of axillary lymph nodes was measured at two different time points (time point T1: 60 min after FDG injection, time point T2: 90 min after FDG injection). SUVmax of axillary lymph nodes at T1 and T2 were assessed for statistical significance using a paired Wilcoxon-Test (P < 0.05). At T1 a qualitative analysis of the FDG-PET/CT scan was performed to define physiologic and metastatic lymph nodes. At T2 an increase of the SUVmax of at least 3.75% over time was rated as indicating malignancy. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and the accuracy of FDG-PET/CT for the detection of axillary lymph node metastases was calculated at time points T1 and T2. Statistically significant differences were determined using Fisher's exact test (P < 0.05). Histopathology served as the standard of reference. A compartment based analysis was done. Results Axillary lymph nodes had a mean SUVmax of 1.6 (range 0.6–10.8; SD 1.9) at T1 and a mean SUVmax of 1.8 (range 0.5–17.9; SD 3.5) at T2. This difference was statistically significant (P = 0.047). The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy of FDG-PET/CT for the detection of axillary lymph node metastases was 81%, 100%, 100%, 88%, and 92% at T1, and 88%, 50%, 56%, 85%, and 66% at T2, respectively. This difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.27). Conclusion There is a slight increase of the FDG accumulation of axillary lymph nodes between 60 and 90 min after FDG administration. This increase did not translate into a statistical significant enhancement of the diagnostic accuracy of FDG-PET/CT for the detection of axillary lymph nodes. Especially due to false-positive results a delayed FDG-PET/CT scan 90 min after FDG administration is not able to enhance the diagnostic accuracy for the detection of lymph node metastases.
In Search of Safe Campus Communities

Abstract Although there is a perception of college and university campuses as sanctuaries of learning, they are not always safe places for women. The studies by the Carnegie Foundation for Higher Education as well as other research on violence against women confirm sexual harassment and dating violence as significant barriers to women's educational achievement. Ernest Boyer, former President of the Carnegie Foundation, envisioned the college campus as a community of learners where civility is affirmed, diversity pursued, group obligations guide behavior, individuals are supported and service is encouraged, and traditions are celebrated and shared. This vision has strong parallels with efforts to develop coordinated campus responses to violence against women. Based on a case study of a strategic alliance within a university and between the university and community-based organization, this article highlights the achievements of this collaboration along with the role of a school of social work in facilitating this alliance.
Zinc Cream and Reliability of Tuberculosis Skin Testing

In 50 healthy Peruvian shantytown residents, zinc cream applied to tuberculosis skin-test sitescaused a 32% increase in induration compared with placebo cream. Persons with lower plasma zinc had smaller skin-test reactions and greater augmentation with zinc cream. Zinc deficiency caused false-negative skin-test results, and topical zinc supplementation augmented antimycobacterial immune responses enough to improve diagnosis.
Breastfeeding modulates neonatal innate immune responses: a prospective birth cohort study

To cite this article: Belderbos ME, Houben ML, van Bleek GM, Schuijff L, van Uden NOP, Bloemen‐Carlier EM, Kimpen JLL, Eijkemans MJC, Rovers M, Bont LJ. Breastfeeding modulates neonatal innate immune responses: a prospective birth cohort study. Pediatric Allergy Immunology 2012: 23: 65–74.
Banning the Bing: Why Extreme Solitary Confinement Is Cruel and Far Too Usual Punishment

"To be kept in solitude is to be kept in pain…and put on the road to madness. " (E.O. Wilson) The United States engages in extreme practices of solitary confinement that maximize isolation and sensory deprivation of prisoners. The length is often indefinite and can stretch for weeks, months, years, or decades. Under these conditions, both healthy prisoners and those with pre-existing mental health issues often severely deteriorate both mentally and physically. New science and data provide increased insight into why and how human beings (and other social animals) deteriorate and suffer in such environments. The science establishes that meaningful social contacts and some level of opportunity for sensory enrichment are minimum human necessities. When those necessities are denied, the high risks of serious harm apply to all prisoners, no matter how seemingly resilient beforehand. Given these facts, this Article argues that solitary confinement, as commonly practiced in the United States, is cruel and unusual punishment — whether analyzed under current Supreme Court standards or an improved framework. Furthermore, recently released data on states implementing reforms shows that extreme solitary confinement tactics are counterproductive to numerous policy interests, including public safety, institutional safety, prisoner welfare, and cost efficiency. Both the scientific and policy data suggest possible avenues for effective reform.
Metastable excited states of a closed quantum dot probed by an aluminum single-electron transistor

J. C. Chen,1,2 Zhenghua An,1,2 T. Ueda,1,2 S. Komiyama,1 K. Hirakawa,3 and V. Antonov4 1Department of Basic Science, University of Tokyo, Komaba 3-8-1, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan 2Japan Science and Technology Corporation (JST), Kawaguchi-shi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan 3Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan 4Physics Department, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, United Kingdom Received 17 November 2005; revised manuscript received 20 January 2006; published 24 July 2006
Determination of X-ray flux using silicon pin diodes

Accurate measurement of photon flux from an X-ray source is a parameter required to calculate the dose absorbed by a sample. The development of a model for determining the photon flux incident on pin diodes, and experiments to test this model, are described for incident energies between 4 and 18 keV used in macromolecular crystallography.
Caution : Very Preliminary and Incomplete The impact of influential investors on accounting , governance and investing decisions : The case of Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway

Robert M. Bowen PricewaterhouseCoopers & Alumni Professor of Accounting Foster School of Business University of Washington Box 353200, WA 98195 Tel no. 206 543 4569, Fax no. 206 685 9392 Email: rbowen@u.washington. edu Shiva Rajgopal* Herbert O. Whitten Endowed Professor Foster School of Business University of Washington Box 353200, WA 98195 Tel no. 206 543 7913, Fax no. 206 685 9392 Email: rajgopal@u.washington. edu
Les dynamiques de l'économie informelle en Afrique subsaharienne : une étude empirique de la transition structurelle des micro-entreprises en République du Congo

L’expansion continue de l’economie informelle des quatre dernieres decennies, l’urbanisation acceleree en Afrique subsaharienne (ASS) et la pauvrete structurelle dans cette partie du monde soulignent l’urgence de la transition structurelle de la micro-entreprise (MPME). Cette these se propose de comprendre les processus de naissance, de developpement et de formalisation des MPME en ASS. Elle repose sur une approche institutionnaliste qui rattache la MPME a son socle societal. L’etude fait une synthese des theories explicatives de l’economie informelle et de la micro-entreprise, et construit une grille d’analyse de la transition structurelle des MPME. Le travail s’appuie sur une enquete conduite en 2011 aupres de 279 micro-entrepreneurs urbains de la Republique du Congo. Cette these etablit une typologie des MPME en six groupes a partir de la taille du capital et de l’effectif, de leur origine : communaute et marche, et de leur inscription dans des liens forts ou des liens faibles ; theorise les productions de valeur ajoutee sociale et economique ; distingue la formalisation juridique de la formalisation economique ; propose cinq trajectoires de transformation et six strategies de rupture et propose de nouvelles politiques publiques ciblees d’aide a la transition structurelle des MPME. Comme alternative au processus long et hasardeux d’une occidentalisation de l’Afrique, la these esquisse les contours d’un nouveau capitalisme africain centre autour d’une MPME qui realise une hybridation entre les liens faibles du marche et les liens forts qu’apportent les structures sociales communautaires.
The Effects of Interspersed Trials and Density of Reinforcement on Accuracy, Looking Away, and Self-Injurious Behavior of a Child with Autism

This research examines the effects of task interspersal and density of reinforcement on several behaviors of an autistic 6-year-old boy during the performance of a visual matching task and two auditory matching tasks. Experiment 1 investigated the effects of interspersing high and low accuracy tasks on correct matching responses, positions of matching responses, looking away, and self-injurious behavior (SIB). The effects of interspersed trials were evaluated using an ABAB multiple treatments design. Results indicated that interspersed trials produced slightly more correct responses during the visual matching task; however, correct responses decreased during the other two tasks. The use of interspersed trials also decreased looking away from the stimuli and SIB. Experiment 2 evaluated the effects of reinforcement density apart from task interspersal. Two conditions, reinforce-corrects-only and reinforce-all-responses, were compared in Experiment 2. Correct responses increased slightly for all three tasks during the reinforce-all-responses condition. Looking away and SIB were very infrequent throughout Experiment 2.
Indicators of the maximum radiation dose to the skin during percutaneous coronary intervention in different target vessels

Objectives: To evaluate whether the maximum radiation dose to the patient's skin (MSD) can be estimated during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures, we investigated the relationship between the MSD and fluoroscopic time, dose‐area product (DAP), and body weight, separately analyzing the relationships for different target vessels. Background: Many cases of skin injury caused by excessive radiation exposure during cardiac intervention procedures have been reported. However, real‐time maximum‐dose monitoring of the skin is unavailable for many cardiac intervention procedures. Methods: We studied 197 consecutive PCI procedures that involved a single target vessel and were conducted. The DAP was measured, and the MSD was calculated by a skin‐dose mapping software program (Caregraph). The target vessels of the PCI procedures were divided into four groups based on the AHA classification system: AHA 5–10, left anterior descending artery domain (LAD), AHA 11–15, left circumflex artery domain (LCx), AHA 1–3 = R 1–3, and AHA 4 = R 4. Results: The correlation coefficient (r) between the MSD and fluoroscopic time was higher for the right coronary artery (RCA) vessels (R 1–3, 0.852; R 4, 0.715) than for the left coronary artery (LCA) vessels (LAD, 0.527; LCx, 0.646), and the r value between the MSD and DAP was higher for the RCA vessels (R 1–3, 0.871; R 4, 0.898) than for the LCA vessels (LAD, 0.628; LCx, 0.694). Similarly, the correlation coefficient between the MSD and weight × fluoroscopic time (WFP) was higher for the RCA vessels (R 1–3, 0.874; R 4, 0.807) than for the LCA vessels (LAD, 0.551; LCx, 0.735). Conclusions: The DAP and WFP can be used to estimate the MSD during PCI in the RCA but not in the LCA, especially the LAD. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Social Collaborative Viewpoint Regression with Explainable Recommendations

A recommendation is called explainable if it not only predicts a numerical rating for an item, but also generates explanations for users' preferences. Most existing methods for explainable recommendation apply topic models to analyze user reviews to provide descriptions along with the recommendations they produce. So far, such methods have neglected user opinions and influences from social relations as a source of information for recommendations, even though these are known to improve the rating prediction. In this paper, we propose a latent variable model, called social collaborative viewpoint regression (sCVR), for predicting item ratings based on user opinions and social relations. To this end, we use so-called viewpoints, represented as tuples of a concept, topic, and a sentiment label from both user reviews and trusted social relations. In addition, such viewpoints can be used as explanations. We apply a Gibbs EM sampler to infer posterior distributions of sCVR. Experiments conducted on three large benchmark datasets show the effectiveness of our proposed method for predicting item ratings and for generating explanations.
Repetitive DNAs and Differentiation of Sex Chromosomes in Neotropical Fishes

The processes working on sex chromosome differentiation are still not completely understood. However, the accumulation of repetitive DNA sequences has been shown to be one of the first steps in the early stages of such differentiation. In addition, regions with suppressed or no recombination have a potential to accumulate these DNA sequences and, for this reason, the absence of recombination between the sex chromosomes favors, by itself, the accumulation of repetitive sequences on these chromosomes during evolution. The diversity of sex-determining mechanisms in fish, alongside with the absence of heteromorphic sex chromosomes in many species, makes this group a useful model to better understand evolutionary processes of sex chromosomes in vertebrates, considering that fish occupy the basal position in the phylogeny of this group. In this review we draw attention to a preferential accumulation and enrichment in repetitive DNAs in sex chromosomes of many neotropical fish species in comparison with autosomes. This phenomenon has been observed between both morphologically differentiated and nascent sex chromosome systems, which highlight the potential role of these sequences in the differentiation of fish sex chromosomes generating differences in morphology and size between them.
The Impact of API Complexity on Failures : An Empirical Analysis of Proprietary and Open Source Software Systems

Information hiding is a cornerstone principle of modern software engineering. Interfaces, or APIs, are central to realizing the benefits of information hiding, but despite their widespread use, designing good interfaces is not a trivial activity. Particular design choices can have a significant detrimental effect on quality or development productivity. In this paper, we examined the impact of API complexity on the failure proneness of source code files using data from two large-scale systems from two distinct software companies and nine open source projects from the GNOME community. Our analyses showed that increases in the complexity of APIs are associated with increases in the failure proneness of source code files. Interestingly, there are significant differences between corporate and open source software. Although the impact of the complexity of APIs is important in both settings, the magnitude of the detrimental effects on quality is significantly higher in corporate settings. We discuss the research and practical implication of the results.
Malposition of Central Venous Catheter: Presentation and Management

227 IntRoductIon Central venous catheters (CVCs) are commonly utilized to gain vascular access for varied clinical indications. These include administering drugs, renal replacement therapy, total parenteral nutrition, poor peripheral venous access, cardiac catheterization, and transvenous cardiac pacing. [1] Central venous access involves a large bore catheter inserted in internal jugular, subclavian or femoral vein in the neck, and upper chest or groin (femoral) area. [1] The preferred vein for CVCs is the right internal jugular vein (IJV) for its straight course to the right heart and the lowest risk of the venous stenosis and thrombosis. [2‐4] Successful catheter placement requires not only technical expertise but also awareness of the potential complications. [5] Malposition of the catheter is a relatively common complication (5.01%), which results in the malfunction of catheters. [6,7] Misplacement of the superior vena cava (SVC) can lead to the perforation of the cava or the right atrium, which are associated with serious sequelae. [4,5] Multiple literatures are in the form of isolated case reports or small series, which are cumbersome or time‐consuming to access and do not provide pragmatic guidance or solutions to the problem. This article outlines the normal and abnormal anatomy of the central veins in relation to CVCs, mainly for the IJV, similar advantages applying at all sites. In addition, it presents illustrated cases of the malposition and discusses practical management issues, avoiding the misplacement and following complications.
Effect of Cobalt and Nickel on Plant Growth, Yield and Flavonoids Content of Hibiscus sabdariffa L.

2 Abstract: The anthocyanins have a long history as a part of human diet, and their other flavonoids are receiving, renewed attention for their positive health attributes. The principal commercially availability anthocyanins food colorant sources is roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L). Thus, the aim of this investigation was to study the effect Co (0, 20, and 40 mg/kg soil )and Ni (0, 25 and 50 kg -1 -1 soil) and their combination on growth, flower yield, macro and micronutrients contents and the quantity of anthocyanins and flavons of roselle calyces. The obtained results showed that the application of Co and Ni at 20 + 25 mg/kg soil gave the highest effect on increasing plant height, -1 No. of branches as well as fresh and dry weight of roselle calyces. Mineral content is an essential component of nutritive values of roselle leaves and calyces. The low Co doses (20 mg/ kg soil) posses a synergistic effect on the status of Ni, Mn, Zn and Cu but it's gave adverse effect on Fe. Increasing Ni up to 50 mg/kg soil posses promotive effect on the status of Co, Mn, Zn, and Cu in leaves and calyces of roselle plant The addition of Co and Ni at 20 + 25 kg soil was the most -1 effective on increasing the status of N, P, K, Co, Ni, Mn, Zn and Cu on leaves and calyces of roselle plant. However, there were significantly correlations of some studied micronutrients and the quantity of anthocyanins and flavons and the highest contents were obtained with applying Co and Ni at the lowest level (20 + 25 mg/kg soil). -1
Predicting vulnerability to sleep deprivation using diffusion model parameters

We used diffusion modelling to predict vulnerability to decline in psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) performance following a night of total sleep deprivation (SD). A total of 135 healthy young adults (69 women, age = 21.9 ± 1.7 years) participated in several within‐subject cross‐over design studies that incorporated the PVT. Participants were classified as vulnerable (lower tertile) or non‐vulnerable (upper tertile) according to their change in lapse rate [lapse = reaction time (RT) ≥ 500 ms] between the evening before (ESD) and the morning after SD. RT data were fitted using Ratcliff's diffusion model. Although both groups showed significant change in RT during SD, there was no significant group difference in RT during the ESD session. In contrast, during ESD, the mean diffusion drift of vulnerable subjects was significantly lower than for non‐vulnerable subjects. Mean drift and non‐decision times were both adversely affected by sleep deprivation. Both mean drift and non‐decision time showed significant state × vulnerability interaction. Diffusion modelling appears to have promise in predicting vulnerability to vigilance decline induced by a night of total sleep deprivation.