Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tacit Collusion, Cost Asymmetries, and Mergers

This article contributes to the analysis of tacit collusion in quantity-setting supergames involving cost-asymmetric firms. Asymmetry is dealt with by assuming that firms have a different share of a specific asset that affects marginal costs. The model extends optimal punishment schemes in the style of Abreu (1986, 1988) and provides conditions for industrywide collusion to be enforced. From the analysis of the impact of asset transfers on the sustainability of tacit collusion, merger policy implications can be drawn. In particular, I show that if the merger induces an increase in the inequality of asset holdings, this will hinder collusion.
A comparison of human dental pulp response to calcium hydroxide and Biodentine as direct pulp-capping agents

Context: Direct pulp capping involves the placement of a biocompatible agent on pulp tissue that has been inadvertently exposed from traumatic injury or by iatrogenic means. Aim: To compare the human pulp response to calcium hydroxide and Biodentine as direct pulp-capping agents. Materials and Methods: Pulp exposures were performed on the pulpal floor of forty human permanent premolars. The exposure sites were dressed with either Dycal or Biodentine as pulp-capping materials. After 45 days, teeth were extracted and processed for histological examination. Statistical Analysis: The histological data were subjected to Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Results: The dentinal bridges in teeth that were capped with Biodentine were significantly thicker (P < 0.0001) and more continuous (P = 0.0001) with less pulpal inflammation (P = 0.0044) in comparison to Dycal. Conclusion: Based on the result of this study, Biodentine can be suggested as the material of choice for direct pulp capping procedure instead of Dycal. However, further long-term follow-up in vivo human studies using Biodentine on cariously exposed pulpal teeth are warranted to derive a definite conclusion.
Risk Factors for Carbapenem Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Hospital Infection in the Intensive Care Unit

Abstract Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-Kp) has become a major threat to patients in hospitals, increasing mortality, length of stay and costs. The aim of this study was to discover risk factors for the development of hospital infections (HIs) caused by CR-Kp. A prospective cohort study was conducted in the Medical-Surgical Intensive Care Unit of the Clinical Centre in Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia, from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2015. The “cases” were patients with HIs caused by CR-Kp, while the “controls” were patients infected with carbapenem-sensitive Klebsiella pneumoniae (CS-Kp). The significance of multiple putative risk factors for HIs caused by CR-Kp was tested using multivariate logistic regression. Although univariate analyses pointed to many risk factors, with a significant influence on the occurrence of hospital CR-Kp infections, the multivariate logistic regression identified five independent risk factors: use of mechanical ventilation (OR=6.090; 95% CI=1.030-36.020; p=0.046); length of antibiotic therapy before HIs (days) (OR=1.080; 95% CI=1.003-1.387; p=0.045); previous use of carbapenems (OR=7.005; 95% CI=1.054-46.572; p=0.044); previous use of ciprofloxacin (OR=20.628; 95% CI=2.292-185.687; p=0.007) and previous use of metronidazole (OR=40.320; 95% CI=2.347-692.795; p=0.011) HIs caused by CR-Kp are strongly associated with the use of mechanical ventilation and the duration of the previous use of certain antibiotics (carbapenems, ciprofloxacin and metronidazole).
The Influence of the Information Systems Development Approach on Maintenance

This is an exploratory field study that examines the influence of selected system development methodologies on maintenance time. A number of factors related to the early stages of information systems development and to information systems maintenance were investigated: development methodology, maintenance time and its allocation, number of users, their understanding and involvement, system documentation, software quality, system characteristics, project controllability, system size and age, organization of the maintenance function, use of tools, ability of personnel, stability of organization, and others. The survey findings do not support the proposition that the application of modern information systems development methodology decreases maintenance time. However, some benefits are identified. Time spent on emergency error correction, as well as the number of system failures, decreased significantly with the application of modern methodology. Systems developed with modern methodologies seem to facilitate making greater changes in functionality as the systems age.
Informal (small) groups and nonverbal behaviouralanalysis for emergence leadership characteristics

An increasing number of incidents during crowded events over the last 30 years made people more aware of public safety. Visitors of events tend to come in groups of minimally 2 persons and interact with each other. CCTV systems are used to monitor crowds and could be an adequate tool for safety o�cers to manage public safety. For an more e�ective intervention, it is valuable to know beforehand who the leader of a group is. In an observational setting, 32 groups with 4 people each were created. First a series of team building games were used to create the group feeling. Second a task that required interaction with each other. These sessions were used to �nd leadership within the group. All activity is recorded on video. A combination of introspective domi- nance scales, dominance & leadership rankings and observed behaviour are used in the analysis. The expected results show that initiative tak- ing is a predictor for emerging leadership. The observed team member dominance is signi�cantly correlated with initiative taking walking ac- tion. Initiative taking showed no correlations with the introspective dominance questionnaires. In order to predict leadership, introspective dominance scales, from well tested measures are not su�cient. The Team Member Dominance Scale gives an indication for leadership as a measure. Keywords: Dominance, Leadership, Small Group, Informal Group, Initiative Taking
Investigating differences between female and male athletic donors: A comparative study

* The purpose of the study was to identify differences between male and female donors of athletic programmes in order to improve fundraising effectiveness. Simple random techniques were used to gather data for the study. * The total sample size was 387 from which 115 were female and 272 were male donors of the athletic programmes of a large eastern state university. * The classification with discriminant analysis results showed that motives (priority seating and professional contacts), annual contribution, personal and household income, attendance of sport events and years of sport experience significantly discriminated between female and male athletic donors. * The athletic fundraising practical implications are explored. Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Comparative Study of CG CryoDerm and AlloDerm in Direct-to-Implant Immediate Breast Reconstruction

Background To date, various types of acellular dermal matrix (ADM) have been developed for clinical use. AlloDerm is the most familiar type of ADM to most surgeons in breast reconstruction. It is prepared by freeze-drying. CG CryoDerm is the first form of ADM that requires no drying process. Therefore, theoretically, it has a higher degree of preservation of the dermal structures than AlloDerm. We conducted this study to compare the clinical course and postoperative outcomes of patients who underwent direct-to-implant breast reconstructions using AlloDerm and those who did using CG CryoDerm. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of the medical records in a consecutive series of 50 patients who underwent direct-to-implant breast reconstruction using AlloDerm (n=31) or CryoDerm (n=19). We then compared the clinical course and postoperative outcomes of the two groups based on the overall incidence of complications and the duration of drainage. Results The mean follow-up period was 16 months. There were no significant differences in the overall incidence of complications (seroma, infection, skin flap necrosis, capsular contracture, and implant loss) between the two groups. Nor was there any significant difference in the duration of drainage. Conclusions CG CryoDerm has the merits of short preparation time and easy handling during surgery. Our results indicate that CG CryoDerm might be an alternative allograft material to AlloDerm in direct-to-implant breast reconstruction.
Experimental Study of Aesthetic Evaluation to Multi-color Stimuli Using Semantic Differential Method:- Towards the Construction of an Artificial KANSEI System -

This research aims to clarify the universal rules of the sense of beauty to multi-color stimuli by establishing a computational model specifying the relationships between the initial color information of multi-color stimuli and the aesthetic evaluation. In order to obtain the empirical data based on which the future computational system can be established, two psychological experiments have been conducted using Semantic Differential method. The design of the experiments is based on Leder’s psychological model. In Experiment I, three factors, namely “Pleasure”, “Activity” and “Potency”, are extracted. The aesthetic evaluation values for every stimulus are defined as their factor scores (inverse) on Pleasure factor. In Experiment II, five factors, namely “Vividness”, “Complexity”, “Gentleness”, “Strength” and “Wetness”, are extracted. Each of them is regarded as corresponding to a simple visual feature.
Structural Change and Innovation in Developing Economies: A Way Out of the Middle Income Trap ?

This paper is intended to provide an updated discussion on a series of issues that the relevant literature suggests to be crucial in dealing with the challenges a middle income country may encounter in its attempts to further catch-up a higher income status. In particular, the conventional economic wisdom - ranging from the Lewis-Kuznets model to the endogenous growth approach - will be contrasted with the Schumpeterian and evolutionary views pointing to the role of capabilities and knowledge, considered as key inputs to foster economic growth. Then, attention will be turned to structural change and innovation, trying to map - using the taxonomies put forward by the innovation literature - the concrete ways through which a middle income country can engage a technological catching-up, having in mind that developing countries are deeply involved into globalized markets where domestic innovation has to be complemented by the role played by international technological transfer. Among the ways how a middle income country can foster domestic innovation and structural change in terms of sectoral diversification and product differentiation, a recent stream of literature underscores the potentials of local innovative entrepreneurship, that will also be discussed bridging entrepreneurial studies with the development literature. Finally, the possible consequences of catching-up in terms of jobs and skills will be discussed.
Risk factors differentiating mild/moderate from severe meconium aspiration syndrome in meconium-stained neonates

Objective The aim of this study was to compare the risk factors associated with mild/moderate meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) with those associated with severe in meconium-stained term neonates. Methods Consecutive singleton term neonates (n=671) with meconium staining at birth from all deliveries (n=14,666) in our institution from January 2006 to December 2012 were included. Both maternal and neonatal variables were examined. Among the study population, for women who underwent the trial of labor (n=644), variables associated with labor were also examined. These variables were compared between the mild/moderate MAS group, the severe MAS group, and the MAS-absent group. Results MAS developed in 10.6% (71/671) of neonates with meconium staining at birth. Among the neonates with MAS, 81.7% had mild MAS, 5.6% had moderate MAS, and 12.7% had severe MAS. The presence of minimal variability was significantly increased in both the mild/moderate and the severe MAS groups. The frequencies of nulliparity, fetal tachycardia, and intrapartum fever were significantly increased in the mild/moderate MAS group, but not in the severe MAS group. While a longer duration of the second stage of labor was significantly associated with mild/moderate MAS, severe MAS was associated with a shorter duration of the second stage. Notably, low mean cord pH (7.165 [6.850-7.375]) was significantly associated with mild/moderate MAS, but not with severe MAS (7.220 [7.021-7.407]) compared with the absence of MAS (7.268 [7.265-7.271]). Conclusion Our data suggest the development of severe MAS is not simply a linear extension of the same risk factors driving mild/moderate MAS.
Fkh1 and Fkh2 Bind Multiple Chromosomal Elements in the S. cerevisiae Genome with Distinct Specificities and Cell Cycle Dynamics

Forkhead box (FOX) transcription factors regulate a wide variety of cellular functions in higher eukaryotes, including cell cycle control and developmental regulation. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Forkhead proteins Fkh1 and Fkh2 perform analogous functions, regulating genes involved in cell cycle control, while also regulating mating-type silencing and switching involved in gamete development. Recently, we revealed a novel role for Fkh1 and Fkh2 in the regulation of replication origin initiation timing, which, like donor preference in mating-type switching, appears to involve long-range chromosomal interactions, suggesting roles for Fkh1 and Fkh2 in chromatin architecture and organization. To elucidate how Fkh1 and Fkh2 regulate their target DNA elements and potentially regulate the spatial organization of the genome, we undertook a genome-wide analysis of Fkh1 and Fkh2 chromatin binding by ChIP-chip using tiling DNA microarrays. Our results confirm and extend previous findings showing that Fkh1 and Fkh2 control the expression of cell cycle-regulated genes. In addition, the data reveal hundreds of novel loci that bind Fkh1 only and exhibit a distinct chromatin structure from loci that bind both Fkh1 and Fkh2. The findings also show that Fkh1 plays the predominant role in the regulation of a subset of replication origins that initiate replication early, and that Fkh1/2 binding to these loci is cell cycle-regulated. Finally, we demonstrate that Fkh1 and Fkh2 bind proximally to a variety of genetic elements, including centromeres and Pol III-transcribed snoRNAs and tRNAs, greatly expanding their potential repertoire of functional targets, consistent with their recently suggested role in mediating the spatial organization of the genome.
Word-Graph and Character-Lattice Combination for KWS in Handwritten Documents

We present a handwritten text Keyword Spotting (KWS) approach based on the combination of KWS methods using word-graphs (WGs) and character-lattices (CLs). It aims to solve the problem that WG-based models present for out of vocabulary (OOV) keywords: since there is no available information about them in the lexicon or the language model, null scores are assigned. OOV keywords may have a significant impact on the global performance of KWS systems, as we show. By using a CL approach, which does not suffer from the previous problem, to estimate the OOV scores, we take advantage of both models, using the speed and accuracy that WGs provide for in-vocabulary keywords and the flexibility of the CL approach. This combination improves significantly both average precision and mean average precision over the two methods.
Similarities and Differences in the GlycosylationMechanisms in Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes

Recent years have witnessed a rapid growth in the number and diversity of prokaryotic proteins shown to carry Nand/or Oglycans, with protein glycosylation now considered as fundamental to the biology of these organisms as it is in eukaryotic systems. This article overviews the major glycosylation pathways that are known to exist in eukarya, bacteria and archaea. These are (i) oligosaccharyltransferase (OST)-mediated N-glycosylation which is abundant in eukarya and archaea, but is restricted to a limited range of bacteria; (ii) stepwise cytoplasmic N-glycosylation that has so far only been confirmed in the bacterial domain; (iii) OSTmediated O-glycosylation which appears to be characteristic of bacteria; and (iv) stepwise O-glycosylation which is common in eukarya and bacteria. A key aim of the review is to integrate information from the three domains of life in order to highlight commonalities in glycosylation processes. We show how the OST-mediated Nand O-glycosylation pathways share cytoplasmic assembly of lipid-linked oligosaccharides, flipping across the ER/periplasmic/cytoplasmic membranes, and transferring “en bloc” to the protein acceptor. Moreover these hallmarks are mirrored in lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis. Like in eukaryotes, stepwise O-glycosylation occurs on diverse bacterial proteins including flagellins, adhesins, autotransporters and lipoproteins, with Oglycosylation chain extension often coupled with secretory mechanisms.
Real-Time Tracking of Multiple People Using Continuous Detection

Recent investigations have shown the advantages of keeping multiple hypotheses during visual tracking. In this paper we explore an alternative method that keeps just a single hypothesis per tracked object for computational e ciency, but displays robust performance and recovery from error by employing continuous detection during tracking. The method is implemented in the domain of people-tracking, using a novel combination of stereo information for continuous detection and intensity image correlation for tracking. Real-time stereo provides extended information for 3D detection and tracking, even in the presence of crowded scenes, obscuring objects, and large scale changes. We are able to reliably detect and track people in natural environments, on an implemented system that runs at more than 10 Hz on standard PC
Analysis of Composite Skin-Stiffener Debond Specimens Using Volume Elements and a Shell/3D Modeling Technique

The debonding of a skin/stringer specimen subjected to tension was studied using three-dimensional volume element modeling and computational fracture mechanics. Mixed mode strain energy release rates were calculated from finite element results using the virtual crack closure technique. The simulations revealed an increase in total energy release rate in the immediate vicinity of the free edges of the specimen. Correlation of the computed mixed-mode strain energy release rates along the delamination front contour with a two-dimensional mixed-mode interlaminar fracture criterion suggested that in spite of peak total energy release rates at the free edge the delamination would not advance at the edges first. The qualitative prediction of the shape of the delamination front was confirmed by X-ray photographs of a specimen taken during testing. The good correlation between prediction based on analysis and experiment demonstrated the efficiency of a mixed-mode failure analysis for the investigation of skin/stiffener separation due to delamination in the adherents. The application of a shell/3D modeling technique for the simulation of skin/stringer debond in a specimen subjected to three-point bending is also demonstrated. The global structure was modeled with shell elements. A local three-dimensional model, extending to about three specimen thicknesses on either side of the delamination front was used to capture the details of the damaged section. Computed total strain energy release rates and mixed-mode ratios obtained from shell/3D simulations were in good agreement with results obtained from full solid models. The good correlations of the results demonstrated the effectiveness of the shell/3D modeling technique for the investigation of skin/stiffener separation due to delamination in the adherents.
Independence of Valence and Reward in Emotional Word Processing: Electrophysiological Evidence

Both emotion and reward are primary modulators of cognition: emotional word content enhances word processing, and reward expectancy similarly amplifies cognitive processing from the perceptual up to the executive control level. Here, we investigate how these primary regulators of cognition interact. We studied how the anticipation of gain or loss modulates the neural time course (event-related potentials, ERPs) related to processing of emotional words. Participants performed a semantic categorization task on emotional and neutral words, which were preceded by a cue indicating that performance could lead to monetary gain or loss. Emotion-related and reward-related effects occurred in different time windows, did not interact statistically, and showed different topographies. This speaks for an independence of reward expectancy and the processing of emotional word content. Therefore, privileged processing given to emotionally valenced words seems immune to short-term modulation of reward. Models of language comprehension should be able to incorporate effects of reward and emotion on language processing, and the current study argues for an architecture in which reward and emotion do not share a common neurobiological mechanism.
Chronic alcohol consumption induces an overproduction of NO by nNOS‐ and iNOS‐expressing myenteric neurons in the murine small intestine

Background There are indications that alterations in the nitric oxide (NO) system of relaxation mediate gastrointestinal motor disturbances induced by chronic alcohol consumption (CAC). As CAC is known to inhibit the motility of the mouse small intestine, we investigated in this model if CAC affects basal NO synthesis by myenteric neurons and which NOS isoforms are involved.