Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimal Collusion with Internal Contracting This draft : February 2008

In this paper, we develop a model of collusion in which two firms play an infinitelyrepeated Bertrand game when each firm has a privately-informed agent. The colluding firms, fixing prices, allocate market shares based on the agent’s information as to cost types. We emphasize that the presence of privately-informed agents may provide firms with a strategic opportunity to exploit an interaction between internal contracting and market-sharing arrangement: the contracts with agents may be used to induce firms’ truthful communication in their collusion, and collusive market-share allocation may act to reduce the agents’ information rents. Journal of Literature Classification numbers: C73, L13, L14.
Medical Expenditures Associated With Diabetes Among Privately Insured U.S. Youth in 2007

OBJECTIVE To estimate, among privately insured youth in the U.S., medical expenditures associated with diabetes and the difference in medical expenditures between individuals with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus (ITDM) and with non-ITDM (NITDM). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Using the 2007 MarketScan commercial claims and encounter database, we analyzed data for 49,356 youth (aged ≤19 years) who were continuously enrolled in fee-for-service health plans. Youth with diabetes (cases) were identified from inpatient, outpatient, and pharmaceutical drug claims. Each case was matched with five controls (without diabetes) by age (±2 years), sex, census region, and urban versus rural residence. We used regression models to estimate medical expenditures in total and by component (inpatient, outpatient, and medication). RESULTS The predicted mean annual total per-person medical expenditures were $9,061 for youth with diabetes and $1,468 for those without, an excess of $7,593 for those with diabetes; of which, 43% was for prescription drugs. The predicted mean annual total expenditures were $9,333 for ITDM youth and $5,683 for NITDM youth, respectively, an excess of $3,650 for those with ITDM diabetes, of which 59% was for prescription drugs. CONCLUSIONS The excess medical expenditures associated with diabetes, ITDM in particular, among youth are substantial. Our estimates of excess expenditures can be used to assess the economic burden of diabetes overall and by diabetes treatment mode. Our estimated excess expenditure for NITDM may be used for evaluating the economic efficiency of interventions aimed at preventing type 2 diabetes in U.S. youth.
Non-T Cell Activation Linker (NTAL) Negatively Regulates TREM-1/DAP12-Induced Inflammatory Cytokine Production in Myeloid Cells1

The engagement of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (TREM-1) on macrophages and neutrophils leads to TNF-α and IL-8 production and enhances inflammatory responses to microbial products. For signal transduction, TREM-1 couples to the ITAM-containing adapter DNAX activation protein of 12 kDa (DAP12). In general, ITAM-mediated signals lead to cell activation, although DAP12 was recently implicated in inhibitory signaling in mouse macrophages and dendritic cells. To date, signals downstream of the TREM-1 and DAP12 complex in myeloid cells are poorly defined. By analyzing receptor-induced tyrosine phosphorylation patterns, we discovered that the ligation of TREM-1 leads to tyrosine phosphorylation of the non-T cell activation linker (NTAL; also called linker of activation in B cells or LAB) in a myelomonocytic cell line and primary human granulocytes. Using RNA interference to decrease the expression levels of NTAL, we demonstrate that in NTAL knockdown cell lines the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 is enhanced. In addition, low levels of NTAL are correlated with decreased and delayed mobilization of Ca2+ after TREM-1 triggering. Most importantly, we demonstrate that NTAL acts as a negative regulator of TNF-α and IL-8 production after stimulation via TREM-1. Our results show that activation signals delivered via DAP12 can be counterbalanced by the adaptor NTAL, identifying NTAL as gatekeeper of TREM-1/DAP12-induced signaling in myeloid cells.
Molecular Insights into Microbial β-Glucuronidase Inhibition to Abrogate CPT-11 Toxicity

Bacterial β-glucuronidases expressed by the symbiotic intestinal microbiota appear to play important roles in drug-induced epithelial cell toxicity in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. For the anticancer drug CPT-11 (irinotecan) and the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac, it has been shown that removal of the glucuronide moieties from drug metabolites by bacterial β-glucuronidases in the GI lumen can significantly damage the intestinal epithelium. Furthermore, selective disruption of bacterial β-glucuronidases by small molecule inhibitors alleviates these side effects, which, for CPT-11 {7-ethyl-10-[4-(1-piperidino)-1-piperidino]}, can be dose limiting. Here we characterize novel microbial β-glucuronidase inhibitors that inhibit Escherichia coli β-glucuronidase in vitro with Ki values between 180 nM and 2 μM, and disrupt the enzyme in E. coli cells, with EC50 values as low as 300 nM. All compounds are selective for E. coli β-glucuronidase without inhibiting purified mammalian β-glucuronidase, and they do not impact the survival of either bacterial or mammalian cells. The 2.8 Å resolution crystal structure of one inhibitor bound to E. coli β-glucuronidase demonstrates that it contacts and orders only a portion of the “bacterial loop” present in microbial, but not mammalian, β-glucuronidases. The most potent compound examined in this group was found to protect mice against CPT-11–induced diarrhea. Taken together, these data advance our understanding of the chemical and structural basis of selective microbial β-glucuronidase inhibition, which may improve human drug efficacy and toxicity.
Evaluation of clinico-epidemiological and histopathological features of pityriasis rosea

Introduction Pityriasis rosea is a sudden-onset and self limiting disease with specific skin rash. The exact etiology is still not clear. Aim To determine epidemiological, etiological, clinical and histopathological features in pityriasis rosea (PR). Material and methods Fifty two patients (older than 18 years) with PR were included in this study. Patients were examined for epidemiological and etiological features. Biopsy specimens obtained from secondary eruptions were histopathologically evaluated with hematoxylin-eosine and immunohistochemically evaluated with CD3 and CD20 monoclonal antibodies. Results Age range of patients was 18–53, mean age was 29.3 ±9.5 and women-to-men ratio was 1.08/1. Thirty-nine (75%) patients had a history of wearing new clothes, 27 (51.9%) patients had a history of recent respiratory tract infection, 15 (28.8%) patients had a history of recent gastrointestinal infection. Eczematous changes were detected in biopsy materials by histopathological evaluation, and cellular infiltrate was positively stained with pan T-cell marker CD3 and negatively stained with B lymphocyte marker CD20 in all biopsy materials in immunohistochemical examination. Conclusions In our study, frequency of pre-disease infection and prodromal symptoms history were determined to be higher than the results of similar studies in the literature. These higher results suggest that PR may be delayed-type hypersensitivity to an infectious factor. However, positive staining of all biopsy materials with pan T lymphocyte marker CD3 supports the association with cellular immunity. We believe that more extensive studies are needed on this issue.
Development of a Measure of “Acculturation” for Ethnic Fijians: Methodologic and Conceptual Considerations for Application to Eating Disorders Research

Acculturation has been examined as a risk factor for eating disorders, but interpretation of findings has been limited by inconsistent operationalization of this construct across studies. The study aim was to develop and evaluate a population-specific measure of acculturation for ethnic Fijian adolescent schoolgirls, to use in future analyses related to eating disorders. Our findings suggest that acculturation is a multidimensional construct characterized by distinct, though related, dimensions of orientation to ethnic Fijian and/or western/global culture with respect to a range of behaviors and attitudes. In contrast to theoretical models positing uni-dimensional, orthogonal, or oblique relations between cultural identities in individuals undergoing acculturation, our study findings support a heterogeneous pattern among correlations of dimensions across contrasting cultural identities. We suggest multidimensional measures of acculturation are optimal — and socio-demographic proxies inadequate — for characterization of this complex process for health research.
Inverse Boundary Value Problem for Maxwell Equations with Local Data

We prove a uniqueness theorem for an inverse boundary value problem for the Maxwell system with boundary data assumed known only in part of the boundary. We assume that the inaccessible part of the boundary is either part of a plane, or part of a sphere. This work generalizes the results obtained by Isakov [4] for the Schrödinger equation to Maxwell equations.
The impact of non-tariff barriers on maize and beef trade in East Africa

The East African Customs Union was established in 2005 with the aim of increasing intraregional trade. The Customs Union protocol commits member states to eliminate non-tariff barriers (NTBs) to intraregional trade. However, several NTBs are still applied by member states. This study identifies the existing NTBs on maize and beef trade and quantifies their impact on trade and welfare of EAC citizens using a Spatial Equilibrium Model (SEM). Data on NTBs were collected from traders and transporters of maize and beef cattle in East Africa. Roadblock checks, bribes and custom rules and procedures were identified as the main NTBs to trade. The SEM model shows that a 50% reduction of the cost of NTBs, or their complete elimination would improve social welfare in EAC. The study recommends: removal of the NTBs; improved efficiency in administrative procedures; and establishment of a monitoring system to track the effectiveness of implemented initiatives to remove barriers to trade.
Reconstruction of temperature in the Central Alps during the past 2000 yr from a y 18 O stalagmite record

The precisely dated isotopic composition of a stalagmite from Spannagel Cave in the Central Alps is translated into a highly resolved record of temperature at high elevation during the past 2000 yr. Temperature maxima during the Medieval Warm Period between 800 and 1300 AD are in average about 1.7 8C higher than the minima in the Little Ice Age and similar to present-day values. The high correlation of this record to DC suggests that solar variability was a major driver of climate in Central Europe during the past 2 millennia. D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Cynaratriol, a sesquiterpene lactone from Centaurea musimomum

The title compound [systematic name: 3,8-dihydroxy-3-(hydroxymethyl)-9-methyl-6-methylenedecahydroazuleno[4,5-b]furan-2(3H)-one], C15H22O5, is a sesquiterpene lactone showing the typical tricyclic guaianolide skeleton which has been isolated, together with other related metabolites, from the plant Centaurea musimomum. The present study confirms the molecular structure, assigned by 1H NMR and MS spectroscopy, as well as the the 11β-hydroxymethyl, 3β-hydroxy and 4α-methyl stereochemistry. The crystal structure is built through a network of O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds involving the three hydroxyl groups that are present in the molecular skeleton.
Creating IT identity for adoption and use: the case of Lotus notes

Identity as the unique characteristics of a person or an entity that make them different from others has attracted an overwhelming attention in management studies over the last few years. This paper explores the emergence of an IT-related identity and argues that this will influence IT diffusion and use in different organizations. It is based on the assumption that while interacting with IT, people also make sense of it. Hence, IT identity could shape subsequent people's actions and understandings of the technology. This study employs the interpretivist approach using the case-study method. The use of Lotus Notes in four organizations is investigated. In each of these cases, four different identities of Notes have been found, namely Notes as a unique and integrated business application, Notes as a replaceable communication tool, Notes as a reporting tool and Notes as complementary tool to other IT tools. Analysis has shown that several factors have contributed to the development of these different types of identities; factors such as the organizational context, including sector and size of the firm, mediators' role, and the availability of other IT applications that may replace or complement Notes.
Dietary effects on the turnover and plant utilisation of animal manure nitrogen

Animal manure is an important source of N for crop production. Part of the manure N is bound in organic compounds and must be mineralised in the soil before it can be utilised by plants. The composition of animal manure is influenced by the diet fed to the animal. We have studied the effects of pig and dairy cattle feed composition on the turnover and potential utilisation of manure N. Dairy cows were fed seven different forage types with or without supplemental concentrates. Growing pigs and sows were fed 12 different diets with variable contents of fibre and protein (with and without synthetic amino acids). Cattle and pig slurries consisting of a mixture of faeces and urine were stored according to common agricultural practice in Northern Europe. The plant availability of N from the animal slurries was tested in small field plots with spring barley, under conditions with minimal N losses. Separate plots were applied with increasing amounts of mineral fertiliser N. Nitrogen uptake by barley plants was determined and the mineral fertiliser equivalent (MFE) of slurry N was calculated. The net release of mineral N from the slurries in soil was also measured in a parallel incubation study. The MFE of cattle slurry N was 56-81%. The plant availability and net mineralisation of cattle slurry N was influenced by forage type and concentrate supplementation, and the MFE was negatively correlated with the concentration of crude fibre in the diet. The MFE of pig slurry N was 72-100% and significantly influenced by feed fibre composition, but insignificantly influenced by protein level. There was a significant positive correlation between enzyme-digestible organic matter in the pig diets (measurement used for feed evaluation) and the plant availability of pig slurry N. The ammonium content of stored pig slurry could not be used for prediction of the N availability, since the net mineralisation of pig slurry N in soil was variable. For both pig and cattle slurry there was a highly significant negative correlation between C/N ratio and the plant availability of slurry N (r = 0.91). The results suggest that the fibre content of both pig and cattle diets has significant influence on the amount of residual organic manure N remaining in soil after a few months of decomposition.
Leptin-Deficient Mice Exhibit Impaired Host Defense in Gram-Negative Pneumonia1

Leptin is an adipocyte-derived hormone that is secreted in correlation with total body lipid stores. Serum leptin levels are lowered by the loss of body fat mass that would accompany starvation and malnutrition. Recently, leptin has been shown to modulate innate immune responses such as macrophage phagocytosis and cytokine synthesis in vitro. To determine whether leptin plays a role in the innate host response against Gram-negative pneumonia in vivo, we compared the responses of leptin-deficient and wild-type mice following an intratracheal challenge of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Following K. pneumoniae administration, we observed increased leptin levels in serum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and whole lung homogenates. In a survival study, leptin-deficient mice, as compared with wild-type mice, exhibited increased mortality following K. pneumoniae administration. The increased susceptibility to K. pneumoniae in the leptin-deficient mice was associated with reduced bacterial clearance and defective alveolar macrophage phagocytosis in vitro. The exogenous addition of very high levels of leptin (500 ng/ml) restored the defect in alveolar macrophage phagocytosis of K. pneumoniae in vitro. While there were no differences between wild-type and leptin-deficient mice in lung homogenate cytokines TNF-α, IL-12, or macrophage-inflammatory protein-2 after K. pneumoniae administration, leukotriene synthesis in lung macrophages from leptin-deficient mice was reduced. Leukotriene production was restored by the addition of exogenous leptin (500 ng/ml) to macrophages in vitro. This study demonstrates for the first time that leptin-deficient mice display impaired host defense in bacterial pneumonia that may be due to a defect in alveolar macrophage phagocytosis and leukotriene synthesis.
Control of Nonholonomic Mobile Robots Based on the Transverse Function Approach

The problem of stabilizing reference trajectories - also referred to as the trajectory tracking problem - for nonholonomic mobile robots is revisited. Theoretical difficulties and impossibilities that set inevitable limits to what is achievable with feedback control are surveyed, and properties of kinematic control models are recalled, with a focus on controllable driftless systems that are invariant on a Lie group. This geometric framework takes advantage of ubiquitous symmetry properties involved in the motion of mechanical bodies. The transverse function approach, a control design method developed by the authors for the past few years, is reviewed. A salient feature of this approach, which singles it out of the abundant literature devoted to the subject, is the obtention of feedback laws that unconditionally achieve the practical stabilization of arbitrary reference trajectories, including fixed points and nonadmissible trajectories. This property is complemented with novel results showing how the more common property of asymptotic stabilization of a large class of admissible trajectories can also be granted with this type of control. Application to unicycle-type and car-like vehicles is presented and illustrated via simulations. Complementary issues (transient maneuvers monitoring, extensions of the approach to systems that are not invariant on a Lie group, etc.) are also addressed with the concern of practicality.
Analysis of Nitrification Efficiency and Microbial Community in a Membrane Bioreactor Fed with Low COD/N-Ratio Wastewater

In this study, an approach using influent COD/N ratio reduction was employed to improve process performance and nitrification efficiency in a membrane bioreactor (MBR). Besides sludge reduction, membrane fouling alleviation was observed during 330 d operation, which was attributed to the decreased production of soluble microbial products (SMP) and efficient carbon metabolism in the autotrophic nitrifying community. 454 high-throughput 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing revealed that the diversity of microbial sequences was mainly determined by the feed characteristics, and that microbes could derive energy by switching to a more autotrophic metabolism to resist the environmental stress. The enrichment of nitrifiers in an MBR with a low COD/N-ratio demonstrated that this condition stimulated nitrification, and that the community distribution of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) resulted in faster nitrite uptake rates. Further, ammonia oxidation was the rate-limiting step during the full nitrification.
Incorporating Factors Influencing Knowledge Retention into a Student Model

The goal of predicting student behavior on the immediate next action has been investigated by researchers for many years. However, a fair question is whether this research question is worth all of the attention it has received. This paper investigates predicting student performance after a delay of 5 to 10 days, to determine whether, and when, the student will retain the material seen. Although this change in focus sounds minor, two aspects make it interesting. First, the factors influencing retention are different than those influencing short-term performance. Specifically, we found that the number of student correct and incorrect responses were not reliable predictors of long-term performance. This result is in contrast to most student-modeling efforts on predicting performance on the next response. Second, we argue that answering the question of whether a student will retain a skill is more useful for guiding decision making of intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) than predicting correctness of next response. We introduce an architecture that identifies two research topics that are meaningful for ITS decision making. Our experiments found one feature in particular that was relevant for student retention: the number of distinct days in which a student practiced a skill. This result provides additional evidence for the spaced practice effect, and suggests our models need to be aware of features known to impact retention.
Affirmative Cue Words in Task-Oriented Dialogue

We present a series of studies of affirmative cue words—a family of cue words such as “okay” or “alright” that speakers use frequently in conversation. These words pose a challenge for spoken dialogue systems because of their ambiguity: They may be used for agreeing with what the interlocutor has said, indicating continued attention, or for cueing the start of a new topic, among other meanings. We describe differences in the acoustic/prosodic realization of such functions in a corpus of spontaneous, task-oriented dialogues in Standard American English. These results are important both for interpretation and for production in spoken language applications. We also assess the predictive power of computational methods for the automatic disambiguation of these words. We find that contextual information and final intonation figure as the most salient cues to automatic disambiguation.
Ultrasound Guidance Reduces the Risk of Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity Following Peripheral Nerve Blockade

Background and Objectives Local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST) is a potentially life-threatening complication of local anesthetic administration. In this article, the results of the Australian and New Zealand Registry of Regional Anaesthesia were analyzed to determine if ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve blockade (PNB) was associated with a reduced risk of LAST compared with techniques not utilizing ultrasound technology. Methods The period of study for this multicenter study involving 20 hospitals was from January 2007 through May 2012. The primary outcome was LAST comprising minor, major, and cardiac arrest (due to toxicity) events determined using standardized definitions. Multivariable logistic regression models and propensity score analyses were used to determine significant event predictors. Results The study population comprised 20,021 patients who received 25,336 PNBs. There were 22 episodes of LAST, resulting in an incidence of LAST of 0.87 per 1000 PNBs (95% confidence interval, 0.54–1.3 per 1000). Ultrasound guidance was associated with a reduced incidence of local anesthetic toxicity. Site of injection, local anesthetic type, dose per weight, dose, and patient weight were all predictors of LAST. Conclusions This study provides the strongest evidence, to date, that ultrasound guidance may improve safety because it is associated with a reduced risk of LAST following PNB.