Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Essays on the Microfoundations of Competition and Choice in Public Service Delivery

markdownabstract__Abstract__ The way how public services are delivered has changed fundamentally in past decades. While in the 1970s most public services such as energy, water or telecommunications were provided by state-owned monopolists, nowadays these services are delivered by a large array of different providers. In many countries public service providers operate alongside private companies. In Germany, for example, electricity services are frequently offered by municipally-owned public utilities who directly compete with private, often multinational, companies. This is clearly a situation in which public sector organisations have to compete with other suppliers in order to stay in business, and thus can no longer rest on their monopolist-status. The same holds true for many other different types of public services. Looking at the European public infrastructure sectors such as gas, post, rail, airlines, electricity, local transport and telecommunications, we can see that these markets experienced massive market deregulations in past decades in terms of entry regulations, market structure and public ownership status. This can be illustrated by looking at the OECD’s market regulation indicators (Conway and Nicoletti, 2006). The main index1 ranges from 0-6, and higher values indicate a high degree of market regulation (for example the presence of a national monopoly), while lower values stand for larger degrees of deregulation, including lower entry barriers for competitors, a lower degree of market concentration, and ownership diversity. Figure 1 displays these developments for a period of 32 years, including all mentioned public infrastructure sectors, through a single country measure. Indeed, with no exception, European countries that have been included in OECD’s market regulation index experienced large deregulations of their public infrastructure markets.
Raw milk from vending machines: Effects of boiling, microwave treatment, and refrigeration on microbiological quality.

In Italy, the sale of raw milk from vending machines has been allowed since 2004. Boiling treatment before its use is mandatory for the consumer, because the raw milk could be an important source of foodborne pathogens. This study fits into this context with the aim to evaluate the microbiological quality of 30 raw milk samples periodically collected (March 2013 to July 2013) from 3 vending machines located in Molise, a region of southern Italy. Milk samples were stored for 72 h at 4 °C and then subjected to different treatments, such as boiling and microwaving, to simulate domestic handling. The results show that all the raw milk samples examined immediately after their collection were affected by high microbial loads, with values very close to or even greater than those acceptable by Italian law. The microbial populations increased during refrigeration, reaching after 72 h values of about 8.0 log cfu/mL for Pseudomonas spp. , 6.5 log cfu/mL for yeasts, and up to 4.0 log cfu/mL for Enterobacteriaceae. Boiling treatment, applied after 72 h to refrigerated milk samples, caused complete decontamination, but negatively affected the nutritional quality of the milk, as demonstrated by a drastic reduction of whey proteins. The microwave treatment at 900 W for 75 s produced microbiological decontamination similar to that of boiling, preserving the content in whey proteins of milk. The microbiological characteristics of raw milk observed in this study fully justify the obligation to boil the raw milk from vending machines before consumption. However, this study also showed that domestic boiling causes a drastic reduction in the nutritional value of milk. Microwave treatment could represent a good alternative to boiling, on the condition that the process variables are standardized for safe domestic application.
The Determinants and Performance Effects of Diverse Nationality Boards

Corporate boards are the focal points for companies’ decisions on strategy and investment, and hence they embody the key features of firm production and management. Researchers and policy makers alike thus invariably ask “who makes these decisions? ” A stream of research examines the demographic characteristics of board members such as gender and race as a way of understanding the nature and effects of board decisions. In this paper, using a unique dataset of listed firms, we examine the determinants of board diversity based on directors’ nationalities and ask whether the presence of foreign directors on boards contributes in some way to firms’ operations and performance. Our results show that boards containing diverse nationalities are positively associated with shareholder heterogeneity and firms’ international market operations. National diversity is also positively and significantly related to firm performance. These results underline the role that diversity plays in the higher echelons of management and corporate governance.
Comparative genomics of two super-shedder isolates of Escherichia coli O157:H7

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 (O157) are zoonotic foodborne pathogens and of major public health concern that cause considerable intestinal and extra-intestinal illnesses in humans. O157 colonize the recto-anal junction (RAJ) of asymptomatic cattle who shed the bacterium into the environment through fecal matter. A small subset of cattle, termed super-shedders (SS), excrete O157 at a rate (≥ 104 CFU/g of feces) that is several orders of magnitude greater than other colonized cattle and play a major role in the prevalence and transmission of O157. To better understand microbial factors contributing to super-shedding we have recently sequenced two SS isolates, SS17 (GenBank accession no. CP008805) and SS52 (GenBank accession no. CP010304) and shown that SS isolates display a distinctive strongly adherent phenotype on bovine rectal squamous epithelial cells. Here we present a detailed comparative genomics analysis of SS17 and SS52 with other previously characterized O157 strains (EC4115, EDL933, Sakai, TW14359). The results highlight specific polymorphisms and genomic features shared amongst SS strains, and reveal several SNPs that are shared amongst SS isolates, including in genes involved in motility, adherence, and metabolism. Finally, our analyses reveal distinctive patterns of distribution of phage-associated genes amongst the two SS and other isolates. Together, the results of our comparative genomics studies suggest that while SS17 and SS52 share genomic features with other lineage I/II isolates, they likely have distinct recent evolutionary histories. Future comparative and functional genomic studies are needed to decipher the precise molecular basis for super shedding in O157.
No Search or Getting Down to Business?

The first approach is an adaptation of the “classical” mode of psychoanalysis, as I came to understand it. An essential property of psychoanalysis as a treatment has always been that it is “nondirective,” a quality that distinguishes it from other types of therapies which, in their focal directedness, are more limited. It was thought crucial that the analyst not interfere with the freedom of the patient’s free associations, so that the latter’s central unconscious conflicts might manifest themselves through derivatives. This noninterference, which makes analysis “deeper” than other treatments, was ultimately a means to an end. The end was the exposure, interpretation, and finally the transformation of specific, central yet unconscious, infantile sexual and aggressive conflicts at their major points of fixation.
Trophic state mediates the effects of a large colonial cyanobacterium on phytoplankton dynamics

Although cyanobacterial blooms are typically found in eutrophic lakes, where they are able to exert inhibitory effects on other plankton, they are also reported from oligotrophic and mesotrophic lakes. Here, we explored whether trophic state mediates the effects of Gloeotrichia echinulata blooms in freshwater ecosystems. This taxon is a large, colonial cyanobacterium that may be increasing in low-nutrient lakes in northeastern North America. We manipulated Gloeotrichia presence in mesotrophic and eutrophic mesocosms and measured its ef- fects on phosphorus, nitrogen, phytoplankton growth in two size fractions (< 30 µm, and total fraction), and zoo- plankton. In mesotrophic mesocosms, Gloeotrichia stimulated the growth of smaller-sized phytoplankton, poten- tially through significantly higher total nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations than in non-Gloeotrichia controls, although nearly all measured soluble nutrient concentrations were below method detection limits. In contrast, the growth of smaller-sized phytoplankton was inhibited in eutrophic mesocosms, where concentrations of total nitrogen and phosphorus were significantly lower in the presence of Gloeotrichia in comparison to controls. The Gloeotrichia colonies likely inhibited phytoplankton growth in the eutrophic mesocosms by creating scums that decreased light availability, although other mechanisms may be involved. The positive or negative effect of Gloe- otrichia did not cascade to higher trophic levels: zooplankton biomass was significantly higher in the eutrophic than mesotrophic mesocosms, but not affected by Gloeotrichia presence. In summary, trophic state determined if the effects of Gloeotrichia on smaller-sized phytoplankton were stimulatory or inhibitory, likely due to several interacting mechanisms.
Memory for pitch in congenital amusia: Beyond a fine-grained pitch discrimination problem

Congenital amusia is a disorder that affects the perception and production of music. While amusia has been associated with deficits in pitch discrimination, several reports suggest that memory deficits also play a role. The present study investigated short-term memory span for pitch-based and verbal information in 14 individuals with amusia and matched controls. Analogous adaptive-tracking procedures were used to generate tone and digit spans using stimuli that exceeded psychophysically measured pitch perception thresholds. Individuals with amusia had significantly smaller tone spans, whereas their digits spans were a similar size to those of controls. An automated operation span task was used to determine working memory capacity. Working memory deficits were seen in only a small subgroup of individuals with amusia. These findings support the existence of a pitch-specific component within short-term memory and suggest that congenital amusia is more than a disorder of fine-grained pitch discrimination.
Simulated Climate and Climate Change in the GFDL CM2.5 High-Resolution Coupled Climate Model

AbstractThe authors present results for simulated climate and climate change from a newly developed high-resolution global climate model [Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Climate Model version 2.5 (GFDL CM2.5)]. The GFDL CM2.5 has an atmospheric resolution of approximately 50 km in the horizontal, with 32 vertical levels. The horizontal resolution in the ocean ranges from 28 km in the tropics to 8 km at high latitudes, with 50 vertical levels. This resolution allows the explicit simulation of some mesoscale eddies in the ocean, particularly at lower latitudes.Analyses are presented based on the output of a 280-yr control simulation; also presented are results based on a 140-yr simulation in which atmospheric CO2 increases at 1% yr−1 until doubling after 70 yr.Results are compared to GFDL CM2.1, which has somewhat similar physics but a coarser resolution. The simulated climate in CM2.5 shows marked improvement over many regions, especially the tropics, including a reduction in the double ITCZ and an i.
The New U.S. Meat Industry

A new meat industry is rapidly emerging in the United States, as food retailers, meat processors, and farms and ranches coalesce into fewer and larger businesses. The industry’s rapid consolidation in recent years has triggered alarms that the industry’s new giants in retailing and processing could drive up food prices for consumers and drive down livestock prices for producers. How should public policy respond to the industry’s consolidation? And how can all participants in the industry—producers, processors, retailers, and consumers—benefit from its new structure? > Barkema, Drabenstott, and Novack examine the striking changes in the meat industry. First, they describe how the industry is changing. Then they examine the forces driving the industry’s consolidation. Finally, they consider how consumers and industry participants are affected. While current evidence is scant that market power has hurt either consumers or producers, the industry’s rapid consolidation nevertheless warrants vigilance. At the same time, public policy might also play a role in ensuring that all participants in the market benefit from its new structure.
T-cell signet-ring cell lymphoma: A histologic, ultrastructural, and immunohistochemical study of two cases

The histologic, ultrastructural, and immunologic characteristics of two signet-ring cell lymphomas of T-cell derivation are presented. Histologically, both lymphomas were diffuse large cell lymphomas with many neoplastic cells containing cytoplasmic vacuoles imparting a signet-ring configuration. Ultrastructural examination revealed the vacuoles to consist of electron-lucent spaces containing variable numbers of microspherules. Immunohistochemical studies showed that both lymphomas expressed T-cell phenotypes with no reactivity with antibodies to B-cell antigens. In contrast to previous reports which have shown signet-ring cell lymphomas to be invariably B-cell in derivation and usually follicular center cell type, this study demonstrates that these lymphomas may also be of T-cell origin
Acute cerebral infarction: effect of JPEG compression on detection at CT.

PURPOSE To evaluate the effect of Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) compression ratios of 10:1 and 20:1 on detection of acute cerebral infarction at computed tomography (CT). MATERIALS AND METHODS CT images obtained in 25 patients with acute cerebral infarction and 25 patients with no lesions were compressed by means of a JPEG algorithm at ratios of 10:1 and 20:1. Normal and abnormal sections (on original and compressed images) were reviewed by using a color soft-copy computed monochrome cathode ray tube monitor. Five observers rated the presence or absence of a lesion with a 50-point scale (0, definitely absent; 25, equivocal; and 50, definitely present). Diagnostic accuracy was evaluated with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Significant difference was defined as a P value less than.05 for the area tested with a two-tailed paired Student t test. RESULTS At ROC analysis, no statistically significant difference was detected for all cases considered together (Az [area under the ROC curve] = 0.887 +/- 0.038 [mean +/- SD] on noncompressed images, Az = 0.897 +/- 0.038 on 10:1 compressed images, and Az = 0.842 +/- 0.073 on 20:1 compressed images; P >.05). CONCLUSION JPEG compression at ratios of 10:1 and 20:1 was tolerated in the detection of acute cerebral infarction at CT.
Influence of Premenstrual Syndrome on Family, Social Life, and Work Performance

Premenstrual syndrome is characterized by mental and physical symptoms that vary with different phases of the menstrual cycle. Symptoms start shortly after ovulation, increase in severity, and reach a maximum during the last five premenstrual days. After the onset of menstrual bleeding, the symptoms rapidly disappear and are usually gone within three to four days. Diagnostic procedures using prospective daily symptom ratings have recently been developed, allowing a more precise diagnosis of the cyclical mood changes and leading to a clearer picture and definition of the condition. Results from community studies show that the severity of the cyclical mood changes varies within a population of women of fertile age, from those having no cyclical mood changes to those severely handicapped by the symptoms for 14 days of the month. The severity assessment of subjective symptoms is difficult since severity is difficult to compare among individuals. In this article the authors review the different approaches to estimating severity of premenstrual syndrome and compare the different approaches with approaches used for other conditions with subjective symptoms. Two possible approaches are discussed in detail. One measures symptoms by counting the number of days with and without symptoms. The other estimates how much the symptoms affect patients' family life, social life, and work performance. Differences between retrospective and prospective assessments are also discussed.
Exploring cancer treatment decision-making by patients: a descriptive study.

OBJECTIVE Using an interview-guided survey, our descriptive study aimed to document the extent to which cancer patients perceive they are involved in making treatment decisions and the factors that influence patient involvement. PATIENTS AND METHODS Our study enrolled patients from a Canadian ambulatory oncology program who were undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy, or both, for cancer. The adapted Control Preferences Scale was used to survey perceived and preferred roles in decision-making. The study survey also included items from the Decisional Conflict Scale and the Preparation for Decision-Making Scale. RESULTS Of 192 participants, 98 (51%) perceived that they were offered treatment choices. Of those 98, 47 (48%) thought that the options were presented equally. Compared with the patients not offered choices, those who were given choices were less passive (4% vs. 29%, p < 0.001) and more satisfied (100% vs. 95%, p < 0.03) in decision-making. Participants whose preferred and perceived roles were different would have preferred more involvement in decision-making. To attain the preferred involvement, patients wanted to receive more information on treatment options, to be given a choice, to have more discussion with the health care team, and to have providers better listen to their needs. CONCLUSIONS Only half of surveyed patients thought that they were offered choices for their cancer treatment. When offered choices, patients were more active in decision-making. Further initiatives are required to determine approaches for supporting patients with cancer so that they can be more involved in decision-making.
The Kenyan popular thriller and history: a reading of Black gold of Chepkube and Three days on the cross

Literary texts do not emerge from a vacuum. They are created in specific historical epochs which shape them and which they respond and speak to. To demonstrate that this point is true regardless of whether the literary text falls in the category of canonical, “serious” literature or popular fiction, this study examines how two Kenyan popular fiction novels, Black Gold of Chepkube by Wamugunda Geteria and Three Days on the Cross by Wahome Mutahi, engage with history. These two novels are premised on historical events with Black Gold of Chepkube taking as its context the black market trade in coffee across the Kenya-Uganda border in the 1970s, which led to the emergence of a new culture of corruption in Kenya, while Three Days on the Cross, which although set in an imaginary African country, is a fictional rendition of its author's experience under police custody for sedition-related charges. The objectives of the study are: to examine the elements of popular fiction present in Wamugunda Geteria’s Black Gold of Chepkube and Wahome Mutahi’s Three Days on the Cross; to explore how Wamugunda Geteria’s Black Gold of Chepkube and Wahome Mutahi’s Three Days on the Cross engage with history; and to discuss the significance of the engagement of Wamugunda Geteria’s Black Gold of Chepkube and Wahome Mutahi’s Three Days on the Cross, as popular fiction texts, with history. The study employs New Historicism theory, as espoused by Stephen Greenblatt, which states that a literary work should be considered a product of the time, place, and historical circumstances of its composition rather than as an isolated work of art or text. In terms of method, this is a qualitative research at the heart of which is the content analysis of Wamugunda Geteria’s Black Gold of Chepkube and Wahome Mutahi’s Three Days on the Cross. The study critically analyses the two novels in its exploration of how they engage with history. With its demonstration that both Wamugunda Geteria’s Black Gold of Chepkube and Wahome Mutahi’s Three Days on the Cross transmit knowledge about history and intervene in Kenya’s political debates of the 1990s, the study concludes that the dismissal of popular fiction as “non-serious” on account of a perceived impulse to “escape” from social and political concerns has no basis in fact. This being the case, there is a need to reevaluate attitudes towards popular fiction which blind readers to the fact that these texts contribute to a writing of history from below, from the perspective of the masses.
Measurements of interrupter resistance: reference values for children 3–13 yrs of age

The interrupter technique is a convenient and sensitive technique for studying airway function in subjects who cannot actively participate in (forced) ventilatory function tests. Reference values for preschool children exist but are lacking for children >7 yrs. Reference values were obtained for expiratory interrupter resistance (Rint,e) in 208 healthy Dutch Caucasian children 3–13 yrs of age. A curvilinear relationship between Rint,e and height was observed, similar to published airways resistance data measured by plethysmography. No significant differences in cross-sectional trend or level of Rint,e were observed according to sex. It was found that Z-scores could be used to express individual Rint,e values and to describe intra- and interindividual differences based on the reference equation: 10logRint,e=0.645–0.00668×standing height (cm) kPa·L−1·s−1 and residual SD (0.093 kPa·L−1·s−1). Expiratory interrupter resistance provides a tool for clinical and epidemiological assessment of airway function in a large age range.
Semiparametric Analysis of Two‐Level Bivariate Binary Data

Summary In medical studies, paired binary responses are often observed for each study subject over timepoints or clusters. A primary interest is to investigate how the bivariate association and marginal univariate risks are affected by repeated measurements on each subject. To achieve this we propose a very general class of semiparametric bivariate binary models. The subject‐specific effects involved in the bivariate log odds ratio and the univariate logit components are assumed to follow a nonparametric Dirichlet process (DP). We propose a hybrid method to draw model‐based inferences. In the framework of the proposed hybrid method, estimation of parameters is done by implementing the Monte Carlo expectation‐maximization algorithm. The proposed methodology is illustrated through a study on the effectiveness of tibolone for reducing menopausal problems experienced by Indian women. A simulation study is also conducted to evaluate the efficiency of the new methodology.