Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Switching Costs, Brand Premia and Behavioral Pricing in the Pharmaceutical Market

This article examines the market power of branded prescription drugs faced with generic competition. Using prescription-level and matched socioeconomic panel data of the entire Swedish population between 2010 and 2016, I provide evidence for the key role of switching costs. A discontinuity surrounding patent expirations establishes that the effect is causal. Further, by comparing patients with and without medical education, I show that those without medical education experience higher brand premia. A unique feature of the Swedish market allows me to rule out patients’ inattention due to information costs as a source of market power. Therefore, switching costs and perceived quality differences are the key determinants of market power. I then estimate a dynamic oligopoly model with forward-looking firms which is used in counterfactual studies of the effect of switching costs and perceived quality differences on prices. First, an increase in the length of procurement mimics a reduction of switching costs and increases prices. While the effect of switching costs on prices in theory is ambiguous, moderate switching costs and sufficient competition for new patients increase competitive pressure. Second, if everyone acts as a medical expert and experiences fewer brand premia, prices decrease.
Neural Correlates of Trust During an Automated System Monitoring Task: Preliminary Results of an Effective Connectivity Study

As autonomous systems become more prevalent and their inner workings become more opaque, we increasingly rely on trust to guide our interactions with them especially in complex or rapidly evolving situations. When our expectations of what automation is capable of do not match reality, the consequences can be sub-optimal to say the least. The degree to which our trust reflects actual capability is known as trust calibration. One of the approaches to studying this is neuroergonomics. By understanding the neural mechanisms involved in human-machine trust, we can design systems which promote trust calibration and possibly measure trust in real time. Our study used the Multi Attribute Task Battery to investigate neural correlates of trust in automation. We used EEG to record brain activity of participants as they watched four algorithms of varying reliability perform the SYSMON subtask on the MATB. Subjects reported their subjective trust level after each round. We subsequently conducted an effective connectivity analysis and identified the cingulate cortex as a node, and its asymmetry ratio and incoming information flow as possible indices of trust calibration. We hope our study will inform future work involving decision-making and real-time cognitive state detection.
Pharmacological Investigation of “Meridian Tropism” in Three “Shen” Chinese Herbs

“Meridian tropism” refers to the organ-specific biological action(s) produced by a Chinese herb following its oral administration, which is analogous to the concept of “bioavailability” in Western medicine. In this study, we compared the in vitro and ex vivo pharmacological actions of three herbs [namely, Dangshen (DS, Codonopsis Radix), Ranshen (RS, Ginseng Radix) and Xiyangshen (XYS, Panacis Qinquifolii Ra-dix)] to validate their meridian tropism. We compared the in vitro and ex vivo pharmacological actions [i.e. the ability to increase splenocyte proliferation and adenosine triphosphate-generation capacity (ATP-GC)] of the ethanolic extracts of DS, RS and XYS to validate their meridian tropism. Results showed that DS, RS and XYS (at 30 - 300 μg/mL) can both stimulate the proliferation of primary mouse splenocytes in vitro and increase adenosine triphosphate-generation capacity (ATP-GC) in cultured Caco 2 colon epithelial cells in vitro. Interestingly, oral administration of DS and RS (but not XYS, at 3 and 6 g/kg/day × 3 consecutive days) was found to stimulate the proliferation of splenocytes ex vivo at 24 h post-treatment in mice. Similarly, DS and RS (but not XYS) increased the ATP-GC of mitochondrial fractions isolated from a small segment of mouse intestine at 48 h post-treatment. This observation is consistent with the meridian tropism of the pharmacological action of “Shen”, i.e., the accessibility of DS and RS (but not XYS) to the “Spleen” meridian. The comparison between the results obtained from in vitro and in vivo/ex vivo bioassays may offer a potential method for assessing meridian tropism in Chinese herbs.
Effect of chlorhexidine and other antimicrobial agents on the formation and viability of oral bacterial biofilms.

Caries and periodontal diseases have been shown to stem from an imbalance in the normal oral microflora present on tooth surfaces as biofilms (plaque). There is considerable interest in developing chemical agents to supplement mechanical means (i.e. toothbrushing) of controlling these diseases. Although many studies have shown that planktonic oral bacteria can be easily killed by a range of available agents, such studies are largely irrelevant to the situation in vivo as the sessile (biofilm) forms of these bacteria are less susceptible to the action of such agents. The aims of this study, therefore, were to develop and test a laboratory model suitable for evaluating the effectiveness of antimicrobial agents against oral bacterial biofilms. A constant depth film fermentor was used to grow the biofilms. In order to mimic the situation in vivo, the biofilms were grown in an aerobic environment on a substratum similar to human enamel, with nutrients supplied by an artificial saliva. Initial studies were carried out using a mono-species (Streptococcus sanguis) biofilm grown on a variety of substrata and these were found to influence the susceptibility of the biofilms to various agents including chlorhexidine (CH), cetylpyridinium chloride and triclosan. The effectiveness of mouthwashes (containing different antimicrobial agents) against S. sanguis biofilms was then determined. The effect of CH on multi-species biofilms and microcosm plaques was also investigated. The reproducibility of the multi-species biofilms was poor, with varying proportions of species present in each run. The microcosm plaques were far more reproducible and the proportions of the predominant species were comparable with those found in supra-gingival plaque. The effects of a number of treatment regimes (involving CH) against these biofilms were investigated. When challenged with CH pulses there was an initial 2 logio reduction in the number of viable organisms, however, although pulsing continued, the biofilms recovered in terms of both the viability and relative proportions of the constituent species. Cryosectioning of the microcosm plaques was carried out to determine the viability and proportions of species present at various depths throughout the biofilm. The CDFF proved to be a good method for reproducibly generating large numbers of bacterial biofilms comparable to supra-gingival plaque and enabled the evaluation of the activity of antimicrobial agents in a model which mimicked the situation in vivo.
Analytical approach to Galerkin BEMs on polyhedral surfaces

In this paper, we present a contribution linked to the mini symposium (MS) Mathematical tools in energy industry (organised at Arcachon during the 9th International conference Curves and Surfaces). Boundary Element Methods (BEM) have recently had a renewed interest in the ﬁeld of wind energy as they allow to model more of the unsteady ﬂow phenomena around wind turbine airfoils than Blade Element Momentum theory. Though being computationally more complex, their costs are still signiﬁcantly lower than CFD methods, placing them in a sweet-spot for the validation of turbine designs under various conditions (yaw, turbulent wind). Based on the results of Lenoir and Salles ([8, 9]), the aim of this work is to ﬁnd generalised formulas for some integrals involved in Galerkin BEM method for eﬃcient parallelisation and to reduce the computational costs wherever possible.
Early Data Of Patients With Pseudomyxoma Peritonei From Appendiceal Origin Treated By A Strategy Of Cytoreductive Surgery And Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy

Background. Appendiceal peritoneal pseudomyxoma (PMP) is very rare disease and its longterm prognosis is poor. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of an aggressive treatment approach used in our institution for the last 4 years. Methods. We selected all patients with PMP from appendiceal origin who were treated by cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) at the Klaipeda University Hospital between January 2012 and January 2016. Data from all patients with PMP arising from the appendix were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Treatment consisted of complete surgical cytoreduction , followed by hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy with mitomycin at 42°C over 90 minutes. Ronnett’s hystologic classification was used for tumor grading. Results. A total of 6 patients underwent cytoreduction and peritonectomy plus HIPEC. Median age at diagnosis was 57 years (range, 39-67). All our patients were female. The previous surgery score at the moment of admission was PSS-2 for three patients, PSS-3 for 3 patients. Four patients were diagnosed as diffuse peritoneal adenomucinosis (DRAM) and two as peritoneal mucinous carcinomatosis( PMCA). In all of the patients, optimal cytoreduction CC-0 (5 patients) and CC-1 (one patient) was achieved. The median peritoneal cancer index (PCI) was 17 (range, 14-25) as an indicator of disease extension.The median number of visceral resections performed per patient was 3 (range, 1-5). The median duration of CRS/HIPEC was 8 hours and 10 minutes (range, 7 hours and10 min. to 9 hours 20 min). Mean postoperative stay was 13 days (range, 8-18). The 30 days postoperative and in-hospital mortality were zero . One patient experienced temporary haemorhagic cystitis. The mean follow-up period was 28 months ( range, 8-45). At the time of analysis all patients are alive and without recurrence. Conclusions PMP from appendiceal origin can be treated with curative intent in a large percentage of cases by cytoreductive surgery associated with HIPEC. This new approach could be performed safely with acceptable morbidity and mortality in selected patients treated in specialized centers.
Assessment of Idiopathic Osteosclerosis in The Jaws of The Egyptian Population Using Cone Beam Computed Tomography

Purpose: Idiopathic osteosclerosis is a common radiopaque lesion without clear cause that affects the mandible and maxilla. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of idiopathic osteosclerosis in the jaws among Egyptian population.Subjects and Methods: 1100 CBCT scans were used to assess the prevalence, gender and age distribution, location, and size of idiopathic osteosclerosis.Results: Idiopathic osteosclerosis was found in 16.7% of the cases with equal distribution in males and females patients, especially, in the third decade. Mandibular lesions were found in 95.7% of them, 52.7% in molar region and 29.9 % in premolar region. The size ranged from 1.5 – 15.6 mm.Conclusion: Idiopathic osteosclerosis is not uncommon radiographic finding in Egyptian population with predilection to premolar-molar mandibular region.
Sex Disparities in Elderly Trauma in Northern Iran

Introduction: Trauma is currently the ninth cause of mortality in the elderly. Several factors may have an impact on the outcomes after trauma in the elderly including background disease, sex, trauma severity, and age. The aim of this study was to understand the sex differences about trauma in this growing population. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, the records of all the traumatic injured people above 60 years of age who were admitted to a main center of trauma hospital in north of Iran in 2012 were studied. Demographic data, characteristics of road traffic incidents, and in-hospital medical profiles were derived. The analysis of data was done by using theχ 2 test and T test with SPSS Ver. 18 software. A P value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: One thousand and eight-hundred thirty injured elderly patients were admitted during the study period. This amount accounted for 10.5% of the total injured. In this study 56.3% of victims were male with the mean age of 70.84±8.16 years in comparison to 71.65±8.59 years in women (P < 0.05). Sex differences were seen in Glasgow coma scale, place, mechanism of trauma, anatomical part injured, and in-hospital death rate (P < 0.05). Outdoor trauma was more prevalent in men and indoor trauma in women. The mechanisms causing trauma in both sexes were slipping and road traffic accidents, respectively. In men, head and neck were the most common anatomical sites injured, while most women suffered from injuries to the upper extremities. Conclusions: It seems that elderly men are more at risk of severe injury with a higher mortality rate in comparison to elderly women
Collective Cell Sorting Requires Contractile Cortical Waves in Germline Cells

Encapsulation of germline cells by layers of somatic cells forms the basic unit of female reproduction called primordial follicles in mammals and egg chambers in Drosophila. How germline and somatic tissues are coordinated for the morphogenesis of each separated unit remains poorly understood. Here, using improved live-imaging of Drosophila ovaries, we uncovered periodic actomyosin waves at the cortex of germ cells. These contractile waves are associated with pressure release blebs, which project from germ cells into somatic cells. We demonstrate that these cortical activities, together with cadherin-based adhesion, are required to sort each germline cyst as one collective unit. Genetic perturbations of cortical contractility, blebs protrusion or adhesion between germline and somatic cells induced failures to encapsulate any germ cells or the inclusion of too many germ cells or even the mechanical split of germline cysts. Our results reveal that germ cells play an active role in the physical coupling with somatic cells to produce the female gamete.
Blowing Against the Wind? A Narrative Approach to Central Bank Foreign Exchange Intervention

Few studies on foreign exchange intervention convincingly address the causal effect of intervention on exchange rates. By using a narrative approach, I address a major issue in the literature: the endogeneity of intraday news which influence the exchange rate alongside central bank operations. Some studies find that interventions work in up to 80% of cases. Yet, by accounting for intraday market moving news, I find that in adverse conditions, the Bank of England managed to influence the exchange rate only in 8% of cases. I use both machine learning and human assessment to confirm the validity of the narrative approach.
Some Variant of Known Coded Caching Schemes With Good Performance

In coded caching system, we prefer to design a scheme with the rate <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$R$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and the packet number <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$F$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of each file split as small as possible since the efficiency of transmission in the peak traffic times increases with the decreasing of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$R$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and the realizing complexity increases with the increasing of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$F$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. Up to now, almost all of the previously known schemes can be realized by the combinatorial structure which is called placement delivery array (PDA). In this paper, we also study the schemes by means of PDAs. We first show that given the minimum rate, the scheme proposed by Maddah-Ali and Niesen (MN scheme) has the minimum packet number which is too large in practice. From the view point of combinatorial design, two variant MN schemes, which can significantly reduce the packet number by increasing some rate, are obtained. Especially one of these schemes has better performance than the scheme generated by the well known grouping method.
Performance and carcass traits of heifers Rubia Gallega x Nellore supplemented with chromium picolinate

The objective was to evaluate the productive performance and the carcass traits of Nellore (NEL) and Rubia Gallega x Nellore F1 (NRG) heifers, subjected to energy-protein supplementation with chromium picolinate (CrP). Sixty heifers (30 NEL and 30 NRG) with a mean initial adjusted body weight (BW) of 214.50 kg and mean age of 201 days were distributed into a completely randomized design, in a 2 x 2 factorial (2 genetic groups x 2 supplementation groups). The experimental period lasted 320 days. There was no interaction (p>0.05) between the genetic groups and the supplements. The addition of CrP to the supplement did not alter the performance and carcass characteristics evaluated (p>0.05). However, the NRG genetic group was better than the NEL in the performance characteristics as final live weight, mean daily gain and carcass yield as carcass yield, Muscularity (p≤0.05). The use of the Rubia Gallega genotype in crossbreeding provides an increase in production of heavier carcasses with lower fat percentages and higher yields when compared to the use of Nellore heifers.
RECONSIDERING PARTICIPATION FOR LOCAL COMMUNITY WELL-BEING IN ECOTOURISM IN GHANA

This study focused on enhancing participation in ecotourism development for local community well-being. A mixed methodological approach was employed in the data collection and analysis. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to target 327 locals. In addition, in-depth interviews were conducted with relevant key informants. The study revealed that the community was not boosted by any tangible infrastructure as a result of the development of ecotourism based on the Sanctuary. The study further revealed that the majority of the local members had relatively little education and entrepreneurial training to enable them to benefit from ecotourism business. The study recommends improved engagement between the locals and the management to enhance their involvement in the Sanctuary’s sustainability. Additionally, the members of the local community should be engaged in entrepreneurial capacity-building programmes to introduce them to tourism and alternative livelihood options towards enhancing their well-being.
Food Souvenirs Preferences by Domestic Tourists-Indonesia

The presence of souvenirs in a tourist destination is important, because tourists consider buying souvenirs as an important part of the tourist experience. In tourist destinations there are usually various types of souvenirs, including crafts, food and craft products, but in general, food souvenirs are one of the prominent souvenirs among many types of souvenirs purchased by tourists when going to a destination, that because tourists consider food souvenirs is a reliable or tangible proof that tourists can bring home as a representation that they have visited the original destination of the food souvenirs. Likewise in Indonesia, most domestic tourists prefer to buy food souvenirs to take home and then enjoy themselves or give as gifts to others. This research article aims to describe how their preferences for food souvenirs, especially in Malang, research using quantitative methods, data were collected through survey which using questionnaire as a tool. The results showed that the preference of food souvenirs by domestic tourist based on the type of food is in chips form, based on taste is savory, based on texture is crispy, and based on the cooking process is fried.
HEAVY METAL CONCENTRATION IN VEGETABLES, FRUITS AND CEREALS AND ASSOCIATED HEALTH RISK OF HUMAN IN KHULNA, BANGLADESH

This research was aimed to assess the human health risk by measuring concentration of seven heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As and Pb) in some selected vegetables, fruits and cereals in Khulna, Bangladesh. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) deterministic approaches were used to assess the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risk which was measured by Estimated Daily Intake (EDI), Target Hazard Quotient (THQ), Hazard Index (HI) and Target cancer Risk (TR) values. The contents of Mn, Ni, As and Pb except Fe, Cu and Zn were above the recommended maximum acceptable levels proposed by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. Assessment of non-carcinogenic health hazard by THQ indicated no concern from consumption of these selected cereals except As, Pb and vegetables except for Pb. But the combined impacts of all metals (HI) were higher than the acceptable limit of 1 for all vegetables and cereals. So, the consumption of these vegetables and cereals are of biggest concern for non-carcinogenic health eﬀects and all metals together may aﬀect human health as revealed by HI. Upon consumption of studied vegetables, fruits and cereals the probability of developing cancer was greater than USEPA threshold risk limit (>10 -5 ) for Pb and (>10 -3 ) for As and Ni. Whereas the TR value indicates moderate cancer risk for Pb and highly cancer risk for As, Ni from this study area.
Effect of Evotherm-M1 on Properties of Asphaltic Materials Used at NAPMRC Testing Facility

Rheological properties of asphalt binders significantly affect distress development and performance of asphalt concrete materials. This article presents the effect of Evotherm-M1 modifications on rheological properties of asphalt binders used in the construction of test sections at the Federal Aviation Administration’s National Airport Pavement & Materials Research Center. Four different binders (i.e., polymer styrene butadiene styrene [SBS]-modified PG 76-22, PG 64-22, SBS-modified PG 76-22 plus Evotherm-M1, and PG 64-22 plus Evotherm-M1) are studied. Multiple stress creep recovery (MSCR) and strain-controlled frequency sweep (FS) test results are analyzed to construct the master curves for the binders. Results indicate high sensitivity of SBS-modified PG 76-22 to Evotherm-M1 modifications as compared with PG 64-22. Subsequently, the results of dynamic modulus tests conducted on asphalt mixture specimens (prepared using job mix formula and different binders) are analyzed to investigate the effect of binder type and modification on rheological properties and rutting performance of asphalt mixtures. It is shown that the rutting resistance and rheological properties of asphalt mixtures can be ranked based on the results of MSCR and FS tests conducted on asphalt binders. It is shown that the rutting resistivity of traffic test sections and lab-tested asphalt mixtures can be ranked as follows: SBS-modified PG 76-22, SBS-modified PG 76-22 plus Evotherm-M1, PG 64-22, and PG 64-22 plus Evotherm-M1. This is consistent with the results obtained for tested asphalt binders.
OPTIMIZATION OF FIVE-AXIS FINISH MILLING USING A VIRTUAL MACHINE TOOL

Five-axis finish milling is a complex process. The requested surface quality and accuracy must be produced in the shortest possible time. The three main process characteristics - quality, accuracy and machining time - are closely related one to each other. They are affected by the dynamic properties of the machine tool structure, the feed drive properties including cascade control, the control system interpolator properties and the NC code. Thus the appropriate optimization of all related parameters throughout the entire chain is demanding in terms of both time and material. This paper describes the creation of a virtual machine tool that takes into account the properties of the machine structure, feed drives and their cascade control. This machine tool model is connected to the CNC control system kernel. Tests used to verify control system functionality are presented. A virtual simulation of the process is demonstrated on the use case. The process chain parameters are optimized using the virtual machine tool to increase productivity. The simulation and experimental results are compared.