Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Collusive Allocation of Tradeable Pollution Permits *

CIRANO Le CIRANO est une corporation privée à but non lucratif constituée en vertu de la Loi des compagnies du Québec. Le financement de son infrastructure et de ses activités de recherche provient des cotisations de ses organisations-membres, d=une subvention d=infrastructure du ministère de l=Industrie, du Commerce, de la Science et de la Technologie, de même que des subventions et mandats obtenus par ses équipes de recherche. La Série Scientifique est la réalisation d=une des missions que s=est données le CIRANO, soit de développer l=analyse scientifique des organisations et des comportements stratégiques. CIRANO is a private non-profit organization incorporated under the Québec Companies Act. Its infrastructure and research activities are funded through fees paid by member organizations, an infrastructure grant from the Ministère de l=Industrie, du Commerce, de la Science et de la Technologie, and grants and research mandates obtained by its research teams. The Scientific Series fulfils one of the missions of CIRANO: to develop the scientific analysis of organizations and strategic behaviour. $Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec $Développement des ressources humaines Canada (DRHC) $Fédération des caisses populaires Desjardins de Montréal et de l=Ouest-du-Québec $Hydro-Québec $Industrie Canada $Microcell Labs inc. Reproduction partielle permise avec citation du document source, incluant la notice ©. Short sections may be quoted without explicit permission, provided that full credit, including © notice, is given to the source. Ce document est publié dans l=intention de rendre accessibles les résultats préliminaires de la recherche effectuée au CIRANO, afin de susciter des échanges et des suggestions. Les idées et les opinions émises sont sous l=unique responsabilité des auteurs, et ne représentent pas nécessairement les positions du CIRANO ou de ses partenaires. This paper presents preliminary research carried out at CIRANO and aims to encourage discussion and comment. The observations and viewpoints expressed are the sole responsibility of the authors. They do not necessarily represent positions of CIRANO or its partners. Nous montrons que dans une industrie oligopolistique, les firmes ont intérêt à utiliser le marché des permis de pollution comme moyen de coordonner leur taux de production. Si les firmes sont initialement identiques, le marché des permis de pollution peut créer une industrie avec des firmes asymétriques. We show that when polluting firms are Cournot oligopolists, they may have an incentive to use the market of pollution permits as a means of indirectly coordinating their outputs. If firms are initially identical, trade in pollution permits …
Move over protein kinase C, you've got company: alternative cellular effectors of diacylglycerol and phorbol esters

Diacylglycerol is an essential second messenger in mammalian cells. The most prominent intracellular targets of diacylglycerol and of the functionally analogous phorbol esters belong to the protein kinase C (PKC) family. However, at least five alternative types of high-affinity diacylglycerol/phorbol-ester receptor are known: chimaerins, protein kinase D, RasGRPs, Munc13s and DAG kinase γ. Recent evidence indicates that these have functional roles in diacylglycerol second messenger signalling in vivo and that several cellular processes depend on these targets rather than protein kinase C isozymes. These findings contradict the still prevalent view according to which all diacylglycerol/phorbol-ester effects are caused by the activation of protein kinase C isozymes. RasGRP1 (in Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signalling) and Munc13-1 (in neurotransmitter secretion) are examples of non-PKC diacylglycerol/phorbol-ester receptors that mediate diacylglycerol and phorbol-ester effects originally thought to be caused by PKC isozymes. In the future, pharmacological studies on PKC must be complemented with alternative experimental approaches to allow the separation of PKC-mediated effects from those caused by alternative targets of the diacylglycerol second messenger pathway. The examples of RasGRP1 and Munc13-1 show that detailed genetic analyses of C1-domain-containing non-PKC diacylglycerol/phorbol-ester receptors in mammals are ideally suited to achieve this goal.
A low-power simplified-MEWS scoring device for patient monitoring

The Modified Early Warning System is a paper based system used in general wards of hospitals to monitor patients health during the duration of the patient stay. Using this system, patient deterioration/improvement can rapidly be detected so as to assist and alert healthcare providers. In this paper we describe a simplified MEWS device which assists healthcare providers in assessing several of the patients vitals quantitatively, so as to allow the provider to focus on a qualitative assessment of the patient.
Investigation of the Secondary DNA-binding Site of the Bacterial Recombinase RecA*

The L2 loop is a DNA-binding site of RecA protein, a recombinase from Eschericha coli. Two DNA-binding sites have been functionally defined in this protein. To determine whether the L2 loop of RecA protein is part of the primary or secondary binding site, we have constructed proteins with site-specific mutations in the loop and investigated their biological, biochemical, and DNA binding properties. The mutation E207Q inhibits DNA repair and homologous recombination in vivo and prevents DNA strand exchange in vitro (Larminat, F., Cazaux, C., Germanier, M., and Defais, M. (1992) J. Bacteriol. 174, 6264–6269; Cazaux, C. , Larminat, F. , Villani, G. , Johnson, N. P., Schnarr, M. , and Defais, M. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 8246–8254). We have found that mutant protein RecAE207Qlacked one of the two single stranded DNA-binding sites of wild type RecA. The remaining site was functional, and biochemical activities of the mutant protein were the same as wild type RecA with ssDNA in the primary binding site. The second mutation, E207K, reduced but did not eliminate DNA repair, SOS induction, and homologous recombinationin vivo. In the presence of ATP, mutant protein RecAE207K catalyzed DNA strand exchange in vitro at a slower rate than wild type protein, and ssDNA binding at site I was competitively inhibited. These results show that the L2 loop is or is part of the functional secondary DNA-binding site of RecA protein.
Inside the restorative justice black box

This paper is concerned with why and how restorative justice works to alleviate the emotional effects of crime on victims. It posits a new explanation for the ‘aha’ moment; the turning point seen in some, though not all, restorative justice conferences where longstanding, negative emotions and beliefs that have persistently dogged a victim since the crime event, affecting their ability to enjoy the same everyday activities as in their pre-crime daily life, are seemingly eliminated. Focusing on victim experiences, an in-depth analysis of 20 cases collected as part of an empirical study into post-sentencing restorative justice practice after serious crime shows how a typical restorative process can mimic the conditions needed for ‘memory reconsolidation’, a powerful and adaptive neurobiological mechanism that rewrites emotional memories. The findings suggest that the process of memory reconsolidation is a unique tool in the restorative justice ‘black box’. While the use of restorative justice within Western criminal justice systems is routine for juvenile offenders following minor crimes, greater attention should be paid to victim-focused models in the aftermath of crime experienced traumatically; these include post-sentencing practices.
Postoperatory risk classification of prostate cancer patients using support vector machines

This paper proposes a classification scheme of prostate cancer patients based on support vector machines (SVM) classifiers that allow including the diagnosed prostate cancer patients into risk classes, before performing radical prostatectomy, according to their medical parameters. Our objective is to assess the use of SVM in order to predict the individual result of radical prostatectomy performed on prostate cancer patients. In medicine, the balance now leans over towards practical experience, as there are more and more information and knowledge on which physicians base their decisions. The treatment options may be different from patient to patient. The surgical decision about prostate cancer is often a complex matter; thus the proposed schema is a very useful tool that allows the physician to benefit from information regarding the outcome of previous cases.
Diagnostic Accuracy of Stroke Referrals From Primary Care, Emergency Room Physicians, and Ambulance Staff Using the Face Arm Speech Test

Background and Purpose— Timely referral of appropriate patients to acute stroke units is necessary for effective provision of skilled care. We compared the characteristics of referrals with suspected stroke to an academic acute stroke unit via 3 primary referral routes: ambulance paramedics using a rapid ambulance protocol and stroke recognition instrument, the Face Arm Speech Test; primary care doctors (PCDs); and emergency room (ER) referrals. Methods— Patient characteristics, final diagnosis, and admission delay were recorded in all suspected acute stroke referrals in a 6-month period. Results— Four hundred eighty-seven patients (356 strokes/transient ischemic attacks) were admitted by the 3 routes: 178 by ambulance, 216 by PCDs, and 93 through the ER. The proportion of nonstrokes admitted by each route was similar (23%, 29%, and 29%, respectively). Ambulance paramedics’ stroke diagnosis was correct in 144 of 183 (79%) stroke patients who initially presented to them. Thirty-nine of 66 strokes/transient ischemic attacks referred via ER were taken there following initial ambulance assessment. Compared with PCDs, paramedics referred more total anterior circulation (39% versus 14%, P <0.0001) and fewer lacunar strokes (14% versus 31%, P <0.001) and admitted more patients (46% versus 12%, P <0.01) within 3 hours of symptom onset. The most common nonstroke conditions were seizures, infections and confusion, cardiovascular collapse, and cerebral tumors. Paramedics admitted more patients with seizures. Conclusions— Misdiagnosis of stroke is common in the ER and by PCDs. Paramedics using the Face Arm Speech Test achieved high levels of detection and diagnostic accuracy of stroke.
Detecting Housing Submarkets using Unsupervised Learning of Finite Mixture Models

The problem of modeling housing prices has attracted considerable attention due to its importance in terms of households' wealth and in terms of public revenues through taxation. One of the main concerns raised in both the theoretical and the empirical literature is the existence of spatial association between prices that can be attributed, among others, to unobserved neighborhood effects. In this paper, a model of spatial association for housing markets is introduced. Spatial association is treated in the context of spatial heterogeneity, which is explicitly modeled in both a global and a local framework. The global form of heterogeneity is incorporated in a Hedonic Price Index model that encompasses a nonlinear function of the geographical coordinates of each dwelling. The local form of heterogeneity is subsequently modeled as a Finite Mixture Model for the residuals of the Hedonic Index. The identified mixtures are considered as the different spatial housing submarkets. The main advantage of the approach is that submarkets are recovered by the housing prices data compared to submarkets imposed by administrative or geographical criteria. The Finite Mixture Model is estimated using the Figueiredo and Jain (2002) approach due to its ability in endogenously identifying the number of the submarkets and its efficiency in computational terms that permits the consideration of large datasets. The different submarkets are subsequently identified using the Maximum Posterior Mode algorithm. The overall ability of the model to identify spatial heterogeneity is validated through a set of simulations. The model was applied to Los Angeles county housing prices data for the year 2002. The results suggests that the statistically identified number of submarkets, after taking into account the dwellings' structural characteristics, are considerably fewer that the ones imposed either by geographical or administrative boundaries.
Development of a high-performance magnetic gear

This paper presents calculation and measurement results of a high-performance permanent-magnetic gear. The analyzed permanent-magnetic gear has a gear ratio of 5.5 and is able to deliver 27 N/spl middot/m. The analysis has shown that special attention needs to be paid to the system where the gear is to be installed because of a low natural torsion spring constant. The analyzed gear was also constructed in practice in order to validate the analysis and predict the efficiency. The measured torque from the magnetic gear was only 16 N/spl middot/m reduced by the large end-effects. A systematic analysis of the loss components in the magnetic gear is also performed in order to figure out why the efficiency for the actual construction was only 81%. A large magnetic loss component originated in the bearings, where an unplanned extra bearing was necessary due to mechanical problems. Without the losses of magnetic origin in the bearings and less end-effects caused by relatively short stack, an impressive efficiency estimated at 96% can be obtained. Comparison with classical mechanical gears has shown that the magnetic gear has a better efficiency and a comparable torque per volume density. Finally, it is concluded that the results in this paper may help to initiate a shift from mechanical gears to magnetic gears.
Plasma flows, Birkeland currents and auroral forms in relation to the Svalgaard-Mansurov effect

Abstract. The traditional explanation of the polar cap magnetic deflections, referred to as the Svalgaard-Mansurov effect, is in terms of currents associated with ionospheric flow resulting from the release of magnetic tension on newly open magnetic field lines. In this study, we aim at an updated description of the sources of the Svalgaard-Mansurov effect based on recent observations of configurations of plasma flow channels, Birkeland current systems and aurorae in the magnetosphere-ionosphere system. Central to our description is the distinction between two different flow channels (FC 1 and FC 2) corresponding to two consecutive stages in the evolution of open field lines in Dungey cell convection, with FC 1 on newly open, and FC 2 on old open, field lines. Flow channel FC 1 is the result of ionospheric Pedersen current closure of Birkeland currents flowing along newly open field lines. During intervals of nonzero interplanetary magnetic field By component FC 1 is observed on either side of noon and it is accompanied by poleward moving auroral forms (PMAFs/prenoon and PMAFs/postnoon). In such cases the next convection stage, in the form of flow channel FC 2 on the periphery of the polar cap, is particularly important for establishing an IMF By-related convection asymmetry along the dawn-dusk meridian, which is a central element causing the Svalgaard-Mansurov effect. FC 2 flows are excited by the ionospheric Pedersen current closure of the northernmost pair of Birkeland currents in the four-sheet current system, which is coupled to the tail magnetopause and flank low-latitude boundary layer. This study is based on a review of recent statistical and event studies of central parameters relating to the magnetosphere-ionosphere current systems mentioned above. Temporal-spatial structure in the current systems is obtained by ground-satellite conjunction studies. On this point we emphasize the important information derived from the continuous ground monitoring of the dynamical behaviour of aurora and plasma convection during intervals of well-organised solar wind plasma and magnetic field conditions in interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) during their Earth passage.
Towards Robust and Efficient Automated Curvilinear Structure Detection in Medical Images

Segmenting dendritic trees and corneal nerve fibres is challenging due to their uneven and irregular shape. Our first contribution is a novel ridge detector, SCIRD, which is rotation, scale and curvature invariant [2]. Then, we present a novel feature boosting method combining hand-crafted appearance features with learned context filters. Experimental results on 3 challenging and diverse datasets show that our methods outperform state-of-the-art approaches. INTRODUCTION Automated systems analysing curvilinear structures in the medical domain would allow cost-effective large screening programs aimed at early diagnosis. To measure morphometric properties such as tortuosity [1, 6], these structures have to be segmented accurately. Many solutions have been proposed to cope with problems such as low signal to noise ratio at small scales, confounding non-target structures and non-uniform illumination [3, 4, 7, 9]. Most approaches are based on a local tubularity measure estimated via handcrafted features (HCFs) [3, 4, 9], or learned from training data [8]. While HCF methods are fast, they are based on assumptions that are violated by highly fragmented and tortuous structures, i.e. continuous and locally straight tubular shapes. While discontinuity can be addressed by elongated kernels (e.g., Gabor [9]), no hand-crafted model for non-straight tubular shapes has been proposed so far. So, our first contribution is a novel HCF ridge detector, SCIRD (Scale and Curvature Invariant Ridge Detector) which is rotation, scale and curvature invariant. Recently, combining HCFs with learned filters has proven successful as it exploits the efficiency of a fast HCF approach to reduce the amount of learned filters [7]. Although this method outperforms state-of-the-art approaches such as [3, 4], our second contribution is motivated by its modest success in segmenting fragmented structures such as corneal nerve fibres and neurites. Integrating context information with appearance features has been recently found to reduce these shortcomings, by learning multiple discriminative models sequentially [10]. In this paper, we propose a novel approach for combining HCFs (i.e. appearance) with learned context filters which improves results in [7] at the same computation cost (i.e. learning a single discriminative model).
Influence of Sanitizers on the Lipopolysaccharide Toxicity of Escherichia coli Strains Cultivated in the Presence of Zygosaccharomyces bailii

The influence of sublethal concentrations of two sanitizers, liquid iodophor and liquid hypochlorite (LH), on the growth rates and toxicity of food-borne pathogenic Escherichia coli strains grown in the presence of spoilage yeast Zygosaccharomyces bailii was assessed. When grown in combination with Z. bailii both E. coli O113 and E. coli O26 exhibited slower growth rates, except when E. coli O113 was grown in combination with Z. bailii at 0.2% LH. The growth rate of Z. bailii was not impacted by the addition of the sanitizers or by communal growth with E. coli strains. LAL and IL-6 results indicated a decrease in toxicity of pure E. coli cultures with comparable profiles for control and sanitizer exposed samples, although the LAL assay proved to be more sensitive. Interestingly, pure cultures of Z. bailii showed increased toxicity measured by LAL and decreased toxicity measured by IL-6. LAL analysis showed a decrease in toxicity of both E. coli strains grown in combination with Z. bailii, while IL-6 analysis of the mixed cultures showed an increase in toxicity. The use of LAL for toxicity determination in a mixed culture overlooks the contribution made by spoilage yeast, thus demonstrating the importance of using the appropriate method for toxicity testing in mixed microbe environments.
Deforestation and avian infectious diseases

SUMMARY In this time of unprecedented global change, infectious diseases will impact humans and wildlife in novel and unknown ways. Climate change, the introduction of invasive species, urbanization, agricultural practices and the loss of biodiversity have all been implicated in increasing the spread of infectious pathogens. In many regards, deforestation supersedes these other global events in terms of its immediate potential global effects in both tropical and temperate regions. The effects of deforestation on the spread of pathogens in birds are largely unknown. Birds harbor many of the same types of pathogens as humans and in addition can spread infectious agents to humans and other wildlife. It is thought that avifauna have gone extinct due to infectious diseases and many are presently threatened, especially endemic island birds. It is clear that habitat degradation can pose a direct threat to many bird species but it is uncertain how these alterations will affect disease transmission and susceptibility to disease. The migration and dispersal of birds can also change with habitat degradation, and thus expose populations to novel pathogens. Some recent work has shown that the results of landscape transformation can have confounding effects on avian malaria, other haemosporidian parasites and viruses. Now with advances in many technologies, including mathematical and computer modeling, genomics and satellite tracking, scientists have tools to further research the disease ecology of deforestation. This research will be imperative to help predict and prevent outbreaks that could affect avifauna, humans and other wildlife worldwide.
Supply Chain Benefit and Distribution Mechanism Based on Contractor and Material Supplier Produce in Coordination

During the construction and management project, the biding with low tender price leads the engineering project contracted by many constructions enterprisepsilas profit space to be more and more small, contractor and material supplier produce in cooperation by some way in order to achieve optimum systematic benefit objectives, contractor improves bidding probability by decreasing material price, the total benefit of contractor and material supplier will be more than individual produce contract. Based on uncertain delivery time and ownerpsilas sensitive to tender submitted by the contractor, this paper set up a general supply contract model and a benefit-sharing coordination produce supply policy model in a material supply system. Then analysis the effect of two supply pattern on supply contract of association by comparing the supply chain total benefit. The analysis result indication: in the same supply chain cost structure, supply chain benefit produced by benefit-sharing synergic production is more than individual produce contract. Finally, this paper researches the distribution way of total benefit in the contractor and material supplier produce in coordination in view of partiality for cooperation risk.