Auditing and property rights

This is the official published version. Copyright @ 2004 RANDThird-party audit provides incentives to an agent whose actions affect the value of an asset. When audit intensity and outcome are unverifiable, we show that with interim-participation constraints the optimal mechanism may use only the auditor's report, disregarding the agent's information. Furthermore, the auditor obtains the asset and the agent a monetary compensation, when a high asset value is reported. This suggests regulating renewable resources or utility networks by giving entrants the option to buy the right to use the asset at a predetermined price, and financially rewarding incumbents for good performance.The second author used financial support of the Communaute francaise de Belgique (projet ARC 98/03-221) and EU TMR Network contract no. FMRX-CT98-0203

Risk factors for death in hospitalized dysentery patients in Rwanda.

To evaluate the management of severe dysentery cases in in-patient facilities during an epidemic of Shigella dysenteriae type 1 (Sd1), and to identify the factors associated with the risk of death, we conducted a prospective cohort study in 10 Rwandese hospitals between September and December 1994. Data were obtained from 849 cases admitted to hospitals with diarrhoea and visible blood in stools. The proportion of patients with persistent bloody diarrhoea was 51.0% at treatment day 3 and 27.9% at treatment day 5. At discharge, 79.9% had improved or were cured. The case fatality ratio was 13.2%, higher for patients treated with nalidixic acid than for those treated with ciprofloxacin (12.2% vs. 2.2%, RR = 5.80, 95% CI = 0.83-40.72). In a logistic regression model three risk factors were significantly associated with an increased risk of death during hospitalization: severe dehydration on admission (adjusted OR = 2.79, 95% CI = 1.46-5.33), age over 50 (adjusted OR vs. 5-49 age group = 3.22, 95% CI = 1.70-6.11) and prescription of nalidixic acid (adjusted OR vs. ciprofloxacin = 8.66, 95% CI = 1.08-69.67). Those results were consistent with reported high levels of resistance of Sd1 to the commonest antibiotics, including nalidixic acid. Patients belonging to groups with a higher risk of dying should be given special medical attention and supportive care. In areas of high resistance to nalidixic acid, severe cases of dysentery should be treated with fluoroquinolones in order to reduce the mortality associated with these epidemics

Production And Studies Of Photocathodes For High Intensity Electron Beams

For short, high-intensity electron bunches, alkali-tellurides have proved to be a reliable photo-cathode material. Measurements of lifetimes in an RF gun of the CLIC Test Facility II at field strengths greater than 100 MV/m are presented. Before and after using them in this gun, the spectral response of the Cs-Te and Rb-Te cathodes were determined with the help of an optical parametric oscillator. The behaviour of both materials can be described by Spicer's 3-step model. Whereas during the use the threshold for photo-emission in Cs-Te was shifted to higher photon energies, that of Rb-Te did not change. Our latest investigations on the stoichiometric ratio of the components are shown. The preparation of the photo-cathodes was monitored with 320 nm wavelength light, with the aim of improving the measurement sensitivity. The latest results on the protection of Cs-Te cathode surfaces with CsBr against pollution are summarized. New investigations on high mean current production are presented.Comment: Submission to LINAC2000 conference, Paper number MOB08, 3 pages, 6 figure

Third Party Monitoring and Golden Parachutes

When today’s actions can affect tomorrow’s value of an asset and when the principal does not have access to hard information, either about productive activity or monitoring activity, two incentive problems must be simultaneously solved: first, the ex ante moral hazard problem of inducing higher productive effort from the agent; second, the ex post problem of inducing auditing and revelation of information from the auditor. Somewhat surprisingly, the first best can be attained in the negative externality (higher effort decreases the expected future quality of the asset) case: it is enough for the principal to commit to reallocate the right to use the asset at the end of the first period. In the positive externality case (when higher effort increases the future expected quality of the asset) a change in the rights to use the asset is no longer sufficient for efficiency in the second best situation. Rather, auditing by a potential entrant becomes necessary and a mix of property rights reallocation and transfers is necessary to solve the two incentive problems. We show that the second best optimal takes the form of a generalized ‘golden parachute’ contract where for high outputs the agent is replaced by the third party and leaves with a fixed compensation

Adherence to the combination of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine and artesunate in the Maheba refugee settlement, Zambia.

Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is one strategy recommended to increase cure rates in malaria and to contain resistance to Plasmodium falciparum. In the Maheba refugee settlement, children aged 5 years or younger with a confirmed diagnosis of uncomplicated falciparum malaria are treated with the combination of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (1 day) and artesunate (3 days). To measure treatment adherence, home visits were carried out the day after the last treatment dose. Patients who had any treatment dose left were considered certainly non-adherent. Other patients' classification was based on the answers to the questionnaire: patients whose caretakers stated the child had received the treatment regimen exactly as prescribed were considered probably adherent; all other patients were considered probably non-adherent. Reasons for non-adherence were assessed. We found 21.2% (95% CI [15.0-28.4]) of the patients to be certainly non-adherent, 39.4% (95% CI [31.6-47.6]) probably non-adherent, and 39.4% (95% CI [31.6-47.6]) probably adherent. Insufficient explanation by the dispenser was identified as an important reason for non-adherence. When considering the use of ACT, the issue of patient adherence remains challenging. However, it should not be used as an argument against the introduction of ACT. For these treatment regimens to remain efficacious on a long-term basis, specific and locally adapted strategies need to be implemented to ensure completion of the treatment

Genomic organization of the KTX2 gene, encoding a `short' scorpion toxin active on K+ channels

AbstractA single intron of 87 bp, close to the region encoding the C-terminal part of the signal peptide, was found in the gene of the `short' scorpion toxin kaliotoxin 2 of Androctonus australis acting on various types of K+ channels. Its A+T content was particularly high (up to 86%). By walking and ligation-mediated PCR, the promoter sequences of the kaliotoxin 2 gene of Androctonus australis were studied. The transcription unit of the gene is 390 bp long. Consensus sequences were identified. The genes of `short' scorpion toxins active on K+ channels are organized similarly to those of the `long' scorpion toxins active on Na+ channels and not like those of structurally related insect defensins, which are intronless

Fabrication de chikwangue au Congo

Ce rapport fait état, d'une part, des résultats obtenus dans le cadre de recherches entreprises pour définir les contextes dans lesquels il est prévu de diffuser un produit nouveau, la "chiwangue Agricongo", ainsi que les procédés et les équipements mis au point de fabrication et, d'autre part, des actions menées à l'échelle pilote en vue d'assurer la diffusion de ces innovations. A partir d'enquêtes réalisées, à Brazzaville et sur toute l'étendue du territoire, les modalités de consommation de la chikwangue au Congo ont été décrites et son importance dans la ration alimentaire des congolais précisée. Les préférences exprimées et le comportement des consommateurs de chikwangue vis-à vis de leur aliment de base ont été analysés. Si la chikwangue reste l'aliment de base préféré des congolais, l'importance de sa consommation varie en fonction de certains facteurs éco-socioéconomiques. D'autres enquêtes réalisées dans le même temps ont permis d'inventorier et de décrire les variantes et les innovations endogènes apparues dans les procédés de fabrication de la chikwangue en zones rurales et le mode de fonctionnement des ateliers urbains de fabrication. Le rendement des transformations et la durée et la pénibilité des différentes étapes ont été mesurés. Les procédés et les équipements mis au point à partir de 1987 par Agricongo sont décrits ainsi que, en comparaison avec les systèmes traditionnels, le système de production du groupement de producteurs agricoles dans lequel une ligne de fabrication a été installée en 1991. Les études réalisées pour évaluer le réseau mis en place pour assurer la distribution du produit et l'acceptabilité des produits, des procédés et des équipements montrent que le produit est très bien accepté et que le choix de le commercialiser dans un réseau de petits commerces est judicieux. Malheureusement, les équipements se sont révélés mal adaptés aux contextes socio-économiques, insuffisamment analysés au moment du démarrage du projet. D'autre part, le coût de l'amortissement des machines et la cherté de la matière première en ville ne permet pas d'envisager d'installer des lignes de fabrication en zones urbaines. D'autre part, une fiabilité encore insuffisante des machines rend aléatoire leur installation près des zones de production en raison des problèmes de maintenance. Par ailleurs, la diffusion des équipements pris séparément est difficile, compte tenu de leur coût et du faible niveau habituel d'investissement des ateliers traditionnels. Toutefois, la description rigoureuse des modalités de consommation et de transformation de la chikwangue existant actuellement au Congo permet à Agricongo, promoteur du projet, de dresser un cahier des charges précis pour les aménagements à faire subir aux procédés et aux équipements en vue de les rendre complètement adaptés aux contestes technologiques et économiques qui prévalent au Congo. (Résumé d'auteur

On the calibration of a superconducting gravimeter using absolute gravity measurements

International audienceA 24 hr continuous parallel registration between an absolute free-fall gravimeter and a relative cryogenic gravimeter is analysed. Different adjustment procedures (L,, L2 norms) are applied to the sets of absolute and relative readings in order to estimate the value of the calibration factor of the superconducting meter, as well as its uncertainty. In addition, a sensitivity test is performed to investigate the influence of some parameters (like the laser frequency and its short-term drift) upon this factor. The precision in the calibration factor is found to be better than 1 per cent, but systematic effects related to the short time interval may add another one and half per cent uncertainty. From preliminary results, it appears that this calibration experiment leads to a close agreement between the values of the gravimetric factor for the reference tidal wave O1 observed with the superconducting meter and the theoretical value (Dehant-Wahr body tide + ocean loading)

Dysbindin-1 in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of schizophrenia cases is reduced in an isoform-specific manner unrelated to altered dysbindin-1 gene expression

DTNBP1 (dystrobrevin binding protein 1) remains one of the top candidate genes in schizophrenia. Reduced expression of this gene and the protein it encodes, dysbindin-1, has been reported in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of schizophrenia cases. It has not been established, however, if all dysbindin-1 isoforms are reduced in the DLPFC or if the reduction is associated with reduced DTNBP1 gene expression. Using Western blotting of whole-tissue lysates of the DLPFC with antibodies differentially sensitive to the three major isoforms of this protein (dysbindin-1A, -1B, and -1C), we found no significant differences between our schizophrenia cases and matched controls in dysbindin-1A or -1B, but did find a mean 46% reduction in dysbindin-1C in 71% of 28 case-control pairs (p = 0.022). This occurred in the absence of the one DTNBP1 risk haplotype for schizophrenia reported in the US and without alteration in levels of dysbindin-1C transcripts. Conversely, the absence of changes in the dysbindin-1A and -1B isoforms was accompanied by increased levels of their transcripts. We thus found no correspondence between alterations in dysbindin-1 gene and protein expression, the latter of which might be due to posttranslational modifications such as ubiquitination. Reduced DLPFC dysbindin-1C in schizophrenia probably occurs in PSDs, where we find dysbindin-1C to be heavily concentrated in the human brain. Given known postsynaptic effects of dysbindin-1 reductions in the rodent homolog of the prefrontal cortex, these findings suggest that reduced dysbindin-1C in the DLPFC may contribute to cognitive deficits of schizophrenia by promoting NMDA receptor hypofunction