Monotonicity of Social Optima With Respect to Participation Constraints.

In this paper we consider solutions which select from the core. For games with side payments with at least four players, it is well-known that no core-selection satifies monotonicity for all coalitions; for the particular class of core-selections found by maximizing a social welfare function over the core, we investigate whether such solutions are monotone for a given coalition. It is shown that if this is the case then the solution actually maximizes aggregate coalition payoff on the core. Furthermore, the social welfare function to be maximized exhibits larger marginal social welfare with respect to the payoff of any member of the coalition. The results may be used to show that there are no monotonic core selection rules of this type in the context of games without side payments.coalitional games; monotonicity; core; social welfare

Composition of volatile compounds in bovine milk heat treated by instant infusion pasteurization and correlation to sensory analysis

Volatile compounds in skim milk and nonstandardised milk subjected to instant infusion pasteurisation at 80°C, 100°C and 120°C were compared with raw milk, high temperature short time pasteurised milk and milk pasteurised at 85°C/30 s. The composition of volatile compounds differed between infusion pasteurisation treated samples and the reference pasteurisations. The sensory properties of skim milk subjected to instant infusion pasteurisation were described by negative attributes, such as cardboard sour and plastic flavours, which are not associated normally with fresh milk. Partial least squares modelling showed good correlation between the volatile compounds and the sensory properties, indicating the predictive and possible causal importance of the volatile compounds for the sensory characteristics

A Unifying Framework for the Problem of Adjudicating Conflicting Claims

In a recent paper, Thomson and Yeh [Operators for the adjudication of conflicting claims, Journal of Economic Theory 143 (2008) 177-198] introduced the concept of operators on the space of rules for the problem of adjudicating conflicting claims. They focussed on three operators in order to uncover the structure of such a space. In this paper, we generalize their analysis upon presenting and studying a general family of operators inspired by three apparently unrelated approaches to the problem of adjudicating conflicting claims. We study the structural properties of this family and show, in particular, that most of Thomson and Yeh’s results are specific cases of our study.rationing; operators; baselines; composition; claims

Biotechnological Trends in Spider and Scorpion Antivenom Development

Spiders and scorpions are notorious for their fearful dispositions and their ability to inject venom into prey and predators, causing symptoms such as necrosis, paralysis, and excruciating pain. Information on venom composition and the toxins present in these species is growing due to an interest in using bioactive toxins from spiders and scorpions for drug discovery purposes and for solving crystal structures of membrane-embedded receptors. Additionally, the identification and isolation of a myriad of spider and scorpion toxins has allowed research within next generation antivenoms to progress at an increasingly faster pace. In this review, the current knowledge of spider and scorpion venoms is presented, followed by a discussion of all published biotechnological efforts within development of spider and scorpion antitoxins based on small molecules, antibodies and fragments thereof, and next generation immunization strategies. The increasing number of discovery and development efforts within this field may point towards an upcoming transition from serum-based antivenoms towards therapeutic solutions based on modern biotechnology

No bias of ignored bilaterality when analysing the revision risk of knee prostheses: Analysis of a population based sample of 44,590 patients with 55,298 knee prostheses from the national Swedish Knee Arthroplasty Register

BACKGROUND: The current practice of the Swedish Knee Register is not to take into consideration if one or both knees in a patient are subject to surgery when evaluating risk of revision after arthroplasty. Risk calculations are typically done by statistical methods, such as Kaplan-Meier analyses and Cox's proportional hazards models, that are based on the assumption that observed events are independent, and this is rarely appreciated. The purpose of this study was to investigate if ignoring bilateral operations when using these methods biases the results. METHODS: The bias of not taking bilateral operations into account was investigated by statistically analysing 55 298 prostheses in 44 590 patients, undergoing knee arthroplasty surgery in Sweden during 1985–1999, using traditional proportional hazards analysis, which assumes that all observations are independent, and a shared gamma frailty model, which allows patients to contribute repeated observations. RESULTS: The effect of neglecting bilateral prostheses is minute, possibly because bilateral prosthesis failure is a rare event. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the revision risk of knee prostheses in general can be analysed without consideration for subject dependency, at least in study populations with a relatively low proportion of subjects having experienced bilateral revisions

Effects of prenatal exposure to diesel exhaust particles on postnatal development, behavior, genotoxicity and inflammation in mice

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Results from epidemiological studies indicate that particulate air pollution constitutes a hazard for human health. Recent studies suggest that diesel exhaust possesses endocrine activity and therefore may affect reproductive outcome. This study in mice aimed to investigate whether exposure to diesel exhaust particles (DEP; NIST 2975) would affect gestation, postnatal development, activity, learning and memory, and biomarkers of transplacental toxicity. Pregnant mice (C57BL/6; BomTac) were exposed to 19 mg/m³DEP (~1·10⁶particles/cm³; mass median diameter ≅ 240 nm) on gestational days 9–19, for 1 h/day.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Gestational parameters were similar in control and diesel groups. Shortly after birth, body weights of DEP offspring were slightly lower than in controls. This difference increased during lactation, so by weaning the DEP exposed offspring weighed significantly less than the control progeny. Only slight effects of exposure were observed on cognitive function in female DEP offspring and on biomarkers of exposure to particles or genotoxic substances.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In utero exposure to DEP decreased weight gain during lactation. Cognitive function and levels of biomarkers of exposure to particles or to genotoxic substances were generally similar in exposed and control offspring. The particle size and chemical composition of the DEP and differences in exposure methods (fresh, whole exhaust versus aged, resuspended DEP) may play a significant role on the biological effects observed in this compared to other studies.</p

A unifying framework for the problem of adjudicating conflicting claims

Clasificación JEL: D63In a recent paper, Thomson and Yeh [Operators for the adjudication of conflicting claims, Journal of Economic Theory 143 (2008) 177-198] introduced the concept of operators on the space of rules for the problem of adjudicating conflicting claims. They focussed on three operators in order to uncover the structure of such a space. In this paper, we generalize their analysis upon presenting and studying a general family of operators inspired by three apparently unrelated approaches to the problem of adjudicating conflicting claims. We study the structural properties of this family and show, in particular, that most of Thomson and Yeh¿s results are specific cases of our study.Universidad Pablo de Olavide. Departamento de Economía, Métodos Cuantitativos e Historia Económic