When corporatism leads to corporate governance failure : the case of Swiss watch industry

Corporatism is often seen as the way Swiss stakeholders in business and politics handle industrial challenges in a reasonable and flexible way. The following publication argues, however, that the emergence of corporatist structures in the Swiss watch industry has often encouraged rent-seeking and collusion at the expense of the creation of new markets through innovation. This legacy makes it currently difficult for the industry to effectively respond to new technological challenges and changing societal preferences in the global watch business. The report draws on archival sources, accessible since 2015, that were extensively discussed in the Swiss print media in early 2016. They provide increasing evidence of corporate governance failure in the 1983 merger of SSIH (Société suisse pour l’industrie horlogère) and ASUAG (Allgemeine Schweizerische Uhrenindustrie AG) that led to today’s Swatch Group. The merger, induced by the involved Swiss banks, was portrayed as a necessary step to save the two allegedly bankrupt watch companies. Yet, the archival sources show that ASUAG had already been successfully restructured and was ready to conquer global markets with its new product, the Swatch

Untersuchung der Variablen des Chevron-Kerb-Verfahrens bei der Bruchzähigkeitsbestimmung von Zirkonoxid

Objectives Due to the increasing demand for esthetic and durable dental restorations, ceramic dental materials such as zirconia must be tested for their technical properties, such as fracture toughness. There are a number of different testing procedures for assessing individual mechanical properties, which must be reproducible and accurate. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of different methodological variables of the Chevron-Notch-Beam method (CNB) on the determination of the fracture toughness of dental zirconia. Materials and Methods For this study, 103 test specimens were procuced in oversized dimension from partially-sintered zirconia blocks (IPS e.max ZIRCAD MO, Ivoclar Vivadent, Schaan, Liechtenstein) using a linear precision saw. All test specimens were notched in the center according to the recommendation of ASTM C1421 and ISO 24370 for the chevron-notch-beam-method and sintered to the final dimensions of 〖25 x 3 x 4 mm〗^3 with the notch opening facing upward. After sintering, the specimens were assessed for bending, classified as concave or convex in relation to the notch tip, and subsequently ground flat. Geometric notch details such as notch radius and notch width were measured under the optical microscope. The specimens were dried for three hours at 150 ℃ and then stored in silicone oil. Fracture tests were performed in a universal testing machine using the four-point bending method with a support span of 20 mm and a loading span of 10 mm. A compressive pre-load of 200 N was inflicted to the tensile side of the specimen three times to damage the tip of the notch and produce a defined incipient crack. The fracture test was performed with the notch tip under tension with a cross-section speed rate of 0.05 mm/min. Fracture toughness was calculated from the fracture force and the geometric parameters. The fracture surfaces were analyzed by light microscopy and the results of both the fracture toughness measurements and the various process variables were statistically evaluated. Results The measured values of the fracture toughness K_Ic showed a normal distribution (p=0,403) with an average value of 5,245±0,149MPa√m for all valid test specimens. The values of the parameters notch offset, geometry ratio l_0⁄W as well as notch radius had no statistically significant influence on the result of the fracture toughness measurements. The bending direction of the specimens had a small but significant influence on the measured value (Welch's test; p<0,0001). The concave bent specimens showed a slightly higher K_Ic value (5,216±0,127 MPa√m) than the convex bent specimens (5,156±0,147 MPa√m). In addition, statistical differences between the individual blocks could also be observed (Kruskal-Wallis test; p=0,0002). A total of seven samples were not included in the statistics. They either showed an invalid force-displacement-behaviour, an arrest line on their fracture surface or were not ground plane-parallel. Conclusions This study demonstrated that the result of the fracture toughness determination of zirconia is independent of the geometric variables notch offset, notch radius and geometry ratio l_0⁄W of the chevron-notch-beam method within the evaluated range. However, it became apparent that the bending direction of the sintered beam specimens has a significant influence on fracture toughness, even if it is rather low. The fracture toughness measured in the test series with a measurement result of 5,245 MPa√m is within the range of the results available in the literature for the tested material and thus confirms the reliability of the measurement method. It is advisable to increase the range of validity of the geometric variables defined in the standard documents in order to facilitate testing procedures. The extent to which the observations regarding the distortion of the zirconia test specimens after the sintering process can be transferred to the clinical situation must be further investigated.Zielsetzung Durch die steigende Nachfrage nach ästhetischem und langlebigem Zahnersatz müssen keramische Dentalwerkstoffe wie Zirkonoxid auf ihre technischen Eigenschaften, wie beispielsweise der Bruchzähigkeit, untersucht werden. Dabei gibt es eine Reihe verschiedener Versuchsdurchführungen, um ihre mechanischen Eigenschaften zu prüfen. Diese Verfahren müssen exakt und reproduzierbar sein. So war das Ziel dieser Arbeit, den Einfluss verschiedener Prozessvariablen des Chevron-Kerb-Verfahrens (CNB - Chevron-Notch-Beam) zur Bestimmung der Bruchzähigkeit von dentalem Zirkonoxid zu untersuchen. Material und Methoden Für diese Studie wurden 103 Prüfkörper in überdimensionierter Größe aus teilgesinterten Zirkonoxidblöcken (IPS e.max ZIRCAD MO, Ivoclar Vivadent, Schaan, Liechtenstein) unter Verwendung einer Linear-Präzisionssäge hergestellt. Alle Prüfkörper wurden in der Mitte gemäß der Empfehlung der ASTM C1421 und der ISO 24370 für das Chevron-Kerb-Verfahren gekerbt und auf die Endmaße 〖25 x 3 x 4 mm〗^3 mit der Kerböffnung nach oben ausgerichtet gesintert. Nach dem Sintern wurden die Prüfkörper hinsichtlich ihres Verzugs begutachtet, als konkav oder konvex in Bezug auf die Kerbspitze klassifiziert und anschließend plan geschliffen. Unter dem Lichtmikroskop wurden geometrische Kerbdetails wie z.B. Kerbradius oder Kerbbreite vermessen. Die Prüfkörper wurden drei Stunden bei 150 ℃ getrocknet und anschließend in Silikonöl eingelagert. Die Bruchversuche erfolgten in einer Universalprüfmaschine mit dem Vier-Punkt-Biege-Verfahren mit einem Stützabstand von 20 mm und einem Lastabstand von 10 mm. Es wurde eine dreimalige Vorlast von 200 N auf der Zugseite des Prüfkörpers aufgebracht, um die Kerbspitze zu beschädigen und somit einen definierten Anriss zu erzeugen. Beim Bruchversuch befand sich die Kerbspitze unter Zugspannung. Die Traversengeschwindigkeit betrug dabei 0,05 mm/min. Die Bruchzähigkeit wurde aus der Bruchkraft und den geometrischen Parametern berechnet. Die Bruchflächen wurden lichtmikros-kopisch analysiert und die Ergebnisse sowohl der Bruchzähigkeitsmessungen als auch der verschiedenen Prozessvariablen statistisch ausgewertet. Ergebnisse Die gemessenen Werte der Bruchzähigkeit K_Ic zeigten bei allen verwertbaren Prüfstücken eine Normalverteilung (p=0,403) mit einem Mittelwert von 5,245±0,149 MPa√m. Die Werte der Parameter Kerbversatz, Geometrieverhältnis l_0⁄W sowie Kerbradius hatten keinen statistisch signifikanten Einfluss auf das Ergebnis der Bruchzähigkeitsmessungen. Die Biegerichtung der Proben hatte jedoch einen kleinen, dennoch signifikanten Einfluss auf den Messwert (Welch´s Test; p<0,0001). Die konkav gebogenen Proben wiesen einen leicht höheren K_Ic-Wert (5,216±0,127 MPa√m) als die konvex gebogenen Proben (5,156±0,147 MPa√m) auf. Des Weiteren ließen sich auch statistische Unterschiede zwischen den einzelnen Blöcken beobachten (Kruskal-Wallis Test; p=0,0002). Insgesamt wurden sieben Proben bei der Statistik nicht berücksichtigt. Sie zeigten entweder ein ungültiges Kraft-Verformungs-Verhalten, eine sog. Arrest Line auf ihrer Bruchfläche oder waren nicht planparallel geschliffen. Schlussfolgerungen Mit dieser Studie konnte nachgewiesen werden, dass das Ergebnis der Bruchzähigkeitsbestimmung von Zirkonoxid innerhalb des ausgewerteten Bereichs unabhängig von den geometrischen Variablen Kerbversatz, Kerbradius sowie dem Geometrieverhältnisses l_0⁄W des Chevron-Kerb-Verfahrens ist. Jedoch wurde ersichtlich, dass die Biegerichtung der gesinterten Prüfkörper durchaus einen signifikanten Einfluss auf die Bruchzähigkeit hat, auch wenn dieser eher gering ist. Die in der Versuchsreihe gemessene Bruchzähigkeit liegt mit einem Messergebnis von 5,245 MPa√m im Bereich der in der Literatur vorliegenden Ergebnisse für das getestete Material und bestätigt somit die Zuverlässigkeit des Messverfahrens. Es empfiehlt sich, den Gültigkeitsbereich der in den Normen festgelegten geometrischen Größen zu erweitern, um Prüfverfahren zu erleichtern. Inwiefern sich die Beobachtungen hinsichtlich des Verzugs der Zirkonoxid-Prüfkörper nach dem Sintervorgang auf die klinische Situation mit keramischem Zahnersatz übertragen lässt, sollte in weiteren Studien erforscht werden

'Amalgamation of Export with Import Information: The Economic Complexity Index as a Coherent Driver of Sustainability’

Countries that achieve economic complexity in a holistic way are well-prepared to respond to external shocks through internal processes that may also improve their resilience. This article suggests that the Economic Complexity Index (ECI) can capture this ‘resilience dimension’ of complex economies and assesses their contribution to sustainable change through the amalgamation of export and import information. This novel methodological approach incorporates import information by applying amalgamation on a pre S-Level, which is based on the Lie-Trotter methodology, inducing a Random Walk on a Graph. In the empirical part, this procedure is examined. It shows that the ECI ranking may not always reflect the underlying internal economic complexity of a country, and with it, the country’s resilience and contribution to sustainable change. The novel approach is to some extent comparable with the degree of eligibility criteria of the original ECI and consistent with the organic evolutionary character of complex economies. After translating the ECI framework into its stochastic counterpart, the proofs of its interpretation in statistic and probabilistic terms, and its relationship to the Shannon Entropy are conducted. Coherency conditions of sustainability as further eligibility criteria are formulated and the degree of coherency of the ECI is investigated. In view of the challenges related to data preparation, we suggest applying the approach to a broader set of data including import information in order to gain additional insights in a country’s internal economic complexity and resilienc

Treatment of residual pockets with photodynamic therapy, diode laser, or deep scaling. A randomized, split-mouth controlled clinical trial

The objective of this work was to compare the effects of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (PDT), diode soft laser therapy (DSL), and thorough deep scaling and root planing (SRP) for treatment of residual pockets. Thirty-two subjects with a history of non-surgical treatment for chronic periodontitis were included. Residual pockets >4mm and bleeding upon probing were debrided with an ultrasonic device and then subjected to either PDT, DSL, or SRP. Pocket probing depth (PPD), bleeding on probing (BOP), and gingival recession were monitored over 6months. Counts of four microorganisms were determined by direct hybridization with RNA probes. PPD decreased from 5.6 ± 1.0 to 3.8 ± 1.1 in 6months (p 4mm with BOP depended on initial PPD (p = 0.036) and was higher if treated with DSL (p = 0.034). Frequencies of three microorganisms were significantly lower in PDT- and SRP-treated than in DSL-treated quadrants (p = 0.02) after 14days, but not at months 2 and 6. All three treatments resulted in a significant clinical improvement. PDT and SRP suppressed Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, and Treponema denticola stronger, and resulted in fewer persisting pockets after 6months, than DSL applicatio

Mechanism of Ubiquitin-Chain Formation by the Human Anaphase-Promoting Complex

SummaryThe anaphase-promoting complex (APC/C) orchestrates progression through mitosis by decorating cell-cycle regulators with ubiquitin chains. To nucleate chains, the APC/C links ubiquitin to a lysine in substrates, but to elongate chains it modifies lysine residues in attached ubiquitin moieties. The mechanism enabling the APC/C, and ubiquitin ligases in general, to switch from lysine residues in substrates to specific ones in ubiquitin remains poorly understood. Here, we determine the topology and the mechanism of assembly for the ubiquitin chains mediating functions of the human APC/C. We find that the APC/C triggers substrate degradation by assembling K11-linked ubiquitin chains, the efficient formation of which depends on a surface of ubiquitin, the TEK-box. Strikingly, homologous TEK-boxes are found in APC/C substrates, where they facilitate chain nucleation. We propose that recognition of similar motifs in substrates and ubiquitin enables the APC/C to assemble ubiquitin chains with the specificity and efficiency required for tight cell-cycle control

Context-Driven Interactive Query Simulations Based on Generative Large Language Models

Simulating user interactions enables a more user-oriented evaluation of information retrieval (IR) systems. While user simulations are cost-efficient and reproducible, many approaches often lack fidelity regarding real user behavior. Most notably, current user models neglect the user's context, which is the primary driver of perceived relevance and the interactions with the search results. To this end, this work introduces the simulation of context-driven query reformulations. The proposed query generation methods build upon recent Large Language Model (LLM) approaches and consider the user's context throughout the simulation of a search session. Compared to simple context-free query generation approaches, these methods show better effectiveness and allow the simulation of more efficient IR sessions. Similarly, our evaluations consider more interaction context than current session-based measures and reveal interesting complementary insights in addition to the established evaluation protocols. We conclude with directions for future work and provide an entirely open experimental setup.Comment: Accepted at ECIR 2024 (Full Paper

Ursachen von Preisvolatilität auf Agrarmärkten

Was sind die Ursachen hoher Preisvolatilität auf den globalen Agrarmärkten? In der öffentlichen Diskussion wird oft die «Finanzialisierung» des Agrarhandels für die stark schwankenden Nahrungsmittelpreise verantwortlich gemacht. Dabei wird übersehen, dass Preisbewegungen primär auf Veränderungen der Verfügbarkeit von global handelbaren Nahrungsmitteln zurückzuführen sind. Diese realwirtschaftlichen Verhältnisse werden von der Politik und weniger von Finanzmärkten, die diese primär nachbilden, beeinflusst. Nachhaltige Ernährungssicherung bedingt institutionelle Rahmenbedingungen, die Anreize schaffen, in die Landwirtschaft zu investieren, und den fairen Handel mit Agrargütern ermöglichen

Early biomarker response and patient preferences to oral and intramuscular vitamin B12 substitution in primary care: a randomised parallel-group trial

Vitamin B12 (VB12) deficiency can be treated with oral high-dose substitution or intramuscular (i.m.) injection of VB12. Whenever alternative routes of administration exist, patient preferences should be considered when choosing the treatment. We aimed to assess outpatient preferences towards oral or IM VB12 substitution and confirm noninferiority of early biomarker response with oral treatment, in a typical primary care population.; Prospective randomised nonblinded parallel-group trial. Patients were recruited by their general practitioner and randomly assigned to oral or IM treatment. Group O-oral was given 28 tablets of 1000 µg cyanocobalamin in a monthly punch card fitted with an electronic monitoring system. Group I-IM received four, weekly injections of 1000 µg hydroxocobalamin. Blood samples were drawn before the first administration and after 1, 2 and 4 weeks of treatment, and analysed for VB12, holotranscobalamin (HoloTc), homocysteine (Hcy) and methylmalonic acid (MMA). For group O-oral, treatment adher-ence and percentage of days with 2 dosing events were calcu-lated. Before and after 28 days of treatment, patients were asked to fill in a questionnaire about their preference for the therapy options and associated factors.; Between November 2013 and December 2015, 37 patients (age: 49.5 ± 18.5 years; women: 60.5%) were recruited for oral (19) or IM (18) treatment. Baseline values with 95% confidence intervals for serum VB12, HoloTc, Hcy and MMA were 158 pmol/l [145-172], 49.0 pmol/l [40.4-57.5], 14.8 µmol/l [12.0-17.7] and 304 nmol/l [219-390], respective-ly, in group O-oral and 164 pmol/l [154-174], 50.1 pmol/l [38.7-61.6], 13.0 µmol/l [11.0-15.1] and 321 nmol/l [215-427], respectively, in group I-IM (not significant). After 1 month of treatment, levels of VB12 and HoloTc showed a significant increase compared with baseline (group O-oral: VB12 354 pmol/l [298-410] and HoloTc 156 pmol/l [116-196]; group I-IM: VB12 2796 pmol/l [1277-4314] and HoloTc 1269 pmol/l [103-2435]). Hcy and MMA levels showed a significant decrease compared with baseline (group O-oral: Hcy 13.8 µmol/l [10.7-16.8] and MMA 168 nmol/l [134-202]; group I-IM: Hcy 8.5 µmol/l [7.1-9.8] and MMA 156 nmol/l [121-190]). HoloTc and MMA levels were normalised in all patients after 4 weeks of treatment, whereas normalisation of VB12 and Hcy was reached by all patients in group I-IM only. Response of VB12, HoloTc and Hcy was more pronounced in group I-IM (p &lt;0.01) and the primary hypothesis that oral VB12 treatment would be noninfe-rior to IM treatment was rejected. Average adherence to thera-py was 99.6 ± 1.1% and days with 2 dosing events reached 5.6%. Before randomisation, preference was in favour of oral treatment (45.9%, n = 17) over IM administration (21.6%, n = 8). Twelve patients (32.4%) had no preference. Nine (24.3%) patients changed their preference after treatment. Patients who obtained their preferred route of administration main-tained their preference in the case of oral treatment and changed their preference after IM treatment.; Differences in VB12 levels between groups were higher than expected. Therefore, noninferiority of oral treat-ment had to be rejected. However, normalisation of HoloTc and MMA was reached by all patients after a 1-month treatment period. The clinical benefit of the exaggerated biomarker re-sponse after IM treatment within a typical primary care popula-tion is questionable. Midterm biomarker effects and patient preferences should be considered when a therapeutic scheme is chosen. Initial rating in favour of either IM or oral therapy can change over time and justifies repeated re-evaluation of patient preferences. (ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT01832129)

Diversität in der F5 von dynamisch evolvierenden Weizen Composite Cross Populationen

Three winter wheat composite cross (CC) populations were created in 2001 in the UK consisting either of 20 modern wheat parents (called A Population), a subset of 12 high quality parents (Q), or a subset of 9 high yielding parents (Y). Seed of the F4 was transferred to the University of Kassel in 2005 and the populations were grown since then under organic and conventional conditions in well separated large (>100m2) plots in two parallel sets (12 populations total) without conscious selection applied. In the conventional system fungicides and insecticides were not applied to expose the populations to natural pest and disease pressure. Morphological diversity, diseases, and yield were assessed in the field every season. The parents and a total of 1379 single plants of 23 single seed progenies of the F5 were tested in the laboratory for their combined resistance to three brown rust isolates. Only one progeny was homogenous in reaction, all others were mixtures of two to eight three-locus genotypes. Despite the supposed inbreeding structure of wheat one association in the Q progenies was random suggesting recent out-crossing. Thus, diversity and heterogeneity was still high in the F6 with evidence that out-crossing still played a role and contributed to this heterogeneity