Corruption and competition in procurement

We consider a procurement problem in which the procurement agent is supposed to allocate the realization of a project according to a competitive mechanism that values bids in terms of the proposed price and quality. Potential bidders have private information about their production costs. Since the procurement agent is also in charge of verifying delivered quality, in exchange for a bribe, he can allow an arbitrary firm to be awarded the realization of the project and to produce a quality level lower than the announced. We compute the equilibrium level of corruption and we study the impact on corruption of the competitiveness of the environment, and in particular of: i) an increase in the number of potential suppliers of the good or service to be procured, ii) competitive (rather than collusive) behavior of procurement agents, and iii) an increase of competition in the market for procurement agents. We identify the effects that influence the equilibrium level of corruption and show that, contrary to conventional wisdom, corruption may well be increasing in competition.

Comportamiento alimentario de Engraulis rigens, a finales del invierno 1998. Crucero de evaluación hidroacustica de recursos pelágicos 9808-09

Se analizaron 538 estómagos de anchoveta, colectados entre el 24 de agosto y 17 de setiembre de 1998. La anchoveta se alimentó principalmente de copépodos y eufaúsidos y en menor cantidad de diatomeas y dinoflagelados. La similitud alimentaria latitudinal fue significativa entre las zonas 11°02 'S y 15°59 'S, basada en el alto consumo de organismos zooplanctónicos. La ración diaria de alimentación ha disminuido en 26,6% y se ha incrementado en 22,4% respecto a la obtenida en los cruceros 9709-10 y 9803-05. Estos cambios dependerían de las condiciones ambientales propiciadas por El Niño 1997-98

Syndromes néoplasiques héréditaires avec atteinte cutanée [Cutaneous lesions in genetic tumor syndromes]

Genetic tumor syndromes reflect an inherited predisposition to develop benign and malignant tumors. Increased frequency of neoplasms within the family or occurring at an early age are clinical clues for a possible underlying genetic susceptibility. Awareness of their associated cutaneous manifestations can facilitate early detection of risk for tumors. The goal of this article is to review clinical and molecular features of some genetic tumor syndrome which present with skin involvement at birth or during childhood.

MELANGES littéraires et généalogiques.

Contient : Lettre de Mlle de Seine (corrigez de Soins) à Mrs de l'Académie française, de Bruxelles, le 7 mars 1735, signée ; « De Seine, femme de Quinaut du Fresne. » ; « Principes de Déisme, ou examen des livres attribués à Moyse » ; Lettre de Louis d'Orléans, [duc de Chartres] à l'abbé Sallier (s. d.) ; Quatre lettres de Balzac à [René de Voyer] d'Argenson (26 décembre 1645-1er mai 1653) ; Lettre d'un prince hindou en faveur des négociants français (s. d.) ; Ordre donné par Gaston d'Orléans au gouverneur de la Bastille de tirer sur les troupes royales (2 juillet 1662) ; original (fac. sim. dans La Bibliothèque nationale, t. I, p. 104 ; Lettre de Voiture [au prince de Condé] (s. d.) ; Analyse de l'indult donné par Paul III au cardinal Charles de Lorraine, le 20 mai 1543 ; « Manière de se servir des pièces artificielles de l'organe de l'ouïe et de la vue faites par le sr Mastiani, médecin sicilien » (incomplet de la fin) ; « Extrait d'un mémoire remis à la Porte par le comte de Bonneval, par ordre du Sultan, le 4 février 1741. » ; Remarques sur la régence de Philippe, duc d'Orléans ; Note sur un ms. du Roman de Rou copié par A. Duchesne [collection Duchesne, t. 79] ; Note sur Jean le Bon, considéré comme protecteur des lettres ; Note, en italien, sur une pierre gravée à légende grecque (avec un dessin de la pierre) ; Notes sur les présidents des enquêtes et des requêtes du Parlement de Paris ; Notice des privilèges concédés par Gaston, comte de Foix, aux seigneurs de Loos (1376), en béarnais ; copie authentique de 1577 ; Bulle de Sixte IV pour l'église de Notre-Dame-de-Noyon (7 octobre 1474) ; Notice historique sur la ville de Cambrai ; Note historique sur la ville d'Auxerre, et récit des dévastations des Calvinistes dans ladite ville et aux environs ; Généalogie de la maison de Pons-Saint-Maurice, tirée du cabinet de Clairambault ; Généalogie de la famille Boucherat ; Note sur les droits de l'Université de Paris à la foire du Lendit ; Lettre de Colbert à Mazarin (26 juillet 1653) ; Notes sur la généalogie de la maison de Noailles, parmi lesquelles (f. 175) une notice autographe de Du Bouchet sur Antoine de Noailles (1520-1563) et (f. 179) une lettre de M. de Gordon-Mirabel [à Baluze] (28 juin 1716) ; Généalogie de la famille de Salagnat ; Notice sur les origines de la famille Séguier, de la main de Du Bouchet ; Lettres de Bertrand, évêque de la Sabine (1354) et bulle de Grégoire XIII (11 janvier 1573), extraites des archives du chapitre de Rodez ; Généalogie de la famille de Bonneval ; placard imprimé, et notes diverses sur l'histoire de cette famille ; Inventaire de titres concernant Nogent-le-Rotrou (1102-1401) ; Notice sur Jean de Selve (+ 1529), et notes sur l'histoire de sa famille ; Lettre de Gilles La Carry, S. J., au cardinal de Bouillon (Clermont en Auvergne, 7 juillet 1678), accompagnant une mémoire du même sur les anciens comtes de Bourges et d'Auvergne ; Mémoire sur les cartulaires de l'église de Brioude ; Lettres de Jean, comte de Boulogne et d'Auvergne, portant fondation de divers anniversaires en la chapelle de Vic-le-Comte, d'après une inscription de la dite chapelle, copie de 1703 ; Notes sur diverses pièces à produire pour la généalogie de M. de Noailles ; Deux lettres de Guillaume de Saint-Laurent à Baluze (avriljuillet 1698) ; Lettre d'Alexandre IV à saint Louis, en faveur de l'église de Brioude (5 août 1259) ; Notices de donations faites à l'église de Clermont ; Généalogie de la famille de l'Estang ; Extrait du testament de Guillaume de Chanac, patriarche d'Alexandrie, envoyé à Mabillon, et notes diverses sur ce personnage et la famille de Chanac ; Inventaire des titres concernant la maison de Licques (1455-1712) ; Volumes de la Byzantine existant à la bibliothèque du « Metoque » [à Constantinople] ; Notes sur le texte de Platon ; Extraits des archives de Montauban concernant Arnaud, patriarche d'Alexandrie ; Généalogie de la maison de Jugé ; Lettre de A. de la Forestie à M. de Jugé, « secrétaire de la Chambre du roy » (Bordeaux, 13 janvier 1596) ; original ; Lettres royaux nommant Sébastien de Jugé en l'office de secrétaire de la Chambre du roi (31 décembre 1580) ; Trois lettres de M. Duverdier à Baluze (Tulle, 20 mai 1694-14 avril 1695) ; Factum pour M. Pierre de la Garde, contre Jeanne de Bivezac et Marie de Cosnac, imprimé de 4 pages in-8° ; Notice de titres concernant la famille Dixmier (1492-1707) ; Lettre de Jean, évêque d'Aix, à Blanche, veuve de Philippe de Valois [1387] ; Généalogie de la famille Fouchier de Sainte-Fortunade ; Testament de Gui de Maillesec, évêque de Preneste (12 septembre 1407) ; Testament de Pierre de B[enac,] cardinal-prêtre du titre de Saint-Laurent in Damaso ; Lettre de J. Collin à Baluze, lui annonçant l'envoi du document précédent (Limoges, 16 mars 1660) ; Note sur la famille Roux ; Bulle de Clément pour Manuel de Puget (9 août 1349) ; Extrait d'un catalogue des évêques de Chartres ; Testament du cadinal Guillaume Godin (1335) ; Deux lettres de Jean-Baptiste Fradilhon à Baluze (26 août 1694-5 janvier 1695) ; Lettre de R[ené] Ouvrard à Baluze (Tours, 1er mars 1690) ; Notes généalogiques diverses, en particulier sur la famille de Selve ; Tablettes de cire, papyrus et chartes, planches gravées, extraites du Nouveau traité de diplomatique, des Benédictins

Modified Blalock Taussig shunt: a not-so-simple palliative procedure.

OBJECTIVES: Thirty-two consecutive isolated modified Blalock Taussig (BT) shunts performed in infancy since 2004 were reviewed and analysed to identify the risk factors for shunt intervention and mortality. METHODS: Sternotomy was the only approach used. Median age and weight were 10.5 (range 1-74) days and 2.9 (1.9-4.4) kg, respectively. Shunt palliation was performed for biventricular hearts (Tetralogy of Fallot/double outlet right ventricle/transposition of great arteries_ventricular septal defect_pulmonary stenosis/pulmonary atresia_ventricular septal defect/others) in 21, and univentricular hearts in 11, patients. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome patients were excluded. Two procedures required cardiopulmonary bypass. Median shunt size was 3.5 (3-4) mm and median shunt size/kg body weight was 1.2 (0.9-1.7) mm/kg. Reduction in shunt size was necessary in 5 of 32 (16%) patients. RESULTS: Three of 32 (9%) patients died after 3 (1-15) days due to cardiorespiratory decompensation. Lower body weight (P = 0.04) and bigger shunt size/kg of body weight (P = 0.004) were significant risk factors for mortality. Acute shunt thrombosis was observed in 3 of 32 (9%), none leading to death. Need for cardiac decongestive therapy was associated with univentricular hearts (P < 0.001), bigger shunt size (P = 0.054) and longer hospital stay (P = 0.005). Twenty-eight patients have undergone a successful shunt takedown at a median age of 5.5 (0.5-11.9) months, without late mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Palliation with a modified BT shunt continues to be indicated despite increased thrust on primary corrective surgery. Though seemingly simple, it is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Effective over-shunting and acute shunt thrombosis are the lingering problems of shunt therapy.

Détails de la fête nationale du 14 juillet 1790, arrêtés par le roi ([Reprod.])

Collection : Les archives de la Révolution française ; 6.2.1102

Transobturator surgery for female stress incontinence: a comparative anatomical study of outside-in vs inside-out techniques.

OBJECTIVE To assess the specific risks of injury to neural and vascular structures inherent in two approaches to transobturator surgery for inserting a suburethral sling, i.e. the outside-in (standard technique) and inside-out approaches. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study comprised seven cadavers, providing 14 obturator regions. Five specimens had a tape inserted outside-in on one side, and inside-out on the other; of the remaining two cadavers, one had an inside-out tape and one an outside-in tape, bilaterally. After tape insertion, the cadavers were dissected. Particular attention was paid to the distances between the tape and the deep external pudendal vessels, and between the tape and the posterior branch of the obturator nerve. RESULTS With the inside-out technique, the safety margins were reduced, and the external pudendal vessels and the posterior branch of the obturator nerve were at greater risk of injury. CONCLUSION The two techniques are not equivalent, with a lower risk of injury to vascular and nerve structures with the outside-in technique.

Identification of ectodysplasin target genes reveals the involvement of chemokines in hair development.

Ectodysplasin (Eda), a member of the tumor necrosis factor (Tnf) family, regulates skin appendage morphogenesis via its receptor Edar and transcription factor NF-κB. In humans, inactivating mutations in the Eda pathway components lead to hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (HED), a syndrome characterized by sparse hair, tooth abnormalities, and defects in several cutaneous glands. A corresponding phenotype is observed in Eda-null mice, where failure in the initiation of the first wave of hair follicle development is a hallmark of HED pathogenesis. In an attempt to discover immediate target genes of the Eda/NF-κB pathway, we performed microarray profiling of genes differentially expressed in embryonic skin explants after a short exposure to recombinant Fc-Eda protein. Upregulated genes included components of the Wnt, fibroblast growth factor, transforming growth factor-β, Tnf, and epidermal growth factor families, indicating that Eda modulates multiple signaling pathways implicated in skin appendage development. Surprisingly, we identified two ligands of the chemokine receptor cxcR3, cxcl10 and cxcl11, as new hair-specific transcriptional targets of Eda. Deficiency in cxcR3 resulted in decreased primary hair follicle density but otherwise normal hair development, indicating that chemokine signaling influences the patterning of primary hair placodes only.

Thrombin-receptor antagonist vorapaxar in acute coronary syndromes

Background: Vorapaxar is a new oral protease-activatedreceptor 1 (PAR-1) antagonist that inhibits thrombin-induced platelet activation. Methods: In this multinational, double-blind, randomized trial, we compared vorapaxar with placebo in 12,944 patients who had acute coronary syndromes without ST-segment elevation. The primary end point was a composite of death from cardiovascular causes, myocardial infarction, stroke, recurrent ischemia with rehospitalization, or urgent coronary revascularization. RESULTS: Follow-up in the trial was terminated early after a safety review. After a median follow-up of 502 days (interquartile range, 349 to 667), the primary end point occurred in 1031 of 6473 patients receiving vorapaxar versus 1102 of 6471 patients receiving placebo (KaplanMeier 2-year rate, 18.5% vs. 19.9%; hazard ratio, 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.85 to 1.01; P = 0.07). A composite of death from cardiovascular causes, myocardial infarction, or stroke occurred in 822 patients in the vorapaxar group versus 910 in the placebo group (14.7% and 16.4%, respectively; hazard ratio, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.81 to 0.98; P = 0.02). Rates of moderate and severe bleeding were 7.2% in the vorapaxar group and 5.2% in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.16 to 1.58; P<0.001). Intracranial hemorrhage rates were 1.1% and 0.2%, respectively (hazard ratio, 3.39; 95% CI, 1.78 to 6.45; P<0.001). Rates of nonhemorrhagic adverse events were similar in the two groups. Conclusions: In patients with acute coronary syndromes, the addition of vorapaxar to standard therapy did not significantly reduce the primary composite end point but significantly increased the risk of major bleeding, including intracranial hemorrhage. (Funded by Merck; TRACER ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00527943.)

Prognosis in Duke's B colorectal carcinoma: the Jass classification revisited.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether Jass staging enhances prognostic prediction in Dukes' B colorectal carcinoma. DESIGN: A historical cohort observational study. SETTING: A university tertiary care centre, Switzerland. SUBJECTS: 108 consecutive patients. INTERVENTIONS: Curative resection of Dukes' B colorectal carcinoma between January 1985 and December 1988, Patients with familial adenomatous polyposis; hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer; Crohns' disease; ulcerative colitis and synchronous and recurrent tumours were excluded. A comparable group of 155 consecutive patients with Dukes' C carcinoma were included for reference purposes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Disease free and overall survival for Dukes' B and overall survival for Dukes' C tumours. RESULTS: Dukes' B tumours in Jass group III or with an infiltrated margin had a significantly worse disease-free survival (p = 0.001 and 0.0001, respectively) and those with infiltrated margins had a significantly worse overall survival (p = 0.002). Overall survival among those with Dukes' B Jass III and Dukes' B with infiltrated margins was no better than overall survival among all patients with Dukes' C tumours. CONCLUSION: Jass staging and the nature of the margin of invasion allow patients undergoing curative surgery for Dukes' B colorectal carcinoma to be separated into prognostic groups. A group of patients with Dukes' B tumours whose prognosis is inseparable from those with Dukes' C tumours can be identified, the nature of the margin of invasion being used to classify a larger number of patients.

Body mass index and risk of head and neck cancer in a pooled analysis of case-control studies in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) Consortium.

BACKGROUND: Head and neck cancer (HNC) risk is elevated among lean people and reduced among overweight or obese people in some studies; however, it is unknown whether these associations differ for certain subgroups or are influenced by residual confounding from the effects of alcohol and tobacco use or by other sources of biases. METHODS: We pooled data from 17 case-control studies including 12 716 cases and the 17 438 controls. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for associations between body mass index (BMI) at different ages and HNC risk, adjusted for age, sex, centre, race, education, tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption. RESULTS: Adjusted ORs (95% CIs) were elevated for people with BMI at reference (date of diagnosis for cases and date of selection for controls) 25.0-30.0 kg/m(2) (0.52, 0.44-0.60) and BMI >/=30 kg/m(2) (0.43, 0.33-0.57), compared with BMI >18.5-25.0 kg/m(2). These associations did not differ by age, sex, tumour site or control source. Although the increased risk among people with BMI 25 kg/m(2) was present only in smokers and drinkers. CONCLUSIONS: In our large pooled analysis, leanness was associated with increased HNC risk regardless of smoking and drinking status, although reverse causality cannot be excluded. The reduced risk among overweight or obese people may indicate body size is a modifier of the risk associated with smoking and drinking. Further clarification may be provided by analyses of prospective cohort and mechanistic studies.