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Background: The comparison of team sports based on luck has a long tradition and remains unsolved. A contrast between the new Olympic format three-on-three (3 × 3) and five-on-five (5v5) forms of basketball has never been analyzed and provides a comparison within the same form of sports. Methods: We developed a new method to calculate performance indicators for each team and invented the Relative Score Difference Index, a new competitive balance indicator that allows the comparison of luck in the two basketball forms for both men and women. We collected game-level data about 3 × 3 and 5v5 from the World Cups held between 2010 and 2019 (N = 666). Luck was defined as the difference between the expected and the actual outcomes of games. Using the basketball World Cup data, we applied the Surprise Index, ran probit regression models, and compared the basketball forms on the goodness-of-fit of the models. Results: As we predicted, there are differential effects of luck between game formats and sex, such that the 3 × 3 form depends more on luck and women’s games are less influenced by luck when compared to men’s games. Conclusion: Coaches may better understand the differences between the two forms and sexes regarding luck if they are aware that the 3 × 3 and men’s competitions are usually more influenced by luck. The findings provide a leverage point for testing new performances and competition balance indicators and will acknowledge the number of games we enjoy watching.

We describe a statistical approach for the measurement of the newly defined luck-based noise factor in sports. It is defined as the difference between the actual outcome and the expected outcome based on the model predictions. We raise the question whether some sports exhibit a higher level of noise-factor than others, making investments in that sport riskier. Data from 14 individual sports in six Summer Olympic Games between 1996 and 2016 were included in the analysis. Market shares are predicted by the autoregressive linear and zero-inflated beta regression models with exogenous variables, where the higher Normalized Mean Squared Error indicates a higher noise-factor. Modern pentathlon, tennis and cycling showed the highest noise-factors, whereas swimming, table tennis and athletics were the least noisy. Possible reasons are discussed in the paper. Our analysis indicates that countries with suitable resources producing leading elite Olympic athletes are predicted to achieve higher success in sports with a lower noise-factor such as swimming. In contrast, investments in noisy sports, such as e.g., modern pentathlon, are associated with a higher risk.

A piaci verseny kiegyenlitettseget koncentracios mutatokkal merik, amelyek rendszerint statikus merőszamok, peldaul a Herfindahl–Hirschman-index. A sportban a verseny statikus egyensulya mellett lenyeges a dinamikus versenyegyensuly is, amely az erőviszonyok valtozekonysagara utal. A sportligakban kulonos jelentősegű a verseny kiegyensulyozottsaga, mivel osszefugg a sportverseny erdekessegevel. A sportklubok altalaban gazdasagi tarsasagkent műkodnek, ami lehetőve teszi, hogy munka­fel­hasz­nalasi donteseiket es az ebből kialakulo versenyegyensulyt kozgazdasagi modellben vizsgaljuk. A bemutatott elmeleti modell alapjan szimulalt eredmenyek azt mutatjak, hogy azok a bajnoksagok lesznek kiegyensulyozottabbak, ahol a klubok piacmeretei kevesbe szorodnak, magasabb a sporteredmenyektől fuggetlen bevetelek aranya, a nyereseg kisebb hanyadat forgatjak vissza, es kiszamithatatlanabbak a merkőzesek eredmenyei. Azt talaltuk, hogy a statikus es dinamikus egyensulyra gyakorolt hatasok osszefuggnek, am az eredmenyeket befolyasolja a klubok celfuggvenye. Gyakori megoldas a klubok beveteleinek ujraosztasa, ami valoban hatekonyan javitja a versenyegyensulyt, ha a klubok a sporteredmenyuket maximalizaljak, mig profitmaximalizalas mellett nincs pozitiv hatasa. A bemutatott modell elmeleti megalapozast nyujt empirikus elemzesekhez, valamint alkalmazhato hatasvizsgalatok lefolytatasahoz.* Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) kod: D21, L11, L83, Z20.

Introduction Type 2 diabetic patients suffering from severe hyperglycemia are often assigned a regimen involving multiple daily injections (MDI) of insulin. If the glucose toxicity resolves, the regimen can potentially be simplified, but there are no guidelines for this, and many patients are left on the MDI regimen. We aimed to prospectively examine the safety and efficacy of switching from MDI to once-daily IDegLira, a fixed-ratio combination of insulin degludec and liraglutide, in relatively well controlled (HbA1c ≤ 7.5%) subjects with type 2 diabetes on a low total daily insulin dose (TDD). Methods 62 adults with type 2 diabetes (baseline age 64.06 ± 10.24 years, HbA1c 6.42 ± 0.68%, BMI 33.53 ± 6.90 kg/m2, body weight 93.81 ± 19.26 kg, TDD 43.31 ± 10.99 IU/day, insulin requirement 0.47 ± 0.13 IU/kg, duration of diabetes 10.84 ± 7.50 years, mean ± SD) treated with MDI ± metformin were enrolled in our study. Previous insulins were stopped and once-daily IDegLira was started. IDegLira was titrated by the patients to achieve a self-measured pre-breakfast blood glucose concentration of

Construction processes can be implemented in most cases using various sorts of equipment. These can move along various paths, over the construction site from one job to another or during their operation. The proper choice of their path is a basic aspect for the planning of optimal processes. This paper is devoted to this problem. First it surveys some useful methods of path planning from the literature. Then it compares the methods considering construction specialties and finally it presents the developed intelligent system.

This paper presents the development of a new construction logistics model with a new point of view: we want to integrate related experiences from the practice of other industries with the specialties of construction logistics processes. It gives a detailed description on the proposed model. Furthermore, the basics of a demonstration physical test system will be described as well. The development introduced in this paper is a part of a Hungarian Government-financed research project (reference no. KTIA_AIK_12-1-2013-0009). The whole budget (c.a. 1.36 Million EUR) of the research is provided by the KTIA fund.

Long-term studies involving large number of type 2 diabetic patients supplied evidence that constant adequate metabolic control may prevent the late (micro- and macrovascular) diabetic complications. In the present non-interventional, retrospective study, authors performed an analysis of type 2 diabetic patients who had been previously treated with biphasic human insulin (BHI) and their therapy was changed to biphasic analog insulin aspart 30/70 (BIAsp = NovoMix 30). The switch of the insulin therapy was carried out in years 2007 and 2008 with the cooperation of 50 accredited diabetes centers. Data were obtained at the time of therapeutical change and six months later. The number of suitable patients was 2898 with an age of 66.20 +/- 10.10 year, and the duration of diabetes was10 years in 43% of the patients. After the six-month therapy with NovoMix 30, the mean HbA 1c level decreased statistically significantly from the initial value of 9.10 +/- 1.44% to 7.62 +/- 1.00% ( p0.001). The lipid profile also improved although target values were not always attained. A reduction was also observed in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Mean body weight decreased from 84.2 +/- 14.9 kg to 82.6 +/- 13.9 kg ( p0.01). All these changes occurred in spite of a significantly reduced daily insulin dose (48.4 +/- 17.6 IU) as compared with the initial value (49.0 +/- 17.4 IU, p0.001). A marked decrement was also observed in the frequency of hypoglycemic reactions. These results confirm that treatment with NovoMix 30 insulin leads to a significant amelioration of glycemic control as reflected by the decreased level of HbA 1c and the higher proportion of patients attaining the target value, as well as the lower frequency of hypoglycemic episodes. The significant improvements in cardiovascular risk factors are also important, but the explanation is still missing and would require the accomplishment of prospective, controlled studies.

Pioglitazone, a thiazolidinedione, improves glycemic control primarily by increasing peripheral insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes, whereas metformin, a biguanide, exerts its effect primarily by decreasing hepatic glucose output. In the first head-to-head, double-blind clinical trial comparing these two oral antihyperglycemic medications (OAMs), we studied the effect of 32-wk monotherapy on glycemic control and insulin sensitivity in 205 patients with recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes who were naive to OAM therapy. Subjects were randomized to either 30 mg pioglitazone or 850 mg metformin daily with titrations upward to 45 mg (77% of pioglitazone patients) and 2550 mg (73% of metformin patients), as indicated, to achieve fasting plasma glucose levels of less than 7.0 mmol/liter (126 mg/dl). Pioglitazone was comparable to metformin in improving glycemic control as measured by hemoglobin A1C and fasting plasma glucose. At endpoint, pioglitazone was significantly more effective than metformin in improving indicators of insulin sensitivity, as determined by reduction of fasting serum insulin (P = 0.003) and by analysis of homeostasis model assessment for insulin sensitivity (HOMA-S; P = 0.002). Both OAM therapies were well tolerated. Therefore, pioglitazone and metformin are equally efficacious in regard to glycemic control, but they exert significantly different effects on insulin sensitivity due to differing mechanisms of action. The more pronounced improvement in indicators of insulin sensitivity by pioglitazone, as compared with metformin monotherapy in patients recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes who are OAM-naive, may be of interest for further clinical evaluation.