Trace element monitoring in the ICU: quality and economic impact of a change in sampling practice.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Trace elements (TE) are involved in the immune and antioxidant defences which are of particular importance during critical illness. Determining plasma TE levels is costly. The present quality control study aimed at assessing the economic impact of a computer reminded blood sampling versus a risk guided on-demand monitoring of plasma concentrations of selenium, copper, and zinc. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 2 cohorts of patients admitted during 6 months periods in 2006 and 2009 to the ICU of a University hospital. INCLUSION CRITERIA: to receive intravenous micronutrient supplements and/or to have a TE sampling during ICU stay. The TE samplings were triggered by computerized reminder in 2006 versus guided by nutritionists in 2009. RESULTS: During the 2 periods 636 patients met the inclusion criteria out of 2406 consecutive admissions, representing 29.7% and 24.9% respectively of the periods' admissions. The 2009 patients had higher SAPS2 scores (p = 0.02) and lower BMI compared to 2006 (p = 0.007). The number of laboratory determinations was drastically reduced in 2009, particularly during the first week, despite the higher severity of the cohort, resulting in à 55% cost reduction. CONCLUSIONS: The monitoring of TE concentrations guided by a nutritionist resulted in a reduction of the sampling frequency, and targeting on the sickest high risk patients, requiring a nutritional prescription adaptation. This control leads to cost reduction compared to an automated sampling prescription.

How Important to a City Are Tourists and Daytrippers? The Economic Impact of Tourism on The City of Barcelona

In this paper, we devise a methodology that is able to objectively quantify the impact of tourism on the urban economy. This methodology takes various dimensions into account. First, to analyse the impact at sectoral level, it should bear in mind that tourism is a cross-sectional activity which affects many sectors, both directly and indirectly. Therefore, it is important to consider the impact of urban tourism on sectors traditionally defined as tourism-related, -that is, hotels, restaurants, shops, etc.- but also its impact on other sectors -for instance, textiles, food, construction, to name only a few- due to the intersectoral relationships that emerge. Second, we need to calculate the percentage of the turnover of each sector that is due to the tourism industry. Third, it is important to establish the geographic distribution of this impact: how is the effect shared between the city and its neighbouring areas QUESTION Finally, the effect of urban tourism should be quantified not only in terms of turnover, but also in terms of its contribution to GDP and employment.

Economic Impact of Land Reforms in Kerala

The main aim of the present thesis is to dig deep into the once existed tenurial conditions and legislations that were passed to remedy the evils connected with the tenurial Conditions and to highlight ace of the economic impacts of the land reform legislation introduced since 1956.The thesis states that although the misery and exploitation which afflict the rural people and injustice inherent in the social structure can be removed by the strict implementation of land reforms. it is not the single and definite way or liberating the peasantry from its fate. Reform in not an Utopia: it is only the product of a constellation of political and social forces. ‘This study covers a period of twenty four years - ie...1956-1980.

Economic Impact of Identity Theft in India: Lessons from Western Countries

In this computerized, globalised and internet world our computer collects various types of information’s about every human being and stores them in files secreted deep on its hard drive. Files like cache, browser history and other temporary Internet files can be used to store sensitive information like logins and passwords, names addresses, and even credit card numbers. Now, a hacker can get at this information by wrong means and share with someone else or can install some nasty software on your computer that will extract your sensitive and secret information. Identity Theft posses a very serious problem to everyone today. If you have a driver’s license, a bank account, a computer, ration card number, PAN card number, ATM card or simply a social security number you are more than at risk, you are a target. Whether you are new to the idea of ID Theft, or you have some unanswered questions, we’ve compiled a quick refresher list below that should bring you up to speed. Identity theft is a term used to refer to fraud that involves pretending to be someone else in order to steal money or get other benefits. Identity theft is a serious crime, which is increasing at tremendous rate all over the world after the Internet evolution. There is widespread agreement that identity theft causes financial damage to consumers, lending institutions, retail establishments, and the economy as a whole. Surprisingly, there is little good public information available about the scope of the crime and the actual damages it inflicts. Accounts of identity theft in recent mass media and in film or literature have centered on the exploits of 'hackers' - variously lauded or reviled - who are depicted as cleverly subverting corporate firewalls or other data protection defenses to gain unauthorized access to credit card details, personnel records and other information. Reality is more complicated, with electronic identity fraud taking a range of forms. The impact of those forms is not necessarily quantifiable as a financial loss; it can involve intangible damage to reputation, time spent dealing with disinformation and exclusion from particular services because a stolen name has been used improperly. Overall we can consider electronic networks as an enabler for identity theft, with the thief for example gaining information online for action offline and the basis for theft or other injury online. As Fisher pointed out "These new forms of hightech identity and securities fraud pose serious risks to investors and brokerage firms across the globe," I am a victim of identity theft. Being a victim of identity theft I felt the need for creating an awareness among the computer and internet users particularly youngsters in India. Nearly 70 per cent of Indian‘s population are living in villages. Government of India already started providing computer and internet facilities even to the remote villages through various rural development and rural upliftment programmes. Highly educated people, established companies, world famous financial institutions are becoming victim of identity theft. The question here is how vulnerable the illiterate and innocent rural people are if they suddenly exposed to a new device through which some one can extract and exploit their personal data without their knowledge? In this research work an attempt has been made to bring out the real problems associated with Identity theft in developed countries from an economist point of view.

Measuring the local economic impact of universities : an approach that considers uncertainty. 'La medición del impacto económico local de las universidades : un enfoque que considera la incertidumbre'.

Resumen tomado de la publicación

Economic impact of genetically modified cotton in India

This paper presents the results of a study aimed at measuring the economic impact of genetically modified cotton in Maharashtra State, India. It is the first study of its kind in India in that the data have been collected from farmers growing the crop under market conditions, rather than from trials. The research compares the performance of more than 9,000 Bt and non-Bt cotton farm plots in Maharashtra over the 2002 and 2003 growing seasons. Results show that Bt cotton varieties have had a significant positive impact on average yields and on the economic performance of cotton growers.

The economic impact of genetically modified cotton on South African smallholders: Yield, profit and health effects

Results of a large-scale survey of resource-poor smallholder cotton farmers in South Africa over three years conclusively show that adopters of Bt cotton have benefited in terms of higher yields, lower pesticide use, less labour for pesticide application and substantially higher gross margins per hectare. These benefits were clearly related to the technology, and not to preferential adoption by farmers who were already highly efficient. The smallest producers are shown to have benefited from adoption of the Bt variety as much as, if not more than, larger producers. Moreover, evidence from hospital records suggests a link between declining pesticide poisonings and adoption of the Bt variety.

The economic impact of genetically modified cotton on South African smallholders: Yield, profit and health effects

Results of a large-scale survey of resource-poor smallholder cotton farmers in South Africa over three years conclusively show that adopters of Bt cotton have benefited in terms of higher yields, lower pesticide use, less labour for pesticide application and substantially higher gross margins per hectare. These benefits were clearly related to the technology, and not to preferential adoption by farmers who were already highly efficient. The smallest producers are shown to have benefited from adoption of the Bt variety as much as, if not more than, larger producers. Moreover, evidence from hospital records suggests a link between declining pesticide poisonings and adoption of the Bt variety.

An ex-ante evaluation of the economic impact of Bt cotton adoption by spanish farmers facing the EU cotton sector reform

Cotton production in the European Union (EU) is limited to areas of Greece and Southern Spain (Andalusia). The 2004 reform of the EU cotton policy severely affected the profitability of the crop. In this article we analyze how the introduction of genetically modified (GM), insect-resistant cotton varieties (Bt cotton) might help EU cotton farmers to increase profitability and therefore face the cotton policy reform. We first study farmers’ attitudes toward adoption of Bt cotton varieties through a survey conducted in Andalusia (Southern Spain). The results show a positive attitude of Andalusian cotton farmers toward the Bt cotton varieties. Second, we perform an ex-ante analysis of the effects of introducing Bt cotton in Andalusia. Finally, we integrate the analysis of the effects of Bt cotton with the analysis of the EU cotton reform. Our results show that despite the significant economic benefits of Bt cotton, the current policy reform is likely to jeopardize the profitability of cotton production in the EU.

Economic impact of Turnip mosaic virus, Cauliflower mosaic virus and Beet mosaic virus in three Kenyan vegetables

Screenhouse experiments conducted in Kenya showed that inoculation of cabbage seedlings with Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV), either alone, or in combination with Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV), reduced the number and weight of marketable harvested heads. When viruses were inoculated simultaneously, 25% of cabbage heads were non-marketable, representing 20-fold loss compared with control. By contrast, inoculation with CaMV alone had insignificant effects on cabbage yield. This suggests that TuMV is the more detrimental of these pathogens, and its management should be a priority. Early exposure to TuMV produced cabbages that were 50% lighter than non-infected plants, but later infection was less damaging suggesting that controlling virus infection at the seedling stage is more important. TuMV was far less damaging to kale than it was to cabbage; although high proportions of TuMV-inoculated kale plants showed symptoms (> 90%), the marketability and quality of leaves were not significantly reduced, and no clear relationship existed between timing of infection and subsequent crop losses. Early inoculation of Swiss chard with Beet mosaic virus (BtMV) significantly impaired leaf quality (similar to 50% reduction in marketable leaf production), but the impact of disease was greatest in plants that had been inoculated at maturity, where average leaf losses were two and a half times those recorded in virus-free plants. Disease-management of BtMV in Swiss chard is important, therefore, not only at the seedling stage, but particularly when plants are transplanted from nursery to field.