El sector económico de las mascotas en españa y su impacto en el PIB y la creacion de empleo

El principal objetivo de este Trabajo de Fin de Grado titulado “El sector económico de las mascotas en España y su impacto en el PIB y en la creación de empleo” es intentar dar a conocer a la sociedad el peso que tienen las mascotas en la economía en general y en la española en particular. Para comenzar el trabajo, analizamos los comienzos de la domesticación así como la historia y la importancia de los animales de compañía para el ser humano desde el punto de vista social y económico. Para visualizar el impacto económico de los animales de compañía nos centramos en los dos subsectores más relevantes desde la perspectiva del empleo y del impacto en el PIB: la alimentación y las prestaciones veterinarias. En lo que respecta a la alimentación, se analiza la producción en toneladas y euros así como la estructura de las empresas más relevantes y un análisis del líder en el sector. En cuanto al sector veterinario, se analiza su estructura en toda España en términos de empleo, número de empresas y resultados económicos. A lo largo del trabajo podemos observar que el sector de los animales de compañía se mantiene en continuo crecimiento debido al mayor número de animales domésticos que encontramos en los hogares. Para finalizar el desarrollo del Trabajo de Fin de Grado, elaboramos unas conclusiones en relación a los resultados más relevantes obtenidos en la realización de este estudio.

Impacto econômico do absenteísmo de enfermagem por doença em um hospital universitário do Rio de Janeiro-RJ

Trata-se de uma pesquisa documental, retrospectiva de fonte secundária,que adota uma abordagem quantitativa descritiva-exploratória. A partir da constatação de altos índices de absenteísmo nas unidades hospitalares, despertou-se o interesse em estudar os custos diretos das doenças ocupacionais que levam aos afastamentos e seu impacto econômico para o orçamento de recursos humanos de um hospital universitário do Rio de Janeiro. Neste contexto, definiu-se como objeto de estudo, o impacto econômico do absenteísmo por doença na equipe de enfermagem e, como objetivos: identificar as causas prevalentes de afastamentos no hospital universitário, de acordo com Classificação Internacional de Doenças e Problemas Relacionados a Saúde (CID-10); estimar os custos diretos mínimos das doenças que afastaram o trabalhador de enfermagem; estimar o custo real aproximado do absenteísmo relacionado a 1 (um) dia de trabalho prestado pelos trabalhadores de enfermagem, com projeção de 1 (um) mês e 1(um) ano numa visão operacional do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). Foi utilizada uma amostra estratificada de prontuários dos profissionais de saúde da equipe de enfermagem (enfermeiros e técnicos de enfermagem), a partir do seguinte critério de inclusão: profissionais de enfermagem concursados com afastamento no ano de 2010 e com diagnóstico médico determinante do afastamento, definido claramente. Para a coleta das informações foi feita a apreciação dos documentos arquivados no Serviço de Saúde do Trabalhador do hospital estudado e contou com a apreciação de especialistas médicos relativos aos grupos de diagnósticos estudados, orientados por roteiros criados pela pesquisadora. Os dados foram analisados e armazenados no programa Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) versão 15 e no editor Microsoft excel 2003. Dentre os resultados obtidos tiveram destaque para as seguintes causas de afastamento, respectivamente, às doenças do sistema osteomuscular, os fatores que influenciam o estado de saúde e o contato com serviços de saúde, os transtornos mentais e comportamentais, as lesões, envenenamento e outras consequencias de causas externas e, as doenças do sistema circulatório, que representam um custo estimado aproximado de R$ 2,6 milhões. Pôde-se constatar que o impacto econômico do absenteísmo decorrentes dos agravos à saúde para o orçamento de recursos humanos do hospital universitário foi de aproximadamente 2,7%. O custo real aproximado do absenteísmo de enfermagem por dia, foi avaliado em R$ 92,50, tendo projeção mensal de R$ 2.775,00 e anual de R$ 33.300,00. Recomenda-se avaliar o absenteísmo dos profissionais regularmente para identificar as causas reais do absenteísmo por doença, a fim de definir metas para os programas de intervenção à saúde dos trabalhadores e promover uma Gestão participativa que favoreça uma análise do processo de trabalho no que concerne o atendimento das necessidades de saúde e operacionais da força de trabalho, determinantes do absenteísmo.

Marine eutrophication review. Part 1: Quantifying the effects of nitrogen enrichment on phytoplankton in coastal ecosystems; Part 2: Bibliography with abstracts

Professionals who are responsible for coastal environmental and natural resource planning and management have a need to become conversant with new concepts designed to provide quantitative measures of the environmental benefits of natural resources. These amenities range from beaches to wetlands to clean water and other assets that normally are not bought and sold in everyday markets. At all levels of government — from federal agencies to townships and counties — decisionmakers are being asked to account for the costs and benefits of proposed actions. To non-specialists, the tools of professional economists are often poorly understood and sometimes inappropriate for the problem at hand. This handbook is intended to bridge this gap. The most widely used organizing tool for dealing with natural and environmental resource choices is benefit-cost analysis — it offers a convenient way to carefully identify and array, quantitatively if possible, the major costs, benefits, and consequences of a proposed policy or regulation. The major strength of benefit-cost analysis is not necessarily the predicted outcome, which depends upon assumptions and techniques, but the process itself, which forces an approach to decision-making that is based largely on rigorous and quantitative reasoning. However, a major shortfall of benefit-cost analysis has been the difficulty of quantifying both benefits and costs of actions that impact environmental assets not normally, nor even regularly, bought and sold in markets. Failure to account for these assets, to omit them from the benefit-cost equation, could seriously bias decisionmaking, often to the detriment of the environment. Economists and other social scientists have put a great deal of effort into addressing this shortcoming by developing techniques to quantify these non-market benefits. The major focus of this handbook is on introducing and illustrating concepts of environmental valuation, among them Travel Cost models and Contingent Valuation. These concepts, combined with advances in natural sciences that allow us to better understand how changes in the natural environment influence human behavior, aim to address some of the more serious shortcomings in the application of economic analysis to natural resource and environmental management and policy analysis. Because the handbook is intended for non-economists, it addresses basic concepts of economic value such as willingness-to-pay and other tools often used in decision making such as costeffectiveness analysis, economic impact analysis, and sustainable development. A number of regionally oriented case studies are included to illustrate the practical application of these concepts and techniques.

Scientific assessment of marine harmful algal blooms

Algae are the most abundant photosynthetic organisms in marine ecosystems and are essential components of marine food webs. Harmful algal bloom or “HAB” species are a small subset of algal species that negatively impact humans or the environment. HABs can pose health hazards for humans or animals through the production of toxins or bioactive compounds. They also can cause deterioration of water quality through the buildup of high biomass, which degrades aesthetic, ecological, and recreational values. Humans and animals can be exposed to marine algal toxins through their food, the water in which they swim, or sea spray. Symptoms from toxin exposure range from neurological impairment to gastrointestinal upset to respiratory irritation, in some cases resulting in severe illness and even death. HABs can also result in lost revenue for coastal economies dependent on seafood harvest or tourism, disruption of subsistence activities, loss of community identity tied to coastal resource use, and disruption of social and cultural practices. Although economic impact assessments to date have been limited in scope, it has been estimated that the economic effects of marine HABs in U.S. communities amount to at least $82 million per year including lost income for fisheries, lost recreational opportunities, decreased business in tourism industries, public health costs of illness, and expenses for monitoring and management. As reviewed in the report, Harmful Algal Research and Response: A Human Dimensions Strategy1, the sociocultural impacts of HABs may be significant, but remain mostly undocumented.

Badania wartości ekonomicznej usług biblioteczno-informacyjnych i ich wpływu na otoczenie

Biblioteki pełnią różnorodne funkcje we współczesnym otoczeniu społecznym. Uczestniczą w tworzeniu kapitału intelektualnego i społecznego, wpływają na wzrost korzyści ekonomicznych użytkowników i całego społeczeństwa. W artykule omówiono główne podejścia i metody badawcze w zakresie oceny korzyści ekonomicznych płynących z funkcjonowania bibliotek. Skupiono się na metodzie analizy kosztów w stosunku do korzyści (ang. CBA – cost-benefit analysis), metodzie analizy warunkowej (ang. CVM – contigent valuation method), określaniu wartości dodanej dla użytkownika (ang. consumer surplus method) i metodologii oceny stopy wzrostu z inwestycji (ang. ROI – return of investment). Przeanalizowano również różne projekty badań prowadzone na świecie w tym zakresie.

A Fitoterapia como tratamento complementar na Diabetes mellitus

Projeto de Pós-Graduação/Dissertação apresentado à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ciências Farmacêuticas

What Have We Learned from the Deepwater Horizon Disaster? An Economist’s Perspective

This paper outlines what we have learned about the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil disaster from the economics discipline as well as what effect the DWH disaster has had on the economics discipline. It appears that what we know about the economic impact of the DWH spill today is limited, possibly because such analysis is tied up in the federal Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process and other state-led efforts. There is evidence, however, that the NRDA process has changed over time to de-emphasize economic valuation of damages. There is also evidence that economists may be producing fewer outputs as a result of the DWH relative to scholars from other disciplines because of an apparent absence of funding for it. Of the research that has taken place, this paper provides a summary and highlights the main directions of future research. It appears that the most pressing topic is addressing the incentives and policies in place to promote a culture of safety in the offshore oil industry. Also, it appears that the most prominent, and challenging, direction of future research resulting from the DWH is the expansion of an ecosystems services approach to damage assessment and marine policy. Lea el abstracto en español 请点击此处阅读中文摘要

Water privatisation

The article examines the expansion of private water companies since 1989 the withdrawal from developing countries from 2003 onwards, and the economic impact of privatisation. The analysis is set in the context of the historical development of water services in the north and the south, showing that the role of private water companies since the start of the 20th century has been historically limited and exceptional. The impact of water privatisation is considered in relation to the issues of investment, prices, and efficiency, drawing on empirical evidence from the north and developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Particular attention is given to France and the UK, where private water companies, for different reasons, are most established. The evidence from both north and south shows systematic underinvestment, monopoly pricing, regulatory gaming, and no significant efficiency differences between public and private sector operators. In conclusion, the article identifies institutional policies including fiscal constraints and lending conditionalities as key drivers of privatisation, and questions whether these can sustain privatisation in the water sector where historical experience indicates it is an inappropriate solution.

Toxic marine microalgae and shellfish poisoning in the British isles: history, review of epidemiology, and future implications

The relationship between toxic marine microalgae species and climate change has become a high profile and well discussed topic in recent years, with research focusing on the possible future impacts of changing hydrological conditions on Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) species around the world. However, there is very little literature concerning the epidemiology of these species on marine organisms and human health. Here, we examine the current state of toxic microalgae species around the UK, in two ways: first we describe the key toxic syndromes and gather together the disparate reported data on their epidemiology from UK records and monitoring procedures. Secondly, using NHS hospital admissions and GP records from Wales, we attempt to quantify the incidence of shellfish poisoning from an independent source. We show that within the UK, outbreaks of shellfish poisoning are rare but occurring on a yearly basis in different regions and affecting a diverse range of molluscan shellfish and other marine organisms. We also show that the abundance of a species does not necessarily correlate to the rate of toxic events. Based on routine hospital records, the numbers of shellfish poisonings in the UK are very low, but the identification of the toxin involved, or even a confirmation of a poisoning event is extremely difficult to diagnose. An effective shellfish monitoring system, which shuts down aquaculture sites when toxins exceed regularity limits, has clearly prevented serious impact to human health, and remains the only viable means of monitoring the potential threat to human health. However, the closure of these sites has an adverse economic impact, and the monitoring system does not include all toxic plankton. The possible geographic spreading of toxic microalgae species is therefore a concern, as warmer waters in the Atlantic could suit several species with southern biogeographical affinities enabling them to occupy the coastal regions of the UK, but which are not yet monitored or considered to be detrimental.

A triage approach to improve the relevance of marine ecosystem services assessments

Ecosystem services assessments are increasingly being used to inform marine policy and planning. These assessments involve significant time, effort, and expertise. It is important at the outset to determine which of many ecosystem services should be quantified and which measures of ecological output, economic impact, or value should be assessed. Furthermore, the literature shows that in practice such assessments are unevenly applied and rarely used effectively in decision-making processes. We develop a structured decision-making approach, called a triage, to assess what types of ecosystem services should be assessed to improve the uptake and usefulness of such information in marine planning. Two case studies, in France and the United Kingdom, provide examples of the application of the triage approach.

From Quality Management to Socially Responsible Organisations: the Case for CSR

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on the growing interest of the role of business in society, commonly referred to as CSR. Historically CSR can be traced back to the 1950s, although in very recent times there has been a virtual explosion of interest in its use and applicability in organisations. However, there are many unresolved issues, most notably in terms of how CSR should or can be implemented and embedded in an organisation. This paper therefore seeks to explore the relationship and potential synergies between quality management and CSR. Design/methodology/approach – The qualitative exploratory study in this paper represents the first stage of an ongoing research programme, and is based on an in-depth analysis of quality award submission documentation from six case organisations that have recently been recognised as winners in relation to their quest for business improvement. Findings – The paper finds that substantial evidence from each of the case organisations demonstrates the breadth and depth of activities in which they are engaging under the broad headings of workplace, environment, social impact, and economic impact. However, whilst there is no doubting the sincerity of the actions, the approaches and activities, a strategic focus on CSR is still very much in its infancy. Research limitations/implications – In this paper there is a paucity of empirical research examining how existing management tools, techniques and methodologies can be used to further the CSR debate. This paper represents an important first step in redressing this imbalance. Practical implications – The paper suggests that the quality management and business excellence frameworks can offer a strong foundation from which to develop CSR strategies, behaviours and activities in an organisation. Originality/value – This paper represents an important first step in understanding how and where CSR “fits” into an organisation and potentially how existing quality methodologies, tools and frameworks can be used to aid the implementation of CSR.

Product standardisation as a tool to control prescribing costs a case study of alginate liquid preparations

Introduction Product standardisation involves promoting the prescribing of pre-selected products within a particular category across a healthcare region and is designed to improve patient safety by promoting continuity of medicine use across the primary/secondary care interface, in addition to cost containment without compromising clinical care (i.e. maintaining safety and efficacy). Objectives To examine the impact of product standardisation on the prescribing of compound alginate preparations within primary care in Northern Ireland. Methods Data were obtained on alginate prescribing from the Northern Ireland Central Services Agency (Prescription Pricing Branch), covering a period of 43 months. Two standardisation promotion interventions were carried out at months 18 and 33. In addition to conventional statistical analyses, a simple interrupted time series analysis approach, using graphical interpretation, was used to facilitate interpretation of the data. Results There was a significant increase in the prescribed share of the preferred alginate product in each of the four health boards in Northern Ireland and a decrease in the cost per Defined Daily Dose for alginate liquid preparations overall. Compliance with the standardisation policy was, however, incomplete and was influenced to a marked degree by the activities of the pharmaceutical industry. The overall economic impact of the prescribing changes during the study was small (3.1%). Conclusion The findings suggested that product standardisation significantly influenced the prescribing pattern for compound alginate liquid preparations within primary care across Northern Ireland. © 2012 The Authors. IJPP © 2012 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Direct costs of glaucoma and severity of the disease:A multinational long term study of resource utilisation in Europe

Background: Resource utilisation and direct costs associated with glaucoma progression in Europe are unknown. As population progressively ages, the economic impact of the disease will increase. Methods: From a total of 1655 consecutive cases, the records of 194 patients were selected and stratified by disease severity. Record selection was based on diagnoses of primary open angle glaucoma, glaucoma suspect, ocular hypertension, or normal tension glaucoma; 5 years minimum follow up were required. Glaucoma severity was assessed using a six stage glaucoma staging system based on static threshold visual field parameters. Resource utilisation data were abstracted from the charts and unit costs were applied to estimate direct costs to the payer. Resource utilisation and estimated direct cost of treatment, per person year, were calculated. Results: A statistically significant increasing linear trend (p = 0.018) in direct cost as disease severity worsened was demonstrated. The direct cost of treatment increased by an estimated €86 for each incremental step ranging from €455 per person year for stage 0 to €969 per person year for stage 4 disease. Medication costs ranged from 42% to 56% of total direct cost for all stages of disease. Conclusions: These results demonstrate for the first time in Europe that resource utilisation and direct medical costs of glaucoma management increase with worsening disease severity. Based on these findings, managing glaucoma and effectively delaying disease progression would be expected to significantly reduce the economic burden of this disease. These data are relevant to general practitioners and healthcare administrators who have a direct influence on the distribution of resources.

A proposed method for evaluating the artisanal production of recycled plastic paving blocks in West Africa

Plastic wastes, and particularly plastic bags and sachets, are a major concern for urban and rural environment in African countries. In the last years some actions have been started for the plastic recycling like the artisanal production of paving blocks with melted plastic bags and sand, albeit with differences in production processes. Nevertheless, the environmental and economic impact of such activities is still to be confirmed. The aim of this study is to propose a methodology for assessing and comparing the environmental and energetic performances of artisanal methods, and for defining the overall quality of the produced blocks. This methodology has been shaped through the analysis of
production processes operated by artisans/small enterprises in West Africa and through physic-mechanical tests on the blocks. A questionnaire which allows an insight into the process and on the product has been developed and tested over five processes. Results show that a high input energy level is observed through all the processes, while considerable savings of energy could be achieved. Moreover, tests results confirmed the importance of the utilised plastic concerning thermal dilatation, mechanical resistance at higher temperature and cooling-shrinkage effects. In conclusion, doubts remain about the technical and environmental effectiveness of the sampled experiences, durability of the products and sustainability of this approach. Nevertheless, being the collection and recycling of plastic wastes a potential income generation activity for marginalised social groups in urban environment, a process optimisation could improve the impact of blocks production. Alternative recycling activities should also be considered.

Proteomics on porcine haptoglobin and IgG/IgA show protein species distribution and glycosylation pattern to remain similar in PCV2-SD infection

Haptoglobin (Hp) and immunoglobulins are plasma glycoproteins involved in the immune reaction of the organism after infection and/or inflammation. Porcine circovirus type 2-systemic disease (PCV2-SD), formerly known as postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS), is a globally spread pig disease of great economic impact. PCV2-SD affects the immunological system of pigs causing immunosuppression. The aim of this work was to characterize the Hp protein species of healthy and PCV2-SD affected pigs, as well as the protein backbone and the glycan chain composition of porcine Hp. PCV2-SD affected pigs had an increased overall Hp level, but it did not affect the ratio between Hp species. Glycoproteomic analysis of the Hp β subunits confirmed that porcine Hp is N-glycosylated and, unexpectedly, O-glycosylated, a PTM that is not found on Hp from healthy humans. The glyco-profile of porcine IgG and IgA heavy chains was also characterized; decreased levels of both proteins were found in the investigated group of PCV2-SD affected pigs. Obtained results indicate that no significant changes in the N- and O-glycosylation patterns of these major porcine plasma glycoproteins were detectable between healthy and PCV2-SD affected animals.