Topical prostaglandin analogues and conjunctival inflammation in uveitic glaucoma.

A pilot study to determine whether topical prostaglandin analogues alter the expression of conjunctival inflammatory markers in patients with uveitic glaucoma.Prospective, single-masked case series of 20 patients with uveitis and secondary raised intraocular pressure. Participants were divided into four groups of five patients dependent on their use of topical medication: (1) prostaglandin analogues only, (2) corticosteroids only, (3) both prostaglandin analogues and corticosteroids, (4) no topical medication. Conjunctival cells were harvested by impression cytology and were examined for inflammatory markers (CD3, CD54, HLA-DR, CCR4, CCR5) by flow cytometry. A tear fluid sample was also examined for inflammatory cytokines (IL-12p70, IL-2, IL-10, IL-8, IL-6, IL-4, IL-5, IFN-gamma, IL-1beta, IFN-alpha, IFN-beta) by multiplex bead arrays.All groups demonstrated increased markers of conjunctival inflammation. There was no significant difference in levels of any inflammatory markers between the four groups, suggesting that the use of topical prostaglandin analogues does not increase conjunctival levels of inflammation beyond those already seen in uveitis.The use of topical prostaglandins does not appear to induce conjunctival inflammation over that which is already present in patients with uveitic glaucoma. This supports the use of topical prostaglandin analogues in patients with uveitic glaucoma, indicating that their use is unlikely to adversely affect subsequent glaucoma filtration surgery through the induction of chronic conjunctival inflammation

An Empirical Investigation of Information Technology Returns: The Role of IT and Market Structure as Determinants of Efficiency

The impact of information technology on productivity has been debated for two decades. While some studies in the1980s found no contribution of IT to output, more recent studies have found a positive return to IT investment in several industries. However, we have a limited understanding of industry differences in these returns, in particular as to why productivity enhancements in the trade and service sectors, which are IT- intensive, have been low. A few previous studies have reported the different impacts of IT on productivity across industries. This paper aims at developing an in-depth understanding of why we witness different IT returns across industries. In our analysis, we find that while the trade sector is more efficient than other industries, the direct impact of IT is masked by the impact of competition on efficiency. This finding provides us with insight not just into why we did not observe productivity gains in the service and trade sectors, but also provides justification for the large IT investment in this sector. We take several different paths to study the impacts of IT. First, we employ the concept of efficiency as an alternative to productivity to capture the impact of IT. This approach allows us to examine the relative contribution of IT and market structure to firms’ efficiency levels. Second, we explicitly incorporate market structure under the behavioral assumptions of imperfect competition and profit maximization to characterize IT returns. We find that a firm’s efficiency is negatively associated with market power while IT is seen to be an enabler of efficiency gains as expected. Interestingly, firms tend to deploy more IT and utilize it better when the market is more competitive. Taken together, our results suggest that market structure as well as IT are strong determinants of efficiency gain. It also explains why IT has different observed impact across industries

A Study on the Impact of COVID- 19 on Investor Behaviour of Individuals in a Small Town in the State of Madhya Pradesh, India

Purpose: To understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted investment and financial decisions of individuals in small towns in developing nations such as India. Methodology: A literature review was undertaken on COVID-19 and steps taken by the government to fight the pandemic. A sample survey was conducted to determine the impact of COVID-19 on individuals’ financial transactions in Madhya Pradesh (MP) . The respondents either belonged to the service sector or owned businesses. The relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and change in investment decisions of individuals with respect to SIPs was studied. Findings: Significant association was found between measures taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (such as lockdown and travel restrictions) and individual income; such preventive measures directly impacted savings and investment behaviour. Indeed, respondents reported a 43% drop in SIP investments during the COVID-19 pandemic. While decline in investment was common to genders, the difference between percentage decline was statistically non-significant. Furthermore, investment behaviour did not vary with investor age. Research Implications: Results highlight the socioeconomic effects of the COVID-19 outbreak at the micro-level and may enable financial institutions and individuals to better handle such situations in future. The scope of the present research is limited. Future studies could consider larger samples and different contexts to gain deeper insights into the socioeconomic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies could also suggest policies and measures to help governments effectively deal with future crises. Originality/ Value: Hitherto, the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on investment decisions of individuals in Tier 3 cities had remained under-examined; this is one of the first studies to carry out such an investigation

Chinas Weg in die WTO im Spannungsfeld chinesisch-amerikanischer Partikularinteressen

Die folgende Untersuchung wird sowohl die politisches als auch ökonomische Argumentationsebene berücksichtigen und als analytischen Rahmen verwenden. Zur Klärung der Hintergründe des chinesischamerikanischen Konflikts werden zunächst die politischen und ökonomischen Interessen der VR China sowie die realisierten Liberalisierungserfolge im Außenhandel analysiert. Es folgt eine entsprechende Gegenüberstellung der amerikanischen Position. Auf der Grundlage der untersuchten chinesisch-amerikanischen Partikularinteressen wird der Status-quo der WTO-Beitrittsverhandlungen Chinas sowie die Rolle der USA abschließend beurteilt

Information technology and economic performance: A critical review of the empirical evidence

For many years, there has been considerable debate about whether the IT revolution was paying off in higher productivity. Studies in the 1980s found no connection between IT investment and productivity in the U.S. economy, a situation referred to as the productivity paradox. Since then, a decade of studies at the firm and country level has consistently shown that the impact of IT investment on labor productivity and economic growth is significant and positive. This article critically reviews the published research, more than 50 articles, on computers and productivity. It develops a general framework for classifying the research, which facilitates identifying what we know, how well we know it, and what we do not know. The framework enables us to systematically organize, synthesize, and evaluate the empirical evidence and to identify both limitations in existing research and data and substantive areas for future research. The review concludes that the productivity paradox as first formulated has been effectively refuted. At both the firm and the country level, greater investment in IT is associated with greater productivity growth. At the firm level, the review further concludes that the wide range of performance of IT investments among different organizations can be explained by complementary investments in organizational capital such as decentralized decision-making systems, job training, and business process redesign. IT is not simply a tool for automating existing processes, but is more importantly an enabler of organizational changes that can lead to additional productivity gains. In mid-2000, IT capital investment began to fall sharply due to slowing economic growth, the collapse of many Internet-related firms, and reductions in IT spending by other firms facing fewer competitive pressures from Internet firms. This reduction in IT investment has had devastating effects on the IT-producing sector, and may lead to slower economic and productivity growth in the U.S. economy. While the turmoil in the technology sector has been unsettling to investors and executives alike, this review shows that it should not overshadow the fundamental changes that have occurred as a result of firms' investments in IT. Notwithstanding the demise of many Internet-related companies, the returns to IT investment are real, and innovative companies continue to lead the way. © 2003 ACM