What Does It Drive the Relationship Between Suicides and Economic Conditions? New Evidence from Spain

In this paper we analyse suicides across the 17 Spanish regions over the period 2002?2013. In doing so, we estimate count panel data models considering gender differences taking into account before and during economic crisis periods. A range of aggregate socioeconomic regional-level factors have been considered. Our empirical results show that: (1) a socioeconomic urban?rural suicide differentials exist, (2) there exists a Mediterranean suicide pattern; and (3) unemployment levels have a marked importance during the crisis period. The results of this study may have usefulness for suicide prevention in Spain

Ankle arthritis - an important signpost in rheumatologic practice.

Ankle arthritis is a useful clinical signpost to differential diagnosis in rheumatic disease. Biomechanical features and differences in cartilage physiology compared with the knee may confer protection of the ankle joint from factors predisposing to certain arthritides. The prevalence of ankle OA is low, and usually secondary to trauma. Primary OA of the ankle should be investigated for underlying causes, especially haemochromatosis. New presentations of inflammatory mono/oligo arthritis involving the ankle are more likely due to undifferentiated arthritis or spondyloarthritis than RA, and gout over CPPD. The ankle is often involved in bacterial and viral causes of septic arthritis, especially bacterial, chikungunya and HIV infection, but rarely tuberculosis. Periarticular hind foot swelling can be confused with ankle arthritis, exemplified by Lofgren's syndrome and hypertrophic osteoarthropathy where swelling is due to subcutaneous oedema and osteitis respectively, and the ankle joint is rarely involved

The empirics of social capital and economic development: a critical perspective

This paper provides an introduction to the concept of social capital, and carries out a critical review of the empirical literature on social capital and economic development. The survey points out six main weaknesses affecting the empirics of social capital. Identified weaknesses are then used to analyze, in a critical perspective, some prominent empirical studies and new interesting researches published in last two years. The need emerges to acknowledge, also within the empirical research, the multidimensional, context-dependent and dynamic nature of social capital. The survey also underlines that, although it has gained a certain popularity in the empirical research, the use of “indirect” indicators may be misleading. Such measures do not represent social capital’s key components identified by the theoretical literature, and their use causes a considerable confusion about what social capital is, as distinct from its outcomes, and what the relationship between social capital and its outcomes may be. Research reliant upon an outcome of social capital as an indicator of it will necessarily find social capital to be related to that outcome. This paper suggests to focus the empirical research firstly on the “structural” aspects of the concept, therefore excluding by the measurement toolbox all indicators referring to social capital’s supposed outcomes

Religious attitudes and home bias:theory and new evidence from primary data

This paper examines the relationship between religion and home bias. A theoretical framework is proposed suggesting that countries may show a certain degree of religion-enhanced international altruism associated with a lower home bias. These predictions are investigated empirically using original individual-level data from a survey on religious attitudes and home bias that was designed and collected in 15 countries. Contrary to previous evidence, the empirical investigation suggests that religious denominations may not play an important role in determining home bias. The findings partly corroborate the hypothesis that an open and tolerant attitude towards religion may enhance trust and altruism and, hence, may have a pro-trade effect by lowering home bias. It is concluded that models investigating the relationship between religion and home bias should incorporate different aspects of religion beyond affiliations and should consider different dimensions of home bias

Improving Human Wellbeing and Ecosystem Health on BC’s Coast: The Challenge Posed by Historic Resource Extraction

old growth forests, natural capital depletion, ecosystem based management, Q23, Q24, Q57, Q58,