Crowdfunding our health: economic risks and benefits

Crowdfunding is an expanding form of alternative financing that is gaining traction in the health sector. This article presents a typology for crowdfunded health projects and a review of the main economic benefits and risks of crowdfunding in the health market. We use evidence from a literature review, complimented by expert interviews, to extend the fundamental principles and established theories of crowdfunding to a health market context. Crowdfunded health projects can be classified into four types according to the venture's purpose and funding method. These are projects covering health expenses, fundraising health initiatives, supporting health research, or financing commercial health innovation. Crowdfunding could economically benefit the health sector by expanding market participation, drawing money and awareness to neglected health issues, improving access to funding, and fostering project accountability and social engagement. However, the economic risks of health-related crowdfunding include inefficient priority setting, heightened financial risk, inconsistent regulatory policies, intellectual property rights concerns, and fraud. Theorized crowdfunding behaviours such as signalling and herding can be observed in the market for health-related crowdfunding. Broader threats of market failure stemming from adverse selection and moral hazard also apply. Many of the discussed economic benefits and risks of crowdfunding health campaigns are shared more broadly with those of crowdfunding projects in other sectors. Where crowdfunding health care appears to diverge from theory is the negative externality inefficient priority setting may have towards achieving broader public health goals. Therefore, the market for crowdfunding health care must be economically stable, as well as designed to optimally and equitably improve public health

Bronzage et protection solaire (cas des cabines à UV)

Parmi les signes extérieurs qui permettent à un individu de se distinguer, de s'afficher socialement comme personne en bonne santé et financièrement aisée, le bronzage occupe, depuis plusieurs décennies maintenant, une place indiscutable. Nombreux, en effet, sont ceux qui jugeraient impensable de ne pas s'exposer dès les premiers rayons du soleil, et ceci, en dépit de l'importance des risques encourus, notamment des effets délétères liés à l'usage des ultraviolets. Il existe certes toute une gamme de protections efficaces contre ces effets indésirables, que celles-ci procèdent de l'utilisation de cosmétiques appropriés ou du port de vêtements couvrants, par exemple. Cependant, ceci n'empêche pas qu'un public de plus en plus large s'avère prêt à "consommer du soleil artificiel" en fréquentant les instituts de beauté et en s'exposant abondamment aux ultraviolets, dans des dispositifs communément nommés cabines à UV. Eu égard aux dangers régulièrement constatés, ces pratiques ont fait l'objet d'une stricte réglementation au cours de ces dernières années, mais on ne peut pas écarter totalement l'hypothèse d'un accroissement de la fréquentation de ces instituts et, en corollaire, l'augmentation du nombre de cancers cutanés. Il conviendra alors de se poser la question du devenir de ce genre de comportement, considéré par certains comme une véritable addiction.CLERMONT FD-BCIU-Santé (631132104) / SudocLYON1-BU Santé (693882101) / SudocSudocFranceF

Sample preparation and analytical techniques for determination of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in soils

Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been determined in soil samples for many years. PAHs can arise in the environment from natural sources, oil and petroleum products and combustion processes. Although oil spills influence PAHS concentrations in local areas, the major sources of PAHS are anthropogenic and derived from land based combustion sources. PAHs are globally distributed and the highest concentrations generally occur close to urban centres. Monitoring is essential during the assessment and remediation. It makes further demands on the analytical methods used, since the transformation products are often present in lower concentrations than the parent PAHs and they may be difficult to identify in the complex mixtures found in these samples. It is therefore essential to use powerful analytical tools to fractionate, separate and identify the analyses in the samples. In this paper we review those aspects relating to the analysis and monitoring of PAHs in soils. The aim is to provide an overview of current knowledge, so as to assess the need for future monitoring of PAHs and the present capability for their analysis. Further monitoring of PAHs is justified because of their ubiquity in the environment, their persistence and bioaccumulative properties and their potential for toxicity both to aquatic organisms and human consumers

A Guide to Scientific Crowdfunding.

Crowdfunding represents an attractive new option for funding research projects, especially for students and early-career scientists or in the absence of governmental aid in some countries. The number of successful science-related crowdfunding campaigns is growing, which demonstrates the public's willingness to support and participate in scientific projects. Putting together a crowdfunding campaign is not trivial, however, so here is a guide to help you make yours a success

Bacterial community changes during bioremediation of aliphatic hydrocarbon-contaminated soil

International audienceThe microbial community response during oxygen biostimulation process of aged oil-polluted soils is poorly documented and there is no reference for long-term monitoring of unsaturated zone. Two treatments (0 and 0.056 mol×h−1 molar flow rate of oxygen) were performed in fixed bed reactors containing oil-polluted soil in order to assess the potential effect of air-supplying on hydrocarbon fate and microbial community structure. Microbial activity was continuously monitored during two years throughout the oxygen biostimulation process. Microbial community structure before and after 12 and 24 months treatment was determined by a dual rRNA/rRNA gene approach allowing us to characterize bacteria which were presumably metabolically active and therefore responsible for the functionality of the community in this polluted soil. Clone library analysis revealed that the microbial community contained many rare phylotypes. These were never observed in other studied ecosystems. The bacterial community shifted from Gammaproteobacteria to Actinobacteria during the treatment. Without air supplying, the samples were dominated by a phylotype linked to the Streptomyces. Members belonging to eight dominant phylotypes were well adapted to air supplying process. The air supplying stimulated an Actinobacteria phylotype which might be involved in the restoring of the studied ecosystem. Phylogenetic analyses suggested that this phylotype is a novel, deep-branching member of the Actinobacteria related to the well studied genus Acidimicrobium

Successful crowdfunding campaigns on Experiment.com by quarter from January 2013 to July 2015.

<p>(A) Total amount raised, (B) median amount raised, (C) median number of backers, and (D) number of funded projects.</p

Scientific crowdsourcing in wildlife research and conservation: Tigers (Panthera tigris) as a case study

With around 3,200 tigers (Panthera tigris) left in the wild, the governments of 13 tiger range countries recently declared that there is a need for innovation to aid tiger research and conservation. In response to this call, we created the “Think for Tigers” study to explore whether crowdsourcing has the potential to innovate the way researchers and practitioners monitor tigers in the wild. The study demonstrated that the benefits of crowdsourcing are not restricted only to harnessing the time, labor, and funds from the public but can also be used as a tool to harness creative thinking that can contribute to development of new research tools and approaches. Based on our experience, we make practical recommendations for designing a crowdsourcing initiative as a tool for generating ideas