On the Public Economics of Casino Gambling

This paper studies casino-style gambling from the public economics point of view in a jurisdiction populated by oligopolistically competitive legal casinos. We consider three different regimes: laissez-faire, entry regulation and tax regulation. The model highlights three important external effects from casino-style gambling: non-casino income creation, social disorder costs, and casino exporting to other jurisdictions. In the generalized case with an endogenously-determined ratio of local to total gamblers, we allow the configuration of casinos to be centralized or jurisdiction-wide dispersed. A complete comparison between equilibrium and command optimum outcomes is provided, and the welfare consequences under the three regimes and two casino configurations are examined.Casino gambling, externalities, oligopoly pricing, entry, tax regulation

The value of D-dimer in the detection of early deep-vein thrombosis after total knee arthroplasty in Asian patients: a cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background and purpose</p> <p>The relationship of D-dimer and deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to assess the value of D-dimer in the detection of early DVT after TKA.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The measurements of plasma D-dimer level were obtained preoperatively and at day 7 postoperatively in 78 patients undergoing TKA. Ascending venography was performed in 7 to 10 days after surgery. The plasma D-dimer levels were correlated statistically with the venographic DVT.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Venographic DVT was identified in 40% of patients. High plasma D-dimer level >2.0 μg/ml was found in 68% of patients with DVT and 45% without DVT (P < 0.05). Therefore, high D-dimer level greater than 2.0 μg/ml showed 68% sensitivity, 55% specificity, 60% accuracy, 50% positive predictive rate and 72% negative predictive rate in the detection of early DVT after TKA.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>High plasma D-dimer level is a moderately sensitive, but less specific marker in the detection of early of DVT after TKA. Measurement of serum D-dimer alone is not accurate enough to detect DVT after TKA. Venography is recommended in patients with elevated D-dimer and clinically suspected but asymptomatic DVT after TKA.</p

Proactive Privacy Practices In The Trend Of Ubiquitous Services: An Integrative Social Contracts Perspective

Privacy is a strategic issue that deserves great attention from enterprises because the convergence of customer information and advanced technologies that they engage in diverse business processes in response to competitive pressure, particularly when businesses promote their traditional e-services to ubiquitous services (u-services). The underlying vision of u-services is to overcome spatial and temporal boundaries in traditional services, such as m-services and e-services. U-services will be the next wave and can be recognized as a logical extension of traditional e-services because u-services are initiated by e-services based on current potential customer pool and further propagated by m-services. In the context of u-services, customers are always connected seamlessly in context-awareness networks so that a higher degree of customized and personalized services can be timely provided. While people are served with more convenience and efficiency, they may also well be aware of privacy threats behind that. Hence, privacy concerns have been recognized as a critical impediment for boosting u-services. Drawing upon integrative social contracts theory, this study undertakes to explore a proactive privacy practices framework that embraces technical and non-technical elements such as human, legal, and economic relevant perspectives. The results of this study are expected to shed light on privacy practices

Azharists, modernists and orientalists: the intellectual rivalry in Egypt from the late 19th century to the early 20th century

This article aims to study the rather complicated relations and interactions among three major intellectual groups in the late 19th century in Egypt-the Azharists, the modernists and the Orientalists. The Azharists have been the custodians of traditional Islamic values since its establishment in the 10th century. The modernists, however seek to change and either replace or revitalize the unpopular Islamic elements in the society, which were blamed for being the hindrance of progress. The orientalists were not in direct confrontation with the Azharists or the modernists, until they were brought in from Europe to teach in the newly established Egyptian University (later Cairo University) in 1908. The orientalists were favored by many young Egyptians who especially enjoyed the Western scholars’ innovative approaches to knowledge and study. The time frame of this study is set to begin roughly from the time when Muhammad Abduh (1849-1905) was active as a maverick Azharists scholar until the establish of the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928. During this of time, Egyptian society witnessed one of the most vibrant intellectual exchanges and competitions. This article will focus on some of complementary viewpoints on religion, education, history and other subjects, from Egyptian intellectuals and orientalists, such as Muhammad Abduh, Rashid Rida (1865-1935), Taha Husayn (1889-1973), Carlo Nallino (1872-1938), Gaston Maspero (1846-1916), Louis Massignon (1883-1962) among others and demonstrate how the intellectual rivalry at the turn of the century helped transform Egypt into a more diversified and multifaceted society, compared to its neighboring Muslim nations

Repression of glucocorticoid-stimulated angiopoietin-like 4 gene transcription by insulin.

Angiopoietin-like 4 (Angptl4) is a glucocorticoid receptor (GR) primary target gene in hepatocytes and adipocytes. It encodes a secreted protein that inhibits extracellular LPL and promotes adipocyte lipolysis. In Angptl4 null mice, glucocorticoid-induced adipocyte lipolysis and hepatic steatosis are compromised. Markedly, insulin suppressed glucocorticoid-induced Angptl4 transcription. To unravel the mechanism, we utilized small molecules to inhibit insulin signaling components and found that phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and Akt were vital for the suppression in H4IIE cells. A forkhead box transcription factor response element (FRE) was found near the 15 bp Angptl4 glucocorticoid response element (GRE). Mutating the Angptl4 FRE significantly reduced glucocorticoid-induced reporter gene expression in cells. Moreover, chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed that GR and FoxO1 were recruited to Angptl4 GRE and FRE in a glucocorticoid-dependent manner, and cotreatment with insulin abolished both recruitments. Furthermore, in 24 h fasted mice, significant occupancy of GR and FoxO1 at the Angptl4 GRE and FRE was found in the liver. In contrast, both occupancies were diminished after 24 h refeeding. Finally, overexpression of dominant negative FoxO1 mutant abolished glucocorticoid-induced Angptl4 expression, mimicking the insulin suppression. Overall, we demonstrate that both GR and FoxO1 are required for Angptl4 transcription activation, and that FoxO1 negatively mediates the suppressive effect of insulin

Why Do Players Stick to a Specific Online Game? The Users and Gratifications Perspective

Driven by the dominant Internet usage and the prospective profits from the game industry, especially from the thriving and robust free-to-play model of online games, there is a need to realize players’ behaviors. Playing online games is experienceoriented but rare studies further explore what reactions of initial (trial) experiences in game playing are and how they will further influence players’ behaviors. Uses and gratification theory can be seen in cases such as online games selection. Players select an online game not only to fit particular interests but also to attempt to show empowerment or other socially conscience motives. This study, therefore, seeks to explore the important antecedents (i.e. gratifications, presence, service mechanisms, and continuance motivation) of stickiness intention on the online game and examine the associated relationships among them. The implications of findings to both researchers and practitioners are also discussed

The Effect of Affordance on Ubiquitous Commerce Consumption

The rapid development of ubiquitous technologies and mobile devices has made ubiquitous commerce (U-commerce) the next business wave. U-commerce enabled merchants with new opportunities to provide personalized services and novel shopping experiences to customers. Applying affordance theory, this study builds a research model that explains the consumer cognitive assimilation process in U-commerce and explores hedonic and impulsive consumption. This study played the U-commerce video for participants before they answered the questionnaires. The empirical results show that context-aware facilitation and social facilitation contribute equally in explaining cognitive assimilation. Meanwhile, cognitive assimilation significantly influences both hedonic consumption and impulsive consumption. This study sheds light on the two important facilitations derived from the U-commerce environment and also reveals the determinants for two types of interesting purchase behaviors in the U-commerce context