A Winning Proposition: the Economic Impact of Successful NFL Franchises

Research has demonstrated that a Super Bowl victory increases the personal income of the individuals in the metropolitan area from which the winning teams come (Coates & Humphreys, 2002). We argue that the economic benefits should extend beyond just the championship team\u27s city to the cities of teams who experience seasonal success and thus the winning percentages of NFL teams were included in our model. when controlling for sources of bias, winning percentage of the local professional football team had a significant positive effect on real per capita personal income. Explanations for these conclusions are offered from a psychological perspective

Conditions currently associated with erythema nodosum in Swiss children

A review was made of the 36 paediatric patients in whom the diagnosis of erythema nodosum had been established between 1977 and 1996 at the Department of Paediatrics, University of Bern, Switzerland. Infectious diseases were associated with erythema nodosum in 20 (including 10 streptococcal infections) and non-infectious inflammatory diseases in 8 patients. None of the 36 patients had tuberculosis or had been exposed to sulphonamides, phenytoin or hormonal contraceptives. There were eight patients in whom either the associated disease was not diagnosed, or there was no other disease. Conclusion Most cases of erythema nodosum are nowadays caused by non-mycobacterial infectious diseases or by non-infectious inflammatory disease

Exploring the association between female genital mutilation/cutting and fistula

Policymakers and advocates often cite fistula—a hole between the vagina and rectum or bladder that leaves a woman leaking urine or excrement or both—among the many adverse health conditions thought to be related to female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). But high-quality research supporting a connection between the two conditions is limited. Health workers, program managers, and health advocates need a clear understanding of the evidence linking FGM/C and fistula and more accurate information on the dynamics between them. To fill this gap, the Evidence to End FGM/C program examined the association between FGM/C and fistula. This brief highlights the program’s findings on the relationship between the two conditions, focusing on what we know and what we still need to investigate

Exploring the association between female genital mutilation/cutting and early/child marriage

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) has been frequently linked to marriageability and is thought to be related to the marriage of girls younger than age 18, known as early/child marriage. These practices threaten the health of girls and women in sub-Saharan Africa, their development, and quality of life. Few rigorous studies exist that can clarify the relationship between these two practices. More such research is needed to inform policymaking and initiatives aimed at ending FGM/C and early/child marriage, both targets of the global Sustainable Development Goals. To fill this gap, the Evidence to End FGM/C program examined the association between FGM/C and early/child marriage in contexts where both are practiced. This brief summarizes the program’s findings on the relationship between the two practices, highlighting what we know and what we still need to understand

Exploring the association between female genital mutilation/cutting and HIV

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) threatens the health and well-being of girls in a variety of ways. Some experts have suggested that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may be among the practice’s adverse health outcomes. They theorize that because women with FGM/C risk genital trauma and bleeding during intercourse, their chances of acquiring HIV from an infected male partner are increased. While evidence that FGM/C increases susceptibility to HIV could bolster FGM/C eradication efforts, this connection has received limited research attention. This brief highlights the Evidence to End FGM/C program’s findings on the current state of evidence on the association between FGM/C and HIV, including the quality of the existing research and recommendations for further investigation

The role of the international cocoa germplasm database and the international cocoa quarantine centre in information management and distribution of cocoa genetic resources

A range of physiological parameters (canopy light transmission, canopy shape, leaf size, flowering and flushing intensity) were measured from the International Clone Trial, typically over the course of two years. Data were collected from six locations, these being: Brazil, Ecuador, Trinidad, Venezuela, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. Canopy shape varied significantly between clones, although it showed little variation between locations. Genotypic variation in leaf size was differentially affected by the growth location; such differences appeared to underlie a genotype by environment interaction in relation to canopy light transmission. Flushing data were recorded at monthly intervals over the course of a year. Within each location, a significant interaction was observed between genotype and time of year, suggesting that some genotypes respond to a greater extent than others to environmental stimuli. A similar interaction was observed for flowering data, where significant correlations were found between flowering intensity and temperature in Brazil and flowering intensity and rainfall in Côte d’Ivoire. The results demonstrate the need for local evaluation of cocoa clones and also suggest that the management practices for particular planting material may need to be fine-tuned to the location in which they are cultivated

Applying Market Shaping Approaches to Increase Access to Assistive Technology: Summary of the Wheelchair Product Narrative

To accelerate access to assistive technology (AT), we need to leverage the capabilities and resources of the public, private, and non-profit sectors to harness innovation and break down barriers to access. Market shaping interventions can play a role in enhancing market efficiencies, coordinating and incentivizing the number of stakeholders involved in demand and supply-side activities. Across health sectors, market shaping has demonstrated its potential to enhance national governments’ or donors’ value-for-money, diversify the supply base, and increase reliability – ultimately increasing product and service delivery access for end users. These market shaping successes in other health areas have led practitioners to hypothesize that market shaping could also be applied to assistive technology markets. ATscale, the Global Partnership for AT, aims to mobilise global stakeholders to shape markets in line with a unified strategy. To inform this strategy, it is critical to identify specific interventions required to shape markets and overcome barriers. The first product undergoing analysis by ATscale is wheelchairs. The market for appropriate wheelchairs in low-and middle income countries (LMICs) is highly fragmented and characterized by limited government interest, investment, and a low willingness-to-pay. Moreover, the market is dominated by cheaper, low quality wheelchairs which fail to meet the needs of end-users. Non-profit organizations have attempted to fill the need for context-appropriate wheelchairs, but market uptake is limited. These initial findings led ATscale to believe that market shaping could support increased access to appropriate wheelchairs. This paper outlines what market shaping is, and how it can be applied to assistive technology at large -- using the aforementioned wheelchair product narrative as an illustrative case study and presents the proposed market shaping strategy for wheelchairs. ATscale will develop a framework to evaluate short-term interventions identified to achieve a healthy market and increase access. This paper provides an opportunity to obtain feedback from interested stakeholders on the market shaping strategy for wheelchairs, as well as the product narrative process to be undertaken for other priority AT

Uncertain trajectories in old age and implications for families and for palliative and end-of-life care policy and practice

© 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.The provision of high-quality end-of-life care for all is high on national (and international) agendas, but areas of unmet needs identified includes elderly people. This article draws on an autoethnographic account of the dying and death of my father to identify and interrogate disjunctions between end-of-life care policy and commonplace experiences of elderly people who die in a hospital setting. There are significant disjunctions between the “blunt” tools of end-of-life care policy and the everyday experiences of the dying and death of an elderly patient and an urgent need to improve end-of-life care for our oldest generations.Peer reviewe

Impact of a hospice rapid response service on preferred place of death, and costs

Background: Many people with a terminal illness would prefer to die at home. A new palliative rapid response service (RRS) provided by a large hospice provider in South East England was evaluated (2010) to provide evidence of impact on achieving preferred place of death and costs. The RRS was delivered by a team of trained health care assistants and available 24/7. The purpose of this study was to (i) compare the characteristics of RRS users and non-users, (ii) explore differences in the proportions of users and non-users dying in the place of their choice, (iii) monitor the whole system service utilisation of users and non-users, and compare costs. Methods: All hospice patients who died with a preferred place of death recorded during an 18 month period were included. Data (demographic, preferences for place of death) were obtained from hospice records. Dying in preferred place was modelled using stepwise logistic regression analysis. Service use data (period between referral to hospice and death) were obtained from general practitioners, community providers, hospitals, social services, hospice, and costs calculated using validated national tariffs. Results: Of 688 patients referred to the hospice when the RRS was operational, 247 (35.9 %) used it. Higher proportions of RRS users than non-users lived in their own homes with a co-resident carer (40.3 % vs. 23.7 %); more non-users lived alone or in residential care (58.8 % vs. 76.3 %). Chances of dying in the preferred place were enhanced 2.1 times by being a RRS user, compared to a non-user, and 1.5 times by having a co-resident carer, compared to living at home alone or in a care home. Total service costs did not differ between users and non-users, except when referred to hospice very close to death (users had higher costs). Conclusions: Use of the RRS was associated with increased likelihood of dying in the preferred place. The RRS is cost neutral