Prevalence of eimeriosis in the one-humped camels (Camelus dromedarius) from Riyadh and Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia

Background The one-humped camels are economically important for several countries in Africa, Asia, and the Arabian Peninsula. Coccidiosis causes significant economic impact. Studies on coccidian parasite species causing such infections are limited. The present study aimed to carry out a survey of Eimeria spp. in camels from Riyadh and Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia. Methods A total of 209 fecal samples from Camelus (C.) dromedarius slaughtered in West Abattoir in Riyadh and Onaizah Modern abattoir in Al-Qassim were collected. Samples were examined by flotation methods and oocyst sporulation. Results Of the 209 examined fecal samples, 75 were positive for Eimeria spp..The prevalence of oocysts in Riyadh and Al-Qassim were 33.89% (40/118) and 38.46% (35/92), respectively. The prevalence in young male camels was 41.02% (32/78) and 39.62% (21/53), respectively and in adult males was 19.35% (6/31) and 36% (9/25), respectively. Adult females displayed a prevalence of 22.22% (2/9) and 38.46% (5/13) in Riyadh and Al-Qassim, respectively. Three Eimeria spp. were identified; E. cameli, E. rajasthani, and E. pellerdyi. The presence of E. pellerdyi is considered the first record in Saudi Arabia.

The impact of the 34th America's cup on taxable sales in the San Francisco bay area

PurposeAn economic impact study conducted in 2010 predicted that hosting the 34th America's Cup in 2013 would result in $1.37 billion in total economic benefits to the San Francisco Bay Area. The goal of this paper is to examine the ex post effects of this competition on real taxable sales in the Bay Area.Design/methodology/approachA panel data set of quarterly observations on taxable sales transactions for all counties in the state of California is employed. These data are explored using two estimation methodologies: difference-in-differences and synthetic control.FindingsResults from a difference-in-differences analysis and a synthetic control analysis produce similar findings. Namely, the 34th America's Cup competition appears to have had a minimal, short-lived impact on San Francisco and no measurable impact on two nearby counties.Practical implicationsThe empirical results in this paper underscore the findings of previous research showing that ex ante economic impact studies tend to overstate the net economic benefits of hosting mega-events.Social implicationsThe results of this paper may serve as a warning to policy makers considering using tax dollars to host a mega-event that such events often do not generate the economic gains reported in typical economic impact studies.Originality/valueThis is the first paper to econometrically explore the impact of hosting the America's Cup on taxable sales transactions in a region. This paper also employs the relatively new empirical methodology called synthetic control.

Does Gambling Harm or Benefit Other Industries? A Systematic Review

The economic benefits of gambling may be offset by economic harm to other industries. This economic phenomenon, also known as substitution or cannibalization, refers to a new product that diverts consumption and profits from other products or industries. Gambling may displace revenue from other businesses, but economic impact studies on gambling do not consider such shifts between expenditures. This paper presents a systematic review of the available evidence (N = 118) on whether the introduction or expansion of gambling harms or benefits other business activity. Although the issue has been considered in previous review studies, no industry-level analysis is currently available. The results show that such an approach is necessary, as the impacts of gambling on other industries appear to depend strongly on the type of industry, as well as on the location and type of gambling. Industries that are negatively affected by gambling include other recreation, retail and merchandise, manufacturing, and agriculture and mining. Alcohol consumption, construction, and the finance, insurance, and real estate industries, as well as other services, appear to be positively affected by the presence of gambling. In other cases, the evidence is either mixed or inconclusive. These results nevertheless depend strongly on the type of gambling. Destination gambling appears to be more beneficial to other industries than recreational gambling. Overall, the results show that even in cases when gambling does substitute for other industries, the displacement is not complete. The reasons for this and the gaps in the existing evidence and literature are discussed.RésuméLes avantages économiques obtenus des jeux de hasard peuvent être neutralisés par un préjudice économique porté à d’autres secteurs d’activités. Ce phénomène économique, également appelé substitution ou cannibalisation, fait référence au fait qu’un nouveau produit détourne la consommation et les profits tirés d’autres produits ou secteurs d’activités. Les jeux de hasard peuvent également soustraire des revenus d’autres entreprises, mais les études d’impact économique sur les jeux de hasard ne prennent pas en compte de tels mouvements des dépenses. Ce document présente une analyse systématique des preuves disponibles (N = 118) permettant de déterminer si l’introduction ou l’accroissement de l’offre de jeux porte préjudice ou apporte un avantage à d’autres activités économiques. Bien que la question ait été examinée dans une précédente étude, aucune analyse des secteurs d’activité n’est actuellement disponible. Les résultats montrent qu’une telle approche est nécessaire, car les impacts du jeu sur d’autres secteurs d’activités semblent dépendre fortement du type d’activité, mais également de l’emplacement et du type de jeu. Les secteurs qui sont négativement touchés par les jeux de hasard comprennent les autres loisirs, la vente au détail et les marchandises, la fabrication, l’agriculture et les mines. Les ventes d’alcool, la construction, le secteur de la finance, des assurances et de l’immobilier et d’autres services semblent en contrepartie bénéficier de la présence de jeux de hasard. Dans d’autres cas, les preuves sont soit mitigées, soit peu concluantes. Ces résultats dépendent néanmoins fortement du type de jeu. Les destinations de jeux semblent être dans l’ensemble plus avantageuses pour les autres industries que le jeu récréatif. Dans l’ensemble, les résultats montrent que même dans les cas où le jeu se substitue à d’autres activités, le déplacement n’est pas complet. Dans cet article, on aborde les raisons sous-jacentes à ces mouvements ainsi que les lacunes dans les preuves existantes et la littérature.

Systematic Review of Economic Impact Studies of Artificial Intelligence in Health Care

Background Positive economic impact is a key decision factor in making the case for or against investing in an artificial intelligence (AI) solution in the health care industry. It is most relevant for the care provider and insurer as well as for the pharmaceutical and medical technology sector. Although the broad economic impact of digital health solutions in general has been assessed many times in literature and the benefit for patients and society has also been analyzed, the specific economic impact of AI in health care has been addressed only sporadically. Objective This study aimed to systematically review and summarize the cost-effectiveness studies dedicated to AI in health care and to assess whether they meet the established quality criteria. Methods In a first step, the quality criteria for economic impact studies were defined based on the established and adapted criteria schemes for cost impact assessments. In a second step, a systematic literature review based on qualitative and quantitative inclusion and exclusion criteria was conducted to identify relevant publications for an in-depth analysis of the economic impact assessment. In a final step, the quality of the identified economic impact studies was evaluated based on the defined quality criteria for cost-effectiveness studies. Results Very few publications have thoroughly addressed the economic impact assessment, and the economic assessment quality of the reviewed publications on AI shows severe methodological deficits. Only 6 out of 66 publications could be included in the second step of the analysis based on the inclusion criteria. Out of these 6 studies, none comprised a methodologically complete cost impact analysis. There are two areas for improvement in future studies. First, the initial investment and operational costs for the AI infrastructure and service need to be included. Second, alternatives to achieve similar impact must be evaluated to provide a comprehensive comparison. Conclusions This systematic literature analysis proved that the existing impact assessments show methodological deficits and that upcoming evaluations require more comprehensive economic analyses to enable economic decisions for or against implementing AI technology in health care. Trial Registration

A Systematic Review of Economic Impact Studies of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Positive economic impact is a key decision factor in making the case for or against investing in an artificial intelligence (AI) solution in the healthcare industry. It is most relevant for the care provider and insurer as well as for the pharmaceutical and medical technology sector. Although the broad economic impact of digital health solutions in general has been assessed many times in literature and also the benefit for patients and society has been analyzed, the specific economic impact of AI in healthcare has been addressed only sporadically. OBJECTIVE To systematically review and summarize cost-effectiveness studies dedicated to AI in healthcare, and to assess whether they meet established quality criteria. METHODS In a first step, the quality criteria for economic impact studies were defined based on established and adapted criteria schemes for cost impact assessments. In a second step, a systematic literature review based on qualitative and quantitative inclusion and exclusion criteria was conducted to identify the relevant publications for an in-depth analysis of economic impact assessment. In a final step, the quality of the identified economic impact studies was evaluated based on the defined quality criteria for cost-effectiveness studies. RESULTS Very few publications have thoroughly addressed economic impact assessment and the economic assessment quality of according AI publications shows severe methodological deficits. Only six out of 66 publications could be included in the second step of the analysis based on the inclusion criteria. Out of these six studies, none comprised a methodologically complete cost impact analysis. There are two areas for improvement: First, initial investment and operational costs for the AI infrastructure and service need to be included. Second, alternatives to achieve similar impact must be evaluated to provide a comprehensive comparison. CONCLUSIONS The systematic literature analysis proved that existing impact assessments show methodological deficits, and that upcoming evaluations require more comprehensive economic analyses to enable economic decisions for or against implementing AI technology in healthcare.

Uses and abuses of IMPLAN in economic impact studies of tourism events and facilities in the United States: a perspective article

Purpose An overview of the IMPLAN input/output model which is the dominant economic impact model used in the USA, focused on the ways it is abused. Design/methodology/approach Review of the literature. Findings 25 ways in which IMPLAN is abused. Research limitations/implications Continued refinement of IMPLAN in the USA; potential of its extension to other contexts. Practical implications Beware it is frequently used to confirm an advocacy position of those who commission studies, rather than a search for truth. Social implications Profound potential for creating falsified outcomes to support sponsor advocacy. Originality/value Synopsis of IMPLAN literature and identification of abuses.

IMPACTO ECONÓMICO DO PORTO DE FERROL – SAN CIBRAO: HARMONIZACIÓN DE RESULTADOS AO ANO DE REFERENCIA 2016 E COMPARACIÓN COS PORTOS ESTATAIS

As investigacións iniciadas nos anos 60 que tentan determinar o impactoeconómico dos portos nas economías da súa hinterland fóronse depurando, e asmetodoloxías foron converxendo ata permitir realizar comparacións entre uns portos eoutros. No sistema portuario español leváronse a cabo importantes estudos de impactoeconómico e, entre eles, destaca o do porto de Ferrol-San Cibrao, tanto polo carácterpioneiro como pola diversidade de enfoques, como polas metodoloxías que se utilizaronpara a súa determinación. Neste traballo, considéranse os estudos máis relevantes e, parao caso do porto de Ferrol-San Cibrao, harmonízanse os datos ao ano de referencia 2016 através dos coeficientes deflatores do PIB, e realízase unha análise comparativa conrespecto aos portos estatais de características semellantes.The research initiated in the 60s in an atempt to determine the economicimpact of ports in the economies of their hinterland have been refined, and themethodologies have been converging to allow comparisons between ports.In the Spanish port system, important economic impact studies have been carried out,including the port of Ferrol-San Cibrao, both for its pioneering nature and for the diversityof approaches and methodologies that have been used for its determination. In this paper,the most relevant studies are analyzed, the data are harmonized to the reference year2016 through the deflator coefficients of the GDP, and a comparison is made in relation tothe similar characteristic state ports.