Massey Research Online
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Loss of production and animal health costs in assessing economic burden of animal disease.
(World Organisation for Animal Health, 2024-08) Marsh TL; Pendell D; Schrobback P; Shakil G; Tozer P; Rushton J; Cecchini M
This article focuses on identifying the loss of production and costs (or lack thereof) associated with livestock health as well as animal disease externalities, with the intent to estimate economy-wide burden. It limits its scope to terrestrial livestock and aquaculture, wherein economic burden is predominately determined by market forces. Losses and costs are delineated into both direct losses and costs and indirect losses and costs, as well as ex post costs and ex ante costs. These costs include not only private expenditures but also public expenditures related to the prevention of, treatment of, and response to livestock disease. This distinction is important because a primary role of government is to mitigate externalities. The article then discusses market impacts and investments. Finally, it provides selected examples and illustrative observations and discusses future directions for research and application.
Cet article examine les pertes de production et les coûts associés (ou non) à la santé animale ainsi que les externalités liées aux maladies animales, dans le but d’estimer le fardeau pour l’ensemble de l’économie. L’examen se limite à la production d’animaux terrestres et aquatiques, secteurs où le fardeau économique est principalement déterminé par les forces du marché. Les pertes et les coûts sont répartis en pertes et coûts directs et indirects, ainsi qu’en coûts ex post et ex ante. Ces coûts comprennent non seulement les dépenses privées, mais aussi les dépenses publiques liées à la prévention, au traitement et aux réponses aux maladies des animaux d’élevage. Il s’agit d’une distinction importante car l’une des fonctions premières d’un gouvernement est d’atténuer les externalités. Les auteurs examinent ensuite les impacts sur les marchés et les investissements. Pour conclure, à partir d’exemples choisis et d’observations illustrant leur propos, les auteurs proposent des voies d’exploration pour la recherche et ses applications.
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Analysis of HER2-Low Breast Cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand: A Nationwide Retrospective Cohort Study
(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2024-09-20) Lasham A; Ramsaroop R; Wrigley A; Knowlton N; Radisky D; Lambertini M
OBJECTIVES: To perform the first national analysis of demographic and clinicopathological features associated with the HER2 positive, HER2-low, and HER2-zero invasive breast cancers in New Zealand. The study will reveal the proportion of women who may benefit from new HER2-targeted antibody drug conjugate (ADC) therapies. METHODS: Utilising data from Te Rēhita Mate Ūtaetae (Breast Cancer Foundation NZ National Register), the study analysed data from women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer over a 21-year period. The HER2 status of tumours was classified into three categories-HER2-zero, HER2-low, HER2-positive. RESULTS: From 2009-2021, 94% of women underwent HER2 testing, with 14% diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer. For advanced-stage disease, 38% of those formerly classified as HER2-negative were reclassified as HER2-low. Including HER2-positive breast cancers, this indicates that 60% of women with advanced breast cancer may potentially benefit from the new HER2-directed ADCs (approximately 120 women per year). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest a significant proportion of women with invasive breast cancer in New Zealand could benefit from new HER2-targeted treatments. There is a need to standardise HER2 testing to enhance personalised treatment and improve outcomes.
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Reprint of: Corporate culture and carbon emission performance
(Elsevier Ltd on behalf of the British Accounting and Finance Association, 2025-02-12) Hasan MM; Bhuiyan MBU; Taylor G
Using a large sample of U.S. firms from 2002 to 2020, we investigate the relationship between corporate culture and the extent of carbon emissions. We provide evidence that the quantum of carbon emissions is negatively associated with corporate cultural attributes manifested by integrity, teamwork, innovation, and respect. These results hold after controlling for potential endogeneity issues using several identification techniques. We also document that the negative culture–emissions relationship is magnified in firms with weak corporate governance and in those operating in environmentally sensitive industries. Additionally, this relationship is less salient in the presence of social capital. Finally, we demonstrate that in firms with a stronger culture, elevated carbon emissions result in a lower firm value. Our findings may be of interest to environmental regulators and management in their pursuit of firm-level carbon emission targets.
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Caffeine Related Risk among Tertiary Students in New Zealand
(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2019-03-11) Stachyshyn S; Rutherfurd-Markwick K; Ali A; Wham C
Background: Caffeine-related health incidents in New Zealand have escalated over the last two decades. Tertiary students may be at higher risk as they are known to seek caffeinated products to treat sleep deprivation and while studying for exams or completing major course projects. The aim of this study was to examine the caffeine consumption habits of tertiary students and their motivations for use across a broad range of caffeinated products.
Method: Eligible participants were invited to complete a caffeine consumption habits questionnaire (CaffCo) via the online survey software, Qualtrics.
Results: A total of 317 participants (46.7% men) completed the online CaffCo. Most (74.4%) were aged between 19 to 30 years and nearly a half were NZ European (47.5%). The majority (99.1%) consumed at least one source of caffeine in their diet. Coffee was the largest contributor (61.4%) followed by tea (14.4%), energy drinks (8%), chocolate (7.3%), kola drinks (5.3%), sports supplements (2.4%), RTDs (0.8%) and caffeine tablets (0.5%). The median estimated daily caffeine consumption was 146.73 mg·day−1 (n = 314), or 2.25 mg−kgbw−1−day−1 (n = 281). An estimated 14.3% of caffeine consumers exceeded the suggested ‘safe limit’ of 400 mg−day−1. Cigarette smokers were significantly more likely to exceed this level. Caffeine and alcohol were co-ingested by 38.5% of the participants, especially among those in paid employment or by cigarette smokers. The majority of caffeine consumers (84.7%) reported experiencing at least one adverse symptom post caffeine consumption especially to energy drinks (77.3%). Two thirds (64.2%) reported being dependent on at least one caffeine source, and 47.3% reported experiencing at least one withdrawal symptom.
Conclusions: These findings provide critical information for developing caffeine-related risk-reduction strategies for NZ tertiary students. Improved labelling and consumer education which targets those who consume caffeinated products above the daily 400 mg safe limit may help ameliorate caffeine related risk.
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Tumor mutational burden is a determinant of immune-mediated survival in breast cancer
(Taylor and Francis, England, 2018-07-30) Thomas A; Routh ED; Pullikuth A; Jin G; Su J; Chou JW; Hoadley KA; Print C; Knowlton N; Black MA; Demaria S; Wang E; Bedognetti D; Jones WD; Mehta GA; Gatza ML; Perou CM; Page DB; Triozzi P; Miller LD
Mounting evidence supports a role for the immune system in breast cancer outcomes. The ability to distinguish highly immunogenic tumors susceptible to anti-tumor immunity from weakly immunogenic or inherently immune-resistant tumors would guide development of therapeutic strategies in breast cancer. Genomic, transcriptomic and clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium (METABRIC) breast cancer cohorts were used to examine statistical associations between tumor mutational burden (TMB) and the survival of patients whose tumors were assigned to previously-described prognostic immune subclasses reflecting favorable, weak or poor immune-infiltrate dispositions (FID, WID or PID, respectively). Tumor immune subclasses were associated with survival in patients with high TMB (TMB-Hi, P < 0.001) but not in those with low TMB (TMB-Lo, P = 0.44). This statistical relationship was confirmed in the METABRIC cohort (TMB-Hi, P = 0.047; TMB-Lo, P = 0.39), and also found to hold true in the more-indolent Luminal A tumor subtype (TMB-Hi, P = 0.011; TMB-Lo, P = 0.91). In TMB-Hi tumors, the FID subclass was associated with prolonged survival independent of tumor stage, molecular subtype, age and treatment. Copy number analysis revealed the reproducible, preferential amplification of chromosome 1q immune-regulatory genes in the PID immune subclass. These findings demonstrate a previously unappreciated role for TMB as a determinant of immune-mediated survival of breast cancer patients and identify candidate immune-regulatory mechanisms associated with immunologically cold tumors. Immune subtyping of breast cancers may offer opportunities for therapeutic stratification.