The power of the pen: Handwritten fonts promote haptic engagement

Consumers are increasingly bombarded with merchandise and offers, making clear the need for visually distinctive and sensorially engaging product packaging design. The current research demonstrates that the use of handwritten fonts on product packaging elicits an approach tendency and enhances haptic engagement, which influences product evaluation and choice likelihood. A pilot study quantifies the use of handwritten fonts in four grocery product categories to establish that the study of handwritten fonts as a packaging design element is a worthy one with managerial significance. Four experiments are then presented. Studies 1 and 2 use real products to show that a product label with a handwritten (vs. typewritten) font elicits haptic engagement and, enhanced product evaluations (Study 2). Study 3 identifies a boundary condition such that the focal effect is observed only for benign (safe and enjoyable) product categories, but not for risky (unsafe and dangerous) ones. Study 4 relies on a simulated store setup with actual products to illustrate the differential preference for products with a handwritten (vs. typewritten) font when choosing between brands in a benign (vs. risky) product category.     

The burden of road traffic injuries in Kermanshah Province,Iran, in 2010–2011: GBD 2010 method

Deaths, injuries and disabilities resulting from road traffic injuries (RTIs) are a public health major concern. This study aims to calculate the burden of RTIs in Kermanshah Province in Iran. In this study to determine the years of life lost (YLL) related to RTIs, the National Death Registration and Forensics Medicine census data were employed. We use forensic medicine data to calculate the incidence of non-fatal injuries and years lost due to disability (YLD). The cause of death and non-fatal injuries was classified using ICD-10 codes and 23 groupes of global burden of diseases (GBD) 2010. The disability-adjusted life year (DALY) estimated on the guidelines of the GBD 2010 and age and sex structure was taken from the National Statistic Center for the year 2010. Overall, 70.8% of the subjects were males. The fatal and non-fatal injury rates of RTI were 51.3 and 283.6 per 100,000 persons, respectively. YLLs and YLDs were 46613 (24.5 per 1000) and 3405 (1.8 per 1000) in both sexes, respectively. The disability adjusted life years were 40711 in males, 9306 in females and 50018 in both sexes (42.5, 9.8 and 26.3 per 1000, respectively). More than 93% of DALY was from YLL (24.5 per 1000), with a small proportion for YLD (1.8 per 1000). Accounting for more than 50,000 DALY attributed to RTIs, traffic injuries is a major public health and socioeconomic problem in Kermanshah. Designing cost-effective interventions based on comprehensive and multi-sectoral programmes at the national and provincial levels can save many lives and resources that are lost every year. Undoubtedly, establishing a surveillance system at the sub-national level and measuring the burden of injuries, as in this study, can help policy-makers and planners in lessening the burden of RTIs.     

A comparison of the economic development policies of county,metropolitan and non-metropolitan district councils

Local authorities in England and Wales have become important participants in economic development policy. This paper draws upon a comprehensive new date set covering the activities of the councils in the period 1990–92. The date set is unusual in that it allows the direct comparison of the activities of the three main groups of councils: county councils, metropolitan districts and non-metropolitan districts. The paper contrasts the degree of commitment to economic development policy and the range of initiatives of the three categories, and compares the manner in which the three types of councils package their initiatives in order to develop conherent strategies. The analysis reveals significant differences between the categories of councils and shows that despite the rapid spread of economic development policy amongst councils in more prosperous areas during the 1980s, the policies operated still depend on the economic and political characteristics of the councils.     

THE 1992 RESEARCH ASSESSMENT EXERCISE: OUTCOME,OUTPUTS AND INPUTS IN ECONOMICS AND ECONOMETRICS*

This paper presents the results of a statistical analysis of the University Funding Council's 1992 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE92), focusing here on the Economics and Econometrics Unit of Assessment. The data collected to support the RAE92 provide information about the inputs and outputs of the research process across all institutions of higher education in the UK. The paper has two primary aims: firstly, to provide information to the economics profession in order to aid self-appraisal at the departmental level by providing quantitative data on research inputs and outputs relating to all 60 departments of economics assessed in the RAE92; and secondly, to investigate the extent to which variations between departments in their research ratings can be ‘explained’(in a statistical sense) by various quantitative research indicators constructed from the RAE92 database. The information suggests that research indicators constructed from the RAE92 database provide potentially valuable information about research activity in economics and econometrics in the UK.     

Differential mortality in Rural Bangladesh

Discrete regression methods are used to analyse sample survey data from two villages in two different regions of Bangladesh. No significant mortality differentials by socio-economic class are found.     

Fingolimod versus natalizumab in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis: a cost-effectiveness and cost-utility study in Iran

Aims: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, autoimmune, and inflammatory disease. If the first-line medicines are not effective enough, specialists will prescribe second-line medicines, such as natalizumab and fingolimod. This study aimed to compare the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of fingolimod with those of natalizumab in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in Iran, Fars province in 2016.

Materials and methods: This study was a cost-effectiveness and cost-utility study in which a Markov model was used. The study used the census method to evaluate 81 patients with MS in Iran, Fars province who were being treated with fingolimod and natalizumab. In this study, costs were collected from the societal perspective, and the outcomes were the mean of relapse avoided rate and QALY. The cost data collection form, Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale, and EQ-5D-3L questionnaire were used to collect the required data.

Results: The results showed that, compared to natalizumab, patients who used fingolimod had decreased costs (58,087 vs 201,707), increased QALYs (8.09 vs 7.37), and a better relapse avoided rate (6.27 vs 5.83) per patient over the lifetime. The results of the sensitivity analysis showed that the results of the study were robust. Also, the results of the scatter plots showed that fingolimod was more cost-effective based on the QALY and relapse avoided rate in 62% and 56%, respectively, of the simulations for the thresholds below $15,657 for the studied patients.

Conclusions: According to the results of this study, the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of fingolimod were higher than those of natalizumab. Therefore, it is recommended that treatment with fingolimod be the first priority of second-line treatment for MS patients, and policy-makers and health managers are encouraged to make efforts in order to increase insurance coverage and reduce the out-of-pocket payments of these patients.     

Key Components for Organizing Architectural Tours in Isfahan,Iran

Architectural heritage attracts many tourists due to its aesthetic features and celebrities. Architourism as a new niche tourism strives to attract those who are interested in architectural heritage. This paper highlights the introduction of Isfahan city (Iran) as a new architourism destination. This research also has three other major purposes: (1) to identify the attractions for promoting architourism in Isfahan; (2) to investigate the key components for organizing architectural tours; and (3) to introduce architectural tour packages. Using a qualitative method clearly shows that demography, visitor/tourist interest, motivation and expertise, the time and duration of the visit, providing special tourism facilities, organizing educational and research activities and marketing are key components in organizing architectural tours. The results also illustrated that Isfahan has buildings, urban collections and historical textures that can be attractions for promoting architourism. Further analysis illustrated that Isfahan city has potential to organize architectural tours with 16 themes.