News by Subject Business & Economics

Offering $100 to patients eligible for a preventive colonoscopy screening more than doubled the rate of screening when compared to a simple emailed request, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Historically, from the 1930's to the 1950's, the rate of cardiovascular disease in high-income countries was high. Since the mid-1970's, the rate of cardiovascular disease has declined in high income countries, possibly due to socioeconomic inequalities and better management of risk factors for coronary heart disease among the wealthy.

A University of Central Florida study has found that a gene variant, thought to be carried by nearly 25 percent of the population, increases the odds of developing depression. People with apolipoprotein-E4, called ApoE4 for short, have a 20 percent greater chance of developing clinically significant depressive symptoms later in life compared to those who don't have the gene variant, said Rosanna Scott, lead author of the study published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Among the many factors that impact digital marketing and online advertising strategy, a new study in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science provides insight to a growing trend among firms and big brands ... weather-based advertising. According to the study, certain weather conditions are more amenable for consumer responses to mobile marketing efforts, while the tone of your ad content can either help or hurt such response depending on the current local weather.

Why did America's biggest banks become heavily exposed to high-risk derivatives in the lead-up to the recent credit crisis? Researchers found the trend wasn't just driven by banks' enthusiasm for profits. Instead, government efforts to dampen bank risk-taking backfired by putting champions of risk into power. Chief Risk Officers put in place to oversee risk management encouraged banks to increase their exposure to the riskiest kinds of derivatives in the years ahead of the crisis.

While research has demonstrated the positive impact a woman's social support network and faith community can have on influencing decisions to breastfeed, little is known regarding the influence of Islamic traditions on the breastfeeding beliefs and practices of African-American Muslims.

In the largest nursing home study to date on the effect of a high-dose flu vaccine, researchers found that vaccines with four times the antigen of standard flu vaccines significantly reduced the risk of respiratory and all-cause hospitalization during flu season. The study found a 12.7 percent relative reduction in the incidence of hospitalization for respiratory illness and an 8.5 percent reduction of all-cause hospitalizations.

Solutions to climate change, and particularly its effects on the ocean, are needed now more than ever. Coral bleaching caused by climate change is a huge threat to coral reefs. Recent extreme bleaching events have already killed corals worldwide and permanent destruction of reefs is projected within the century if immediate action is not taken. However, genetically engineering a group of microalgae found in corals may enhance their stress tolerance to ocean warming and save coral reefs.

People who take out an individual personal pension can expect lower returns than those who invest in a group personal pension plan, suggests new research from the University of Bath.