Estimating firm digitalization: A method for disaggregating sector-level digital intensity to firm-level.

The digital transformation of firms plays an increasingly important role in the economy and society. However, limited access to data on firm-level digital intensity is an impediment to advancement of multiple research projects concerned with firm digitalization. To alleviate this challenge, this paper proposes a method for estimating firm-level digital intensity based on other more readily available firm-level data and reference data on digitalization, which is available on sector-level.

Data Sharing in Pharmaceutical Supply Chains - Case European Medicines Verification System.

We study the perceived value derived from data sharing activities by the representatives of a Nordic pharmaceutical company in the introduction of the European Medicines Verification System (EMVS). The system is an end-to-end verification protocol that would potentially enable the pharmaceutical companies to access the sales-point data from within the system, while maintaining the control of their own data. The benefits of the system are most notably in developing data sharing with the wholesalers and end-customers.

Commercial Adoption of AI in the Healthcare Sector: An Exploratory Analysis of S&P500 Companies.

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies within the healthcare sector is growing. However, there are differences in the speed of commercial adoption of AI across sub-sectors. We employ a dataset including news mentions and executive communications of all S&P500 Health Care Index companies to explore these differences.

Determinants of prescription opioid use: population-based evidence from Finland.

Background And Aims: Previous studies have shown that prescription opioid use is more common in socio-economically disadvantaged communities in the United States. This study examined the area and individual-level determinants of prescription opioid use in Finland during the period 1995-2016.

Design: Logistic regression analysis using nation-wide data on filled opioid-related prescriptions dispensed at Finnish pharmacies and covered by National Health Insurance.

Factors Affecting Venture Funding of Healthcare AI Companies.

Venture Capital (VC) funding raised by companies producing Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Learning (ML) solutions is on the rise and a driver of technology development. In healthcare, VC funding is distributed unevenly and certain technologies have attracted significantly more funding than others have. We analyzed a database of 106 Healthcare AI companies collected from open online sources to understand factors affecting the VC funding of AI companies operating in different areas of healthcare.

Controlling for Structural Changes in the Workforce Influenced Occupational Class Differences in Disability Retirement Trends.

We explored occupational class differences in disability retirement trends accounting for structural changes in the workforce induced by the recent economic crisis and the following economic stagnation. Using nationwide register data on the general Finnish population aged 30-59 years, we examined trends in disability retirement due to all causes, musculoskeletal diseases, and mental disorders in 2007, 2010, and 2013. Applying propensity score (PS) matching to control for bias induced by structural changes in the workforce over time, we obtained 885,807 matched triplets.

An economic model to assess the cost-benefit of BNCT.

We have constructed a formal model on cost-benefit of new technology in health care, and apply it on boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). We assume that the patient health benefit from getting cured in acute treatment is always higher than the patient utility resulting from any long term treatment or death. This assumption makes it possible to evaluate the monetary cost impacts of a new technology and relate these measures to the patient health benefit.

Biodistribution of boron after intravenous 4-dihydroxyborylphenylalanine-fructose (BPA-F) infusion in meningioma and schwannoma patients: A feasibility study for boron neutron capture therapy.

We studied the uptake of boron after 100 mg/kg BPA infusion in three meningioma and five schwannoma patients as a pre-BNCT feasibility study. With average tumour-to-whole blood boron concentrations of 2.5, we discuss why BNCT could, and probably should, be developed to treat severe forms of the studied tumours.

Obesity and labour market success in Finland: the difference between having a high BMI and being fat.

This paper examines the relationship between obesity and labour market success in Finland, using various indicators of individual body composition along with body mass index (BMI). Weight, height, fat mass and waist circumference are measured by health professionals. We find that only waist circumference has a negative association with wages for women, whereas no obesity measure is significant in the linear wage models for men.

Alcohol consumption and sickness absence: evidence from microdata.

Background: Aggregate time-series evidence has shown that overall per capita alcohol consumption is associated with sickness absence. This study re-examines the relationship between alcohol consumption and sickness absence by using individual-level microdata and methods that yield results which are less likely to be due to spurious correlations.

Methods: Data on sickness absence and alcohol consumption for 18 Finnish regions over the period 1993-2005 was used.

Abstaining from alcohol and labour market underperformance--have we forgotten the 'dry' alcoholics?

Aims: To investigate whether abstainers fare worse than non-abstainers on the labour market because a subset of the abstainers are ex-drinkers with alcohol problems.

Methods: In the cross-sectional population survey 'health 2000 in Finland' (n = 10 000) carried out in 2000, alcohol dependency was measured using the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence. The CIDI (composite international diagnostic interview) was applied to ascertain lifetime DSM-IV diagnoses for substance abuse diagnoses, including alcohol dependence.

Alcohol-related mortality, drinking behavior, and business cycles: are slumps really dry seasons?

This paper explores the connection between alcohol-related mortality, drinking behavior, and macroeconomic conditions in Finland using both aggregate and microlevel data from recent decades. The aggregate data reveal that an improvement in economic conditions produces a decrease in alcohol-related mortality. Microlevel data show that alcohol consumption increases during economic expansion while the probability of being a drinker remains unchanged.

A note on the impact of hours worked on mortality in OECD countries.

We investigate whether an increase in hours worked per employed person raises the total mortality rate in a sample of 23 OECD countries. We build on earlier research but extend the analysis by introducing the number of hours worked per employed as an additional regressor. Contrary to our expectations, we found that an increase in the number of hours worked actually has significantly negative effect on mortality rate, even controlling for income.