Using Regression Analysis in Departmental Budget Allocations. IR Applications, Volume 24, November 1, 2009

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luna, Andrew L.; Brennan, Kelly A.

2009-01-01

This study uses a regression model to determine if a significant difference exists between the actual budget allocation that an academic department received and the model's predicted budget allocation for that same department. Budget data from a Southeastern Master's/Comprehensive state university were used as the dependent variable, and the…

Budgeting Academic Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Watson

2011-01-01

There are many articles about space management, including those that discuss space calculations, metrics, and categories. Fewer articles discuss the space budgeting processes used by administrators to allocate space. The author attempts to fill this void by discussing her administrative experiences with Middle Tennessee State University's (MTSU)…

STAR--people-powered prioritization: a 21st-century solution to allocation headaches.

PubMed

Airoldi, Mara; Morton, Alec; Smith, Jenifer A E; Bevan, Gwyn

2014-11-01

The aim of cost effectiveness analysis (CEA) is to inform the allocation of scarce resources. CEA is routinely used in assessing the cost-effectiveness of specific health technologies by agencies such as the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in England and Wales. But there is extensive evidence that because of barriers of accessibility and acceptability, CEA has not been used by local health planners in their annual task of allocating fixed budgets to a wide range of types of health care. This paper argues that these planners can use Socio Technical Allocation of Resources (STAR) for that task. STAR builds on the principles of CEA and the practice of program budgeting and marginal analysis. STAR uses requisite models to assess the cost-effectiveness of all interventions considered for resource reallocation by explicitly applying the theory of health economics to evidence of scale, costs, and benefits, with deliberation facilitated through an interactive social process of engaging key stakeholders. In that social process, the stakeholders generate missing estimates of scale, costs, and benefits of the interventions; develop visual models of their relative cost-effectiveness; and interpret the results. We demonstrate the feasibility of STAR by showing how it was used by a local health planning agency of the English National Health Service, the Isle of Wight Primary Care Trust, to allocate a fixed budget in 2008 and 2009. © The Author(s) 2014.

LOTUS 1-2-3 and Decision Support: Allocating the Monograph Budget.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perry-Holmes, Claudia

1985-01-01

Describes the use of electronic spreadsheet software for library decision support systems using personal computers. Discussion covers templates, formulas for allocating the materials budget, LOTUS 1-2-3 and budget allocations, choosing a formula, the spreadsheet itself, graphing capabilities, and advantages and disadvantages of templates. Six…

Decentralization and health resource allocation: a case study at the district level in Indonesia.

PubMed

Abdullah, Asnawi; Stoelwinder, Johannes

2008-01-01

Health resource allocation has been an issue of political debate in many health systems. However, the debate has tended to concentrate on vertical allocation from the national to regional level. Allocation within regions or institutions has been largely ignored. This study was conducted to contribute analysis to this gap. The objective was to investigate health resource allocation within District Health Offices (DHOs) and to compare the trends and patterns of several budget categories before and after decentralization. The study was conducted in three districts in the Province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam. Six fiscal year budgets, two before decentralization and four after, were studied. Data was collected from the Local Government Planning Office and DHOs. Results indicated that in the first year of implementing a decentralization policy, the local government budget rose sharply, particularly in the wealthiest district. In contrast, in relatively poor districts the budget was only boosted slightly. Increasing total local government budgets had a positive impact on increasing the health budget. The absolute amount of health budgets increased significantly, but by percentage did not change very much. Budgets for several projects and budget items increased significantly, but others, such as health promotion, monitoring and evaluation, and public-goods-related activities, decreased. This study concluded that decentralization in Indonesia had made a positive impact on district government fiscal capacity and had affected DHO budgets positively. However, an imbalanced budget allocation between projects and budget items was obvious, and this needs serious attention from policy makers. Otherwise, decentralization will not significantly improve the health system in Indonesia.

Allocating HIV prevention funds in the United States: recommendations from an optimization model.

PubMed

Lasry, Arielle; Sansom, Stephanie L; Hicks, Katherine A; Uzunangelov, Vladislav

2012-01-01

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had an annual budget of approximately $327 million to fund health departments and community-based organizations for core HIV testing and prevention programs domestically between 2001 and 2006. Annual HIV incidence has been relatively stable since the year 2000 and was estimated at 48,600 cases in 2006 and 48,100 in 2009. Using estimates on HIV incidence, prevalence, prevention program costs and benefits, and current spending, we created an HIV resource allocation model that can generate a mathematically optimal allocation of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention's extramural budget for HIV testing, and counseling and education programs. The model's data inputs and methods were reviewed by subject matter experts internal and external to the CDC via an extensive validation process. The model projects the HIV epidemic for the United States under different allocation strategies under a fixed budget. Our objective is to support national HIV prevention planning efforts and inform the decision-making process for HIV resource allocation. Model results can be summarized into three main recommendations. First, more funds should be allocated to testing and these should further target men who have sex with men and injecting drug users. Second, counseling and education interventions ought to provide a greater focus on HIV positive persons who are aware of their status. And lastly, interventions should target those at high risk for transmitting or acquiring HIV, rather than lower-risk members of the general population. The main conclusions of the HIV resource allocation model have played a role in the introduction of new programs and provide valuable guidance to target resources and improve the impact of HIV prevention efforts in the United States.

40 CFR 97.140 - State trading budgets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false State trading budgets. 97.140 Section...) FEDERAL NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS CAIR NOX Allowance Allocations § 97.140 State trading budgets. The State trading budgets for annual allocations of CAIR NOX allowances...

40 CFR 97.140 - State trading budgets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false State trading budgets. 97.140 Section...) FEDERAL NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS CAIR NOX Allowance Allocations § 97.140 State trading budgets. The State trading budgets for annual allocations of CAIR NOX allowances...

40 CFR 97.140 - State trading budgets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false State trading budgets. 97.140 Section...) FEDERAL NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS CAIR NOX Allowance Allocations § 97.140 State trading budgets. The State trading budgets for annual allocations of CAIR NOX allowances...

40 CFR 97.140 - State trading budgets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false State trading budgets. 97.140 Section...) FEDERAL NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS CAIR NOX Allowance Allocations § 97.140 State trading budgets. The State trading budgets for annual allocations of CAIR NOX allowances...

40 CFR 97.140 - State trading budgets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false State trading budgets. 97.140 Section...) FEDERAL NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS CAIR NOX Allowance Allocations § 97.140 State trading budgets. The State trading budgets for annual allocations of CAIR NOX allowances...

Using evidence to strengthen accountability for health financing in Sierra Leone.

PubMed

Lebbie, Sowo A; Le Voir, Rosanna; Tom-Kargbo, Joanna; Yilla, Mohamed Drissa; Kamara, Abu Bakarr; Nam, Sara L

2016-12-01

In 2012, the government of Sierra Leone cut the national budget allocation to the health sector. Civil society organizations planned a nationwide health budget advocacy campaign, coinciding with the 2012 general elections, to hold future leaders to account on financing for women's and children's health. As part of the campaign, Evidence for Action produced district health budget tracking scorecards. The scorecards presented Ministry of Finance data on the allocation and disbursement of health funds in each district. The data were communicated using simple, non-technical language so that citizens could understand the key messages and take action. A total of 5600 scorecards were shared at district electoral forums attended by political candidates, community members, and health activists. Since the election, the proportion of the total government budget allocated to health increased from 7.4% in 2012 to 11.2% in 2014. However, transforming politicians' commitments and pledges into implementation has been challenging, confirming that accountability is a long-term process. Copyright © 2016 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cost-effectiveness analysis and efficient use of the pharmaceutical budget: the key role of clinical pharmacologists

PubMed Central

Edlin, Richard; Round, Jeff; Hulme, Claire; McCabe, Christopher

2010-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to provide information about cost-effectiveness analysis and the roles of clinical pharmacologists generally in providing efficient health care. The paper highlights the potential consequences of ‘off-label prescribing’ and ‘indication creep’ behaviour given slower growth (or potential cuts) in the NHS budget. This paper highlights the key roles of clinical pharmacologists in delivering an efficient health care system when resources are allocated using cost-effectiveness analyses. It describes what cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is and how incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) are used to identify efficient options. After outlining the theoretical framework within which using CEA can promote the efficient allocation of the health care budget, it considers the place of disinvestment within achieving efficient resource allocation. Clinical pharmacologists are argued to be critical to providing improved population health under CEA-based resource allocation processes because of their roles in implementation and disinvestment. Given that the challenges facing the United Kingdom National Health Service (NHS) are likely to increase, this paper sets out the stark choices facing clinical pharmacologists. PMID:20716234

Cost-effectiveness analysis and efficient use of the pharmaceutical budget: the key role of clinical pharmacologists.

PubMed

Edlin, Richard; Round, Jeff; Hulme, Claire; McCabe, Christopher

2010-09-01

The purpose of this paper is to provide information about cost-effectiveness analysis and the roles of clinical pharmacologists generally in providing efficient health care. The paper highlights the potential consequences of 'off-label prescribing' and 'indication creep' behaviour given slower growth (or potential cuts) in the NHS budget. This paper highlights the key roles of clinical pharmacologists in delivering an efficient health care system when resources are allocated using cost-effectiveness analyses. It describes what cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is and how incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) are used to identify efficient options. After outlining the theoretical framework within which using CEA can promote the efficient allocation of the health care budget, it considers the place of disinvestment within achieving efficient resource allocation. Clinical pharmacologists are argued to be critical to providing improved population health under CEA-based resource allocation processes because of their roles in implementation and disinvestment. Given that the challenges facing the United Kingdom National Health Service (NHS) are likely to increase, this paper sets out the stark choices facing clinical pharmacologists.

Introducing management principles into the supply and distribution of medicines in Tunisia.

PubMed Central

Garraoui, A.; Le Feuvre, P.; Ledoux, M.

1999-01-01

A number of strategies have been proposed by various organizations and governments for rationalizing the use of drugs in developing countries. Such strategies include the use of essential drug lists, generic prescribing, and training in rational prescribing. None of these require doctors to become actively involved in the management of the drug supply to their health centres. In 1997, in the Kasserine region of Tunisia, the regional health authorities piloted a radically different strategy. This involved the theoretical allocation of a proportion of the regional drug budget to each district and subsequently to each health centre according to estimated demand. Medical staff were given responsibility for the management of these budgets, allowing them to control the nature and quantities of drugs supplied to the health centres in which they worked. This paper outlines the process by which this strategy was successfully implemented in the Foussana district of Kasserine region, and explores the problems encountered. It describes now the theoretical budgets were allocated to each district and how the costs of individual drugs and the consumption of drugs in the previous year were calculated. It then continues by giving an account of the training of the staff of the health centres, the preparation of a drug order form and the method of allocation of the theoretical budgets to each of the health centres. The results give an account of how the prescribing habits of doctors were changed as a result of the strategy, in order to take into account the costs of the drugs that they prescribed. They show how the health centres were able to manage their budgets, spending overall 99.8% of the budget allocated to the district. They outline some of the changes in the prescribing habits that took place, demonstrating a greater use of appropriate and essential drugs. The paper concludes that doctors and paramedical staff can successfully manage a theoretical drug budget, and that their involvement in this process leads to more rational prescribing within existing resource constraints. This has a consequence of benefiting patients, satisfying doctors and pleasing administrators. PMID:10427939

Optimal resource allocation for defense of targets based on differing measures of attractiveness.

PubMed

Bier, Vicki M; Haphuriwat, Naraphorn; Menoyo, Jaime; Zimmerman, Rae; Culpen, Alison M

2008-06-01

This article describes the results of applying a rigorous computational model to the problem of the optimal defensive resource allocation among potential terrorist targets. In particular, our study explores how the optimal budget allocation depends on the cost effectiveness of security investments, the defender's valuations of the various targets, and the extent of the defender's uncertainty about the attacker's target valuations. We use expected property damage, expected fatalities, and two metrics of critical infrastructure (airports and bridges) as our measures of target attractiveness. Our results show that the cost effectiveness of security investment has a large impact on the optimal budget allocation. Also, different measures of target attractiveness yield different optimal budget allocations, emphasizing the importance of developing more realistic terrorist objective functions for use in budget allocation decisions for homeland security.

40 CFR 60.4140 - State trading budgets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false State trading budgets. 60.4140 Section... Electric Steam Generating Units Hg Allowance Allocations § 60.4140 State trading budgets. The State trading budgets for annual allocations of Hg allowances for the control periods in 2010 through 2017 and in 2018...

Qualititive and Quantitative Allocations of Program Funds in a Non-Profit Institution.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Edward K.

Through a generalized application of the principles of programing-planning-budgeting (PPB), a process was devised for describing the methods of resource allocation in a nonprofit institution. By categorizing pupil service inputs according to basic skills, instruction, and supportive services it became possible to identify meaningful service input…

Incentives for Optimal Multi-level Allocation of HIV Prevention Resources

PubMed Central

Malvankar, Monali M.; Zaric, Gregory S.

2013-01-01

HIV/AIDS prevention funds are often allocated at multiple levels of decision-making. Optimal allocation of HIV prevention funds maximizes the number of HIV infections averted. However, decision makers often allocate using simple heuristics such as proportional allocation. We evaluate the impact of using incentives to encourage optimal allocation in a two-level decision-making process. We model an incentive based decision-making process consisting of an upper-level decision maker allocating funds to a single lower-level decision maker who then distributes funds to local programs. We assume that the lower-level utility function is linear in the amount of the budget received from the upper-level, the fraction of funds reserved for proportional allocation, and the number of infections averted. We assume that the upper level objective is to maximize the number of infections averted. We illustrate with an example using data from California, U.S. PMID:23766551

40 CFR 97.40 - Trading program budget.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Trading program budget. 97.40 Section...) FEDERAL NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS NOX Allowance Allocations § 97.40 Trading program budget. In accordance with §§ 97.41 and 97.42, the Administrator will allocate to the NOX...

40 CFR 97.40 - Trading program budget.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Trading program budget. 97.40 Section...) FEDERAL NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS NOX Allowance Allocations § 97.40 Trading program budget. In accordance with §§ 97.41 and 97.42, the Administrator will allocate to the NOX...

40 CFR 97.40 - Trading program budget.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Trading program budget. 97.40 Section...) FEDERAL NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS NOX Allowance Allocations § 97.40 Trading program budget. In accordance with §§ 97.41 and 97.42, the Administrator will allocate to the NOX...

40 CFR 97.40 - Trading program budget.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Trading program budget. 97.40 Section...) FEDERAL NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS NOX Allowance Allocations § 97.40 Trading program budget. In accordance with §§ 97.41 and 97.42, the Administrator will allocate to the NOX...

40 CFR 97.40 - Trading program budget.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Trading program budget. 97.40 Section...) FEDERAL NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS NOX Allowance Allocations § 97.40 Trading program budget. In accordance with §§ 97.41 and 97.42, the Administrator will allocate to the NOX...

Optimal allocation of HIV prevention funds for state health departments.

PubMed

Yaylali, Emine; Farnham, Paul G; Cohen, Stacy; Purcell, David W; Hauck, Heather; Sansom, Stephanie L

2018-01-01

To estimate the optimal allocation of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) HIV prevention funds for health departments in 52 jurisdictions, incorporating Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program funds, to improve outcomes along the HIV care continuum and prevent infections. Using surveillance data from 2010 to 2012 and budgetary data from 2012, we divided the 52 health departments into 5 groups varying by number of persons living with diagnosed HIV (PLWDH), median annual CDC HIV prevention budget, and median annual HRSA expenditures supporting linkage to care, retention in care, and adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Using an optimization and a Bernoulli process model, we solved for the optimal CDC prevention budget allocation for each health department group. The optimal allocation distributed the funds across prevention interventions and populations at risk for HIV to prevent the greatest number of new HIV cases annually. Both the HIV prevention interventions funded by the optimal allocation of CDC HIV prevention funds and the proportions of the budget allocated were similar across health department groups, particularly those representing the large majority of PLWDH. Consistently funded interventions included testing, partner services and linkage to care and interventions for men who have sex with men (MSM). Sensitivity analyses showed that the optimal allocation shifted when there were differences in transmission category proportions and progress along the HIV care continuum. The robustness of the results suggests that most health departments can use these analyses to guide the investment of CDC HIV prevention funds into strategies to prevent the most new cases of HIV.

Optimal allocation of HIV prevention funds for state health departments

PubMed Central

Farnham, Paul G.; Cohen, Stacy; Purcell, David W.; Hauck, Heather; Sansom, Stephanie L.

2018-01-01

Objective To estimate the optimal allocation of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) HIV prevention funds for health departments in 52 jurisdictions, incorporating Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program funds, to improve outcomes along the HIV care continuum and prevent infections. Methods Using surveillance data from 2010 to 2012 and budgetary data from 2012, we divided the 52 health departments into 5 groups varying by number of persons living with diagnosed HIV (PLWDH), median annual CDC HIV prevention budget, and median annual HRSA expenditures supporting linkage to care, retention in care, and adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Using an optimization and a Bernoulli process model, we solved for the optimal CDC prevention budget allocation for each health department group. The optimal allocation distributed the funds across prevention interventions and populations at risk for HIV to prevent the greatest number of new HIV cases annually. Results Both the HIV prevention interventions funded by the optimal allocation of CDC HIV prevention funds and the proportions of the budget allocated were similar across health department groups, particularly those representing the large majority of PLWDH. Consistently funded interventions included testing, partner services and linkage to care and interventions for men who have sex with men (MSM). Sensitivity analyses showed that the optimal allocation shifted when there were differences in transmission category proportions and progress along the HIV care continuum. Conclusion The robustness of the results suggests that most health departments can use these analyses to guide the investment of CDC HIV prevention funds into strategies to prevent the most new cases of HIV. PMID:29768489

Mathematical programming for the efficient allocation of health care resources.

PubMed

Stinnett, A A; Paltiel, A D

1996-10-01

Previous discussions of methods for the efficient allocation of health care resources subject to a budget constraint have relied on unnecessarily restrictive assumptions. This paper makes use of established optimization techniques to demonstrate that a general mathematical programming framework can accommodate much more complex information regarding returns to scale, partial and complete indivisibility and program interdependence. Methods are also presented for incorporating ethical constraints into the resource allocation process, including explicit identification of the cost of equity.

Resource Allocation and Educational Adequacy: Case Studies of School-Level Resource Use in Southern California with Budget Reductions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hobbs, Alysia Jocelyn

2010-01-01

This study selected a purposeful sample of eight high performing southern California elementary schools which achieved API scores above 900 over a three year period. A review of instructional strategies for each study school during the improvement process and resource allocation patterns was determined. Case studies of each school include…

Higher-Education Budgeting at the State Level: Concepts and Principles.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Dennis P.

New approaches to allocating state resources to colleges are discussed. Budgeting and resource allocation principles are considered that: (1) reflect the unique context of higher education; (2) are consistent with sound budgeting and management principles; and (3) represent institutional mechanisms applied at the state level rather than approaches…

Politicizing NIH funding: a bridge to nowhere

PubMed Central

Epstein, Jonathan A.

2011-01-01

We live in a time of increased spending, mounting debt, and few remedies for balancing the federal budget that have bipartisan support. Unfortunately, one recent target for decreased allocations of the federal budget is the NIH; the discussion of the awarded grants and the grant funding process has been skewed and altered to present medical research in an unfriendly light, and this can have very damaging repercussions. Politicizing this process could ultimately challenge human health, technology, and economic growth. PMID:21881213

Funding Allocation and Staff Management. A Portuguese Example

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosa, Maria Joao; Amado, Diana; Amaral, Alberto

2009-01-01

For many years the Portuguese Ministry of Education used a funding formula to allocate the State budget to public higher education institutions. Some of its major objectives were higher enrolments and allocation equity. As the expenditure on salaries was a major component of the budget, the formula was supposed to force convergence to established…

State Budgets, Unit Allocations, and Unit Emissions Rates

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This Technical Support Document (TSD) provides information that supports EPA’s determination of state emissions budgets, unit-level allocations, direct control rate limits, and new unit set-asides for the Transport Rule proposal.

Planning and Budgeting for Nutrition Programs in Tanzania: Lessons Learned From the National Vitamin A Supplementation Program.

PubMed

Lyatuu, Margaret Benjamin; Mkumbwa, Temina; Stevenson, Raz; Isidro, Marissa; Modaha, Francis; Katcher, Heather; Dhillon, Christina Nyhus

2016-05-03

Micronutrient deficiency in Tanzania is a significant public health problem, with vitamin A deficiency (VAD) affecting 34% of children aged 6 to 59 months. Since 2007, development partners have worked closely to advocate for the inclusion of twice-yearly vitamin A supplementation and deworming (VASD) activities with budgets at the subnational level, where funding and implementation occur. As part of the advocacy work, a VASD planning and budgeting tool (PBT) was developed and is used by district officials to justify allocation of funds. Helen Keller International (HKI) and the Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre (TFNC) conduct reviews of VASD funds and health budgets annually in all districts to monitor the impact of advocacy efforts. This paper presents the findings of the fiscal year (FY) 2010 district budget annual review. The review was intended to answer the following questions regarding district-level funding: (1) how many funds were allocated to nutrition-specific activities in FY 2010? (2) how many funds were allocated specifically to twice-yearly VASD activities in FY 2010? and (3) how have VASD funding allocations changed over time? Budgets from all 133 districts in Tanzania were accessed, reviewed and documented to identify line item funds allocated for VASD and other nutrition activities in FY 2010. Retrospective data from prior annual reviews for VASD were used to track trends in funding. The data were collected using specific data forms and then transcribed into an excel spreadsheet for analysis. The total funds allocated in Tanzania's districts in FY 2010 amounted to US$1.4 million of which 92% were for VASD. Allocations for VASD increased from US$0.387 million to US$1.3 million between FY 2005 and FY 2010. Twelve different nutrition activities were identified in budgets across the 133 districts. Despite the increased trend, the percentage of districts allocating sufficient funds to implement VAS (as defined by cost per child) was just 21%. District-driven VAS funding in Tanzania continues to be allocated by districts consistently, although adequacy of funding is a concern. However, regular administrative data point to fairly high and consistent coverage rates for VAS across the country (over 80% over the last 10 years). Although this analysis may have omitted some nutrition-specific funding not identified in district budget data, it represents a reliable reflection of the nutrition funding landscape in FY 2010. For this year, total district nutrition allocations add up to only 2% of the amount needed to implement nutrition services at scale according to Tanzania's National Nutrition Strategy Implementation Plan. VASD advocacy and planning support at the district level has succeeded in ensuring district allocations for the program. To promote sustainable implementation of other nutrition interventions in Tanzania, more funds must be allocated and guidance must be accompanied by tools that enable planning and budgeting at the district level. © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences

Planning and Budgeting for Nutrition Programs in Tanzania: Lessons Learned From the National Vitamin A Supplementation Program

PubMed Central

Lyatuu, Margaret Benjamin; Mkumbwa, Temina; Stevenson, Raz; Isidro, Marissa; Modaha, Francis; Katcher, Heather; Dhillon, Christina Nyhus

2016-01-01

Background: Micronutrient deficiency in Tanzania is a significant public health problem, with vitamin A deficiency (VAD) affecting 34% of children aged 6 to 59 months. Since 2007, development partners have worked closely to advocate for the inclusion of twice-yearly vitamin A supplementation and deworming (VASD) activities with budgets at the subnational level, where funding and implementation occur. As part of the advocacy work, a VASD planning and budgeting tool (PBT) was developed and is used by district officials to justify allocation of funds. Helen Keller International (HKI) and the Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre (TFNC) conduct reviews of VASD funds and health budgets annually in all districts to monitor the impact of advocacy efforts. This paper presents the findings of the fiscal year (FY) 2010 district budget annual review. The review was intended to answer the following questions regarding district-level funding: (1) how many funds were allocated to nutrition-specific activities in FY 2010? (2) how many funds were allocated specifically to twice-yearly VASD activities in FY 2010? and (3) how have VASD funding allocations changed over time? Methods: Budgets from all 133 districts in Tanzania were accessed, reviewed and documented to identify line item funds allocated for VASD and other nutrition activities in FY 2010. Retrospective data from prior annual reviews for VASD were used to track trends in funding. The data were collected using specific data forms and then transcribed into an excel spreadsheet for analysis. Results: The total funds allocated in Tanzania’s districts in FY 2010 amounted to US$1.4 million of which 92% were for VASD. Allocations for VASD increased from US$0.387 million to US$1.3 million between FY 2005 and FY 2010. Twelve different nutrition activities were identified in budgets across the 133 districts. Despite the increased trend, the percentage of districts allocating sufficient funds to implement VAS (as defined by cost per child) was just 21%. Discussion: District-driven VAS funding in Tanzania continues to be allocated by districts consistently, although adequacy of funding is a concern. However, regular administrative data point to fairly high and consistent coverage rates for VAS across the country (over 80% over the last 10 years). Although this analysis may have omitted some nutrition-specific funding not identified in district budget data, it represents a reliable reflection of the nutrition funding landscape in FY 2010. For this year, total district nutrition allocations add up to only 2% of the amount needed to implement nutrition services at scale according to Tanzania’s National Nutrition Strategy Implementation Plan. Conclusion: VASD advocacy and planning support at the district level has succeeded in ensuring district allocations for the program. To promote sustainable implementation of other nutrition interventions in Tanzania, more funds must be allocated and guidance must be accompanied by tools that enable planning and budgeting at the district level. PMID:27694649

School-Based Budgets: Getting, Spending, and Accounting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herman, Jerry L.; Herman, Janice L.

With the advent of large interest in school-based management came the task of inventing a different type of budgeting system--one that delegated the many tasks of developing a budget, expending the allocated funds, and controlling those expenditures in a way that did not exceed the allocation to the site level. This book explores the various means…

Financial management and dental school equity, Part II: Tactics.

PubMed

Chambers, David W; Bergstrom, Roy

2004-04-01

Financial management includes all processes that build organizations' equity through accumulating assets in strategically important areas. The tactical aspects of financial management are budget deployment and monitoring. Budget deployment is the process of making sure that costs are fairly allocated. Budget monitoring addresses issues of effective uses and outcomes of resources. This article describes contemporary deployment and monitoring mechanisms, including revenue positive and marginal analysis, present value, program phases, options logic, activity-based costing, economic value added, cost of quality, variance reconciliation, and balanced scorecards. The way financial decisions are framed affects comparative decision-making and even influences the arithmetic of accounting. Familiarity with these concepts should make it possible for dental educators to more fully participate in discussions about the relationships between budgeting and program strategy.

Users Manual for FAA Cost Allocation Model.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-12-01

29 2.10 Ramsey Files................29 2.11 Allocation Tables.............33 2.12 MINSYS....................34 2.13 TAXRAM1...Budget V p. ARTRFUT1~TOWRFUTI " ’T RA RF UT 1 FSSRFUT1 Ramsey Pricing Allocations to User Groups i OPSRFUTI OPS RFUIA V 08RFUTI MINSYS GA Minimum...Splits Aviation Standards--O&M Budget V ARTRFUT 2 TOWRFUT2 TRARFUT2 FSSRFUT2 Ramsey Pricing Allocations to User Groups OPSRFU2 OPSVRFU 2A OPSVFUT2

A Multi-Objective Decision-Making Model for Resources Allocation in Humanitarian Relief

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-01

Applied Mathematics and Computation 163, 2005, pp756 19. Malczewski, J., GIS and Multicriteria Decision Analysis , John Wiley and Sons, New York... used when interpreting the results of the analysis . (Raimo et al. 2002) (7) Sensitivity analysis Sensitivity analysis in a DA process answers...Budget Scenario Analysis The MILP is solved ( using LINDO 6.1) for high, medium and low budget scenarios in both damage degree levels. Tables 17 and

Budgeting by Objectives--How Goals and Objectives, Operational Activities, and Resource Allocation Are Integrated in a Planning System. AIR 1984 Annual Forum Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Capoor, Madan

The Objective-Based Assessment, Planning, and Resource Allocation System (OAPRAS) that was developed and implemented at Middlesex County College is described. The integrated self-assessment planning and budgeting system was developed in 1981. The central purpose of OAPRAS was to link resource allocation decisions to the prioritized objectives that…

Challenges and changes: Immunization program managers share perspectives in a 2012 national survey about the US immunization system since the H1N1 pandemic response

PubMed Central

Seib, Katherine; Chamberlain, Allison; Wells, Katelyn; Curran, Eileen; Whitney, Ellen AS; Orenstein, Walter A; Hinman, Alan R; Omer, Saad B

2014-01-01

In mid-2012 we conducted survey of immunization program managers (IPMs) for the purpose of describing relationships between immunization programs and emergency preparedness programs, IPM's perceptions of challenges encountered and changes made or planned in programmatic budgeting, vaccine allocation and pandemic plans as a result of the H1N1 vaccination campaign. Over 95% of IPMs responded (61/64) to the survey. IPMs reported that a primary budget-related challenge faced during H1N1 included staff-related restrictions that limited the ability to hire extra help or pay regular staff overtime resulting in overworked regular staff. Other budget-related challenges related to operational budget shortfalls and vaccine procurement delays. IPMs described overcoming these challenges by increasing staff where possible, using executive order or other high-level support by officials to access emergency funds and make policy changes, as well as expedite hiring and spending processes according to their pandemic influenza plan or by direction from leadership. Changes planned for response to future pandemic vaccine allocation strategies were to “tailor the strategy to the event” taking into account disease virulence, vaccine production rates and public demand, having flexible vaccine allocation strategies, clarifying priority groups for vaccine receipt to providers and the public, and having targeted clinics such as through pharmacies or schools. Changes already made to pandemic plans were improving strategies for internal and external communication, improving vaccine allocation efficiency, and planning for specific scenarios. To prepare for future pandemics, programs should ensure well-defined roles, collaborating during non-emergency situations, sustaining continuity in preparedness funding, and improved technologies. PMID:25483633

Associations between national tuberculosis program budgets and tuberculosis outcomes: an ecological study.

PubMed

Chapple, Will; Katz, Alan Roy; Li, Dongmei

2012-01-01

The objective of this study is to explore the associations between national tuberculosis program (NTP) budget allocation and tuberculosis related outcomes in the World Health Organization's 22 high burden countries from 2007-2009. This ecological study used mixed effects and generalized estimating equation models to identify independent associations between NTP budget allocations and various tuberculosis related outcomes. Models were adjusted for a number of independent variables previously noted to be associated with tuberculosis incidence. Increasing the percent of the NTP budget for advocacy, communication and social mobilization was associated with an increase in the case detection rate. Increasing TB-HIV funding was associated with an increase in HIV testing among TB patients. Increasing the percent of the population covered by the Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) program was associated with an increase in drug susceptibility testing. Laboratory funding was positively associated with tuberculosis notification. Increasing the budgets for first line drugs, management and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) was associated with a decrease in smear positive deaths. Effective TB control is a complex and multifaceted challenge. This study revealed a number of budget allocation related factors associated with improved TB outcome parameters. If confirmed with future longitudinal studies, these findings could help guide NTP managers with allocation decisions.

Associations between national tuberculosis program budgets and tuberculosis outcomes: an ecological study

PubMed Central

Chapple, Will; Katz, Alan Roy; Li, Dongmei

2012-01-01

Introduction The objective of this study is to explore the associations between national tuberculosis program (NTP) budget allocation and tuberculosis related outcomes in the World Health Organization's 22 high burden countries from 2007–2009. Methods This ecological study used mixed effects and generalized estimating equation models to identify independent associations between NTP budget allocations and various tuberculosis related outcomes. Models were adjusted for a number of independent variables previously noted to be associated with tuberculosis incidence. Results Increasing the percent of the NTP budget for advocacy, communication and social mobilization was associated with an increase in the case detection rate. Increasing TB-HIV funding was associated with an increase in HIV testing among TB patients. Increasing the percent of the population covered by the Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) program was associated with an increase in drug susceptibility testing. Laboratory funding was positively associated with tuberculosis notification. Increasing the budgets for first line drugs, management and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) was associated with a decrease in smear positive deaths. Conclusion Effective TB control is a complex and multifaceted challenge. This study revealed a number of budget allocation related factors associated with improved TB outcome parameters. If confirmed with future longitudinal studies, these findings could help guide NTP managers with allocation decisions. PMID:23024825

Food restriction alters energy allocation strategy during growth in tobacco hornworms ( Manduca sexta larvae)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiao, Lihong; Amunugama, Kaushalya; Hayes, Matthew B.; Jennings, Michael; Domingo, Azriel; Hou, Chen

2015-08-01

Growing animals must alter their energy budget in the face of environmental changes and prioritize the energy allocation to metabolism for life-sustaining requirements and energy deposition in new biomass growth. We hypothesize that when food availability is low, larvae of holometabolic insects with a short development stage (relative to the low food availability period) prioritize biomass growth at the expense of metabolism. Driven by this hypothesis, we develop a simple theoretical model, based on conservation of energy and allometric scaling laws, for understanding the dynamic energy budget of growing larvae under food restriction. We test the hypothesis by manipulative experiments on fifth instar hornworms at three temperatures. At each temperature, food restriction increases the scaling power of growth rate but decreases that of metabolic rate, as predicted by the hypothesis. During the fifth instar, the energy budgets of larvae change dynamically. The free-feeding larvae slightly decrease the energy allocated to growth as body mass increases and increase the energy allocated to life sustaining. The opposite trends were observed in food restricted larvae, indicating the predicted prioritization in the energy budget under food restriction. We compare the energy budgets of a few endothermic and ectothermic species and discuss how different life histories lead to the differences in the energy budgets under food restriction.

Managing resources in NHS dentistry: using health economics to inform commissioning decisions.

PubMed

Holmes, Richard D; Steele, Jimmy; Exley, Catherine E; Donaldson, Cam

2011-05-31

The aim of this study is to develop, apply and evaluate an economics-based framework to assist commissioners in their management of finite resources for local dental services. In April 2006, Primary Care Trusts in England were charged with managing finite dental budgets for the first time, yet several independent reports have since criticised the variability in commissioning skills within these organisations. The study will explore the views of stakeholders (dentists, patients and commissioners) regarding priority setting and the criteria used for decision-making and resource allocation. Two inter-related case studies will explore the dental commissioning and resource allocation processes through the application of a pragmatic economics-based framework known as Programme Budgeting and Marginal Analysis. The study will adopt an action research approach. Qualitative methods including semi-structured interviews, focus groups, field notes and document analysis will record the views of participants and their involvement in the research process. The first case study will be based within a Primary Care Trust where mixed methods will record the views of dentists, patients and dental commissioners on issues, priorities and processes associated with managing local dental services. A Programme Budgeting and Marginal Analysis framework will be applied to determine the potential value of economic principles to the decision-making process. A further case study will be conducted in a secondary care dental teaching hospital using the same approach. Qualitative data will be analysed using thematic analysis and managed using a framework approach. The recent announcement by government regarding the proposed abolition of Primary Care Trusts may pose challenges for the research team regarding their engagement with the research study. However, whichever commissioning organisations are responsible for resource allocation for dental services in the future; resource scarcity is highly likely to remain an issue. Wider understanding of the complexities of priority setting and resource allocation at local levels are important considerations in the development of dental commissioning processes, national oral health policy and the future new dental contract which is expected to be implemented in April 2014.

Budget process bottlenecks for immunization financing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

PubMed

Le Gargasson, Jean-Bernard; Mibulumukini, Benoît; Gessner, Bradford D; Colombini, Anaïs

2014-02-19

In Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the availability of domestic resources for the immunization program is limited and relies mostly on external donor support. DRC has introduced a series of reforms to move the country toward performance-based management and program budgets. The objectives of the study were to: (i) describe the budget process norm, (ii) analyze the budget process in practice and associated bottlenecks at each of its phases, and (iii) collect suggestions made by the actors involved to improve the situation. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through: a review of published and gray literature, and individual interviews. Bottlenecks in the budget process and disbursement of funds for immunization are one of the causes of limited domestic resources for the program. Critical bottlenecks include: excessive use of off-budget procedures; limited human resources and capacity; lack of motivation; interference from ministries with the standard budget process; dependency toward the development partner's disbursements schedule; and lack of budget implementation tracking. Results show that the health sector's mobilization rate was 59% in 2011. For the credit line specific to immunization program activities, the mobilization rate for the national Expanded Program for Immunization (EPI) was 26% in 2011 and 43% for vaccines (2010). The main bottleneck for the EPI budget line (2011) and vaccine budget line (2011) occurs at the authorization phase. Budget process bottlenecks identified in the analysis lead to a low mobilization rate for the immunization program. The bottlenecks identified show that a poor flow of funds causes an insufficient percentage of already allocated resources to reach various health system levels. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Resource Allocation and Budgeting for the 1972-73 Mini-Schools of the Alum Rock Voucher Demonstration. Analysis of the Education Voucher Demonstration. A Working Note.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haggart, S. A.; Furry, W. S.

This Working Note documents the first year's events and outcomes in developing the budgeting system and resource allocation rules to support the Education Voucher Demonstration. The district now has systems for per pupil resource allocation and school/minischool cost center accounting. The basic voucher of $1,041 for grades 7-8, and $788 for…

Automatic performance budget: towards a risk reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laporte, Philippe; Blake, Simon; Schmoll, Jürgen; Rulten, Cameron; Savoie, Denis

2014-08-01

In this paper, we discuss the performance matrix of the SST-GATE telescope developed to allow us to partition and allocate the important characteristics to the various subsystems as well as to describe the process in order to verify that the current design will deliver the required performance. Due to the integrated nature of the telescope, a large number of parameters have to be controlled and effective calculation tools must be developed such as an automatic performance budget. Its main advantages consist in alleviating the work of the system engineer when changes occur in the design, in avoiding errors during any re-allocation process and recalculate automatically the scientific performance of the instrument. We explain in this paper the method to convert the ensquared energy (EE) and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) required by the science cases into the "as designed" instrument. To ensure successful design, integration and verification of the next generation instruments, it is of the utmost importance to have methods to control and manage the instrument's critical performance characteristics at its very early design steps to limit technical and cost risks in the project development. Such a performance budget is a tool towards this goal.

S4HARA: System for HIV/AIDS resource allocation.

PubMed

Lasry, Arielle; Carter, Michael W; Zaric, Gregory S

2008-03-26

HIV/AIDS resource allocation decisions are influenced by political, social, ethical and other factors that are difficult to quantify. Consequently, quantitative models of HIV/AIDS resource allocation have had limited impact on actual spending decisions. We propose a decision-support System for HIV/AIDS Resource Allocation (S4HARA) that takes into consideration both principles of efficient resource allocation and the role of non-quantifiable influences on the decision-making process for resource allocation. S4HARA is a four-step spreadsheet-based model. The first step serves to identify the factors currently influencing HIV/AIDS allocation decisions. The second step consists of prioritizing HIV/AIDS interventions. The third step involves allocating the budget to the HIV/AIDS interventions using a rational approach. Decision-makers can select from several rational models of resource allocation depending on availability of data and level of complexity. The last step combines the results of the first and third steps to highlight the influencing factors that act as barriers or facilitators to the results suggested by the rational resource allocation approach. Actionable recommendations are then made to improve the allocation. We illustrate S4HARA in the context of a primary healthcare clinic in South Africa. The clinic offers six types of HIV/AIDS interventions and spends US$750,000 annually on these programs. Current allocation decisions are influenced by donors, NGOs and the government as well as by ethical and religious factors. Without additional funding, an optimal allocation of the total budget suggests that the portion allotted to condom distribution be increased from 1% to 15% and the portion allotted to prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections be increased from 43% to 71%, while allocation to other interventions should decrease. Condom uptake at the clinic should be increased by changing the condom distribution policy from a pull system to a push system. NGOs and donors promoting antiretroviral programs at the clinic should be sensitized to the results of the model and urged to invest in wellness programs aimed at the prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections. S4HARA differentiates itself from other decision support tools by providing rational HIV/AIDS resource allocation capabilities as well as consideration of the realities facing authorities in their decision-making process.

Nutrition sensitivity of the 2014 budget statement of Republic of Ghana.

PubMed

Laar, Amos; Aryeetey, Richmond N O; Akparibo, Robert; Zotor, Francis

2015-11-01

Ghana's Constitution and several international treaties she has ratified demonstrate support for fundamental human rights to nutrition and freedom from hunger. However, it is unknown how this support is being translated into investment in nutrition. National budgets are important vehicles through which governments communicate intent to address pertinent national challenges. The present paper assesses the nutrition sensitivity of Ghana's budget statement for the year ending 31 December 2014. We perused the budget in its entirety, examining allocations to various sectors with the goal of identifying support for direct nutrition interventions. We examined allocations to various sectors as per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). The review shows that the total revenue and grants for the 2014 fiscal year is Ghana Cedis (GH¢) 26 001·9 million (25 % of GDP). The total expenditure for the same period is estimated at GH¢34 956·8 million (33·1 % of GDP). The health sector is allocated GH¢3 353 707 814 (3·8 % of GDP). As of 28 October 2014, the Bank of Ghana's Official Exchange Rate was US$1 = GH¢3·20. It is one of the key sectors whose interventions directly or indirectly impact on nutrition. However, the proportion of the national budget that goes to direct nutrition interventions is not evident in the budget. Nutrition is embedded in other budget lines. Allocations to relevant nutrition-sensitive sectors are very low (<0·5 % of GDP). We conclude that Ghana's 2014 budget statement pays scant attention to nutrition. By embedding nutrition in other budget lines, Ghana runs the risk of perpetually rolling out national spending actions insensitive to nutrition.

The positive financial impact of using an Intensive Care Information System in a tertiary Intensive Care Unit.

PubMed

Levesque, Eric; Hoti, Emir; de La Serna, Sofia; Habouchi, Houssam; Ichai, Philippe; Saliba, Faouzi; Samuel, Didier; Azoulay, Daniel

2013-03-01

In the French healthcare system, the intensive care budget allocated is directly dependent on the activity level of the center. To evaluate this activity level, it is necessary to code the medical diagnoses and procedures performed on Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of using an Intensive Care Information System (ICIS) on the incidence of coding errors and its impact on the ICU budget allocated. Since 2005, the documentation on and monitoring of every patient admitted to our ICU has been carried out using an ICIS. However, the coding process was performed manually until 2008. This study focused on two periods: the period of manual coding (year 2007) and the period of computerized coding (year 2008) which covered a total of 1403 ICU patients. The time spent on the coding process, the rate of coding errors (defined as patients missed/not coded or wrongly identified as undergoing major procedure/s) and the financial impact were evaluated for these two periods. With computerized coding, the time per admission decreased significantly (from 6.8 ± 2.8 min in 2007 to 3.6 ± 1.9 min in 2008, p<0.001). Similarly, a reduction in coding errors was observed (7.9% vs. 2.2%, p<0.001). This decrease in coding errors resulted in a reduced difference between the potential and real ICU financial supplements obtained in the respective years (€194,139 loss in 2007 vs. a €1628 loss in 2008). Using specific computer programs improves the intensive process of manual coding by shortening the time required as well as reducing errors, which in turn positively impacts the ICU budget allocation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Program budgeting and marginal analysis: a case study in chronic airflow limitation.

PubMed

Crockett, A; Cranston, J; Moss, J; Scown, P; Mooney, G; Alpers, J

1999-01-01

Program budgeting and marginal analysis is a method of priority-setting in health care. This article describes how this method was applied to the management of a disease-specific group, chronic airflow limitation. A sub-program flow chart clarified the major cost drivers. After assessment of the technical efficiency of the sub-programs and careful and detailed analysis, incremental and decremental wish lists of activities were established. Program budgeting and marginal analysis provides a framework for rational resource allocation. The nurturing of a vigorous program management group, with members representing all participants in the process (including patients/consumers), is the key to a successful outcome.

Where does the carbon go? A model–data intercomparison of vegetation carbon allocation and turnover processes at two temperate forest free-air CO2 enrichment sites

PubMed Central

De Kauwe, Martin G; Medlyn, Belinda E; Zaehle, Sönke; Walker, Anthony P; Dietze, Michael C; Wang, Ying-Ping; Luo, Yiqi; Jain, Atul K; El-Masri, Bassil; Hickler, Thomas; Wårlind, David; Weng, Ensheng; Parton, William J; Thornton, Peter E; Wang, Shusen; Prentice, I Colin; Asao, Shinichi; Smith, Benjamin; McCarthy, Heather R; Iversen, Colleen M; Hanson, Paul J; Warren, Jeffrey M; Oren, Ram; Norby, Richard J

2014-01-01

Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration (eCO2) has the potential to increase vegetation carbon storage if increased net primary production causes increased long-lived biomass. Model predictions of eCO2 effects on vegetation carbon storage depend on how allocation and turnover processes are represented. We used data from two temperate forest free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiments to evaluate representations of allocation and turnover in 11 ecosystem models. Observed eCO2 effects on allocation were dynamic. Allocation schemes based on functional relationships among biomass fractions that vary with resource availability were best able to capture the general features of the observations. Allocation schemes based on constant fractions or resource limitations performed less well, with some models having unintended outcomes. Few models represent turnover processes mechanistically and there was wide variation in predictions of tissue lifespan. Consequently, models did not perform well at predicting eCO2 effects on vegetation carbon storage. Our recommendations to reduce uncertainty include: use of allocation schemes constrained by biomass fractions; careful testing of allocation schemes; and synthesis of allocation and turnover data in terms of model parameters. Data from intensively studied ecosystem manipulation experiments are invaluable for constraining models and we recommend that such experiments should attempt to fully quantify carbon, water and nutrient budgets. PMID:24844873

Human Views: Extensions to the Department of Defense Architecture Framework

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

évaluent et prédisent les implications. Étant donné la complexité inhérente aux relations dans les S de S, l’absence de VH bien définies et universellement ...n.d.): 1. A Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution process is used to conduct strategic planning and make resource allocation decisions; 2...Responsibilities in the form of functions and tasks have been allocated to each MMEV crew member. In addition, a set of competency requirements (e.g., KSA) has

24 CFR 982.102 - Allocation of budget authority for renewal of expiring consolidated ACC funding increments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... renewal of expiring consolidated ACC funding increments. 982.102 Section 982.102 Housing and Urban... ASSISTANCE: HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER PROGRAM Funding and PHA Application for Funding § 982.102 Allocation of budget authority for renewal of expiring consolidated ACC funding increments. (a) Applicability. This...

24 CFR 982.102 - Allocation of budget authority for renewal of expiring consolidated ACC funding increments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... renewal of expiring consolidated ACC funding increments. 982.102 Section 982.102 Housing and Urban... ASSISTANCE: HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER PROGRAM Funding and PHA Application for Funding § 982.102 Allocation of budget authority for renewal of expiring consolidated ACC funding increments. (a) Applicability. This...

24 CFR 982.102 - Allocation of budget authority for renewal of expiring consolidated ACC funding increments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... renewal of expiring consolidated ACC funding increments. 982.102 Section 982.102 Housing and Urban... ASSISTANCE: HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER PROGRAM Funding and PHA Application for Funding § 982.102 Allocation of budget authority for renewal of expiring consolidated ACC funding increments. (a) Applicability. This...

24 CFR 982.102 - Allocation of budget authority for renewal of expiring consolidated ACC funding increments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... renewal of expiring consolidated ACC funding increments. 982.102 Section 982.102 Housing and Urban... ASSISTANCE: HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER PROGRAM Funding and PHA Application for Funding § 982.102 Allocation of budget authority for renewal of expiring consolidated ACC funding increments. (a) Applicability. This...

24 CFR 982.102 - Allocation of budget authority for renewal of expiring consolidated ACC funding increments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... renewal of expiring consolidated ACC funding increments. 982.102 Section 982.102 Housing and Urban... ASSISTANCE: HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER PROGRAM Funding and PHA Application for Funding § 982.102 Allocation of budget authority for renewal of expiring consolidated ACC funding increments. (a) Applicability. This...

Plan Your Advertising Budget.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Britt, Steuart-Henderson

1979-01-01

Methods for establishing an advertising budget are reviewed. They include methods based on percentage of sales or profits, unit of sales, and objective and task. Also discussed are ways to allocate a promotional budget. The most common breakdowns are: departmental budgets, total budget, calendar periods, media, and sales area. (JMD)

Can the real opportunity cost stand up: displaced services, the straw man outside the room.

PubMed

Eckermann, Simon; Pekarsky, Brita

2014-04-01

In current literature, displaced services have been suggested to provide a basis for determining a threshold value for the effects of a new technology as part of a reimbursement process when budgets are fixed. We critically examine the conditions under which displaced services would represent an economically meaningful threshold value. We first show that if we assume that the least cost-effective services are displaced to finance a new technology, then the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of the displaced services (d) only coincides with that related to the opportunity cost of adopting that new technology, the ICER of the most cost-effective service in expansion (n), under highly restrictive conditions-namely, complete allocative efficiency in existing provision of health care interventions. More generally, reimbursement of new technology with a fixed budget comprises two actions; adoption and financing through displacement and the effect of reimbursement is the net effect of these two actions. In order for the reimbursement process to be a pathway to allocative efficiency within a fixed budget, the net effect of the strategy of reimbursement is compared with the most cost-effective alternative strategy for reimbursement: optimal reallocation, the health gain maximizing expansion of existing services financed by the health loss minimizing contraction. The shadow price of the health effects of a new technology, βc = (1/n + 1/d - 1/m)(-1), accounts for both imperfect displacement (the ICER of the displaced service, d < m, the ICER of the least cost-effective of the existing services in contraction) and the allocative inefficiency (n < m) characteristic of health systems.

Prioritizing and Funding Nepal's Multisector Nutrition Plan.

PubMed

Pomeroy-Stevens, Amanda; Shrestha, Madhukar B; Biradavolu, Monica; Hachhethu, Kusum; Houston, Robin; Sharma, Indu; Wun, Jolene

2016-12-01

Nepal has a long tradition of designing good multisectoral nutrition policy. However, success of policy implementation has varied. More evidence on how to successfully carry out multisector nutrition policy is needed. We tracked the influence of Nepal's multisectoral nutrition plan (MSNP) on the process of priority setting and budgeting from 2014 to 2016. This study used a mixed-method longitudinal design to track qualitative and budgetary changes related to MSNP processes nationally as well as in 3 districts. Qualitative changes in each study area were assessed through interviews, observation, news content, and meeting notes. Changes in allocations and expenditures were calculated based on budget documents, work plans, and validation interviews. Improved understanding of the MSNP was documented nationally and in study districts but not in VDCs. Human resources, ownership, bottom-up planning, coordination, advocacy, and sustainable structures all emerged as important factors within the enabling environment. Evidence suggests the MSNP influenced improvements in the last 3 factors. We also found notable increases in activities and financing for nutrition-allocations increased steadily between FY 2013-2014 and FY 2015-2016, and 28% of total nutrition allocations in the final year came from new or expanded MSNP-affiliated activities. Data from 3 districts highlight challenges linking local planning and budgeting to central-level structures. The MSNP appears to have strengthened the nutrition system in Nepal and increased priority and funding for nutrition. Next steps include strengthening linkages to the districts and below. Other countries can learn from the MSNP's success in increasing investment for nutrition. © The Author(s) 2016.

Decision science: a scientific approach to enhance public health budgeting.

PubMed

Honoré, Peggy A; Fos, Peter J; Smith, Torney; Riley, Michael; Kramarz, Kim

2010-01-01

The allocation of resources for public health programming is a complicated and daunting responsibility. Financial decision-making processes within public health agencies are especially difficult when not supported with techniques for prioritizing and ranking alternatives. This article presents a case study of a decision analysis software model that was applied to the process of identifying funding priorities for public health services in the Spokane Regional Health District. Results on the use of this decision support system provide insights into how decision science models, which have been used for decades in business and industry, can be successfully applied to public health budgeting as a means of strengthening agency financial management processes.

Tackling regional health inequalities in france by resource allocation : a case for complementary instrumental and process-based approaches?

PubMed

Bellanger, Martine M; Jourdain, Alain

2004-01-01

This article aims to evaluate the results of two different approaches underlying the attempts to reduce health inequalities in France. In the 'instrumental' approach, resource allocation is based on an indicator to assess the well-being or the quality of life associated with healthcare provision, the argument being that additional resources would respond to needs that could then be treated quickly and efficiently. This governs the distribution of regional hospital budgets. In the second approach, health professionals and users in a given region are involved in a consensus process to define those priorities to be included in programme formulation. This 'procedural' approach is employed in the case of the regional health programmes. In this second approach, the evaluation of the results runs parallel with an analysis of the process using Rawlsian principles, whereas the first approach is based on the classical economic model.At this stage, a pragmatic analysis based on both the comparison of regional hospital budgets during the period 1992-2003 (calculated using a 'RAWP [resource allocation working party]-like' formula) and the evolution of regional health policies through the evaluation of programmes for the prevention of suicide, alcohol-related diseases and cancers provides a partial assessment of the impact of the two types of approaches, the second having a greater effect on the reduction of regional inequalities.

40 CFR 96.140 - State trading budgets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false State trading budgets. 96.140 Section...) NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS FOR STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS CAIR NOX Allowance Allocations § 96.140 State trading budgets. The State trading budgets for annual...

40 CFR 96.40 - State trading program budget.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false State trading program budget. 96.40... (CONTINUED) NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS FOR STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS NOX Allowance Allocations § 96.40 State trading program budget. The State trading program budget...

40 CFR 96.40 - State trading program budget.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false State trading program budget. 96.40... (CONTINUED) NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS FOR STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS NOX Allowance Allocations § 96.40 State trading program budget. The State trading program budget...

40 CFR 96.140 - State trading budgets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false State trading budgets. 96.140 Section...) NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS FOR STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS CAIR NOX Allowance Allocations § 96.140 State trading budgets. The State trading budgets for annual...

24 CFR 791.405 - Reallocations of budget authority.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Reallocations of budget authority... Allocation of Budget Authority for Housing Assistance § 791.405 Reallocations of budget authority. (a) The field office shall make every reasonable effort to use the budget authority made available for each...

40 CFR 96.140 - State trading budgets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false State trading budgets. 96.140 Section...) NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS FOR STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS CAIR NOX Allowance Allocations § 96.140 State trading budgets. The State trading budgets for annual...

40 CFR 96.40 - State trading program budget.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false State trading program budget. 96.40... (CONTINUED) NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO 2 TRADING PROGRAMS FOR STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS NOX Allowance Allocations § 96.40 State trading program budget. The State trading program budget...

40 CFR 96.140 - State trading budgets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false State trading budgets. 96.140 Section...) NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS FOR STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS CAIR NOX Allowance Allocations § 96.140 State trading budgets. The State trading budgets for annual...

40 CFR 96.40 - State trading program budget.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false State trading program budget. 96.40... (CONTINUED) NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS FOR STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS NOX Allowance Allocations § 96.40 State trading program budget. The State trading program budget...

40 CFR 96.40 - State trading program budget.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false State trading program budget. 96.40... (CONTINUED) NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS FOR STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS NOX Allowance Allocations § 96.40 State trading program budget. The State trading program budget...

40 CFR 96.140 - State trading budgets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false State trading budgets. 96.140 Section...) NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO 2 TRADING PROGRAMS FOR STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS CAIR NOX Allowance Allocations § 96.140 State trading budgets. The State trading budgets for annual...

The Rational Approach to Budget Cuts: One University's Experience. ASHE 1987 Annual Meeting Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardy, Cynthia

The experiences of the University of Montreal in using a rational-analytic framework to allocate resources at a time of budget costs are discussed. The following characteristics for rational decision-making are identified and applied to the University of Montreal: whether goals were known, whether alternative methods of resource allocation were…

Protecting resources for primary health care under fiscal federalism: options for resource allocation.

PubMed

Okorafor, Okore A; Thomas, Stephen

2007-11-01

The introduction of fiscal federalism or decentralization of functions to lower levels of government is a reform not done primarily with health sector concerns. A major concern for the health sector is that devolution of expenditure responsibilities to sub-national levels of government can adversely affect the equitable distribution of financial resources across local jurisdictions. Since the adoption of fiscal federalism in South Africa, progress towards achieving a more equitable distribution of public sector health resources (financial) has slowed down considerably. This study attempts to identify appropriate resource allocation mechanisms under the current South African fiscal federal system that could be employed to promote equity in primary health care (PHC) allocations across provinces and districts. The study uses data from interviews with government officials involved in the budgeting and resource allocation process for PHC, literature on fiscal federalism and literature on international experience to inform analysis and recommendations. The results from the study identify historical incremental budgeting, weak managerial capacity at lower levels of government, poor accounting of PHC expenditure, and lack of protection for PHC funds as constraints to the realization of a more equitable distribution of PHC allocations. Based on interview data, no one resource allocation mechanism received unanimous support from stakeholders. However, the study highlights the particularly high level of autonomy enjoyed by provincial governments with regards to decision making for allocations to health and PHC services as the major constraint to achieving a more equitable distribution of PHC resources. The national government needs to have more involvement in decision making for resource allocation to PHC services if significant progress towards equity is to be achieved.

Revenue Forecasting to Integrate CCC Planning and Resource Allocation for Transformative Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hovey, Ann

2012-01-01

In recent years the majority of California community colleges evaluated for re-accreditation received sanctions requiring documented improvement in the integration of college planning and budgeting processes. This study explores the challenges colleges face and the best practices utilized by successful colleges in implementing integrated…

Program Costing in a Community College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balinsky, Warren; Burns, John

1975-01-01

This paper discusses improving the budget control process for a community college by use of program cost accounting. The authors suggest that adoption of such a program will improve resource allocation and program evaluation, aid planning, and better inform the public about the purposes, costs, and results of school programs. (JG)

Budgeting for Desegregation in Large Cities. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colton, David L.; Berg, William M.

This paper presents the results of an exploratory study of the process of mobilizing and allocating resources for desegregation in large cities. Examined were the effects of budgetary constraints on school desegregation and desegregation impact on educational finance. Four urban school districts were selected for site reports. Section one of this…

Advance Appropriations: A Needless and Confusing Education Budget Technique. Federal Education Budget Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delisle, Jason

2007-01-01

This report argues that advance appropriations serve no functional purpose for schools, but they create a loss of transparency, comparability, and simplicity in federal education budgeting. It allocates spending before future budgets have been established. The approach was originally used to skirt spending limits and budget procedures in place…

40 CFR 96.340 - State trading budgets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false State trading budgets. 96.340 Section...) NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS FOR STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS CAIR NOX Ozone Season Allowance Allocations § 96.340 State trading budgets. (a) Except as provided in...

40 CFR 96.340 - State trading budgets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false State trading budgets. 96.340 Section...) NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS FOR STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS CAIR NOX Ozone Season Allowance Allocations § 96.340 State trading budgets. (a) Except as provided in...

40 CFR 96.340 - State trading budgets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false State trading budgets. 96.340 Section...) NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO 2 TRADING PROGRAMS FOR STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS CAIR NOX Ozone Season Allowance Allocations § 96.340 State trading budgets. (a) Except as provided in...

40 CFR 96.340 - State trading budgets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false State trading budgets. 96.340 Section...) NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS FOR STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS CAIR NOX Ozone Season Allowance Allocations § 96.340 State trading budgets. (a) Except as provided in...

40 CFR 96.340 - State trading budgets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false State trading budgets. 96.340 Section...) NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS FOR STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS CAIR NOX Ozone Season Allowance Allocations § 96.340 State trading budgets. (a) Except as provided in...

The Development Process of a Mathematic Teacher's Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yildiz, Hilal; Gokcek, Tuba

2018-01-01

Technology is an indispensable part of the educational curriculum, and large budgets have been allocated to provide technological infrastructure in secondary education institutions in Turkey. It is important that teachers have the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) to successfully integrate technology into their courses. The aim of…

Improving resource allocation decisions for health and HIV programmes in South Africa: Bioethical, cost-effectiveness and health diplomacy considerations.

PubMed

Kevany, Sebastian; Benatar, Solomon R; Fleischer, Theodore

2013-01-01

The escalating expenditure on patients with HIV/AIDS within an inadequately funded public health system is tending towards crowding out care for patients with non-HIV illnesses. Priority-setting decisions are thus required and should increasingly be based on an explicit, transparent and accountable process to facilitate sustainability. South Africa's public health system is eroding, even though the government has received extensive donor financing for specific conditions, such as HIV/AIDS. The South African government's 2007 HIV plan anticipated costs exceeding 20% of the annual health budget with a strong focus on treatment interventions, while the recently announced 2012-2016 National Strategic HIV plan could cost up to US$16 billion. Conversely, the total non-HIV health budget has remained static in recent years, effectively reducing the supply of health care for other diseases. While the South African government cannot meet all demands for health care simultaneously, health funders should attempt to allocate health resources in a fair, efficient, transparent and accountable manner, in order to ensure that publicly funded health care is delivered in a reasonable and non-discriminatory fashion. We recommend a process for resource allocation that includes ethical, economic, legal and policy considerations. This process, adapted for use by South Africa's policy-makers, could bring health, political, economic and ethical gains, whilst allaying a social crisis as mounting treatment commitments generated by HIV have the potential to overwhelm the health system.

Selecting university undergraduate student activities via compromised-analytical hierarchy process and 0-1 integer programming to maximize SETARA points

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nazri, Engku Muhammad; Yusof, Nur Ai'Syah; Ahmad, Norazura; Shariffuddin, Mohd Dino Khairri; Khan, Shazida Jan Mohd

2017-11-01

Prioritizing and making decisions on what student activities to be selected and conducted to fulfill the aspiration of a university as translated in its strategic plan must be executed with transparency and accountability. It is becoming even more crucial, particularly for universities in Malaysia with the recent budget cut imposed by the Malaysian government. In this paper, we illustrated how 0-1 integer programming (0-1 IP) model was implemented to select which activities among the forty activities proposed by the student body of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) to be implemented for the 2017/2018 academic year. Two different models were constructed. The first model was developed to determine the minimum total budget that should be given to the student body by the UUM management to conduct all the activities that can fulfill the minimum targeted number of activities as stated in its strategic plan. On the other hand, the second model was developed to determine which activities to be selected based on the total budget already allocated beforehand by the UUM management towards fulfilling the requirements as set in its strategic plan. The selection of activities for the second model, was also based on the preference of the members of the student body whereby the preference value for each activity was determined using Compromised-Analytical Hierarchy Process. The outputs from both models were compared and discussed. The technique used in this study will be useful and suitable to be implemented by organizations with key performance indicator-oriented programs and having limited budget allocation issues.

Assessing and Improving Performance: A Longitudinal Evaluation of Priority Setting and Resource Allocation in a Canadian Health Region

PubMed Central

Hall, William; Smith, Neale; Mitton, Craig; Urquhart, Bonnie; Bryan, Stirling

2018-01-01

Background: In order to meet the challenges presented by increasing demand and scarcity of resources, healthcare organizations are faced with difficult decisions related to resource allocation. Tools to facilitate evaluation and improvement of these processes could enable greater transparency and more optimal distribution of resources. Methods: The Resource Allocation Performance Assessment Tool (RAPAT) was implemented in a healthcare organization in British Columbia, Canada. Recommendations for improvement were delivered, and a follow up evaluation exercise was conducted to assess the trajectory of the organization’s priority setting and resource allocation (PSRA) process 2 years post the original evaluation. Results: Implementation of RAPAT in the pilot organization identified strengths and weaknesses of the organization’s PSRA process at the time of the original evaluation. Strengths included the use of criteria and evidence, an ability to reallocate resources, and the involvement of frontline staff in the process. Weaknesses included training, communication, and lack of program budgeting. Although the follow up revealed a regression from a more formal PSRA process, a legacy of explicit resource allocation was reported to be providing ongoing benefit for the organization. Conclusion: While past studies have taken a cross-sectional approach, this paper introduces the first longitudinal evaluation of PSRA in a healthcare organization. By including the strengths, weaknesses, and evolution of one organization’s journey, the authors’ intend that this paper will assist other healthcare leaders in meeting the challenges of allocating scarce resources. PMID:29626400

40 CFR 97.340 - State trading budgets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false State trading budgets. 97.340 Section...) FEDERAL NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS CAIR NOX Ozone Season Allowance Allocations § 97.340 State trading budgets. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, the State...

40 CFR 97.340 - State trading budgets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false State trading budgets. 97.340 Section...) FEDERAL NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS CAIR NOX Ozone Season Allowance Allocations § 97.340 State trading budgets. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, the State...

40 CFR 97.340 - State trading budgets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false State trading budgets. 97.340 Section...) FEDERAL NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS CAIR NOX Ozone Season Allowance Allocations § 97.340 State trading budgets. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, the State...

40 CFR 97.340 - State trading budgets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false State trading budgets. 97.340 Section...) FEDERAL NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS CAIR NOX Ozone Season Allowance Allocations § 97.340 State trading budgets. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, the State...

40 CFR 97.340 - State trading budgets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false State trading budgets. 97.340 Section...) FEDERAL NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS CAIR NOX Ozone Season Allowance Allocations § 97.340 State trading budgets. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, the State...

40 CFR 60.4141 - Timing requirements for Hg allowance allocations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... the applicable control period is in 2018, the Administrator will assume that the allocations equal the...,000 ounces/ton) of Hg emissions in the applicable State trading budget under § 60.4140 for 2018 and... period is in 2018, the Administrator will assume that the allocations equal the allocations for the...

40 CFR 60.4141 - Timing requirements for Hg allowance allocations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... the applicable control period is in 2018, the Administrator will assume that the allocations equal the...,000 ounces/ton) of Hg emissions in the applicable State trading budget under § 60.4140 for 2018 and... period is in 2018, the Administrator will assume that the allocations equal the allocations for the...

Spinning Straw into Gold: How State Education Agencies Can Transform Their Data to Improve Critical School Resource Decisions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frank, Stephen; Trawick-Smith, Joseph

2014-01-01

K-12 education resources are often allocated non-strategically, with schools spending time and money on activities that have little relationship to student outcomes. Most of these decisions take place within districts, rooted in the processes of setting schedules, staffing levels, and assignments, and creating final budgets. Local Education…

Tuning the Tin Ear: In Search of Fiscal Congruency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dragona, Anthony N.

2011-01-01

For 70 years, the Union City School District used a line-item budget system, a top down approach that was regarded by many as "deaf, dumb, and blind." This antiquated central administration process gave school leaders and staff little, if any, input into the distribution of resources for their schools, resulting in a redundancy of allocations,…

PPBS for State and Local Officials. Library Notes, Vol. 6, No. 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grossbard, Stephen I.

The planning, programming, budgeting system (PPBS) is an instrument to help policy-makers assign priorities and allocate resources. It does not seek to computerize what is essentially a political process, nor is it intended that the statisticians and cost accountants take over functions that properly belong to the political decision-maker. PPBS is…

A Decision Theory Approach to College Resource Allocation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baldwin, Charles W.

Current budgeting techniques are reviewed in relation to their application to higher education, including (1) incremental budgeting, where decisions are based primarily upon former levels of expenditures, (2) zero-based budgeting, involving the establishment and ranking of "decision packages", (3) Planning and Programming Budgeting…

40 CFR 60.4140 - State trading budgets.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 6 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false State trading budgets. 60.4140 Section 60.4140 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED... Electric Steam Generating Units Hg Allowance Allocations § 60.4140 State trading budgets. The State trading...

Resource allocation and budgetary mechanisms for decentralized health systems: experiences from Balochistan, Pakistan.

PubMed

Green, A; Ali, B; Naeem, A; Ross, D

2000-01-01

This paper identifies key political and technical issues involved in the development of an appropriate resource allocation and budgetary system for the public health sector, using experience gained in the Province of Balochistan, Pakistan. The resource allocation and budgetary system is a critical, yet often neglected, component of any decentralization policy. Current systems are often based on historical incrementalism that is neither efficient nor equitable. This article describes technical work carried out in Balochistan to develop a system of resource allocation and budgeting that is needs-based, in line with policies of decentralization, and implementable within existing technical constraints. However, the development of technical systems, while necessary, is not a sufficient condition for the implementation of a resource allocation and decentralized budgeting system. This is illustrated by analysing the constraints that have been encountered in the development of such a system in Balochistan.

Resource allocation and budgetary mechanisms for decentralized health systems: experiences from Balochistan, Pakistan.

PubMed Central

Green, A.; Ali, B.; Naeem, A.; Ross, D.

2000-01-01

This paper identifies key political and technical issues involved in the development of an appropriate resource allocation and budgetary system for the public health sector, using experience gained in the Province of Balochistan, Pakistan. The resource allocation and budgetary system is a critical, yet often neglected, component of any decentralization policy. Current systems are often based on historical incrementalism that is neither efficient nor equitable. This article describes technical work carried out in Balochistan to develop a system of resource allocation and budgeting that is needs-based, in line with policies of decentralization, and implementable within existing technical constraints. However, the development of technical systems, while necessary, is not a sufficient condition for the implementation of a resource allocation and decentralized budgeting system. This is illustrated by analysing the constraints that have been encountered in the development of such a system in Balochistan. PMID:10994286

A Performance-Based Web Budget Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abou-Sayf, Frank K.; Lau, Wilson

2007-01-01

A web-based formula-driven tool has been developed for the purpose of performing two distinct academic department budgeting functions: allocation funding to the department, and budget management by the department. The tool's major features are discussed and its uses demonstrated. The tool's advantages are presented. (Contains 10 figures.)

The potential impact of immunization campaign budget re-allocation on global eradication of paediatric infectious diseases

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The potential benefits of coordinating infectious disease eradication programs that use campaigns such as supplementary immunization activities (SIAs) should not be over-looked. One example of a coordinated approach is an adaptive "sequential strategy": first, all annual SIA budget is dedicated to the eradication of a single infectious disease; once that disease is eradicated, the annual SIA budget is re-focussed on eradicating a second disease, etc. Herd immunity suggests that a sequential strategy may eradicate several infectious diseases faster than a non-adaptive "simultaneous strategy" of dividing annual budget equally among eradication programs for those diseases. However, mathematical modeling is required to understand the potential extent of this effect. Methods Our objective was to illustrate how budget allocation strategies can interact with the nonlinear nature of disease transmission to determine time to eradication of several infectious diseases under different budget allocation strategies. Using a mathematical transmission model, we analyzed three hypothetical vaccine-preventable infectious diseases in three different countries. A central decision-maker can distribute funding among SIA programs for these three diseases according to either a sequential strategy or a simultaneous strategy. We explored the time to eradication under these two strategies under a range of scenarios. Results For a certain range of annual budgets, all three diseases can be eradicated relatively quickly under the sequential strategy, whereas eradication never occurs under the simultaneous strategy. However, moderate changes to total SIA budget, SIA frequency, order of eradication, or funding disruptions can create disproportionately large differences in the time and budget required for eradication under the sequential strategy. We find that the predicted time to eradication can be very sensitive to small differences in the rate of case importation between the countries. We also find that the time to eradication of all three diseases is not necessarily lowest when the least transmissible disease is targeted first. Conclusions Relatively modest differences in budget allocation strategies in the near-term can result in surprisingly large long-term differences in time required to eradicate, as a result of the amplifying effects of herd immunity and the nonlinearities of disease transmission. More sophisticated versions of such models may be useful to large international donors or other organizations as a planning or portfolio optimization tool, where choices must be made regarding how much funding to dedicate to different infectious disease eradication efforts. PMID:21955853

The potential impact of immunization campaign budget re-allocation on global eradication of paediatric infectious diseases.

PubMed

Fitzpatrick, Tiffany; Bauch, Chris T

2011-09-28

The potential benefits of coordinating infectious disease eradication programs that use campaigns such as supplementary immunization activities (SIAs) should not be over-looked. One example of a coordinated approach is an adaptive "sequential strategy": first, all annual SIA budget is dedicated to the eradication of a single infectious disease; once that disease is eradicated, the annual SIA budget is re-focussed on eradicating a second disease, etc. Herd immunity suggests that a sequential strategy may eradicate several infectious diseases faster than a non-adaptive "simultaneous strategy" of dividing annual budget equally among eradication programs for those diseases. However, mathematical modeling is required to understand the potential extent of this effect. Our objective was to illustrate how budget allocation strategies can interact with the nonlinear nature of disease transmission to determine time to eradication of several infectious diseases under different budget allocation strategies. Using a mathematical transmission model, we analyzed three hypothetical vaccine-preventable infectious diseases in three different countries. A central decision-maker can distribute funding among SIA programs for these three diseases according to either a sequential strategy or a simultaneous strategy. We explored the time to eradication under these two strategies under a range of scenarios. For a certain range of annual budgets, all three diseases can be eradicated relatively quickly under the sequential strategy, whereas eradication never occurs under the simultaneous strategy. However, moderate changes to total SIA budget, SIA frequency, order of eradication, or funding disruptions can create disproportionately large differences in the time and budget required for eradication under the sequential strategy. We find that the predicted time to eradication can be very sensitive to small differences in the rate of case importation between the countries. We also find that the time to eradication of all three diseases is not necessarily lowest when the least transmissible disease is targeted first. Relatively modest differences in budget allocation strategies in the near-term can result in surprisingly large long-term differences in time required to eradicate, as a result of the amplifying effects of herd immunity and the nonlinearities of disease transmission. More sophisticated versions of such models may be useful to large international donors or other organizations as a planning or portfolio optimization tool, where choices must be made regarding how much funding to dedicate to different infectious disease eradication efforts.

A Qualitative Evaluation of Program Budgeting and Marginal Analysis in a Canadian Pediatric Tertiary Care Institution.

PubMed

Smith, Neale; Mitton, Craig; Hiltz, Mary-Ann; Campbell, Matthew; Dowling, Laura; Magee, J Fergall; Gujar, Shashi Ashok

2016-10-01

Hospitals in Canada are being asked by governments to improve efficiency and do more with fewer resources. Healthcare decision makers are thus driven to find better ways to manage budgets and deliver on their mission. Formal processes of priority setting and resource allocation (PSRA) are one means to this end. This paper reports an evaluation of one such approach, Program Budgeting and Marginal Analysis (PBMA), as applied at a children and women's tertiary care facility in Nova Scotia, Canada. A brief evaluation conducted immediately after the conclusion of the PBMA process was supplemented with a larger retrospective evaluation. The retrospective evaluation included 26 face-to-face individual interviews with senior and middle managers who took part in PBMA. Interview transcripts were analyzed against a template consisting of 19 elements of structure, process, attitudes, and outcomes associated with high performance in PSRA. Respondents had a good experience with the implementation of PBMA, and considered it an improvement over past practice. Success was attributed to effective leadership, and substantial efforts to engage staff members. Understanding of economic and ethical principles of decision making was reportedly increased. Areas for improvement included ensuring that everyone participated in good faith, better communication of final results, and stronger follow-through to determine if anticipated changes and benefits in fact occurred. The evaluation framework employed here proved useful in assessing the quality of this resource allocation exercise. The results are directly useful to local decision makers, and the identified strengths and weaknesses are broadly consistent with those reported in studies of other organizations.

Allocating capital systemwide. Who gets how much and why.

PubMed

Albertina, R M; Bakewell, T F

1989-05-01

The maturing of multi-institutional healthcare systems has created a need for systemwide approaches to managing investment in capital expenditures. Historically, hospitals have allocated capital using traditional capital budgeting techniques, including discounted cash flow, net present value, and internal rate of return methodologies. Now systems can use a multifactored model to allocate capital among member hospitals. This approach uses historical and projected financial and statistical information to quantify the risks member hospitals face. At the system level, capital allocation decisions should start with the strategic and financial planning processes. Catholic systems face an additional caveat: The system's mission statement drives the planning processes. Conceptually, the capital allocation plan is an attempt to value each hospital as a going, or viable, concern. From this perspective, value is understood as a function of expected return, the certainty of the return, and the return offered by similar investments in other hospital markets. Despite the many determinants of business and financial risk, much of the variance in asset market value can be explained through five assessment criteria: market demographics, position within the market, historical and projected financial performance, historical utilization, and third-party reimbursement mix.

Decision making in the Navy Budget Office.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-06-01

The primary objective of this thesis is to familiarize the reader with the budget decision making pocesses and considerations which influence the ...formulation of the Department of the navy’s (DON) budget from perspective of the Office of Budget and Reports (OBR), the impact of resource allocation...budgetary) decisions upon the overall framwork within which DON budgetary decisions are made, the organizational

Eliciting health care priorities in developing countries: experimental evidence from Guatemala.

PubMed

Font, Joan Costa; Forns, Joan Rovira; Sato, Azusa

2016-02-01

Although some methods for eliciting preferences to assist participatory priority setting in health care in developed countries are available, the same is not true for poor communities in developing countries whose preferences are neglected in health policy making. Existing methods grounded on self-interested, monetary valuations that may be inappropriate for developing country settings where community care is provided through 'social allocation' mechanisms. This paper proposes and examines an alternative methodology for eliciting preferences for health care programmes specifically catered for rural and less literate populations but which is still applicable in urban communities. Specifically, the method simulates a realistic collective budget allocation experiment, to be implemented in both rural and urban communities in Guatemala. We report evidence revealing that participatory budget-like experiments are incentive compatible mechanisms suitable for revealing collective preferences, while simultaneously having the advantage of involving communities in health care reform processes. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Budgeting Based on Student Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willis, Jason; Hill, Matt

2011-01-01

School finance reform has become a key component for transforming public schools in the United States. Over the last decade, a growing number of districts have turned to an approach known by different names--student-based budgeting, weighted student funding and fair student funding, among others--in which budgets are allocated to schools in…

Transforming School Funding: A Guide to Implementing Student-Based Budgeting (SBB)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenberg, David; Gordon, Jeff; Hsu, Betty

2014-01-01

Student-Based Budgeting (sometimes called Weighted Student Funding, or Fair Student Funding, depending on the district) differs fundamentally from the traditional funding model, which distributes resources to schools in the form of staff and dollars designated for specific purposes. Student-Based Budgeting (SBB) allocates dollars to schools based…

Budget Allocation for Community Mental Health Centers in Texas: Process and Reality Implications for Mexican Americans.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brusco, Bernadette A.

One of a series of studies, this monograph presents descriptive information to provide an understanding of the present budgetary system for Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) as it relates to Mexican Americans in Texas. The document: (1) provides a description of federal and state laws and their historical evolution germane to the funding of…

On the Allocation of Resources for Secondary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haelermans, Carla; De Witte, Kristof; Blank, Jos L. T.

2012-01-01

This paper studies the optimal allocation of resources--in terms of school management, teachers, supporting employees and materials--in secondary schools. We use a flexible budget constrained output distance function model to estimate both technical and allocative efficiency scores for 448 Dutch secondary schools between 2002 and 2007. The results…

Bringing the Budget Back into Academic Work Allocation Models: A Management Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson, Michael; Germov, John

2015-01-01

Issues surrounding increasingly constrained resources and reducing levels of sector-based funding require consideration of a different Academic Work Allocation Model (AWAM) approach. Evidence from the literature indicates that an effective work allocation model is founded on the principles of equity and transparency in the distribution and…

Budget Allocation in a Competitive Communication Spectrum Economy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Ming-Hua; Tsai, Jung-Fa; Ye, Yinyu

2009-12-01

This study discusses how to adjust "monetary budget" to meet each user's physical power demand, or balance all individual utilities in a competitive "spectrum market" of a communication system. In the market, multiple users share a common frequency or tone band and each of them uses the budget to purchase its own transmit power spectra (taking others as given) in maximizing its Shannon utility or pay-off function that includes the effect of interferences. A market equilibrium is a budget allocation, price spectrum, and tone power distribution that independently and simultaneously maximizes each user's utility. The equilibrium conditions of the market are formulated and analyzed, and the existence of an equilibrium is proved. Computational results and comparisons between the competitive equilibrium and Nash equilibrium solutions are also presented, which show that the competitive market equilibrium solution often provides more efficient power distribution.

PROGRAM BUDGETING FOR EDUCATION--STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

VINCENT, HOWARD

INFORMATION IS PRESENTED CONCERNING THE AVAILABILITY OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION WHICH PERTAINS TO ALLOCATION OF EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES IN THE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS ALLOCATION. (HW)

Concepts and Principles for State-Level Higher Education Budgeting. ASHE 1984 Annual Meeting Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Dennis P.

Basic concepts concerning state-level resource allocation to higher education are discussed. Attention is directed to principles of budgeting regardless of context, the pluralistic nature of higher education, characteristics of higher education production functions, and the typical form of the budget. In addition to the distribution of resources,…

Budgeting and Resource Allocation at Princeton University, Vol. 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herring, Carol P.; And Others

A supplement to a project begun to devise methods of handling budgeting in a more systematic way in the Princeton setting, this final report examines budgeting procedures that have been revised, discusses new procedures that have been implemented, and explains procedures now in use at Princeton. Chapter I provides an overview of the Priorities…

Participatory health system priority setting: Evidence from a budget experiment.

PubMed

Costa-Font, Joan; Forns, Joan Rovira; Sato, Azusa

2015-12-01

Budget experiments can provide additional guidance to health system reform requiring the identification of a subset of programs and services that accrue the highest social value to 'communities'. Such experiments simulate a realistic budget resource allocation assessment among competitive programs, and position citizens as decision makers responsible for making 'collective sacrifices'. This paper explores the use of a participatory budget experiment (with 88 participants clustered in social groups) to model public health care reform, drawing from a set of realistic scenarios for potential health care users. We measure preferences by employing a contingent ranking alongside a budget allocation exercise (termed 'willingness to assign') before and after program cost information is revealed. Evidence suggests that the budget experiment method tested is cognitively feasible and incentive compatible. The main downside is the existence of ex-ante "cost estimation" bias. Additionally, we find that participants appeared to underestimate the net social gain of redistributive programs. Relative social value estimates can serve as a guide to aid priority setting at a health system level. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Setting healthcare priorities: a description and evaluation of the budgeting and planning process in county hospitals in Kenya

PubMed Central

Cleary, Susan; Molyneux, Sassy; English, Mike

2017-01-01

Abstract This paper describes and evaluates the budgeting and planning processes in public hospitals in Kenya. We used a qualitative case study approach to examine these processes in two hospitals in Kenya. We collected data by in-depth interviews of national level policy makers, hospital managers, and frontline practitioners in the case study hospitals (n = 72), a review of documents, and non-participant observations within the hospitals over a 7 month period. We applied an evaluative framework that considers both consequentialist and proceduralist conditions as important to the quality of priority-setting processes. The budgeting and planning process in the case study hospitals was characterized by lack of alignment, inadequate role clarity and the use of informal priority-setting criteria. With regard to consequentialist conditions, the hospitals incorporated economic criteria by considering the affordability of alternatives, but rarely considered the equity of allocative decisions. In the first hospital, stakeholders were aware of - and somewhat satisfied with - the budgeting and planning process, while in the second hospital they were not. Decision making in both hospitals did not result in reallocation of resources. With regard to proceduralist conditions, the budgeting and planning process in the first hospital was more inclusive and transparent, with the stakeholders more empowered compared to the second hospital. In both hospitals, decisions were not based on evidence, implementation of decisions was poor and the community was not included. There were no mechanisms for appeals or to ensure that the proceduralist conditions were met in both hospitals. Public hospitals in Kenya could improve their budgeting and planning processes by harmonizing these processes, improving role clarity, using explicit priority-setting criteria, and by incorporating both consequentialist (efficiency, equity, stakeholder satisfaction and understanding, shifted priorities, implementation of decisions), and proceduralist (stakeholder engagement and empowerment, transparency, use of evidence, revisions, enforcement, and incorporating community values) conditions. PMID:27679522

Setting healthcare priorities: a description and evaluation of the budgeting and planning process in county hospitals in Kenya.

PubMed

Barasa, Edwine W; Cleary, Susan; Molyneux, Sassy; English, Mike

2017-04-01

This paper describes and evaluates the budgeting and planning processes in public hospitals in Kenya. We used a qualitative case study approach to examine these processes in two hospitals in Kenya. We collected data by in-depth interviews of national level policy makers, hospital managers, and frontline practitioners in the case study hospitals (n = 72), a review of documents, and non-participant observations within the hospitals over a 7 month period. We applied an evaluative framework that considers both consequentialist and proceduralist conditions as important to the quality of priority-setting processes. The budgeting and planning process in the case study hospitals was characterized by lack of alignment, inadequate role clarity and the use of informal priority-setting criteria. With regard to consequentialist conditions, the hospitals incorporated economic criteria by considering the affordability of alternatives, but rarely considered the equity of allocative decisions. In the first hospital, stakeholders were aware of - and somewhat satisfied with - the budgeting and planning process, while in the second hospital they were not. Decision making in both hospitals did not result in reallocation of resources. With regard to proceduralist conditions, the budgeting and planning process in the first hospital was more inclusive and transparent, with the stakeholders more empowered compared to the second hospital. In both hospitals, decisions were not based on evidence, implementation of decisions was poor and the community was not included. There were no mechanisms for appeals or to ensure that the proceduralist conditions were met in both hospitals. Public hospitals in Kenya could improve their budgeting and planning processes by harmonizing these processes, improving role clarity, using explicit priority-setting criteria, and by incorporating both consequentialist (efficiency, equity, stakeholder satisfaction and understanding, shifted priorities, implementation of decisions), and proceduralist (stakeholder engagement and empowerment, transparency, use of evidence, revisions, enforcement, and incorporating community values) conditions. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

A population-based model for priority setting across the care continuum and across modalities

PubMed Central

Segal, Leonie; Mortimer, Duncan

2006-01-01

Background The Health-sector Wide (HsW) priority setting model is designed to shift the focus of priority setting away from 'program budgets' – that are typically defined by modality or disease-stage – and towards well-defined target populations with a particular disease/health problem. Methods The key features of the HsW model are i) a disease/health problem framework, ii) a sequential approach to covering the entire health sector, iii) comprehensiveness of scope in identifying intervention options and iv) the use of objective evidence. The HsW model redefines the unit of analysis over which priorities are set to include all mutually exclusive and complementary interventions for the prevention and treatment of each disease/health problem under consideration. The HsW model is therefore incompatible with the fragmented approach to priority setting across multiple program budgets that currently characterises allocation in many health systems. The HsW model employs standard cost-utility analyses and decision-rules with the aim of maximising QALYs contingent upon the global budget constraint for the set of diseases/health problems under consideration. It is recognised that the objective function may include non-health arguments that would imply a departure from simple QALY maximisation and that political constraints frequently limit degrees of freedom. In addressing these broader considerations, the HsW model can be modified to maximise value-weighted QALYs contingent upon the global budget constraint and any political constraints bearing upon allocation decisions. Results The HsW model has been applied in several contexts, recently to osteoarthritis, that has demonstrated both its practical application and its capacity to derive clear evidenced-based policy recommendations. Conclusion Comparisons with other approaches to priority setting, such as Programme Budgeting and Marginal Analysis (PBMA) and modality-based cost-effectiveness comparisons, as typified by Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee process for the listing of pharmaceuticals for government funding, demonstrate the value added by the HsW model notably in its greater likelihood of contributing to allocative efficiency. PMID:16566841

Louisiana DOTD maintenance budget allocation system: final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-11-01

This project developed a computer system to assist Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LA DOTD) maintenance managers in the preparation of zero-based, needs-driven annual budget plans for routine maintenance. This includes pavemen...

Carbon allocation in forest ecosystems

Treesearch

Creighton M. Litton; James W. Raich; Michael G. Ryan

2007-01-01

Carbon allocation plays a critical role in forest ecosystem carbon cycling. We reviewed existing literature and compiled annual carbon budgets for forest ecosystems to test a series of hypotheses addressing the patterns, plasticity, and limits of three components of allocation: biomass, the amount of material present; flux, the flow of carbon to a component per unit...

Where Does the Money Go? Budget Expenditure Allocations in Charter Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carpenter, Dick M., II

2013-01-01

This study examines the expenditure allocation pattern of charter schools in Texas and compares those patterns to non-charter public schools to determine if the autonomy afforded to charter schools results in significant differences. Findings indicate the allocation patterns of charter schools do differ from those of non-charter public schools.…

Communal Sharing and the Provision of Low-Volume High-Cost Health Services: Results of a Survey.

PubMed

Richardson, Jeff; Iezzi, Angelo; Chen, Gang; Maxwell, Aimee

2017-03-01

This paper suggests and tests a reason why the public might support the funding of services for rare diseases (SRDs) when the services are effective but not cost effective, i.e. when more health could be produced by allocating funds to other services. It is postulated that the fairness of funding a service is influenced by a comparison of the average patient benefit with the average cost to those who share the cost. Survey respondents were asked to allocate a budget between cost-effective services that had a small effect upon a large number of relatively well patients and SRDs that benefited a small number of severely ill patients but were not cost effective because of their high cost. Part of the budget was always allocated to the SRDs. The budget share rose with the number sharing the cost. Sharing per se appears to characterise preferences. This has been obscured in studies that focus upon cost per patient rather than cost per person sharing the cost.

Assessing and Improving Performance: A Longitudinal Evaluation of Priority Setting and Resource Allocation in a Canadian Health Region.

PubMed

Hall, William; Smith, Neale; Mitton, Craig; Urquhart, Bonnie; Bryan, Stirling

2017-08-22

In order to meet the challenges presented by increasing demand and scarcity of resources, healthcare organizations are faced with difficult decisions related to resource allocation. Tools to facilitate evaluation and improvement of these processes could enable greater transparency and more optimal distribution of resources. The Resource Allocation Performance Assessment Tool (RAPAT) was implemented in a healthcare organization in British Columbia, Canada. Recommendations for improvement were delivered, and a follow up evaluation exercise was conducted to assess the trajectory of the organization's priority setting and resource allocation (PSRA) process 2 years post the original evaluation. Implementation of RAPAT in the pilot organization identified strengths and weaknesses of the organization's PSRA process at the time of the original evaluation. Strengths included the use of criteria and evidence, an ability to reallocate resources, and the involvement of frontline staff in the process. Weaknesses included training, communication, and lack of program budgeting. Although the follow up revealed a regression from a more formal PSRA process, a legacy of explicit resource allocation was reported to be providing ongoing benefit for the organization. While past studies have taken a cross-sectional approach, this paper introduces the first longitudinal evaluation of PSRA in a healthcare organization. By including the strengths, weaknesses, and evolution of one organization's journey, the authors' intend that this paper will assist other healthcare leaders in meeting the challenges of allocating scarce resources. © 2018 The Author(s); Published by Kerman University of Medical Sciences. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Budget and financing of mental health services: baseline information on 89 countries from WHO's project atlas.

PubMed

Saxena, Shekhar; Sharan, Pratap; Saraceno, Benedetto

2003-09-01

Very little information is available on budget and financing of mental health services in the world. During year 2001, WHO collected information from all countries on resources available for mental health care as a part of Project Atlas. The present report seeks to describe the situation regarding federal budgets and financing of mental health care at the country level. It also examines the association between relative allocation of health budget to mental health and mental health policy, programme and resource indicators in 89 countries. The information was collected through a questionnaire (with an accompanying glossary) that was sent to the mental health focal point in the Ministry of Health of each country. Eighty nine countries provided information on their mental health budget as a proportion of health budget. In addition, information was obtained on policy, programme and mental health resource indicators (beds, personnel, services to special population and availability of drugs). The results showed that 32% of 191 countries did not have a specified budget for mental health. Of the 89 countries that supplied the requisite information 36% spent less than 1% of their total health budget on mental health. Many countries from Africa (79%) and the South East Asia (63%) were in this subgroup. Comparison with the Global Burden of Disease data showed a marked disparity between burden and resources. Lower income countries allocated a lesser proportion of their health budget on mental health in comparison to higher income countries. The primary method of financing mental health care in most countries was tax-based (60.2%), but many low-income countries depended on out-of-pocket expenditure (16.4%). The presence of mental health policies and programmes in general was not associated with the proportion of health budget allocated to mental health. Counties categorized based on the proportion of mental health budget to health budget, differed significantly in terms of policy on disability benefits and mental health resource indicators (beds, personnel, services for special populations and availability of drugs). Federal allocation for mental health care in most countries is low compared to the burden of these disorders. There is also a large disparity among countries and regions. Limitations of the study were, an exclusive reliance on government sources and the difficulty some governments faced in providing accurate information on federal mental health budget as it was not identified separately. To use resources more efficiently and judiciously, countries should support integration of services, reallocation of mental health beds, training in mental health to providers and services for special populations. Most countries need to increase their mental health budgets in order to provide necessary services. Countries with out-of-pocket payment as the primary method of mental health financing should seek to establish social insurance mechanisms. More research needs to be conducted to gather specific information on mental health financing in relation to policy and service planning.

DOD Service Acquisition: Improved Use of Available Data Needed to Better Manage and Forecast Service Contract Requirements

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-01

Requirements Report to Congressional Committees February 2016 GAO-16-119 United States Government Accountability Office United States...Government Accountability Office Highlights of GAO-16-119, a report to congressional committees February 2016 DOD SERVICE ACQUISITION Improved... Definitions 12 Figures Figure 1: DOD’s Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) Process for Determining Requirements and Allocating

LABCON - Laboratory Job Control program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reams, L. T.

1969-01-01

Computer program LABCON controls the budget system in a component test laboratory whose workload is made up from many individual budget allocations. A common denominator is applied to an incoming job, to which all effort is charged and accounted for.

Integrated Budget Office Toolbox

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rushing, Douglas A.; Blakeley, Chris; Chapman, Gerry; Robertson, Bill; Horton, Allison; Besser, Thomas; McCarthy, Debbie

2010-01-01

The Integrated Budget Office Toolbox (IBOT) combines budgeting, resource allocation, organizational funding, and reporting features in an automated, integrated tool that provides data from a single source for Johnson Space Center (JSC) personnel. Using a common interface, concurrent users can utilize the data without compromising its integrity. IBOT tracks planning changes and updates throughout the year using both phasing and POP-related (program-operating-plan-related) budget information for the current year, and up to six years out. Separating lump-sum funds received from HQ (Headquarters) into separate labor, travel, procurement, Center G&A (general & administrative), and servicepool categories, IBOT creates a script that significantly reduces manual input time. IBOT also manages the movement of travel and procurement funds down to the organizational level and, using its integrated funds management feature, helps better track funding at lower levels. Third-party software is used to create integrated reports in IBOT that can be generated for plans, actuals, funds received, and other combinations of data that are currently maintained in the centralized format. Based on Microsoft SQL, IBOT incorporates generic budget processes, is transportable, and is economical to deploy and support.

[Design of medical devices management system supporting full life-cycle process management].

PubMed

Su, Peng; Zhong, Jianping

2014-03-01

Based on the analysis of the present status of medical devices management, this paper optimized management process, developed a medical devices management system with Web technologies. With information technology to dynamic master the use of state of the entire life-cycle of medical devices. Through the closed-loop management with pre-event budget, mid-event control and after-event analysis, improved the delicacy management level of medical devices, optimized asset allocation, promoted positive operation of devices.

Equity in health care in Namibia: developing a needs-based resource allocation formula using principal components analysis

PubMed Central

Zere, Eyob; Mandlhate, Custodia; Mbeeli, Thomas; Shangula, Kalumbi; Mutirua, Kauto; Kapenambili, William

2007-01-01

Background The pace of redressing inequities in the distribution of scarce health care resources in Namibia has been slow. This is due primarily to adherence to the historical incrementalist type of budgeting that has been used to allocate resources. Those regions with high levels of deprivation and relatively greater need for health care resources have been getting less than their fair share. To rectify this situation, which was inherited from the apartheid system, there is a need to develop a needs-based resource allocation mechanism. Methods Principal components analysis was employed to compute asset indices from asset based and health-related variables, using data from the Namibia demographic and health survey of 2000. The asset indices then formed the basis of proposals for regional weights for establishing a needs-based resource allocation formula. Results Comparing the current allocations of public sector health car resources with estimates using a needs based formula showed that regions with higher levels of need currently receive fewer resources than do regions with lower need. Conclusion To address the prevailing inequities in resource allocation, the Ministry of Health and Social Services should abandon the historical incrementalist method of budgeting/resource allocation and adopt a more appropriate allocation mechanism that incorporates measures of need for health care. PMID:17391533

Equity in health care in Namibia: developing a needs-based resource allocation formula using principal components analysis.

PubMed

Zere, Eyob; Mandlhate, Custodia; Mbeeli, Thomas; Shangula, Kalumbi; Mutirua, Kauto; Kapenambili, William

2007-03-29

The pace of redressing inequities in the distribution of scarce health care resources in Namibia has been slow. This is due primarily to adherence to the historical incrementalist type of budgeting that has been used to allocate resources. Those regions with high levels of deprivation and relatively greater need for health care resources have been getting less than their fair share. To rectify this situation, which was inherited from the apartheid system, there is a need to develop a needs-based resource allocation mechanism. Principal components analysis was employed to compute asset indices from asset based and health-related variables, using data from the Namibia demographic and health survey of 2000. The asset indices then formed the basis of proposals for regional weights for establishing a needs-based resource allocation formula. Comparing the current allocations of public sector health car resources with estimates using a needs based formula showed that regions with higher levels of need currently receive fewer resources than do regions with lower need. To address the prevailing inequities in resource allocation, the Ministry of Health and Social Services should abandon the historical incrementalist method of budgeting/resource allocation and adopt a more appropriate allocation mechanism that incorporates measures of need for health care.

Benefit cost models to support pavement management decisions.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-06-01

A critical role of pavement management is to provide decision makers with estimates of the required budget level to achieve specific steady-state network conditions, and to recommend the best allocation of available budget among competing needs for m...

Benefit cost models to support pavement management decisions : executive summary report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-01-01

A critical role of pavement management is to : provide decision makers with estimates of the : required budget level to achieve specific steadystate : network conditions, and to recommend the : best allocation of available budget among : competing ne...

Defer Maintenance, Invite Disaster

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowman, William W.

1977-01-01

An AGB- and NACUBO-sponsored survey showed that "wish lists" are accumulating overdue major maintenance projects because energy costs are consuming physical plant budgets. Problem areas are discussed: budget "guesstimation," preventive maintenance, deferred maintenance inventory, the APPA accounting format, resource allocation,…

Trends in E & G Expenditure Allocations. Indicators of Recession or Increased Productivity?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minter, John

1992-01-01

A random sample of 300 financial officers at public and independent 4-year and public 2-year institutions reveal their projected fiscal 1992 year-end expenditures and 1992-93 budget allocations. Summarized in chart form are the findings on changes in growth rates on salary and wage allocations for a variety of institutional functions. (GLR)

Trends in E&G Expenditure Allocations: Indicators of Recession or Increased Productivity?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minter, John

1992-01-01

Findings of a survey of 300 financial officers at public and independent 4-year and 2-year institutions of higher education concerning budget allocation trends since 1987 are presented in narrative and 24 charts. The survey documents changes in growth rates in allocations by various categories and distribution of expenditures by institution type.…

Allocation Anatomy: How District Policies That Deploy Resources Can Support (or Undermine) District Reform Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roza, Marguerite

2008-01-01

The goal of this paper is to explore the effects of micro-budgeting decisions and show how they might support or hamper district reform strategies. The study draws on public and private sector resource allocation literature to identify key elements of resource allocation decisions. These elements are used to highlight different allocation…

Monitoring CO2 emissions to gain a dynamic view of carbon allocation to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

PubMed

Slavíková, Renata; Püschel, David; Janoušková, Martina; Hujslová, Martina; Konvalinková, Tereza; Gryndlerová, Hana; Gryndler, Milan; Weiser, Martin; Jansa, Jan

2017-01-01

Quantification of carbon (C) fluxes in mycorrhizal plants is one of the important yet little explored tasks of mycorrhizal physiology and ecology. 13 CO 2 pulse-chase labelling experiments are increasingly being used to track the fate of C in these plant-microbial symbioses. Nevertheless, continuous monitoring of both the below- and aboveground CO 2 emissions remains a challenge, although it is necessary to establish the full C budget of mycorrhizal plants. Here, a novel CO 2 collection system is presented which allows assessment of gaseous CO 2 emissions (including isotopic composition of their C) from both belowground and shoot compartments. This system then is used to quantify the allocation of recently fixed C in mycorrhizal versus nonmycorrhizal Medicago truncatula plants with comparable biomass and mineral nutrition. Using this system, we confirmed substantially greater belowground C drain in mycorrhizal versus nonmycorrhizal plants, with the belowground CO 2 emissions showing large variation because of fluctuating environmental conditions in the glasshouse. Based on the assembled 13 C budget, the C allocation to the mycorrhizal fungus was between 2.3% (increased 13 C allocation to mycorrhizal substrate) and 2.9% (reduction of 13 C allocation to mycorrhizal shoots) of the plant gross photosynthetic production. Although the C allocation to shoot respiration (measured during one night only) did not differ between the mycorrhizal and nonmycorrhizal plants under our experimental conditions, it presented a substantial part (∼10%) of the plant C budget, comparable to the amount of CO 2 released belowground. These results advocate quantification of both above- and belowground CO 2 emissions in future studies.

Investigation of rainfall and regional factors for maintenance cost allocation.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-08-01

The existing formulas used by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to allocate the statewide : maintenance budget rely heavily on inventory and pavement evaluation data. These formulas include : regional factors and rainfall indices that va...

Representing the acquisition and use of energy by individuals in agent-based models of animal populations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sibly, Richard M.; Grimm, Volker; Martin, Benjamin T.; Johnston, Alice S.A.; Kulakowska, Katarzyna; Topping, Christopher J.; Calow, Peter; Nabe-Nielsen, Jacob; Thorbek, Pernille; DeAngelis, Donald L.

2013-01-01

1. Agent-based models (ABMs) are widely used to predict how populations respond to changing environments. As the availability of food varies in space and time, individuals should have their own energy budgets, but there is no consensus as to how these should be modelled. Here, we use knowledge of physiological ecology to identify major issues confronting the modeller and to make recommendations about how energy budgets for use in ABMs should be constructed. 2. Our proposal is that modelled animals forage as necessary to supply their energy needs for maintenance, growth and reproduction. If there is sufficient energy intake, an animal allocates the energy obtained in the order: maintenance, growth, reproduction, energy storage, until its energy stores reach an optimal level. If there is a shortfall, the priorities for maintenance and growth/reproduction remain the same until reserves fall to a critical threshold below which all are allocated to maintenance. Rates of ingestion and allocation depend on body mass and temperature. We make suggestions for how each of these processes should be modelled mathematically. 3. Mortality rates vary with body mass and temperature according to known relationships, and these can be used to obtain estimates of background mortality rate. 4. If parameter values cannot be obtained directly, then values may provisionally be obtained by parameter borrowing, pattern-oriented modelling, artificial evolution or from allometric equations. 5. The development of ABMs incorporating individual energy budgets is essential for realistic modelling of populations affected by food availability. Such ABMs are already being used to guide conservation planning of nature reserves and shell fisheries, to assess environmental impacts of building proposals including wind farms and highways and to assess the effects on nontarget organisms of chemicals for the control of agricultural pests.

Optimal dynamic control of invasions: applying a systematic conservation approach.

PubMed

Adams, Vanessa M; Setterfield, Samantha A

2015-06-01

The social, economic, and environmental impacts of invasive plants are well recognized. However, these variable impacts are rarely accounted for in the spatial prioritization of funding for weed management. We examine how current spatially explicit prioritization methods can be extended to identify optimal budget allocations to both eradication and control measures of invasive species to minimize the costs and likelihood of invasion. Our framework extends recent approaches to systematic prioritization of weed management to account for multiple values that are threatened by weed invasions with a multi-year dynamic prioritization approach. We apply our method to the northern portion of the Daly catchment in the Northern Territory, which has significant conservation values that are threatened by gamba grass (Andropogon gayanus), a highly invasive species recognized by the Australian government as a Weed of National Significance (WONS). We interface Marxan, a widely applied conservation planning tool, with a dynamic biophysical model of gamba grass to optimally allocate funds to eradication and control programs under two budget scenarios comparing maximizing gain (MaxGain) and minimizing loss (MinLoss) optimization approaches. The prioritizations support previous findings that a MinLoss approach is a better strategy when threats are more spatially variable than conservation values. Over a 10-year simulation period, we find that a MinLoss approach reduces future infestations by ~8% compared to MaxGain in the constrained budget scenarios and ~12% in the unlimited budget scenarios. We find that due to the extensive current invasion and rapid rate of spread, allocating the annual budget to control efforts is more efficient than funding eradication efforts when there is a constrained budget. Under a constrained budget, applying the most efficient optimization scenario (control, minloss) reduces spread by ~27% compared to no control. Conversely, if the budget is unlimited it is more efficient to fund eradication efforts and reduces spread by ~65% compared to no control.

7 CFR 3015.115 - Budget revisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... allocable indirect costs and result in a claim for a supplementary award. (2) Any or all of the prior...) Construction projects. Unless provided otherwise by the terms of the grant, subgrant, or cooperative agreement, revisions to construction project budgets do not require approval. ...

7 CFR 3015.115 - Budget revisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... allocable indirect costs and result in a claim for a supplementary award. (2) Any or all of the prior...) Construction projects. Unless provided otherwise by the terms of the grant, subgrant, or cooperative agreement, revisions to construction project budgets do not require approval. ...

7 CFR 3015.115 - Budget revisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... allocable indirect costs and result in a claim for a supplementary award. (2) Any or all of the prior...) Construction projects. Unless provided otherwise by the terms of the grant, subgrant, or cooperative agreement, revisions to construction project budgets do not require approval. ...

7 CFR 3015.115 - Budget revisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... allocable indirect costs and result in a claim for a supplementary award. (2) Any or all of the prior...) Construction projects. Unless provided otherwise by the terms of the grant, subgrant, or cooperative agreement, revisions to construction project budgets do not require approval. ...

PEPFAR Investments In Governance And Health Systems Were One-Fifth Of Countries' Budgeted Funds, 2004-14.

PubMed

Moucheraud, Corrina; Sparkes, Susan; Nakamura, Yoriko; Gage, Anna; Atun, Rifat; Bossert, Thomas J

2016-05-01

Launched in 2003, the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is the largest disease-focused assistance program in the world. We analyzed PEPFAR budgets for governance and systems for the period 2004-14 to ascertain whether PEPFAR's stated emphasis on strengthening health systems has been manifested financially. The main outcome variable in our analysis, the first of its kind using these data, was the share of PEPFAR's total annual budget for a country that was designated for governance and systems. The share of planned PEPFAR funding for governance and systems increased from 14.9 percent, on average, in 2004 to 27.5 percent in 2013, but it declined in 2014 to 20.8 percent. This study shows that the size of a country's PEPFAR budget was negatively associated with the share allocated for governance and systems (compared with other budget program areas); it also shows that there was no significant relationship between budgets for governance and systems and HIV prevalence. It is crucial for the global health policy community to better understand how such investments are allocated and used for health systems strengthening. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Optimal Computing Budget Allocation for Particle Swarm Optimization in Stochastic Optimization.

PubMed

Zhang, Si; Xu, Jie; Lee, Loo Hay; Chew, Ek Peng; Wong, Wai Peng; Chen, Chun-Hung

2017-04-01

Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is a popular metaheuristic for deterministic optimization. Originated in the interpretations of the movement of individuals in a bird flock or fish school, PSO introduces the concept of personal best and global best to simulate the pattern of searching for food by flocking and successfully translate the natural phenomena to the optimization of complex functions. Many real-life applications of PSO cope with stochastic problems. To solve a stochastic problem using PSO, a straightforward approach is to equally allocate computational effort among all particles and obtain the same number of samples of fitness values. This is not an efficient use of computational budget and leaves considerable room for improvement. This paper proposes a seamless integration of the concept of optimal computing budget allocation (OCBA) into PSO to improve the computational efficiency of PSO for stochastic optimization problems. We derive an asymptotically optimal allocation rule to intelligently determine the number of samples for all particles such that the PSO algorithm can efficiently select the personal best and global best when there is stochastic estimation noise in fitness values. We also propose an easy-to-implement sequential procedure. Numerical tests show that our new approach can obtain much better results using the same amount of computational effort.

Optimal Computing Budget Allocation for Particle Swarm Optimization in Stochastic Optimization

PubMed Central

Zhang, Si; Xu, Jie; Lee, Loo Hay; Chew, Ek Peng; Chen, Chun-Hung

2017-01-01

Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is a popular metaheuristic for deterministic optimization. Originated in the interpretations of the movement of individuals in a bird flock or fish school, PSO introduces the concept of personal best and global best to simulate the pattern of searching for food by flocking and successfully translate the natural phenomena to the optimization of complex functions. Many real-life applications of PSO cope with stochastic problems. To solve a stochastic problem using PSO, a straightforward approach is to equally allocate computational effort among all particles and obtain the same number of samples of fitness values. This is not an efficient use of computational budget and leaves considerable room for improvement. This paper proposes a seamless integration of the concept of optimal computing budget allocation (OCBA) into PSO to improve the computational efficiency of PSO for stochastic optimization problems. We derive an asymptotically optimal allocation rule to intelligently determine the number of samples for all particles such that the PSO algorithm can efficiently select the personal best and global best when there is stochastic estimation noise in fitness values. We also propose an easy-to-implement sequential procedure. Numerical tests show that our new approach can obtain much better results using the same amount of computational effort. PMID:29170617

Two phase sampling for wheat acreage estimation. [large area crop inventory experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, R. W.; Hay, C. M.

1977-01-01

A two phase LANDSAT-based sample allocation and wheat proportion estimation method was developed. This technique employs manual, LANDSAT full frame-based wheat or cultivated land proportion estimates from a large number of segments comprising a first sample phase to optimally allocate a smaller phase two sample of computer or manually processed segments. Application to the Kansas Southwest CRD for 1974 produced a wheat acreage estimate for that CRD within 2.42 percent of the USDA SRS-based estimate using a lower CRD inventory budget than for a simulated reference LACIE system. Factor of 2 or greater cost or precision improvements relative to the reference system were obtained.

Implementation of equity in resource allocation for regional earthquake risk mitigation using two-stage stochastic programming.

PubMed

Zolfaghari, Mohammad R; Peyghaleh, Elnaz

2015-03-01

This article presents a new methodology to implement the concept of equity in regional earthquake risk mitigation programs using an optimization framework. It presents a framework that could be used by decisionmakers (government and authorities) to structure budget allocation strategy toward different seismic risk mitigation measures, i.e., structural retrofitting for different building structural types in different locations and planning horizons. A two-stage stochastic model is developed here to seek optimal mitigation measures based on minimizing mitigation expenditures, reconstruction expenditures, and especially large losses in highly seismically active countries. To consider fairness in the distribution of financial resources among different groups of people, the equity concept is incorporated using constraints in model formulation. These constraints limit inequity to the user-defined level to achieve the equity-efficiency tradeoff in the decision-making process. To present practical application of the proposed model, it is applied to a pilot area in Tehran, the capital city of Iran. Building stocks, structural vulnerability functions, and regional seismic hazard characteristics are incorporated to compile a probabilistic seismic risk model for the pilot area. Results illustrate the variation of mitigation expenditures by location and structural type for buildings. These expenditures are sensitive to the amount of available budget and equity consideration for the constant risk aversion. Most significantly, equity is more easily achieved if the budget is unlimited. Conversely, increasing equity where the budget is limited decreases the efficiency. The risk-return tradeoff, equity-reconstruction expenditures tradeoff, and variation of per-capita expected earthquake loss in different income classes are also presented. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

An Allocation Model for Teaching and Non-Teaching Staff in a Decentralized Institution. AIR 1984 Annual Forum Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dijkman, Frank G.

A new allocation model for teaching and nonteaching staff has been developed at the University of Utrecht, in the Netherlands. The model may be characterized as highly normative, leading to lump sums to be allocated to academic departments. These departments in turn are free, within constraints, to budget their activities differently than is…

Summary of Research 1997 Department of Systems Management.

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-01-01

formulation and execution; impacts of budget allocation , reallocation, and reduction; imple- mentation of Defense Resource Management Systems; and the...flexible structure that can be applied to a wide range of resource allocation problems. PUBLICATIONS: Dolk, D., Murphy, M., and Thomas, G...policies, procedures, and rationale in deter- mining recruiting resource allocation decisions. The methodology relies on a review of the literature

A simple method for estimating gross carbon budgets for vegetation in forest ecosystems.

PubMed

Ryan, Michael G.

1991-01-01

Gross carbon budgets for vegetation in forest ecosystems are difficult to construct because of problems in scaling flux measurements made on small samples over short periods of time and in determining belowground carbon allocation. Recently, empirical relationships have been developed to estimate total belowground carbon allocation from litterfall, and maintenance respiration from tissue nitrogen content. I outline a method for estimating gross carbon budgets using these empirical relationships together with data readily available from ecosystem studies (aboveground wood and canopy production, aboveground wood and canopy biomass, litterfall, and tissue nitrogen contents). Estimates generated with this method are compared with annual carbon fixation estimates from the Forest-BGC model for a lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl.) and a Pacific silver fir (Abies amabilis Dougl.) chronosequence.

Robust allocation of a defensive budget considering an attacker's private information.

PubMed

Nikoofal, Mohammad E; Zhuang, Jun

2012-05-01

Attackers' private information is one of the main issues in defensive resource allocation games in homeland security. The outcome of a defense resource allocation decision critically depends on the accuracy of estimations about the attacker's attributes. However, terrorists' goals may be unknown to the defender, necessitating robust decisions by the defender. This article develops a robust-optimization game-theoretical model for identifying optimal defense resource allocation strategies for a rational defender facing a strategic attacker while the attacker's valuation of targets, being the most critical attribute of the attacker, is unknown but belongs to bounded distribution-free intervals. To our best knowledge, no previous research has applied robust optimization in homeland security resource allocation when uncertainty is defined in bounded distribution-free intervals. The key features of our model include (1) modeling uncertainty in attackers' attributes, where uncertainty is characterized by bounded intervals; (2) finding the robust-optimization equilibrium for the defender using concepts dealing with budget of uncertainty and price of robustness; and (3) applying the proposed model to real data. © 2011 Society for Risk Analysis.

Linking Resource Decisions to Planning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saunders, Laura

2014-01-01

This chapter explores the relationship between strategic planning and budgeting. It describes how community college leaders can use strategic and foundational plans (academic, facilities, technology, and financial) to drive budgets and resource allocations in support of institutional goals and objectives. Finally, it identifies challenges of doing…

Resource allocation in public health practice: a national survey of local public health officials.

PubMed

Baum, Nancy M; DesRoches, Catherine; Campbell, Eric G; Goold, Susan Dorr

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to gain an empirical understanding of the types of allocation decisions local health officials (LHOs) make and the factors that influence those allocation decisions. We conducted a national survey of LHOs in the United States in 2008 to 2009. The sample was stratified by the size of the population served by the department. We merged our data with data from the 2008 National Association of County and City Health Officials Profile survey. Descriptive statistics were generated using weighted data. Our final sample size was 608 respondents, with an average of 10 years experience. The LHOs reported little shifting of resources among population groups but greater capacity to redirect staffing time. Less than half of LHOs reported using economic analyses or conducting needs assessments when setting priorities. Having sole provider status in a community strongly influenced LHOs' allocation decisions. In addition, the effectiveness of activities, previous budget allocations, and input from boards of health were influential factors in allocation decisions. Public expectations were moderately to very influential, but direct public input had a low impact on allocation decisions. Survey findings provide a clearer understanding of how LHOs fulfill their obligations as stewards of public health resources and ensure effective activities and access to needed services. It may be useful to assess the value of more structured allocation methods (eg, decision frameworks) in the allocation process. Expanding opportunities for public engagement in priority setting may also be valuable for difficult allocation decisions.

Comparison of methods for estimating the cost of human immunodeficiency virus-testing interventions.

PubMed

Shrestha, Ram K; Sansom, Stephanie L; Farnham, Paul G

2012-01-01

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, spends approximately 50% of its $325 million annual human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention funds for HIV-testing services. An accurate estimate of the costs of HIV testing in various settings is essential for efficient allocation of HIV prevention resources. To assess the costs of HIV-testing interventions using different costing methods. We used the microcosting-direct measurement method to assess the costs of HIV-testing interventions in nonclinical settings, and we compared these results with those from 3 other costing methods: microcosting-staff allocation, where the labor cost was derived from the proportion of each staff person's time allocated to HIV testing interventions; gross costing, where the New York State Medicaid payment for HIV testing was used to estimate program costs, and program budget, where the program cost was assumed to be the total funding provided by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Total program cost, cost per person tested, and cost per person notified of new HIV diagnosis. The median costs per person notified of a new HIV diagnosis were $12 475, $15 018, $2697, and $20 144 based on microcosting-direct measurement, microcosting-staff allocation, gross costing, and program budget methods, respectively. Compared with the microcosting-direct measurement method, the cost was 78% lower with gross costing, and 20% and 61% higher using the microcosting-staff allocation and program budget methods, respectively. Our analysis showed that HIV-testing program cost estimates vary widely by costing methods. However, the choice of a particular costing method may depend on the research question being addressed. Although program budget and gross-costing methods may be attractive because of their simplicity, only the microcosting-direct measurement method can identify important determinants of the program costs and provide guidance to improve efficiency.

Public judgment on science expenditure in the national budget of Japan: An experimental approach to examining the effects of unpacking science.

PubMed

Yokoyama, Hiromi M; Nakayachi, Kazuya

2014-07-01

How does the public assess an appropriate financial allocation to science promotion? This article empirically examined the subadditivity effect in the judgment of budgetary allocation. Results of the first experiment showed that the ratio of the national budget allocated for science promotion by participants increased when science was decomposed into more specific categories compared to when it was presented as "science promotion" alone. Consistent with these findings, results of the second experiment showed that the allotment ratio to science promotion decreased when the number of other expenditure items increased. Meanwhile, the third experiment revealed that in the case of a budgetary cutback, the total amount taken from science promotion greatly increased when science was decomposed into subcategories. The subadditivity effect and increase in the total allotment ratio by unpacking science promotion was confirmed by these three experiments not only on budgetary allocation but also on budgetary cutback.

Stochastic resource allocation in emergency departments with a multi-objective simulation optimization algorithm.

PubMed

Feng, Yen-Yi; Wu, I-Chin; Chen, Tzu-Li

2017-03-01

The number of emergency cases or emergency room visits rapidly increases annually, thus leading to an imbalance in supply and demand and to the long-term overcrowding of hospital emergency departments (EDs). However, current solutions to increase medical resources and improve the handling of patient needs are either impractical or infeasible in the Taiwanese environment. Therefore, EDs must optimize resource allocation given limited medical resources to minimize the average length of stay of patients and medical resource waste costs. This study constructs a multi-objective mathematical model for medical resource allocation in EDs in accordance with emergency flow or procedure. The proposed mathematical model is complex and difficult to solve because its performance value is stochastic; furthermore, the model considers both objectives simultaneously. Thus, this study develops a multi-objective simulation optimization algorithm by integrating a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA II) with multi-objective computing budget allocation (MOCBA) to address the challenges of multi-objective medical resource allocation. NSGA II is used to investigate plausible solutions for medical resource allocation, and MOCBA identifies effective sets of feasible Pareto (non-dominated) medical resource allocation solutions in addition to effectively allocating simulation or computation budgets. The discrete event simulation model of ED flow is inspired by a Taiwan hospital case and is constructed to estimate the expected performance values of each medical allocation solution as obtained through NSGA II. Finally, computational experiments are performed to verify the effectiveness and performance of the integrated NSGA II and MOCBA method, as well as to derive non-dominated medical resource allocation solutions from the algorithms.

Portfolio theory and cost-effectiveness analysis: a further discussion.

PubMed

Sendi, Pedram; Al, Maiwenn J; Rutten, Frans F H

2004-01-01

Portfolio theory has been suggested as a means to improve the risk-return characteristics of investments in health-care programs through diversification when costs and effects are uncertain. This approach is based on the assumption that the investment proportions are not subject to uncertainty and that the budget can be invested in toto in health-care programs. In the present paper we develop an algorithm that accounts for the fact that investment proportions in health-care programs may be uncertain (due to the uncertainty associated with costs) and limited (due to the size of the programs). The initial budget allocation across programs may therefore be revised at the end of the investment period to cover the extra costs of some programs with the leftover budget of other programs in the portfolio. Once the total budget is equivalent to or exceeds the expected costs of the programs in the portfolio, the initial budget allocation policy does not impact the risk-return characteristics of the combined portfolio, i.e., there is no benefit from diversification anymore. The applicability of portfolio methods to improve the risk-return characteristics of investments in health care is limited to situations where the available budget is much smaller than the expected costs of the programs to be funded.

Prefocal station mechanical design concept study for the E-ELT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jolley, Paul; Brunetto, Enzo; Frank, Christoph; Lewis, Steffan; Marchetti, Enrico

2016-07-01

The Nasmyth platforms of the E-ELT will contain one Prefocal Station (PFS) each. The main PFS functional requirements are to provide a focal plane to the three Nasmyth focal stations and the Coudé focus, optical sensing supporting telescope low order optimisation and seeing limited image quality, and optical sensing supporting characterising and phasing of M1 and other telescope subsystems. The PFS user requirements are used to derive the PFS technical requirements specification that will form the basis for design, development and production of the system. This specification process includes high-level architectural decisions and technical performance budget allocations. The mechanical design concepts reported here have been developed in order to validate key system specifications and associated technical budgets.

Comparative analysis of sustainable value distribution for stakeholders in the mining industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenc, Sylwia; Kustra, Arkadiusz

2018-01-01

The objective of this article is the analysis and comparison of the value distribution process that takes place in enterprises for stakeholders. The following coal mining enterprises are subject of this work: JSW S.A., KGHM S.A., and LW Bogdanka S.A, for which the directions of value distribution in the years 2011-2016 were presented. The article defines the main groups of the partnerships' stakeholders, such as the owners, staff, suppliers, equity providers, the country budget and the local governments' budgets. The sustainable value benchmark was defined as the benefits received by the stakeholders through the allocation of financial surplus. The value defined for the abovementioned stakeholders was assessed according to the Free Cash Flow (FCF) methodology.

Titrating versus targeting home care services to frail elderly clients: an application of agency theory and cost-benefit analysis to home care policy.

PubMed

Weissert, William; Chernew, Michael; Hirth, Richard

2003-02-01

The article summarizes the shortcomings of current home care targeting policy, provides a conceptual framework for understanding the sources of its problems, and proposes an alternative resource allocation method. Methods required for different aspects of the study included synthesis of the published literature, regression analysis of risk predictors, and comparison of actual resource allocations with simulated budgets. Problems of imperfect agency ranging from unclear goals and inappropriate incentives to lack of information about the marginal effectiveness of home care could be mitigated with an improved budgeting method that combines client selection and resource allocation. No program can produce its best outcome performance when its goals are unclear and its technology is unstandardized. Titration of care would reallocate resources to maximize marginal benefit for marginal cost.

Using costing as a district planning and management tool in Balochistan, Pakistan.

PubMed

Green, A; Ali, B; Naeem, A; Vassall, A

2001-06-01

This paper reports on two studies in the province of Balochistan, Pakistan, analyzing the costs of primary care facilities and district and divisional hospitals. There are no known previous cost studies within Balochistan and the information gained is a critical element in developing a more rational allocation of resources within the health sector. The results demonstrate both the high level of under-funding of primary care within the health sector and the current inefficiency of allocation towards primary care and, within budgets, between different line items. Medicines in particular are significantly under-funded at the expense of staffing costs. The results are of use in developing more bottom-up budgeting systems within a more rational resource allocation system that is being developed as an element of the more decentralized health system towards which the province is working.

Market-Based Approaches to Managing Science Return from Planetary Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wessen, Randii R.; Porter, David; Hanson, Robin

1996-01-01

A research plan is described for the design and testing of a method for the planning and negotiation of science observations. The research plan is presented in relation to the fact that the current method, which involves a hierarchical process of science working groups, is unsuitable for the planning of the Cassini mission. The research plan involves the market-based approach in which participants are allocated budgets of scheduling points. The points are used to provide an intensity of preference for the observations being scheduled. In this way, the schedulers do not have to limit themselves to solving major conflicts, but try to maximize the number of scheduling points that result in a conflict-free timeline. Incentives are provided for the participants by the fixed budget concerning their tradeoff decisions. A degree of feedback is provided in the process so that the schedulers may rebid based on the current timeline.

Approaches to Resource Allocation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dressel, Paul; Simon, Lou Anna Kimsey

1976-01-01

Various budgeting patterns and strategies are currently in use, each with its own particular strengths and weaknesses. Neither cost-benefit analysis nor cost-effectiveness analysis offers any better solution to the allocation problem than do the unsupported contentions of departments or the historical unit costs. An operable model that performs…

48 CFR 9904.403 - Allocation of home office expenses to segments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... expenses to segments. 9904.403 Section 9904.403 Federal Acquisition Regulations System COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD, OFFICE OF FEDERAL PROCUREMENT POLICY, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET PROCUREMENT PRACTICES AND COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS 9904.403 Allocation of home office expenses to...

76 FR 53377 - Cost Accounting Standards; Allocation of Home Office Expenses to Segments

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-26

... Accounting Standards; Allocation of Home Office Expenses to Segments AGENCY: Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP), Cost Accounting Standards Board (Board). ACTION... Accounting Standards (CAS) Board, is providing public notification of the decision to discontinue the...

A Procedure for the Allocation of Your Advertising Budget.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balsmeier, Phillip W.; Barr, Peter B.

1981-01-01

Some preliminary findings on a study conducted by one retailer who was concerned about his advertising budget and the effects his advertising was having on his customers are presented. Results suggest that advertising must consist of a combination of different media. A customer questionnaire is included. (MLW)

Allocating the Book Budget: A Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kohut, Joseph D.

1974-01-01

Inflation is currently affecting library book budgets, particularly the acquisition of serials. This model would balance the purchase of serials against the purchase of monographs by individual funding units within the academic library. Consideration is given to inflation as a cost factor. The model is applied to a specific example. (Author/LS)

Decentralized University Budgeting, United with a More Flexible Tuition Structure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fethke, Gary

2014-01-01

With tuition revenues replacing state appropriations as the primary source of public university funding, it becomes difficult for universities to use historically based budget allocations and inflexible tuition structures to subsidize high-cost programs. It is argued here that combining targeted subsidies with a flexible tuition structure and…

Department of Navy FY17 Budget: Delivering Options, Assuring Allies,

Science.gov Websites

Services program and Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program. Hard Choices This fiscal environment requires each Service to make hard choices in prioritizing their budget, examining every account to sustain advantage, accelerate learning and strengthen our team. In making hard choices and allocating risk

Developing a Foreign Language Fiction Collection on a Limited Budget

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bissett, Cindy

2010-01-01

Libraries have limited budgets and Collection Development Librarians can be faced with difficult decisions in the spending of their allocated funds. This paper discusses how the Tasmanian Polytechnic Launceston Campus Library discovered a gap in their collection and addressed this situation without funding. The Library wished to purchase fiction…

Proposed Unit Level Ozone Season NOx Allowance Allocations to Existing Units in Six States: Supplemental Proposed Rule TSD

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This Technical Support Document (TSD) presents the proposed unit-level allocations based on the existing-unit portion of each state’s ozone season NOx emission budget to covered existing units in Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin.

Strategically Allocating Resources to Support Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lynch, Matthew

2012-01-01

As the enduring economic recession forces state and local governments to cut education budgets, astute allocation of resources is becoming more important. The author analyses three basic categories of educational resources: money, human capital, and time before moving to a discussion of resources as a component of school reform. The author…

Health care costs attributable to the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

PubMed

Sørensen, J

2004-01-01

A 'programme budget' for the resources used in the treatment and care of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was developed with a view of helping decision-makers assess the appropriateness of the current use of resources and to discuss future resource allocation. The programme budget was developed using data from several national administrative registers. Patients with RA were identified by hospital diagnostic codes. The incremental cost of treating RA was defined as the difference in resource use for patients with and without RA. Incremental mortality due to RA was defined in similar way. Cost data were estimated for 5-year age groups. Patients with RA used on average 3.2 times as many health care resources as people without RA. The average 1997 incremental costs of primary and hospital care were EUR 253 and EUR 2.660 per patient respectively, corresponding to a national incremental cost of EUR 30 million (2000 price level). RA resulted in an annual loss of 1,549 life years. The programme budget approach is a useful tool in resource allocation decision-making, but discussions of alternative resource allocations must be based on robust studies of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness in the treatment of patients with RA.

Optimal allocation of conservation effort among subpopulations of a threatened species: how important is patch quality?

PubMed

Chauvenet, Aliénor L M; Baxter, Peter W J; McDonald-Madden, Eve; Possingham, Hugh P

2010-04-01

Money is often a limiting factor in conservation, and attempting to conserve endangered species can be costly. Consequently, a framework for optimizing fiscally constrained conservation decisions for a single species is needed. In this paper we find the optimal budget allocation among isolated subpopulations of a threatened species to minimize local extinction probability. We solve the problem using stochastic dynamic programming, derive a useful and simple alternative guideline for allocating funds, and test its performance using forward simulation. The model considers subpopulations that persist in habitat patches of differing quality, which in our model is reflected in different relationships between money invested and extinction risk. We discover that, in most cases, subpopulations that are less efficient to manage should receive more money than those that are more efficient to manage, due to higher investment needed to reduce extinction risk. Our simple investment guideline performs almost as well as the exact optimal strategy. We illustrate our approach with a case study of the management of the Sumatran tiger, Panthera tigris sumatrae, in Kerinci Seblat National Park (KSNP), Indonesia. We find that different budgets should be allocated to the separate tiger subpopulations in KSNP. The subpopulation that is not at risk of extinction does not require any management investment. Based on the combination of risks of extinction and habitat quality, the optimal allocation for these particular tiger subpopulations is an unusual case: subpopulations that occur in higher-quality habitat (more efficient to manage) should receive more funds than the remaining subpopulation that is in lower-quality habitat. Because the yearly budget allocated to the KSNP for tiger conservation is small, to guarantee the persistence of all the subpopulations that are currently under threat we need to prioritize those that are easier to save. When allocating resources among subpopulations of a threatened species, the combined effects of differences in habitat quality, cost of action, and current subpopulation probability of extinction need to be integrated. We provide a useful guideline for allocating resources among isolated subpopulations of any threatened species.

Creating an effort tracking tool to improve therapeutic cancer clinical trials workload management and budgeting.

PubMed

James, Pam; Bebee, Patty; Beekman, Linda; Browning, David; Innes, Mathew; Kain, Jeannie; Royce-Westcott, Theresa; Waldinger, Marcy

2011-11-01

Quantifying data management and regulatory workload for clinical research is a difficult task that would benefit from a robust tool to assess and allocate effort. As in most clinical research environments, The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMCCC) Clinical Trials Office (CTO) struggled to effectively allocate data management and regulatory time with frequently inaccurate estimates of how much time was required to complete the specific tasks performed by each role. In a dynamic clinical research environment in which volume and intensity of work ebbs and flows, determining requisite effort to meet study objectives was challenging. In addition, a data-driven understanding of how much staff time was required to complete a clinical trial was desired to ensure accurate trial budget development and effective cost recovery. Accordingly, the UMCCC CTO developed and implemented a Web-based effort-tracking application with the goal of determining the true costs of data management and regulatory staff effort in clinical trials. This tool was developed, implemented, and refined over a 3-year period. This article describes the process improvement and subsequent leveling of workload within data management and regulatory that enhanced the efficiency of UMCCC's clinical trials operation.

Solid waste management in Kolkata, India: practices and challenges.

PubMed

Hazra, Tumpa; Goel, Sudha

2009-01-01

This paper presents an overview of current solid waste management (SWM) practices in Kolkata, India and suggests solutions to some of the major problems. More than 2920ton/d of solid waste are generated in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) area and the budget allocation for 2007-2008 was Rs. 1590 million (US$40 million), which amounts to Rs. 265/cap-y (US$6.7/cap-d) on SWM. This expenditure is insufficient to provide adequate SWM services. Major deficiencies were found in all elements of SWM. Despite 70% of the SWM budget being allocated for collection, collection efficiency is around 60-70% for the registered residents and less than 20% for unregistered residents (slum dwellers). The collection process is deficient in terms of manpower and vehicle availability. Bin capacity provided is adequate but locations were found to be inappropriate, thus contributing to the inefficiency of the system. At this time, no treatment is provided to the waste and waste is dumped on open land at Dhapa after collection. Lack of suitable facilities (equipment and infrastructure) and underestimates of waste generation rates, inadequate management and technical skills, improper bin collection, and route planning are responsible for poor collection and transportation of municipal solid wastes.

Managed care and shadow price.

PubMed

Ma, Ching-To A

2004-02-01

A managed-care company must decide on allocating resources of many services to many groups of enrollees. The profit-maximizing allocation rule is characterized. For each group, the marginal utilities across all services are equalized. The equilibrium has an enrollee group shadow price interpretation. The equilibrium spending allocation can be implemented by letting utilitarian physicians decide on service spending on an enrollee group subject to a budget for the group. Copyright 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Allocating dissipation across a molecular machine cycle to maximize flux

PubMed Central

Brown, Aidan I.; Sivak, David A.

2017-01-01

Biomolecular machines consume free energy to break symmetry and make directed progress. Nonequilibrium ATP concentrations are the typical free energy source, with one cycle of a molecular machine consuming a certain number of ATP, providing a fixed free energy budget. Since evolution is expected to favor rapid-turnover machines that operate efficiently, we investigate how this free energy budget can be allocated to maximize flux. Unconstrained optimization eliminates intermediate metastable states, indicating that flux is enhanced in molecular machines with fewer states. When maintaining a set number of states, we show that—in contrast to previous findings—the flux-maximizing allocation of dissipation is not even. This result is consistent with the coexistence of both “irreversible” and reversible transitions in molecular machine models that successfully describe experimental data, which suggests that, in evolved machines, different transitions differ significantly in their dissipation. PMID:29073016

Efficient Simulation Budget Allocation for Selecting an Optimal Subset

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Chun-Hung; He, Donghai; Fu, Michael; Lee, Loo Hay

2008-01-01

We consider a class of the subset selection problem in ranking and selection. The objective is to identify the top m out of k designs based on simulated output. Traditional procedures are conservative and inefficient. Using the optimal computing budget allocation framework, we formulate the problem as that of maximizing the probability of correc tly selecting all of the top-m designs subject to a constraint on the total number of samples available. For an approximation of this corre ct selection probability, we derive an asymptotically optimal allocat ion and propose an easy-to-implement heuristic sequential allocation procedure. Numerical experiments indicate that the resulting allocatio ns are superior to other methods in the literature that we tested, and the relative efficiency increases for larger problems. In addition, preliminary numerical results indicate that the proposed new procedur e has the potential to enhance computational efficiency for simulation optimization.

HIV treatment and reproductive health in the health system in Burkina Faso: resource allocation and the need for integration.

PubMed

Windisch, Ricarda; de Savigny, Don; Onadja, Geneviève; Somda, Antoine; Wyss, Kaspar; Sié, Ali; Kouyaté, Bocar

2011-11-01

Organizational changes, increased funding and the demands of HIV antiretroviral (ARV) treatment create particular challenges for governance in the health sector. We assess resource allocation, policy making and integration of the national responses to ARV provision and reproductive health in Burkina Faso, using national and district budgets related to disease burden, policy documents, organizational structures, and coordination and implementation processes. ARV provision represents the concept of a "crisis scenario", in which reforms are pushed due to a perception of urgent need, whereas the national reproductive health programme, which is older and more integrated, represents a "politics-as-usual scenario". Findings show that the early years of the national response to HIV and AIDS were characterized by new institutions with overlapping functions, and failure to integrate with and strengthen existing structures. National and district budget allocations for HIV compared to other interventions were disproportionately high when assessed against burden of disease. Strategic documents for ARV provision were relatively less developed and referred to, compared to those of the Ministry of Health Directorates for HIV and for Family Health and district health planning teams for reproductive health services. Imbalances and new structures potentially trigger important adverse effects which are difficult to remedy and likely to increase due to the dynamics they create. It therefore becomes crucial, from the outset, to integrate HIV/AIDS funding and responses into health systems. Copyright © 2011 Reproductive Health Matters. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Towards Decentralized and Goal-Oriented Models of Institutional Resource Allocation: The Spanish Case

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lopez, Maria Jose Gonzalez

2006-01-01

The search for more flexibility in financial management of public universities demands adjustments in budgeting strategies. International studies on this topic recommend wider financial autonomy for management units, the use of budgeting models based on performance, the implementation of formula systems for the determination of financial needs of…

Logging-related increases in stream density in a northern California watershed

Treesearch

Matthew S. Buffleben

2012-01-01

Although many sediment budgets estimate the effects of logging, few have considered the potential impact of timber harvesting on stream density. Failure to consider changes in stream density could lead to large errors in the sediment budget, particularly between the allocation of natural and anthropogenic sources of sediment.This study...

Estimating the impact of state budget cuts and redirection of prevention resources on the HIV epidemic in 59 California local health departments.

PubMed

Lin, Feng; Lasry, Arielle; Sansom, Stephanie L; Wolitski, Richard J

2013-01-01

In the wake of a national economic downturn, the state of California, in 2009-2010, implemented budget cuts that eliminated state funding of HIV prevention and testing. To mitigate the effect of these cuts remaining federal funds were redirected. This analysis estimates the impact of these budget cuts and reallocation of resources on HIV transmission and associated HIV treatment costs. We estimated the effect of the budget cuts and reallocation for California county health departments (excluding Los Angeles and San Francisco) on the number of individuals living with or at-risk for HIV who received HIV prevention services. We used a Bernoulli model to estimate the number of new infections that would occur each year as a result of the changes, and assigned lifetime treatment costs to those new infections. We explored the effect of redirecting federal funds to more cost-effective programs, as well as the potential effect of allocating funds proportionately by transmission category. We estimated that cutting HIV prevention resulted in 55 new infections that were associated with $20 million in lifetime treatment costs. The redirection of federal funds to more cost-effective programs averted 15 HIV infections. If HIV prevention funding were allocated proportionately to transmission categories, we estimated that HIV infections could be reduced below the number that occurred annually before the state budget cuts. Reducing funding for HIV prevention may result in short-term savings at the expense of additional HIV infections and increased HIV treatment costs. Existing HIV prevention funds would likely have a greater impact on the epidemic if they were allocated to the more cost-effective programs and the populations most likely to acquire and transmit the infection.

An Economic Analysis of College Scholarship Policy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owen, John D.

A national scholarship policy based on a cost-benefit analysis of the social value of education is proposed as one method for improving current patterns of allocating US college scholarships and tuition funds. A central college subsidy agency, operating on a limited budget, would be required to allocate funds according to the maximum overall…

Multi Robot Path Planning for Budgeted Active Perception with Self-Organising Maps

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-04

Multi- Robot Path Planning for Budgeted Active Perception with Self-Organising Maps Graeme Best1, Jan Faigl2 and Robert Fitch1 Abstract— We propose a...optimise paths for a multi- robot team that aims to maximally observe a set of nodes in the environment. The selected nodes are observed by visiting...regions, each node has an observation reward, and the robots are constrained by travel budgets. The SOM algorithm jointly selects and allocates nodes

Early reproductive maturity among Pumé foragers: Implications of a pooled energy model to fast life histories.

PubMed

Kramer, Karen L; Greaves, Russell D; Ellison, Peter T

2009-01-01

Life history theory places central importance on relationships between ontogeny, reproduction, and mortality. Fast human life histories have been theoretically and empirically associated with high mortality regimes. This relationship, however, poses an unanswered question about energy allocation. In epidemiologically stressful environments, a greater proportion of energy is allocated to immune function. If growth and maintenance are competing energetic expenditures, less energy should be available for growth, and the mechanism to sustain rapid maturation remains unclear. The human pattern of extended juvenile provisioning and resource sharing may provide an important source of variation in energy availability not predicted by tradeoff models that assume independence at weaning. We consider a group of South American foragers to evaluate the effects that pooled energy budgets may have on early reproduction. Despite growing up in an environment with distinct seasonal under-nutrition, harsh epidemiological conditions, and no health care, Pumé girls mature quickly and initiate childbearing in their midteens. Pooled energy budgets compensate for the low productivity of girls not only through direct food transfers but importantly by reducing energy they would otherwise expend in foraging activities to meet metabolic requirements. We suggest that pooled energy budgets affect energy availability at both extrinsic and intrinsic levels. Because energy budgets are pooled, Pumé girls and young women are buffered from environmental downturns and can maximize energy allocated to growth completion and initiate reproduction earlier than a traditional bound-energy model would predict. 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

History of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Joint Chiefs of Staff and National Policy 1955-1956. Volume VI.

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-01

allocation of responsibility among the military services for de- veloping and operating the new weapons systems. This turned out to be a con- tentious...the choices made regarding the allocation of resources and the deployments and strategies to be pursued. The Joint Chiefs of Staff developed their...decisions or preparing recommendations on such specific matters as force levels and budget allocations , clearly took his principal guidance from the

Contamination monitoring approaches for EUV space optics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ray, David C.; Malina, Roger F.; Welsh, Barry J.; Battel, Steven J.

1989-01-01

Data from contaminant-induced UV optics degradation studies and particulate models are used here to develop end-of-service-life instrument contamination requirements which are very stringent but achievable. The budget is divided into allocations for each phase of hardware processing. Optical and nonoptical hardware are monitored for particulate and molecular contamination during initial cleaning and baking, assembly, test, and calibration phases. The measured contamination levels are compared to the requirements developed for each phase to provide confidence that the required end-of-life levels will be met.

Hospital cost accounting: implementing the system successfully.

PubMed

Burik, D; Duvall, T J

1985-05-01

To successfully implement a cost accounting system, certain key steps should be undertaken. These steps include developing and installing software; developing cost center budgets and inter-cost center allocations; developing service item standard costs; generating cost center level and patient level standard cost reports and reconciling these costs to actual costs; generating product line profitability reports and reconciling these reports to the financial statements; and providing ad hoc reporting capabilities. By following these steps, potential problems in the implementation process can be anticipated and avoided.

DoD Depot-Level Reparable Supply Chain Management: Process Effectiveness and Opportunities for Improvement

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-01

Memorandum QBO quantity by owner RAPS Rotables Allocation and Planning System RBOM repair bill of materials RC Recoverability Code RI Rock Island RMC...Service-owned inventory on hand in DLA distribution centers was determined using the DLA Quantity by Owner ( QBO ) file, which records the amount of...on analysis of DLA QBO file data). 4 DoD Depot-Level Reparable Supply Chain Management Budget (OMB) guidance is also very low4 and some argue

Model Error Budgets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Briggs, Hugh C.

2008-01-01

An error budget is a commonly used tool in design of complex aerospace systems. It represents system performance requirements in terms of allowable errors and flows these down through a hierarchical structure to lower assemblies and components. The requirements may simply be 'allocated' based upon heuristics or experience, or they may be designed through use of physics-based models. This paper presents a basis for developing an error budget for models of the system, as opposed to the system itself. The need for model error budgets arises when system models are a principle design agent as is increasingly more common for poorly testable high performance space systems.

Budgeting in health care systems.

PubMed

Maynard, A

1984-01-01

During the last decade there has been a recognition that all health care systems, public and private, are characterised by perverse incentives (especially moral hazard and third party pays) which generate inefficiency in the use of scarce economic resources. Inefficiency is unethical: doctors who use resources inefficiently deprive potential patients of care from which they could benefit. To eradicate unethical and inefficient practices two economic rules have to be followed: (i) no service should be provided if its total costs exceed its total benefits; (ii) if total benefits exceed total costs, the level of provision should be at that level at which the additional input cost (marginal cost) is equal to the additional benefits (marginal benefit). This efficiency test can be applied to health care systems, their component parts and the individuals (especially doctors) who control resource allocation within them. Unfortunately, all health care systems neither generate this relevant decision making data nor are they flexible enough to use it to affect health care decisions. There are two basic varieties of budgeting system: resource based and production targeted. The former generates obsession with cash limits and too little regard of the benefits, particularly at the margins, of alternative patterns of resource allocation. The latter generates undue attention to the production of processes of care and scant regard for costs, especially at the margins. Consequently, one set of budget rules may lead to cost containment regardless of benefits and the other set of budget rules may lead to output maximization regardless of costs. To close this circle of inefficiency it is necessary to evolve market-like structures. To do this a system of client group (defined broadly across all existing activities public and private) budgets is advocated with an identification of the budget holder who has the capacity to shift resources and seek out cost effective policies. Negotiated output targets with defined budgets and incentives for decision makers to economise in their use of resources are being incorporated into experiments in the health care systems of Western Europe and the United States. Undue optimism about the success of these experiments must be avoided because these problems have existed in the West and in the Soviet bloc for decades and efficient solutions are noticeable by their absence.

How Within-District Spending Inequities Help Some Schools to Fail

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roza, Marguerite; Hill, Paul Thomas

2004-01-01

School district budgets typically hide as much as they reveal. Superintendents are finding this as they discover huge deficits that nobody saw coming. District budgets are opaque by design, and they often mask important facts about resource allocation within a district, as well as about total spending. This paper reports the results of an original…

Optimal conservation resource allocation under variable economic and ecological time discounting rates in boreal forest.

PubMed

Mazziotta, Adriano; Pouzols, Federico Montesino; Mönkkönen, Mikko; Kotiaho, Janne S; Strandman, Harri; Moilanen, Atte

2016-09-15

Resource allocation to multiple alternative conservation actions is a complex task. A common trade-off occurs between protection of smaller, expensive, high-quality areas versus larger, cheaper, partially degraded areas. We investigate optimal allocation into three actions in boreal forest: current standard forest management rules, setting aside of mature stands, or setting aside of clear-cuts. We first estimated how habitat availability for focal indicator species and economic returns from timber harvesting develop through time as a function of forest type and action chosen. We then developed an optimal resource allocation by accounting for budget size and habitat availability of indicator species in different forest types. We also accounted for the perspective adopted towards sustainability, modeled via temporal preference and economic and ecological time discounting. Controversially, we found that in boreal forest set-aside followed by protection of clear-cuts can become a winning cost-effective strategy when accounting for habitat requirements of multiple species, long planning horizon, and limited budget. It is particularly effective when adopting a long-term sustainability perspective, and accounting for present revenues from timber harvesting. The present analysis assesses the cost-effective conditions to allocate resources into an inexpensive conservation strategy that nevertheless has potential to produce high ecological values in the future. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Method for the Selection of Exploration Areas for Unconformity Uranium Deposits

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harris, DeVerle P.; Zaluski, Gerard; Marlatt, James

2009-06-15

The method we propose employs two analyses: (1) exploration simulation and risk valuation and (2) portfolio optimization. The first analysis, implemented by the investment worth system (IWS), uses Monte Carlo simulation to integrate a wide spectrum of uncertain and varied components to a relative frequency histogram for net present value of the exploration investment, which is converted to a risk-adjusted value (RAV). Iterative rerunning of the IWS enables the mapping of the relationship of RAV to magnitude of exploration expenditure, X. The second major analysis uses RAV vs. X maps to identify that subset (portfolio) of areas that maximizes themore » RAV of the firm's multiyear exploration budget. The IWS, which is demonstrated numerically, consists of six components based on the geologic description of a hypothetical basin and project area (PA) and a mix of hypothetical and actual conditions of an unidentified area. The geology is quantified and processed by Bayesian belief networks to produce the geology-based inputs required by the IWS. An exploration investment of $60 M produced a highly skewed distribution of net present value (NPV), having mean and median values of $4,160 M and $139 M, respectively. For hypothetical mining firm Minex, the RAV of the exploration investment of $60 M is only $110.7 M. An RAV that is less than 3% of mean NPV reflects the aversion by Minex to risk as well as the magnitude of risk implicit to the highly skewed NPV distribution and the probability of 0.45 for capital loss. Potential benefits of initiating exploration of a portfolio of areas, as contrasted with one area, include increased marginal productivity of exploration as well as reduced probability for nondiscovery. For an exogenously determined multiyear exploration budget, a conceptual framework for portfolio optimization is developed based on marginal RAV exploration products for candidate PAs. PORTFOLIO, a software developed to implement optimization, allocates exploration to PAs so that the RAV of the exploration budget is maximized. Moreover, PORTFOLIO provides a means to examine the impact of magnitude of budget on the composition of the exploration portfolio and the optimum allocation of exploration to PAs that comprise the portfolio. Using fictitious data for five PAs, a numerical demonstration is provided of the use of PORTFOLIO to identify those PAs that comprise the optimum exploration portfolio and to optimally allocate the multiyear budget across portfolio PAs.« less

Performance-Based Funding of Higher Education: A Detailed Look at Best Practices in 6 States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miao, Kysie

2012-01-01

Performance-based funding is a system based on allocating a portion of a state's higher education budget according to specific performance measures such as course completion, credit attainment, and degree completion, instead of allocating funding based entirely on enrollment. It is a model that provides a fuller picture of how successfully…

Determinants of Budget Allocations to Academic Departments: A Case Study. ASHE 1987 Annual Meeting Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winans, Glen T.

General fund budgetary determinants in 27 academic departments at the University of California Santa Barbara were studied for the period from 1977/78 through 1983/84. The focus was resource allocation and utilization within departments of the College of Letters and Science. The research design included a pooled multivariate regression analysis of…

40 CFR 96.87 - Change in regulatory status.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... period multiplied by the ratio of the number of days, in the control period, starting with the effective... § 96.42 for the control period multiplied by the ratio of the number of days, in the control period... allocated for the same or a prior control period as: (1) Any NOX allowances allocated to the NOX Budget unit...

The variation of productivity and its allocation along a tropical elevation gradient: a whole carbon budget perspective.

PubMed

Malhi, Yadvinder; Girardin, Cécile A J; Goldsmith, Gregory R; Doughty, Christopher E; Salinas, Norma; Metcalfe, Daniel B; Huaraca Huasco, Walter; Silva-Espejo, Javier E; Del Aguilla-Pasquell, Jhon; Farfán Amézquita, Filio; Aragão, Luiz E O C; Guerrieri, Rossella; Ishida, Françoise Yoko; Bahar, Nur H A; Farfan-Rios, William; Phillips, Oliver L; Meir, Patrick; Silman, Miles

2017-05-01

Why do forest productivity and biomass decline with elevation? To address this question, research to date generally has focused on correlative approaches describing changes in woody growth and biomass with elevation. We present a novel, mechanistic approach to this question by quantifying the autotrophic carbon budget in 16 forest plots along a 3300 m elevation transect in Peru. Low growth rates at high elevations appear primarily driven by low gross primary productivity (GPP), with little shift in either carbon use efficiency (CUE) or allocation of net primary productivity (NPP) between wood, fine roots and canopy. The lack of trend in CUE implies that the proportion of photosynthate allocated to autotrophic respiration is not sensitive to temperature. Rather than a gradual linear decline in productivity, there is some limited but nonconclusive evidence of a sharp transition in NPP between submontane and montane forests, which may be caused by cloud immersion effects within the cloud forest zone. Leaf-level photosynthetic parameters do not decline with elevation, implying that nutrient limitation does not restrict photosynthesis at high elevations. Our data demonstrate the potential of whole carbon budget perspectives to provide a deeper understanding of controls on ecosystem functioning and carbon cycling. © 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.

Operational considerations for implementing regional sediment management plans in the northern Gulf of Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Underwood, Steven G.; Khalil, Syed M.; Byrnes, Mark R.; Steyer, Gregory D.; Raynie, Richard C

2015-01-01

Development of a comprehensive and stakeholder-driven Regional Sediment Management plan can provide the basis for long-term sustainable resource use and protection. This paper highlights three operational components that can positively influence sediment management at a regional scale, including (1) integration of an operational sediment budget, (2) development of a monitoring and adaptive management plan, and (3) development of a regional sediment availability and allocation program. These components seek to incorporate science and adaptive management through implementation of an organized and well-documented decision making process. They represent a coordinated framework that could serve as a guide for unifying financial investments in regional sediment management plans. Collectively, they establish an integrated process for addressing uncertainties about future system change in light of shrinking federal and state budgets, competing demands for sediment resources within riverine and marine waters, and policy considerations related to sediment/water use (e.g., navigation and commerce versus environmental management).

Linking an agency strategic review to increase knowledge management: San Francisco County Human Service Agency.

PubMed

Harrison, Lindsay

2012-01-01

Led by the agency director, the agency engaged in a Strategic Review, based on a comprehensive assessment of agency performance that identified strategies to improve organizational effectiveness through increased data-informed practice and knowledge management. The Strategic Review gathered information on staff perceptions, perceptions of external stakeholders, changing citywide and neighborhood demographics, policy mandates, and budget and workload issues. The need for the review was based upon multiple, substantial changes not addressed in the 2000 Strategic Plan, including the 2004 merger of the Department of Human Services and the Department of Aging and Adult Services, changes among the executive management team, transitions among key political entities, new policy mandates and changing budget allocations. This case study describes the Strategic Review process and content, summarizing key challenges and lessons related to addressing workload demands, fostering positive staff attitudes, balancing internal and external information needs, and integrating data use and planning processes across the agency. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Plot intensity and cycle-length effects on growth and removals estimates from forest inventories

Treesearch

Paul C. Van Deusen; Francis A. Roesch

2015-01-01

Continuous forest inventory planners can allocate the budget to more plots per acre or a shorter remeasurement cycle. A higher plot intensity benefits small area estimation and allows for more precision in current status estimates. Shorter cycles may provide better estimates of growth, removals and mortality. On a fixed budget, the planner can't have both greater...

National fuel-treatment budgeting in US federal agencies: capturing opportunities for transparent decision-making

Treesearch

Keith M. Reynolds; Paul F. Hessburg; Robert E. Keane; James P. Menakis

2009-01-01

The Ecosystem Management Decision Support (EMDS) system has been used by the US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service and Bureaus of the Department of the Interior since 2006 to evaluate wildfire potential across all administrative units in the continental US, and to establish priorities for allocating fuel-treatment budgets. This article discusses an EMDS fuels-...

Budgeting and Funding of the Library at the University of Benin, Edo State, Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osagie, Roseline O.; Orheruata, Matilda U.

2013-01-01

This paper presents the findings of a study on funding of the library at the University of Benin in relation to the recurrent budget implementation during the 1992/93 to 1996/97 academic sessions. The findings indicated that the library depended on the central administrations's allocation for its funding. It also showed that the University of…

Preliminary Study on Bidding Price Ratio Pattern of Public Works in Taiwan - a Case Study of Bridges, Elevated Highways, Tunnels and Subways

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tseng, Paoshan; Wang, Hanhsiang; Chen, Pingfu; Yeh, Lihsu

2018-01-01

Commonly seen tender bid price information of the public works in Taiwan are the budget amount, floor price, awarding price and so on. The ratio of the awarding price to the floor price or budget price is the so-called bidding price ratio. This ratio is influenced by multifaceted factor interactions and is significant to decision making management in engineering projects. Low bidding price ratio may imply that the budget allocation by the tendering agency is inconsiderate or due to the improper market competition of low price bid rigging. High bidding price ratio in turn may indicate that the allocated budget is relatively low, bidder risks in increased contract execution uncertainty or even exclusive bidding scenario. Therefore, the correlation between the bidding price ratio and the aforementioned tender award information is the key issue of this study. This study gathered the tender information of the civil engineering projects in Taiwan within the past seven years. By performing statistical analysis and clustering the gathered data by bidding price ratio, this study investigated the influencing factors and regulations of bidding price ratio using data mining approach.

Modeling global macroclimatic constraints on ectotherm energy budgets

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grant, B.W.; Porter, W.P.

1992-12-31

The authors describe a mechanistic individual-based model of how global macroclimatic constraints affect the energy budgets of ectothermic animals. The model uses macroclimatic and biophysical characters of the habitat and organism and tenets of heat transfer theory to calculate hourly temperature availabilities over a year. Data on the temperature dependence of activity rate, metabolism, food consumption and food processing capacity are used to estimate the net rate of resource assimilation which is then integrated over time. They present a new test of this model in which they show that the predicted energy budget sizes for 11 populations of the lizardmore » Sceloporus undulates are in close agreement with observed results from previous field studies. This demonstrates that model tests rae feasible and the results are reasonable. Further, since the model represents an upper bound to the size of the energy budget, observed residual deviations form explicit predictions about the effects of environmental constraints on the bioenergetics of the study lizards within each site that may be tested by future field and laboratory studies. Three major new improvements to the modeling are discussed. They present a means to estimate microclimate thermal heterogeneity more realistically and include its effects on field rates of individual activity and food consumption. Second, they describe an improved model of digestive function involving batch processing of consumed food. Third, they show how optimality methods (specifically the methods of stochastic dynamic programming) may be included to model the fitness consequences of energy allocation decisions subject to food consumption and processing constraints which are predicted from the microclimate and physiological modeling.« less

Methodologies for optimal resource allocation to the national space program and new space utilizations. Volume 1: Technical description

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1971-01-01

The optimal allocation of resources to the national space program over an extended time period requires the solution of a large combinatorial problem in which the program elements are interdependent. The computer model uses an accelerated search technique to solve this problem. The model contains a large number of options selectable by the user to provide flexible input and a broad range of output for use in sensitivity analyses of all entering elements. Examples of these options are budget smoothing under varied appropriation levels, entry of inflation and discount effects, and probabilistic output which provides quantified degrees of certainty that program costs will remain within planned budget. Criteria and related analytic procedures were established for identifying potential new space program directions. Used in combination with the optimal resource allocation model, new space applications can be analyzed in realistic perspective, including the advantage gain from existing space program plant and on-going programs such as the space transportation system.

Policy analysis of the budget used in training program for reducing lower back pain among heavy equipment operators in the construction industry: System dynamics approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vitharana, V. H. P.; Chinda, T.

2018-04-01

Lower back pain (LBP), prevalence is high among the heavy equipment operators leading to high compensation cost in the construction industry. It is found that proper training program assists in reducing chances of having LBP. This study, therefore aims to examine different safety related budget available to support LBP related training program for different age group workers, utilizing system dynamics modeling approach. The simulation results show that at least 2.5% of the total budget must be allocated in the safety and health budget to reduce the chances of having LBP cases.

Resourse Allocation and Pricing Principles for a University Computer Centre. Working Paper Series Number 6819.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Possen, Uri M.; And Others

As an introduction, this paper presents a statement of the objectives of the university computing center (UCC) from the viewpoint of the university, the government, the typical user, and the UCC itself. The operating and financial structure of a UCC are described. Three main types of budgeting schemes are discussed: time allocation, pseudo-dollar,…

40 CFR 97.288 - CAIR SO2 allowance allocations to CAIR SO2 opt-in units.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false CAIR SO2 allowance allocations to CAIR SO2 opt-in units. 97.288 Section 97.288 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) FEDERAL NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS...

40 CFR 96.288 - CAIR SO2 allowance allocations to CAIR SO2 opt-in units.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false CAIR SO2 allowance allocations to CAIR SO2 opt-in units. 96.288 Section 96.288 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS FOR...

Visitor and recreation impact monitoring: Is it lost in the gulf between science and management?

Treesearch

David N. Cole

2006-01-01

Park managers have seldom had the scientific information on recreation and its impacts that they need. Despite allocating substantial portions of park budgets to visitor management, few resources are typically allocated to recreation science. This is hugely problematic. Visitors are a focal species in every park and yet we have little systematic information about how...

Inbreeding, energy use and condition.

PubMed

Ketola, T; Kotiaho, J S

2009-04-01

In energetic terms, fitness may be seen to be dependent on successful allocation of energy between life-history traits. In addition, fitness will be constrained by the energy allocation ability, which has also been defined as condition. We suggest here that the allocation ability, estimated as the difference between total energy budget and maintenance metabolism, may be used as a measure of condition. We studied this possibility by measuring the resting metabolic rate and metabolism during forced exercise in Gryllodes sigillatus crickets. To verify that these metabolic traits are closely related to fitness, we experimentally manipulated the degree of inbreeding of individuals belonging to the same pedigree, hence enabling analysis of both inbreeding depression and heritability of traits. We found that inbreeding increased maintenance metabolism, whereas total energy budget was rather insensitive to inbreeding. Despite this, inbreeding led to decreased allocation ability. Overall, metabolic traits exhibited strong inbreeding depression and rather low heritabilities, a pattern that is typical of traits under strong selection. However, traditionally used condition indices were not affected by inbreeding and did not covary with metabolic traits. Moreover, in contrast to the common, but largely untested, tenet, it seems that high resting metabolic rate is indicative of low rather than high quality.

Solid waste management in Kolkata, India: Practices and challenges

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hazra, Tumpa; Goel, Sudha

2009-01-15

This paper presents an overview of current solid waste management (SWM) practices in Kolkata, India and suggests solutions to some of the major problems. More than 2920 ton/d of solid waste are generated in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) area and the budget allocation for 2007-2008 was Rs. 1590 million (US$40 million), which amounts to Rs. 265/cap-y (US$6.7/cap-d) on SWM. This expenditure is insufficient to provide adequate SWM services. Major deficiencies were found in all elements of SWM. Despite 70% of the SWM budget being allocated for collection, collection efficiency is around 60-70% for the registered residents and less thanmore » 20% for unregistered residents (slum dwellers). The collection process is deficient in terms of manpower and vehicle availability. Bin capacity provided is adequate but locations were found to be inappropriate, thus contributing to the inefficiency of the system. At this time, no treatment is provided to the waste and waste is dumped on open land at Dhapa after collection. Lack of suitable facilities (equipment and infrastructure) and underestimates of waste generation rates, inadequate management and technical skills, improper bin collection, and route planning are responsible for poor collection and transportation of municipal solid wastes.« less

The monetary value of a life year: evidence from a qualitative study of treatment costs.

PubMed

McKie, John; Shrimpton, Bradley; Richardson, Jeff; Hurworth, Rosalind

2011-08-01

A small number of studies have provided suggestive evidence that the general public rejects the idea of giving higher priority to low-cost patients, in the context of a limited budget, in order to maximise health benefits. The study reported here used semi-structured group discussions to investigate the normative bases of such views among the Australian public. Discussion groups help participants reflect critically upon their own reasoning processes and go some way towards revealing underlying values rather than unreflective preferences. As a part of the exercise, participants were asked to allocate a hospital budget. After discussion and deliberation only three out of 41 chose to allocate all of the money to the low-cost patients. Reasons were not based on conceptual confusion or lack of insight into the implications of the different strategies, but rather on views about fairness, including the importance of giving all groups a 'chance' of being treated and of not removing 'hope' from high-cost patients. The results suggest that as costs rise people are willing to pay more than the minimum cost of a quality-adjusted life year for equity reasons, indicating that caution must be exercised in estimating a single monetary value for a QALY. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A case study of resources management planning with multiple objectives and projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterson, David L.; Silsbee, David G.; Schmoldt, Daniel L.

1994-09-01

Each National Park Service unit in the United States produces a resources management plan (RMP) every four years or less. The plans commit budgets and personnel to specific projects for four years, but they are prepared with little quantitative and analytical rigor and without formal decision-making tools. We have previously described a multiple objective planning process for inventory and monitoring programs (Schmoldt and others 1994). To test the applicability of that process for the more general needs of resources management planning, we conducted an exercise on the Olympic National Park (NP) in Washington State, USA. Eight projects were selected as typical of those considered in RMPs and five members of the Olympic NP staff used the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to prioritize the eight projects with respect to their implicit management objectives. By altering management priorities for the park, three scenarios were generated. All three contained some similarities in rankings for the eight projects, as well as some differences. Mathematical allocations of money and people differed among these scenarios and differed substantially from what the actual 1990 Olympic NP RMP contains. Combining subjective priority measures with budget dollars and personnel time into an objective function creates a subjective economic metric for comparing different RMP’s. By applying this planning procedure, actual expenditures of budget and personnel in Olympic NP can agree more closely with the staff’s management objectives for the park.

Budget transparency on maternal health spending: a case study in five Latin American countries.

PubMed

Malajovich, Laura; Alcalde, Maria Antonieta; Castagnaro, Kelly; Barroso, Carmen

2012-06-01

Progress in reducing maternal mortality has been slow and uneven, including in Latin America, where 23,000 women die each year from preventable causes. This article is about the challenges civil society organizations in Latin America faced in assessing budget transparency on government spending on specific aspects of maternity care, in order to hold them accountable for reducing maternal deaths. The study was carried out by the International Planned Parenthood, Western Hemisphere Region and the International Budget Partnership in five Latin American countries--Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama and Peru. It found that only in Peru was most of the information they sought available publicly (from a government website). In the other four countries, none of the information was available publicly, and although it was possible to obtain at least some data from ministry and health system sources, the search process often took a complex course. The data collected in each country were very different, depending not only on the level of budget transparency, but also on the existence and form of government data collection systems. The obstacles that these civil society organizations faced in monitoring national and local budget allocations for maternal health must be addressed through better budgeting modalities on the part of governments. Concrete guidelines are also needed for how governments can better capture data and track local and national progress. Copyright © 2012 Reproductive Health Matters. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous reproduction of global carbon exchange and storage of terrestrial forest ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kondo, M.; Ichii, K.

2012-12-01

Understanding the mechanism of the terrestrial carbon cycle is essential for assessing the impact of climate change. Quantification of both carbon exchange and storage is the key to the understanding, but it often associates with difficulties due to complex entanglement of environmental and physiological factors. Terrestrial ecosystem models have been the major tools to assess the terrestrial carbon budget for decades. Because of its strong association with climate change, carbon exchange has been more rigorously investigated by the terrestrial biosphere modeling community. Seeming success of model based assessment of carbon budge often accompanies with the ill effect, substantial misrepresentation of storage. In practice, a number of model based analyses have paid attention solely on terrestrial carbon fluxes and often neglected carbon storage such as forest biomass. Thus, resulting model parameters are inevitably oriented to carbon fluxes. This approach is insufficient to fully reduce uncertainties about future terrestrial carbon cycles and climate change because it does not take into account the role of biomass, which is equivalently important as carbon fluxes in the system of carbon cycle. To overcome this issue, a robust methodology for improving the global assessment of both carbon budget and storage is needed. One potentially effective approach to identify a suitable balance of carbon allocation proportions for each individual ecosystem. Carbon allocations can influence the plant growth by controlling the amount of investment acquired from photosynthesis, as well as carbon fluxes by controlling the carbon content of leaves and litter, both are active media for photosynthesis and decomposition. Considering those aspects, there may exist the suitable balance of allocation proportions enabling the simultaneous reproduction of carbon budget and storage. The present study explored the existence of such suitable balances of allocation proportions, and examines the performance of carbon fluxes and biomass simulations with them. An experiment was performed with a widely used model, Biome-BGC, and effects of disturbance and forest age were considered in the model run. As for disturbance, human influence index map derived by CIESIN was used. A global forest age map was prepared with model inversion method using CIESIN human influence index, GFED fire burnt area, and IIASA global forest biomass maps. To validate model GPP and RE, we prepared the global GPP map estimated with support vector machine and the global RE map derived by downscaling the carbon budget product (L4A) of Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT) in conjunction with IIASA biomass and soil carbon products. Through a process of testing the simultaneous reproducibility of the Biome-BGC model, it will be determined whether the current terrestrial ecosystem model is sophisticated enough for clarifying the mechanism of carbon cycle.

The decadal state of the terrestrial carbon cycle: Global retrievals of terrestrial carbon allocation, pools, and residence times

PubMed Central

Bloom, A. Anthony; Exbrayat, Jean-François; van der Velde, Ivar R.; Feng, Liang; Williams, Mathew

2016-01-01

The terrestrial carbon cycle is currently the least constrained component of the global carbon budget. Large uncertainties stem from a poor understanding of plant carbon allocation, stocks, residence times, and carbon use efficiency. Imposing observational constraints on the terrestrial carbon cycle and its processes is, therefore, necessary to better understand its current state and predict its future state. We combine a diagnostic ecosystem carbon model with satellite observations of leaf area and biomass (where and when available) and soil carbon data to retrieve the first global estimates, to our knowledge, of carbon cycle state and process variables at a 1° × 1° resolution; retrieved variables are independent from the plant functional type and steady-state paradigms. Our results reveal global emergent relationships in the spatial distribution of key carbon cycle states and processes. Live biomass and dead organic carbon residence times exhibit contrasting spatial features (r = 0.3). Allocation to structural carbon is highest in the wet tropics (85–88%) in contrast to higher latitudes (73–82%), where allocation shifts toward photosynthetic carbon. Carbon use efficiency is lowest (0.42–0.44) in the wet tropics. We find an emergent global correlation between retrievals of leaf mass per leaf area and leaf lifespan (r = 0.64–0.80) that matches independent trait studies. We show that conventional land cover types cannot adequately describe the spatial variability of key carbon states and processes (multiple correlation median = 0.41). This mismatch has strong implications for the prediction of terrestrial carbon dynamics, which are currently based on globally applied parameters linked to land cover or plant functional types. PMID:26787856

Managing health and finance: challenges, outcome, and control in the Israel Defense Forces.

PubMed

Hosiosky, Ilan; Weiss, Yossi; Magnezi, Racheli

2007-11-01

The Ministry of Defense budget constitutes 16% of the state budget. The budget for the Ministry of Health and for civilian health care is derived from the state budget. The health care funds receive their budgets from several sources. The capitation formula, which is determined by law, is the main factor that affects the size of the budget each fund receives. The objective of this study is to describe the manner of planning, managing, monitoring, and controlling the budget allocated to medical services, which is a public budget for soldiers. Several parameters are suggested for comparison, including the interface with the civilian health system, the method for budgeting a health care system, possible results of managing a medically centered budget, and the possibilities for monitoring the provided services. We also examine the potential for decentralization of authority. Managing the budget and locating appropriate alternatives, as well as the availability and accessibility of medical services, are important for procurement and for forming contracts with both military and civilian systems. Turnover based on updated information might serve to improve future health services.

Optimal Budget Allocation for Sample Average Approximation

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-01

an optimization algorithm applied to the sample average problem. We examine the convergence rate of the estimator as the computing budget tends to...regime for the optimization algorithm . 1 Introduction Sample average approximation (SAA) is a frequently used approach to solving stochastic programs...appealing due to its simplicity and the fact that a large number of standard optimization algorithms are often available to optimize the resulting sample

Funding Formulas for California Schools IV: An Analysis of Governor Brown's Weighted Pupil Funding Formula, May Budget Revision

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rose, Heather; Sonstelie, Jon; Weston, Margaret

2012-01-01

In his 2012-13 budget, Governor Brown proposed a new system for allocating state revenue among California school districts. In May the governor revised his proposal. Using the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) School Finance Model (available at www.ppic.org/main/dataSet.asp?i=1229), in this update the authors show how these proposals…

The Legacy of Rational Budgeting Models in Education and a Proposal for the Future. Project Report No. 83-A21.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brackett, John; And Others

This paper represents a backdrop from which to consider the development of a planning and budgeting model for local education agencies. The first part of the presentation describes the demands and external pressures that affect resource allocation decisions in school districts. The ability of local school officials to link the cost consequences…

Health financing at district level in Malawi: an analysis of the distribution of funds at two points in time.

PubMed

Borghi, Josephine; Munthali, Spy; Million, Lameck B; Martinez-Alvarez, Melisa

2018-01-01

There is growing attention to tracking country level resource flows to health, but limited evidence on the sub-national allocation of funds. We examined district health financing in Malawi in 2006 and 2011, and equity in the allocation of funding, together with the association between financing and under five and neonatal mortality. We explored the process for receiving and allocating different funding sources at district level. We obtained domestic and external financing data from the Integrated Financial Management Information System (2006-11) and AidData (2000-12) databases. Out-of-pocket payment data came from two rounds of integrated household budget surveys (2005; 2010). Mortality data came from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (2006) and Demographic and Health Survey (2010). We described district level health funding by source, ran correlations between funding and outcomes and generated concentration curves and indices. 41 semi-structured interviews were conducted at the national level and in 10 districts with finance and health managers. Per capita spending from all sources varied substantially across districts and doubled between 2006 and 2011 from 7181 Kwacha to 15 312 Kwacha. In 2011, external funding accounted for 74% of funds, with domestic funding accounting for 19% of expenditure, and out of pocket (OOP) funding accounting for 7%. All funding sources were concentrated among wealthier districts, with OOP being the most pro-rich, followed by domestic expenditure and external funding. Districts with higher levels of domestic and external funding had lower levels of post-neonatal mortality, and those with higher levels of out-of-pocket payments had higher levels of 1-59 month mortality in 2006. There was no association between changes in financing and outcomes. Districts reported delayed receipt of lower-than-budgeted funds, forcing them to scale-down activities and rely on external funding. Governments need to track how resources are allocated sub-nationally to maximize equity and ensure allocations are commensurate to health need. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Health financing at district level in Malawi: an analysis of the distribution of funds at two points in time

PubMed Central

Borghi, Josephine; Munthali, Spy; Million, Lameck B; Martinez-Alvarez, Melisa

2018-01-01

Abstract There is growing attention to tracking country level resource flows to health, but limited evidence on the sub-national allocation of funds. We examined district health financing in Malawi in 2006 and 2011, and equity in the allocation of funding, together with the association between financing and under five and neonatal mortality. We explored the process for receiving and allocating different funding sources at district level. We obtained domestic and external financing data from the Integrated Financial Management Information System (2006–11) and AidData (2000–12) databases. Out-of-pocket payment data came from two rounds of integrated household budget surveys (2005; 2010). Mortality data came from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (2006) and Demographic and Health Survey (2010). We described district level health funding by source, ran correlations between funding and outcomes and generated concentration curves and indices. 41 semi-structured interviews were conducted at the national level and in 10 districts with finance and health managers. Per capita spending from all sources varied substantially across districts and doubled between 2006 and 2011 from 7181 Kwacha to 15 312 Kwacha. In 2011, external funding accounted for 74% of funds, with domestic funding accounting for 19% of expenditure, and out of pocket (OOP) funding accounting for 7%. All funding sources were concentrated among wealthier districts, with OOP being the most pro-rich, followed by domestic expenditure and external funding. Districts with higher levels of domestic and external funding had lower levels of post-neonatal mortality, and those with higher levels of out-of-pocket payments had higher levels of 1–59 month mortality in 2006. There was no association between changes in financing and outcomes. Districts reported delayed receipt of lower-than-budgeted funds, forcing them to scale-down activities and rely on external funding. Governments need to track how resources are allocated sub-nationally to maximize equity and ensure allocations are commensurate to health need. PMID:29088357

A unified framework of unsupervised subjective optimized bit allocation for multiple video object coding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zhenzhong; Han, Junwei; Ngan, King Ngi

2005-10-01

MPEG-4 treats a scene as a composition of several objects or so-called video object planes (VOPs) that are separately encoded and decoded. Such a flexible video coding framework makes it possible to code different video object with different distortion scale. It is necessary to analyze the priority of the video objects according to its semantic importance, intrinsic properties and psycho-visual characteristics such that the bit budget can be distributed properly to video objects to improve the perceptual quality of the compressed video. This paper aims to provide an automatic video object priority definition method based on object-level visual attention model and further propose an optimization framework for video object bit allocation. One significant contribution of this work is that the human visual system characteristics are incorporated into the video coding optimization process. Another advantage is that the priority of the video object can be obtained automatically instead of fixing weighting factors before encoding or relying on the user interactivity. To evaluate the performance of the proposed approach, we compare it with traditional verification model bit allocation and the optimal multiple video object bit allocation algorithms. Comparing with traditional bit allocation algorithms, the objective quality of the object with higher priority is significantly improved under this framework. These results demonstrate the usefulness of this unsupervised subjective quality lifting framework.

State government organization of health services, 1990-2009: correlates and consequences.

PubMed

Lantz, Paula M; Alexander, Jeffrey A; Adolph, Christopher; Montgomery, Jolynn P

2014-01-01

To describe changes in the organizational structure of state health-related departments/agencies between 1990 and 2009; to identify factors associated with key organizational structures; and to investigate their relationship with different resource allocations across health policy areas, as represented by state budgets. Original data collection on the organization of state health-related departments/agencies from 1990 to 2009. Analyses included descriptive statistics, logistic regression, and time-series regression modeling. All 50 states. Organizational structure of state government related to health in 4 areas (Medicaid, public health, mental health, human services); coupling of Medicaid and public health in the same agency; state budget changes in health policy areas, including Medicaid, public health, and hospitals. The housing of 2 or more health-related functions in the same unit was common, with 21 states combining public health and Medicaid at 1 or more points in time. Eighteen states (36%) reorganized their health agencies/departments during the study period. Controlling for numerous economic, social, and political factors, when the state agency responsible for public health is consolidated with Medicaid, the share of the state budget allocated to Medicaid declined significantly, while public health allocations were unchanged. However, consolidating Medicaid with other services did not impact state Medicaid spending. Government organizational structure related to health varies greatly across states and is somewhat dynamic. When Medicaid and public health functions are consolidated in the same stage agency, public health does not "lose" in terms of its share of the state budget. However, this could change as Medicaid costs continue to grow and with the implementation the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Funding for HIV Testing Associated With Higher State Percentage of Persons Tested.

PubMed

Hayek, Samah; Dietz, Patricia M; Van Handel, Michelle; Zhang, Jun; Shrestha, Ram K; Huang, Ya-Lin A; Wan, Choi; Mermin, Jonathan

2015-01-01

To assess the association between state per capita allocations of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funding for HIV testing and the percentage of persons tested for HIV. We examined data from 2 sources: 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and 2010-2011 State HIV Budget Allocations Reports. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data were used to estimate the percentage of persons aged 18 to 64 years who had reported testing for HIV in the last 2 years in the United States by state. State HIV Budget Allocations Reports were used to calculate the state mean annual per capita allocations for CDC-funded HIV testing reported by state and local health departments in the United States. The association between the state fixed-effect per capita allocations for CDC-funded HIV testing and self-reported HIV testing in the last 2 years among persons aged 18 to 64 years was assessed with a hierarchical logistic regression model adjusting for individual-level characteristics. The percentage of persons tested for HIV in the last 2 years. In 2011, 18.7% (95% confidence interval = 18.4-19.0) of persons reported being tested for HIV in last 2 years (state range, 9.7%-28.2%). During 2010-2011, the state mean annual per capita allocation for CDC-funded HIV testing was $0.34 (state range, $0.04-$1.04). A $0.30 increase in per capita allocation for CDC-funded HIV testing was associated with an increase of 2.4 percentage points (14.0% vs 16.4%) in the percentage of persons tested for HIV per state. Providing HIV testing resources to health departments was associated with an increased percentage of state residents tested for HIV.

Use of linear programming to estimate impact of changes in a hospital's operating room time allocation on perioperative variable costs.

PubMed

Dexter, Franklin; Blake, John T; Penning, Donald H; Sloan, Brian; Chung, Patricia; Lubarsky, David A

2002-03-01

Administrators at hospitals with a fixed annual budget may want to focus surgical services on priority areas to ensure its community receives the best health services possible. However, many hospitals lack the detailed managerial accounting data needed to ensure that such a change does not increase operating costs. The authors used a detailed hospital cost database to investigate by how much a change in allocations of operating room (OR) time among surgeons can increase perioperative variable costs. The authors obtained financial data for all patients who underwent outpatient or same-day admit surgery during a year. Linear programming was used to determine by how much changing the mix of surgeons can increase total variable costs while maintaining the same total hours of OR time for elective cases. Changing OR allocations among surgeons without changing total OR hours allocated will likely increase perioperative variable costs by less than 34%. If, in addition, intensive care unit hours for elective surgical cases are not increased, hospital ward occupancy is capped, and implant use is tracked and capped, perioperative costs will likely increase by less than 10%. These four variables predict 97% of the variance in total variable costs. The authors showed that changing OR allocations among surgeons without changing total OR hours allocated can increase hospital perioperative variable costs by up to approximately one third. Thus, at hospitals with fixed or nearly fixed annual budgets, allocating OR time based on an OR-based statistic such as utilization can adversely affect the hospital financially. The OR manager can reduce the potential increase in costs by considering not just OR time, but also the resulting use of hospital beds and implants.

Budgeting based on need: a model to determine sub-national allocation of resources for health services in Indonesia

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Allocating national resources to regions based on need is a key policy issue in most health systems. Many systems utilise proxy measures of need as the basis for allocation formulae. Increasingly these are underpinned by complex statistical methods to separate need from supplier induced utilisation. Assessment of need is then used to allocate existing global budgets to geographic areas. Many low and middle income countries are beginning to use formula methods for funding however these attempts are often hampered by a lack of information on utilisation, relative needs and whether the budgets allocated bear any relationship to cost. An alternative is to develop bottom-up estimates of the cost of providing for local need. This method is viable where public funding is focused on a relatively small number of targeted services. We describe a bottom-up approach to developing a formula for the allocation of resources. The method is illustrated in the context of the state minimum service package mandated to be provided by the Indonesian public health system. Methods A standardised costing methodology was developed that is sensitive to the main expected drivers of local cost variation including demographic structure, epidemiology and location. Essential package costing is often undertaken at a country level. It is less usual to utilise the methods across different parts of a country in a way that takes account of variation in population needs and location. Costing was based on best clinical practice in Indonesia and province specific data on distribution and costs of facilities. The resulting model was used to estimate essential package costs in a representative district in each province of the country. Findings Substantial differences in the costs of providing basic services ranging from USD 15 in urban Yogyakarta to USD 48 in sparsely populated North Maluku. These costs are driven largely by the structure of the population, particularly numbers of births, infants and children and also key diseases with high cost/prevalence and variation, most notably the level of malnutrition. The approach to resource allocation was implemented using existing data sources and permitted the rapid construction of a needs based formula that is highly specific to the package mandated across the country. Refinement could focus more on resources required to finance demand side costs and expansion of the service package to include priority non-communicable services. PMID:22931536

Budgeting based on need: a model to determine sub-national allocation of resources for health services in Indonesia.

PubMed

Ensor, Tim; Firdaus, Hafidz; Dunlop, David; Manu, Alex; Mukti, Ali Ghufron; Ayu Puspandari, Diah; von Roenne, Franz; Indradjaya, Stephanus; Suseno, Untung; Vaughan, Patrick

2012-08-29

Allocating national resources to regions based on need is a key policy issue in most health systems. Many systems utilise proxy measures of need as the basis for allocation formulae. Increasingly these are underpinned by complex statistical methods to separate need from supplier induced utilisation. Assessment of need is then used to allocate existing global budgets to geographic areas. Many low and middle income countries are beginning to use formula methods for funding however these attempts are often hampered by a lack of information on utilisation, relative needs and whether the budgets allocated bear any relationship to cost. An alternative is to develop bottom-up estimates of the cost of providing for local need. This method is viable where public funding is focused on a relatively small number of targeted services. We describe a bottom-up approach to developing a formula for the allocation of resources. The method is illustrated in the context of the state minimum service package mandated to be provided by the Indonesian public health system. A standardised costing methodology was developed that is sensitive to the main expected drivers of local cost variation including demographic structure, epidemiology and location. Essential package costing is often undertaken at a country level. It is less usual to utilise the methods across different parts of a country in a way that takes account of variation in population needs and location. Costing was based on best clinical practice in Indonesia and province specific data on distribution and costs of facilities. The resulting model was used to estimate essential package costs in a representative district in each province of the country. Substantial differences in the costs of providing basic services ranging from USD 15 in urban Yogyakarta to USD 48 in sparsely populated North Maluku. These costs are driven largely by the structure of the population, particularly numbers of births, infants and children and also key diseases with high cost/prevalence and variation, most notably the level of malnutrition. The approach to resource allocation was implemented using existing data sources and permitted the rapid construction of a needs based formula that is highly specific to the package mandated across the country. Refinement could focus more on resources required to finance demand side costs and expansion of the service package to include priority non-communicable services.

Public hospital resource allocations in El Salvador: accounting for the case mix of patients.

PubMed

Fiedler, J L; Schmidt, R M; Wight, J B

1998-09-01

National hospitals in developing countries command a disproportionate share of medical care budgets, justified on the grounds that they have a more difficult patient case mix and higher occupancy rates than decentralized district hospitals or clinics. This paper empirically tests the hypothesis by developing direct measures of the severity of patient illness, hospital case-mix and a resource intensity index for each of El Salvador's public hospitals. Based on an analysis of inpatient care staffing requirements, national hospitals are found to receive funding far in excess of what case-mix and case-load considerations would warrant. The findings suggest that significant system-wide efficiency gains can be realized by allocating hospital budgets on the bases of performance-related criteria which incorporate the case-mix approach developed here.

Policy Analysis of Poverty Alleviation in Semarang City Using Spatial and Sectoral Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muktiali, M.

2018-02-01

Poverty is a multidimensional problem. Therefore, poverty reduction policy is not only related to the increase of income, but also various other dimensions such as improvement of education, health, quality of life, access to electricity, access to sanitation and water supply. Semarang City Government in 2012 initiated a policy of poverty reduction synergy program called “Gerdu Kempling”. Gerdu Kempling is an integrated policy which gives priority to addressing poverty in each village and sub-district in Semarang based on aspects of health, economy, education, infrastructure, and environment. Based on the results of Budget Allocation Analysis and Analysis of Geographic Information Systems (Poverty Mapping), it can be concluded that the program and budget allocation for poverty alleviation in Semarang City are not synchronized either spatially or sectorally.

Technology Assessment in Support of the Presidential Vision for Space Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weisbin, Charles R.; Lincoln, William; Mrozinski, Joe; Hua, Hook; Merida, Sofia; Shelton, Kacie; Adumitroaie, Virgil; Derleth, Jason; Silberg, Robert

2006-01-01

This paper discusses the process and results of technology assessment in support of the United States Vision for Space Exploration of the Moon, Mars and Beyond. The paper begins by reviewing the Presidential Vision: a major endeavor in building systems of systems. It discusses why we wish to return to the Moon, and the exploration architecture for getting there safely, sustaining a presence, and safely returning. Next, a methodology for optimal technology investment is proposed with discussion of inputs including a capability hierarchy, mission importance weightings, available resource profiles as a function of time, likelihoods of development success, and an objective function. A temporal optimization formulation is offered, and the investment recommendations presented along with sensitivity analyses. Key questions addressed are sensitivity of budget allocations to cost uncertainties, reduction in available budget levels, and shifting funding within constraints imposed by mission timeline.

Balancing the Budget through Social Exploitation: Why Hard Times Are Even Harder for Some.

PubMed

Tropman, John; Nicklett, Emily

2012-01-01

In all societies needs and wants regularly exceed resources. Thus societies are always in deficit; demand always exceeds supply and "balancing the budget" is a constant social problem. To make matters somewhat worse, research suggests that need- and want-fulfillment tends to further stimulate the cycle of wantseeking rather than satiating desire. Societies use various resource-allocation mechanisms, including price, to cope with gaps between wants and resources. Social exploitation is a second mechanism, securing labor from population segments that can be coerced or convinced to perform necessary work for free or at below-market compensation. Using practical examples, this article develops a theoretical framework for understanding social exploitation. It then offers case examples of how different segments of the population emerge as exploited groups in the United States, due to changes in social policies. These exploitative processes have been exacerbated and accelerated by the economic downturn that began in 2007.

Application of a Network Perspective to DoD Weapon System Acquisition: An Exploratory Study

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-04-30

the course of action, and prepare for the Technology Development phase. As one could guess based on the description of...include allocating requirements and developing a design, testing the design, and preparing for production and fielding of the system. This analysis...Management and Budget (OMB) prepare the defense portion of the President’s Budget. Even though Congress normally appropriates money for only

Optimizing cost-efficiency in mean exposure assessment - cost functions reconsidered

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Reliable exposure data is a vital concern in medical epidemiology and intervention studies. The present study addresses the needs of the medical researcher to spend monetary resources devoted to exposure assessment with an optimal cost-efficiency, i.e. obtain the best possible statistical performance at a specified budget. A few previous studies have suggested mathematical optimization procedures based on very simple cost models; this study extends the methodology to cover even non-linear cost scenarios. Methods Statistical performance, i.e. efficiency, was assessed in terms of the precision of an exposure mean value, as determined in a hierarchical, nested measurement model with three stages. Total costs were assessed using a corresponding three-stage cost model, allowing costs at each stage to vary non-linearly with the number of measurements according to a power function. Using these models, procedures for identifying the optimally cost-efficient allocation of measurements under a constrained budget were developed, and applied on 225 scenarios combining different sizes of unit costs, cost function exponents, and exposure variance components. Results Explicit mathematical rules for identifying optimal allocation could be developed when cost functions were linear, while non-linear cost functions implied that parts of or the entire optimization procedure had to be carried out using numerical methods. For many of the 225 scenarios, the optimal strategy consisted in measuring on only one occasion from each of as many subjects as allowed by the budget. Significant deviations from this principle occurred if costs for recruiting subjects were large compared to costs for setting up measurement occasions, and, at the same time, the between-subjects to within-subject variance ratio was small. In these cases, non-linearities had a profound influence on the optimal allocation and on the eventual size of the exposure data set. Conclusions The analysis procedures developed in the present study can be used for informed design of exposure assessment strategies, provided that data are available on exposure variability and the costs of collecting and processing data. The present shortage of empirical evidence on costs and appropriate cost functions however impedes general conclusions on optimal exposure measurement strategies in different epidemiologic scenarios. PMID:21600023

Optimizing cost-efficiency in mean exposure assessment--cost functions reconsidered.

PubMed

Mathiassen, Svend Erik; Bolin, Kristian

2011-05-21

Reliable exposure data is a vital concern in medical epidemiology and intervention studies. The present study addresses the needs of the medical researcher to spend monetary resources devoted to exposure assessment with an optimal cost-efficiency, i.e. obtain the best possible statistical performance at a specified budget. A few previous studies have suggested mathematical optimization procedures based on very simple cost models; this study extends the methodology to cover even non-linear cost scenarios. Statistical performance, i.e. efficiency, was assessed in terms of the precision of an exposure mean value, as determined in a hierarchical, nested measurement model with three stages. Total costs were assessed using a corresponding three-stage cost model, allowing costs at each stage to vary non-linearly with the number of measurements according to a power function. Using these models, procedures for identifying the optimally cost-efficient allocation of measurements under a constrained budget were developed, and applied on 225 scenarios combining different sizes of unit costs, cost function exponents, and exposure variance components. Explicit mathematical rules for identifying optimal allocation could be developed when cost functions were linear, while non-linear cost functions implied that parts of or the entire optimization procedure had to be carried out using numerical methods.For many of the 225 scenarios, the optimal strategy consisted in measuring on only one occasion from each of as many subjects as allowed by the budget. Significant deviations from this principle occurred if costs for recruiting subjects were large compared to costs for setting up measurement occasions, and, at the same time, the between-subjects to within-subject variance ratio was small. In these cases, non-linearities had a profound influence on the optimal allocation and on the eventual size of the exposure data set. The analysis procedures developed in the present study can be used for informed design of exposure assessment strategies, provided that data are available on exposure variability and the costs of collecting and processing data. The present shortage of empirical evidence on costs and appropriate cost functions however impedes general conclusions on optimal exposure measurement strategies in different epidemiologic scenarios.

Health care priority setting: principles, practice and challenges

PubMed Central

Mitton, Craig; Donaldson, Cam

2004-01-01

Background Health organizations the world over are required to set priorities and allocate resources within the constraint of limited funding. However, decision makers may not be well equipped to make explicit rationing decisions and as such often rely on historical or political resource allocation processes. One economic approach to priority setting which has gained momentum in practice over the last three decades is program budgeting and marginal analysis (PBMA). Methods This paper presents a detailed step by step guide for carrying out a priority setting process based on the PBMA framework. This guide is based on the authors' experience in using this approach primarily in the UK and Canada, but as well draws on a growing literature of PBMA studies in various countries. Results At the core of the PBMA approach is an advisory panel charged with making recommendations for resource re-allocation. The process can be supported by a range of 'hard' and 'soft' evidence, and requires that decision making criteria are defined and weighted in an explicit manner. Evaluating the process of PBMA using an ethical framework, and noting important challenges to such activity including that of organizational behavior, are shown to be important aspects of developing a comprehensive approach to priority setting in health care. Conclusion Although not without challenges, international experience with PBMA over the last three decades would indicate that this approach has the potential to make substantial improvement on commonly relied upon historical and political decision making processes. In setting out a step by step guide for PBMA, as is done in this paper, implementation by decision makers should be facilitated. PMID:15104792

An Empirical Study of the Application of Decision Making Model Using Judgement in the Allocation of Resources to Competing Educational Programs. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tuscher, Leroy J.

The purpose of the study was to provide "baseline" data for determining the feasibility of further investigation into the use of quantitive judgmental data in evaluating school programs for determining program budget allocations. The specific objectives were to: 1) Apply a Cost-Utility Model to a "real world" situation in a public secondary…

Combining the benefits of decision science and financial analysis in public health management: a county-specific budgeting and planning model.

PubMed

Fos, Peter J; Miller, Danny L; Amy, Brian W; Zuniga, Miguel A

2004-01-01

State public health agencies are charged with providing and overseeing the management of basic public health services on a population-wide basis. These activities have a re-emphasized focus as a result of the events of September 11, 2001, the subsequent anthrax events, and the continuing importance placed on bioterrorism preparedness, West Nile virus, and emerging infectious diseases (eg, monkeypox, SARS). This has added to the tension that exists in budgeting and planning, given the diverse constituencies that are served in each state. State health agencies must be prepared to allocate finite resources in a more formal manner to be able to provide basic public health services on a routine basis, as well as during outbreaks. This article describes the use of an analytical approach to assist financial analysis that is used for budgeting and planning in a state health agency. The combined benefits of decision science and financial analysis are needed to adequately and appropriately plan and budget to meet the diverse needs of the populations within a state. Health and financial indicators are incorporated into a decision model, based on multicriteria decision theory, that has been employed to acquire information about counties and public health programs areas within a county, that reflect the impact of planning and budgeting efforts. This information can be used to allocate resources, to distribute funds for health care services, and to guide public health finance policy formulation and implementation.

What variables should be considered in allocating Primary health care Pharmaceutical budgets to districts in Uganda?

PubMed

Mujasi, Paschal N; Puig-Junoy, Jaume

2015-01-01

A key policy question for the government of Uganda is how to equitably allocate primary health care pharmaceutical budgets to districts. This paper seeks to identify variables influencing current primary health care pharmaceutical expenditure and their usefulness in allocating prospective pharmaceutical budgets to districts. This was a cross sectional, retrospective observational study using secondary administrative data. We collected data on the value of pharmaceuticals procured by primary health care facilities in each district from National Medical Stores for the financial year 2011/2012. The dependent variable was expressed as per capita district pharmaceutical expenditure. By reviewing literature we identified 26 potential explanatory variables. They include supply, need and demand, and health system organization variables that may influence the demand and supply of health services and the corresponding pharmaceutical expenditure. We collected secondary data for these variables for all the districts in Uganda (n = 112). We performed econometric analysis to estimate parameters of various regression models. There is a significant correlation between per capita district pharmaceutical expenditure and total district population, rural poverty, access to drinking water and outpatient department (OPD) per capita utilisation.(P < 0.01). The percentage of health centre IIIs (HC III) among each district's health facilities is significantly correlated with per capita pharmaceutical expenditure (P < 0.05). OPD per capita utilisation has a relatively strong correlation with per capita pharmaceutical expenditure (r = 0.498); all the other significant factors are weakly correlated with per capita pharmaceutical expenditure (r < 0.5). From several iterations of an initially developed model, the proposed final model for explaining per capita pharmaceutical expenditure explains about 53% of the variation in pharmaceutical expenditure among districts in Uganda (Adjusted R(2) = 0.528). All variables in the model are significant (p < 0.01). From evaluation of the various models, proposed variables to consider in allocating prospective primary health care pharmaceutical budgets to districts in Uganda are: district outpatient department attendance per capita, total district population, total number of government health facilities in the district and the district human poverty index.

Efficient Computing Budget Allocation for Finding Simplest Good Designs

PubMed Central

Jia, Qing-Shan; Zhou, Enlu; Chen, Chun-Hung

2012-01-01

In many applications some designs are easier to implement, require less training data and shorter training time, and consume less storage than the others. Such designs are called simple designs, and are usually preferred over complex ones when they all have good performance. Despite the abundant existing studies on how to find good designs in simulation-based optimization (SBO), there exist few studies on finding simplest good designs. We consider this important problem in this paper, and make the following contributions. First, we provide lower bounds for the probabilities of correctly selecting the m simplest designs with top performance, and selecting the best m such simplest good designs, respectively. Second, we develop two efficient computing budget allocation methods to find m simplest good designs and to find the best m such designs, respectively; and show their asymptotic optimalities. Third, we compare the performance of the two methods with equal allocations over 6 academic examples and a smoke detection problem in wireless sensor networks. We hope that this work brings insight to finding the simplest good designs in general. PMID:23687404

Reorienting programme budgeting and marginal analysis (PBMA) towards disinvestment.

PubMed

Mortimer, Duncan

2010-10-14

Remarkable progress has been made over the past 40 years in developing rational, evidence-based mechanisms for the allocation of health resources. Much of this progress has centred on mechanisms for commissioning new medical devices and pharmaceuticals. The attention of fund-managers and policy-makers is only now turning towards development of mechanisms for decommissioning, disinvesting or redeploying resources from currently funded interventions. While Programme Budgeting and Marginal Analysis would seem well-suited to this purpose, past applications include both successes and failures in achieving disinvestment and resource release. Drawing on recent successes/failures in achieving disinvestment and resource release via PBMA, this paper identifies four barriers/enablers to disinvestment via PBMA: (i) specification of the budget constraint, (ii) scope of the programme budget, (iii) composition and role of the advisory group, and (iv) incentives for/against contributing to a 'shift list' of options for disinvestment and resource release. A number of modifications to the PBMA process are then proposed with the aim of reorienting PBMA towards disinvestment. The reoriented model is differentiated by four features: (i) hard budget constraint with budgetary pressure; (ii) programme budgets with broad scope but specific investment proposals linked to disinvestment proposals with similar input requirements; (iii) advisory/working groups that include equal representation of sectional interests plus additional members with responsibility for advocating in favour of disinvestment, (iv) 'shift lists' populated and developed prior to 'wish lists' and investment proposals linked to disinvestment proposals within a relatively narrow budget area. While the argument and evidence presented here suggest that the reoriented model will facilitate disinvestment and resource release, this remains an empirical question. Likewise, further research will be required to determine whether or not the re-oriented model sacrifices feasibility and acceptability to obtain its hypothesised greater emphasis on disinvestment.

Reorienting programme budgeting and marginal analysis (PBMA) towards disinvestment

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Remarkable progress has been made over the past 40 years in developing rational, evidence-based mechanisms for the allocation of health resources. Much of this progress has centred on mechanisms for commissioning new medical devices and pharmaceuticals. The attention of fund-managers and policy-makers is only now turning towards development of mechanisms for decommissioning, disinvesting or redeploying resources from currently funded interventions. While Programme Budgeting and Marginal Analysis would seem well-suited to this purpose, past applications include both successes and failures in achieving disinvestment and resource release. Discussion Drawing on recent successes/failures in achieving disinvestment and resource release via PBMA, this paper identifies four barriers/enablers to disinvestment via PBMA: (i) specification of the budget constraint, (ii) scope of the programme budget, (iii) composition and role of the advisory group, and (iv) incentives for/against contributing to a 'shift list' of options for disinvestment and resource release. A number of modifications to the PBMA process are then proposed with the aim of reorienting PBMA towards disinvestment. Summary The reoriented model is differentiated by four features: (i) hard budget constraint with budgetary pressure; (ii) programme budgets with broad scope but specific investment proposals linked to disinvestment proposals with similar input requirements; (iii) advisory/working groups that include equal representation of sectional interests plus additional members with responsibility for advocating in favour of disinvestment, (iv) 'shift lists' populated and developed prior to 'wish lists' and investment proposals linked to disinvestment proposals within a relatively narrow budget area. While the argument and evidence presented here suggest that the reoriented model will facilitate disinvestment and resource release, this remains an empirical question. Likewise, further research will be required to determine whether or not the re-oriented model sacrifices feasibility and acceptability to obtain its hypothesised greater emphasis on disinvestment. PMID:20942972

Using energy budgets to combine ecology and toxicology in a mammalian sentinel species

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desforges, Jean-Pierre W.; Sonne, Christian; Dietz, Rune

2017-04-01

Process-driven modelling approaches can resolve many of the shortcomings of traditional descriptive and non-mechanistic toxicology. We developed a simple dynamic energy budget (DEB) model for the mink (Mustela vison), a sentinel species in mammalian toxicology, which coupled animal physiology, ecology and toxicology, in order to mechanistically investigate the accumulation and adverse effects of lifelong dietary exposure to persistent environmental toxicants, most notably polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Our novel mammalian DEB model accurately predicted, based on energy allocations to the interconnected metabolic processes of growth, development, maintenance and reproduction, lifelong patterns in mink growth, reproductive performance and dietary accumulation of PCBs as reported in the literature. Our model results were consistent with empirical data from captive and free-ranging studies in mink and other wildlife and suggest that PCB exposure can have significant population-level impacts resulting from targeted effects on fetal toxicity, kit mortality and growth and development. Our approach provides a simple and cross-species framework to explore the mechanistic interactions of physiological processes and ecotoxicology, thus allowing for a deeper understanding and interpretation of stressor-induced adverse effects at all levels of biological organization.

[Health financing conditions in large cities in Brazil].

PubMed

de Lima, Luciana Dias; de Andrade, Carla Lourenço Tavares

2009-10-01

We evaluated the funding of the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS) in municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. The main goal was to evaluate the impact of policies for health resource allocation within the municipal budget. A database was organized with information from revenues reported by municipalities in the Information System on Government Health Budgets (SIOPS) for the year 2005. Reported budgets were compared and correlated to the municipalities' geographic location. We conducted a cluster analysis to create more homogeneous groups according to health-related budget. The study showed a major variability among different regions and States, with varying degrees of municipal dependence on external funds. Although the large variability in sources may indicate multiple strategies for ensuring the necessary budget funds, the study suggests some barriers to public health funding in larger municipalities.

Developing deterioration models for Nebraska bridges.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-07-01

Nebraska Bridge Management System (NBMS) was developed in 1999 to assist in optimizing budget allocation for : the maintenance, rehabilitation and replacement needs of highway bridges. This requires the prediction of bridge : deterioration to calcula...

Starting From Ground Zero

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fischer, William B.; Stauffer, Robert A.

1978-01-01

Erie County Community College (New York) has developed a zero-based program budgeting system to meet current fiscal problems and diminished resources. The system allocates resources on the basis of program effectiveness and market potential. (LH)

Allocating limited resources in a time of fiscal constraints: a priority setting case study from Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine.

PubMed

Mitton, Craig; Levy, Adrian; Gorsky, Diane; MacNeil, Christina; Dionne, Francois; Marrie, Tom

2013-07-01

Facing a projected $1.4M deficit on a $35M operating budget for fiscal year 2011/2012, members of the Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine developed and implemented an explicit, transparent, criteria-based priority setting process for resource reallocation. A task group that included representatives from across the Faculty of Medicine used a program budgeting and marginal analysis (PBMA) framework, which provided an alternative to the typical public-sector approaches to addressing a budget deficit of across-the-board spending cuts and political negotiation. Key steps to the PBMA process included training staff members and department heads on priority setting and resource reallocation, establishing process guidelines to meet immediate and longer-term fiscal needs, developing a reporting structure and forming key working groups, creating assessment criteria to guide resource reallocation decisions, assessing disinvestment proposals from all departments, and providing proposal implementation recommendations to the dean. All departments were required to submit proposals for consideration. The task group approved 27 service reduction proposals and 28 efficiency gains proposals, totaling approximately $2.7M in savings across two years. During this process, the task group faced a number of challenges, including a tight timeline for development and implementation (January to April 2011), a culture that historically supported decentralized planning, at times competing interests (e.g., research versus teaching objectives), and reductions in overall health care and postsecondary education government funding. Overall, faculty and staff preferred the PBMA approach to previous practices. Other institutions should use this example to set priorities in times of fiscal constraints.

Imaging phased telescope array study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harvey, James E.

1989-01-01

The problems encountered in obtaining a wide field-of-view with large, space-based direct imaging phased telescope arrays were considered. After defining some of the critical systems issues, previous relevant work in the literature was reviewed and summarized. An extensive list was made of potential error sources and the error sources were categorized in the form of an error budget tree including optical design errors, optical fabrication errors, assembly and alignment errors, and environmental errors. After choosing a top level image quality requirment as a goal, a preliminary tops-down error budget allocation was performed; then, based upon engineering experience, detailed analysis, or data from the literature, a bottoms-up error budget reallocation was performed in an attempt to achieve an equitable distribution of difficulty in satisfying the various allocations. This exercise provided a realistic allocation for residual off-axis optical design errors in the presence of state-of-the-art optical fabrication and alignment errors. Three different computational techniques were developed for computing the image degradation of phased telescope arrays due to aberrations of the individual telescopes. Parametric studies and sensitivity analyses were then performed for a variety of subaperture configurations and telescope design parameters in an attempt to determine how the off-axis performance of a phased telescope array varies as the telescopes are scaled up in size. The Air Force Weapons Laboratory (AFWL) multipurpose telescope testbed (MMTT) configuration was analyzed in detail with regard to image degradation due to field curvature and distortion of the individual telescopes as they are scaled up in size.

Total healthcare budget: assigning priority and level of asset allocation to the diagnosis and management of urologic diseases.

PubMed

Standaert, B

1995-09-01

During the past decade increasing concern has developed as to how money should best be allocated in the healthcare sector and to the different disciplines within health care. In the Western world, healthcare budgets increase dramatically each year, even during periods of economic recession. There are many reasons explaining this evolution, but publicly funded healthcare systems, as in the United Kingdom, appear to control their growth more effectively than the private systems as, for instance, in the United States. The bulk of the increase in healthcare expenditure happens to be attributed to elderly people who are becoming high consumers of healthcare facilities. There are, however, two important ways to tackle the problem: one is based on free market regulation systems, introducing diagnosis related groups and resource based relative value scales, as in the United States. The other starts from evaluating the needs and the demands of the population and, based on these results, tries to build up an appropriate healthcare system, as in The Netherlands. In the realm of urology where most of the workload is concentrated around older patients, one can foresee difficulties concerning budget allocation. New medical treatments are introduced, demanding new management skills of the urologist. This should involve new ways of evaluating the benefits of the interventions. Quality of life measurements seem to be crucial for the future where, for cost-effectiveness reasons, more care than cure could be the new function of the urologist.

Resource allocation for mitigating regional air pollution–related mortality: A summertime case study for five cities in the United States

PubMed Central

Liao, Kuo-Jen; Hou, Xiangting; Strickland, Matthew J.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT An important issue of regional air quality management is to allocate air quality management funds to maximize environmental and human health benefits. In this study, we use an innovative approach to tackle this air quality management issue. We develop an innovative resource allocation model that allows identification of air pollutant emission control strategies that maximize mortality avoidances subject to a resource constraint. We first present the development of the resource allocation model and then a case study to show how the model can be used to identify resource allocation strategies that maximize mortality avoidances for top five Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) (i.e., New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Philadelphia) in the continental United States collectively. Given budget constraints in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Air Act assessment, the results of the case study suggest that controls of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and primary carbon (PC) emissions from EPA Regions 2, 3, 5, 6, and 9 would have significant health benefits for the five selected cities collectively. Around 30,800 air pollution–related mortalities could be avoided during the selected 2-week summertime episode for the five cities collectively if the budget could be allocated based on the results of the resource allocation model. Although only five U.S. cities during a 2-week episode are considered in the case study, the resource allocation model can be used by decision-makers to plan air pollution mitigation strategies to achieve the most significant health benefits for other seasons and more cities over a region or the continental U.S.Implications: Effective allocations of air quality management resources are challenging and complicated, and it is desired to have a tool that can help decision-makers better allocate the funds to maximize health benefits of air pollution mitigation. An innovative resource allocation model developed in this study can help decision-makers identify the best resource allocation strategies for multiple cities collectively. The results of a case study suggest that controls of primary carbon and sulfur dioxides emissions would achieve the most significant health benefits for five selected cities collectively. PMID:27441782

The role of risk-based prioritization in total quality management

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bennett, C.T.

1994-10-01

The climate in which government managers must make decisions grows more complex and uncertain. All stakeholders - the public, industry, and Congress - are demanding greater consciousness, responsibility, and accountability of programs and their budgets. Yet, managerial decisions have become multifaceted, involve greater risk, and operate over much longer time periods. Over the last four or five decades, as policy analysis and decisions became more complex, scientists from psychology, operations research, systems science, and economics have developed a more or less coherent process called decision analysis to aid program management. The process of decision analysis - a systems theoretic approachmore » - provides the backdrop for this paper. The Laboratory Integrated Prioritization System (LIPS) has been developed as a systems analytic and risk-based prioritization tool to aid the management of the Tri-Labs` (Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, and Sandia) operating resources. Preliminary analyses of the effects of LIPS has confirmed the practical benefits of decision and systems sciences - the systematic, quantitative reduction in uncertainty. To date, the use of LIPS - and, hence, its value - has been restricted to resource allocation within the Tri-Labs` operations budgets. This report extends the role of risk-based prioritization to the support of DOE Total Quality Management (TQM) programs. Furthermore, this paper will argue for the requirement to institutionalize an evolutionary, decision theoretic approach to the policy analysis of the Department of Energy`s Program Budget.« less

Reproductive health financing in Kenya: an analysis of national commitments, donor assistance, and the resources tracking process.

PubMed

Sidze, Estelle M; Pradhan, Jalandhar; Beekink, Erik; Maina, Thomas M; Maina, Beatrice W

2013-11-01

Understanding the flow of resources at the country level to reproductive health is essential for effective financing of this key component of health. This paper gives a comprehensive picture of the allocation of resources for reproductive health in Kenya and the challenges faced in the resource-tracking process. Data are drawn from Kenyan budget estimates, reproductive health accounts, and the Resource Flows Project database and compare budgets and spending in 2005-06 with 2009-10. Despite policies and programmes in place since 1994, services for family planning, maternity care and infant and child health face serious challenges. As regards health financing, the government spends less than the average in sub-Saharan Africa, while donor assistance and out-of-pocket expenditure for health are high. Donor assistance to Kenya has increased over the years, but the percentage of funds devoted to reproductive health is lower than it was in 2005. We recommend an increase in the budget and spending for reproductive health in order to achieve MDG targets on maternal mortality and universal access to reproductive health in Kenya. Safety nets for the poor are also needed to reduce the burden of spending by households. Lastly, we recommend the generation of more comprehensive reproductive health accounts on a regular basis. Copyright © 2013 Reproductive Health Matters. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A mathematical modeling approach to resource allocation for railroad-highway crossing safety upgrades.

PubMed

Konur, Dinçer; Golias, Mihalis M; Darks, Brandon

2013-03-01

State Departments of Transportation (S-DOT's) periodically allocate budget for safety upgrades at railroad-highway crossings. Efficient resource allocation is crucial for reducing accidents at railroad-highway crossings and increasing railroad as well as highway transportation safety. While a specific method is not restricted to S-DOT's, sorting type of procedures are recommended by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), United States Department of Transportation for the resource allocation problem. In this study, a generic mathematical model is proposed for the resource allocation problem for railroad-highway crossing safety upgrades. The proposed approach is compared to sorting based methods for safety upgrades of public at-grade railroad-highway crossings in Tennessee. The comparison shows that the proposed mathematical modeling approach is more efficient than sorting methods in reducing accidents and severity. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hybrid maize breeding with doubled haploids: I. One-stage versus two-stage selection for testcross performance.

PubMed

Longin, C Friedrich H; Utz, H Friedrich; Reif, Jochen C; Schipprack, Wolfgang; Melchinger, Albrecht E

2006-03-01

Optimum allocation of resources is of fundamental importance for the efficiency of breeding programs. The objectives of our study were to (1) determine the optimum allocation for the number of lines and test locations in hybrid maize breeding with doubled haploids (DHs) regarding two optimization criteria, the selection gain deltaG(k) and the probability P(k) of identifying superior genotypes, (2) compare both optimization criteria including their standard deviations (SDs), and (3) investigate the influence of production costs of DHs on the optimum allocation. For different budgets, number of finally selected lines, ratios of variance components, and production costs of DHs, the optimum allocation of test resources under one- and two-stage selection for testcross performance with a given tester was determined by using Monte Carlo simulations. In one-stage selection, lines are tested in field trials in a single year. In two-stage selection, optimum allocation of resources involves evaluation of (1) a large number of lines in a small number of test locations in the first year and (2) a small number of the selected superior lines in a large number of test locations in the second year, thereby maximizing both optimization criteria. Furthermore, to have a realistic chance of identifying a superior genotype, the probability P(k) of identifying superior genotypes should be greater than 75%. For budgets between 200 and 5,000 field plot equivalents, P(k) > 75% was reached only for genotypes belonging to the best 5% of the population. As the optimum allocation for P(k)(5%) was similar to that for deltaG(k), the choice of the optimization criterion was not crucial. The production costs of DHs had only a minor effect on the optimum number of locations and on values of the optimization criteria.

41 CFR 301-73.101 - How must we prepare to implement ETS?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... to implement ETS as expeditiously as possible by— (a) Developing a migration plan and schedule to... allocate budget and personnel resources to support ETS migration and data exchange. Your agency is...

41 CFR 301-73.101 - How must we prepare to implement ETS?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... to implement ETS as expeditiously as possible by— (a) Developing a migration plan and schedule to... allocate budget and personnel resources to support ETS migration and data exchange. Your agency is...

41 CFR 301-73.101 - How must we prepare to implement ETS?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... to implement ETS as expeditiously as possible by— (a) Developing a migration plan and schedule to... allocate budget and personnel resources to support ETS migration and data exchange. Your agency is...

75 FR 39541 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-09

... before making important decisions such as adopting new policies and allocating or redirecting significant... allow for a more indepth understanding of individuals' attitudes, beliefs, motivations, and feelings...

Predictors of primary health care pharmaceutical expenditure by districts in Uganda and implications for budget setting and allocation.

PubMed

Mujasi, Paschal N; Puig-Junoy, Jaume

2015-08-20

There is need for the Uganda Ministry of Health to understand predictors of primary health care pharmaceutical expenditure among districts in order to guide budget setting and to improve efficiency in allocation of the set budget among districts. Cross sectional, retrospective observational study using secondary data. The value of pharmaceuticals procured by primary health care facilities in 87 randomly selected districts for the Financial Year 2011/2012 was collected. Various specifications of the dependent variable (pharmaceutical expenditure) were used: total pharmaceutical expenditure, Per capita district pharmaceutical expenditure, pharmaceutical expenditure per district health facility and pharmaceutical expenditure per outpatient department visit. Andersen's behaviour model of health services utilisation was used as conceptual framework to identify independent variables likely to influence health care utilisation and hence pharmaceutical expenditure. Econometric analysis was conducted to estimate parameters of various regression models. All models were significant overall (P < 0.01), with explanatory power ranging from 51 to 82%. The log linear model for total pharmaceutical expenditure explained about 80% of the observed variation in total pharmaceutical expenditure (Adjusted R(2) = 0.797) and contained the following variables: Immunisation coverage, Total outpatient department attendance, Urbanisation, Total number of government health facilities and total number of Health Centre IIs. The model based on Per capita Pharmaceutical expenditure explained about 50% of the observed variation in per capita pharmaceutical expenditure (Adjusted R(2) = 0.513) and was more balanced with the following variables: Outpatient per capita attendance, percentage of rural population below poverty line 2005, Male Literacy rate, Whether a district is characterised by MOH as difficult to reach or not and the Human poverty index. The log-linear model based on total pharmaceutical expenditure works acceptably well and can be considered useful for predicting future total pharmaceutical expenditure following observed trends. It can be used as a simple tool for rough estimation of the potential overall national primary health pharmaceutical expenditure to guide budget setting. The model based on pharmaceutical expenditure per capita is a more balanced model containing both need and enabling factor variables. These variables would be useful in allocating any set budget to districts.

Implementing personalisation for people with mental health problems: a comparative case study of four local authorities in England.

PubMed

Larsen, John; Ainsworth, Emily; Harrop, Clare; Patterson, Sue; Hamilton, Sarah; Szymczynska, Paulina; Tew, Jerry; Manthorpe, Jill; Pinfold, Vanessa

2013-04-01

Enhancing choice and control for people using services is a mental health and social-care service priority in England. Personalisation is a new policy and practice for delivery of social-care services where eligible adults are allocated a personal budget to spend to meet their agreed support needs. To describe approaches to introducing personal budgets to people with severe and enduring mental health needs, and to identify facilitators or barriers encountered. Within four English local authority (LA) areas, purposively selected to provide maximum variation, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 58 participants from LAs, NHS trusts and third-sector organisations. An Interpretive Framework analysis considered within- and across-site insights. Issues arising from the implementation of personalisation for people with mental health needs are presented under two general themes: "responsibility and power" and "vision and leadership". Key challenges identified were complexities of working across NHS and LAs, the importance of effective leadership and engagement with service user representatives. Implementing personal budgets in mental health requires effective engagement of health and social-care systems. Change processes need strong leadership, clear vision and personal commitment, with ownership by all key stakeholders, including front-line practitioners.

O/MN Budget Execution at U.S. Naval Shore Activities: A Model for Improving Resource Allocation.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-12-01

those objective. Is thus for tie, B r d*nateet ennhanced written ai ti 1 fiquoA by the Commaul9 fco VARIANCE RIPIA3ATION PORN ...of each requirement to be prioritized. Needs/desires of all concerned are discussed and classified. [ Family Service Center Director] Under present...obligation of end year sweep up of funds. [Admin. Officer/Director Family Service Center] More knowledge of operational level problems. [Budget Analyst

Perspectives of Central Office Staff, Principals, Teachers, and School Site Councils on Resource Allocation and "Budgeting for Student Achievement" Implementation in 2010-11. A Report Prepared for the Los Angeles Unified School District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haxton, Clarisse L.; Chambers, Jay G.; Manship, Karen; Cruz, Lisa; O'Neil, Caitlin

2012-01-01

As part of the evaluation of the Strategic School Funding for Results (SSFR) project (called Budgeting for Student Success, or BSA, in Los Angeles Unified School District), the American Institutes for Research (AIR) conducted surveys of principals, teachers, and members of School Site Councils (SSCs) to gather information on their attitudes and…

Billions for biodefense: federal agency biodefense funding, FY2009-FY2010.

PubMed

Franco, Crystal

2009-09-01

Since 2001, the United States government has spent substantial resources on preparing the nation against a bioterrorist attack. Earlier articles in this series analyzed civilian biodefense funding by the federal government for fiscal years (FY) 2001 through 2009. This article updates those figures with budgeted amounts for FY2010, specifically analyzing the budgets and allocations for biodefense at the Departments of Health and Human Services, Defense, Homeland Security, Agriculture, and State; the Environmental Protection Agency; and the National Science Foundation. This year's article also provides an assessment of the proportion of the biodefense budget that serves multiple programmatic goals and benefits, including research into infectious disease pathogenesis and immunology, public health planning and preparedness, and disaster response efforts. The FY2010 federal budget for civilian biodefense totals $6.05 billion. Of that total, $4.96 billion is budgeted for programs that serve multiple goals and provide manifold benefits.

75 FR 8104 - Information Collection for Tax Credit Bonds for Bureau of Indian Affairs-Funded Schools

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-23

... Affairs-Funded Schools,'' which has been assigned Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number... Tribes interested in obtaining an allocation of the bonding authority to finance construction...

Managing Criminal Investigations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bloch, Peter B.; Weidman, Donald R.

The report discusses many ways for police managers to improve the success of their departments' criminal investigation efforts. Management issues addressed include budgeting and allocating resources; improving relationships with the prosecutor; interacting with the public, especially victims and witnesses; improving relationships between…

Maximizing the impact of malaria funding through allocative efficiency: using the right interventions in the right locations.

PubMed

Scott, Nick; Hussain, S Azfar; Martin-Hughes, Rowan; Fowkes, Freya J I; Kerr, Cliff C; Pearson, Ruth; Kedziora, David J; Killedar, Madhura; Stuart, Robyn M; Wilson, David P

2017-09-12

The high burden of malaria and limited funding means there is a necessity to maximize the allocative efficiency of malaria control programmes. Quantitative tools are urgently needed to guide budget allocation decisions. A geospatial epidemic model was coupled with costing data and an optimization algorithm to estimate the optimal allocation of budgeted and projected funds across all malaria intervention approaches. Interventions included long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs), indoor residual spraying (IRS), intermittent presumptive treatment during pregnancy (IPTp), seasonal mass chemoprevention in children (SMC), larval source management (LSM), mass drug administration (MDA), and behavioural change communication (BCC). The model was applied to six geopolitical regions of Nigeria in isolation and also the nation as a whole to minimize incidence and malaria-attributable mortality. Allocative efficiency gains could avert approximately 84,000 deaths or 15.7 million cases of malaria in Nigeria over 5 years. With an additional US$300 million available, approximately 134,000 deaths or 37.3 million cases of malaria could be prevented over 5 years. Priority funding should go to LLINs, IPTp and BCC programmes, and SMC should be expanded in seasonal areas. To minimize mortality, treatment expansion is critical and prioritized over some LLIN funding, while to minimize incidence, LLIN funding remained a priority. For areas with lower rainfall, LSM is prioritized over IRS but MDA is not recommended unless all other programmes are established. Substantial reductions in malaria morbidity and mortality can be made by optimal targeting of investments to the right malaria interventions in the right areas.

Impact of new medical technologies on health expenditures in Israel 2000-07.

PubMed

Rabinovich, Mordechai; Wood, Francis; Shemer, Joshua

2007-01-01

The aim of this study was to estimate the impact of new medical technologies on public healthcare expenditures in Israel over the period 2000-07. For each year, government estimates for the costs of new technologies recommended as high-priority for public funding were summarized. The ratio of projected costs of these technologies to total public healthcare expenditures was calculated and compared with actual governmental budget allocations for new technologies. Funding all new high-priority medical technologies would have increased healthcare expenditures by 2.1 percent per year. Government allocations for new technologies raised expenditures by 1.0 percent per year. New medical technologies significantly increase healthcare expenditures in Israel. Budgetary constraints have reduced their actual impact by 52 percent. This study indicates the need for an annual addition of 2 percent to public healthcare budget for funding new high-priority technologies.

Assessing research productivity in an oncology research institute: the role of the documentation center.

PubMed Central

Ugolini, D; Bogliolo, A; Parodi, S; Casilli, C; Santi, L

1997-01-01

An evaluation method used to assess the quality of research productivity and to provide priorities for budget allocation purposes is presented. This method, developed by a working group of the National Institute for Research on Cancer (IST), Genoa, Italy, is based on the partitioning of categories of the Science Citation Index and Journal Citation Reports (SCI-JCR) into deciles, which normalizes journal impact factors in order to gauge the quality of the productivity. A second parameter related to the number of staff of each institute department co-authoring a given paper has been introduced in order to guide departmental budget allocations. The information scientists of the IST Documentation Center who participated in the working group played a pivotal role in developing the computerized database of publications, providing and analyzing data, supplying and evaluating literature on the topic, and placing international bibliographic databases at the working group's disposal. PMID:9028569

Appel pour une allocation intelligente dans le financement du système de santé au Cameroun

PubMed Central

Sieleunou, Isidore

2011-01-01

Le Cameroun utilise un système de budgétisation historique et une approche «top-down» pour allouer ses ressources de santé publique. Cependant, le pays compte 175 districts de santé dont les fortes disparités de nature épidémiologique, économique, géographique et culturelle, devraient être prises en compte pour réduire les iniquités en matière de sante publique. Comment comprendre alors que dans ces conditions, le budget des administrations publiques alloué aux différents districts de santé au Cameroun soit quasi identique alors que les défis sont si différents? L'inefficience allocative (mauvaise attribution du budget) générée par un tel système conduit vraisemblablement à une inefficience technique (mauvaise utilisation du budget). Pour la marche vers l'atteinte des objectifs du millénaire en matière de sante, il est impératif et urgent que les décideurs du secteur de la santé allouent de manière intelligente les ressources dans le système de santé. PMID:22355420

How does decentralisation affect health sector planning and financial management? a case study of early effects of devolution in Kilifi County, Kenya.

PubMed

Tsofa, Benjamin; Molyneux, Sassy; Gilson, Lucy; Goodman, Catherine

2017-09-15

A common challenge for health sector planning and budgeting has been the misalignment between policies, technical planning and budgetary allocation; and inadequate community involvement in priority setting. Health system decentralisation has often been promoted to address health sector planning and budgeting challenges through promoting community participation, accountability, and technical efficiency in resource management. In 2010, Kenya passed a new constitution that introduced 47 semi-autonomous devolved county governments, and a substantial transfer of responsibility for healthcare from the central government to these counties. This study analysed the effects of this major political decentralization on health sector planning, budgeting and overall financial management at county level. We used a qualitative, case study design focusing on Kilifi County, and were guided by a conceptual framework which drew on decentralisation and policy analysis theories. Qualitative data were collected through document reviews, key informant interviews, and participant and non-participant observations conducted over an eighteen months' period. We found that the implementation of devolution created an opportunity for local level prioritisation and community involvement in health sector planning and budgeting hence increasing opportunities for equity in local level resource allocation. However, this opportunity was not harnessed due to accelerated transfer of functions to counties before county level capacity had been established to undertake the decentralised functions. We also observed some indication of re-centralisation of financial management from health facility to county level. We conclude by arguing that, to enhance the benefits of decentralised health systems, resource allocation, priority setting and financial management functions between central and decentralised units are guided by considerations around decision space, organisational structure and capacity, and accountability. In acknowledging the political nature of decentralisation polices, we recommend that health sector policy actors develop a broad understanding of the countries' political context when designing and implementing technical strategies for health sector decentralisation.

Threshold considerations in fair allocation of health resources: justice beyond scarcity.

PubMed

Alvarez, Allen Andrew A

2007-10-01

Application of egalitarian and prioritarian accounts of health resource allocation in low-income countries have both been criticized for implying distribution outcomes that allow decreasing/undermining health gains and for tolerating unacceptable standards of health care and health status that result from such allocation schemes. Insufficient health care and severe deprivation of health resources are difficult to accept even when justified by aggregative efficiency or legitimized by fair deliberative process in pursuing equality and priority oriented outcomes. I affirm the sufficientarian argument that, given extreme scarcity of public health resources in low-income countries, neither health status equality between populations nor priority for the worse off is normatively adequate. Nevertheless, the threshold norm alone need not be the sole consideration when a country's total health budget is extremely scarce. Threshold considerations are necessary in developing a theory of fair distribution of health resources that is sensitive to the lexically prior norm of sufficiency. Based on the intuition that shares must not be taken away from those who barely achieve a minimal level of health, I argue that assessments based on standards of minimal physical/mental health must be developed to evaluate the sufficiency of the total resources of health systems in low-income countries prior to pursuing equality, priority, and efficiency based resource allocation. I also begin to examine how threshold sensitive health resource assessment could be used in the Philippines.

A Cost Analysis for Deciding Service Levels in Korean Army with a Constraint for Single Period

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-06-01

withdrawal will result in the delay of achieving a military balance in the Korean Peninsula. Under these conditions, it becomes essential to find...Korean Peninsula. Under these conditions, it becomes essential to find the most efficient allocation of the defense budget so as to get the most high-tech...It emphasizes that for the self-defense of the ROK, the critical issue is to use the budget effectively. It also concludes that under a limited

Feasibility of ultra-low-volume indoor space spraying for dengue control in Southern Thailand.

PubMed

Ditsuwan, Thanittha; Liabsuetrakul, Tippawan; Ditsuwan, Vallop; Thammapalo, Suwich

2013-02-01

To assess the feasibility of conducting standard indoor space spraying using ultra-low-volume (SID-ULV) in terms of willingness to pay (WTP) and ability to pay (ATP) and ability to conduct space spraying by local administrative organisations (LAO) in lower Southern Thailand. Cross-sectional study. The executive leaders of each LAO were asked to state their WTP and ATP for SID-ULV. Willingness to pay was measured by the payment card and open-ended question methods. Ability to pay was calculated using the budget allocation for space spraying and estimated expenditure for SID-ULV. Ability to conduct the SID-ULV was assessed by interviewing the spraymen. Average WTP and ATP were calculated and uncertainties were estimated using a bootstrapping technique. Ninty-three percent of executive leaders were willing to pay for SID-ULV. The average WTP per case was USD 259 (95% confidence interval [CI] 217-303). Thirty-eight percent of all LAO had actual ATP and 60% had ideal ATP. The average annual budget allocated for space spraying was USD 2327 (95% CI: 1654-3138). The amount of money LAO were willing to pay did not vary significantly between their different types, but ATP did. Thirty-two percent of spraymen could not complete all nine procedures of SID-ULV. Although WTP for SID-ULV space spraying was high, ATP was low, which revealed the flexibility of budget allocation for SID-ULV in each LAO. The spraymen require training in SID-ULV space spraying. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Treatment costs and priority setting in health care: A qualitative study

PubMed Central

McKie, John; Shrimpton, Bradley; Richardson, Jeff; Hurworth, Rosalind

2009-01-01

Background The aim of this study is to investigate whether the public believes high cost patients should be a lower priority for public health care than low cost patients, other things being equal, in order to maximise health gains from the health budget. Semi-structured group discussions were used to help participants reflect critically upon their own views and gain exposure to alternative views, and in this way elicit underlying values rather than unreflective preferences. Participants were given two main tasks: first, to select from among three general principles for setting health care priorities the one that comes closest to their own views; second, to allocate a limited hospital budget between two groups of imaginary patients. Forty-one people, varying in age, occupation, income and education level, participated in a total of six group discussions with each group comprising between six and eight people. Results After discussion and deliberation, 30 participants rejected the most cost-effective principle for setting priorities, citing reasons such as 'moral values' and 'a personal belief that we shouldn't discriminate'. Only three participants chose to allocate the entire hospital budget to the low cost patients. Reasons for allocating some money to inefficient (high cost) patients included 'fairness' and the desire to give all patients a 'chance'. Conclusion Participants rejected a single-minded focus on efficiency – maximising health gains – when setting priorities in health care. There was a concern to avoid strategies that deny patients all hope of treatment, and a willingness to sacrifice health gains for a 'fair' public health system. PMID:19416546

Return-to-work intervention for cancer survivors: budget impact and allocation of costs and returns in the Netherlands and six major EU-countries.

PubMed

Mewes, Janne C; Steuten, Lotte M G; Groeneveld, Iris F; de Boer, Angela G E M; Frings-Dresen, Monique H W; IJzerman, Maarten J; van Harten, Wim H

2015-11-12

Return-to-work (RTW)-interventions support cancer survivors in resuming work, but come at additional healthcare costs. The objective of this study was to assess the budget impact of a RTW-intervention, consisting of counselling sessions with an occupational physician and an exercise-programme. The secondary objective was to explore how the costs of RTW-interventions and its financial revenues are allocated among the involved stakeholders in several EU-countries. The budget impact (BI) of a RTW-intervention versus usual care was analysed yearly for 2015-2020 from a Dutch societal- and from the perspective of a large cancer centre. The allocation of the expected costs and financial benefits for each of the stakeholders involved was compared between the Netherlands, Belgium, England, France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden. The average intervention costs in this case were €1,519/patient. The BI for the Netherlands was €-14.7 m in 2015, rising to €-71.1 m in 2020, thus the intervention is cost-saving as the productivity benefits outweigh the intervention costs. For cancer centres the BI amounts to €293 k in 2015, increasing to €1.1 m in 2020. Across European countries, we observed differences regarding the extent to which stakeholders either invest or receive a share of the benefits from offering a RTW-intervention. The RTW-intervention is cost-saving from a societal perspective. Yet, the total intervention costs are considerable and, in many European countries, mainly covered by care providers that are not sufficiently reimbursed.

Bandwidth-sharing in LHCONE, an analysis of the problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wildish, T.

2015-12-01

The LHC experiments have traditionally regarded the network as an unreliable resource, one which was expected to be a major source of errors and inefficiency at the time their original computing models were derived. Now, however, the network is seen as much more capable and reliable. Data are routinely transferred with high efficiency and low latency to wherever computing or storage resources are available to use or manage them. Although there was sufficient network bandwidth for the experiments’ needs during Run-1, they cannot rely on ever-increasing bandwidth as a solution to their data-transfer needs in the future. Sooner or later they need to consider the network as a finite resource that they interact with to manage their traffic, in much the same way as they manage their use of disk and CPU resources. There are several possible ways for the experiments to integrate management of the network in their software stacks, such as the use of virtual circuits with hard bandwidth guarantees or soft real-time flow-control, with somewhat less firm guarantees. Abstractly, these can all be considered as the users (the experiments, or groups of users within the experiment) expressing a request for a given bandwidth between two points for a given duration of time. The network fabric then grants some allocation to each user, dependent on the sum of all requests and the sum of available resources, and attempts to ensure the requirements are met (either deterministically or statistically). An unresolved question at this time is how to convert the users’ requests into an allocation. Simply put, how do we decide what fraction of a network's bandwidth to allocate to each user when the sum of requests exceeds the available bandwidth? The usual problems of any resourcescheduling system arise here, namely how to ensure the resource is used efficiently and fairly, while still satisfying the needs of the users. Simply fixing quotas on network paths for each user is likely to lead to inefficient use of the network. If one user cannot use their quota for some reason, that bandwidth is lost. Likewise, there is no incentive for the user to be efficient within their quota, they have nothing to gain by using less than their allocation. As with CPU farms, some sort of dynamic allocation is more likely to be useful. A promising approach for sharing bandwidth at LHCONE is the ’Progressive Second-Price auction’, where users are given a budget and are required to bid from that budget for the specific resources they want to reserve. The auction allows users to effectively determine among themselves the degree of sharing they are willing to accept based on the priorities of their traffic and their global share, as represented by their total budget. The network then implements those allocations using whatever mix of technologies is appropriate or available. This paper describes how the Progressive Second-Price auction works and how it can be applied to LHCONE. Practical questions are addressed, such as how are budgets set, what strategy should users use to manage their budget, how and how often should the auction be run, and how do we ensure that the goals of fairness and efficiency are met.

48 CFR 9904.406-60 - Illustrations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Section 9904.406-60 Federal Acquisition Regulations System COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD, OFFICE OF FEDERAL PROCUREMENT POLICY, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET PROCUREMENT PRACTICES AND COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS 9904.406-60 Illustrations. (a) A contractor allocates general management...

A System of Building Franchises.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, JoAnne

2001-01-01

Edmonton (Alberta) Public Schools have a comparatively flat organization, with no bureaucratic layering between the superintendent and 200 principals, who are allocated extensive budgeting and purchasing responsibilities. Some functions remain centralized. Central services provides leadership training and screens all teachers. The superintendent…

Resolving the "Cost-Effective but Unaffordable" Paradox: Estimating the Health Opportunity Costs of Nonmarginal Budget Impacts.

PubMed

Lomas, James; Claxton, Karl; Martin, Stephen; Soares, Marta

2018-03-01

Considering whether or not a proposed investment (an intervention, technology, or program of care) is affordable is really asking whether the benefits it offers are greater than its opportunity cost. To say that an investment is cost-effective but not affordable must mean that the (implicit or explicit) "threshold" used to judge cost-effectiveness does not reflect the scale and value of the opportunity costs. Existing empirical estimates of health opportunity costs are based on cross-sectional variation in expenditure and mortality outcomes by program budget categories (PBCs) and do not reflect the likely effect of nonmarginal budget impacts on health opportunity costs. The UK Department of Health regularly updates the needs-based target allocation of resources to local areas of the National Health Service (NHS), creating two subgroups of local areas (those under target allocation and those over). These data provide the opportunity to explore how the effects of changes in health care expenditure differ with available resources. We use 2008-2009 data to evaluate two econometric approaches to estimation and explore a range of criteria for accepting subgroup specific effects for differences in expenditure and outcome elasticities across the 23 PBCs. Our results indicate that health opportunity costs arising from an investment imposing net increases in expenditure are underestimated unless account is taken of likely nonmarginal effects. They also indicate the benefits (reduced health opportunity costs or increased value-based price of a technology) of being able to "smooth" these nonmarginal budget impacts by health care systems borrowing against future budgets or from manufacturers offering "mortgage" type arrangements. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Delivering on a gendered definition of health needs in local government budgeting: experiences and concepts.

PubMed

Buyana, K

2009-10-01

Local governments are granted budgetary power in the Local Governments Act of the Republic of Uganda, which allows for local-level participation and flexibility in the allocation of financial grants channelled annually from central to local governments. The act prescribes a legal mandate to allocate public resources based on local priorities including the health needs of women compared with men. This study investigated the responsiveness of local government budgeting to the health needs of women as compared to men. A qualitative study was conducted in Mpigi district using a set of data collection methods including: a) three (3) focus group discussions with 8 female and 8 male respondents in each group; b) face-to-face interviews with a random sample of 120 households, 75% of which were male-headed and 25% female-headed ; c) key informant interviews with a sample of 10 administrative officers in Mpigi district ; and d) desk-review of the Mpigi district Budget Framework Paper. Health needs consist of the daily requirements, which, arise out of common disease infections and the socioeconomic constraints that affect the well-being of women and men. However, the primary concern of the district health sector is disease control measures, without emphasis on the differing socio-economic interests of women as compared to men. Local government budgeting, therefore, does not reflect the broad community-wide understanding of health needs. Local government budgeting should be informed by a two-fold framework for the gendered definition of health needs. The two-fold framework combines both disease-based health needs and socio-economic needs of women as compared to men.

Report: Examination of Financial Management Practices of the National Rural Water Association, Duncan, Oklahoma

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Report #2007-4-00027, November 30, 2006. NRWA’s method of allocating indirect costs over total direct costs is contrary to the requirements of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-122.

How Do You Measure Up?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Marilyn L.; Shontz, Marilyn L.

1999-01-01

Presents findings from the "School Library Journal" survey of school library expenditures for FY 1997-98. Data include: budget allocation; salaries; library collection; technology; staff and certification; access to basic electronic resources; library policy; planning and communication between library media specialists and teachers; and…

Forest science in the South - 2002

Treesearch

Southern Research Station USDA Forest Service

2003-01-01

Forest Science in the South includes the Southern Station's accomplishments, emerging research priorities, and products - journal articles, books, Station publications, presentations, and Web postings. This report details budget allocations, highlights collaborative research, includes a directory of research units and experimental forests, and summarizes...

Save It or Spend It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrell, Louis R.

1999-01-01

Discusses principles for allocation of endowment funds by governing boards, including intergenerational equity, the inherent conflict between an institution's operating budget and its endowment, the importance of achieving financial integrity, and spending policies in volatile markets. Guidelines for board-reviewing policies are offered. (DB)

48 CFR 9904.403-60 - Illustrations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... FEDERAL PROCUREMENT POLICY, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET PROCUREMENT PRACTICES AND COST ACCOUNTING... Illustrative allocation bases Staff management or specific activities: 1. Personnel management 1. Number of.... Marketing policies 5. Sales, segment marketing costs. Central payments or accruals: 1. Pension expenses 1...

Forest science in the South - 2004

Treesearch

Southern Research Station USDA Forest Service

2005-01-01

Forest Science in the South includes the Southern Station's accomplishments, emerging research priorities, and products - journal articles, books, Station publications, presentations, and Web postings. This report details budget allocations, highlights collaborative research, includes a directory of research units and experimental forests, and summarizes...

Conservation triage or injurious neglect in endangered species recovery.

PubMed

Gerber, Leah R

2016-03-29

Listing endangered and threatened species under the US Endangered Species Act is presumed to offer a defense against extinction and a solution to achieve recovery of imperiled populations, but only if effective conservation action ensues after listing occurs. The amount of government funding available for species protection and recovery is one of the best predictors of successful recovery; however, government spending is both insufficient and highly disproportionate among groups of species, and there is significant discrepancy between proposed and actualized budgets across species. In light of an increasing list of imperiled species requiring evaluation and protection, an explicit approach to allocating recovery funds is urgently needed. Here I provide a formal decision-theoretic approach focusing on return on investment as an objective and a transparent mechanism to achieve the desired recovery goals. I found that less than 25% of the $1.21 billion/year needed for implementing recovery plans for 1,125 species is actually allocated to recovery. Spending in excess of the recommended recovery budget does not necessarily translate into better conservation outcomes. Rather, elimination of only the budget surplus for "costly yet futile" recovery plans can provide sufficient funding to erase funding deficits for more than 180 species. Triage by budget compression provides better funding for a larger sample of species, and a larger sample of adequately funded recovery plans should produce better outcomes even if by chance. Sharpening our focus on deliberate decision making offers the potential to achieve desired outcomes in avoiding extinction for Endangered Species Act-listed species.

Cost-effectiveness of the stream-gaging program in Missouri

USGS Publications Warehouse

Waite, L.A.

1987-01-01

This report documents the results of an evaluation of the cost effectiveness of the 1986 stream-gaging program in Missouri. Alternative methods of developing streamflow information and cost-effective resource allocation were used to evaluate the Missouri program. Alternative methods were considered statewide, but the cost effective resource allocation study was restricted to the area covered by the Rolla field headquarters. The average standard error of estimate for records of instantaneous discharge was 17 percent; assuming the 1986 budget and operating schedule, it was shown that this overall degree of accuracy could be improved to 16 percent by altering the 1986 schedule of station visitations. A minimum budget of $203,870, with a corresponding average standard error of estimate 17 percent, is required to operate the 1986 program for the Rolla field headquarters; a budget of less than this would not permit proper service and maintenance of the stations or adequate definition of stage-discharge relations. The maximum budget analyzed was $418,870, which resulted in an average standard error of estimate of 14 percent. Improved instrumentation can have a positive effect on streamflow uncertainties by decreasing lost records. An earlier study of data uses found that data uses were sufficient to justify continued operation of all stations. One of the stations investigated, Current River at Doniphan (07068000) was suitable for the application of alternative methods for simulating discharge records. However, the station was continued because of data use requirements. (Author 's abstract)

The perfect family: decision making in biparental care.

PubMed

Akçay, Erol; Roughgarden, Joan

2009-10-13

Previous theoretical work on parental decisions in biparental care has emphasized the role of the conflict between evolutionary interests of parents in these decisions. A prominent prediction from this work is that parents should compensate for decreases in each other's effort, but only partially so. However, experimental tests that manipulate parents and measure their responses fail to confirm this prediction. At the same time, the process of parental decision making has remained unexplored theoretically. We develop a model to address the discrepancy between experiments and the theoretical prediction, and explore how assuming different decision making processes changes the prediction from the theory. We assume that parents make decisions in behavioral time. They have a fixed time budget, and allocate it between two parental tasks: provisioning the offspring and defending the nest. The proximate determinant of the allocation decisions are parents' behavioral objectives. We assume both parents aim to maximize the offspring production from the nest. Experimental manipulations change the shape of the nest production function. We consider two different scenarios for how parents make decisions: one where parents communicate with each other and act together (the perfect family), and one where they do not communicate, and act independently (the almost perfect family). The perfect family model is able to generate all the types of responses seen in experimental studies. The kind of response predicted depends on the nest production function, i.e. how parents' allocations affect offspring production, and the type of experimental manipulation. In particular, we find that complementarity of parents' allocations promotes matching responses. In contrast, the relative responses do not depend on the type of manipulation in the almost perfect family model. These results highlight the importance of the interaction between nest production function and how parents make decisions, factors that have largely been overlooked in previous models.

A Greedy Double Auction Mechanism for Grid Resource Allocation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Ding; Luo, Siwei; Gao, Zhan

To improve the resource utilization and satisfy more users, a Greedy Double Auction Mechanism(GDAM) is proposed to allocate resources in grid environments. GDAM trades resources at discriminatory price instead of uniform price, reflecting the variance in requirements for profits and quantities. Moreover, GDAM applies different auction rules to different cases, over-demand, over-supply and equilibrium of demand and supply. As a new mechanism for grid resource allocation, GDAM is proved to be strategy-proof, economically efficient, weakly budget-balanced and individual rational. Simulation results also confirm that GDAM outperforms the traditional one on both the total trade amount and the user satisfaction percentage, specially as more users are involved in the auction market.

Community and facility-level engagement in planning and budgeting for the government health sector--a district perspective from Kenya.

PubMed

O'Meara, Wendy Prudhomme; Tsofa, Benjamin; Molyneux, Sassy; Goodman, Catherine; McKenzie, F Ellis

2011-03-01

Health systems reform processes have increasingly recognized the essential contribution of communities to the success of health programs and development activities in general. Here we examine the experience from Kilifi district in Kenya of implementing annual health sector planning guidelines that included community participation in problem identification, priority setting, and planning. We describe challenges in the implementation of national planning guidelines, how these were met, and how they influenced final plans and budgets. The broad-based community engagement envisaged in the guidelines did not take place due to the delay in roll out of the Ministry of Health-trained community health workers. Instead, community engagement was conducted through facility management committees, though in a minority of facilities, even such committees were not involved. Some overlap was found in the priorities highlighted by facility staff, committee members and national indicators, but there were also many additional issues raised by committee members and not by other groups. The engagement of the community through committees influenced target and priority setting, but the emphasis on national health indicators left many local priorities unaddressed by the final work plans. Moreover, it appears that the final impact on budgets allocated at district and facility level was limited. The experience in Kilifi highlights the feasibility of engaging the community in the health planning process, and the challenges of ensuring that this engagement feeds into consolidated plans and future implementation. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Obtaining resources for evidence-based public health initiatives at the local level: insights from the Central Sydney Tobacco Control Plan.

PubMed

Rissel, C; McMaugh, K; O'Connor, D; Balafas, A; Ward, J

1999-02-01

In response to inquiries regarding the processes of developing a Tobacco Control Plan (TCP) for the Central Sydney Area Health Service (which in 1997 allocated dedicated funding of $ 800,000 over 2 1/2 years to implement the plan), this article describes the strengths and weaknesses of the TCP and outlines the process which contributed to its funding. Consistent with national and state priorities, the TCP recommended strategies based on best available evidence in the four action areas: reducing sales of cigarettes to minors, marketing, passive smoking and smoking cessation. Funding of this amount for a single public health issue at a local level represents a unique achievement in the application of an evidence-based approach to population health. Key elements of our advocacy methods included the involvement of all key primary health care and clinical stakeholders; comprehensive background research to identify evidence-based strategies; careful attention to budget options; strategic lobbying of senior staff and decision makers; the proposal for a multidisciplinary management structure for the TCP and specifications for funding allocation and evaluation. Early achievements and other reflections are discussed.

Time for a new budget allocation model for hospital care in Stockholm?

PubMed

Andersson, Per-Åke; Bruce, Daniel; Walander, Anders; Viberg, Inga

2011-03-01

In Stockholm County Council (SLL), budgets for hospital care have been allocated to geographically responsible authorities for a long time. This hospital care includes all publicly financed specialist care, also privately owned hospitals, except private practitioner care. The old needs-index model, a 6D capitation matrix based on demography and socio-economy, was generated on linked individual data for 1994-96. In this paper the power of the old allocation model is evaluated by the use of new data for 2006. The analysis shows that most of the socioeconomic variables have lost their descriptive power in 10 years. Using a methodical search we also find an improved need-based allocation model for hospital care using the new data for 2006. By focusing on costly diagnoses, where the descriptive power has increased between 1996 and 2006, and by using some new socioeconomic variables, and by relying on birth and death prognoses, we are able to generate a matrix model with much higher coefficients-of-determinations in 1 year predictions. In addition, a more careful modelling of multi-morbidity, part-of-the-year inhabitants, episode definition and cost transformation is developed. The area-level cost residuals of registered versus predicted costs show stable signs over the years, indicating unexplained systematics. For the reduction of the residuals, accepting proven inpatient diagnoses but not the full costs, a mixed capitation/fee-for-service strategy is discussed. Once equivalent (e.g. full-year) observations are determined, the link between background and consumption is not on individual-level but on cell-level, as in current resource allocation studies in the United Kingdom.

Method for optimizing resource allocation in a government organization. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Afarin, James

1994-01-01

The managers in Federal agencies are challenged to control the extensive activities in government and still provide high-quality products and services to the American taxpayers. Considering today's complex social and economic environment and the $3.8 billion daily cost of operating the Federal Government, it is evident that there is a need to develop decision-making tools for accurate resource allocation and total quality management. The goal of this thesis is to provide a methodical process that will aid managers in Federal Government to make budgetary decisions based on the cost of services, the agency's objectives, and the customers' perception of the agency's product. A general resource allocation procedure was developed in this study that can be applied to any government organization. A government organization, hereafter the 'organization,' is assumed to be a multidivision enterprise. This procedure was applied to a small organization for the proof of the concept. This organization is the Technical Services Directorate (TSD) at the NASA Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. As part of the procedure, a nonlinear programming model was developed to account for the resources of the organization, the outputs produced by the organization, the decision-maker's views, and the customers' satisfaction with the organization. The information on the resources of the organization was acquired from current budget levels of the organization and the human resources assigned to the divisions. The outputs of the organization were defined and measured by identifying metrics that assess the outputs, the most challenging task in this study. The decision-maker's views are represented in the model as weights assigned to the various outputs and were quantified by using the analytic hierarchy process. The customer's opinions regarding the outputs of the organization were collected through questionnaires that were designed for each division individually. Following the philosophy of total quality management, information on customers' satisfaction is presented in the model as the quality of output. The model is a nonlinear one whose objective is to maximize customers' satisfaction such that the total cost of operation does not exceed the organization's budget. This model represents a structured approach or policy mechanism, at the agency level, to make capital investment decisions based on the priorities of the agency and the quality of outputs. This procedure applied to TSD resulted in a resources allocation scheme that was reasonable and acceptable to the decision-makers and, as expected, dependent on the assumptions and accuracy of the data used in the model.

MASM: a market architecture for sensor management in distributed sensor networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viswanath, Avasarala; Mullen, Tracy; Hall, David; Garga, Amulya

2005-03-01

Rapid developments in sensor technology and its applications have energized research efforts towards devising a firm theoretical foundation for sensor management. Ubiquitous sensing, wide bandwidth communications and distributed processing provide both opportunities and challenges for sensor and process control and optimization. Traditional optimization techniques do not have the ability to simultaneously consider the wildly non-commensurate measures involved in sensor management in a single optimization routine. Market-oriented programming provides a valuable and principled paradigm to designing systems to solve this dynamic and distributed resource allocation problem. We have modeled the sensor management scenario as a competitive market, wherein the sensor manager holds a combinatorial auction to sell the various items produced by the sensors and the communication channels. However, standard auction mechanisms have been found not to be directly applicable to the sensor management domain. For this purpose, we have developed a specialized market architecture MASM (Market architecture for Sensor Management). In MASM, the mission manager is responsible for deciding task allocations to the consumers and their corresponding budgets and the sensor manager is responsible for resource allocation to the various consumers. In addition to having a modified combinatorial winner determination algorithm, MASM has specialized sensor network modules that address commensurability issues between consumers and producers in the sensor network domain. A preliminary multi-sensor, multi-target simulation environment has been implemented to test the performance of the proposed system. MASM outperformed the information theoretic sensor manager in meeting the mission objectives in the simulation experiments.

Federal Agency biodefense funding, FY2011-FY2012.

PubMed

Franco, Crystal; Sell, Tara Kirk

2011-06-01

Since 2001, the United States government has spent substantial resources on preparing the nation against a bioterrorist attack. Earlier articles in this series have analyzed civilian biodefense funding by the federal government for fiscal years (FY) 2001 through proposed funding for FY2011. This article updates those figures with budgeted amounts for FY2012, specifically analyzing the budgets and allocations for biodefense at the Departments of Health and Human Services, Defense, Homeland Security, Agriculture, Commerce, and State; the Environmental Protection Agency; and the National Science Foundation. This article also includes an updated assessment of the proportion of biodefense funding provided for programs that address multiple scientific, public health, healthcare, national security, and international security issues in addition to biodefense. The FY2012 federal budget for civilian biodefense totals $6.42 billion. Of that total, $5.78 billion (90%) is budgeted for programs that have both biodefense and nonbiodefense goals and applications, and $637.6 million (10%) is budgeted for programs that have objectives solely related to biodefense.

Federal agency biodefense funding, FY2013-FY2014.

PubMed

Sell, Tara Kirk; Watson, Matthew

2013-09-01

Since 2001, the United States government has spent substantial resources on preparing the nation against a bioterrorist attack. Earlier articles in this series have analyzed civilian biodefense funding by the federal government for fiscal years (FY) 2001 through proposed funding for FY2013. This article updates those figures with budgeted amounts for FY2014, specifically analyzing the budgets and allocations for biodefense at the Departments of Health and Human Services, Defense, Homeland Security, Agriculture, Commerce, Veterans Affairs, and State; the Environmental Protection Agency; and the National Science Foundation. This article also includes an updated assessment of the proportion of biodefense funding provided for programs that address multiple scientific, public health, healthcare, national security, and international security issues in addition to biodefense. The FY2014 federal budget for civilian biodefense totals $6.69 billion. Of that total, $5.86 billion (88%) is budgeted for programs that have both biodefense and nonbiodefense goals and applications, and $835 million (12%) is budgeted for programs that have objectives solely related to biodefense.

Federal agency biodefense funding, FY2010-FY2011.

PubMed

Franco, Crystal; Sell, Tara Kirk

2010-06-01

Since 2001, the United States government has spent substantial resources on preparing the nation against a bioterrorist attack. Earlier articles in this series have analyzed civilian biodefense funding by the federal government for fiscal years (FY) 2001 through FY2010. This article updates those figures with budgeted amounts for FY2011, specifically analyzing the budgets and allocations for biodefense at the Departments of Health and Human Services, Defense, Homeland Security, Agriculture, Commerce, and State; the Environmental Protection Agency; and the National Science Foundation. This article also includes an updated assessment of the proportion of biodefense funding provided for programs that address multiple public health, healthcare, national security, and international security issues in addition to biodefense. The FY2011 federal budget for civilian biodefense totals $6.48 billion. Of that total, $5.90 billion (91%) is budgeted for programs that have both biodefense and nonbiodefense goals and applications, and $577.9 million (9%) is budgeted for programs that deal strictly with biodefense.

Federal Agency Biodefense Funding, FY2013-FY2014

PubMed Central

Watson, Matthew

2013-01-01

Since 2001, the United States government has spent substantial resources on preparing the nation against a bioterrorist attack. Earlier articles in this series have analyzed civilian biodefense funding by the federal government for fiscal years (FY) 2001 through proposed funding for FY2013. This article updates those figures with budgeted amounts for FY2014, specifically analyzing the budgets and allocations for biodefense at the Departments of Health and Human Services, Defense, Homeland Security, Agriculture, Commerce, Veterans Affairs, and State; the Environmental Protection Agency; and the National Science Foundation. This article also includes an updated assessment of the proportion of biodefense funding provided for programs that address multiple scientific, public health, healthcare, national security, and international security issues in addition to biodefense. The FY2014 federal budget for civilian biodefense totals $6.69 billion. Of that total, $5.86 billion (88%) is budgeted for programs that have both biodefense and nonbiodefense goals and applications, and $835 million (12%) is budgeted for programs that have objectives solely related to biodefense. PMID:23906009

People with dementia and their carers do not receive personal care budgets, claims charity.

PubMed

2016-11-30

Fewer than one third of people who receive social care support for problems with memory and cognition are also allocated cash by their local council to pay for care or support, according to the Alzheimer's Society.

Making Cities Green.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldstein, Neil B.; Engel, Jane

1981-01-01

Describes several examples of urban parks and the renewal of city open spaces. Community groups interested in getting funding from government or private sources must cope with budget restrictions by making effective, innovative use of available money. Government agencies with funds allocated for urban improvements are mentioned. (AM)

76 FR 30229 - Shipping Coordinating Committee; Notice of Committee Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-24

.... --Strategy and planning. --Organizational reforms. --Resource management. --Technical Co-operation Fund--biennial allocation to support the ITCP Programme for 2012-2013. --Results-based budget. --Voluntary IMO... FSS Code for communication equipment for fire-fighting teams. --Development of guidelines for use of...

Guidelines for the Formulation of Collection Development Policies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Library Resources and Technical, 1977

1977-01-01

Guidelines are presented for library collection development activities which include: budgeting and allocation, the formulation of collection development policies, the development of review programs to assist in the solution of space problems, and the description and evaluation of library collections. (Author/AP)

Optimizing resource allocation and patient flow: process analysis and reorganization in three chemotherapy outpatient clinics.

PubMed

Holmes, Morgan; Bodie, Kelly; Porter, Geoffrey; Sullivan, Victoria; Tarasuk, Joy; Trembley, Jodie; Trudeau, Maureen

2010-01-01

Optimizing human and physical resources is a major concern for cancer care decision-makers and practitioners. This issue is particularly acute in the context of ambulatory out patient chemotherapy clinics, especially when - as is the case almost everywhere in the industrialized world - the number of people requiring systemic therapy is increasing while budgets, staffing and physical space remain static. Recent initiatives at three hospital-based chemotherapy units - in Halifax, Toronto and Kingston - shed light on the value of process analysis and reorganization for using existing human and physical resources to their full potential, improving patient flow and enhancing patient satisfaction. The steps taken in these settings are broadly applicable to other healthcare settings and would likely result in similar benefits in those environments.

Use of business planning methods to monitor global health budgets in Turkmenistan.

PubMed Central

Ensor, T.; Amannyazova, B.

2000-01-01

After undergoing many changes, the financing of health care in countries of the former Soviet Union is now showing signs of maturing. Soon after the political transition in these countries, the development of insurance systems and fee-for-service payment systems dominated the discussions on health reform. At present there is increasing emphasis on case mix adjusted payments in larger hospitals and on global budgets in smaller district hospitals. The problem is that such systems are often mistrusted for not providing sufficient financial control. At the same time, unless further planned restructuring is introduced, payment systems cannot on their own induce the fundamental change required in the health care system. As described in this article, in Tejen etrap (district), Turkmenistan, prospective business plans, which link planned objectives and activities with financial allocations, provide a framework for setting and monitoring budget expenditure. Plans can be linked to the overall objectives of the restructuring system and can be used to ensure sound financial management. The process of business planning, which calls for a major change in the way health facilities examine their activities, can be used as a vehicle to increase awareness of management issues. It also provides a way of satisfying the requirement for a rigorous, bottom-up planning of financial resources. PMID:10994288

Resource allocation within the National AIDS Control Program of Pakistan: a qualitative assessment of decision maker's opinions.

PubMed

Husain, Sara; Kadir, Masood; Fatmi, Zafar

2007-01-23

Limited resources, whether public or private, demand prioritisation among competing needs to maximise productivity. With a substantial increase in the number of reported HIV cases, little work has been done to understand how resources have been distributed and what factors may have influenced allocation within the newly introduced Enhanced National AIDS Control Program of Pakistan. The objective of this study was to identify perceptions of decision makers about the process of resource allocation within Pakistan's Enhanced National AIDS Control Program. A qualitative study was undertaken and in-depth interviews of decision makers at provincial and federal levels responsible to allocate resources within the program were conducted. HIV was not considered a priority issue by all study participants and external funding for the program was thought to have been accepted because of poor foreign currency reserves and donor agency influence rather than local need. Political influences from the federal government and donor agencies were thought to manipulate distribution of funds within the program. These influences were thought to occur despite the existence of a well-laid out procedure to determine allocation of public resources. Lack of collaboration among departments involved in decision making, a pervasive lack of technical expertise, paucity of information and an atmosphere of ad hoc decision making were thought to reduce resistance to external pressures. Development of a unified program vision through a consultative process and advocacy is necessary to understand goals to be achieved, to enhance program ownership and develop consensus about how money and effort should be directed. Enhancing public sector expertise in planning and budgeting is essential not just for the program, but also to reduce reliance on external agencies for technical support. Strengthening available databases for effective decision making is required to make financial allocations based on real, rather than perceived needs. With a large part of HIV program funding dedicated to public-private partnerships, it becomes imperative to develop public sector capacity to administer contracts, coordinate and monitor activities of the non-governmental sector.

Resource allocation within the National AIDS Control Program of Pakistan: a qualitative assessment of decision maker's opinions

PubMed Central

Husain, Sara; Kadir, Masood; Fatmi, Zafar

2007-01-01

Background Limited resources, whether public or private, demand prioritisation among competing needs to maximise productivity. With a substantial increase in the number of reported HIV cases, little work has been done to understand how resources have been distributed and what factors may have influenced allocation within the newly introduced Enhanced National AIDS Control Program of Pakistan. The objective of this study was to identify perceptions of decision makers about the process of resource allocation within Pakistan's Enhanced National AIDS Control Program. Methods A qualitative study was undertaken and in-depth interviews of decision makers at provincial and federal levels responsible to allocate resources within the program were conducted. Results HIV was not considered a priority issue by all study participants and external funding for the program was thought to have been accepted because of poor foreign currency reserves and donor agency influence rather than local need. Political influences from the federal government and donor agencies were thought to manipulate distribution of funds within the program. These influences were thought to occur despite the existence of a well-laid out procedure to determine allocation of public resources. Lack of collaboration among departments involved in decision making, a pervasive lack of technical expertise, paucity of information and an atmosphere of ad hoc decision making were thought to reduce resistance to external pressures. Conclusion Development of a unified program vision through a consultative process and advocacy is necessary to understand goals to be achieved, to enhance program ownership and develop consensus about how money and effort should be directed. Enhancing public sector expertise in planning and budgeting is essential not just for the program, but also to reduce reliance on external agencies for technical support. Strengthening available databases for effective decision making is required to make financial allocations based on real, rather than perceived needs. With a large part of HIV program funding dedicated to public-private partnerships, it becomes imperative to develop public sector capacity to administer contracts, coordinate and monitor activities of the non-governmental sector. PMID:17244371

The trade-off between maturation and growth during accelerated development in frogs.

PubMed

Mueller, Casey A; Augustine, Starrlight; Kooijman, Sebastiaan A L M; Kearney, Michael R; Seymour, Roger S

2012-09-01

Developmental energetics are crucial to a species' life history and ecology but are poorly understood from a mechanistic perspective. Traditional energy and mass budgeting does not distinguish between costs of growth and maturation, making it difficult to account for accelerated development. We apply a metabolic theory that uniquely considers maturation costs (Dynamic Energy Budget theory, DEB) to interpret empirical data on the energetics of accelerated development in amphibians. We measured energy use until metamorphosis in two related frogs, Crinia georgiana and Pseudophryne bibronii. Mass and energy content of fresh ova were comparable between the species. However, development to metamorphosis was 1.7 times faster in C. georgiana while P. bibronii produced nine times the dry biomass at metamorphosis and had lower mass-specific oxygen requirements. DEB theory explained these patterns through differences in ontogenetic energy allocation to maturation. P. bibronii partitioned energy in the same (constant) way throughout development whereas C. georgiana increased the fraction of energy allocated to maturation over growth between hatching and the onset of feeding. DEB parameter estimation for additional, direct-developing taxa suggests that a change in energy allocation during development may result from a selective pressure to increase development rate, and not as a result of development mode. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Optimizing insecticide allocation strategies based on houses and livestock shelters for visceral leishmaniasis control in Bihar, India.

PubMed

Gorahava, Kaushik K; Rosenberger, Jay M; Mubayi, Anuj

2015-07-01

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the most deadly form of the leishmaniasis family of diseases, which affects numerous developing countries. The Indian state of Bihar has the highest prevalence and mortality rate of VL in the world. Insecticide spraying is believed to be an effective vector control program for controlling the spread of VL in Bihar; however, it is expensive and less effective if not implemented systematically. This study develops and analyzes a novel optimization model for VL control in Bihar that identifies an optimal (best possible) allocation of chosen insecticide (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane [DDT] or deltamethrin) based on the sizes of human and cattle populations in the region. The model maximizes the insecticide-induced sandfly death rate in human and cattle dwellings while staying within the current state budget for VL vector control efforts. The model results suggest that deltamethrin might not be a good replacement for DDT because the insecticide-induced sandfly deaths are 3.72 times more in case of DDT even after 90 days post spray. Different insecticide allocation strategies between the two types of sites (houses and cattle sheds) are suggested based on the state VL-control budget and have a direct implication on VL elimination efforts in a resource-limited region. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

WFIRST: Managing Telescope Wavefront Stability to Meet Coronagraph Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noecker, Martin; Poberezhskiy, Ilya; Kern, Brian; Krist, John; WFIRST System Engineering Team

2018-01-01

The WFIRST coronagraph instrument (CGI) needs a stable telescope and active wavefront control to perform coronagraph science with an expected sensitivity of 8x10-9 in the exoplanet-star flux ratio (SNR=10) at 200 milliarcseconds angular separation. With its subnanometer requirements on the stability of its input wavefront error (WFE), the CGI employs a combination of pointing and wavefront control loops and thermo-mechanical stability to meet budget allocations for beam-walk and low-order WFE, which enable stable starlight speckles on the science detector that can be removed by image subtraction. We describe the control strategy and the budget framework for estimating and budgeting the elements of wavefront stability, and the modeling strategy to evaluate it.

Hospital budget increase for information technology during phase 1 meaningful use.

PubMed

Neumeier, Harold; Berner, Eta S; Burke, Darrell E; Azuero, Andres

2015-01-01

Federal policies have a significant effect on how businesses spend money. The 2009 HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act) authorized incentive payments through Medicare and Medicaid to clinicians and hospitals when they use certified electronic health records privately and securely to achieve specified improvements in care delivery. Federal incentive payments were offered in 2011 for hospitals that had satisfied "meaningful use" criteria. A longitudinal study of nonfederal hospital information technology (IT) budgets (N = 493) during the years 2009 to 2011 found increases in the percentage of hospital annual operating budgets allocated to IT in the years leading up to these federal incentives. This increase was most pronounced among hospitals receiving high proportions of their reimbursements from Medicaid, followed by hospitals receiving high proportions of their reimbursements from Medicare, possibly indicating a budget shift during this period to more IT spending to achieve meaningful-use policy guidelines.

Cost analysis helps evaluate contract profitability.

PubMed

Sides, R W

2000-02-01

A cost-accounting analysis can help group practices assess their costs of doing business and determine the profitability of managed care contracts. Group practices also can use cost accounting to develop budgets and financial benchmarks. To begin a cost analysis, group practices need to determine their revenue and cost centers. Then they can allocate their costs to each center, using an appropriate allocation basis. The next step is to calculate costs per procedure. The results can be used to evaluate operational cost efficiency as well as help negotiate managed care contracts.

48 CFR 34.202 - Integrated Baseline Reviews.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... related performance budgets, resources, and schedules. It should provide a mutual understanding of the inherent risks in offerors'/contractors' performance plans and the underlying management control systems... objectives of the scope of work; (2) Adequacy of the time allocated for performing the defined tasks to...

The Credit Hour and Public Budgeting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wellman, Jane V.

2003-01-01

Discusses the ways the credit hour has come to be used by public funding systems in higher education. The literature review shows that the credit hour has become a barrier to innovation and a way to create systemic inequities between institutions or sectors in resource allocation. (SLD)

GPL Report: Educational R&D in a Tough Budget Year.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florio, David H.

1979-01-01

This report examines funding and activities of the National Institute of Education (NIE) to demonstrate how educational inquiry is doing in obtaining federal financial support. An overview of specific areas NIE plans to investigate if adequate funds are allocated is presented. (EB)

Highlights of the COTH (Council of Teaching Hospitals) Survey of House Staff Policy, 1973

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Journal of Medical Education, 1973

1973-01-01

The Council of Teaching Hospitals (COTH) of the Association of American Medical Colleges has surveyed its member hospitals on the following subjects: trends in stipends, benefits, budget allocations, funding sources, extra-curricular employment, and night/weekend duty. (Author/PG)

Responses to Austerity: European Experiences from Higher Education and School Improvement in the 1980s.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frey, Karl; Hameyer, Uwe

Terms such as "demographic and economic contraction,""decreasing resources,""no-growth," and "decline" indicate changes in educational resource allocations. While some experts from Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries complain about reduced education budgets, others assert…

2011 Training Industry Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Training, 2011

2011-01-01

This article presents "Training" magazine's exclusive analysis of the U.S. training industry, featuring 2011 training expenditures, budgetary allocations, delivery methods, and training priorities. Now in its 30th year, The Industry Report is recognized as the training industry's most trusted source of data on budgets, staffing, and…

7 CFR 235.6 - Use of funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS STATE ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSE FUNDS § 235.6 Use of funds. (a) Funds allocated... of Management and Budget Circular A-87. (c) In addition to State Administrative Expense funds made...

7 CFR 235.6 - Use of funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS STATE ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSE FUNDS § 235.6 Use of funds. (a) Funds allocated... of Management and Budget Circular A-87. (c) In addition to State Administrative Expense funds made...

7 CFR 235.6 - Use of funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS STATE ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSE FUNDS § 235.6 Use of funds. (a) Funds allocated... of Management and Budget Circular A-87. (c) In addition to State Administrative Expense funds made...

7 CFR 235.6 - Use of funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS STATE ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSE FUNDS § 235.6 Use of funds. (a) Funds allocated... of Management and Budget Circular A-87. (c) In addition to State Administrative Expense funds made...

7 CFR 235.6 - Use of funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS STATE ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSE FUNDS § 235.6 Use of funds. (a) Funds allocated... of Management and Budget Circular A-87. (c) In addition to State Administrative Expense funds made...

Report: Oregon Health Authority’s Prior Labor-Charging Practices Under EPA Grants Did Not Meet Requirements

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Report #16-P-0313, September 12, 2016. The Oregon Health Authority's Public Health Division practice prior to May 2014 of charging labor hours based on budget allocations resulted in more than $12 million in unsupported costs.

Managerial Accounting in Library and Information Science Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayes, Robert M.

1983-01-01

Explores meaning of managerial accounting in libraries and discusses instructional program for students of library and information science based on experience in School of Library and Information Science at University of California, Los Angeles. Management decision making (budgeting, performance evaluation, overhead, resource allocation,…

New Casemix Classification as an Alternative Method for Budget Allocation in Thai Oral Healthcare Service: A Pilot Study

PubMed Central

Wisaijohn, Thunthita; Pimkhaokham, Atiphan; Lapying, Phenkhae; Itthichaisri, Chumpot; Pannarunothai, Supasit; Igarashi, Isao; Kawabuchi, Koichi

2010-01-01

This study aimed to develop a new casemix classification system as an alternative method for the budget allocation of oral healthcare service (OHCS). Initially, the International Statistical of Diseases and Related Health Problem, 10th revision, Thai Modification (ICD-10-TM) related to OHCS was used for developing the software “Grouper”. This model was designed to allow the translation of dental procedures into eight-digit codes. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between the factors used for developing the model and the resource consumption. Furthermore, the coefficient of variance, reduction in variance, and relative weight (RW) were applied to test the validity. The results demonstrated that 1,624 OHCS classifications, according to the diagnoses and the procedures performed, showed high homogeneity within groups and heterogeneity between groups. Moreover, the RW of the OHCS could be used to predict and control the production costs. In conclusion, this new OHCS casemix classification has a potential use in a global decision making. PMID:20936134

New casemix classification as an alternative method for budget allocation in thai oral healthcare service: a pilot study.

PubMed

Wisaijohn, Thunthita; Pimkhaokham, Atiphan; Lapying, Phenkhae; Itthichaisri, Chumpot; Pannarunothai, Supasit; Igarashi, Isao; Kawabuchi, Koichi

2010-01-01

This study aimed to develop a new casemix classification system as an alternative method for the budget allocation of oral healthcare service (OHCS). Initially, the International Statistical of Diseases and Related Health Problem, 10th revision, Thai Modification (ICD-10-TM) related to OHCS was used for developing the software "Grouper". This model was designed to allow the translation of dental procedures into eight-digit codes. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between the factors used for developing the model and the resource consumption. Furthermore, the coefficient of variance, reduction in variance, and relative weight (RW) were applied to test the validity. The results demonstrated that 1,624 OHCS classifications, according to the diagnoses and the procedures performed, showed high homogeneity within groups and heterogeneity between groups. Moreover, the RW of the OHCS could be used to predict and control the production costs. In conclusion, this new OHCS casemix classification has a potential use in a global decision making.

Impact of a financial risk-sharing scheme on budget-impact estimations: a game-theoretic approach.

PubMed

Gavious, Arieh; Greenberg, Dan; Hammerman, Ariel; Segev, Ella

2014-06-01

As part of the process of updating the National List of Health Services in Israel, health plans (the 'payers') and manufacturers each provide estimates on the expected number of patients that will utilize a new drug. Currently, payers face major financial consequences when actual utilization is higher than the allocated budget. We suggest a risk-sharing model between the two stakeholders; if the actual number of patients exceeds the manufacturer's prediction, the manufacturer will reimburse the payers by a rebate rate of α from the deficit. In case of under-utilization, payers will refund the government at a rate of γ from the surplus budget. Our study objective was to identify the optimal early estimations of both 'players' prior to and after implementation of the risk-sharing scheme. Using a game-theoretic approach, in which both players' statements are considered simultaneously, we examined the impact of risk-sharing within a given range of rebate proportions, on players' early budget estimations. When increasing manufacturer's rebate α to be over 50 %, then manufacturers will announce a larger number, and health plans will announce a lower number of patients than they would without risk sharing, thus substantially decreasing the gap between their estimates. Increasing γ changes players' estimates only slightly. In reaction to applying a substantial risk-sharing rebate α on the manufacturer, both players are expected to adjust their budget estimates toward an optimal equilibrium. Increasing α is a better vehicle for reaching the desired equilibrium rather than increasing γ, as the manufacturer's rebate α substantially influences both players, whereas γ has little effect on the players behavior.

Service guidelines based on Resource Utilization Groups Version III for Home Care provide decision-making support for case managers.

PubMed

Collister, Barbara; Stein, Glenda; Katz, Deborah; DeBruyn, Joan; Andrusiw, Linda; Cloutier, Sheila

2012-01-01

Increasing costs and budget reductions combined with increasing demand from our growing, aging population support the need to ensure that the scarce resources allocated to home care clients match client needs. This article details how Integrated Home Care for the Calgary Zone of Alberta Health Services considered ethical and economic principles and used data from the Resident Assessment Instrument for Home Care (RAI-HC) and case mix indices from the Resource Utilization Groups Version III for Home Care (RUG-III/HC) to formulate service guidelines. These explicit service guidelines formalize and support individual resource allocation decisions made by case managers and provide a consistent and transparent method of allocating limited resources.

Ramsey waits: allocating public health service resources when there is rationing by waiting.

PubMed

Gravelle, Hugh; Siciliani, Luigi

2008-09-01

The optimal allocation of a public health care budget across treatments must take account of the way in which care is rationed within treatments since this will affect their marginal value. We investigate the optimal allocation rules for public health care systems where user charges are fixed and care is rationed by waiting. The optimal waiting time is higher for treatments with demands more elastic to waiting time, higher costs, lower charges, smaller marginal welfare loss from waiting by treated patients, and smaller marginal welfare losses from under-consumption of care. The results hold for a wide range of welfarist and non-welfarist objective functions and for systems in which there is also a private health care sector. They imply that allocation rules based purely on cost effectiveness ratios are suboptimal because they assume that there is no rationing within treatments.

Conservation triage or injurious neglect in endangered species recovery

PubMed Central

Gerber, Leah R.

2016-01-01

Listing endangered and threatened species under the US Endangered Species Act is presumed to offer a defense against extinction and a solution to achieve recovery of imperiled populations, but only if effective conservation action ensues after listing occurs. The amount of government funding available for species protection and recovery is one of the best predictors of successful recovery; however, government spending is both insufficient and highly disproportionate among groups of species, and there is significant discrepancy between proposed and actualized budgets across species. In light of an increasing list of imperiled species requiring evaluation and protection, an explicit approach to allocating recovery funds is urgently needed. Here I provide a formal decision-theoretic approach focusing on return on investment as an objective and a transparent mechanism to achieve the desired recovery goals. I found that less than 25% of the $1.21 billion/year needed for implementing recovery plans for 1,125 species is actually allocated to recovery. Spending in excess of the recommended recovery budget does not necessarily translate into better conservation outcomes. Rather, elimination of only the budget surplus for “costly yet futile” recovery plans can provide sufficient funding to erase funding deficits for more than 180 species. Triage by budget compression provides better funding for a larger sample of species, and a larger sample of adequately funded recovery plans should produce better outcomes even if by chance. Sharpening our focus on deliberate decision making offers the potential to achieve desired outcomes in avoiding extinction for Endangered Species Act-listed species. PMID:26976572

How to (or not to) … measure performance against the Abuja target for public health expenditure.

PubMed

Witter, Sophie; Jones, Alex; Ensor, Tim

2014-07-01

In 2001, African heads of state committed 'to set a target of allocating at least 15% of our annual budget to the improvement of the health sector'. This target has since been used as a benchmark to hold governments accountable. However, it was never followed by a set of guidelines as to how it should be measured in practice. This article sets out some of the areas of ambiguity and argues for an interpretation which focuses on actual expenditure, rather than budgets (which are theoretical), and which captures areas of spending that are subject to government discretion. These are largely domestic sources, but include budget support, which is externally derived but subject to Ministry of Finance sectoral allocation. Theoretical and practical arguments in favour of this recommendation are recommended using a case study from Sierra Leone. It is recommended that all discretionary spending by government is included in the numerator and denominator when calculating performance against the target, including spending by all ministries on health, social health insurance payments, debt relief funds and budget support. Conversely, all forms of private payment and earmarked aid should be excluded. The authors argue that the target, while an important vehicle for tracking political commitment to the sector, should be assessed intelligently by governments, which have legitimate wider public finance objectives of maximizing overall social returns, and should be complemented by a wider range of indicators, to avoid distortions. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine © The Author 2013; all rights reserved.

Successfully Adapting to Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baird, James R.

1989-01-01

Describes methods used to successfully adapt to reductions in budget allocations in the University of Utah's Instructional Media Services Department. Three main areas of concern are addressed: morale and staff development; adapting to change in the areas of funding, control, media priorities, and technology; and planning for the future. (LRW)

Tight Budgets and Changing Educational Needs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

OECD Observer, 1984

1984-01-01

Indicates that with fluctuating and falling school populations combined with public expenditure cuts, educational authorities must be more flexible in their allocation of funds. Data on enrollment trends and birth rates, and recommendations related to pre-primary, compulsory, upper secondary, and higher education (and training outside the formal…

The Fund-Raising Role.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Radock, Michael

1980-01-01

The college trustees' responsibility for fund-raising is outlined. Trustees are responsible for policy decisions that define the mission of the institution, that allocate development priorities to particular programs, or goals of the institution, and that provide the budget, the impetus, and the targets for a fund-raising campaign. Although…

76 FR 32217 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-03

... for an indepth understanding of individuals' attitudes, beliefs, motivations, and feelings. The... develop messages and other communications but will generally conduct further research before making important decisions, such as adopting new policies and allocating or redirecting significant resources to...

Preparing Principals for Resource Allocation Decisions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Trudy; Sparkman, William E.

1990-01-01

Although school administrators lead one of the most important and largest national enterprises, the opportunities and incentives for acquiring the necessary leadership skills are limited. Courses in school finance are usually fairly general and seldom touch on school-site budget issues or identify which resources actually contribute to desired…

Estimation of dynamic energy budget parameters for the Mediterranean toothcarp (Aphanius fasciatus)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rinaldi, A.; Montalto, V.; Lika, K.; Sanfilippo, M.; Manganaro, A.; Sarà, G.

2014-11-01

Organisms adopt different sets of physiological, behavioural and morphological trade-offs in order to cope with natural environmental fluctuations. This has consequential rebounds on ecological processes and population dynamics. Such aspects become crucial for sex-dimorphic species, where sex-specific growth variation could mirror different tactics both in energy acquisition and investment between maximum female and male body size with cascading effects on population demography. To date, different approaches have been used in order to understand the causes of individual growth rate changes in ectotherm indeterminate growers, most of which failed. Here, we propose the use of a mechanistic model based on the Dynamic Energy Budget theory (DEB; Koojiman, 2010) to investigate potential differences in energy allocation strategies adopted by individuals of different genders with the Mediterranean toothcarp Aphanius fasciatus (Valenciennes, 1821) as the model species. We collected literature and field data in order to study differences in energy allocation strategies between females and males of the same species by generating projections of possible growth performances: (1) throughout their entire life span and (2) under a context of varying functional responses. Generally, the present exercise of simulations returned different patterns of growth performance among females and males of A. fasciatus, with the former being able to better optimize energetic trade-offs under optimal environmental conditions. The present DEB parameterization exercise represents an essential step towards developing a mechanistic approach to depict metabolic strategies, which are at the base of observed sexual differences, and how such differences may impair ultimate fitness at individual and, therefore, population levels.

Use of artificial neural networks in applying methodology for allocating health resources.

PubMed

Rosas, Marina Araújo; Bezerra, Adriana Falangola Benjamin; Duarte-Neto, Paulo José

2013-02-01

To describe the construction of a factor of allocation of financial resources, based on the population's health needs. Quantitative study with data collected from public databases referring to the state of Pernambuco, Northeastern Brazil, between 2000 and 2010. Variables which reflected epidemiological, demographic, socio-economic and educational processes were selected in order to create a factor of allocation which highlighted the health needs of the population. The data sources were: SUS (Brazilian Unified Health System) Department of Computer Science, Atlas of Human Development in Brazil, IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), Information System on Public Health Budgets, National Treasury and data from the Pernambuco Health Secretariat between 2000 and 2010. Pearson's coefficient was used to assess linear correlation and the factor of allocation was calculated using analysis by artificial neural networks. The quartiles of the municipalities were defined according to their health needs. The distribution shown here highlights that all the coastal region, a good part of the Mata Norte and Mata Sul regions and the Agreste Setentrional and Agreste Central regions are in Quartile 1, that which has the largest number of municipalities. The Agreste Meridional region had municipalities in all of the quartiles. In the Pajeú/Moxotó region, many of the municipalities were in Quartile 1. Similar distribution was verified in the Sertão Central region. In the Araripe region, the majority of the municipalities were in Quartiles 3 or 4 and the São Francisco region was divided between Quartiles 1, 2 and 3. The factor of allocation grouped together municipalities of Pernambuco according to variables related to public health needs and separated those with extreme needs, requiring greater financial support, from those with lesser needs.

The influence of power and actor relations on priority setting and resource allocation practices at the hospital level in Kenya: a case study.

PubMed

Barasa, Edwine W; Cleary, Susan; English, Mike; Molyneux, Sassy

2016-09-30

Priority setting and resource allocation in healthcare organizations often involves the balancing of competing interests and values in the context of hierarchical and politically complex settings with multiple interacting actor relationships. Despite this, few studies have examined the influence of actor and power dynamics on priority setting practices in healthcare organizations. This paper examines the influence of power relations among different actors on the implementation of priority setting and resource allocation processes in public hospitals in Kenya. We used a qualitative case study approach to examine priority setting and resource allocation practices in two public hospitals in coastal Kenya. We collected data by a combination of in-depth interviews of national level policy makers, hospital managers, and frontline practitioners in the case study hospitals (n = 72), review of documents such as hospital plans and budgets, minutes of meetings and accounting records, and non-participant observations in case study hospitals over a period of 7 months. We applied a combination of two frameworks, Norman Long's actor interface analysis and VeneKlasen and Miller's expressions of power framework to examine and interpret our findings RESULTS: The interactions of actors in the case study hospitals resulted in socially constructed interfaces between: 1) senior managers and middle level managers 2) non-clinical managers and clinicians, and 3) hospital managers and the community. Power imbalances resulted in the exclusion of middle level managers (in one of the hospitals) and clinicians and the community (in both hospitals) from decision making processes. This resulted in, amongst others, perceptions of unfairness, and reduced motivation in hospital staff. It also puts to question the legitimacy of priority setting processes in these hospitals. Designing hospital decision making structures to strengthen participation and inclusion of relevant stakeholders could improve priority setting practices. This should however, be accompanied by measures to empower stakeholders to contribute to decision making. Strengthening soft leadership skills of hospital managers could also contribute to managing the power dynamics among actors in hospital priority setting processes.

Early‐Stage Capital Cost Estimation of Biorefinery Processes: A Comparative Study of Heuristic Techniques

PubMed Central

Couturier, Jean‐Luc; Kokossis, Antonis; Dubois, Jean‐Luc

2016-01-01

Abstract Biorefineries offer a promising alternative to fossil‐based processing industries and have undergone rapid development in recent years. Limited financial resources and stringent company budgets necessitate quick capital estimation of pioneering biorefinery projects at the early stages of their conception to screen process alternatives, decide on project viability, and allocate resources to the most promising cases. Biorefineries are capital‐intensive projects that involve state‐of‐the‐art technologies for which there is no prior experience or sufficient historical data. This work reviews existing rapid cost estimation practices, which can be used by researchers with no previous cost estimating experience. It also comprises a comparative study of six cost methods on three well‐documented biorefinery processes to evaluate their accuracy and precision. The results illustrate discrepancies among the methods because their extrapolation on biorefinery data often violates inherent assumptions. This study recommends the most appropriate rapid cost methods and urges the development of an improved early‐stage capital cost estimation tool suitable for biorefinery processes. PMID:27484398

Optimal investment in a portfolio of HIV prevention programs.

PubMed

Zaric, G S; Brandeau, M L

2001-01-01

In this article, the authors determine the optimal allocation of HIV prevention funds and investigate the impact of different allocation methods on health outcomes. The authors present a resource allocation model that can be used to determine the allocation of HIV prevention funds that maximizes quality-adjusted life years (or life years) gained or HIV infections averted in a population over a specified time horizon. They apply the model to determine the allocation of a limited budget among 3 types of HIV prevention programs in a population of injection drug users and nonusers: needle exchange programs, methadone maintenance treatment, and condom availability programs. For each prevention program, the authors estimate a production function that relates the amount invested to the associated change in risky behavior. The authors determine the optimal allocation of funds for both objective functions for a high-prevalence population and a low-prevalence population. They also consider the allocation of funds under several common rules of thumb that are used to allocate HIV prevention resources. It is shown that simpler allocation methods (e.g., allocation based on HIV incidence or notions of equity among population groups) may lead to alloctions that do not yield the maximum health benefit. The optimal allocation of HIV prevention funds in a population depends on HIV prevalence and incidence, the objective function, the production functions for the prevention programs, and other factors. Consideration of cost, equity, and social and political norms may be important when allocating HIV prevention funds. The model presented in this article can help decision makers determine the health consequences of different allocations of funds.

Program Evaluation Report: Educational Marketing Program, July 1, 1979 to February 12, 1980.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallace, Steven

The budget, purposes, staffing, and outcomes of Chaffey Community College's Educational Marketing Program (EMP) are summarized in this report. The paper first delineates EMP allocations for salaries, benefits, supplies, contracted services, and capital outlay. Major program objectives are then outlined: to enhance Chaffey's image, to increase…

Expanding Gerontology Enrollments: Successful Results of an Innovative Outreach Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds, Sandra L.; Haley, William E.; Hyer, Kathryn

2007-01-01

As state budget allocations for higher education decrease, "specialty" programs such as gerontology must continually demonstrate their productivity. State and private universities increasingly rely on student credit hours (SCH) or tuition generated, which is making it difficult for many gerontology programs to expand. The School of Aging Studies…

Adaptive Logistics Support for Combat

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-09-01

parts allocation within budget constraints, or for achieving required operational availability with minimum Cost are described. Accession For NTIS GRA&I...is, then max (AC + Ss7 )- a#,(.Q(T’) I St ci Si: B (5.5) Si 0 51 VI. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS In this thesis several mathematical models for

Seizing the Moment for Transformation: California's Local Control Funding Formula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miles, Karen Hawley; Feinberg, Randi

2014-01-01

In 2013 California adopted a new funding formula that includes a significant reinvestment in public education after years of budget cuts. The new law allocates funds differently, directing more resources to students with higher needs and providing more local control and greater transparency. This revolutionary change presents California districts…

Ace Project as a Project Management Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cline, Melinda; Guynes, Carl S.; Simard, Karine

2010-01-01

The primary challenge of project management is to achieve the project goals and objectives while adhering to project constraints--usually scope, quality, time and budget. The secondary challenge is to optimize the allocation and integration of resources necessary to meet pre-defined objectives. Project management software provides an active…

Mental health: everyone's business.

PubMed

Dragon, Natalie

2010-06-01

Mental health is everyone's business the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses and the Wesley Mission affirmed last month. In the midst of a burgeoning demand for mental health services, the lack of funds allocated to mental health as part of a $7.3 billion health package in the federal budget does not add up.

Library Collections Development and Maintenance Policies and Procedures Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tubesing, Richard

This manual for the College of the Southwest (New Mexico) library delineates collection development policies and procedures for library and teaching faculty. The first section deals with collection development and maintenance responsibilities: knowledge of the collection; knowledge of college and course needs; library materials budget allocations;…

Colorado Handbook for State-Funded Student Assistance Programs. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colorado Commission on Higher Education, Denver.

Policies and procedures established by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education for the use of state-funded student assistance are presented. Annual budget ranges, sample forms, and instructions are included. In addition to providing definitions and general policy information, the guidelines cover fund application and allocation; accounting,…

Organization and Procedures for Funding Higher Education in the Federal Republic of Germany.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karpen, Ulrich

1985-01-01

The system for financing higher education in West Germany is outlined, including the principles, organization, and procedures for resource allocation, state and university responsibilities, institutional governance and the roles of individuals and groups at various levels of governance, and institutional procedures for budgeting and auditing. (MSE)

The economic dimension of wildland fires

Treesearch

Armando Gonzalez-Caban

2013-01-01

The economic relevance of wildland fire management and protection programs is ever growing, particularly considering mounting wildfire costs and losses globally, and the justifications required for budget allocations to management and protection of forest ecosystems. However, there are major difficulties in grappling with the problem of rapidly increasing wildland fire...

What Influences Spending on Education? Education Indicators in Focus. No. 46

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

OECD Publishing, 2016

2016-01-01

The challenge of providing more and better education with tightening public budgets has made governments increasingly interested in the efficient allocation of education resources. Results from the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) show that, among countries with a comparatively high gross domestic product (GDP) per…

State Education Finance and Governance Profile: Alabama

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Key, Logan

2010-01-01

This article presents the state education finance and governance profile of Alabama. The state is home to 1,538 public schools distributed across 67 county school systems and 64 city school systems. State spending is allocated via two separate budgets, "the general fund" for all noneducation related expenditures and the Education Trust…

The Mystique of University Endowments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kemeny, John G.

1983-01-01

Whether a university has a "balanced budget" is influenced by board decisions on investment, endowment utilization, and allocation of unrestricted gifts. One can only hope to protect endowment against inflation under economic conditions that make it possible to achieve a total return rate significantly higher than the rate of inflation.…

Multiple Criteria Decision-Making Techniques in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, William; Dey, Prasanta K.; Higson, Helen E.

2006-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review the literature which focuses on four major higher education decision problems. These are: resource allocation; performance measurement; budgeting; and scheduling. Design/methodology/approach: Related articles appearing in the international journals from 1996 to 2005 are gathered and analyzed so that…

7 CFR 1485.15 - Activity plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... participant shall develop a specific activity plan(s) based on its strategic plan and the allocation approval... any changes in strategy from the strategic plan; (iii) A budget for each proposed activity, identifying the source of funds; (iv) Specific goals and benchmarks to be used to measure the effectiveness of...

USING ECONOMIC ANALYSIS TO VALUE WATER REMEDIATION: AN APPLICATION TO THE CHEAT RIVER WATERSHED IN WEST VIRGINIA

EPA Science Inventory

Inherent in any decision to allocate resources is the constraint imposed by a limited budget. In small communities, particularly in rural areas, this often means stark tradeoffs among major public projects (schools, roads, water treatment). When dealing with management options ...

Bayesian Decision Theory Guiding Educational Decision-Making: Theories, Models and Application

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pan, Yilin

2016-01-01

Given the importance of education and the growing public demand for improving education quality under tight budget constraints, there has been an emerging movement to call for research-informed decisions in educational resource allocation. Despite the abundance of rigorous studies on the effectiveness, cost, and implementation of educational…

Improving Affordability of Higher Education through Buying Consortia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Isaak, Larry A.; Trembath, Robert J.; Sebesta, James

2009-01-01

Many public and private higher education institutions continue to experience flat or reduced state budget allocations, coupled with tuition and fees that continue to exceed inflation. Finding proactive and innovative approaches to reduce costs without sacrificing quality of instruction and service is truly the challenge facing facility and…

48 CFR 9904.410 - Allocation of business unit general and administrative expenses to final cost objectives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... unit general and administrative expenses to final cost objectives. 9904.410 Section 9904.410 Federal Acquisition Regulations System COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD, OFFICE OF FEDERAL PROCUREMENT POLICY, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET PROCUREMENT PRACTICES AND COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS COST ACCOUNTING...

76 FR 6802 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-08

... they allow for a more indepth understanding of consumers' attitudes, beliefs, motivations, and feelings... test and refine their ideas but will generally conduct further research before making important decisions, such as adopting new policies and allocating or redirecting significant resources to support...

IT Metrics and Money: One Approach to Public Accountability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daigle, Stephen L.

2004-01-01

Performance measurement can be a difficult political as well as technical challenge for educational institutions at all levels. Performance-based budgeting can raise the stakes still higher by linking resource allocation to a public "report card." The 23-campus system of the California State University (CSU) accepted each of these…

Funding Survey. SY 89/90.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Townsend, Catherine M.

This two-part report presents the results of a budget and funding sources survey of South Carolina library media center programs. In Part 1, survey results are presented for demographic information, staffing information, funding sources, funding amounts from specific sources, allocation of resources, and categories of expenditures. In Part 2, the…

Association of Perceived Interest Major Fit and Objective Interest Major Fit with Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vahidi, Naghmeh; Roslan, Samsilah; Abdullah, Maria Chong; Omar, Zoharah

2016-01-01

Recently, despite the high budget allocating for education in Malaysia, the educational performance among students is low (Blueprint, 2013). Pascarella and Terenzini (2005; 1991) have identified four theories and models that affect students' learning: (a) psychosocial, (b) cognitive-structural, (c) typological, and (d) person-environment…

FY 1992 Budget committed to R&D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bush, Susan

President's Bush's Fiscal Year 1992 budget for research and development is clear proof of his commitment to R&D as a long-term investment for the next American century, according to D. Allan Bromley, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy. The FY 92 budget proposes to allocate $75.6 billion for research and development, an increase of $8.4billion, or 13% over the amount appropriated for FY 91. Calling it a “good budget,” Bromley revealed the specifics of research and development in the President's budget on February 4.Bromley believes that as a nation we are underinvesting in research and development,but sees the 1992 budget increases as concrete steps to address this problem. The newly organized and revitalized Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology (FCCSET)—an interagency forum of Cabinet secretaries, deputy secretaries, and the heads of independent agencies that reviews, coordinates, and helps implement federal science and technology policy-named three high-priority cross—cutting areas of R&D and organized special interagency programs in these areas. The areas are high-performance computing and communications, global change, and mathematics and science education.

A preliminary study of the Soviet civil space program. Volume 1: Organization and Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newton, Elizabeth K.

1990-01-01

The organization, planning, and personnel is focused of Soviet space, advantage is taken of glasnost and improved foreign relations to explore a hitherto obscure subject. The way in which the civil space program obtains approval and funding is altered. Missions must be approved before the Supreme Soviet, and public opinion is beginning to play a greater role in the legislature's budget decision. The Soviet civil space program remains a collection of disparate elements, not unified by any national, centralized space agency. An attempt was made to catalog and delineate the relationships between the components proves helpful. There is little or no coordination of independent associations' efforts, and the planning process relied on previously to set priorities and allocate resources appears to be currently inoperative or in a state of flux. The civil space program is moving in new directions: toward budget tautness, more international interactions, an emphasis on civilian over military applications, commercialization, and fiscal accountability. This study is a snapshot of a dynamic subject, but hopefully on which has highlighted the critical elements to track.

Combinatorial Optimization in Project Selection Using Genetic Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewi, Sari; Sawaluddin

2018-01-01

This paper discusses the problem of project selection in the presence of two objective functions that maximize profit and minimize cost and the existence of some limitations is limited resources availability and time available so that there is need allocation of resources in each project. These resources are human resources, machine resources, raw material resources. This is treated as a consideration to not exceed the budget that has been determined. So that can be formulated mathematics for objective function (multi-objective) with boundaries that fulfilled. To assist the project selection process, a multi-objective combinatorial optimization approach is used to obtain an optimal solution for the selection of the right project. It then described a multi-objective method of genetic algorithm as one method of multi-objective combinatorial optimization approach to simplify the project selection process in a large scope.

Prioritization of Stockpile Maintenance with Layered Pareto Fronts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burke, Sarah E.; Anderson-Cook, Christine M.; Lu, Lu

Difficult choices are required for a decision-making process where resources and budgets are increasingly constrained. This study demonstrates a structured decision-making approach using layered Pareto fronts to identify priorities about how to allocate funds between munitions stockpiles based on their estimated reliability, the urgency of needing available units, and the consequences if adequate numbers of units are not available. This case study, while specific to the characteristics of a group of munitions stockpiles, illustrates the general process of structured decision-making based on first identifying appropriate metrics that summarize the important dimensions of the decision, and then objectively eliminating non-contenders frommore » further consideration. Finally, the final subjective stage incorporates user priorities to select the four stockpiles to receive additional maintenance and surveillance funds based on understanding the trade-offs and robustness to various user priorities.« less

Financial and materiel management.

PubMed

Willock, M; Motley, C

1998-01-01

Hospitals have to purchase new technology, update equipment, and replenish supplies continually to meet the needs of patients and the medical and nursing staff in a sound financial way. Thus, inventories must be maintained accurately and adequately with proper controls. Awareness of the cost of capital and operational supplies is essential to meeting budget allocations. With or without centralized buying, the MM department has the expertise to assist every department in purchasing to meet its needs and in setting and resetting inventory levels for its supplies. Explanations and formulas for handling capital equipment and regular supplies and some formats have been presented to facilitate the process. Because OR items are both expensive and numerous and OR storage space the most costly space in the hospital, physicians and nurse managers must understand the financial processes and inventory management and educate their staffs in these matters.

Prioritization of Stockpile Maintenance with Layered Pareto Fronts

DOE PAGES

Burke, Sarah E.; Anderson-Cook, Christine M.; Lu, Lu; ...

2017-10-11

Difficult choices are required for a decision-making process where resources and budgets are increasingly constrained. This study demonstrates a structured decision-making approach using layered Pareto fronts to identify priorities about how to allocate funds between munitions stockpiles based on their estimated reliability, the urgency of needing available units, and the consequences if adequate numbers of units are not available. This case study, while specific to the characteristics of a group of munitions stockpiles, illustrates the general process of structured decision-making based on first identifying appropriate metrics that summarize the important dimensions of the decision, and then objectively eliminating non-contenders frommore » further consideration. Finally, the final subjective stage incorporates user priorities to select the four stockpiles to receive additional maintenance and surveillance funds based on understanding the trade-offs and robustness to various user priorities.« less

Science minister unveils reforms to facilities council

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banks, Michael

2010-04-01

The UK's science minister Lord Dray son has announced a series of measures to prevent the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) from being dogged by further financial crises. They include a plan for the STFC's budget for large facilities, such as the Diamond synchrotron and the ISIS neutron-scattering lab, to be allocated and managed separately from its budget for grants. Drayson was forced to review the STFC after the council announced last December that the UK would have to pull out of 25 international science projects because of a £40m shortfall in funding.

8-PSK Signaling over non-linear satellite channels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horan, Sheila B.; Caballero, Ruben B. Eng.

1996-01-01

Space agencies are under pressure to utilize better bandwidth-efficient communication methods due to the actual allocated frequency bands becoming more congested. Also budget reductions is another problem that the space agencies must deal with. This budget constraint results in simpler spacecraft carrying less communication capabilities and also the reduction in staff to capture data in the earth stations. It is then imperative that the most bandwidth efficient communication methods be utilized. This thesis presents a study of 8-ary Phase Shift Keying (8PSK) modulation with respect to bandwidth, power efficiency, spurious emissions and interference susceptibility over a non-linear satellite channel.

Quantitative analysis of investment allocation over various resources of health care systems by using views of product lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tai, Guangfu; Williams, Peter

2013-11-01

Hospitals can be viewed as service enterprises, of which the primary function is to provide specific sets of diagnostic and therapeutic medical services to individual patients. Each patient has certain diagnosis and therapeutic attributes in common with some other patients. Thus, patients with similar medical attributes could be 'processed' in one 'product line' of medical services, and individual treatments for patients within one 'product line' can be regarded as incurring identical consumption of health care resources. This article presents a theoretical framing for resource planning and investment allocation of various resources from a macro perspective of costs that demonstrates the need to plan capacity at the disaggregated resource level. The result of a balanced line ('optimal') is compared with an alternative scheme of 'the same ratio composing of resources' under the same monetary constraints. Thus, it is demonstrated that planning at the disaggregated level affords much better use of resources than achieved in common practice of budget control by simple percentage increase/decrease in distributing a financial vote.

Pollinators' mating rendezvous and the evolution of floral advertisement.

PubMed

Fishman, Michael A; Hadany, Lilach

2013-01-07

Successful cross-fertilization in plant species that rely on animal pollinators depends not just on the number of pollinator visits, but also on these visits' duration. Furthermore, in non-deceptive pollination, a visit's duration depends on the magnitude of the reward provided to the pollinator. Accordingly, plants that rely on biotic pollination have to partition their investment in cross-fertilization assurance between attracting pollinator visits - advertisement, and rewarding visitors to assure that the visit is of productive duration. Here we analyze these processes by a combination of optimality methods and game theoretical modeling. Our results indicate that the optimality in such allocation of resources depends on the types of reward offered to the pollinators. More precisely, we show that plants that offer both food reward and mating rendezvous to pollinators will evolve to allocate a higher proportion of their cross-fertilization assurance budget to advertisement than plants that offer only food reward. That is, our results indicate that pollinators' mating habits may play a role in floral evolution. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optimal environmental management strategy and implementation for groundwater contamination prevention and restoration.

PubMed

Wang, Mingyu

2006-04-01

An innovative management strategy is proposed for optimized and integrated environmental management for regional or national groundwater contamination prevention and restoration allied with consideration of sustainable development. This management strategy accounts for availability of limited resources, human health and ecological risks from groundwater contamination, costs for groundwater protection measures, beneficial uses and values from groundwater protection, and sustainable development. Six different categories of costs are identified with regard to groundwater prevention and restoration. In addition, different environmental impacts from groundwater contamination including human health and ecological risks are individually taken into account. System optimization principles are implemented to accomplish decision-makings on the optimal resources allocations of the available resources or budgets to different existing contaminated sites and projected contamination sites for a maximal risk reduction. Established management constraints such as budget limitations under different categories of costs are satisfied at the optimal solution. A stepwise optimization process is proposed in which the first step is to select optimally a limited number of sites where remediation or prevention measures will be taken, from all the existing contaminated and projected contamination sites, based on a total regionally or nationally available budget in a certain time frame such as 10 years. Then, several optimization steps determined year-by-year optimal distributions of the available yearly budgets for those selected sites. A hypothetical case study is presented to demonstrate a practical implementation of the management strategy. Several issues pertaining to groundwater contamination exposure and risk assessments and remediation cost evaluations are briefly discussed for adequately understanding implementations of the management strategy.

FOREST-BGC, A general model of forest ecosystem processes for regional applications. II. Dynamic carbon allocation and nitrogen budgets.

PubMed

Running, Steven W.; Gower, Stith T.

1991-01-01

A new version of the ecosystem process model FOREST-BGC is presented that uses stand water and nitrogen limitations to alter the leaf/root/stem carbon allocation fraction dynamically at each annual iteration. Water deficit is defined by integrating a daily soil water deficit fraction annually. Current nitrogen limitation is defined relative to a hypothetical optimum foliar N pool, computed as maximum leaf area index multiplied by maximum leaf nitrogen concentration. Decreasing availability of water or nitrogen, or both, reduces the leaf/root carbon partitioning ratio. Leaf and root N concentrations, and maximum leaf photosynthetic capacity are also redefined annually as functions of nitrogen availability. Test simulations for hypothetical coniferous forests were performed for Madison, WI and Missoula, MT, and showed simulated leaf area index ranging from 4.5 for a control stand at Missoula, to 11 for a fertilized stand at Madison, with Year 50 stem carbon biomasses of 31 and 128 Mg ha(-1), respectively. Total nitrogen incorporated into new tissue ranged from 34 kg ha(-1) year(-1) for the unfertilized Missoula stand, to 109 kg ha(-1) year(-1) for the fertilized Madison stand. The model successfully showed dynamic annual carbon partitioning controlled by water and nitrogen limitations.

Guns or butter, family planning or widgets?

PubMed

Hirshbein, N

1992-02-01

In January 1992 Congress returned from its Christmas recess to begin wrestling with the upcoming year's federal budget. The Budget Enforcement Act places absolute limits on the amounts Congress can appropriate for domestic programs, international assistance, and defense spending. Unless the president declares an emergency, Congress has no flexibility to adjust the $293 billion defense allocation in favor of domestic or international assistance. For the next few years, spending for the military would account for about 55% of all discretionary spending. The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations subcommittee has a predetermined slice of the $222 billion domestic allocation. The subcommittee must then decide how to subdivide its slice among employment programs, education assistance, and health care, which includes domestic family planning programs. Similarly, the foreign operations subcommittee slices up a small $20 billion for international assistance. Some will go for economic aid, some for development assistance, including international family planning programs. And, about 30% of the international aid budget will go to military assistance to foreign governments. The massive shifts on the international scene and an uncertain domestic economy are forcing a reconsideration of this iron-clad budget agreement. Consequently, efforts to nullify the budget agreement are underway. Over 100 organizations and church groups have formed a coalition calling on Congress and the administration to reorder fiscal priorities so that resources can be redirected toward worthwhile domestic and international programs. Worldwide, the demand for contraceptive services is increasing, yet the US spends only about $300 million for population assistance per year, about the same as it was 20 years ago. But policy makers are finally beginning to understand that the costs of Title X, international family planning, and providing quality family planning services are far less than the long-term costs of caring for ill infants, abused children, or women suffering from the health effects of multiple pregnancies.

How to Assess the Value of Medicines?

PubMed Central

Simoens, Steven

2010-01-01

This study aims to discuss approaches to assessing the value of medicines. Economic evaluation assesses value by means of the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Health is maximized by selecting medicines with increasing ICERs until the budget is exhausted. The budget size determines the value of the threshold ICER and vice versa. Alternatively, the threshold value can be inferred from pricing/reimbursement decisions, although such values vary between countries. Threshold values derived from the value-of-life literature depend on the technique used. The World Health Organization has proposed a threshold value tied to the national GDP. As decision makers may wish to consider multiple criteria, variable threshold values and weighted ICERs have been suggested. Other approaches (i.e., replacement approach, program budgeting and marginal analysis) have focused on improving resource allocation, rather than maximizing health subject to a budget constraint. Alternatively, the generalized optimization framework and multi-criteria decision analysis make it possible to consider other criteria in addition to value. PMID:21607066

How to assess the value of medicines?

PubMed

Simoens, Steven

2010-01-01

This study aims to discuss approaches to assessing the value of medicines. Economic evaluation assesses value by means of the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Health is maximized by selecting medicines with increasing ICERs until the budget is exhausted. The budget size determines the value of the threshold ICER and vice versa. Alternatively, the threshold value can be inferred from pricing/reimbursement decisions, although such values vary between countries. Threshold values derived from the value-of-life literature depend on the technique used. The World Health Organization has proposed a threshold value tied to the national GDP. As decision makers may wish to consider multiple criteria, variable threshold values and weighted ICERs have been suggested. Other approaches (i.e., replacement approach, program budgeting and marginal analysis) have focused on improving resource allocation, rather than maximizing health subject to a budget constraint. Alternatively, the generalized optimization framework and multi-criteria decision analysis make it possible to consider other criteria in addition to value.

PERSONAL HEALTH BUDGETS IN ENGLAND: MOOD MUSIC OR DEATH KNELL FOR THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE?

PubMed

Scott-Samuel, Alex

2015-01-01

Personal health budgets in England are National Health Service (NHS) funds that can be allocated to certain groups of patients to allow them, together with their NHS support staff, to purchase services or equipment that they believe will enhance their health and well-being. Some see this as a welcome personalization of health care that increases people's control over their health. However, personal health budgets are being introduced at a time when rapid privatization of the English NHS is taking place and when restrictions are being placed on people's access to health care. As a result, many view their introduction as a diversionary gimmick designed to help pave the way for the conversion of the NHS into the insurance-based system, which many believe is the intention of the U.K. government. This article describes the research and policy context in which this controversial intervention is being introduced and presents recent expert debate between proponents and opponents of personal health budgets, from e-mail discussion lists.

A budget model to determine the financial health of nursing education programs in academic institutions.

PubMed

Donnelly, Gloria

2005-01-01

In the allocation of resources in academic settings, hierarchies of tradition and status often supersede documented need. Nursing programs sometimes have difficulty in getting what they need to maintain quality programs and to grow. The budget is the crucial tool in documenting nursing program needs and its contributions to the entire academic enterprise. Most nursing programs administrators see only an operating expense budget that may grow or shrink by a rubric that may not fit the reality of the situation. A budget is a quantitative expression of how well a unit is managed. Educational administrators should be paying as much attention to analyzing financial outcomes as they do curricular outcomes. This article describes the development of a model for tracking revenue and expense and a simple rubric for analyzing the relationship between the two. It also discusses how to use financial data to improve the fiscal performance of nursing units and to leverage support during times of growth.

Estimates of carbon allocation to ectomycorrhizal fungi in a temperate forest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ouimette, A.; Ollinger, S. V.; Vadeboncoeur, M. A.; Hobbie, E. A.

2012-12-01

The capacity of temperate and boreal forests to grow and sequester carbon (C) is limited by the amount of available nitrogen (N) in soils. While the importance of N to carbon storage is well known, we lack a thorough understanding of the mechanisms of N acquisition and the belowground carbon investment required for trees to compete for N. Resolving these uncertainties is critical for predicting future carbon budgets, given expected changes in climate, N deposition, atmospheric CO2, and tree species distribution. Some of the greatest uncertainties surrounding belowground C-N interactions involve the symbiotic fungi that serve as an interface between trees and various forms of N they acquire. Nearly all temperate and boreal forest trees have associations with one of two types of fungi: ectomycorrhizal (ECM) or arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. Both types of fungi provide trees with soil nitrogen and other nutrients necessary for growth and in return receive carbon (sugars) from trees. Understanding the differences between these fungal groups is important because they differ dramatically in their carbon requirements and in their ability to access different forms of N. ECM fungi have higher carbon demand, more extensive hyphae (fungal roots), and much stronger capabilities to break down soil organic matter than AM fungi. Despite their importance in the terrestrial C cycle, mycorrhizal fungi are distinctly absent from forest ecosystem C and N models, primarily due to a lack of quantitative data on carbon allocation to mycorrhizal fungi in forests. Quantifying carbon allocation to mycorrhizal fungi is inherently difficult given their small (microscopic) size and lack of specific quantitative biomarkers. Here we present simple measurements that make use of natural abundance N stable isotope data (δ15N) of plant and soil pools, as well as forest C and N budget data, to provide estimates of C allocation to ECM fungi across temperate forest stands with a range of soil N availabilities and species composition. Results show that the fraction of NPP allocated to ECM fungi is related to soil N availability and tree functional type (coniferous vs. broadleaf). These estimates of C allocation will help parameterize ecosystem models to specifically include ECM fungi.

Optima Nutrition: an allocative efficiency tool to reduce childhood stunting by better targeting of nutrition-related interventions.

PubMed

Pearson, Ruth; Killedar, Madhura; Petravic, Janka; Kakietek, Jakub J; Scott, Nick; Grantham, Kelsey L; Stuart, Robyn M; Kedziora, David J; Kerr, Cliff C; Skordis-Worrall, Jolene; Shekar, Meera; Wilson, David P

2018-03-20

Child stunting due to chronic malnutrition is a major problem in low- and middle-income countries due, in part, to inadequate nutrition-related practices and insufficient access to services. Limited budgets for nutritional interventions mean that available resources must be targeted in the most cost-effective manner to have the greatest impact. Quantitative tools can help guide budget allocation decisions. The Optima approach is an established framework to conduct resource allocation optimization analyses. We applied this approach to develop a new tool, 'Optima Nutrition', for conducting allocative efficiency analyses that address childhood stunting. At the core of the Optima approach is an epidemiological model for assessing the burden of disease; we use an adapted version of the Lives Saved Tool (LiST). Six nutritional interventions have been included in the first release of the tool: antenatal micronutrient supplementation, balanced energy-protein supplementation, exclusive breastfeeding promotion, promotion of improved infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices, public provision of complementary foods, and vitamin A supplementation. To demonstrate the use of this tool, we applied it to evaluate the optimal allocation of resources in 7 districts in Bangladesh, using both publicly available data (such as through DHS) and data from a complementary costing study. Optima Nutrition can be used to estimate how to target resources to improve nutrition outcomes. Specifically, for the Bangladesh example, despite only limited nutrition-related funding available (an estimated $0.75 per person in need per year), even without any extra resources, better targeting of investments in nutrition programming could increase the cumulative number of children living without stunting by 1.3 million (an extra 5%) by 2030 compared to the current resource allocation. To minimize stunting, priority interventions should include promotion of improved IYCF practices as well as vitamin A supplementation. Once these programs are adequately funded, the public provision of complementary foods should be funded as the next priority. Programmatic efforts should give greatest emphasis to the regions of Dhaka and Chittagong, which have the greatest number of stunted children. A resource optimization tool can provide important guidance for targeting nutrition investments to achieve greater impact.

Commentary: Why Abandoning Undergraduate Laboratories Is Not an Option

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Costa, Manuel Joao

2010-01-01

Laboratory exercises (labs) are sometimes regarded as dispensable in biochemistry and molecular biology (BMB) education for various reasons including a combination of increased class costs and small budget allocations, pressing demands for more time to lecture to fit in new BMB discoveries within constant time span of courses, and the fact that…

Boston University: Sustainability Revolving Loan Fund. Green Revolving Funds in Action: Case Study Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flynn, Emily

2011-01-01

Boston University's (BU) Sustainability Revolving Loan Fund was created in 2008 through an allocation of $1 million from the university's administrative budget. The fund is administered by the Vice President of Operations. Potential projects are identified by the university's Director of Energy Administration and Operations along with the…

Faculty Views of Open Web Resource Use by College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomaiuolo, Nicholas G.

2005-01-01

This article assesses both the extent of students' use of open Web resources and library subscription databases and professors' satisfaction with that use as reported by a survey of 120 community college and university English faculty. It was concluded that although library budgets allocate significant funds to offer subscription databases,…

75 FR 68615 - Notice of Submission of Proposed Information Collection to OMB; Public Housing Capital Fund...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-08

... below has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the..., development, financing, and management improvements. The funds are allocated based on a complex formula. The... any Mixed-Finance and Capital Fund Financing transactions. Respondents include the approximately 3,200...

48 CFR 9905.502 - Cost accounting standard-consistency in allocating costs incurred for the same purpose by...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Cost accounting standard... 9905.502 Federal Acquisition Regulations System COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD, OFFICE OF FEDERAL PROCUREMENT POLICY, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET PROCUREMENT PRACTICES AND COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS COST...

Being a Teacher in the East of Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soydan, Tarik

2015-01-01

In today's Turkey, the problems faced in the provincial regions have several causes and dimensions. At first glance we can count a set of them: insufficiency of the resources allocated to education and the inability to use the education budget effectively with proper planning; frequent central restructuring of the education system without taking…

A Balancing Act: School Budgeting and Resource Allocation on a New Dual Language Campus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knight, David S.; Izquierdo, Elena; DeMatthews, David E.

2016-01-01

Dual language instructional models have great potential to create inclusive learning environments for traditional under-served students and boost student outcomes. However, principals face many barriers to implementation. One of the key challenges is aligning resources to ensure that the school has (a) an appropriate number of certificated…

Using Spreadsheet Modeling Techniques for Capital Project Review. AIR 1985 Annual Forum Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaynor, Robert K.

The value of microcomputer modeling tools and spreadsheets to help college institutional researchers analyze proposed capital projects is discussed, along with strengths and weaknesses of different software packages. Capital budgeting is the analysis that supports decisions about the allocation and commitment of funds to long-term capital…

43 CFR 404.31 - What forms of non-Federal cost-share payment are acceptable?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Reclamation determines are necessary and reasonable for the conduct and completion of the investigation or study. The determination of allowability, allocability, and reasonableness is governed by the Cost Principles of the Office of Management and Budget, codified at 2 CFR 220, 225, and 230, and in the Federal...

43 CFR 404.31 - What forms of non-Federal cost-share payment are acceptable?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Reclamation determines are necessary and reasonable for the conduct and completion of the investigation or study. The determination of allowability, allocability, and reasonableness is governed by the Cost Principles of the Office of Management and Budget, codified at 2 CFR 220, 225, and 230, and in the Federal...

Temporal changes to fire risk in dissimilar WUI communities

Treesearch

N. C. Leyshon; C. A. Dicus; D. B. Sapsis

2015-01-01

Despite increasing proportions of governmental budgets allocated to fire suppression resources, wildfires annually destroy great numbers of homes and critical infrastructure in the wildland-urban interface (WUI). Since 2002, the largest fires in the histories of California, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Oregon, and Texas have occurred in spite of increased fire...

Information Technology Programming Standards and Annual Project Maintenance Costs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mynyk, John

2012-01-01

Organizations that depend on the use of IT in their business models must maintain their systems and keep their systems current to survive (Filipek, 2008; Kulkarni, Kumar, Mookerjee, & Sethi, 2009; Unterkalmsteiner et al., 2012). As most IT departments allocate as much as 80% of their budget to maintain stability while leaving only the other…

Public School Fundraisers: The Legal Obstacles and Protections for School Officials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geier, Brett A.

2017-01-01

In the world of public school finance, fewer resources are being allocated to curricular activities, let alone cocurricular activities. To help ameliorate budgets for clubs, athletic teams, and other groups, students with the guidance of school officials conduct fundraisers. Many of these fundraisers were once perceived as innocuous with…

Parental Contributions, School-Level Finances and Decentralization: An Analysis of Nicaraguan Autonomous School Budgets

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gershberg, Alec Ian; Meade, Ben

2005-01-01

The Nicaraguan Autonomous School Programme is notable among the growing number of school governance decentralization reforms in the Americas in the degree of control given to parents, especially in decisions regarding the allocation of school resources. Much of schools' discretionary spending was accumulated through various school charges. This…

Practice-Oriented Model of Professional Education in Russia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Svirin, Yury A.; Titor, Svetlana E.; Petrov, Alexander A.; Smirnov, Evgenii N.; Morozova, Ekaterina A.; Scherbakova, Olga Y.

2016-01-01

The relevance of the chosen problem is caused by the necessity of finding a model of qualitative growth of specialists training in conditions when cuts in expenditure of the state budget allocated to education occurs annually. Besides, the development of technology inevitably leads to the expansion of the list of subspecialties employers need. The…

Metropolitan natural area protection to maximize public access and species representation

Treesearch

Jane A. Ruliffson; Robert G. Haight; Paul H. Gobster; Frances R. Homans

2003-01-01

In response to widespread urban development, local governments in metropolitan areas in the United States acquire and protect privately-owned open space. We addressed the planner's problem of allocating a fixed budget for open space protection among eligible natural areas with the twin objectives of maximizing public access and species representation. Both...

CONTRIBUTIONS OF CURRENT YEAR PHOTOSYNTHATE TO FINE ROOTS ESTIMATED USING A 13C-DEPLETED CO2 SOURCE

EPA Science Inventory

The quantification of root turnover is necessary for a complete understanding of plant carbon (C) budgets, especially in terms of impacts of global climate change. To improve estimates of root turnover, we present a method to distinguish current- from prior-year allocation of ca...

Georgia Secondary School Resource Allocation Practices: Correlation to Achievement and Socioeconomic Status

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reid, Brandy T.

2012-01-01

The state of Georgia has a constitutional obligation to provide an adequate and free public education, financed by taxation, for the citizens of the state. Increased accountability measures, continuing projected budget shortfalls, and public resistance to raising property taxes are current challenges for public schools. This study attempted to…

48 CFR 9904.402 - Cost accounting standard-consistency in allocating costs incurred for the same purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Regulations System COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD, OFFICE OF FEDERAL PROCUREMENT POLICY, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET PROCUREMENT PRACTICES AND COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS 9904.402 Cost... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Cost accounting standard...

48 CFR 9904.410-60 - Illustrations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... budgets for the other segment should be removed from B's G&A expense pool and transferred to the other...; all home office expenses allocated to Segment H are included in Segment H's G&A expense pool. (2) This... cost of scientific computer operations in its G&A expense pool. The scientific computer is used...

48 CFR 9904.410-60 - Illustrations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... budgets for the other segment should be removed from B's G&A expense pool and transferred to the other...; all home office expenses allocated to Segment H are included in Segment H's G&A expense pool. (2) This... cost of scientific computer operations in its G&A expense pool. The scientific computer is used...

Interactive Media Instruction: Webcasting College Radio and Television Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reppert, James E.

Recent innovations involving audio and video on the Internet allow for more creativity and flexibility in the broadcast education classroom. Despite the fact that Southern Arkansas University (SAU) has a modest budget allocated for its broadcast journalism program, significant interactive changes have taken place. At the outset of the fall 1999…

The Intergenerational Movement: A Social Imperative.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nee, David

1989-01-01

The following social problems suggest the need for an intergenerational movement in the United States: (1) the social isolation of old and young; (2) the political and social strain resulting from Federal budget allocations; and (3) the labor shortage and its impact on social services. Programs linking elders and the young can address these…

State Education Finance and Governance Profile: Virginia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Matthew

2010-01-01

This article presents the state education finance and governance profile of Virginia. The state allocates K-12 education funds on a biennial basis. Supplements and rescissions to the original funding amount are made on an annual basis in order to correct for revenue growth or deficit. The state budget currently provides more than $5 billion to…

The Budget Process in Schools of Nursing: A Primer for the Novice Administrator.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Starck, Patricia L.; Bailes, Barbara

1996-01-01

This primer on budgets for nursing schools includes the budgetary process; budgeting techniques; and information about various types of budgets, such as the open-ended budget, incremental budget, quota budget, and alternate-level budget. Questions about budget structure, revenue sources, and budget management and evaluation are answered. (JOW)

Cost allocation methodology applicable to the temporary assistance for needy families program. Final rule.

PubMed

2008-07-23

This final rule applies to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and requires States, the District of Columbia and the Territories (hereinafter referred to as the "States") to use the "benefiting program" cost allocation methodology in U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-87 (2 CFR part 225). It is the judgment and determination of HHS/ACF that the "benefiting program" cost allocation methodology is the appropriate methodology for the proper use of Federal TANF funds. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 gave federally-recognized Tribes the opportunity to operate their own Tribal TANF programs. Federally-recognized Indian tribes operating approved Tribal TANF programs have always followed the "benefiting program" cost allocation methodology in accordance with OMB Circular A-87 (2 CFR part 225) and the applicable regulatory provisions at 45 CFR 286.45(c) and (d). This final rule contains no substantive changes to the proposed rule published on September 27, 2006.

Difficult decisions in times of constraint: Criteria based Resource Allocation in the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Objectives The aim of the project was to develop a plan to address a forecasted deficit of approximately $4.65 million for fiscal year 2010/11 in the Vancouver Communities division of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. For disinvestment opportunities identified beyond the forecasted deficit, a commitment was made to consider options for resource re-allocation within the Vancouver Communities division. Methods A standard approach to program budgeting and marginal analysis (PBMA) was taken with a priority setting working committee and a broader advisory panel. An experienced, non-vested internal project manager worked closely with the two-member external research team throughout the process. Face to face evaluation interviews were held with 10 decision makers immediately following the process. Results The recommendations of the working committee included the implementation of 44 disinvestment initiatives with an annualized value of CAD $4.9 million, as well as consideration of possible investments if the realized savings match expectations. Overall, decision makers viewed the process favorably and the primary aim of addressing the deficit gap was met. Discussion A key challenge was the tight timeline which likely lead to less evidence informed decision making then one would hope for. Despite this, decision makers felt that better decisions were made then had the process not been in place. In the end, this project adds value in finding that PBMA can be used to cover a deficit and minimize opportunity cost through systematic application of criteria whilst ensuring process fairness through focusing on communication, transparency and decision maker engagement. PMID:21756357

Prey density and the behavioral flexibility of a marine predator: The common murre (Uria aalge)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harding, A.M.A.; Piatt, John F.; Schmutz, J.A.; Shultz, M.T.; van Pelt, Thomas I.; Kettle, Arthur B.; Speckman, Suzann G.

2007-01-01

Flexible time budgets allow individual animals to buffer the effects of variable food availability by allocating more time to foraging when food density decreases. This trait should be especially important for marine predators that forage on patchy and ephemeral food resources. We examined flexible time allocation by a long-lived marine predator, the Common Murre (Uria aalge), using data collected in a five-year study at three colonies in Alaska (USA) with contrasting environmental conditions. Annual hydroacoustic surveys revealed an order-of-magnitude variation in food density among the 15 colony-years of study. We used data on parental time budgets and local prey density to test predictions from two hypotheses: Hypothesis A, the colony attendance of seabirds varies nonlinearly with food density; and Hypothesis B, flexible time allocation of parent murres buffers chicks against variable food availability. Hypothesis A was supported; colony attendance by murres was positively correlated with food over a limited range of poor-to-moderate food densities, but independent of food over a broader range of higher densities. This is the first empirical evidence for a nonlinear response of a marine predator's time budget to changes in prey density. Predictions from Hypothesis B were largely supported: (1) chick-feeding rates were fairly constant over a wide range of densities and only dropped below 3.5 meals per day at the low end of prey density, and (2) there was a nonlinear relationship between chick-feeding rates and time spent at the colony, with chick-feeding rates only declining after time at the colony by the nonbrooding parent was reduced to a minimum. The ability of parents to adjust their foraging time by more than 2 h/d explains why they were able to maintain chick-feeding rates of more than 3.5 meals/d across a 10-fold range in local food density. ?? 2007 by the Ecological Society of America.

Optimal allocation of resources over health care programmes: dealing with decreasing marginal utility and uncertainty.

PubMed

Al, Maiwenn J; Feenstra, Talitha L; Hout, Ben A van

2005-07-01

This paper addresses the problem of how to value health care programmes with different ratios of costs to effects, specifically when taking into account that these costs and effects are uncertain. First, the traditional framework of maximising health effects with a given health care budget is extended to a flexible budget using a value function over money and health effects. Second, uncertainty surrounding costs and effects is included in the model using expected utility. Other approaches to uncertainty that do not specify a utility function are discussed and it is argued that these also include implicit notions about risk attitude.

Individual and population-level responses to ocean acidification.

PubMed

Harvey, Ben P; McKeown, Niall J; Rastrick, Samuel P S; Bertolini, Camilla; Foggo, Andy; Graham, Helen; Hall-Spencer, Jason M; Milazzo, Marco; Shaw, Paul W; Small, Daniel P; Moore, Pippa J

2016-01-29

Ocean acidification is predicted to have detrimental effects on many marine organisms and ecological processes. Despite growing evidence for direct impacts on specific species, few studies have simultaneously considered the effects of ocean acidification on individuals (e.g. consequences for energy budgets and resource partitioning) and population level demographic processes. Here we show that ocean acidification increases energetic demands on gastropods resulting in altered energy allocation, i.e. reduced shell size but increased body mass. When scaled up to the population level, long-term exposure to ocean acidification altered population demography, with evidence of a reduction in the proportion of females in the population and genetic signatures of increased variance in reproductive success among individuals. Such increased variance enhances levels of short-term genetic drift which is predicted to inhibit adaptation. Our study indicates that even against a background of high gene flow, ocean acidification is driving individual- and population-level changes that will impact eco-evolutionary trajectories.

Software for Optimizing Quality Assurance of Other Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feather, Martin; Cornford, Steven; Menzies, Tim

2004-01-01

Software assurance is the planned and systematic set of activities that ensures that software processes and products conform to requirements, standards, and procedures. Examples of such activities are the following: code inspections, unit tests, design reviews, performance analyses, construction of traceability matrices, etc. In practice, software development projects have only limited resources (e.g., schedule, budget, and availability of personnel) to cover the entire development effort, of which assurance is but a part. Projects must therefore select judiciously from among the possible assurance activities. At its heart, this can be viewed as an optimization problem; namely, to determine the allocation of limited resources (time, money, and personnel) to minimize risk or, alternatively, to minimize the resources needed to reduce risk to an acceptable level. The end result of the work reported here is a means to optimize quality-assurance processes used in developing software.

Software for Analyzing Laminar-to-Turbulent Flow Transitions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chang, Chau-Lyan

2004-01-01

Software assurance is the planned and systematic set of activities that ensures that software processes and products conform to requirements, standards, and procedures. Examples of such activities are the following: code inspections, unit tests, design reviews, performance analyses, construction of traceability matrices, etc. In practice, software development projects have only limited resources (e.g., schedule, budget, and availability of personnel) to cover the entire development effort, of which assurance is but a part. Projects must therefore select judiciously from among the possible assurance activities. At its heart, this can be viewed as an optimization problem; namely, to determine the allocation of limited resources (time, money, and personnel) to minimize risk or, alternatively, to minimize the resources needed to reduce risk to an acceptable level. The end result of the work reported here is a means to optimize quality-assurance processes used in developing software. This is achieved by combining two prior programs in an innovative manner

Analysis of Health Sector Budget of Nepal.

PubMed

Dulal, R K; Magar, A; Karki, S D; Khatiwada, D; Hamal, P K

2014-01-01

Primarily, health sector connects two segments - medicine and public health, where medicine deals with individual patients and public health with the population health. Budget enables both the disciplines to function effectively. The Interim Constitution of Nepal, 2007 has adapted the inspiration of federalism and declared the provision of basic health care services free of cost as a fundamental right, which needs strengthening under foreseen federalism. An observational retrospective cohort study, aiming at examining the health sector budget allocation and outcome, was done. Authors gathered health budget figures (2001 to 2013) and facts published from authentic sources. Googling was done for further information. The keywords for search used were: fiscal federalism, health care, public health, health budget, health financing, external development partner, bilateral and multilateral partners and healthcare accessibility. The search was limited to English and Nepali-language report, articles and news published. Budget required to meet the population's need is still limited in Nepal. The health sector budget could not achieve even gainful results due to mismatch in policy and policy implementation despite of political commitment. Since Nepal is transforming towards federalism, an increased complexity under federated system is foreseeable, particularly in the face of changed political scenario and its players. It should have clear goals, financing policy and strict implementation plans for budget execution, task performance and achieving results as per planning. Additionally, collection of revenue, risk pooling and purchasing of services should be better integrated between central government and federated states to horn effectiveness and efficiency.

Priority setting in a Canadian surgical department: a case study using program budgeting and marginal analysis

PubMed Central

Mitton, Craig; Donaldson, Cam; Shellian, Barb; Pagenkopf, Cort

2003-01-01

Introduction A key mandate of Canadian regional health authorities is to set priorities and allocate resources within a limited funding envelope. The objective in this study was to determine how resources within a surgical program in a Canadian rural hospital might be reallocated to better meet the needs of the local community. Methods Early in 2001, at the Canmore General Hospital, Canmore, Alta., an expert-panel working group, consisting of a community health service leader, operating-room nurse clinician, acute care head nurse and a general surgeon, assisted by a research assistant and 2 health economists carried out a program budgeting and marginal analysis project to assess multiple data inputs into the decision-making process and to develop recommendations for service expansion and resource release. They considered the cost and benefits of altering the mix of resources used, based on Headwaters Health Authority activity and financial data, and local expert opinion. Results The primary recommendation was to implement an additional surgery day per week (38 days of major surgery and 12 days of minor surgery over a 50-week year). However, the total dollars to fund such an expansion could not be released from within the Canmore budget, and additional dollars were not forthcoming from the health region. A secondary objective of implementing an additional minor surgery day every 3 weeks was pursued and the required resources were obtained. Conclusions Due to resource constraints in health care, efforts by both clinicians and administrators should be made to better spend available resources. The marginal analysis process used in this study served as a useful framework for priority setting, which is generalizable to other surgical and nonsurgical programs in Canada. PMID:12585790

Zinc allocation and re-allocation in rice.

PubMed

Stomph, Tjeerd Jan; Jiang, Wen; Van Der Putten, Peter E L; Struik, Paul C

2014-01-01

Agronomy and breeding actively search for options to enhance cereal grain Zn density. Quantifying internal (re-)allocation of Zn as affected by soil and crop management or genotype is crucial. We present experiments supporting the development of a conceptual model of whole plant Zn allocation and re-allocation in rice. Two solution culture experiments using (70)Zn applications at different times during crop development and an experiment on within-grain distribution of Zn are reported. In addition, results from two earlier published experiments are re-analyzed and re-interpreted. A budget analysis showed that plant zinc accumulation during grain filling was larger than zinc allocation to the grains. Isotope data showed that zinc taken up during grain filling was only partly transported directly to the grains and partly allocated to the leaves. Zinc taken up during grain filling and allocated to the leaves replaced zinc re-allocated from leaves to grains. Within the grains, no major transport barrier was observed between vascular tissue and endosperm. At low tissue Zn concentrations, rice plants maintained concentrations of about 20 mg Zn kg(-1) dry matter in leaf blades and reproductive tissues, but let Zn concentrations in stems, sheath, and roots drop below this level. When plant zinc concentrations increased, Zn levels in leaf blades and reproductive tissues only showed a moderate increase while Zn levels in stems, roots, and sheaths increased much more and in that order. In rice, the major barrier to enhanced zinc allocation towards grains is between stem and reproductive tissues. Enhancing root to shoot transfer will not contribute proportionally to grain zinc enhancement.

Zinc allocation and re-allocation in rice

PubMed Central

Stomph, Tjeerd Jan; Jiang, Wen; Van Der Putten, Peter E. L.; Struik, Paul C.

2014-01-01

Aims: Agronomy and breeding actively search for options to enhance cereal grain Zn density. Quantifying internal (re-)allocation of Zn as affected by soil and crop management or genotype is crucial. We present experiments supporting the development of a conceptual model of whole plant Zn allocation and re-allocation in rice. Methods: Two solution culture experiments using 70Zn applications at different times during crop development and an experiment on within-grain distribution of Zn are reported. In addition, results from two earlier published experiments are re-analyzed and re-interpreted. Results: A budget analysis showed that plant zinc accumulation during grain filling was larger than zinc allocation to the grains. Isotope data showed that zinc taken up during grain filling was only partly transported directly to the grains and partly allocated to the leaves. Zinc taken up during grain filling and allocated to the leaves replaced zinc re-allocated from leaves to grains. Within the grains, no major transport barrier was observed between vascular tissue and endosperm. At low tissue Zn concentrations, rice plants maintained concentrations of about 20 mg Zn kg−1 dry matter in leaf blades and reproductive tissues, but let Zn concentrations in stems, sheath, and roots drop below this level. When plant zinc concentrations increased, Zn levels in leaf blades and reproductive tissues only showed a moderate increase while Zn levels in stems, roots, and sheaths increased much more and in that order. Conclusions: In rice, the major barrier to enhanced zinc allocation towards grains is between stem and reproductive tissues. Enhancing root to shoot transfer will not contribute proportionally to grain zinc enhancement. PMID:24478788

Subregional resource allocations in the National Health Service.

PubMed Central

Snaith, A H

1978-01-01

The Resource Allocation Working Party in its report Sharing Resources for Health in England proposes a formula for the identification of both regional and district financial targets (Department of Health and Social Security, 1976). In this paper it is argued that the national formula is not a valid instrument for the latter purpose. Furthermore, research into medical needs and outcomes will not be adequate to bring about real changes in resource distribution at local levels unless it is recognised that the health authorities can meet needs in different ways and that a change in resource management from institutional to service budgeting is required. PMID:262582

Lawmakers seek end to budget stalemate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carlowicz, Michael

On March 15, President Bill Clinton signed into law the tenth short-term spending measure of the now-sixmonth-old 1996 fiscal year (FY'96), funding the federal government through March 22. At the same time, budget negotiators from both the Republican and Democratic parties scurried to put the finishing touches on a $166 billion-omnibus appropriations bill, H.R. 3019, to pay the government's bills for the rest of the fiscal year.As of March 21, parts of a dozen federal cabinet-level departments and agencies still did not have a definitive budget allocation for FY'96. Nearly all national science research and development programs, agencies, and departments remained tied up by that budget struggle, though very little of the debate has anything to do with those programs (Eos, February 20). H.R. 3019 is designed to end the string of short-term spending measures and to fund all federal departments for the remaining six months of the fiscal year. Congressional leaders hoped to have the bill passed by March 22, though many representatives anticipated that at least one more short-term spending resolution would have to be passed before budget negotiations with the President could be completed.

Federal agency biodefense funding, FY2012-FY2013.

PubMed

Franco, Crystal; Sell, Tara Kirk

2012-06-01

Since 2001, the United States government has spent substantial resources on preparing the nation against a bioterrorist attack. Earlier articles in this series have analyzed civilian biodefense funding by the federal government for fiscal years (FY) 2001 through proposed funding for FY2012. This article updates those figures with budgeted amounts for FY2013, specifically analyzing the budgets and allocations for civilian biodefense at the Departments of Health and Human Services, Defense, Homeland Security, Agriculture, Commerce, and State; the Environmental Protection Agency; and the National Science Foundation. As in previous years, our analysis indicates that the majority (>90%) of the "biodefense" programs included in the FY2013 budget have both biodefense and non-biodefense goals and applications-that is, programs to improve infectious disease research, public health and hospital preparedness, and disaster response more broadly. Programs that focus solely on biodefense represent a small proportion (<10%) of our analysis, as the federal agencies continue to prioritize all-hazards preparedness. For FY2013, the federal budget for programs focused solely on civilian biodefense totals $574.2 million, and the budget for programs with multiple goals and applications, including biodefense, is $4.96 billion, for an overall total of $5.54 billion.

Resource allocation in NHS dentistry: recognition of societal preferences (RAINDROP): study protocol.

PubMed

Vernazza, Christopher R; Carr, Katherine; Wildman, John; Gray, Joanne; Holmes, Richard D; Exley, Catherine; Smith, Robert A; Donaldson, Cam

2018-06-22

Resources in any healthcare systems are scarce relative to need and therefore choices need to be made which often involve difficult decisions about the best allocation of these resources. One pragmatic and robust tool to aid resource allocation is Programme Budgeting and Marginal Analysis (PBMA), but there is mixed evidence on its uptake and effectiveness. Furthermore, there is also no evidence on the incorporation of the preferences of a large and representative sample of the general public into such a process. The study therefore aims to undertake, evaluate and refine a PBMA process within the exemplar of NHS dentistry in England whilst also using an established methodology (Willingness to Pay (WTP)) to systematically gather views from a representative sample of the public. Stakeholders including service buyers (commissioners), dentists, dental public health representatives and patient representatives will be recruited to participate in a PBMA process involving defining current spend, agreeing criteria to judge services/interventions, defining areas for investment and disinvestment, rating these areas against the criteria and making final recommendations. The process will be refined based on participatory action research principles and evaluated through semi-structured interviews, focus groups and observation of the process by the research team. In parallel a representative sample of English adults will be recruited to complete a series of four surveys including WTP valuations of programmes being considered by the PBMA panel. In addition a methodological experiment comparing two ways of eliciting WTP will be undertaken. The project will allow the PBMA process and particularly the use of WTP within it to be investigated and developed. There will be challenges around engagement with the task by the panel undertaking it and with the outputs by stakeholders but careful relationship building will help to mitigate this. The large volume of data will be managed through careful segmenting of the analysis and the use of the well-established Framework approach to qualitative data analysis. WTP has various potential biases but the elicitation will be carefully designed to minimise these and some methodological investigation will take place.

Budget Allocation by School Districts: An Analysis of Spending for Teachers and Other Resources.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barro, Stephen M.; Carroll, Stephen J.

The objective of this study is to provide partial answers to the question, "What would school districts buy if they were given additional funds?" The answers are potentially relevant to state and federal education policy-makers faced with the task of developing and implementing school finance reforms who must consider whether and under…

Telecommunication and Technology Infrastructure Program (TTIP) Certification for Expenditures, Fiscal Year 2000-2001.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Lindy

This document presents the guidelines for the California Community College 2000-2001 State-Funded Telecommunication and Technology Infrastructure Program (TTIP) Program. The 2000-2001 State Budget Act contains $44.3 million for expenditures on the TTIP. The Act provides that $31,600,000 be allocated to colleges for the following purposes: (1) data…

Optimizing Experimental Designs Relative to Costs and Effect Sizes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Headrick, Todd C.; Zumbo, Bruno D.

A general model is derived for the purpose of efficiently allocating integral numbers of units in multi-level designs given prespecified power levels. The derivation of the model is based on a constrained optimization problem that maximizes a general form of a ratio of expected mean squares subject to a budget constraint. This model provides more…

Is School Funding Fair? A National Report Card. Fourth Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Bruce D.; Sciarra, David G.; Farrie, Danielle

2015-01-01

While the United States was recovering from the recent economic stress caused by the Great Recession, individual state economies were improving at a slow pace. In 2012, state education budgets came to a crossroads, as most states had exhausted their allocations of federal stimulus dollars. Prior editions of this report noted how many states used…

IT Investment Allocation and Organizational Performance: A Study of Information Technology Investment Portfolios in Federal Government Agencies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitehead, Ennis Jim C., III

2011-01-01

This study examined Federal Government Information Technology (IT) portfolio investments for twenty-seven Federal Government agencies, as provided annually to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in their Agency IT Investment Portfolio Reports (Exhibit 53), and divided Federal agency IT investments into four categories: Innovation,…

Future carbon storage in harvested wood products from Ontario's Crown forests

Treesearch

Jiaxin Chen; Stephen J. Colombo; Michael T. Ter-Mikaelian; Linda S. Heath

2008-01-01

This analysis quantifies projected carbon (C) storage in harvested wood products (HWP) from Ontario's Crown forests. The large-scale forest C budget model, FORCARB-ON, was applied to estimate HWP C stock changes using the production approach defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Harvested wood volume was converted to C mass and allocated to...

Leveraging Technology for Success in a Challenging Economy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Breeding, Marshall

2010-01-01

The global economic crisis of the past 2 years has brought harsh circumstances to most libraries, calling into question many of the ways that librarians allocate resources. Lean budgets force libraries to devise strategies that make the very most of the resources available. Many libraries face the reality of doing more with less, often much less.…

Parents' Voluntary Contributions to Primary Schools Which Are Not Directly Monetary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yolcu, Hüseyin

2013-01-01

Problem statement: A significant decrease has been recently observed in the resources for education allocated from Turkey's public budget, despite the increasing number of teachers and students. It is possible to better observe this trend at the primary education stage, which is compulsory and free at public schools through law no 42 under the…

The Big Money Question: Action Research Projects Give District a Clear Picture of Professional Learning's Impact

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dill-Varga, Barbara

2015-01-01

How do districts know if the resources they have allocated to support professional learning in their school district are actually improving the quality of teaching and impacting student performance? In an increasingly challenging financial environment, this is important to know. In this article, a Chicago-area district facing a budget deficit…

Strategic Alliances in Education: The Knowledge Engineering Web

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westera, Wim; van den Herik, Jaap; van de Vrie, Evert

2004-01-01

The field of higher education shows a jumble of alliances between fellow institutes. The alliances are strategic in kind and serve an economy-of-scales concept. A large scale is a prerequisite for allocating the budgets for new educational methods and technologies in order to keep the educational services up-to-date. All too often, however,…

Realigning Resources for District Success: Duval County Public Schools Final Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Travers, Jonathan; Ferris, Kristen

2011-01-01

Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) is poised to take action today that will lead to serving all students more effectively. Although the challenges are significant, including deep budget cuts, the district made the strategic choice to look thoroughly at how resources are currently allocated and now has a foundation for making decisions that will…

An Examination of the Relationships among Student Services Expenditures, Pell Grant Funding, and Completion Rates at Public Community Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Racioppi, Gerald William

2014-01-01

Because of shrinking budgets, increasing demand, and calls for more graduates, community college leaders are forced to make difficult resource allocation decisions. In many states, sizable percentages of the state funds available to community colleges are conditional on performance measures, including graduations; the number of states with funding…

Planning and Budgeting for School Media Programs at the Building, District, and Regional Levels: O.R. in the Little Red Schoolhouse.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kraft, Donald H.; Liesener, James W.

1979-01-01

Presents an analysis of problems of resource allocation in the school library and a practical operations research approach toward accountability. Four planning instruments are included in the solution procedure: inventory of services; preference form; data collection guide; and program costing matrix. (Author/MBR)

Making Federalism Work in Italy. OECD Economics Department Working Papers No. 590

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bibbee, Alexandra

2007-01-01

Fiscal federalism can be an important complement to structural reforms and budget consolidation. Empowering sub national governments, while at the same time making them accountable to local citizens in the uses of tax money, could improve the allocation of public resources and promote catch up of the lagging regions. Italy has launched itself in…

Assessing Schools' Academic Performance Using a Belief Structure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borhan, Maslan; Jemain, Abdul Aziz

2012-01-01

A lot of attention has been given to education as it is the most practical way of improving social mobility. In order to be progressive and resilient, there has to be an overall transformation of society as evidenced in the annual budget allocations which has educational implications to it. Therefore, schools will come to term that they are under…

Decision Making in Intercollegiate Athletics: One Institution's Journey to Maintain Title IX Compliance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowland, John W.

2012-01-01

The allocation of resources and participation opportunities in intercollegiate athletics has been a debate among researchers for nearly 40 years. Title IX and traditionally male-dominated budgeting practices continue to be opposing forces that shape the financial and gender makeup of university athletic departments. In fact, the need to be Title…

40 CFR 97.261 - EPA recordation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS CAIR SO2 Allowance Transfers § 97.261 EPA recordation. (a) Within 5 business days (except as necessary to perform a transfer in perpetuity of CAIR SO2 allowances allocated to a CAIR SO2 unit or as provided in paragraph (b) of this section) of receiving a CAIR...

A Nationwide Population-Based Approach to Study Health-Related and Psychosocial Aspects of Neurofibromatosis Type 1

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-07-31

the relatively narrow focus on Wechsler’s IQ test (WAIS-IV) – a test chosen primarily due to budget constraints. Thus, to meet the requests from the...consultants allows us to re-allocate financial resources to address the limitations of our study 7 raised by the reviewers. Jens Richardt Møllegaard

The influence of nutrient and water availability on carbohydrate storage in loblolly pine

Treesearch

K.H. Ludovici; H.L. Allen; T.J. Albaugh; P.M. Dougherty

2002-01-01

We quantified the effects of nutrient and water availability on monthly whole-tree carbohydrate budgets and determined allocation patterns of storage carbohydrates in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) to test site resource impacts on internal carbon (C) storage. A factorial combination of two nutrient and two irrigation treatments were imposed on a 7-year...

Understanding Corporate Sponsorships: Moving from a $100 Ad Purchase to a $1,000 Sponsorship Agreement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hatfield, Laura M.; Hatfield, Lance C.

2014-01-01

A corporate sponsorship program, built on an appropriate knowledge base, can help bridge the funding gap that exists in interscholastic athletics between the cost of fielding teams and decreasing budget allocations. This article describes sponsorship in its most effective form as a business concept, the value that athletic departments provide to…

Community Support for Visual Arts Programs: Artist-in-Residence in a K-6 Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobson, Monica Kuhlman

2011-01-01

A sustainable plan for arts education is not allocated in the operating costs of many elementary school districts. Arts education is becoming expendable, as budgets become tighter and emphasis is placed on test scores in accountable subject areas. High stakes testing, pre-identified supposed outcomes, and public concern about school productivity…

Securing Our Future? Rethinking Public Investments in America's Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Takanishi, Ruby; Chen, Lisa

2010-01-01

The persistence of the Great Recession provides us with the opportunity to engage in a long overdue conversation about public investments in America's children. Less than ten percent of the Fiscal Year 2010 federal budget of $3.603 trillion is allocated to children and youth. This percentage is likely to decline in the next decade if current laws…

Realigning Resources for District Success: Duval County Public Schools Final Report. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Travers, Jonathan; Ferris, Kristen

2011-01-01

Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) is poised to take action today that will lead to serving all students more effectively. Although the challenges are significant, including deep budget cuts, the district made the strategic choice to look thoroughly at how resources are currently allocated and now has a foundation for making decisions that will…

A School District Financial Condition Assessment System and Its Application to Pennsylvania School Districts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruck, W. Earl; Miltenberger, Lauren

2013-01-01

The funding of public education in America has been a primary concern for government officials at the federal, state, and local levels for several generations. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, this expenditure accounts for the single largest allocation in most state and local government operating budgets (Stanley and…

US neurologists: attitudes on rationing.

PubMed

Holloway, R G; Ringel, S P; Bernat, J L; Keran, C M; Lawyer, B L

2000-11-28

To assess neurologists' attitudes on rationing health care and to determine whether neurologists would set healthcare priorities in ways that are consistent with cost-effectiveness research. Cost-effectiveness research can suggest ways to maximize health benefits within fixed budgets but is currently being underused in resource allocation decisions. The authors surveyed a random sample of neurologists practicing in the United States (response rate, 44.4%) with three hypothetical scenarios. Two scenarios were designed to address general attitudes on allocating finite resources with emphasis on formulary decisions for costly drugs. The third scenario was designed to assess whether neurologists would optimize the allocation of a fixed budget as recommended by cost-effectiveness analysis. Three-quarters of respondents thought that neurologists make daily decisions that effectively ration healthcare resources, and 60% felt a professional responsibility to consider the financial impact of individualized treatment decisions on other patients. Only 25% of respondents thought that there should be no restrictions placed on any of the five newer antiepileptic agents. In a 1995 survey, 75% of similarly sampled neurologists agreed that no restrictions should be placed on the availability of FDA-approved medications. Nearly half (46%) of respondents favored a less effective test and would be willing to let patients die to ensure the offering of a more equitable alternative. Most neurologists recognize the need to ration health care, and although they think cost-effectiveness research is one method to achieve efficient distribution of resources, many think that considerable attention should also be given to equity.

Perspective and investments in health system strengthening of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance: a content analysis of health system strengthening-specific funding.

PubMed

Tsai, Feng-Jen; Lee, Howard; Fan, Victoria Y

2016-07-01

This paper aimed to compare the health systems strengthening (HSS) framework of Gavi and WHO and to analyze resource allocation in HSS by Gavi. Among 76 countries which received HSS funding from Gavi from 2006 to 2013, summary reports of 44 countries and approved proposals of 10 countries were collected. After comparing the HSS framework of WHO and Gavi, each activity described in documents was categorized according to Gavi's framework and funding allocation was analyzed. Compared with WHO's HSS framework, Gavi's has a distinctive function within the building block 'Drugs, Equipment, Supplies, Facilities' and a distinctive function of 'providing incentive and bonuses' under the building block 'Human Resource/Performance Management'. Gavi has steadily invested 10% of their total budget on HSS, but 47% were allocated in these categories, whereas 78% were for activities arguably not covered by WHO's HSS framework. In Africa, 70% of Gavi's budget fell under 'Drugs, Equipment, Supplies, Facilities' and 92.8% were for activities arguably not deemed as HSS by WHO. Gavi's HSS support emphasized inputs with short-term measurable outcomes. Harmonization of the concept of HSS and collaboration between Gavi and multilateral international agencies, such as World Bank and WHO, are needed. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

[Health research and health technology assessment in Chile].

PubMed

Espinoza, Manuel Antonio; Cabieses, Báltica; Paraje, Guillermo

2014-01-01

Health research is considered an essential element for the improvement of population health and it has been recommended that a share of the national health budget should be allocated to develop this field. Chile has undertaken efforts in the last decades in order to improve the governmental structure created to promote the development of health research, which has increased human resources and funding opportunities. On the other hand, the sustained economic growth of Chile in the last decades suggests that the health expenditure will maintain its increasing trend in the following years. This additional funding could be used to improve coverage of current activities performed in the health system, but also to address the incorporation of new strategies. More recently, health technology assessment (HTA) has been proposed as a process to support decisions about allocation of resources based on scientific evidence. This paper examines the relationship between the development of health research and the HTA process. First, it presents a brief diagnosis of the situation of health research in Chile. Second, it reviews the conceptual basis and the methods that account for the relationship between a HTA process and the development of health research. In particular, it emphasizes the relevance of identifying information gaps where funding additional research can be considered a good use of public resources. Finally, it discusses the challenges and possible courses of action that Chile could take in order to guarantee the continuous improvement of an articulated structure for health research and HTA.

Introducing New Priority Setting and Resource Allocation Processes in a Canadian Healthcare Organization: A Case Study Analysis Informed by Multiple Streams Theory.

PubMed

Smith, Neale; Mitton, Craig; Dowling, Laura; Hiltz, Mary-Ann; Campbell, Matthew; Gujar, Shashi Ashok

2015-09-24

In this article, we analyze one case instance of how proposals for change to the priority setting and resource allocation (PSRA) processes at a Canadian healthcare institution reached the decision agenda of the organization's senior leadership. We adopt key concepts from an established policy studies framework - Kingdon's multiple streams theory - to inform our analysis. Twenty-six individual interviews were conducted at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, NS, Canada. Participants were asked to reflect upon the reasons leading up to the implementation of a formal priority setting process - Program Budgeting and Marginal Analysis (PBMA) - in the 2012/2013 fiscal year. Responses were analyzed qualitatively using Kingdon's model as a template. The introduction of PBMA can be understood as the opening of a policy window. A problem stream - defined as lack of broad engagement and information sharing across service lines in past practice - converged with a known policy solution, PBMA, which addressed the identified problems and was perceived as easy to use and with an evidence-base from past applications across Canada and elsewhere. Conditions in the political realm allowed for this intervention to proceed, but also constrained its potential outcomes. Understanding in a theoretically-informed way how change occurs in healthcare management practices can provide useful lessons to researchers and decision-makers whose aim is to help health systems achieve the most effective use of available financial resources. © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

Can there be fair funding for fundholding practices?

PubMed Central

Dixon, J.

1994-01-01

Most regional health authorities set budgets for fundholding practices according to the amount of care used by the practice population. This article explains why this funding method can only lead to an inequitable allocation of resources between fundholding and non-fundholding practices. Using the experience of North West Thames region, the efforts made to make funding fairer are discussed. The steps that health authorities could take to investigate and reduce the problem are also outlined. In the absence of a capitation formula for funding fundholding practices, the paper suggests that health authorities should do much more to investigate the amount of money they spend on non-fundholding practices. Regions could develop and use other methods to set budgets rather than rely on activity recorded by practices. Regions and the Department of Health should resolve urgently if and how far the budgets for fundholders should be compensated for increases in provider prices. Images p773-a PMID:8142835

NASA's Role in Aeronautics: A Workshop. Volume 4: General aviation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

A substantially improved flow of new technology is imperative if the general aviation industry is to maintain a strong world position. Although NASA is the most eminently suited entity available to carry out the necessary research and technology development effort because of its facilities, expertise, and endorsement by the aircraft industry, less than 3% of its aeronautical R&T budget is devoted to general aviation aeronautics. It is recommended that (1) a technology program, particularly one that focuses on improving fuel efficienty and safety, be aggressively pursued by NASA; (2) NASA be assigned the role of leading basic research technology effort in general aviation up through technology demonstration; (3) a strategic plan be developed by NASA, in cooperation with the industry, and implemented in time for the 1982 budget cycle; and (4) a NASA R&T budget be allocated for general aviation adequate to support the proposed plan.

Geophysics and overall science strong in FY 1985 budget

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richman, Barbara T.

A Mars mission, a new research thrust on the continental lithosphere, increased efforts in digital cartography, and construction of a Very Long Baseline Array radio telescope top the list of highlights for geophysics-related research in the proposed fiscal 1985 federal budget that President Ronald Reagan sent to Congress earlier this month.Science in general fared well in this fourth Reagan budget. Research and development support would grow 14% to $53 billion ($51.8 billion would go to conduct of R&D, while $1.3 billion would be allocated to R&D facilities). With a projected inflation rate of about 4%, this increase would provide real growth of 10% over fiscal 1984 levels. The largest increase for R&D, 22%, would support defense modernization. Figure 1 compares nondefense federal R&D obligations since 1978 in constant 1983 dollars, while Table 1 compares conduct of R&D by major departments and agencies.

Library management in the tight budget seventies. Problems, challenges, and opportunities.

PubMed

White, H S

1977-01-01

This paper examines changes in the management of university, special, and medical libraries brought about by the budget curtailments that followed the more affluent funding period of the mid-1960s. Based on a study conducted for the National Science Foundation by the Indiana University Graduate Library School, this paper deals with misconceptions that have arisen in the relationship between publishers and librarians, and differentiates between the priority perceptions of academic and of special librarians in the allocation of progressively scarcer resources. It concludes that libraries must make strong efforts to reduce the growing erosion of materials acquisitions budgets because of growing labor costs as a percentage of all library expenditures; that they must make a working reality of the resource-sharing mechanisms established through consortia and networks; and that they must use advanced evaluative techniques in the determination of which services and programs to implement, expand, and retain, and which to curtail and abandon.

Early-Stage Capital Cost Estimation of Biorefinery Processes: A Comparative Study of Heuristic Techniques.

PubMed

Tsagkari, Mirela; Couturier, Jean-Luc; Kokossis, Antonis; Dubois, Jean-Luc

2016-09-08

Biorefineries offer a promising alternative to fossil-based processing industries and have undergone rapid development in recent years. Limited financial resources and stringent company budgets necessitate quick capital estimation of pioneering biorefinery projects at the early stages of their conception to screen process alternatives, decide on project viability, and allocate resources to the most promising cases. Biorefineries are capital-intensive projects that involve state-of-the-art technologies for which there is no prior experience or sufficient historical data. This work reviews existing rapid cost estimation practices, which can be used by researchers with no previous cost estimating experience. It also comprises a comparative study of six cost methods on three well-documented biorefinery processes to evaluate their accuracy and precision. The results illustrate discrepancies among the methods because their extrapolation on biorefinery data often violates inherent assumptions. This study recommends the most appropriate rapid cost methods and urges the development of an improved early-stage capital cost estimation tool suitable for biorefinery processes. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

A Review of NICE Methods and Processes Across Health Technology Assessment Programmes: Why the Differences and What is the Impact?

PubMed

Cowles, Emma; Marsden, Grace; Cole, Amanda; Devlin, Nancy

2017-08-01

Decisions made by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) exert an influence on the allocation of resources within 'fixed' National Health Service budgets. Yet guidance for different types of health interventions is handled via different 'programmes' within NICE, which follow different methods and processes. The objective of this research was to identify differences in the processes and methods of NICE health technology assessment programmes and to explore how these could impact on allocative efficiency within the National Health Service. Data were extracted from the NICE technology appraisal programme, medical technologies guidance, diagnostic assessment programme, highly specialised technologies programme, and clinical guidelines process and methods manuals to undertake a systematic comparison. Five qualitative interviews were carried out with NICE members of staff and committee members to explore the reasons for the differences found. The main differences identified were in the required evidence review period, or lack thereof, mandatory funding status, the provision of a reference case for economic evaluation, the requirement for and the type of economic analysis undertaken, and the decision making criteria used for appraisal. Many of the differences found can be justified on grounds of practicality and relevance to the health technologies under assessment. Nevertheless, from a strict utilitarian view, there are several potential areas of inefficiency that could lead to the misallocation of resources within the National Health Service, although some of these might be eliminated or reduced if an egalitarian view is taken. The challenge is determining where society is willing to trade health gains between different people.

Starvation reveals the cause of infection-induced castration and gigantism

PubMed Central

Cressler, Clayton E.; Nelson, William A.; Day, Troy; McCauley, Edward

2014-01-01

Parasites often induce life-history changes in their hosts. In many cases, these infection-induced life-history changes are driven by changes in the pattern of energy allocation and utilization within the host. Because these processes will affect both host and parasite fitness, it can be challenging to determine who benefits from them. Determining the causes and consequences of infection-induced life-history changes requires the ability to experimentally manipulate life history and a framework for connecting life history to host and parasite fitness. Here, we combine a novel starvation manipulation with energy budget models to provide new insights into castration and gigantism in the Daphnia magna–Pasteuria ramosa host–parasite system. Our results show that starvation primarily affects investment in reproduction, and increasing starvation stress reduces gigantism and parasite fitness without affecting castration. These results are consistent with an energetic structure where the parasite uses growth energy as a resource. This finding gives us new understanding of the role of castration and gigantism in this system, and how life-history variation will affect infection outcome and epidemiological dynamics. The approach of combining targeted life-history manipulations with energy budget models can be adapted to understand life-history changes in other disease systems. PMID:25143034

Starvation reveals the cause of infection-induced castration and gigantism.

PubMed

Cressler, Clayton E; Nelson, William A; Day, Troy; McCauley, Edward

2014-10-07

Parasites often induce life-history changes in their hosts. In many cases, these infection-induced life-history changes are driven by changes in the pattern of energy allocation and utilization within the host. Because these processes will affect both host and parasite fitness, it can be challenging to determine who benefits from them. Determining the causes and consequences of infection-induced life-history changes requires the ability to experimentally manipulate life history and a framework for connecting life history to host and parasite fitness. Here, we combine a novel starvation manipulation with energy budget models to provide new insights into castration and gigantism in the Daphnia magna-Pasteuria ramosa host-parasite system. Our results show that starvation primarily affects investment in reproduction, and increasing starvation stress reduces gigantism and parasite fitness without affecting castration. These results are consistent with an energetic structure where the parasite uses growth energy as a resource. This finding gives us new understanding of the role of castration and gigantism in this system, and how life-history variation will affect infection outcome and epidemiological dynamics. The approach of combining targeted life-history manipulations with energy budget models can be adapted to understand life-history changes in other disease systems.

The budget process in schools of nursing: a primer for the novice administrator.

PubMed

Starck, P L; Bailes, B

1996-01-01

All administrators are expected to be competent in budget and financial management. Novice administrators of schools of nursing are expected to know about the budgetary process, budgeting techniques, and the various types of budgets that can be used, such as the open-ended budget, incremental budget, alternate-level budget, quota budget, formula budget, intramural budget, zero-based budget, and cost center budget. In addition, administrators are expected to know what key questions need to be asked about how the budget is structured and revenue sources and how to manage and evaluate their budgets.

Are State legislatures responding to public opinion when allocating funds for tobacco control programs?

PubMed

Snyder, Angela; Falba, Tracy; Busch, Susan; Sindelar, Jody

2004-07-01

This study explored the factors associated with state-level allocations to tobacco-control programs. The primary research question was whether public sentiment regarding tobacco control was a significant factor in the states' 2001 budget decisions. In addition to public opinion, several additional political and economic measures were considered. Significant associations were found between our outcome, state-level tobacco-control funding per capita, and key variables of interest including public opinion, amount of tobacco settlement received, the party affiliation of the governor, the state's smoking rate, excise tax revenue received, and whether the state was a major producer of tobacco. The findings from this study supported our hypothesis that states with citizens who favor more restrictive indoor air policies allocate more to tobacco control. Effective public education to change public opinion and the cultural norms surrounding smoking may affect political decisions and, in turn, increase funding for crucial public health programs.

Implementing seasonal carbon allocation into a dynamic vegetation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vermeulen, Marleen; Kruijt, Bart; Hickler, Thomas; Forrest, Matthew; Kabat, Pavel

2014-05-01

Long-term measurements of terrestrial fluxes through the FLUXNET Eddy Covariance network have revealed that carbon and water fluxes can be highly variable from year-to-year. This so-called interannual variability (IAV) of ecosystems is not fully understood because a direct relation with environmental drivers cannot always be found. Many dynamic vegetation models allocate NPP to leaves, stems, and root compartments on an annual basis, and thus do not account for seasonal changes in productivity in response to changes in environmental stressors. We introduce this vegetation seasonality into dynamic vegetation model LPJ-GUESS by implementing a new carbon allocation scheme on a daily basis. We focus in particular on modelling the observed flux seasonality of the Amazon basin, and validate our new model against fluxdata and MODIS GPP products. We expect that introducing seasonal variability into the model improves estimates of annual productivity and IAV, and therefore the model's representation of ecosystem carbon budgets as a whole.

A General Tool for Evaluating High-Contrast Coronagraphic Telescope Performance Error Budgets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marchen, Luis F.; Shaklan, Stuart B.

2009-01-01

This paper describes a general purpose Coronagraph Performance Error Budget (CPEB) tool that we have developed under the NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program. The CPEB automates many of the key steps required to evaluate the scattered starlight contrast in the dark hole of a space-based coronagraph. It operates in 3 steps: first, a CodeV or Zemax prescription is converted into a MACOS optical prescription. Second, a Matlab program calls ray-trace code that generates linear beam-walk and aberration sensitivity matrices for motions of the optical elements and line-of-sight pointing, with and without controlled coarse and fine-steering mirrors. Third, the sensitivity matrices are imported by macros into Excel 2007 where the error budget is created. Once created, the user specifies the quality of each optic from a predefined set of PSDs. The spreadsheet creates a nominal set of thermal and jitter motions and combines them with the sensitivity matrices to generate an error budget for the system. The user can easily modify the motion allocations to perform trade studies.

Activity-based differentiation of pathologists' workload in surgical pathology.

PubMed

Meijer, G A; Oudejans, J J; Koevoets, J J M; Meijer, C J L M

2009-06-01

Adequate budget control in pathology practice requires accurate allocation of resources. Any changes in types and numbers of specimens handled or protocols used will directly affect the pathologists' workload and consequently the allocation of resources. The aim of the present study was to develop a model for measuring the pathologists' workload that can take into account the changes mentioned above. The diagnostic process was analyzed and broken up into separate activities. The time needed to perform these activities was measured. Based on linear regression analysis, for each activity, the time needed was calculated as a function of the number of slides or blocks involved. The total pathologists' time required for a range of specimens was calculated based on standard protocols and validated by comparing to actually measured workload. Cutting up, microscopic procedures and dictating turned out to be highly correlated to number of blocks and/or slides per specimen. Calculated workload per type of specimen was significantly correlated to the actually measured workload. Modeling pathologists' workload based on formulas that calculate workload per type of specimen as a function of the number of blocks and slides provides a basis for a comprehensive, yet flexible, activity-based costing system for pathology.

Changes in carbon allocation to aboveground versus belowground forest components is driven by a trade-off involving mycorrhizal fungi, not fine roots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ouimette, A.; Ollinger, S. V.; Hobbie, E. A.; Lepine, L. C.; Stephens, R.; Rowe, R.; Vadeboncoeur, M. A.; Tumber-Davila, S. J.

2017-12-01

Species composition and resource availability exert a strong influence on the dynamics of carbon allocation among different forest ecosystem components. Recent work in temperate forests has highlighted a tradeoff between carbon allocation to aboveground woody tissues (access to light), and belowground to fine roots (access to soil nutrients). Although root-associated mycorrhizal fungi are crucial for N acquisition and can receive 20% or more of annual net primary production, most studies fail to explicitly include carbon allocation to mycorrhizal fungi. In part, this is due to the inherent difficulties in accurately quantifying fungal production. We took several approaches to quantify production of mycorrhizal fungi, including a carbon budget approach and isotopic techniques. Here we present data on patterns of carbon allocation to aboveground (wood and foliar production), and belowground components (production of fine roots and mycorrhizal fungi), across temperate forest stands spanning a range of nitrogen availability and species composition. We found that as the proportion of conifer species decreased, and stand nitrogen availability increased, both the absolute amount and the fraction of net primary production increased for foliage, aboveground wood, and fine roots ("a rising tide lifts all boats"). While allocation to plant pools increased, allocation to mycorrhizal fungi significantly decreased with decreasing conifer dominance and increasing soil nitrogen availability. We did not find a strong trade-off between carbon allocation to fine roots and aboveground wood or foliage. Instead, a negative relationship is seen between allocation to mycorrhizal fungi and other plant pools. Effort to estimate carbon allocation to mycorrhizal fungi is important for gaining a more complete understanding of how ecosystems respond to changes in growth-limiting resources.

How Much Does Funding Matter? An Analysis of Elementary and Secondary School Performance in Missouri, 1990-2004

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Venteicher, Jerome

2005-01-01

The individual works of Eric Hanushek and the collaborative efforts of Hedges, Laine, and Greenwald in the 1980s and 1990s focused a substantial amount of attention on the relationship between education budget allocations and school performance. Using their opposing hypotheses as a theoretical framework, this study focuses on K-12 education in…

The Effects of Fiscal and Human Capital on Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koligian, Sarah Lynne

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of per-pupil funding, the amount allocated to fund students in K-12 public education, and how this funding related to student achievement. This is one of the most contentious issues in education, especially in light of the current economy in California, where the state budget crisis has…

Community Colleges, Budget Cuts, and Jobs: The Impact of Community Colleges on Employment Growth in Rural U.S. Counties, 1976-2004

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crookston, Andrew; Hooks, Gregory

2012-01-01

In the decades following World War II, a significant expansion of community colleges occurred throughout the United States. As the baby boom generation came of age, demand for higher education spiked, and policy makers allocated the requisite funding to expand institutions of higher education. This expansion, including vigorous funding from…

Causes of the Decline of Education in Pakistan and Its Remedies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ghazi, Safdar Rehman; Ali, Riasat; Khan, Muhammad Saeed; Hussain, Shaukat; Fatima, Zakia Tanzeela

2010-01-01

Low literacy rate and poor quality of education are the major drawbacks of the educational system in Pakistan. Our education is influenced by a number of factors that cause this downfall. Some of them are more prominent, such as low enrollment and high dropout rate at the primary level, different standards of education, low budget allocation for…