The Cost of Saving Electricity Through Energy Efficiency Programs Funded by Utility Customers: 2009–2015

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

Hoffman, Ian M.; Goldman, Charles A.; Murphy, Sean

The average cost to utilities to save a kilowatt-hour (kWh) in the United States is 2.5 cents, according to the most comprehensive assessment to date of the cost performance of energy efficiency programs funded by electricity customers. These costs are similar to those documented earlier. Cost-effective efficiency programs help ensure electricity system reliability at the most affordable cost as part of utility planning and implementation activities for resource adequacy. Building on prior studies, Berkeley Lab analyzed the cost performance of 8,790 electricity efficiency programs between 2009 and 2015 for 116 investor-owned utilities and other program administrators in 41 states. Themore » Berkeley Lab database includes programs representing about three-quarters of total spending on electricity efficiency programs in the United States.« less

Sample size calculation in cost-effectiveness cluster randomized trials: optimal and maximin approaches.

PubMed

Manju, Md Abu; Candel, Math J J M; Berger, Martijn P F

2014-07-10

In this paper, the optimal sample sizes at the cluster and person levels for each of two treatment arms are obtained for cluster randomized trials where the cost-effectiveness of treatments on a continuous scale is studied. The optimal sample sizes maximize the efficiency or power for a given budget or minimize the budget for a given efficiency or power. Optimal sample sizes require information on the intra-cluster correlations (ICCs) for effects and costs, the correlations between costs and effects at individual and cluster levels, the ratio of the variance of effects translated into costs to the variance of the costs (the variance ratio), sampling and measuring costs, and the budget. When planning, a study information on the model parameters usually is not available. To overcome this local optimality problem, the current paper also presents maximin sample sizes. The maximin sample sizes turn out to be rather robust against misspecifying the correlation between costs and effects at the cluster and individual levels but may lose much efficiency when misspecifying the variance ratio. The robustness of the maximin sample sizes against misspecifying the ICCs depends on the variance ratio. The maximin sample sizes are robust under misspecification of the ICC for costs for realistic values of the variance ratio greater than one but not robust under misspecification of the ICC for effects. Finally, we show how to calculate optimal or maximin sample sizes that yield sufficient power for a test on the cost-effectiveness of an intervention.

An Evaluation of the Consumer Costs and Benefits of Energy Efficiency Resource Standards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lessans, Mark D.

Of the modern-day policies designed to encourage energy efficiency, one with a significant potential for impact is that of Energy Efficiency Resource Standards (EERS). EERS policies place the responsibility for meeting an efficiency target on the electric and gas utilities, typically setting requirements for annual reductions in electricity generation or gas distribution to customers as a percentage of sales. To meet these requirements, utilities typically implement demand-side management (DSM) programs, which encourage energy efficiency at the customer level through incentives and educational initiatives. In Maryland, a statewide EERS has provided for programs which save a significant amount of energy, but is ultimately falling short in meeting the targets established by the policy. This study evaluates residential DSM programs offered by Pepco, a utility in Maryland, for cost-effectiveness. However, unlike most literature on the topic, analysis focuses on the costs-benefit from the perspective of the consumer, and not the utility. The results of this study are encouraging: the majority of programs analyzed show that the cost of electricity saved, or levelized cost of saved energy (LCSE), is less expensive than the current retail cost of electricity cost in Maryland. A key goal of this study is to establish a metric for evaluating the consumer cost-effectiveness of participation in energy efficiency programs made available by EERS. In doing so, the benefits of these programs can be effectively marketed to customers, with the hope that participation will increase. By increasing consumer awareness and buy-in, the original goals set out through EERS can be realized and the policies can continue to receive support.

Scalable Light Module for Low-Cost, High-Efficiency Light- Emitting Diode Luminaires

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

Tarsa, Eric

2015-08-31

During this two-year program Cree developed a scalable, modular optical architecture for low-cost, high-efficacy light emitting diode (LED) luminaires. Stated simply, the goal of this architecture was to efficiently and cost-effectively convey light from LEDs (point sources) to broad luminaire surfaces (area sources). By simultaneously developing warm-white LED components and low-cost, scalable optical elements, a high system optical efficiency resulted. To meet program goals, Cree evaluated novel approaches to improve LED component efficacy at high color quality while not sacrificing LED optical efficiency relative to conventional packages. Meanwhile, efficiently coupling light from LEDs into modular optical elements, followed by optimallymore » distributing and extracting this light, were challenges that were addressed via novel optical design coupled with frequent experimental evaluations. Minimizing luminaire bill of materials and assembly costs were two guiding principles for all design work, in the effort to achieve luminaires with significantly lower normalized cost ($/klm) than existing LED fixtures. Chief project accomplishments included the achievement of >150 lm/W warm-white LEDs having primary optics compatible with low-cost modular optical elements. In addition, a prototype Light Module optical efficiency of over 90% was measured, demonstrating the potential of this scalable architecture for ultra-high-efficacy LED luminaires. Since the project ended, Cree has continued to evaluate optical element fabrication and assembly methods in an effort to rapidly transfer this scalable, cost-effective technology to Cree production development groups. The Light Module concept is likely to make a strong contribution to the development of new cost-effective, high-efficacy luminaries, thereby accelerating widespread adoption of energy-saving SSL in the U.S.« less

Building America Case Study: Simple Retrofit High-Efficiency Natural Gas Water Heater Field Test, Minneapolis, Minnesota

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

High performance water heaters are typically more time consuming and costly to install in retrofit applications, making high performance water heaters difficult to justify economically. However, recent advancements in high performance water heaters have targeted the retrofit market, simplifying installations and reducing costs. Four high efficiency natural gas water heaters designed specifically for retrofit applications were installed in single-family homes along with detailed monitoring systems to characterize their savings potential, their installed efficiencies, and their ability to meet household demands. The water heaters tested for this project were designed to improve the cost-effectiveness and increase market penetration of high efficiencymore » water heaters in the residential retrofit market. The retrofit high efficiency water heaters achieved their goal of reducing costs, maintaining savings potential and installed efficiency of other high efficiency water heaters, and meeting the necessary capacity in order to improve cost-effectiveness. However, the improvements were not sufficient to achieve simple paybacks of less than ten years for the incremental cost compared to a minimum efficiency heater. Significant changes would be necessary to reduce the simple payback to six years or less. Annual energy savings in the range of $200 would also reduce paybacks to less than six years. These energy savings would require either significantly higher fuel costs (greater than $1.50 per therm) or very high usage (around 120 gallons per day). For current incremental costs, the water heater efficiency would need to be similar to that of a heat pump water heater to deliver a six year payback.« less

Simple Retrofit High-Efficiency Natural Gas Water Heater Field Test

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

Schoenbauer, Ben

High performance water heaters are typically more time consuming and costly to install in retrofit applications, making high performance water heaters difficult to justify economically. However, recent advancements in high performance water heaters have targeted the retrofit market, simplifying installations and reducing costs. Four high efficiency natural gas water heaters designed specifically for retrofit applications were installed in single-family homes along with detailed monitoring systems to characterize their savings potential, their installed efficiencies, and their ability to meet household demands. The water heaters tested for this project were designed to improve the cost-effectiveness and increase market penetration of high efficiencymore » water heaters in the residential retrofit market. The retrofit high efficiency water heaters achieved their goal of reducing costs, maintaining savings potential and installed efficiency of other high efficiency water heaters, and meeting the necessary capacity in order to improve cost-effectiveness. However, the improvements were not sufficient to achieve simple paybacks of less than ten years for the incremental cost compared to a minimum efficiency heater. Significant changes would be necessary to reduce the simple payback to six years or less. Annual energy savings in the range of $200 would also reduce paybacks to less than six years. These energy savings would require either significantly higher fuel costs (greater than $1.50 per therm) or very high usage (around 120 gallons per day). For current incremental costs, the water heater efficiency would need to be similar to that of a heat pump water heater to deliver a six year payback.« less

Opportunity cost based analysis of corporate eco-efficiency: a methodology and its application to the CO2-efficiency of German companies.

PubMed

Hahn, Tobias; Figge, Frank; Liesen, Andrea; Barkemeyer, Ralf

2010-10-01

In this paper, we propose the return-to-cost-ratio (RCR) as an alternative approach to the analysis of operational eco-efficiency of companies based on the notion of opportunity costs. RCR helps to overcome two fundamental deficits of existing approaches to eco-efficiency. (1) It translates eco-efficiency into managerial terms by applying the well-established notion of opportunity costs to eco-efficiency analysis. (2) RCR allows to identify and quantify the drivers behind changes in corporate eco-efficiency. RCR is applied to the analysis of the CO(2)-efficiency of German companies in order to illustrate its usefulness for a detailed analysis of changes in corporate eco-efficiency as well as for the development of effective environmental strategies. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of the cost and efficiency relationship: experience in the Turkish pay for performance system.

PubMed

Gok, Mehmet Sahin; Altındağ, Erkut

2015-06-01

This paper analyzes the effects of the pay for performance (PFP) system on the efficiencies of public and private hospitals in Turkey. In order to evaluate these effects, we examine the relationship between hospital efficiency and health care costs in Turkey, and address the impact of the PFP system on the efficiencies of public and private hospitals. In an effort to analyze the efficiencies of public and private hospitals, this study uses data envelopment analysis. The Malmquist Productivity Index is also used to analyze the patterns of efficiency change for the study years from 2001 to 2008. This study shows that health care costs and hospital efficiency are negatively correlated for private hospitals, while they are positively correlated for public hospitals. In other words, increased health care costs might reduce efficiency in private hospitals in contrast to public hospitals. Our findings also indicate that average efficiencies of public hospitals tend to increase, particularly during the implementation period of PFP system. The efficiency trend of private hospitals, conversely, decreased in the latter periods of the PFP system. Suggestions for improvement are provided to the health care policy makers regarding the impact of health care reforms on public and private hospitals.

Analysis of the costs and cost-effectiveness of the guidelines recommended by the 2018 GESIDA/Spanish National AIDS Plan for initial antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected adults.

PubMed

Pérez-Molina, José Antonio; Martínez, Esteban; Blasco, Antonio Javier; Arribas, José Ramón; Domingo, Pere; Iribarren, José Antonio; Knobel, Hernando; Lázaro, Pablo; López-Aldeguer, José; Lozano, Fernando; Mariño, Ana; Miró, José M; Moreno, Santiago; Negredo, Eugenia; Pulido, Federico; Rubio, Rafael; Santos, Jesús; de la Torre, Javier; Tuset, Montserrat; von Wichmann, Miguel A; Gatell, Josep M

2018-06-05

The GESIDA/National AIDS Plan expert panel recommended preferred regimens (PR), alternative regimens (AR) and other regimens (OR) for antiretroviral treatment (ART) as initial therapy in HIV-infected patients for 2018. The objective of this study was to evaluate the costs and the efficiency of initiating treatment with PR and AR. Economic assessment of costs and efficiency (cost-effectiveness) based on decision tree analyses. Effectiveness was defined as the probability of reporting a viral load <50copies/mL at week 48, in an intention-to-treat analysis. Cost of initiating treatment with an ART regimen was defined as the costs of ART and its consequences (adverse effects, changes of ART regimen, and drug-resistance studies) over the first 48 weeks. The payer perspective (National Health System) was applied considering only differential direct costs: ART (official prices), management of adverse effects, studies of resistance, and HLA B*5701 testing. The setting was Spain and the costs correspond to those of 2018. A deterministic sensitivity analysis was conducted, building three scenarios for each regimen: base case, most favourable and least favourable. In the base-case scenario, the cost of initiating treatment ranges from 6788 euros for TAF/FTC/RPV (AR) to 10,649 euros for TAF/FTC+RAL (PR). The effectiveness varies from 0.82 for TAF/FTC+DRV/r (AR) to 0.91 for TAF/FTC+DTG (PR). The efficiency, in terms of cost-effectiveness, ranges from 7814 to 12,412 euros per responder at 48 weeks, for ABC/3TC/DTG (PR) and TAF/FTC+RAL (PR), respectively. Considering ART official prices, the most efficient regimen was ABC/3TC/DTG (PR), followed by TAF/FTC/RPV (AR) and TAF/FTC/EVG/COBI (AR). Copyright © 2018 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica. All rights reserved.

Are Public Master's Institutions Cost Efficient? A Stochastic Frontier and Spatial Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Titus, Marvin A.; Vamosiu, Adriana; McClure, Kevin R.

2017-01-01

The current study examines costs, measured by educational and general (E&G) spending, and cost efficiency at 252 public master's institutions in the United States over a nine-year (2004-2012) period. We use a multi-product quadratic cost function and results from a random-effects model with a first-order autoregressive (AR1) disturbance term…

Placement and efficiency effects on radiative forcing of solar installations

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

Burg, Brian R.; Ruch, Patrick; Paredes, Stephan

2015-09-28

The promise for harnessing solar energy being hampered by cost, triggered efforts to reduce them. As a consequence low-efficiency, low-cost photovoltaics (PV) panels prevail. Conversely, in the traditional energy sector efficiency is extremely important due to the direct costs associated to fuels. This also affects solar energy due to the radiative forcing caused by the dark solar panels. In this paper we extend the concept of energy payback time by including the effect of albedo change, which gives a better assessment of the system sustainability. We present an analysis on the short and medium term climate forcing effects of differentmore » solar collectors in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and demonstrate that efficiency is important to reduce the collector area and cost. This also influences the embodied energy and the global warming potential. We show that a placement of a high concentration photovoltaic thermal solar power station outside of the city using a district cooling system has a double beneficial effect since it improves the solar conversion efficiency and reduces the energy demand for cooling in the city. We also explain the mechanisms of the current economic development of solar technologies and anticipate changes.« less

Costs and cost-effectiveness analysis of 2015 GESIDA/Spanish AIDS National Plan recommended guidelines for initial antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected adults.

PubMed

Berenguer, Juan; Rivero, Antonio; Blasco, Antonio Javier; Arribas, José Ramón; Boix, Vicente; Clotet, Bonaventura; Domingo, Pere; González-García, Juan; Knobel, Hernando; Lázaro, Pablo; López, Juan Carlos; Llibre, Josep M; Lozano, Fernando; Miró, José M; Podzamczer, Daniel; Tuset, Montserrat; Gatell, Josep M

2016-01-01

GESIDA and the AIDS National Plan panel of experts suggest a preferred (PR), alternative (AR) and other regimens (OR) for antiretroviral treatment (ART) as initial therapy in HIV-infected patients for 2015. The objective of this study is to evaluate the costs and the effectiveness of initiating treatment with these regimens. Economic assessment of costs and effectiveness (cost/effectiveness) based on decision tree analyses. Effectiveness was defined as the probability of reporting a viral load <50 copies/mL at week 48, in an intention-to-treat analysis. Cost of initiating treatment with an ART regimen was defined as the costs of ART and its consequences (adverse effects, changes of ART regimen, and drug resistance studies) during the first 48 weeks. The payer perspective (National Health System) was applied, only taking into account differential direct costs: ART (official prices), management of adverse effects, studies of resistance, and HLA B*5701 testing. The setting is Spain and the costs correspond to those of 2015. A deterministic sensitivity analysis was conducted, building three scenarios for each regimen: base case, most favourable and least favourable. In the base case scenario, the cost of initiating treatment ranges from 4663 Euros for 3TC+LPV/r (OR) to 10,902 Euros for TDF/FTC+RAL (PR). The effectiveness varies from 0.66 for ABC/3TC+ATV/r (AR) and ABC/3TC+LPV/r (OR), to 0.89 for TDF/FTC+DTG (PR) and TDF/FTC/EVG/COBI (AR). The efficiency, in terms of cost/effectiveness, ranges from 5280 to 12,836 Euros per responder at 48 weeks, for 3TC+LPV/r (OR) and RAL+DRV/r (OR), respectively. The most efficient regimen was 3TC+LPV/r (OR). Among the PR and AR, the most efficient regimen was TDF/FTC/RPV (AR). Among the PR regimes, the most efficient was ABC/3TC+DTG. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica. All rights reserved.

Assessing value-for-money in maternal and newborn health.

PubMed

Banke-Thomas, Aduragbemi; Madaj, Barbara; Kumar, Shubha; Ameh, Charles; van den Broek, Nynke

2017-01-01

Responding to increasing demands to demonstrate value-for-money (VfM) for maternal and newborn health interventions, and in the absence of VfM analysis in peer-reviewed literature, this paper reviews VfM components and methods, critiques their applicability, strengths and weakness and proposes how VfM assessments can be improved. VfM comprises four components: economy, efficiency, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Both 'economy' and 'efficiency' can be assessed with detailed cost analysis utilising costs obtained from programme accounting data or generic cost databases. Before-and-after studies, case-control studies or randomised controlled trials can be used to assess 'effectiveness'. To assess 'cost-effectiveness', cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA), cost-utility analysis (CUA), cost-benefit analysis (CBA) or social return on investment (SROI) analysis are applicable. Generally, costs can be obtained from programme accounting data or existing generic cost databases. As such 'economy' and 'efficiency' are relatively easy to assess. However, 'effectiveness' and 'cost-effectiveness' which require establishment of the counterfactual are more difficult to ascertain. Either a combination of CEA or CUA with tools for assessing other VfM components, or the independent use of CBA or SROI are alternative approaches proposed to strengthen VfM assessments. Cross-cutting themes such as equity, sustainability, scalability and cultural acceptability should also be assessed, as they provide critical contextual information for interpreting VfM assessments. To select an assessment approach, consideration should be given to the purpose, data availability, stakeholders requiring the findings and perspectives of programme beneficiaries. Implementers and researchers should work together to improve the quality of assessments. Standardisation around definitions, methodology and effectiveness measures to be assessed would help.

Cost-Benefit of Improving the Efficiency of Room Air Conditioners (Inverter and Fixed Speed) in India

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

Phadke, Amol; Shah, Nihar; Abhyankar, Nikit

Improving efficiency of air conditioners (ACs) typically involves improving the efficiency of various components such as compressors, heat exchangers, expansion valves, refrigerant,and fans. We estimate the incremental cost of improving the efficiency of room ACs based on the cost of improving the efficiency of its key components. Further, we estimate the retail price increase required to cover the cost of efficiency improvement, compare it with electricity bill savings, and calculate the payback period for consumers to recover the additional price of a more efficient AC. The finding that significant efficiency improvement is cost effective from a consumer perspective is robustmore » over a wide range of assumptions. If we assume a 50% higher incremental price compared to our baseline estimate, the payback period for the efficiency level of 3.5 ISEER is 1.1 years. Given the findings of this study, establishing more stringent minimum efficiency performance criteria (one-star level) should be evaluated rigorously considering significant benefits to consumers, energy security, and environment« less

An economic framework for preventive care advice.

PubMed

Pauly, Mark V; Sloan, Frank A; Sullivan, Sean D

2014-11-01

Under the Affordable Care Act, preventive care measures, including vaccinations and screenings, recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the US Preventive Services Task Force must be covered in full by insurance. These recommendations affect the cost of medical care. Yet neither organization explicitly incorporates measures of efficiency or cost-effectiveness in making its recommendations. To redress this shortcoming, we propose a decision-making framework for these two organizations based on the principles of economic efficiency. Our analysis suggests that routine use of a preventive service should be recommended for full insurance coverage if the service's cost-effectiveness exceeds a socially determined threshold. For less cost-effective services, we suggest that information about effectiveness and cost should be provided to consumers by physicians or government, but the choice of care and insurance coverage for care should be made by individuals. For the least cost-effective services, the two organizations should discourage public and private insurers from covering such services and report their unfavorable cost-effectiveness. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

The connotation interpretation of high-efficiency agriculture under the perspective of a combined agriculture with tourism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Jie; Zhang, Feng-tai; Gai, Yuan-jin; Deng, Bao-kun; Shao, Ji-xin; An, You-zhi

2017-08-01

Through literature review, the article points out that the existing of the high-efficiency agriculture definition is limited to results oriented thinking, apparently lack of process oriented thinking. Combined with the connotation of fusion agriculture and tourism, respectively from the time and space utilization efficiency, cash cost, elements of input and output form, etc, gives high-efficiency agriculture a new connotation. Under the perspective of a combined agriculture with tourism, efficient use of time and space, low realized cost, less costs and output form of agriculture, this is highly effective agriculture.

A Cost-Effectiveness Comparision of Two Types of Occupational Home Economics Programs in the State of Kentucky. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gabbard, Lydia Carol Moore

A study compared the cost effectiveness of secondary child care and commercial foods occupational home economics programs in Kentucky. Identified as dependent variables in the study were program effectiveness, cost efficiency, and cost effectiveness ratio. Program expenditures, community size, and program age were considered as independent…

The effect of food bolus location on jaw movement smoothness and masticatory efficiency.

PubMed

Molenaar, W N B; Gezelle Meerburg, P J; Luraschi, J; Whittle, T; Schimmel, M; Lobbezoo, F; Peck, C C; Murray, G M; Minami, I

2012-09-01

Masticatory efficiency in individuals with extensive tooth loss has been widely discussed. However, little is known about jaw movement smoothness during chewing and the effect of differences in food bolus location on movement smoothness and masticatory efficiency. The aim of this study was to determine whether experimental differences in food bolus location (anterior versus posterior) had an effect on masticatory efficiency and jaw movement smoothness. Jaw movement smoothness was evaluated by measuring jerk-cost (calculated from acceleration) with an accelerometer that was attached to the skin of the mentum of 10 asymptomatic subjects, and acceleration was recorded during chewing on two-colour chewing gum, which was used to assessed masticatory efficiency. Chewing was performed under two conditions: posterior chewing (chewing on molars and premolars only) and anterior chewing (chewing on canine and first premolar teeth only). Jerk-cost and masticatory efficiency (calculated as the ratio of unmixed azure colour to the total area of gum, the unmixed fraction) were compared between anterior and posterior chewing with the Wilcoxon signed rank test (two-tailed). Subjects chewed significantly less efficiently during anterior chewing than during posterior chewing (P = 0·0051). There was no significant difference in jerk-cost between anterior and posterior conditions in the opening phase (P = 0·25), or closing phase (P = 0·42). This is the first characterisation of the effect of food bolus location on jaw movement smoothness at the same time as recording masticatory efficiency. The data suggest that anterior chewing decreases masticatory efficiency, but does not influence jerk-cost. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

10 CFR 436.42 - Evaluation of Life-Cycle Cost Effectiveness.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Evaluation of Life-Cycle Cost Effectiveness. 436.42... PROGRAMS Agency Procurement of Energy Efficient Products § 436.42 Evaluation of Life-Cycle Cost...) ENERGY STAR qualified and FEMP designated products may be assumed to be life-cycle cost-effective. (b) In...

10 CFR 436.42 - Evaluation of Life-Cycle Cost Effectiveness.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Evaluation of Life-Cycle Cost Effectiveness. 436.42... PROGRAMS Agency Procurement of Energy Efficient Products § 436.42 Evaluation of Life-Cycle Cost...) ENERGY STAR qualified and FEMP designated products may be assumed to be life-cycle cost-effective. (b) In...

10 CFR 436.42 - Evaluation of Life-Cycle Cost Effectiveness.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Evaluation of Life-Cycle Cost Effectiveness. 436.42... PROGRAMS Agency Procurement of Energy Efficient Products § 436.42 Evaluation of Life-Cycle Cost...) ENERGY STAR qualified and FEMP designated products may be assumed to be life-cycle cost-effective. (b) In...

10 CFR 436.42 - Evaluation of Life-Cycle Cost Effectiveness.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Evaluation of Life-Cycle Cost Effectiveness. 436.42... PROGRAMS Agency Procurement of Energy Efficient Products § 436.42 Evaluation of Life-Cycle Cost...) ENERGY STAR qualified and FEMP designated products may be assumed to be life-cycle cost-effective. (b) In...

The cost of preventing undernutrition: cost, cost-efficiency and cost-effectiveness of three cash-based interventions on nutrition outcomes in Dadu, Pakistan.

PubMed

Trenouth, Lani; Colbourn, Timothy; Fenn, Bridget; Pietzsch, Silke; Myatt, Mark; Puett, Chloe

2018-07-01

Cash-based interventions (CBIs) increasingly are being used to deliver humanitarian assistance and there is growing interest in the cost-effectiveness of cash transfers for preventing undernutrition in emergency contexts. The objectives of this study were to assess the costs, cost-efficiency and cost-effectiveness in achieving nutrition outcomes of three CBIs in southern Pakistan: a 'double cash' (DC) transfer, a 'standard cash' (SC) transfer and a 'fresh food voucher' (FFV) transfer. Cash and FFVs were provided to poor households with children aged 6-48 months for 6 months in 2015. The SC and FFV interventions provided $14 monthly and the DC provided $28 monthly. Cost data were collected via institutional accounting records, interviews, programme observation, document review and household survey. Cost-effectiveness was assessed as cost per case of wasting, stunting and disability-adjusted life year (DALY) averted. Beneficiary costs were higher for the cash groups than the voucher group. Net total cost transfer ratios (TCTRs) were estimated as 1.82 for DC, 2.82 for SC and 2.73 for FFV. Yet, despite the higher operational costs, the FFV TCTR was lower than the SC TCTR when incorporating the participation cost to households, demonstrating the relevance of including beneficiary costs in cost-efficiency estimations. The DC intervention achieved a reduction in wasting, at $4865 per case averted; neither the SC nor the FFV interventions reduced wasting. The cost per case of stunting averted was $1290 for DC, $882 for SC and $883 for FFV. The cost per DALY averted was $641 for DC, $434 for SC and $563 for FFV without discounting or age weighting. These interventions are highly cost-effective by international thresholds. While it is debatable whether these resource requirements represent a feasible or sustainable investment given low health expenditures in Pakistan, these findings may provide justification for continuing Pakistan's investment in national social safety nets.

The cost of preventing undernutrition: cost, cost-efficiency and cost-effectiveness of three cash-based interventions on nutrition outcomes in Dadu, Pakistan

PubMed Central

Trenouth, Lani; Colbourn, Timothy; Fenn, Bridget; Pietzsch, Silke; Myatt, Mark; Puett, Chloe

2018-01-01

Abstract Cash-based interventions (CBIs) increasingly are being used to deliver humanitarian assistance and there is growing interest in the cost-effectiveness of cash transfers for preventing undernutrition in emergency contexts. The objectives of this study were to assess the costs, cost-efficiency and cost-effectiveness in achieving nutrition outcomes of three CBIs in southern Pakistan: a ‘double cash’ (DC) transfer, a ‘standard cash’ (SC) transfer and a ‘fresh food voucher’ (FFV) transfer. Cash and FFVs were provided to poor households with children aged 6–48 months for 6 months in 2015. The SC and FFV interventions provided $14 monthly and the DC provided $28 monthly. Cost data were collected via institutional accounting records, interviews, programme observation, document review and household survey. Cost-effectiveness was assessed as cost per case of wasting, stunting and disability-adjusted life year (DALY) averted. Beneficiary costs were higher for the cash groups than the voucher group. Net total cost transfer ratios (TCTRs) were estimated as 1.82 for DC, 2.82 for SC and 2.73 for FFV. Yet, despite the higher operational costs, the FFV TCTR was lower than the SC TCTR when incorporating the participation cost to households, demonstrating the relevance of including beneficiary costs in cost-efficiency estimations. The DC intervention achieved a reduction in wasting, at $4865 per case averted; neither the SC nor the FFV interventions reduced wasting. The cost per case of stunting averted was $1290 for DC, $882 for SC and $883 for FFV. The cost per DALY averted was $641 for DC, $434 for SC and $563 for FFV without discounting or age weighting. These interventions are highly cost-effective by international thresholds. While it is debatable whether these resource requirements represent a feasible or sustainable investment given low health expenditures in Pakistan, these findings may provide justification for continuing Pakistan’s investment in national social safety nets. PMID:29912462

Cost-Benefit of Improving the Efficiency of Room Air Conditioners (Inverter and Fixed Speed) in India

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

Shah, Nihar; Abhyankar, Nikit; Park, Won Young

Improving efficiency of air conditioners (ACs) typically involves improving the efficiency of various components such as compressors, heat exchangers, expansion valves, refrigerant and fans. We estimate the incremental cost of improving the efficiency of room ACs based on the cost of improving the efficiency of its key components. Further, we estimate the retail price increase required to cover the cost of efficiency improvement, compare it with electricity bill savings, and calculate the payback period for consumers to recover the additional price of a more efficient AC. We assess several efficiency levels, two of which are summarized below in the report.more » The finding that significant efficiency improvement is cost effective from a consumer perspective is robust over a wide range of assumptions. If we assume a 50% higher incremental price compared to our baseline estimate, the payback period for the efficiency level of 3.5 ISEER is 1.1 years. Given the findings of this study, establishing more stringent minimum efficiency performance criteria (one star level) should be evaluated rigorously considering significant benefits to consumers, energy security and environment.« less

Efficiency of U.S. Dialysis Centers: An Updated Examination of Facility Characteristics That Influence Production of Dialysis Treatments

PubMed Central

Shreay, Sanatan; Ma, Martin; McCluskey, Jill; Mittelhammer, Ron C; Gitlin, Matthew; Stephens, J Mark

2014-01-01

Objective To explore the relative efficiency of dialysis facilities in the United States and identify factors that are associated with efficiency in the production of dialysis treatments. Data Sources/Study Setting Medicare cost report data from 4,343 free-standing dialysis facilities in the United States that offered in-center hemodialysis in 2010. Study Design A cross-sectional, facility-level retrospective database analysis, utilizing data envelopment analysis (DEA) to estimate facility efficiency. Data Collection/Extraction Methods Treatment data and cost and labor inputs of dialysis treatments were obtained from 2010 Medicare Renal Cost Reports. Demographic data were obtained from the 2010 U.S. Census. Principal Findings Only 26.6 percent of facilities were technically efficient. Neither the intensity of market competition nor the profit status of the facility had a significant effect on efficiency. Facilities that were members of large chains were less likely to be efficient. Cost and labor savings due to changes in drug protocols had little effect on overall dialysis center efficiency. Conclusions The majority of free-standing dialysis facilities in the United States were functioning in a technically inefficient manner. As payment systems increasingly employ capitation and bundling provisions, these institutions will need to evaluate their efficiency to remain competitive. PMID:24237043

Performance, Cost, and Market Share of Conventional Vehicle Efficiency Technologies? Retrospective Comparison of Regulatory Document Projections for Corporate Average Fuel Economy and Greenhouse Gas Standards

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

Xie, Fei; Lin, Zhenhong; Nealer, Rachael

This paper conducted an analysis of regulatory documents on current energy- and greenhouse gas–relevant conventional vehicle efficiency technologies in the corporate average fuel economy standards (2017 to 2025) and greenhouse gas rulemaking context by NHTSA and EPA. The focus was on identifying what technologies today—as estimated now (2015 to 2016)—receive higher or lower expectations with regard to effectiveness, cost, and consumer adoption than what experts projected during the 2010 to 2011 rulemaking period. A broad range of conventional vehicle efficiency technologies, including gasoline engine and diesel engine, transmission, accessory, hybrid, and vehicle body technologies, was investigated in this analysis. Finally,more » most assessed technologies were found to have had better competitiveness than expected with regard to effectiveness or costs, or both, with costs and market penetration more difficult to predict than technology effectiveness.« less

Performance, Cost, and Market Share of Conventional Vehicle Efficiency Technologies? Retrospective Comparison of Regulatory Document Projections for Corporate Average Fuel Economy and Greenhouse Gas Standards

DOE PAGES

Xie, Fei; Lin, Zhenhong; Nealer, Rachael

2017-09-30

This paper conducted an analysis of regulatory documents on current energy- and greenhouse gas–relevant conventional vehicle efficiency technologies in the corporate average fuel economy standards (2017 to 2025) and greenhouse gas rulemaking context by NHTSA and EPA. The focus was on identifying what technologies today—as estimated now (2015 to 2016)—receive higher or lower expectations with regard to effectiveness, cost, and consumer adoption than what experts projected during the 2010 to 2011 rulemaking period. A broad range of conventional vehicle efficiency technologies, including gasoline engine and diesel engine, transmission, accessory, hybrid, and vehicle body technologies, was investigated in this analysis. Finally,more » most assessed technologies were found to have had better competitiveness than expected with regard to effectiveness or costs, or both, with costs and market penetration more difficult to predict than technology effectiveness.« less

The Probabilistic Efficiency Frontier: A Framework for Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in Germany Put into Practice for Hepatitis C Treatment Options.

PubMed

Mühlbacher, Axel C; Sadler, Andrew

2017-02-01

The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (Institut für Qualität und Wirtschaftlichkeit im Gesundheitswesen) adapted the efficiency frontier (EF) approach to conform to statutory provisions on cost-effectiveness analysis of health technologies. EF serves as a framework for evaluating cost-effectiveness and indirectly for pricing and reimbursement decisions. To calculate an EF on the basis of single multidimensional benefit by taking patient preferences and uncertainty into account; to evaluate whether EF is useful to inform decision makers about cost-effectiveness of new therapies; and to find whether a treatment is efficient at given prices demonstrated through a case study on chronic hepatitis C. A single multidimensional benefit was calculated by linear additive aggregation of multiple patient-relevant end points. End points were identified and weighted by patients in a previous discrete-choice experiment (DCE). Aggregation of overall benefit was ascertained using preferences and clinical data. Monte-Carlo simulation was applied. Uncertainty was addressed by price acceptability curve (PAC) and net monetary benefit (NMB). The case study illustrates that progress in benefit and efficiency of hepatitis C virus treatments could be depicted very well with the EF. On the basis of cost, effect, and preference data, the latest generations of interferon-free treatments are shown to yield a positive NMB and be efficient at current prices. EF was implemented taking uncertainty into account. For the first time, a DCE was used with the EF. The study shows how DCEs in combination with EF, PAC, and NMB can contribute important information in the course of reimbursement and pricing decisions. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Incentives for vertical integration in healthcare: the effect of reimbursement systems.

PubMed

Byrne, M M; Ashton, C M

1999-01-01

In the United States, many healthcare organizations are being transformed into large integrated delivery systems, even though currently available empirical evidence does not provide strong or unequivocal support for or against vertical integration. Unfortunately, the manager cannot delay organizational changes until further research has been completed, especially when further research is not likely to reveal a single, correct solution for the diverse healthcare systems in existence. Managers must therefore carefully evaluate the expected effects of integration on their individual organizations. Vertical integration may be appropriate if conditions facing the healthcare organization provide opportunities for efficiency gains through reorganization strategies. Managers must consider (1) how changes in the healthcare market have affected the dynamics of production efficiency and transaction costs; (2) the likelihood that integration strategies will achieve increases in efficiency or reductions in transaction costs; and (3) how vertical integration will affect other costs, and whether the benefits gained will outweigh additional costs and efficiency losses. This article presents reimbursement systems as an example of how recent changes in the industry may have changed the dynamics and efficiency of production. Evaluation of the effects of vertical integration should allow for reasonable adjustment time, but obviously unsuccessful strategies should not be followed or maintained.

[What is an efficient health technology in Spain?].

PubMed

Sacristán, J A; Oliva, J; Del Llano, J; Prieto, L; Pinto, J L

2002-01-01

Despite the growing recognition of the potential applications of cost-effectiveness assessments, a criterion to establish what is an efficient health technology does not exist in Spain. The objective of this work is to describe the limits and the criteria used in Spain to recommend the adoption of health interventions. A review of the economic evaluations of health technologies published in Spain from 1990 to 2001 was conducted. Complete economic assessments in which the cost-effectiveness ratio was expressed as cost per life-year gained (LYG), cost per quality-adjusted-life-year (QALY) or cost per saved live were selected. Those interventions in which the authors established recommendations (adoption or rejection) and the criteria used were analyzed. Twenty (20%) of the 100 complete economic evaluations fulfilled the selection criteria. In16 studies, the results were expressed as cost per LYG, in 6 studies as cost per QALY and in 1 as cost per saved live. A total of 82 health interventions were assessed and some kind of recommendation was established in 44 of them. All technologies with a cost-effectiveness ratio lower than 30,000 euros (5 million pesetas) per LYG were recommended for adoption by the authors. Up to that limit there was no a clear tendency. Although the results must be interpreted with much precaution, given the limitations of the study, the limits of cost-effectiveness presented in this work could be a first reference to which would be an efficient health intervention in Spain.

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

Feibel, C.E.

This study uses multiple data collection and research methods including in depth interviews, 271 surveys of shared taxi and minibus operators, participant observation, secondary sources, and the literature on public transport from low, medium, and high-income countries. Extensive use is also made of a survey administered in Istanbul in 1976 to 1935 paratransit operators. Primary findings are that private buses are more efficient than public buses on a cost per passenger-km basis, and that private minibuses are as efficient as public buses. In terms of energy efficiency, minibuses are almost as efficient as public and private buses using actual-occupancy levels.more » Large shared taxis are twice as cost and energy efficient as cars, and small shared taxis 50% more efficient. In terms of investment cost per seat, large shared taxis have the lowest cost followed by smaller shared taxis, minibuses, and buses. Considering actual occupancy levels, minibuses are only slightly less effective in terms of congestion than buses, and large and small shared taxis are twice as effective as cars. It is also shown that minibuses and shared taxis have better service quality than buses because of higher frequencies and speeds, and because they provide a much higher probability of getting a seat than buses. Analysis of regulation and policy suggests that there are many unintended cost of public-transport regulations.« less

Determinants of Change in the Cost-effectiveness Threshold.

PubMed

Paulden, Mike; O'Mahony, James; McCabe, Christopher

2017-02-01

The cost-effectiveness threshold in health care systems with a constrained budget should be determined by the cost-effectiveness of displacing health care services to fund new interventions. Using comparative statics, we review some potential determinants of the threshold, including the budget for health care, the demand for existing health care interventions, the technical efficiency of existing interventions, and the development of new health technologies. We consider the anticipated direction of impact that would affect the threshold following a change in each of these determinants. Where the health care system is technically efficient, an increase in the health care budget unambiguously raises the threshold, whereas an increase in the demand for existing, non-marginal health interventions unambiguously lowers the threshold. Improvements in the technical efficiency of existing interventions may raise or lower the threshold, depending on the cause of the improvement in efficiency, whether the intervention is already funded, and, if so, whether it is marginal. New technologies may also raise or lower the threshold, depending on whether the new technology is a substitute for an existing technology and, again, whether the existing technology is marginal. Our analysis permits health economists and decision makers to assess if and in what direction the threshold may change over time. This matters, as threshold changes impact the cost-effectiveness of interventions that require decisions now but have costs and effects that fall in future periods.

A Short Progress Report on High-Efficiency Perovskite Solar Cells.

PubMed

Tang, He; He, Shengsheng; Peng, Chuangwei

2017-12-01

Faced with the increasingly serious energy and environmental crisis in the world nowadays, the development of renewable energy has attracted increasingly more attention of all countries. Solar energy as an abundant and cheap energy is one of the most promising renewable energy sources. While high-performance solar cells have been well developed in the last couple of decades, the high module cost largely hinders wide deployment of photovoltaic devices. In the last 10 years, this urgent demand for cost-effective solar cells greatly facilitates the research of solar cells. This paper reviews the recent development of cost-effective and high-efficient solar cell technologies. This report paper covers low-cost and high-efficiency perovskite solar cells. The development and the state-of-the-art results of perovskite solar cell technologies are also introduced.

Low-cost electrodes for stable perovskite solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bastos, João P.; Manghooli, Sara; Jaysankar, Manoj; Tait, Jeffrey G.; Qiu, Weiming; Gehlhaar, Robert; De Volder, Michael; Uytterhoeven, Griet; Poortmans, Jef; Paetzold, Ulrich W.

2017-06-01

Cost-effective production of perovskite solar cells on an industrial scale requires the utilization of exclusively inexpensive materials. However, to date, highly efficient and stable perovskite solar cells rely on expensive gold electrodes since other metal electrodes are known to cause degradation of the devices. Finding a low-cost electrode that can replace gold and ensure both efficiency and long-term stability is essential for the success of the perovskite-based solar cell technology. In this work, we systematically compare three types of electrode materials: multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), alternative metals (silver, aluminum, and copper), and transparent oxides [indium tin oxide (ITO)] in terms of efficiency, stability, and cost. We show that multi-walled carbon nanotubes are the only electrode that is both more cost-effective and stable than gold. Devices with multi-walled carbon nanotube electrodes present remarkable shelf-life stability, with no decrease in the efficiency even after 180 h of storage in 77% relative humidity (RH). Furthermore, we demonstrate the potential of devices with multi-walled carbon nanotube electrodes to achieve high efficiencies. These developments are an important step forward to mass produce perovskite photovoltaics in a commercially viable way.

Is treatment with liraglutide efficient?

PubMed

Mezquita Raya, Pedro; Reyes García, Rebeca

2014-04-01

In the current context of limited economic and health resources, efficiency of drug treatments is of paramount importance, and their clinical effects and related direct costs should therefore be analyzed. Liraglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) which, in addition to its normoglycemic effects, induces a significant improvement in body weight and several cardiovascular risk factors. The aim of this narrative review is to summarize the available evidence about the effects of liraglutide upon cardiovascular risk factors and how these improve its cost-effectiveness profile. Despite the relatively higher cost of liraglutide as compared to other alternative therapies, liraglutide has been shown to be cost-effective when clinical indicators and total costs associated to T2DM management are analyzed. Copyright © 2013 SEEN. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Efficient design of cluster randomized trials with treatment-dependent costs and treatment-dependent unknown variances.

PubMed

van Breukelen, Gerard J P; Candel, Math J J M

2018-06-10

Cluster randomized trials evaluate the effect of a treatment on persons nested within clusters, where treatment is randomly assigned to clusters. Current equations for the optimal sample size at the cluster and person level assume that the outcome variances and/or the study costs are known and homogeneous between treatment arms. This paper presents efficient yet robust designs for cluster randomized trials with treatment-dependent costs and treatment-dependent unknown variances, and compares these with 2 practical designs. First, the maximin design (MMD) is derived, which maximizes the minimum efficiency (minimizes the maximum sampling variance) of the treatment effect estimator over a range of treatment-to-control variance ratios. The MMD is then compared with the optimal design for homogeneous variances and costs (balanced design), and with that for homogeneous variances and treatment-dependent costs (cost-considered design). The results show that the balanced design is the MMD if the treatment-to control cost ratio is the same at both design levels (cluster, person) and within the range for the treatment-to-control variance ratio. It still is highly efficient and better than the cost-considered design if the cost ratio is within the range for the squared variance ratio. Outside that range, the cost-considered design is better and highly efficient, but it is not the MMD. An example shows sample size calculation for the MMD, and the computer code (SPSS and R) is provided as supplementary material. The MMD is recommended for trial planning if the study costs are treatment-dependent and homogeneity of variances cannot be assumed. © 2018 The Authors. Statistics in Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Public Works Operations at U.S. Army Garrison-Yongsan, Korea

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-05-04

services to its customers in the most effective and efficient manner. We examined DPW contract actions of $5.9 million, purchases from the Prime...delivery orders to achieve maximum effectiveness and efficiency, which resulted in questionable costs of up to $924,000, including $79,851 in...internally consistent, contract actions are well documented, and inspections are complete and comprehensive; use the most cost- effective method for

The costs and cost-efficiency of providing food through schools in areas of high food insecurity.

PubMed

Gelli, Aulo; Al-Shaiba, Najeeb; Espejo, Francisco

2009-03-01

The provision of food in and through schools has been used to support the education, health, and nutrition of school-aged children. The monitoring of financial inputs into school health and nutrition programs is critical for a number of reasons, including accountability, transparency, and equity. Furthermore, there is a gap in the evidence on the costs, cost-efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of providing food through schools, particularly in areas of high food insecurity. To estimate the programmatic costs and cost-efficiency associated with providing food through schools in food-insecure, developing-country contexts, by analyzing global project data from the World Food Programme (WFP). Project data, including expenditures and number of schoolchildren covered, were collected through project reports and validated through WFP Country Office records. Yearly project costs per schoolchild were standardized over a set number of feeding days and the amount of energy provided by the average ration. Output metrics, such as tonnage, calories, and micronutrient content, were used to assess the cost-efficiency of the different delivery mechanisms. The average yearly expenditure per child, standardized over a 200-day on-site feeding period and an average ration, excluding school-level costs, was US$21.59. The costs varied substantially according to choice of food modality, with fortified biscuits providing the least costly option of about US$11 per year and take-home rations providing the most expensive option at approximately US$52 per year. Comparisons across the different food modalities suggested that fortified biscuits provide the most cost-efficient option in terms of micronutrient delivery (particularly vitamin A and iodine), whereas on-site meals appear to be more efficient in terms of calories delivered. Transportation and logistics costs were the main drivers for the high costs. The choice of program objectives will to a large degree dictate the food modality (biscuits, cooked meals, or take-home rations) and associated implementation costs. Fortified biscuits can provide substantial nutritional inputs at a fraction of the cost of school meals, making them an appealing option for service delivery in food-insecure contexts. Both costs and effects should be considered carefully when designing the appropriate school-based intervention. The costs estimates in this analysis do not include all school-level costs and are therefore lower-bound estimates of full implementation costs.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of High-Efficiency Hemodiafiltration Versus Low-Flux Hemodialysis Based on the Canadian Arm of the CONTRAST Study.

PubMed

Lévesque, Renee; Marcelli, Daniele; Cardinal, Héloïse; Caron, Marie-Line; Grooteman, Muriel P C; Bots, Michiel L; Blankestijn, Peter J; Nubé, Menso J; Grassmann, Aileen; Canaud, Bernard; Gandjour, Afschin

2015-12-01

The aim of this study was to assess the cost effectiveness of high-efficiency on-line hemodiafiltration (OL-HDF) compared with low-flux hemodialysis (LF-HD) for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) based on the Canadian (Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal) arm of a parallel-group randomized controlled trial (RCT), the CONvective TRAnsport STudy. An economic evaluation was conducted for the period of the RCT (74 months). In addition, a Markov state transition model was constructed to simulate costs and health benefits over lifetime. The primary outcome was costs per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained. The analysis had the perspective of the Quebec public healthcare system. A total of 130 patients were randomly allocated to OL-HDF (n = 67) and LF-HD (n = 63). The cost-utility ratio of OL-HDF versus LF-HD was Can$53,270 per QALY gained over lifetime. This ratio was fairly robust in the sensitivity analysis. The cost-utility ratio was lower than that of LF-HD compared with no treatment (immediate death), which was Can$93,008 per QALY gained. High-efficiency OL-HDF can be considered a cost-effective treatment for ESRD in a Canadian setting. Further research is needed to assess cost effectiveness in other settings and healthcare systems.

Implementing a trustworthy cost-accounting model.

PubMed

Spence, Jay; Seargeant, Dan

2015-03-01

Hospitals and health systems can develop an effective cost-accounting model and maximize the effectiveness of their cost-accounting teams by focusing on six key areas: Implementing an enhanced data model. Reconciling data efficiently. Accommodating multiple cost-modeling techniques. Improving transparency of cost allocations. Securing department manager participation. Providing essential education and training to staff members and stakeholders.

Cost and technical efficiency of physician practices: a stochastic frontier approach using panel data.

PubMed

Heimeshoff, Mareike; Schreyögg, Jonas; Kwietniewski, Lukas

2014-06-01

This is the first study to use stochastic frontier analysis to estimate both the technical and cost efficiency of physician practices. The analysis is based on panel data from 3,126 physician practices for the years 2006 through 2008. We specified the technical and cost frontiers as translog function, using the one-step approach of Battese and Coelli to detect factors that influence the efficiency of general practitioners and specialists. Variables that were not analyzed previously in this context (e.g., the degree of practice specialization) and a range of control variables such as a patients' case-mix were included in the estimation. Our results suggest that it is important to investigate both technical and cost efficiency, as results may depend on the type of efficiency analyzed. For example, the technical efficiency of group practices was significantly higher than that of solo practices, whereas the results for cost efficiency differed. This may be due to indivisibilities in expensive technical equipment, which can lead to different types of health care services being provided by different practice types (i.e., with group practices using more expensive inputs, leading to higher costs per case despite these practices being technically more efficient). Other practice characteristics such as participation in disease management programs show the same impact throughout both cost and technical efficiency: participation in disease management programs led to an increase in both, technical and cost efficiency, and may also have had positive effects on the quality of care. Future studies should take quality-related issues into account.

Software Cuts Homebuilding Costs, Increases Energy Efficiency

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2015-01-01

To sort out the best combinations of technologies for a crewed mission to Mars, NASA Headquarters awarded grants to MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics to develop an algorithm-based software tool that highlights the most reliable and cost-effective options. Utilizing the software, Professor Edward Crawley founded Cambridge, Massachussetts-based Ekotrope, which helps homebuilders choose cost- and energy-efficient floor plans and materials.

Regression analysis on the variation in efficiency frontiers for prevention stage of HIV/AIDS.

PubMed

Kamae, Maki S; Kamae, Isao; Cohen, Joshua T; Neumann, Peter J

2011-01-01

To investigate how the cost effectiveness of preventing HIV/AIDS varies across possible efficiency frontiers (EFs) by taking into account potentially relevant external factors, such as prevention stage, and how the EFs can be characterized using regression analysis given uncertainty of the QALY-cost estimates. We reviewed cost-effectiveness estimates for the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS published from 2002-2007 and catalogued in the Tufts Medical Center Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA) Registry. We constructed efficiency frontier (EF) curves by plotting QALYs against costs, using methods used by the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) in Germany. We stratified the QALY-cost ratios by prevention stage, country of study, and payer perspective, and estimated EF equations using log and square-root models. A total of 53 QALY-cost ratios were identified for HIV/AIDS in the Tufts CEA Registry. Plotted ratios stratified by prevention stage were visually grouped into a cluster consisting of primary/secondary prevention measures and a cluster consisting of tertiary measures. Correlation coefficients for each cluster were statistically significant. For each cluster, we derived two EF equations - one based on the log model, and one based on the square-root model. Our findings indicate that stratification of HIV/AIDS interventions by prevention stage can yield distinct EFs, and that the correlation and regression analyses are useful for parametrically characterizing EF equations. Our study has certain limitations, such as the small number of included articles and the potential for study populations to be non-representative of countries of interest. Nonetheless, our approach could help develop a deeper appreciation of cost effectiveness beyond the deterministic approach developed by IQWiG.

Nurse staffing patterns and hospital efficiency in the United States.

PubMed

Bloom, J R; Alexander, J A; Nuchols, B A

1997-01-01

The objective of this exploratory study was to assess the effects of four nurse staffing patterns on the efficiency of patient care delivery in the hospital: registered nurses (RNs) from temporary agencies; part-time career RNs; RN rich skill mix; and organizationally experienced RNs. Using Transaction Cost Analysis, four regression models were specified to consider the effect of these staffing plans on personnel and benefit costs and on non-personnel operating costs. A number of additional variables were also included in the models to control for the effect of other organization and environmental determinants of hospital costs. Use of career part-time RNs and experienced staff reduced both personnel and benefit costs, as well as total non-personnel operating costs, while the use of temporary agencies for RNs increased non-personnel operating costs. An RN rich skill mix was not related to either measure of hospital costs. These findings provide partial support of the theory. Implications of our findings for future research on hospital management are discussed.

Protons in head-and-neck cancer: bridging the gap of evidence.

PubMed

Ramaekers, Bram L T; Grutters, Janneke P C; Pijls-Johannesma, Madelon; Lambin, Philippe; Joore, Manuela A; Langendijk, Johannes A

2013-04-01

To use Normal Tissue Complication Probability (NTCP) models and comparative planning studies to explore the (cost-)effectiveness of swallowing sparing intensity modulated proton radiotherapy (IMPT) compared with swallowing sparing intensity modulated radiotherapy with photons (IMRT) in head and neck cancer (HNC). A Markov model was constructed to examine and compare the costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) of the following strategies: (1) IMPT for all patients; (2) IMRT for all patients; and (3) IMPT if efficient. The assumption of equal survival for IMPT and IMRT in the base case analysis was relaxed in a sensitivity analysis. Intensity modulated proton radiation therapy and IMRT for all patients yielded 6.620 and 6.520 QALYs and cost €50,989 and €41,038, respectively. Intensity modulated proton radiation therapy if efficient yielded 6.563 QALYs and cost €43,650. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of IMPT if efficient versus IMRT for all patients was €60,278 per QALY gained. In the sensitivity analysis, IMRT was more effective (0.967 QALYs) and less expensive (€8218) and thus dominated IMPT for all patients. Cost-effectiveness analysis based on normal tissue complication probability models and planning studies proved feasible and informative and enables the analysis of individualized strategies. The increased effectiveness of IMPT does not seem to outweigh the higher costs for all head-and-neck cancer patients. However, when assuming equal survival among both modalities, there seems to be value in identifying those patients for whom IMPT is cost-effective. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analysis And Design Of A Water Purification System For The West African Area Of Operation

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-01

harmful metals and in disinfecting the water prior to human consumption . Research conducted proved that the BWS is more cost effective , efficient...and test a feasible and cost- effective prototype of a purification system to the BWS for improved capability. This study uses a design-based and...design. The prototype test results showed that the water purification system performed effectively and efficiently in accordance with the

10 CFR 436.42 - Evaluation of Life-Cycle Cost Effectiveness.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... the life-cycle cost analysis method in part 436, subpart A, of title 10 of the Code of Federal... 10 Energy 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Evaluation of Life-Cycle Cost Effectiveness. 436.42... PROGRAMS Agency Procurement of Energy Efficient Products § 436.42 Evaluation of Life-Cycle Cost...

Comparative analysis of decision maker preferences for equity/efficiency attributes in reimbursement decisions in three European countries.

PubMed

Baji, Petra; García-Goñi, Manuel; Gulácsi, László; Mentzakis, Emmanouil; Paolucci, Francesco

2016-09-01

In addition to cost-effectiveness, national guidelines often include other factors in reimbursement decisions. However, weights attached to these are rarely quantified, thus decisions can depend strongly on decision-maker preferences. To explore the preferences of policymakers and healthcare professionals involved in the decision-making process for different efficiency and equity attributes of interventions and to analyse cross-country differences. Discrete choice experiments (DCEs) were carried out in Austria, Hungary, and Norway with policymakers and other professionals working in the health industry (N = 153 respondents). Interventions were described in terms of different efficiency and equity attributes (severity of disease, target age of the population and willingness to subsidise others, potential number of beneficiaries, individual health benefit, and cost-effectiveness). Parameter estimates from the DCE were used to calculate the probability of choosing a healthcare intervention with different characteristics, and to rank different equity and efficiency attributes according to their importance. In all three countries, cost-effectiveness, individual health benefit and severity of the disease were significant and equally important determinants of decisions. All countries show preferences for interventions targeting young and middle aged populations compared to those targeting populations over 60. However, decision-makers in Austria and Hungary show preferences more oriented to efficiency than equity, while those in Norway show equal preferences for equity and efficiency attributes. We find that factors other than cost-effectiveness seem to play an equally important role in decision-making. We also find evidence of cross-country differences in the weight of efficiency and equity attributes.

Assessment of Energy Efficiency Improvement in the United States Petroleum Refining Industry

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

Morrow, William R.; Marano, John; Sathaye, Jayant

2013-02-01

Adoption of efficient process technologies is an important approach to reducing CO 2 emissions, in particular those associated with combustion. In many cases, implementing energy efficiency measures is among the most cost-effective approaches that any refiner can take, improving productivity while reducing emissions. Therefore, careful analysis of the options and costs associated with efficiency measures is required to establish sound carbon policies addressing global climate change, and is the primary focus of LBNL’s current petroleum refining sector analysis for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The analysis is aimed at identifying energy efficiency-related measures and developing energy abatement supply curves andmore » CO 2 emissions reduction potential for the U.S. refining industry. A refinery model has been developed for this purpose that is a notional aggregation of the U.S. petroleum refining sector. It consists of twelve processing units and account s for the additional energy requirements from steam generation, hydrogen production and water utilities required by each of the twelve processing units. The model is carbon and energy balanced such that crud e oil inputs and major refinery sector outputs (fuels) are benchmarked to 2010 data. Estimates of the current penetration for the identified energy efficiency measures benchmark the energy requirements to those reported in U.S. DOE 2010 data. The remaining energy efficiency potential for each of the measures is estimated and compared to U.S. DOE fuel prices resulting in estimates of cost- effective energy efficiency opportunities for each of the twelve major processes. A combined cost of conserved energy supply curve is also presented along with the CO 2 emissions abatement opportunities that exist in the U.S. petroleum refinery sector. Roughly 1,200 PJ per year of primary fuels savings and close to 500 GWh per y ear of electricity savings are potentially cost-effective given U.S. DOE fuel price forecasts. This represents roughly 70 million metric tonnes of CO 2 emission reductions assuming 2010 emissions factor for grid electricity. Energy efficiency measures resulting in an additional 400 PJ per year of primary fuels savings and close to 1,700 GWh per year of electricity savings, and an associated 24 million metric tonnes of CO 2 emission reductions are not cost-effective given the same assumption with respect to fuel prices and electricity emissions factors. Compared to the modeled energy requirements for the U.S. petroleum refining sector, the cost effective potential represents a 40% reduction in fuel consumption and a 2% reduction in electricity consumption. The non-cost-effective potential represents an additional 13% reduction in fuel consumption and an additional 7% reduction in electricity consumption. The relative energy reduction potentials are mu ch higher for fuel consumption than electricity consumption largely in part because fuel is the primary energy consumption type in the refineries. Moreover, many cost effective fuel savings measures would increase electricity consumption. The model also has the potential to be used to examine the costs and benefits of the other CO 2 mitigation options, such as combined heat and power (CHP), carbon capture, and the potential introduction of biomass feedstocks. However, these options are not addressed in this report as this report is focused on developing the modeling methodology and assessing fuels savings measures. These opportunities to further reduce refinery sector CO 2 emissions and are recommended for further research and analysis.« less

The cost-effectiveness of quality improvement projects: a conceptual framework, checklist and online tool for considering the costs and consequences of implementation-based quality improvement.

PubMed

Thompson, Carl; Pulleyblank, Ryan; Parrott, Steve; Essex, Holly

2016-02-01

In resource constrained systems, decision makers should be concerned with the efficiency of implementing improvement techniques and technologies. Accordingly, they should consider both the costs and effectiveness of implementation as well as the cost-effectiveness of the innovation to be implemented. An approach to doing this effectively is encapsulated in the 'policy cost-effectiveness' approach. This paper outlines some of the theoretical and practical challenges to assessing policy cost-effectiveness (the cost-effectiveness of implementation projects). A checklist and associated (freely available) online application are also presented to help services develop more cost-effective implementation strategies. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

School Energy Costs: A Matter of Leadership.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newton, Larry; Woodbury, Darwin; Glenn, Michael L.

This booklet offers energy savings concepts for Utah's public school districts. Topics cover energy efficient design for new buildings and additions, cost-effective energy upgrades during retrofits, maintenance and operating procedures for increasing energy efficiency, and funding options for school districts making energy upgrades. Appendices…

Energy efficiency opportunities in the brewery industry

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

Worrell, Ernst; Galitsky, Christina; Martin, Nathan

2002-06-28

Breweries in the United States spend annually over $200 Million on energy. Energy consumption is equal to 3-8% of the production costs of beer, making energy efficiency improvement an important way to reduce costs, especially in times of high energy price volatility. After a summary of the beer making process and energy use, we examine energy efficiency opportunities available for breweries. We provide specific primary energy savings for each energy efficiency measure based on case studies that have implemented the measures, as well as references to technical literature. If available, we have also listed typical payback periods. Our findings suggestmore » that there may still be opportunities to reduce energy consumption cost-effectively for breweries. Major brewing companies have and will continue to spend capital on cost effective measures that do not impact the quality of the beer. Further research on the economics of the measures, as well as their applicability to different brewing practices, is needed to assess implementation of selected technologies at individual breweries.« less

Marginal abatement cost curve for nitrogen oxides incorporating controls, renewable electricity, energy efficiency, and fuel switching.

PubMed

Loughlin, Daniel H; Macpherson, Alexander J; Kaufman, Katherine R; Keaveny, Brian N

2017-10-01

A marginal abatement cost curve (MACC) traces out the relationship between the quantity of pollution abated and the marginal cost of abating each additional unit. In the context of air quality management, MACCs are typically developed by sorting control technologies by their relative cost-effectiveness. Other potentially important abatement measures such as renewable electricity, energy efficiency, and fuel switching (RE/EE/FS) are often not incorporated into MACCs, as it is difficult to quantify their costs and abatement potential. In this paper, a U.S. energy system model is used to develop a MACC for nitrogen oxides (NO x ) that incorporates both traditional controls and these additional measures. The MACC is decomposed by sector, and the relative cost-effectiveness of RE/EE/FS and traditional controls are compared. RE/EE/FS are shown to have the potential to increase emission reductions beyond what is possible when applying traditional controls alone. Furthermore, a portion of RE/EE/FS appear to be cost-competitive with traditional controls. Renewable electricity, energy efficiency, and fuel switching can be cost-competitive with traditional air pollutant controls for abating air pollutant emissions. The application of renewable electricity, energy efficiency, and fuel switching is also shown to have the potential to increase emission reductions beyond what is possible when applying traditional controls alone.

Energy-Efficiency and Air-Pollutant Emissions-Reduction Opportunities for the Ammonia Industry in China

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

Ma, Ding; Hasanbeigi, Ali; Chen, Wenying

As one of the most energy-intensive and polluting industries, ammonia production is responsible for significant carbon dioxide (CO 2) and air-pollutant emissions. Although many energy-efficiency measures have been proposed by the Chinese government to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality, lack of understanding of the cost-effectiveness of such improvements has been a barrier to implementing these measures. Assessing the costs, benefits, and cost-effectiveness of different energy-efficiency measures is essential to advancing this understanding. In this study, a bottom-up energy conservation supply curve model is developed to estimate the potential for energy savings and emissions reductions from 26 energy-efficiencymore » measures that could be applied in China’s ammonia industry. Cost-effective implementation of these measures saves a potential 271.5 petajoules/year for fuel and 5,443 gigawatt-hours/year for electricity, equal to 14% of fuel and 14% of electricity consumed in China’s ammonia industry in 2012. These reductions could mitigate 26.7 million tonnes of CO 2 emissions. This study also quantifies the co-benefits of reducing air-pollutant emissions and water use that would result from saving energy in China’s ammonia industry. This quantitative analysis advances our understanding of the cost-effectiveness of energy-efficiency measures and can be used to augment efforts to reduce energy use and environmental impacts.« less

Can Economic Model Transparency Improve Provider Interpretation of Cost-effectiveness Analysis? Evaluating Tradeoffs Presented by the Second Panel on Cost-effectiveness in Health and Medicine.

PubMed

Padula, William V; McQueen, Robert Brett; Pronovost, Peter J

2017-11-01

The Second Panel on Cost-Effectiveness in Health and Medicine convened on December 7, 2016 at the National Academy of Medicine to disseminate their recommendations for conduct, methodological practices, and reporting of cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs). Following its summary, panel proceedings included lengthy discussions including the field's struggle to disseminate findings efficiently through peer-reviewed literature to target audiences. With editors of several medical and outcomes research journals in attendance, there was consensus that findings of cost-effectiveness analyses do not effectively reach other researchers or health care providers. The audience members suggested several solutions including providing additional training to clinicians in cost-effectiveness research and requiring that cost-effectiveness models are made publicly available. However, there remains the questions of whether making economic modelers' work open-access through journals is fair under the defense that these models remain one's own intellectual property, or whether journals can properly manage the peer-review process specifically for cost-effectiveness analyses. In this article, we elaborate on these issues and provide some suggested solutions that may increase the dissemination and application of cost-effectiveness literature to reach its intended audiences and ultimately benefit the patient. Ultimately, it is our combined view as economic modelers and clinicians that cost-effectiveness results need to reach the clinician to improve the efficiency of medical practice, but that open-access models do not improve clinician access or interpretation of the economics of medicine.

Effectiveness, efficiency, duration, and costs of recruiting for an African American women's lifestyle physical activity program.

PubMed

Wilbur, Joellen; Buchholz, Susan W; Ingram, Diana M; Braun, Lynne T; Johnson, Tricia J; Fogg, Louis; Miller, Arlene M; Volgman, Annabelle S; McDevitt, Judith

2013-10-01

In a 48-week lifestyle physical activity controlled trial in African American women, we analyzed recruitment effectiveness, efficiency, duration, and costs. Social networking was the most effective approach for inviting women to the trial. Of the 609 who responded to invitations, 514 completed telephone screening; of these, 409 (80%) were found eligible. The health assessment screening was completed by 337 women; of these, 297 (88%) were found eligible. The mean number of days from completion of the telephone and health assessment screenings to beginning the intervention was 23.01, and the mean cost was $74.57 per person. Results suggest that provision of health assessment screening by study staff as part of recruitment is effective for minimizing attrition and also might be cost-effective. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Energy Efficiency Improvement and Cost Saving Opportunities for the Baking Industry: An ENERGY STAR ® Guide for Plant and Energy Managers

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

Masanet, Eric; Therkelsen, Peter; Worrell, Ernst

The U.S. baking industry—defined in this Energy Guide as facilities engaged in the manufacture of commercial bakery products such as breads, rolls, frozen cakes, pies, pastries, and cookies and crackers—consumes over $800 million worth of purchased fuels and electricity per year. Energy efficiency improvement is an important way to reduce these costs and to increase predictable earnings, especially in times of high energy price volatility. There are a variety of opportunities available at individual plants to reduce energy consumption in a cost-effective manner. This Energy Guide discusses energy efficiency practices and energy-efficient technologies that can be implemented at the component,more » process, facility, and organizational levels. Many measure descriptions include expected savings in energy and energy-related costs, based on case study data from real-world applications in food processing facilities and related industries worldwide. Typical measure payback periods and references to further information in the technical literature are also provided, when available. A summary of basic, proven measures for improving plant-level water efficiency is also provided. The information in this Energy Guide is intended to help energy and plant managers in the U.S. baking industry reduce energy and water consumption in a cost-effective manner while maintaining the quality of products manufactured. Further research on the economics of all measures—as well as on their applicability to different production practices—is needed to assess their cost effectiveness at individual plants.« less

Affects of Provider Type on Patient Satisfaction, Productivity and Cost Efficiency

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-04-25

plus inflation. With the implementation of the prospective payment system, the MTF Commanders will need to examine ways to demonstrate effectiveness ...practitioner’s performed well when compared to physicians, the longer time spent with patients can reduce productivity and thereby reduce cost effectiveness ...are most cost effective in use of resources (Vincent, 2002). Cost per visit ratio is derived by dividing the variable cost of Provider Type 22

Quantify the energy and environmental benefits of implementing energy-efficiency measures in China’s iron and steel production

DOE PAGES

Ma, Ding; Chen, Wenying; Xu, Tengfang

2015-08-21

As one of the most energy-, emission- and pollution-intensive industries, iron and steel production is responsible for significant emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutants. Although many energy-efficiency measures have been proposed by the Chinese government to mitigate GHG emissions and to improve air quality, lacking full understanding of the costs and benefits has created barriers against implementing these measures widely. This paper sets out to advance the understanding by addressing the knowledge gap in costs, benefits, and cost-effectiveness of energy-efficiency measures in iron and steel production. Specifically, we build a new evaluation framework to quantify energy benefits andmore » environmental benefits (i.e., CO 2 emission reduction, air-pollutants emission reduction and water savings) associated with 36 energy-efficiency measures. Results show that inclusion of benefits from CO 2 and air-pollutants emission reduction affects the cost-effectiveness of energy-efficiency measures significantly, while impacts from water-savings benefits are moderate but notable when compared to the effects by considering energy benefits alone. The new information resulted from this study should be used to augment future programs and efforts in reducing energy use and environmental impacts associated with steel production.« less

Quantify the energy and environmental benefits of implementing energy-efficiency measures in China’s iron and steel production

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

Ma, Ding; Chen, Wenying; Xu, Tengfang

As one of the most energy-, emission- and pollution-intensive industries, iron and steel production is responsible for significant emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutants. Although many energy-efficiency measures have been proposed by the Chinese government to mitigate GHG emissions and to improve air quality, lacking full understanding of the costs and benefits has created barriers against implementing these measures widely. This paper sets out to advance the understanding by addressing the knowledge gap in costs, benefits, and cost-effectiveness of energy-efficiency measures in iron and steel production. Specifically, we build a new evaluation framework to quantify energy benefits andmore » environmental benefits (i.e., CO 2 emission reduction, air-pollutants emission reduction and water savings) associated with 36 energy-efficiency measures. Results show that inclusion of benefits from CO 2 and air-pollutants emission reduction affects the cost-effectiveness of energy-efficiency measures significantly, while impacts from water-savings benefits are moderate but notable when compared to the effects by considering energy benefits alone. The new information resulted from this study should be used to augment future programs and efforts in reducing energy use and environmental impacts associated with steel production.« less

Enhancing crystalline silicon solar cell efficiency with SixGe1-x layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, Adnan; Cheow, S. L.; Azhari, A. W.; Sopian, K.; Zaidi, Saleem H.

Crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cell represents a cost effective, environment-friendly, and proven renewable energy resource. Industrially manufacturing of c-Si solar has now matured in terms of efficiency and cost. Continuing cost-effective efficiency enhancement requires transition towards thinner wafers in near term and thin-films in the long term. Successful implementation of either of these alternatives must address intrinsic optical absorption limitation of Si. Bandgap engineering through integration with SixGe1-x layers offers an attractive, inexpensive option. With the help of PC1D software, role of SixGe1-x layers in conventional c-Si solar cells has been intensively investigated in both wafer and thin film configurations by varying Ge concentration, thickness, and placement. In wafer configuration, increase in Ge concentration leads to enhanced absorption through bandgap broadening with an efficiency enhancement of 8% for Ge concentrations of less than 20%. At higher Ge concentrations, despite enhanced optical absorption, efficiency is reduced due to substantial lowering of open-circuit voltage. In 5-25-μm thickness, thin-film solar cell configurations, efficiency gain in excess of 30% is achievable. Therefore, SixGe1-x based thin-film solar cells with an order of magnitude reduction in costly Si material are ideally-suited both in terms of high efficiency and cost. Recent research has demonstrated significant improvement in epitaxially grown SixGe1-x layers on nanostructured Si substrates, thereby enhancing potential of this approach for next generation of c-Si based photovoltaics.

Present-value analysis: A systems approach to public decisionmaking for cost effectiveness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herbert, T. T.

1971-01-01

Decision makers within Governmental agencies and Congress must evaluate competing (and sometimes conflicting) proposals which seek funding and implementation. Present value analysis can be an effective decision making tool by enabling the formal evaluation of the effects of competing proposals on efficient national resource utilization. A project's costs are not only its direct disbursements, but its social costs as well. How much does it cost to have those funds diverted from their use and economic benefit by the private sector to the public project? Comparisons of competing projects' social costs allow decision makers to expand their decision bases by quantifying the projects' impacts upon the economy and the efficient utilization of the country's limited national resources. A conceptual model is established for the choosing of the appropriate discount rate to be used in evaluation decisions through the technique.

An Analysis of the Cost and Performance of Photovoltaic Systems as a Function of Module Area

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

Horowitz, Kelsey A.W.; Fu, Ran; Silverman, Tim

We investigate the potential effects of module area on the cost and performance of photovoltaic systems. Applying a bottom-up methodology, we analyzed the costs associated with mc-Si and thin-film modules and systems as a function of module area. We calculate a potential for savings of up to $0.04/W, $0.10/W, and $0.13/W in module manufacturing costs for mc-Si, CdTe, and CIGS respectively, with large area modules. We also find that an additional $0.05/W savings in balance-of-systems costs may be achieved. However, these savings are dependent on the ability to maintain efficiency and manufacturing yield as area scales. Lifetime energy yield mustmore » also be maintained to realize reductions in the levelized cost of energy. We explore the possible effects of module size on efficiency and energy production, and find that more research is required to understand these issues for each technology. Sensitivity of the $/W cost savings to module efficiency and manufacturing yield is presented. We also discuss non-cost barriers to adoption of large area modules.« less

A data envelope analysis to assess factors affecting technical and economic efficiency of individual broiler breeder hens.

PubMed

Romero, L F; Zuidhof, M J; Jeffrey, S R; Naeima, A; Renema, R A; Robinson, F E

2010-08-01

This study evaluated the effect of feed allocation and energetic efficiency on technical and economic efficiency of broiler breeder hens using the data envelope analysis methodology and quantified the effect of variables affecting technical efficiency. A total of 288 Ross 708 pullets were placed in individual cages at 16 wk of age and assigned to 1 of 4 feed allocation groups. Three of them had feed allocated on a group basis with divergent BW targets: standard, high (standard x 1.1), and low (standard x 0.9). The fourth group had feed allocated on an individual bird basis following the standard BW target. Birds were classified in 3 energetic efficiency categories: low, average, and high, based on estimated maintenance requirements. Technical efficiency considered saleable chicks as output and cumulative ME intake and time as inputs. Economic efficiency of feed allocation treatments was analyzed under different cost scenarios. Birds with low feed allocation exhibited a lower technical efficiency (69.4%) than standard (72.1%), which reflected a reduced egg production rate. Feed allocation of the high treatment could have been reduced by 10% with the same chick production as the standard treatment. The low treatment exhibited reduced economic efficiency at greater capital costs, whereas high had reduced economic efficiency at greater feed costs. The average energetic efficiency hens had a lower technical efficiency in the low compared with the standard feed allocation. A 1% increment in estimated maintenance requirement changed technical efficiency by -0.23%, whereas a 1% increment in ME intake had a -0.47% effect. The negative relationship between technical efficiency and ME intake was counterbalanced by a positive correlation of ME intake and egg production. The negative relationship of technical efficiency and maintenance requirements was synergized by a negative correlation of hen maintenance and egg production. Economic efficiency methodologies are effective tools to assess the economic effect of selection and flock management programs because biological, allocative, and economic factors can be independently analyzed.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of sandhill crane habitat management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kessler, Andrew C.; Merchant, James W.; Shultz, Steven D.; Allen, Craig R.

2013-01-01

Invasive species often threaten native wildlife populations and strain the budgets of agencies charged with wildlife management. We demonstrate the potential of cost-effectiveness analysis to improve the efficiency and value of efforts to enhance sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) roosting habitat. We focus on the central Platte River in Nebraska (USA), a region of international ecological importance for migrating avian species including sandhill cranes. Cost-effectiveness analysis is a valuation process designed to compare alternative actions based on the cost of achieving a pre-determined objective. We estimated costs for removal of invasive vegetation using geographic information system simulations and calculated benefits as the increase in area of sandhill crane roosting habitat. We generated cost effectiveness values for removing invasive vegetation on 7 land parcels and for the entire central Platte River to compare the cost-effectiveness of management at specific sites and for the central Platte River landscape. Median cost effectiveness values for the 7 land parcels evaluated suggest that costs for creating 1 additional hectare of sandhill crane roosting habitat totaled US $1,595. By contrast, we found that creating an additional hectare of sandhill crane roosting habitat could cost as much as US $12,010 for some areas in the central Platte River, indicating substantial cost savings can be achieved by using a cost effectiveness analysis to target specific land parcels for management. Cost-effectiveness analysis, used in conjunction with geographic information systems, can provide decision-makers with a new tool for identifying the most economically efficient allocation of resources to achieve habitat management goals.

Cost-effectiveness Analysis with Influence Diagrams.

PubMed

Arias, M; Díez, F J

2015-01-01

Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is used increasingly in medicine to determine whether the health benefit of an intervention is worth the economic cost. Decision trees, the standard decision modeling technique for non-temporal domains, can only perform CEA for very small problems. To develop a method for CEA in problems involving several dozen variables. We explain how to build influence diagrams (IDs) that explicitly represent cost and effectiveness. We propose an algorithm for evaluating cost-effectiveness IDs directly, i.e., without expanding an equivalent decision tree. The evaluation of an ID returns a set of intervals for the willingness to pay - separated by cost-effectiveness thresholds - and, for each interval, the cost, the effectiveness, and the optimal intervention. The algorithm that evaluates the ID directly is in general much more efficient than the brute-force method, which is in turn more efficient than the expansion of an equivalent decision tree. Using OpenMarkov, an open-source software tool that implements this algorithm, we have been able to perform CEAs on several IDs whose equivalent decision trees contain millions of branches. IDs can perform CEA on large problems that cannot be analyzed with decision trees.

Can we build an efficient response to the prescription drug abuse epidemic? Assessing the cost effectiveness of universal prevention in the PROSPER trial.

PubMed

Crowley, D Max; Jones, Damon E; Coffman, Donna L; Greenberg, Mark T

2014-05-01

Prescription drug abuse has reached epidemic proportions. Nonmedical prescription opioid use carries increasingly high costs. Despite the need to cultivate efforts that are both effective and fiscally responsible, the cost-effectiveness of universal evidence-based-preventive-interventions (EBPIs) is rarely evaluated. This study explores the performance of these programs to reduce nonmedical prescription opioid use. Sixth graders from twenty-eight rural public school districts in Iowa and Pennsylvania were blocked by size and geographic location and then randomly assigned to experimental or control conditions (2002-2010). Within the intervention communities, prevention teams selected a universal family and school program from a menu of EBPIs. All families were offered a family-based program in the 6th grade and received one of three school-based programs in 7th-grade. The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of each school program by itself and with an additional family-based program were assessed using propensity and marginal structural models. This work demonstrates that universal school-based EBPIs can efficiently reduce nonmedical prescription opioid use. Further, findings illustrate that family-based programs may be used to enhance the cost-effectiveness of school-based programs. Universal EBPIs can effectively and efficiently reduce nonmedical prescription opioid use. These programs should be further considered when developing comprehensive responses to this growing national crisis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Changing the way employee benefit communications are produced: outsourcing, a more efficient, less costly process.

PubMed

Herren, K

1995-12-01

Outsourcing may offer employers an efficient, cost-effective way to produce employee benefit communications. It offers a way to utilize the latest technology to produce personalized benefit statements or to target an announcement of benefit changes to a specific group of employees.

Scaling up malaria intervention "packages" in Senegal: using cost effectiveness data for improving allocative efficiency and programmatic decision-making.

PubMed

Faye, Sophie; Cico, Altea; Gueye, Alioune Badara; Baruwa, Elaine; Johns, Benjamin; Ndiop, Médoune; Alilio, Martin

2018-04-10

Senegal's National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) implements control interventions in the form of targeted packages: (1) scale-up for impact (SUFI), which includes bed nets, intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy, rapid diagnostic tests, and artemisinin combination therapy; (2) SUFI + reactive case investigation (focal test and treat); (3) SUFI + indoor residual spraying (IRS); (4) SUFI + seasonal malaria chemoprophylaxis (SMC); and, (5) SUFI + SMC + IRS. This study estimates the cost effectiveness of each of these packages to provide the NMCP with data for improving allocative efficiency and programmatic decision-making. This study is a retrospective analysis for the period 2013-2014 covering all 76 Senegal districts. The yearly implementation cost for each intervention was estimated and the information was aggregated into a package cost for all covered districts. The change in the burden of malaria associated with each package was estimated using the number of disability adjusted life-years (DALYs) averted. The cost effectiveness (cost per DALY averted) was then calculated for each package. The cost per DALY averted ranged from $76 to $1591 across packages. Using World Health Organization standards, 4 of the 5 packages were "very cost effective" (less than Senegal's GDP per capita). Relative to the 2 other packages implemented in malaria control districts, the SUFI + SMC package was the most cost-effective package at $76 per DALY averted. SMC seems to make IRS more cost effective: $582 per DALY averted for SUFI + IRS compared with $272 for the SUFI + IRS + SMC package. The SUFI + focal test and treat, implemented in malaria elimination districts, had a cost per DALY averted of $1591 and was only "cost-effective" (less than three times Senegal's per capita GDP). Senegal's choice of deploying malaria interventions by packages seems to be effectively targeting high burden areas with a wide range of interventions. However, not all districts showed the same level of performance, indicating that efficiency gains are still possible.

Cost-effectiveness of Interferon-free therapy for Hepatitis C in Germany--an application of the efficiency frontier approach.

PubMed

Gissel, Christian; Götz, Georg; Mahlich, Jörg; Repp, Holger

2015-07-30

The approval of direct-acting antivirals for Interferon-free treatment revolutionized the therapy of chronic Hepatitis C infection. As of August 2014, two treatment regimens for genotype 1 infection received conditional approval in the European Union: Sofosbuvir and Ribavirin for 24 weeks and Sofosbuvir and Simeprevir with or without Ribavirin for 12 weeks. We aim to analyze the cost-effectiveness of both regimens in Germany. We set up a Markov model with a lifetime horizon to simulate immediate treatment success and long-term disease progression for treatment-naive patients. The model analyzes both short-term and long-term costs and benefits from the perspective of the German Statutory Health Insurance. We apply the efficiency frontier method, which was suggested by German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care for cost-effectiveness analysis in Germany. The efficiency frontier is defined by dual therapy and first generation direct-acting antiviral Boceprevir, yielding a maximum of € 1,447.69 per additional percentage point of sustained virologic response gained. Even without rebates, Sofosbuvir/Simeprevir is very close with € 1,560.13 per additional percentage point. It is both more effective and less expensive than Sofosbuvir/Ribavirin. In addition to higher sustained virologic response rates, new direct-acting antivirals save long-term costs by preventing complications such as liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and ultimately liver transplants, thereby offsetting part of higher drug costs. Our findings are in line with the guidance published by German Society for Gastroenterology, Digestive and Metabolic Diseases, which recommends Sofosbuvir/Simeprevir for Interferon ineligible or intolerant patients.

Energy Efficiency Improvement and Cost Saving Opportunities for Breweries: An ENERGY STAR(R) Guide for Energy and Plant Managers

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

Galitsky, Christina; Martin, Nathan; Worrell, Ernst

2003-09-01

Annually, breweries in the United States spend over $200 million on energy. Energy consumption is equal to 38 percent of the production costs of beer, making energy efficiency improvement an important way to reduce costs, especially in times of high energy price volatility. After a summary of the beer making process and energy use, we examine energy efficiency opportunities available for breweries. We provide specific primary energy savings for each energy efficiency measure based on case studies that have implemented the measures, as well as references to technical literature. If available, we have also listed typical payback periods. Our findingsmore » suggest that given available technology, there are still opportunities to reduce energy consumption cost-effectively in the brewing industry. Brewers value highly the quality, taste and drinkability of their beer. Brewing companies have and are expected to continue to spend capital on cost-effective energy conservation measures that meet these quality, taste and drinkability requirements. For individual plants, further research on the economics of the measures, as well as their applicability to different brewing practices, is needed to assess implementation of selected technologies.« less

Environmental service payments: evaluating biodiversity conservation trade-offs and cost-efficiency in the Osa Conservation Area, Costa Rica.

PubMed

Barton, D N; Faith, D P; Rusch, G M; Acevedo, H; Paniagua, L; Castro, M

2009-02-01

The cost-efficiency of payments for environmental services (PES) to private landowners in the Osa Conservation Area, Costa Rica, is evaluated in terms of the trade-off between biodiversity representation and opportunity costs of conservation to agricultural and forestry land-use. Using available GIS data and an 'off-the-shelf' software application called TARGET, we find that the PES allocation criteria applied by authorities in 2002-2003 were more than twice as cost-efficient as criteria applied during 1999-2001. Results show that a policy relevant assessment of the cost-effectiveness of PES relative to other conservation policies can be carried out at regional level using available studies and GIS data. However, there are a number of data and conceptual limitations to using heuristic optimisation algorithms in the analysis of the cost-efficiency of PES. Site specific data on probabilities of land-use change, and a detailed specification of opportunity costs of farm land, labour and capital are required to use algorithms such as TARGET for ranking individual sites based on cost-efficiency. Despite its conceptual soundness for regional conservation analysis, biodiversity complementarity presents a practical challenge as a criterion for PES eligibility at farm level because it varies depending on the set of areas under PES contracts at any one time.

Costing behavioral interventions: a practical guide to enhance translation.

PubMed

Ritzwoller, Debra P; Sukhanova, Anna; Gaglio, Bridget; Glasgow, Russell E

2009-04-01

Cost and cost effectiveness of behavioral interventions are critical parts of dissemination and implementation into non-academic settings. Due to the lack of indicative data and policy makers' increasing demands for both program effectiveness and efficiency, cost analyses can serve as valuable tools in the evaluation process. To stimulate and promote broader use of practical techniques that can be used to efficiently estimate the implementation costs of behavioral interventions, we propose a set of analytic steps that can be employed across a broad range of interventions. Intervention costs must be distinguished from research, development, and recruitment costs. The inclusion of sensitivity analyses is recommended to understand the implications of implementation of the intervention into different settings using different intervention resources. To illustrate these procedures, we use data from a smoking reduction practical clinical trial to describe the techniques and methods used to estimate and evaluate the costs associated with the intervention. Estimated intervention costs per participant were $419, with a range of $276 to $703, depending on the number of participants.

The International Database of Efficient Appliances (IDEA): A New Resource for Global Efficiency Policy

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

Gerke, Brian F; McNeil, Michael A; Tu, Thomas

A major barrier to effective appliance efficiency program design and evaluation is a lack of data for determination of market baselines and cost-effective energy savings potential. The data gap is particularly acute in developing countries, which may have the greatest savings potential per unit GDP. To address this need, we are developing the International Database of Efficient Appliances (IDEA), which automatically compiles data from a wide variety of online sources to create a unified repository of information on efficiency, price, and features for a wide range of energy-consuming products across global markets. This paper summarizes the database framework and demonstratesmore » the power of IDEA as a resource for appliance efficiency research and policy development. Using IDEA data for refrigerators in China and India, we develop robust cost-effectiveness indicators that allow rapid determination of savings potential within each market, as well as comparison of that potential across markets and appliance types. We discuss implications for future energy efficiency policy development.« less

Cost Accounting: Production and Equipment Services.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmid, William T.

Cost accounting for audiovisual productions should include direct costs, and, in some cases, the media administrator may have to calculate a per-hour surcharge for general operating overhead as well. Such procedures enable the administrator to determine cost effectiveness, to control cost overruns, and to generate more staff efficiency. Cost…

Using a value chain approach for effective decision making.

PubMed

Wilner, N A

1997-09-01

Effectively managing costs in a healthcare environment may require taking a new look at how those costs are evaluated. The price of a product is not necessarily the most effective or efficient way of determining the actual cost. Using a value chain approach takes into consideration the functional costs of using a product as well, including both the "process" and "downstream" costs to an organization. In this article, Associate Professor Neil A. Wilner examines the differences between price and cost using a typical purchase in a healthcare environment.

48 CFR 231.205-18 - Independent research and development and bid and proposal costs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... development of technologies identified as critical under 10 U.S.C. 2522. (6) Increase the development and promotion of efficient and effective applications of dual-use technologies. (7) Provide efficient and... and life-cycle costs of military systems. (3) Strengthen the defense industrial and technology base of...

48 CFR 231.205-18 - Independent research and development and bid and proposal costs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... development of technologies identified as critical under 10 U.S.C. 2522. (6) Increase the development and promotion of efficient and effective applications of dual-use technologies. (7) Provide efficient and... and life-cycle costs of military systems. (3) Strengthen the defense industrial and technology base of...

48 CFR 231.205-18 - Independent research and development and bid and proposal costs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... development of technologies identified as critical under 10 U.S.C. 2522. (6) Increase the development and promotion of efficient and effective applications of dual-use technologies. (7) Provide efficient and... and life-cycle costs of military systems. (3) Strengthen the defense industrial and technology base of...

48 CFR 231.205-18 - Independent research and development and bid and proposal costs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... development of technologies identified as critical under 10 U.S.C. 2522. (6) Increase the development and promotion of efficient and effective applications of dual-use technologies. (7) Provide efficient and... and life-cycle costs of military systems. (3) Strengthen the defense industrial and technology base of...

48 CFR 231.205-18 - Independent research and development and bid and proposal costs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... development of technologies identified as critical under 10 U.S.C. 2522. (6) Increase the development and promotion of efficient and effective applications of dual-use technologies. (7) Provide efficient and... and life-cycle costs of military systems. (3) Strengthen the defense industrial and technology base of...

Bold Leadership, Real Reform 2.0: Improving Efficiency, Cutting Costs, and Expanding College Opportunity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Council of Trustees and Alumni, 2017

2017-01-01

Trustees face complex choices related to costs and efficiency as they navigate new accountability policies, financial headwinds, and a changing global marketplace for college education. The latest release in a series of trustee guides from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni's Institute for Effective Governance, "Bold Leadership, Real…

Using Decision-Analytic Modeling to Isolate Interventions That Are Feasible, Efficient and Optimal: An Application from the Norwegian Cervical Cancer Screening Program.

PubMed

Pedersen, Kine; Sørbye, Sveinung Wergeland; Burger, Emily Annika; Lönnberg, Stefan; Kristiansen, Ivar Sønbø

2015-12-01

Decision makers often need to simultaneously consider multiple criteria or outcomes when deciding whether to adopt new health interventions. Using decision analysis within the context of cervical cancer screening in Norway, we aimed to aid decision makers in identifying a subset of relevant strategies that are simultaneously efficient, feasible, and optimal. We developed an age-stratified probabilistic decision tree model following a cohort of women attending primary screening through one screening round. We enumerated detected precancers (i.e., cervical intraepithelial neoplasia of grade 2 or more severe (CIN2+)), colposcopies performed, and monetary costs associated with 10 alternative triage algorithms for women with abnormal cytology results. As efficiency metrics, we calculated incremental cost-effectiveness, and harm-benefit, ratios, defined as the additional costs, or the additional number of colposcopies, per additional CIN2+ detected. We estimated capacity requirements and uncertainty surrounding which strategy is optimal according to the decision rule, involving willingness to pay (monetary or resources consumed per added benefit). For ages 25 to 33 years, we eliminated four strategies that did not fall on either efficiency frontier, while one strategy was efficient with respect to both efficiency metrics. Compared with current practice in Norway, two strategies detected more precancers at lower monetary costs, but some required more colposcopies. Similar results were found for women aged 34 to 69 years. Improving the effectiveness and efficiency of cervical cancer screening may necessitate additional resources. Although efficient and feasible, both society and individuals must specify their willingness to accept the additional resources and perceived harms required to increase effectiveness before a strategy can be considered optimal. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

What does free cash flow tell us about hospital efficiency? A stochastic frontier analysis of cost inefficiency in California hospitals.

PubMed

Pratt, William R

2010-01-01

Hospitals are facing substantial financial and economic pressure as a result of health plan payment restructuring, unfunded mandates, and other factors. This article analyzes the relationship between free cash flow (FCF) and hospital efficiency given these financial challenges. Data from 270 California hospitals were used to estimate a stochastic frontier model of hospital cost efficiency that explicitly takes into account outpatient heterogeneity. The findings indicate that hospital FCF is significantly linked to firm efficiency/inefficiency. The results indicate that higher positive cash flows are related to lower cost inefficiency, but higher negative cash flows are related to higher cost inefficiency. Thus, cash flows not only impact the ability of hospitals to meet current liabilities, they are also related to the ability of the hospitals to use resources effectively.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of febuxostat in patients with gout in Spain.

PubMed

Perez-Ruiz, F; Díaz-Torné, C; Carcedo, D

2016-06-01

Objectives Cost-effectiveness of febuxostat compared with allopurinol in the treatment of hyperuricemia in patients with gout. Methods Costs, clinical outcomes, and QALYs were estimated using a Markov model. Febuxostat 80 mg and 120 mg sequentially, used as first line and second line therapy, was compared with allopurinol 300 mg. Patients switched to the next treatment in the sequence according to a dichotomous response vs no response (target serum urate level < 6 mg/dl outcome) after 3 months of active treatment. A 3% discount rate and 5-year time horizon were applied. National Health System. Results The addition of febuxostat to any therapeutic strategy was an efficient option, with incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) compared with allopurinol 300 mg ranging from €5268-€9737. Conclusions Febuxostat is a cost-effective treatment in Spain for the management of hyperuricemia in gout patients, with ICERs far below accepted Spanish efficiency thresholds (30 000€/QALY).

Shared visions: Partnership of Rockwell International and NASA Cost Effectiveness Enhancements (CEE) for the space shuttle system integration program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bejmuk, Bohdan I.; Williams, Larry

1992-01-01

As a result of limited resources and tight fiscal constraints over the past several years, the defense and aerospace industries have experienced a downturn in business activity. The impact of fewer contracts being awarded has placed a greater emphasis for effectiveness and efficiency on industry contractors. It is clear that a reallocation of resources is required for America to continue to lead the world in space and technology. The key to technological and economic survival is the transforming of existing programs, such as the Space Shuttle Program, into more cost efficient programs so as to divert the savings to other NASA programs. The partnership between Rockwell International and NASA and their joint improvement efforts that resulted in significant streamlining and cost reduction measures to Rockwell International Space System Division's work on the Space Shuttle System Integration Contract is described. This work was a result of an established Cost Effectiveness Enhancement (CEE) Team formed initially in Fiscal Year 1991, and more recently expanded to a larger scale CEE Initiative in 1992. By working closely with the customer in agreeing to contract content, obtaining management endorsement and commitment, and involving the employees in total quality management (TQM) and continuous improvement 'teams,' the initial annual cost reduction target was exceeded significantly. The CEE Initiative helped reduce the cost of the Shuttle Systems Integration contract while establishing a stronger program based upon customer needs, teamwork, quality enhancements, and cost effectiveness. This was accomplished by systematically analyzing, challenging, and changing the established processes, practices, and systems. This examination, in nature, was work intensive due to the depth and breadth of the activity. The CEE Initiative has provided opportunities to make a difference in the way Rockwell and NASA work together - to update the methods and processes of the organizations. The future success of NASA space programs and Rockwell hinges upon the ability to adopt new, more efficient and effective work processes. Efficiency, proficiency, cost effectiveness, and teamwork are a necessity for economic survival. Continuous improvement initiatives like the CEE are, and will continue to be, vehicles by which the road can be traveled with a vision to the future.

Shared visions: Partnership of Rockwell International and NASA Cost Effectiveness Enhancements (CEE) for the space shuttle system integration program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bejmuk, Bohdan I.; Williams, Larry

As a result of limited resources and tight fiscal constraints over the past several years, the defense and aerospace industries have experienced a downturn in business activity. The impact of fewer contracts being awarded has placed a greater emphasis for effectiveness and efficiency on industry contractors. It is clear that a reallocation of resources is required for America to continue to lead the world in space and technology. The key to technological and economic survival is the transforming of existing programs, such as the Space Shuttle Program, into more cost efficient programs so as to divert the savings to other NASA programs. The partnership between Rockwell International and NASA and their joint improvement efforts that resulted in significant streamlining and cost reduction measures to Rockwell International Space System Division's work on the Space Shuttle System Integration Contract is described. This work was a result of an established Cost Effectiveness Enhancement (CEE) Team formed initially in Fiscal Year 1991, and more recently expanded to a larger scale CEE Initiative in 1992. By working closely with the customer in agreeing to contract content, obtaining management endorsement and commitment, and involving the employees in total quality management (TQM) and continuous improvement 'teams,' the initial annual cost reduction target was exceeded significantly. The CEE Initiative helped reduce the cost of the Shuttle Systems Integration contract while establishing a stronger program based upon customer needs, teamwork, quality enhancements, and cost effectiveness. This was accomplished by systematically analyzing, challenging, and changing the established processes, practices, and systems. This examination, in nature, was work intensive due to the depth and breadth of the activity. The CEE Initiative has provided opportunities to make a difference in the way Rockwell and NASA work together - to update the methods and processes of the organizations. The future success of NASA space programs and Rockwell hinges upon the ability to adopt new, more efficient and effective work processes. Efficiency, proficiency, cost effectiveness, and teamwork are a necessity for economic survival. Continuous improvement initiatives like the CEE are, and will continue to be, vehicles by which the road can be traveled with a vision to the future.

Sludge digestion instead of aerobic stabilisation - a cost benefit analysis based on experiences in Germany.

PubMed

Gretzschel, Oliver; Schmitt, Theo G; Hansen, Joachim; Siekmann, Klaus; Jakob, Jürgen

2014-01-01

As a consequence of a worldwide increase of energy costs, the efficient use of sewage sludge as a renewable energy resource must be considered, even for smaller wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) with design capacities between 10,000 and 50,000 population equivalent (PE). To find the lower limit for an economical conversion of an aerobic stabilisation plant into an anaerobic stabilisation plant, we derived cost functions for specific capital costs and operating cost savings. With these tools, it is possible to evaluate if it would be promising to further investigate refitting aerobic plants into plants that produce biogas. By comparing capital costs with operation cost savings, a break-even point for process conversion could be determined. The break-even point varies depending on project specific constraints and assumptions related to future energy and operation costs and variable interest rates. A 5% increase of energy and operation costs leads to a cost efficient conversion for plants above 7,500 PE. A conversion of WWTPs results in different positive effects on energy generation and plant operations: increased efficiency, energy savings, and on-site renewable power generation by digester gas which can be used in the plant. Also, the optimisation of energy efficiency results in a reduction of primary energy consumption.

A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Community Health Workers in Mozambique.

PubMed

Bowser, Diana; Okunogbe, Adeyemi; Oliveras, Elizabeth; Subramanian, Laura; Morrill, Tyler

2015-10-01

Community health worker (CHW) programs are a key strategy for reducing mortality and morbidity. Despite this, there is a gap in the literature on the cost and cost-effectiveness of CHW programs, especially in developing countries. This study assessed the costs of a CHW program in Mozambique over the period 2010-2012. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios, comparing the change in costs to the change in 3 output measures, as well as gains in efficiency were calculated over the periods 2010-2011 and 2010-2012. The results were reported both excluding and including salaries for CHWs. The results of the study showed total costs of the CHW program increased from US$1.34 million in 2010 to US$1.67 million in 2012. The highest incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was for the cost per beneficiary covered including CHW salaries, estimated at US$47.12 for 2010-2011. The smallest incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was for the cost per household visit not including CHW salaries, estimated at US$0.09 for 2010-2012. Adding CHW salaries would not only have increased total program costs by 362% in 2012 but also led to the largest efficiency gains in program implementation; a 56% gain in cost per output in the long run as compared with the short run after including CHW salaries. Our findings can be used to inform future CHW program policy both in Mozambique and in other countries, as well as provide a set of incremental cost per output measures to be used in benchmarking to other CHW costing analyses. © The Author(s) 2015.

Economic analysis of greenhouse lighting: light emitting diodes vs. high intensity discharge fixtures.

PubMed

Nelson, Jacob A; Bugbee, Bruce

2014-01-01

Lighting technologies for plant growth are improving rapidly, providing numerous options for supplemental lighting in greenhouses. Here we report the photosynthetic (400-700 nm) photon efficiency and photon distribution pattern of two double-ended HPS fixtures, five mogul-base HPS fixtures, ten LED fixtures, three ceramic metal halide fixtures, and two fluorescent fixtures. The two most efficient LED and the two most efficient double-ended HPS fixtures had nearly identical efficiencies at 1.66 to 1.70 micromoles per joule. These four fixtures represent a dramatic improvement over the 1.02 micromoles per joule efficiency of the mogul-base HPS fixtures that are in common use. The best ceramic metal halide and fluorescent fixtures had efficiencies of 1.46 and 0.95 micromoles per joule, respectively. We also calculated the initial capital cost of fixtures per photon delivered and determined that LED fixtures cost five to ten times more than HPS fixtures. The five-year electric plus fixture cost per mole of photons is thus 2.3 times higher for LED fixtures, due to high capital costs. Compared to electric costs, our analysis indicates that the long-term maintenance costs are small for both technologies. If widely spaced benches are a necessary part of a production system, the unique ability of LED fixtures to efficiently focus photons on specific areas can be used to improve the photon capture by plant canopies. Our analysis demonstrates, however, that the cost per photon delivered is higher in these systems, regardless of fixture category. The lowest lighting system costs are realized when an efficient fixture is coupled with effective canopy photon capture.

Cost Scaling of a Real-World Exhaust Waste Heat Recovery Thermoelectric Generator: A Deeper Dive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendricks, Terry J.; Yee, Shannon; LeBlanc, Saniya

2016-03-01

Cost is equally important to power density or efficiency for the adoption of waste heat recovery thermoelectric generators (TEG) in many transportation and industrial energy recovery applications. In many cases, the system design that minimizes cost (e.g., the /W value) can be very different than the design that maximizes the system's efficiency or power density, and it is important to understand the relationship between those designs to optimize TEG performance-cost compromises. Expanding on recent cost analysis work and using more detailed system modeling, an enhanced cost scaling analysis of a waste heat recovery TEG with more detailed, coupled treatment of the heat exchangers has been performed. In this analysis, the effect of the heat lost to the environment and updated relationships between the hot-side and cold-side conductances that maximize power output are considered. This coupled thermal and thermoelectric (TE) treatment of the exhaust waste heat recovery TEG yields modified cost scaling and design optimization equations, which are now strongly dependent on the heat leakage fraction, exhaust mass flow rate, and heat exchanger effectiveness. This work shows that heat exchanger costs most often dominate the overall TE system costs, that it is extremely difficult to escape this regime, and in order to achieve TE system costs of 1/W it is necessary to achieve heat exchanger costs of 1/(W/K). Minimum TE system costs per watt generally coincide with maximum power points, but preferred TE design regimes are identified where there is little cost penalty for moving into regions of higher efficiency and slightly lower power outputs. These regimes are closely tied to previously identified low cost design regimes. This work shows that the optimum fill factor F opt minimizing system costs decreases as heat losses increase, and increases as exhaust mass flow rate and heat exchanger effectiveness increase. These findings have profound implications on the design and operation of various TE waste heat recovery systems. This work highlights the importance of heat exchanger costs on the overall TEG system costs, quantifies the possible TEG performance-cost domain space based on heat exchanger effects, and provides a focus for future system research and development efforts.

Energy Efficiency Improvement and Cost Saving Opportunities for the Dairy Processing Industry: An ENERGY STAR? Guide for Energy and Plant Managers

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

Brush, Adrian; Masanet, Eric; Worrell, Ernst

The U.S. dairy processing industry—defined in this Energy Guide as facilities engaged in the conversion of raw milk to consumable dairy products—consumes around $1.5 billion worth of purchased fuels and electricity per year. Energy efficiency improvement is an important way to reduce these costs and to increase predictable earnings, especially in times of high energy price volatility. There are a variety of opportunities available at individual plants in the U.S. dairy processing industry to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in a cost-effective manner. This Energy Guide discusses energy efficiency practices and energy-efficient technologies that can be implemented atmore » the component, process, facility, and organizational levels. A discussion of the trends, structure, and energy consumption characteristics of the U.S. dairy processing industry is provided along with a description of the major process technologies used within the industry. Next, a wide variety of energy efficiency measures applicable to dairy processing plants are described. Many measure descriptions include expected savings in energy and energy-related costs, based on case study data from real-world applications in dairy processing facilities and related industries worldwide. Typical measure payback periods and references to further information in the technical literature are also provided, when available. Given the importance of water in dairy processing, a summary of basic, proven measures for improving water efficiency are also provided. The information in this Energy Guide is intended to help energy and plant managers in the U.S. dairy processing industry reduce energy and water consumption in a cost-effective manner while maintaining the quality of products manufactured. Further research on the economics of all measures—as well as on their applicability to different production practices—is needed to assess their cost effectiveness at individual plants.« less

Energy Efficiency Improvement and Cost Saving Opportunities for the Fruit and Vegetable Processing Industry. An ENERGY STAR Guide for Energy and Plant Managers

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

Masanet, Eric; Masanet, Eric; Worrell, Ernst

2008-01-01

The U.S. fruit and vegetable processing industry--defined in this Energy Guide as facilities engaged in the canning, freezing, and drying or dehydrating of fruits and vegetables--consumes over $800 million worth of purchased fuels and electricity per year. Energy efficiency improvement isan important way to reduce these costs and to increase predictable earnings, especially in times of high energy price volatility. There are a variety of opportunities available at individual plants in the U.S. fruit and vegetable processing industry to reduce energy consumption in a cost-effective manner. This Energy Guide discusses energy efficiency practices and energy-efficient technologies that can be implementedmore » at the component, process, facility, and organizational levels. A discussion of the trends, structure, and energy consumption characteristics of the U.S. fruit and vegetable processing industry is provided along with a description of the major process technologies used within the industry. Next, a wide variety of energy efficiency measures applicable to fruit and vegetable processing plants are described. Many measure descriptions include expected savings in energy and energy-related costs, based on case study data from real-world applications in fruit and vegetable processing facilities and related industries worldwide. Typical measure payback periods and references to further information in the technical literature are also provided, when available. Given the importance of water in fruit and vegetable processing, a summary of basic, proven measures for improving plant-level water efficiency are also provided. The information in this Energy Guide is intended to help energy and plant managers in the U.S. fruit and vegetable processing industry reduce energy and water consumption in a cost-effective manner while maintaining the quality of products manufactured. Further research on the economics of all measures--as well as on their applicability to different production practices--is needed to assess their cost effectiveness at individual plants.« less

Payment schemes and cost efficiency: evidence from Swiss public hospitals.

PubMed

Meyer, Stefan

2015-03-01

This paper aims at analysing the impact of prospective payment schemes on cost efficiency of acute care hospitals in Switzerland. We study a panel of 121 public hospitals subject to one of four payment schemes. While several hospitals are still reimbursed on a per diem basis for the treatment of patients, most face flat per-case rates-or mixed schemes, which combine both elements of reimbursement. Thus, unlike previous studies, we are able to simultaneously analyse and isolate the cost-efficiency effects of different payment schemes. By means of stochastic frontier analysis, we first estimate a hospital cost frontier. Using the two-stage approach proposed by Battese and Coelli (Empir Econ 20:325-332, 1995), we then analyse the impact of these payment schemes on the cost efficiency of hospitals. Controlling for hospital characteristics, local market conditions in the 26 Swiss states (cantons), and a time trend, we show that, compared to per diem, hospitals which are reimbursed by flat payment schemes perform better in terms of cost efficiency. Our results suggest that mixed schemes create incentives for cost containment as well, although to a lesser extent. In addition, our findings indicate that cost-efficient hospitals are primarily located in cantons with competitive markets, as measured by the Herfindahl-Hirschman index in inpatient care. Furthermore, our econometric model shows that we obtain biased estimates from frontier analysis if we do not account for heteroscedasticity in the inefficiency term.

The Efficiency of Increasing the Capacity of Physiotherapy Screening Clinics or Traditional Medical Services to Address Unmet Demand in Orthopaedic Outpatients: A Practical Application of Discrete Event Simulation with Dynamic Queuing.

PubMed

Standfield, L; Comans, T; Raymer, M; O'Leary, S; Moretto, N; Scuffham, P

2016-08-01

Hospital outpatient orthopaedic services traditionally rely on medical specialists to assess all new patients to determine appropriate care. This has resulted in significant delays in service provision. In response, Orthopaedic Physiotherapy Screening Clinics and Multidisciplinary Services (OPSC) have been introduced to assess and co-ordinate care for semi- and non-urgent patients. To compare the efficiency of delivering increased semi- and non-urgent orthopaedic outpatient services through: (1) additional OPSC services; (2) additional traditional orthopaedic medical services with added surgical resources (TOMS + Surg); or (3) additional TOMS without added surgical resources (TOMS - Surg). A cost-utility analysis using discrete event simulation (DES) with dynamic queuing (DQ) was used to predict the cost effectiveness, throughput, queuing times, and resource utilisation, associated with introducing additional OPSC or TOMS ± Surg versus usual care. The introduction of additional OPSC or TOMS (±surgery) would be considered cost effective in Australia. However, OPSC was the most cost-effective option. Increasing the capacity of current OPSC services is an efficient way to improve patient throughput and waiting times without exceeding current surgical resources. An OPSC capacity increase of ~100 patients per month appears cost effective (A$8546 per quality-adjusted life-year) and results in a high level of OPSC utilisation (98 %). Increasing OPSC capacity to manage semi- and non-urgent patients would be cost effective, improve throughput, and reduce waiting times without exceeding current surgical resources. Unlike Markov cohort modelling, microsimulation, or DES without DQ, employing DES-DQ in situations where capacity constraints predominate provides valuable additional information beyond cost effectiveness to guide resource allocation decisions.

Micro-cost Analysis of ALK Rearrangement Testing by FISH to Determine Eligibility for Crizotinib Therapy in NSCLC: Implications for Cost Effectiveness of Testing and Treatment.

PubMed

Parker, David; Belaud-Rotureau, Marc-Antoine

2014-01-01

Break-apart fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is the gold standard test for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene rearrangement. However, this methodology often is assumed to be expensive and potentially cost-prohibitive given the low prevalence of ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases. To more accurately estimate the cost of ALK testing by FISH, we developed a micro-cost model that accounts for all cost elements of the assay, including laboratory reagents, supplies, capital equipment, technical and pathologist labor, and the acquisition cost of the commercial test and associated reagent kits and controls. By applying a set of real-world base-case parameter values, we determined that the cost of a single ALK break-apart FISH test result is $278.01. Sensitivity analysis on the parameters of batch size, testing efficiency, and the cost of the commercial diagnostic testing products revealed that the cost per result is highly sensitive to batch size, but much less so to efficiency or product cost. This implies that ALK testing by FISH will be most cost effective when performed in high-volume centers. Our results indicate that testing cost may not be the primary determinant of crizotinib (Xalkori(®)) treatment cost effectiveness, and suggest that testing cost is an insufficient reason to limit the use of FISH testing for ALK rearrangement.

Micro-cost Analysis of ALK Rearrangement Testing by FISH to Determine Eligibility for Crizotinib Therapy in NSCLC: Implications for Cost Effectiveness of Testing and Treatment

PubMed Central

Parker, David; Belaud-Rotureau, Marc-Antoine

2014-01-01

Break-apart fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is the gold standard test for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene rearrangement. However, this methodology often is assumed to be expensive and potentially cost-prohibitive given the low prevalence of ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases. To more accurately estimate the cost of ALK testing by FISH, we developed a micro-cost model that accounts for all cost elements of the assay, including laboratory reagents, supplies, capital equipment, technical and pathologist labor, and the acquisition cost of the commercial test and associated reagent kits and controls. By applying a set of real-world base-case parameter values, we determined that the cost of a single ALK break-apart FISH test result is $278.01. Sensitivity analysis on the parameters of batch size, testing efficiency, and the cost of the commercial diagnostic testing products revealed that the cost per result is highly sensitive to batch size, but much less so to efficiency or product cost. This implies that ALK testing by FISH will be most cost effective when performed in high-volume centers. Our results indicate that testing cost may not be the primary determinant of crizotinib (Xalkori®) treatment cost effectiveness, and suggest that testing cost is an insufficient reason to limit the use of FISH testing for ALK rearrangement. PMID:25520569

Minding our Ps and Qs? Financial incentives for efficient hospital behaviour.

PubMed

Donaldson, C; Gerard, K

1991-02-01

In this paper, the empirical evidence addressing the particular issue of how hospitals may be reimbursed is reviewed. Most forthcoming is the indeterminate effect of prospective payment systems using diagnosis-related groups as a means of controlling costs. Such systems, by controlling only the price of hospital care, remain vulnerable to compensatory increase in patient throughput, cost-shifting and patient-shifting despite hospital cost per case being reduced. Health maintenance organisations have been shown to reduce hospital costs, but their effects on patients selection and patient outcome are unclear. Selective contracting in California (similar to the U.K. Government's proposed internal market) has also been shown to reduce costs by affecting both the price and quantity of hospital care. But these effects have occurred only in areas with high concentrations of hospitals. Global and clinical budgeting (which control price times quantity) seem to offer the most potential for cost reduction whilst maintaining patient outcome. By monitoring both cost and outcome within clinical budgets it should be possible to reduce wasteful variations in health care and so establish more efficient hospital practice.

Lightweighting Impacts on Fuel Economy, Cost, and Component Losses

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

Brooker, A. D.; Ward, J.; Wang, L.

2013-01-01

The Future Automotive Systems Technology Simulator (FASTSim) is the U.S. Department of Energy's high-level vehicle powertrain model developed at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. It uses a time versus speed drive cycle to estimate the powertrain forces required to meet the cycle. It simulates the major vehicle powertrain components and their losses. It includes a cost model based on component sizing and fuel prices. FASTSim simulated different levels of lightweighting for four different powertrains: a conventional gasoline engine vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), and a battery electric vehicle (EV). Weight reductions impacted themore » conventional vehicle's efficiency more than the HEV, PHEV and EV. Although lightweighting impacted the advanced vehicles' efficiency less, it reduced component cost and overall costs more. The PHEV and EV are less cost effective than the conventional vehicle and HEV using current battery costs. Assuming the DOE's battery cost target of $100/kWh, however, the PHEV attained similar cost and lightweighting benefits. Generally, lightweighting was cost effective when it costs less than $6/kg of mass eliminated.« less

Efficiency evaluation with feedback for regional water use and wastewater treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Zhineng; Yan, Shiyu; Yao, Liming; Moudi, Mahdi

2018-07-01

Clean water is crucial for sustainable economic and social development; however, around the world low water use efficiency and increasing water pollution have become serious problems. To comprehensively evaluate water use and wastewater treatment, this paper integrated bi-level programming (BLP) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) with a feedback variable to deal with poor output to rank DMUs using a super efficiency DEA. The proposed model was applied to a case study of 10 cities in the Minjiang River Basin to demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness, from which it was found that a water system can only be cost-efficient when both the water use and wastewater treatment subsystems are both cost-efficient. The comparison analysis demonstrated that the proposed model was more discriminating, and stable than traditional DEA models and was able to better improve total water system cost efficiencies than a BLP-DEA model.

An opportunity cost approach to sample size calculation in cost-effectiveness analysis.

PubMed

Gafni, A; Walter, S D; Birch, S; Sendi, P

2008-01-01

The inclusion of economic evaluations as part of clinical trials has led to concerns about the adequacy of trial sample size to support such analysis. The analytical tool of cost-effectiveness analysis is the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), which is compared with a threshold value (lambda) as a method to determine the efficiency of a health-care intervention. Accordingly, many of the methods suggested to calculating the sample size requirements for the economic component of clinical trials are based on the properties of the ICER. However, use of the ICER and a threshold value as a basis for determining efficiency has been shown to be inconsistent with the economic concept of opportunity cost. As a result, the validity of the ICER-based approaches to sample size calculations can be challenged. Alternative methods for determining improvements in efficiency have been presented in the literature that does not depend upon ICER values. In this paper, we develop an opportunity cost approach to calculating sample size for economic evaluations alongside clinical trials, and illustrate the approach using a numerical example. We compare the sample size requirement of the opportunity cost method with the ICER threshold method. In general, either method may yield the larger required sample size. However, the opportunity cost approach, although simple to use, has additional data requirements. We believe that the additional data requirements represent a small price to pay for being able to perform an analysis consistent with both concept of opportunity cost and the problem faced by decision makers. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Using learning curves on energy-efficient technologies to estimate future energy savings and emission reduction potentials in the U.S. iron and steel industry

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

Karali, Nihan; Park, Won Young; McNeil, Michael A.

Increasing concerns on non-sustainable energy use and climate change spur a growing research interest in energy efficiency potentials in various critical areas such as industrial production. This paper focuses on learning curve aspects of energy efficiency measures in the U.S iron and steel sector. A number of early-stage efficient technologies (i.e., emerging or demonstration technologies) are technically feasible and have the potential to make a significant contribution to energy saving and CO 2 emissions reduction, but fall short economically to be included. However, they may also have the cost effective potential for significant cost reduction and/or performance improvement in themore » future under learning effects such as ‘learning-by-doing’. The investigation is carried out using ISEEM, a technology oriented, linear optimization model. We investigated how steel demand is balanced with/without the availability learning curve, compared to a Reference scenario. The retrofit (or investment in some cases) costs of energy efficient technologies decline in the scenario where learning curve is applied. The analysis also addresses market penetration of energy efficient technologies, energy saving, and CO 2 emissions in the U.S. iron and steel sector with/without learning impact. Accordingly, the study helps those who use energy models better manage the price barriers preventing unrealistic diffusion of energy-efficiency technologies, better understand the market and learning system involved, predict future achievable learning rates more accurately, and project future savings via energy-efficiency technologies with presence of learning. We conclude from our analysis that, most of the existing energy efficiency technologies that are currently used in the U.S. iron and steel sector are cost effective. Penetration levels increases through the years, even though there is no price reduction. However, demonstration technologies are not economically feasible in the U.S. iron and steel sector with the current cost structure. In contrast, some of the demonstration technologies are adapted in the mid-term and their penetration levels increase as the prices go down with learning curve. We also observe large penetration of 225kg pulverized coal injection with the presence of learning.« less

Solar photochemical process engineering for production of fuels and chemicals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Biddle, J. R.; Peterson, D. B.; Fujita, T.

1984-01-01

The engineering costs and performance of a nominal 25,000 scmd (883,000 scfd) photochemical plant to produce dihydrogen from water were studied. Two systems were considered, one based on flat-plate collector/reactors and the other on linear parabolic troughs. Engineering subsystems were specified including the collector/reactor, support hardware, field transport piping, gas compression equipment, and balance-of-plant (BOP) items. Overall plant efficiencies of 10.3 and 11.6% are estimated for the flat-plate and trough systems, respectively, based on assumed solar photochemical efficiencies of 12.9 and 14.6%. Because of the opposing effects of concentration ratio and operating temperature on efficiency, it was concluded that reactor cooling would be necessary with the trough system. Both active and passive cooling methods were considered. Capital costs and energy costs, for both concentrating and non-concentrating systems, were determined and their sensitivity to efficiency and economic parameters were analyzed. The overall plant efficiency is the single most important factor in determining the cost of the fuel.

Solar photochemical process engineering for production of fuels and chemicals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Biddle, J. R.; Peterson, D. B.; Fujita, T.

1985-01-01

The engineering costs and performance of a nominal 25,000 scmd (883,000 scfd) photochemical plant to produce dihydrogen from water were studied. Two systems were considered, one based on flat-plate collector/reactors and the other on linear parabolic troughs. Engineering subsystems were specified including the collector/reactor, support hardware, field transport piping, gas compression equipment, and balance-of-plant (BOP) items. Overall plant efficiencies of 10.3 and 11.6 percent are estimated for the flat-plate and trough systems, respectively, based on assumed solar photochemical efficiencies of 12.9 and 14.6 percent. Because of the opposing effects of concentration ratio and operating temperature on efficiency, it was concluded that reactor cooling would be necessary with the trough system. Both active and passive cooling methods were considered. Capital costs and energy costs, for both concentrating and non-concentrating systems, were determined and their sensitivity to efficiency and economic parameters were analyzed. The overall plant efficiency is the single most important factor in determining the cost of the fuel.

An experimental strategy validated to design cost-effective culture media based on response surface methodology.

PubMed

Navarrete-Bolaños, J L; Téllez-Martínez, M G; Miranda-López, R; Jiménez-Islas, H

2017-07-03

For any fermentation process, the production cost depends on several factors, such as the genetics of the microorganism, the process condition, and the culture medium composition. In this work, a guideline for the design of cost-efficient culture media using a sequential approach based on response surface methodology is described. The procedure was applied to analyze and optimize a culture medium of registered trademark and a base culture medium obtained as a result of the screening analysis from different culture media used to grow the same strain according to the literature. During the experiments, the procedure quantitatively identified an appropriate array of micronutrients to obtain a significant yield and find a minimum number of culture medium ingredients without limiting the process efficiency. The resultant culture medium showed an efficiency that compares favorably with the registered trademark medium at a 95% lower cost as well as reduced the number of ingredients in the base culture medium by 60% without limiting the process efficiency. These results demonstrated that, aside from satisfying the qualitative requirements, an optimum quantity of each constituent is needed to obtain a cost-effective culture medium. Study process variables for optimized culture medium and scaling-up production for the optimal values are desirable.

HIV prevention costs and program scale: data from the PANCEA project in five low and middle-income countries.

PubMed

Marseille, Elliot; Dandona, Lalit; Marshall, Nell; Gaist, Paul; Bautista-Arredondo, Sergio; Rollins, Brandi; Bertozzi, Stefano M; Coovadia, Jerry; Saba, Joseph; Lioznov, Dmitry; Du Plessis, Jo-Ann; Krupitsky, Evgeny; Stanley, Nicci; Over, Mead; Peryshkina, Alena; Kumar, S G Prem; Muyingo, Sowedi; Pitter, Christian; Lundberg, Mattias; Kahn, James G

2007-07-12

Economic theory and limited empirical data suggest that costs per unit of HIV prevention program output (unit costs) will initially decrease as small programs expand. Unit costs may then reach a nadir and start to increase if expansion continues beyond the economically optimal size. Information on the relationship between scale and unit costs is critical to project the cost of global HIV prevention efforts and to allocate prevention resources efficiently. The "Prevent AIDS: Network for Cost-Effectiveness Analysis" (PANCEA) project collected 2003 and 2004 cost and output data from 206 HIV prevention programs of six types in five countries. The association between scale and efficiency for each intervention type was examined for each country. Our team characterized the direction, shape, and strength of this association by fitting bivariate regression lines to scatter plots of output levels and unit costs. We chose the regression forms with the highest explanatory power (R2). Efficiency increased with scale, across all countries and interventions. This association varied within intervention and within country, in terms of the range in scale and efficiency, the best fitting regression form, and the slope of the regression. The fraction of variation in efficiency explained by scale ranged from 26-96%. Doubling in scale resulted in reductions in unit costs averaging 34.2% (ranging from 2.4% to 58.0%). Two regression trends, in India, suggested an inflection point beyond which unit costs increased. Unit costs decrease with scale across a wide range of service types and volumes. These country and intervention-specific findings can inform projections of the global cost of scaling up HIV prevention efforts.

Economics of abdominal wall reconstruction.

PubMed

Bower, Curtis; Roth, J Scott

2013-10-01

The economic aspects of abdominal wall reconstruction are frequently overlooked, although understandings of the financial implications are essential in providing cost-efficient health care. Ventral hernia repairs are frequently performed surgical procedures with significant economic ramifications for employers, insurers, providers, and patients because of the volume of procedures, complication rates, the significant rate of recurrence, and escalating costs. Because biological mesh materials add significant expense to the costs of treating complex abdominal wall hernias, the role of such costly materials needs to be better defined to ensure the most cost-efficient and effective treatments for ventral abdominal wall hernias. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

NREL Research Earns Three Prestigious R&D 100 Awards | News | NREL

Science.gov Websites

more cost-effective lithium-ion batteries. "The IBC allows for the development of new thermal battery life and improve safety at an affordable cost. With forecasts of more than half a million hybrid Peter Ralbovsky, Jean-Francois Mauger, and Gilles Widawski. TetraSun's High-Efficiency, Cost-Effective

Development of steel design details and selection criteria for cost effective and innovative steel bridges in Colorado : CDOT study no. 85-00 final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-07-01

This research focuses on finding a method for creating cost effective and innovative steel bridges in Colorado. The design method that was discovered to create this cost efficiency was designing the beams as simply supported for non-composite dead lo...

4E analysis and multi objective optimization of a micro gas turbine and solid oxide fuel cell hybrid combined heat and power system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanaye, Sepehr; Katebi, Arash

2014-02-01

Energy, exergy, economic and environmental (4E) analysis and optimization of a hybrid solid oxide fuel cell and micro gas turbine (SOFC-MGT) system for use as combined generation of heat and power (CHP) is investigated in this paper. The hybrid system is modeled and performance related results are validated using available data in literature. Then a multi-objective optimization approach based on genetic algorithm is incorporated. Eight system design parameters are selected for the optimization procedure. System exergy efficiency and total cost rate (including capital or investment cost, operational cost and penalty cost of environmental emissions) are the two objectives. The effects of fuel unit cost, capital investment and system power output on optimum design parameters are also investigated. It is observed that the most sensitive and important design parameter in the hybrid system is fuel cell current density which has a significant effect on the balance between system cost and efficiency. The selected design point from the Pareto distribution of optimization results indicates a total system exergy efficiency of 60.7%, with estimated electrical energy cost 0.057 kW-1 h-1, and payback period of about 6.3 years for the investment.

Transmission and Distribution Efficiency Improvement Rearch and Development Survey.

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

Brooks, C.L.; Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Advanced Systems Technology.

Purpose of this study was to identify and quantify those technologies for improving transmission and distribution (T and D) system efficiency that could provide the greatest benefits for utility customers in the Pacific Northwest. Improving the efficiency of transmission and distribution systems offers a potential source of conservation within the utility sector. An extensive review of this field resulted in a list of 49 state-of-the-art technologies and 39 future technologies. Of these, 15 from the former list and 7 from the latter were chosen as the most promising and then submitted to an evaluative test - a modeled sample systemmore » for Benton County PUD, a utility with characteristics typical of a BPA customer system. Reducing end-use voltage on secondary distribution systems to decrease the energy consumption of electrical users when possible, called ''Conservation Voltage Reduction,'' was found to be the most cost effective state-of-the-art technology. Voltampere reactive (var) optimization is a similarly cost effective alternative. The most significant reduction in losses on the transmission and distribution system would be achieved through the replacement of standard transformers with high efficiency transformers, such as amorphous steel transformers. Of the future technologies assessed, the ''Distribution Static VAR Generator'' appears to have the greatest potential for technological breakthroughs and, therefore in time, commercialization. ''Improved Dielectric Materials,'' with a relatively low cost and high potential for efficiency improvement, warrant R and D consideration. ''Extruded Three-Conductor Cable'' and ''Six- and Twelve-Phase Transmission'' programs provide only limited gains in efficiency and applicability and are therefore the least cost effective.« less

Probabilistic cost-benefit analysis of disaster risk management in a development context.

PubMed

Kull, Daniel; Mechler, Reinhard; Hochrainer-Stigler, Stefan

2013-07-01

Limited studies have shown that disaster risk management (DRM) can be cost-efficient in a development context. Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is an evaluation tool to analyse economic efficiency. This research introduces quantitative, stochastic CBA frameworks and applies them in case studies of flood and drought risk reduction in India and Pakistan, while also incorporating projected climate change impacts. DRM interventions are shown to be economically efficient, with integrated approaches more cost-effective and robust than singular interventions. The paper highlights that CBA can be a useful tool if certain issues are considered properly, including: complexities in estimating risk; data dependency of results; negative effects of interventions; and distributional aspects. The design and process of CBA must take into account specific objectives, available information, resources, and the perceptions and needs of stakeholders as transparently as possible. Intervention design and uncertainties should be qualified through dialogue, indicating that process is as important as numerical results. © 2013 The Author(s). Journal compilation © Overseas Development Institute, 2013.

10 CFR 435.8 - Life-cycle costing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Life-cycle costing. 435.8 Section 435.8 Energy DEPARTMENT... BUILDINGS Mandatory Energy Efficiency Standards for Federal Low-Rise Residential Buildings. § 435.8 Life-cycle costing. Each Federal agency shall determine life-cycle cost-effectiveness by using the procedures...

10 CFR 435.8 - Life-cycle costing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Life-cycle costing. 435.8 Section 435.8 Energy DEPARTMENT... BUILDINGS Mandatory Energy Efficiency Standards for Federal Low-Rise Residential Buildings. § 435.8 Life-cycle costing. Each Federal agency shall determine life-cycle cost-effectiveness by using the procedures...

Estimate of Cost-Effective Potential for Minimum Efficiency Performance Standards in 13 Major World Economies Energy Savings, Environmental and Financial Impacts

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

Letschert, Virginie E.; Bojda, Nicholas; Ke, Jing

2012-07-01

This study analyzes the financial impacts on consumers of minimum efficiency performance standards (MEPS) for appliances that could be implemented in 13 major economies around the world. We use the Bottom-Up Energy Analysis System (BUENAS), developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), to analyze various appliance efficiency target levels to estimate the net present value (NPV) of policies designed to provide maximum energy savings while not penalizing consumers financially. These policies constitute what we call the “cost-effective potential” (CEP) scenario. The CEP scenario is designed to answer the question: How high can we raise the efficiency bar in mandatory programsmore » while still saving consumers money?« less

Persistent and transient cost efficiency—an application to the Swiss hydropower sector

DOE PAGES

Filippini, Massimo; Geissmann, Thomas; Greene, William H.

2017-11-27

Electricity prices on the European market have decreased significantly over the past few years, resulting in a deterioration of Swiss hydropower firms’ competitiveness and profitability. One option to improve the sector’s competitiveness is to increase cost efficiency. The goal of this study is to quantify the level of persistent and transient cost efficiency of individual firms by applying the generalized true random effects (GTRE) model introduced by Colombi et al. (Journal of Productivity Analysis 42(2): 123–136, 2014) and Filippini and Greene (Journal of Productivity Analysis 45(2): 187–196, 2016). Applying this newly developed GTRE model to a total cost function, themore » level of cost efficiency of 65 Swiss hydropower firms is analyzed for the period between 2000 and 2013. A true random effects specification is estimated as a benchmark for the transient level of cost efficiency. The results show the presence of both transient as well as persistent cost inefficiencies. The GTREM predicts the aggregate level of cost inefficiency to amount to 21.8% (8.0% transient, 13.8% persistent) on average between 2000 and 2013. These two components differ in interpretation and implication. From an individual firm’s perspective, the two types of cost inefficiencies might require a firm’s management to respond with different improvement strategies. The existing level of persistent inefficiency could prevent the hydropower firms from adjusting their production processes to new market environments. From a regulatory point of view, the results of this study could be used in the scope and determination of the amount of financial support given to struggling firms.« less

Persistent and transient cost efficiency—an application to the Swiss hydropower sector

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

Filippini, Massimo; Geissmann, Thomas; Greene, William H.

Electricity prices on the European market have decreased significantly over the past few years, resulting in a deterioration of Swiss hydropower firms’ competitiveness and profitability. One option to improve the sector’s competitiveness is to increase cost efficiency. The goal of this study is to quantify the level of persistent and transient cost efficiency of individual firms by applying the generalized true random effects (GTRE) model introduced by Colombi et al. (Journal of Productivity Analysis 42(2): 123–136, 2014) and Filippini and Greene (Journal of Productivity Analysis 45(2): 187–196, 2016). Applying this newly developed GTRE model to a total cost function, themore » level of cost efficiency of 65 Swiss hydropower firms is analyzed for the period between 2000 and 2013. A true random effects specification is estimated as a benchmark for the transient level of cost efficiency. The results show the presence of both transient as well as persistent cost inefficiencies. The GTREM predicts the aggregate level of cost inefficiency to amount to 21.8% (8.0% transient, 13.8% persistent) on average between 2000 and 2013. These two components differ in interpretation and implication. From an individual firm’s perspective, the two types of cost inefficiencies might require a firm’s management to respond with different improvement strategies. The existing level of persistent inefficiency could prevent the hydropower firms from adjusting their production processes to new market environments. From a regulatory point of view, the results of this study could be used in the scope and determination of the amount of financial support given to struggling firms.« less

48 CFR 23.703 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE...) Implement cost-effective contracting preference programs promoting energy-efficiency, water conservation... energy-efficiency and water conservation. (3) Eliminate or reduce the generation of hazardous waste and...

48 CFR 23.703 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE...) Implement cost-effective contracting preference programs promoting energy-efficiency, water conservation... energy-efficiency and water conservation. (3) Eliminate or reduce the generation of hazardous waste and...

48 CFR 23.703 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE...) Implement cost-effective contracting preference programs promoting energy-efficiency, water conservation... energy-efficiency and water conservation. (3) Eliminate or reduce the generation of hazardous waste and...

48 CFR 23.703 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND DRUG-FREE...) Implement cost-effective contracting preference programs promoting energy-efficiency, water conservation... energy-efficiency and water conservation. (3) Eliminate or reduce the generation of hazardous waste and...

Time and financial costs of programs for live trapping feral cats.

PubMed

Nutter, Felicia B; Stoskopf, Michael K; Levine, Jay F

2004-11-01

To determine the time and financial costs of programs for live trapping feral cats and determine whether allowing cats to become acclimated to the traps improved trapping effectiveness. Prospective cohort study. 107 feral cats in 9 colonies. 15 traps were set at each colony for 5 consecutive nights, and 5 traps were then set per night until trapping was complete. In 4 colonies, traps were immediately baited and set; in the remaining 5 colonies, traps were left open and cats were fed in the traps for 3 days prior to the initiation of trapping. Costs for bait and labor were calculated, and trapping effort and efficiency were assessed. Mean +/- SD overall trapping effort (ie, number of trap-nights until at least 90% of the cats in the colony had been captured or until no more than 1 cat remained untrapped) was 8.9 +/- 3.9 trap-nights per cat captured. Mean overall trapping efficiency (ie, percentage of cats captured per colony) was 98.0 +/- 4.0%. There were no significant differences in trapping effort or efficiency between colonies that were provided an acclimation period and colonies that were not. Overall trapping costs were significantly higher for colonies provided an acclimation period. Results suggest that these live-trapping protocols were effective. Feeding cats their regular diets in the traps for 3 days prior to the initiation of trapping did not have a significant effect on trapping effort or efficiency in the present study but was associated with significant increases in trapping costs.

Integration of health care organizations: using the power strategies of horizontal and vertical integration in public and private health systems.

PubMed

Thaldorf, Carey; Liberman, Aaron

2007-01-01

Integration in health care attempts to provide all elements in a seamless continuum of care. Pressures influencing development of system-wide integration primarily come from unsustainable cost increases in the United States over the later part of the 20th century and the early 21st century. Promoters of health care integration assume that it will lead to increased effectiveness and quality of care while concurrently increasing cost-effectiveness and possibly facilitating cost savings. The primary focus of this literature review is on the Power Strategies of Horizontal and Vertical Integration. The material presented suggests that vertical integration is most effective in markets where the partners involved are larger and dominant in the regions they serve. The research has also found that integrating health care networks had little or no significant effect on improving overall organizational efficiencies or profits. Capital investment in information technologies still is cost prohibitive and outweighs its benefits to integration efficiencies in the private sector; however, there are some indications of improvements in publicly provided health care. Further research is needed to understand the reasons the public sector has had greater success in improving effectiveness and efficiency through integration than the private sector.

Integrating Telco interoffice fiber transport with coaxial distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCarthy, Steven M.

1993-02-01

Real success in the residential broadband market is contingent on a platform that most efficiently shares broadband port costs while at the same time affords us an elegant, and cost efficient, upgrade from today's analog to tomorrow's digital world. Spectrum transport, whether it be over new or existing fiber/coax systems or FTTC, is that platform. It is compatible with today's home entertainment market, can be evolved to future digital transport, and effectively shares the cost of interfacing with a broadband network.

Costs and cost-efficacy analysis of the 2016 GESIDA/Spanish AIDS National Plan recommended guidelines for initial antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected adults.

PubMed

Rivero, Antonio; Pérez-Molina, José Antonio; Blasco, Antonio Javier; Arribas, José Ramón; Crespo, Manuel; Domingo, Pere; Estrada, Vicente; Iribarren, José Antonio; Knobel, Hernando; Lázaro, Pablo; López-Aldeguer, José; Lozano, Fernando; Moreno, Santiago; Palacios, Rosario; Pineda, Juan Antonio; Pulido, Federico; Rubio, Rafael; de la Torre, Javier; Tuset, Montserrat; Gatell, Josep M

2017-02-01

GESIDA and the AIDS National Plan panel of experts suggest preferred (PR), alternative (AR), and other regimens (OR) for antiretroviral treatment (ART) as initial therapy in HIV-infected patients for the year 2016. The objective of this study is to evaluate the costs and the efficacy of initiating treatment with these regimens. Economic assessment of costs and efficiency (cost/efficacy) based on decision tree analyses. Efficacy was defined as the probability of reporting a viral load <50copies/mL at week 48 in an intention-to-treat analysis. Cost of initiating treatment with an ART regimen was defined as the costs of ART and its consequences (adverse effects, changes of ART regimen, and drug resistance studies) during the first 48 weeks. The payer perspective (National Health System) was applied, only taking into account differential direct costs: ART (official prices), management of adverse effects, studies of resistance, and HLA B*5701 testing. The setting is Spain and the costs correspond to those of 2016. A sensitivity deterministic analysis was conducted, building three scenarios for each regimen: base case, most favourable, and least favourable. In the base case scenario, the cost of initiating treatment ranges from 4663 Euros for 3TC+LPV/r (OR) to 10,894 Euros for TDF/FTC+RAL (PR). The efficacy varies from 0.66 for ABC/3TC+ATV/r (AR) and ABC/3TC+LPV/r (OR), to 0.89 for TDF/FTC+DTG (PR) and TDF/FTC/EVG/COBI (AR). The efficiency, in terms of cost/efficacy, ranges from 5280 to 12,836 Euros per responder at 48 weeks, for 3TC+LPV/r (OR), and RAL+DRV/r (OR), respectively. Despite the overall most efficient regimen being 3TC+LPV/r (OR), among the PR and AR, the most efficient regimen was ABC/3TC/DTG (PR). Among the AR regimes, the most efficient was TDF/FTC/RPV. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica. All rights reserved.

Removing ammonium from water and wastewater using cost-effective adsorbents: A review.

PubMed

Huang, Jianyin; Kankanamge, Nadeeka Rathnayake; Chow, Christopher; Welsh, David T; Li, Tianling; Teasdale, Peter R

2018-01-01

Ammonium is an important nutrient in primary production; however, high ammonium loads can cause eutrophication of natural waterways, contributing to undesirable changes in water quality and ecosystem structure. While ammonium pollution comes from diffuse agricultural sources, making control difficult, industrial or municipal point sources such as wastewater treatment plants also contribute significantly to overall ammonium pollution. These latter sources can be targeted more readily to control ammonium release into water systems. To assist policy makers and researchers in understanding the diversity of treatment options and the best option for their circumstance, this paper produces a comprehensive review of existing treatment options for ammonium removal with a particular focus on those technologies which offer the highest rates of removal and cost-effectiveness. Ion exchange and adsorption material methods are simple to apply, cost-effective, environmentally friendly technologies which are quite efficient at removing ammonium from treated water. The review presents a list of adsorbents from the literature, their adsorption capacities and other parameters needed for ammonium removal. Further, the preparation of adsorbents with high ammonium removal capacities and new adsorbents is discussed in the context of their relative cost, removal efficiencies, and limitations. Efficient, cost-effective, and environmental friendly adsorbents for the removal of ammonium on a large scale for commercial or water treatment plants are provided. In addition, future perspectives on removing ammonium using adsorbents are presented. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Cost inefficiency in Washington hospitals: a stochastic frontier approach using panel data.

PubMed

Li, T; Rosenman, R

2001-06-01

We analyze a sample of Washington State hospitals with a stochastic frontier panel data model, specifying the cost function as a generalized Leontief function which, according to a Hausman test, performs better in this case than the translog form. A one-stage FGLS estimation procedure which directly models the inefficiency effects improves the efficiency of our estimates. We find that hospitals with higher casemix indices or more beds are less efficient while for-profit hospitals and those with higher proportion of Medicare patient days are more efficient. Relative to the most efficient hospital, the average hospital is only about 67% efficient.

Economic rationalism and the cost efficiency of hospital chaplaincy: an Australian study.

PubMed

Newell, C; Carey, L B

2000-01-01

Health care reform is also occurring in Australia and effects hospital chaplaincy programs. "Economic rationalism" is the philosophic foundation of this effort and its contrast with the values inherit in hospital chaplaincy are highlighted. Selected research results from the Australian system are described and the authors offer a perspective on the cost efficiency of hospital chaplaincy.

THE HUNDRED BILLION DOLLAR BONUS: Global Energy Efficiency Lessons from India

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

Paul, Seema; Sathaye, Jayant

2011-03-01

At a time when India and other nations are grappling with myriad energy-related challenges, including unstable, costly power sources and growing greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency offers an alternative at a fraction of the cost of other new sources of energy. A consortium of leading Indian regulators, nongovernmental organizations, and international experts has recognized this opportunity and is working to develop effective policies that will bring significant domestic benefits to India while accelerating the global transition to energy efficiency.

The admissible portfolio selection problem with transaction costs and an improved PSO algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Wei; Zhang, Wei-Guo

2010-05-01

In this paper, we discuss the portfolio selection problem with transaction costs under the assumption that there exist admissible errors on expected returns and risks of assets. We propose a new admissible efficient portfolio selection model and design an improved particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm because traditional optimization algorithms fail to work efficiently for our proposed problem. Finally, we offer a numerical example to illustrate the proposed effective approaches and compare the admissible portfolio efficient frontiers under different constraints.

Opportunities for improving the efficiency of paediatric HIV treatment programmes

PubMed Central

Revill, Paul A.; Walker, Simon; Mabugu, Travor; Nathoo, Kusum J.; Mugyenyi, Peter; Kekitinwa, Adeodata; Munderi, Paula; Bwakura-Dangarembizi, Mutsawashe; Musiime, Victor; Bakeera-Kitaka, Sabrina; Nahirya-Ntege, Patricia; Walker, A. Sarah; Sculpher, Mark J.; Gibb, Diana M.

2015-01-01

Objectives: To conduct two economic analyses addressing whether to: routinely monitor HIV-infected children on antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinically or with laboratory tests; continue or stop cotrimoxazole prophylaxis when children become stabilized on ART. Design and methods: The ARROW randomized trial investigated alternative strategies to deliver paediatric ART and cotrimoxazole prophylaxis in 1206 Ugandan/Zimbabwean children. Incremental cost-effectiveness and value of implementation analyses were undertaken. Scenario analyses investigated whether laboratory monitoring (CD4+ tests for efficacy monitoring; haematology/biochemistry for toxicity) could be tailored and targeted to be delivered cost-effectively. Cotrimoxazole use was examined in malaria-endemic and non-endemic settings. Results: Using all trial data, clinical monitoring delivered similar health outcomes to routine laboratory monitoring, but at a reduced cost, so was cost-effective. Continuing cotrimoxazole improved health outcomes at reduced costs. Restricting routine CD4+ monitoring to after 52 weeks following ART initiation and removing toxicity testing was associated with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $6084 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) across all age groups, but was much lower for older children (12+ years at initiation; incremental cost-effectiveness ratio = $769/QALY). Committing resources to improve cotrimoxazole implementation appears cost-effective. A healthcare system that could pay $600/QALY should be willing to spend up to $12.0 per patient-year to ensure continued provision of cotrimoxazole. Conclusion: Clinically driven monitoring of ART is cost-effective in most circumstances. Routine laboratory monitoring is generally not cost-effective at current prices, except possibly CD4+ testing amongst adolescents initiating ART. Committing resources to ensure continued provision of cotrimoxazole in health facilities is more likely to represent an efficient use of resources. PMID:25396263

We have just begun to create efficient transport aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maglieri, D. J.; Dollyhigh, S. M.

1982-01-01

Factors affecting the cost-effectiveness and economics of the air transportation industry are reviewed. The delivery of more fuel-efficient aircraft and eventual total replacement in the 1990's by fleets of advanced aircraft are seen to offset rising fuel costs. Better airport operations are perceived to eliminate fuel-costly delays due to overcrowded runways, lack of available carriers, and maintenance of aircraft in holding patterns. Noise reduction research will lower the lawsuit costs from noise pollution, and the introduction of advanced turbofans for long, short, and medium range flights, advanced commuter planes, and advanced SSTs offering projected 50% increases in current aircraft efficiencies are seen to be limited only by the airlines' ability to provide purchase financing, rather than by a lack of available new technology.

48 CFR 215.404-71-5 - Cost efficiency factor.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

...) Subcontractor cost reduction efforts; (7) The contractor's effective incorporation of commercial items and... contracting officer shall consider the impact that quantity differences, learning, changes in scope, and...

48 CFR 215.404-71-5 - Cost efficiency factor.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

...) Subcontractor cost reduction efforts; (7) The contractor's effective incorporation of commercial items and... contracting officer shall consider the impact that quantity differences, learning, changes in scope, and...

48 CFR 215.404-71-5 - Cost efficiency factor.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

...) Subcontractor cost reduction efforts; (7) The contractor's effective incorporation of commercial items and... contracting officer shall consider the impact that quantity differences, learning, changes in scope, and...

48 CFR 215.404-71-5 - Cost efficiency factor.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

...) Subcontractor cost reduction efforts; (7) The contractor's effective incorporation of commercial items and... contracting officer shall consider the impact that quantity differences, learning, changes in scope, and...

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

Van Geet, Otto

NREL has developed a methodology to prioritize which data center cooling systems could be upgraded for better efficiency based on estimated cost savings and economics. The best efficiency results are in cool or dry climates where 'free' economizer or evaporative cooling can provide most of the data center cooling. Locations with a high cost of energy and facilities with high power usage effectiveness (PUE) are also good candidates for data center cooling system upgrades. In one case study of a major cable provider's data centers, most of the sites studied had opportunities for cost-effective cooling system upgrades with payback periodmore » of 5 years or less. If the cable provider invested in all opportunities for upgrades with payback periods of less than 15 years, it could save 27% on annual energy costs.« less

Bridge approach slabs for Missouri DOT looking at alternative and cost efficient approaches.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-12-01

The objective of this project is to develop innovative and cost effective structural solutions for the construction of : both new and replacement deteriorated Bridge Approach Slabs (BAS). A cost study and email survey was performed to identify : stat...

The Cost-Effectiveness of Undergraduate Education at Private Nondoctoral Colleges and Universities: Implications for Students and Public Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zumeta, William; Huntington-Klein, Nick

2015-01-01

This study examines key aspects of the cost-effectiveness of private nondoctoral (PND) colleges as providers of baccalaureate degrees and explores how states might feasibly make better use of these colleges to produce more degrees efficiently. The study looks at degree production and cost in the PND sector relative to other higher education…

Evaluation of environmental sampling methods for detection of Salmonella enterica in a large animal veterinary hospital.

PubMed

Goeman, Valerie R; Tinkler, Stacy H; Hammac, G Kenitra; Ruple, Audrey

2018-04-01

Environmental surveillance for Salmonella enterica can be used for early detection of contamination; thus routine sampling is an integral component of infection control programs in hospital environments. At the Purdue University Veterinary Teaching Hospital (PUVTH), the technique regularly employed in the large animal hospital for sample collection uses sterile gauze sponges for environmental sampling, which has proven labor-intensive and time-consuming. Alternative sampling methods use Swiffer brand electrostatic wipes for environmental sample collection, which are reportedly effective and efficient. It was hypothesized that use of Swiffer wipes for sample collection would be more efficient and less costly than the use of gauze sponges. A head-to-head comparison between the 2 sampling methods was conducted in the PUVTH large animal hospital and relative agreement, cost-effectiveness, and sampling efficiency were compared. There was fair agreement in culture results between the 2 sampling methods, but Swiffer wipes required less time and less physical effort to collect samples and were more cost-effective.

Development of an economic solar heating system with cost efficient flat plate collectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eder-Milchgeisser, W.; Burkart, R.

1980-10-01

Mass produced flat plate solar collectors were worked into the design of a system for heating a swimming pool and/or providing domestic hot water. The collector characteristics, including physical and mechanical data as well as theoretical energy conversion efficiency, are presented. The collector was tested and service life efficiency was determined. The mounting of the collector, depending on roof type, is explained. Both in service and laboratory test results demonstrate the cost effectiveness of the system. Further improvement of efficiency is envisaged with automatic flow control in the solar collector and hot water circuits.

Costs and cost-efficacy analysis of the 2017 GESIDA/Spanish National AIDS Plan recommended guidelines for initial antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected adults.

PubMed

Rivero, Antonio; Pérez-Molina, José Antonio; Blasco, Antonio Javier; Arribas, José Ramón; Asensi, Víctor; Crespo, Manuel; Domingo, Pere; Iribarren, José Antonio; Lázaro, Pablo; López-Aldeguer, José; Lozano, Fernando; Martínez, Esteban; Moreno, Santiago; Palacios, Rosario; Pineda, Juan Antonio; Pulido, Federico; Rubio, Rafael; Santos, Jesús; de la Torre, Javier; Tuset, Montserrat; Gatell, Josep M

2018-05-01

GESIDA and the Spanish National AIDS Plan panel of experts have recommended preferred (PR), alternative (AR) and other regimens (OR) for antiretroviral therapy (ART) as initial therapy in HIV-infected patients for 2017. The objective of this study was to evaluate the costs and the efficiency of initiating treatment with PR and AR. Economic assessment of costs and efficiency (cost-efficacy) based on decision tree analyses. Efficacy was defined as the probability of reporting a viral load <50copies/mL at week 48, in an intention-to-treat analysis. Cost of initiating treatment with an ART regimen was defined as the costs of ART and its consequences (adverse effects, changes of ART regimen and drug resistance studies) during the first 48 weeks. The payer perspective (National Health System) was applied considering only differential direct costs: ART (official prices), management of adverse effects, resistance studies and HLA B*5701 screening. The setting was Spain and the costs correspond to those of 2017. A deterministic sensitivity analysis was conducted, building three scenarios for each regimen: base case, most favourable and least favourable. In the base case scenario, the cost of initiating treatment ranged from 6882 euro for TFV/FTC/RPV (AR) to 10,904 euros for TFV/FTC+RAL (PR). The efficacy varied from 0.82 for TFV/FTC+DRV/p (AR) to 0.92 for TAF/FTC/EVG/COBI (PR). The efficiency, in terms of cost-efficacy, ranged from 7923 to 12,765 euros per responder at 48 weeks, for ABC/3TC/DTG (PR) and TFV/FTC+RAL (PR), respectively. Considering ART official prices, the most efficient regimen was ABC/3TC/DTG (PR), followed by TFV/FTC/RPV (AR) and TAF/FTC/EVG/COBI (PR). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica. All rights reserved.

Cost Description and Comparative Cost Efficiency of Post-Exposure Prophylaxis and Canine Mass Vaccination against Rabies in N'Djamena, Chad.

PubMed

Mindekem, Rolande; Lechenne, Monique Sarah; Naissengar, Kemdongarti Service; Oussiguéré, Assandi; Kebkiba, Bidjeh; Moto, Daugla Doumagoum; Alfaroukh, Idriss Oumar; Ouedraogo, Laurent Tinoanga; Salifou, Sahidou; Zinsstag, Jakob

2017-01-01

Rabies claims approximately 59,000 human lives annually and is a potential risk to 3.3 billion people in over 100 countries worldwide. Despite being fatal in almost 100% of cases, human rabies can be prevented by vaccinating dogs, the most common vector, and the timely administration of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to exposed victims. For the control and prevention of human rabies in N'Djamena, the capital city of Chad, a free mass vaccination campaign for dogs was organized in 2012 and 2013. The campaigns were monitored by parallel studies on the incidence of canine rabies based on diagnostic testing of suspect animals and the incidence of human bite exposure recorded at selected health facilities. Based on the cost description of the campaign and the need for PEP registered in health centers, three cost scenarios were compared: cumulative cost-efficiency of (1) PEP alone, (2) dog mass vaccination and PEP, (3) dog mass vaccination, PEP, and maximal communication between human health and veterinary workers (One Health communication). Assuming ideal One Health communication, the cumulative prospective cost of dog vaccination and PEP break even with the cumulative prospective cost of PEP alone in the 10th year from the start of the calculation (2012). The cost efficiency expressed in cost per human exposure averted is much higher with canine vaccination and One Health communication than with PEP alone. As shown in other studies, our cost-effectiveness analysis highlights that canine vaccination is financially the best option for animal rabies control and rabies prevention in humans. This study also provides evidence of the beneficial effect of One Health communication. Only with close communication between the human and animal health sectors will the decrease in animal rabies incidence be translated into a decline for PEP. An efficiently applied One Health concept would largely reduce the cost of PEP in resource poor countries and should be implemented for zoonosis control in general.

Cost Description and Comparative Cost Efficiency of Post-Exposure Prophylaxis and Canine Mass Vaccination against Rabies in N’Djamena, Chad

PubMed Central

Mindekem, Rolande; Lechenne, Monique Sarah; Naissengar, Kemdongarti Service; Oussiguéré, Assandi; Kebkiba, Bidjeh; Moto, Daugla Doumagoum; Alfaroukh, Idriss Oumar; Ouedraogo, Laurent Tinoanga; Salifou, Sahidou; Zinsstag, Jakob

2017-01-01

Rabies claims approximately 59,000 human lives annually and is a potential risk to 3.3 billion people in over 100 countries worldwide. Despite being fatal in almost 100% of cases, human rabies can be prevented by vaccinating dogs, the most common vector, and the timely administration of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to exposed victims. For the control and prevention of human rabies in N’Djamena, the capital city of Chad, a free mass vaccination campaign for dogs was organized in 2012 and 2013. The campaigns were monitored by parallel studies on the incidence of canine rabies based on diagnostic testing of suspect animals and the incidence of human bite exposure recorded at selected health facilities. Based on the cost description of the campaign and the need for PEP registered in health centers, three cost scenarios were compared: cumulative cost-efficiency of (1) PEP alone, (2) dog mass vaccination and PEP, (3) dog mass vaccination, PEP, and maximal communication between human health and veterinary workers (One Health communication). Assuming ideal One Health communication, the cumulative prospective cost of dog vaccination and PEP break even with the cumulative prospective cost of PEP alone in the 10th year from the start of the calculation (2012). The cost efficiency expressed in cost per human exposure averted is much higher with canine vaccination and One Health communication than with PEP alone. As shown in other studies, our cost-effectiveness analysis highlights that canine vaccination is financially the best option for animal rabies control and rabies prevention in humans. This study also provides evidence of the beneficial effect of One Health communication. Only with close communication between the human and animal health sectors will the decrease in animal rabies incidence be translated into a decline for PEP. An efficiently applied One Health concept would largely reduce the cost of PEP in resource poor countries and should be implemented for zoonosis control in general. PMID:28421186

ResStock - Targeting Energy and Cost Savings for U.S. Homes | NREL

Science.gov Websites

ResStock - Targeting Energy and Cost Savings for U.S. Homes Science and Technology Highlights Highlights in Research & Development ResStock - Targeting Energy and Cost Savings for U.S. Homes Key discovered $49 billion in potential annual utility bill savings through cost-effective energy efficiency

Cost effectiveness of adding nucleic acid testing to hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and human immunodeficiency virus screening of blood donations in Zimbabwe.

PubMed

Mafirakureva, Nyashadzaishe; Mapako, Tonderai; Khoza, Star; Emmanuel, Jean C; Marowa, Lucy; Mvere, David; Postma, Maarten J; van Hulst, Marinus

2016-12-01

The aim of this study was to assess the cost effectiveness of introducing individual-donation nucleic acid testing (ID-NAT), in addition to serologic tests, compared with the exclusive use of serologic tests for the identification of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) I and II among blood donors in Zimbabwe. The costs, health consequences, and cost effectiveness of adding ID-NAT to serologic tests, compared with serologic testing alone, were estimated from a health care perspective using a decision-analytic model. The introduction of ID-NAT in addition to serologic tests would lower the risk of HBV, HCV, and HIV transmission to 46.9, 0.3, and 2.7 per 100,000 donations, respectively. ID-NAT would prevent an estimated 25, 6, and 9 HBV, HCV, and HIV transfusion-transmitted infections per 100,000 donations, respectively. The introduction of this intervention would result in an estimated 212 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio is estimated at US$17,774/QALY, a value far more than three times the gross national income per capita for Zimbabwe. Although the introduction of NAT could further improve the safety of the blood supply, current evidence suggests that it cannot be considered cost effective. Reducing the test costs for NAT through efficient donor recruitment, negotiating the price of reagents, and the efficient use of technology will improve cost effectiveness. © 2016 AABB.

Cost Scaling of a Real-World Exhaust Waste Heat Recovery Thermoelectric Generator: A Deeper Dive

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hendricks, Terry J.; Yee, Shannon; LeBlanc, Saniya

2015-01-01

Cost is equally important to power density or efficiency for the adoption of waste heat recovery thermoelectric generators (TEG) in many transportation and industrial energy recovery applications. In many cases the system design that minimizes cost (e.g., the $/W value) can be very different than the design that maximizes the system's efficiency or power density, and it is important to understand the relationship between those designs to optimize TEG performance-cost compromises. Expanding on recent cost analysis work and using more detailed system modeling, an enhanced cost scaling analysis of a waste heat recovery thermoelectric generator with more detailed, coupled treatment of the heat exchangers has been performed. In this analysis, the effect of the heat lost to the environment and updated relationships between the hot-side and cold-side conductances that maximize power output are considered. This coupled thermal and thermoelectric treatment of the exhaust waste heat recovery thermoelectric generator yields modified cost scaling and design optimization equations, which are now strongly dependent on the heat leakage fraction, exhaust mass flow rate, and heat exchanger effectiveness. This work shows that heat exchanger costs most often dominate the overall TE system costs, that it is extremely difficult to escape this regime, and in order to achieve TE system costs of $1/W it is necessary to achieve heat exchanger costs of $1/(W/K). Minimum TE system costs per watt generally coincide with maximum power points, but Preferred TE Design Regimes are identified where there is little cost penalty for moving into regions of higher efficiency and slightly lower power outputs. These regimes are closely tied to previously-identified low cost design regimes. This work shows that the optimum fill factor Fopt minimizing system costs decreases as heat losses increase, and increases as exhaust mass flow rate and heat exchanger effectiveness increase. These findings have profound implications on the design and operation of various thermoelectric (TE) waste heat 3 recovery systems. This work highlights the importance of heat exchanger costs on the overall TEG system costs, quantifies the possible TEG performance-cost domain space based on heat exchanger effects, and provides a focus for future system research and development efforts.

Higher mortgages, lower energy bills: The real economics of buying an energy-efficient home

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

Mills, E.

1987-02-01

To measure the actual costs and benefits of buying an energy- efficient home, it is necessary to employ a cash-flow model that accounts for mortgage interest and other charges associated with the incremental costs of conservation measures. The ability to make payments gradually over the term of a mortgage, energy savings, and tax benefits contribute to increased cost effectiveness. Conversely, financial benefits are reduced by interest payments, insurance, taxes, and various fees linked to the (higher) sale price of an energy-efficient home. Accounting for these factors can yield a strikingly different picture from those given by commonly used ''engineering'' indicators,more » such as simple payback time, internal rate of return, or net present value (NPV), which are based solely on incremental costs and energy savings. This analysis uses actual energy savings data and incremental construction costs to evaluate the mortgage cash flow for 79 of the 144 energy-efficient homes constructed in Minnesota under the Energy-Efficient Housing Demonstration Program (EEHDP) initiated in 1980 by the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. Using typical lending terms and fees, we find that the mean mortgage-NPV derived from the homeowners' real cash flow (including construction and financing costs) is 20% lower than the standard engineering-NPV of the conservation investment: $7981 versus $9810. For eight homes, the mortgage-NPV becomes negative once we account for the various mortgage-related effects. Sensitivities to interest rates, down payment, loan term, and marginal tax rate are included to illustrate the often large impact of alternative assumptions about these parameters. The most dramatic effect occurs when the loan term is reduced from 30 to 15 years and the mortgage NPV falls to -$925. We also evaluate the favorable Federal Home Administration (FHA) terms actually applied to the EEHDP homes. 8 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs.« less

Design, Modeling, Fabrication & Characterization of Industrial Si Solar Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chowdhury, Ahrar Ahmed

Photovoltaic is a viable solution towards meeting the energy demand in an ecofriendly environment. To ensure the mass access in photovoltaic electricity, cost effective approach needs to be adapted. This thesis aims towards substrate independent fabrication process in order to achieve high efficiency cost effective industrial Silicon (Si) solar cells. Most cost-effective structures, such as, Al-BSF (Aluminum Back Surface Field), FSF (Front Surface Field) and bifacial cells are investigated in detail to exploit the efficiency potentials. First off, we introduced two-dimensional simulation model to design and modeling of most commonly used Si solar cells in today's PV arena. Best modelled results of high efficiency Al-BSF, FSF and bifacial cells are 20.50%, 22% and 21.68% respectively. Special attentions are given on the metallization design on all the structures in order to reduce the Ag cost. Furthermore, detail design and modeling were performed on FSF and bifacial cells. The FSF cells has potentials to gain 0.42%abs efficiency by combining the emitter design and front surface passivation. The prospects of bifacial cells can be revealed with the optimization of gridline widths and gridline numbers. Since, bifacial cells have metallization on both sides, a double fold cost saving is possible via innovative metallization design. Following modeling an effort is undertaken to reach the modelled result in fabrication the process. We proposed substrate independent fabrication process aiming towards establishing simultaneous processing sequences for both monofacial and bifacial cells. Subsequently, for the contact formation cost effective screen-printed technology is utilized throughout this thesis. The best Al-BSF cell attained efficiency ˜19.40%. Detail characterization was carried out to find a roadmap of achieving >20.50% efficiency Al-BSF cell. Since, n-type cell is free from Light Induced degradation (LID), recently there is a growing interest on FSF cell. Our best fabricated result of FSF cell achieved ˜18.40% efficiency. Characterizations on such cells provide that, cell performance can be further improved by utilizing high lifetime base wafer. We showed a step by step improvement on the device parameters to achieve ˜22% efficiency FSF cell. Finally, bifacial cells were fabricated with 13.32% front and 9.65% rear efficiency. The efficiency limitation is due to the quality of base wafer. Detail resistance breakdown was conducted on these cells to analyze parasitic resistance losses. It was found that base and gridline resistances dominated the FF loss. However, very low contact resistance of 20 mO-cm 2 at front side and 2 mO-cm2 at the rear side was observed by utilizing same Ag paste for front and rear contact formation. This might provide a pathway towards the search of an optimized Ag paste to attain high efficiency screen-printed bifacial cell. Detail investigations needs to be carried out to unveil the property of this Ag paste. In future work, more focus will be given on the metallization design to incorporate further reduction in Ag cost. Al2O3 passivation layer will be incorporated as a means to attain ˜23% screen-printed bifacial cell.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of stent type in endoscopic treatment of gastric leak after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.

PubMed

Cosse, C; Rebibo, L; Brazier, F; Hakim, S; Delcenserie, R; Regimbeau, J M

2018-04-01

Gastric leak is the most feared surgical postoperative complication after sleeve gastrectomy. An endoscopic procedure is usually required to treat the leak. No data are available on the cost-effectiveness of different stent types in this procedure. Between April 2005 and July 2016, patients with a confirmed gastric leak undergoing endoscopic treatment using a covered stent (CS) or double-pigtail stent (DPS) were included. The primary objective of the study was to assess overall costs of the stent types after primary sleeve gastrectomy. Secondary objectives were the cost-effectiveness of each stent type expressed as an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER); the incremental net benefit; the probability of efficiency, defined as the probability of being cost-effective at a threshold of €30 000, and identification of the key drivers of ICER derived from a multivariable analysis. One hundred and twelve patients were enrolled. The overall mean costs of gastric leak were €22 470; the mean(s.d.) cost was €24 916(12 212) in the CS arm and €20 024(3352) in the DPS arm (P = 0·018). DPS was more cost-effective than CS (ICER €4743 per endoscopic procedure avoided), with an incremental net benefit of €25 257 and a 27 per cent probability of efficiency. Key drivers of the ICER were the inpatient ward after diagnosis of gastric leak (surgery versus internal medicine), type of institution (private versus public) and duration of hospital stay per endoscopic procedure. DPS for the treatment of gastric leak is more cost-effective than CS and should be proposed as the standard regimen whenever possible. © 2018 BJS Society Ltd Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of two treatment strategies for chronic hepatitis C before and after access to direct-acting antivirals in Spain.

PubMed

Turnes, Juan; Domínguez-Hernández, Raquel; Casado, Miguel Ángel

To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a strategy based on direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) following the marketing of simeprevir and sofosbuvir (post-DAA) versus a pre-direct-acting antiviral strategy (pre-DAA) in patients with chronic hepatitis C, from the perspective of the Spanish National Health System. A decision tree combined with a Markov model was used to estimate the direct health costs (€, 2016) and health outcomes (quality-adjusted life years, QALYs) throughout the patient's life, with an annual discount rate of 3%. The sustained virological response, percentage of patients treated or not treated in each strategy, clinical characteristics of the patients, annual likelihood of transition, costs of treating and managing the disease, and utilities were obtained from the literature. The cost-effectiveness analysis was expressed as an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (incremental cost per QALY gained). A deterministic sensitivity analysis and a probabilistic sensitivity analysis were performed. The post-DAA strategy showed higher health costs per patient (€30,944 vs. €23,707) than the pre-DAA strategy. However, it was associated with an increase of QALYs gained (15.79 vs. 12.83), showing an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of €2,439 per QALY. The deterministic sensitivity analysis and the probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed the robustness of the results, with the post-DAA strategy being cost-effective in 99% of cases compared to the pre-DAA strategy. Compared to the pre-DAA strategy, the post-DAA strategy is efficient for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in Spain, resulting in a much lower cost per QALY than the efficiency threshold used in Spain (€30,000 per QALY). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U., AEEH y AEG. All rights reserved.

Cataloging Efficiency and Effectiveness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCain, Cheryl; Shorten, Jay

2002-01-01

Reports on a survey of academic libraries that was conducted to supplement findings of cost studies by providing measures of efficiency and effectiveness for cataloging departments based on reported productivity, number of staff, task distribution, and quality measures including backlogs, authority control, and database maintenance. Identifies…

Applicability of Zeolite Based Systems for Ammonia Removal and Recovery From Wastewater.

PubMed

Das, Pallabi; Prasad, Bably; Singh, Krishna Kant Kumar

2017-09-01

  Ammonia discharged in industrial effluents bears deleterious effects and necessitates remediation. Integrated systems devoted to recovery of ammonia in a useful form and remediation of the same addresses the challenges of waste management and its utilization. A comparative performance evaluation study was undertaken to access the suitability of different zeolite based systems (commercial zeolites and zeolites synthesized from fly ash) for removal of ammonia followed by its subsequent release. Four main parameters which were studied to evaluate the applicability of such systems for large scale usage are cost-effectiveness, ammonia removal efficiency, performance on regeneration, and ammonia release percentage. The results indicated that synthetic zeolites outperformed zeolites synthesized from fly ash, although the later proved to be more efficient in terms of total cost incurred. Process technology development in this direction will be a trade-of between cost and ammonia removal and release efficiencies.

Effectiveness of Multimedia Elements in Computer Supported Instruction: Analysis of Personalization Effects, Students' Performances and Costs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zaidel, Mark; Luo, XiaoHui

2010-01-01

This study investigates the efficiency of multimedia instruction at the college level by comparing the effectiveness of multimedia elements used in the computer supported learning with the cost of their preparation. Among the various technologies that advance learning, instructors and students generally identify interactive multimedia elements as…

Cost-Effectiveness of Ready for Recess to Promote Physical Activity in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Hongmei; Li, Tao; Siahpush, Mohammad; Chen, Li-Wu; Huberty, Jennifer

2017-01-01

Background: Many school-based recess interventions have been shown to be effective in increasing physical activity but their relative efficiency compared to other school-based programs are unknown. This study examined the cost-effectiveness of Ready for Recess, a program designed to increase students' physical activity in 2 elementary schools.…

High efficiency motor selection handbook

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCoy, Gilbert A.; Litman, Todd; Douglass, John G.

1990-10-01

Substantial reductions in energy and operational costs can be achieved through the use of energy-efficient electric motors. A handbook was compiled to help industry identify opportunities for cost-effective application of these motors. It covers the economic and operational factors to be considered when motor purchase decisions are being made. Its audience includes plant managers, plant engineers, and others interested in energy management or preventative maintenance programs.

Benefits and Costs of Aggressive Energy Efficiency Programs and the Impacts of Alternative Sources of Funding: Case Study of Massachusetts

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

Cappers, Peter; Satchwell, Andrew; Goldman, Charles

2010-08-06

Increased interest by state (and federal) policymakers and regulatory agencies in pursuing aggressive energy efficiency efforts could deliver significant utility bill savings for customers while having long-term implications for ratepayers (e.g. potential rate impacts). Equity and distributional concerns associated with the authorized recovery of energy efficiency program costs may necessitate the pursuit of alternative program funding approaches. In 2008, Massachusetts passed the Green Communities Act which directed its energy efficiency (EE) program administrators to obtain all cost-effective EE resources. This goal has translated into achieving annual electric energy savings equivalent to a 2.4% reduction in retail sales from energy efficiencymore » programs in 2012. Representatives of electricity consumer groups supported the new portfolio of EE programs (and the projected bill savings) but raised concerns about the potential rate impacts associated with achieving such aggressive EE goals, leading policymakers to seek out alternative funding sources which can potentially mitigate these effects. Utility administrators have also raised concerns about under-recovery of fixed costs when aggressive energy efficiency programs are pursued and have proposed ratemaking policies (e.g. decoupling) and business models that better align the utility's financial interests with the state's energy efficiency public policy goals. Quantifying these concerns and identifying ways they can be addressed are crucial steps in gaining the support of major stakeholder groups - lessons that can apply to other states looking to significantly increase savings targets that can be achieved from their own ratepayer-funded energy efficiency programs. We use a pro-forma utility financial model to quantify the bill and rate impacts on electricity customers when very aggressive annual energy efficiency savings goals ({approx}2.4%) are achieved over the long-term and also assess the impact of different cost recovery approaches that integrate alternative revenue sources. We also analyze alternative lost fixed cost recovery approaches to better understand how to mitigate the erosion of utility shareholder returns in states that have adopted (and achieved) very aggressive savings targets.« less

Index to Estimate the Efficiency of an Ophthalmic Practice.

PubMed

Chen, Andrew; Kim, Eun Ah; Aigner, Dennis J; Afifi, Abdelmonem; Caprioli, Joseph

2015-08-01

A metric of efficiency, a function of the ratio of quality to cost per patient, will allow the health care system to better measure the impact of specific reforms and compare the effectiveness of each. To develop and evaluate an efficiency index that estimates the performance of an ophthalmologist's practice as a function of cost, number of patients receiving care, and quality of care. Retrospective review of 36 ophthalmology subspecialty practices from October 2011 to September 2012 at a university-based eye institute. The efficiency index (E) was defined as a function of adjusted number of patients (N(a)), total practice adjusted costs (C(a)), and a preliminary measure of quality (Q). Constant b limits E between 0 and 1. Constant y modifies the influence of Q on E. Relative value units and geographic cost indices determined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid for 2012 were used to calculate adjusted costs. The efficiency index is expressed as the following: E = b(N(a)/C(a))Q(y). Independent, masked auditors reviewed 20 random patient medical records for each practice and filled out 3 questionnaires to obtain a process-based quality measure. The adjusted number of patients, adjusted costs, quality, and efficiency index were calculated for 36 ophthalmology subspecialties. The median adjusted number of patients was 5516 (interquartile range, 3450-11,863), the median adjusted cost was 1.34 (interquartile range, 0.99-1.96), the median quality was 0.89 (interquartile range, 0.79-0.91), and the median value of the efficiency index was 0.26 (interquartile range, 0.08-0.42). The described efficiency index is a metric that provides a broad overview of performance for a variety of ophthalmology specialties as estimated by resources used and a preliminary measure of quality of care provided. The results of the efficiency index could be used in future investigations to determine its sensitivity to detect the impact of interventions on a practice such as training modules or practice restructuring.

Enhancing efficiency of production cost on seafood process with activity based management method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarigan, U.; Tarigan, U. P. P.

2018-02-01

The efficiency of production costs has an important impact maintaining company presence in the business world, as well as in the face of increasingly sharp global competition. It was done by identifying and reducing non-value-added activities to decrease production costs and increase profits. The study was conducted at a company engaged in the production of squid (seafood). It has a higher product price than the market as Rp 50,000 per kg while the market price of squid is only Rp 35,000 per kg. The price of the product to be more expensive compared with market price, and thereby a lot more consumers choose the lower market price. Based on the discussions conducted, the implementation of Activity Based Management was seen in the reduction of activities that are not added value in the production process. Since each activities consumers cost, the reduction of nonvalue-added activities has effects on the decline of production cost. The production’s decline costs mainly occur in the reduction of material transfer costs. The results showed that there was an increase after the improvement of 2.60%. Increased production cost efficiency causes decreased production costs and increased profits.

Cost-effectiveness of human papillomavirus vaccination and cervical cancer screening in Thailand.

PubMed

Sharma, M; Ortendahl, J; van der Ham, E; Sy, S; Kim, J J

2012-01-01

To assess the health and economic outcomes of various screening and vaccination strategies for cervical cancer prevention. Cost-effectiveness analysis from a societal perspective. Thailand. Females aged 9 years and older. Using a mathematical model of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cervical cancer, calibrated to epidemiological data from Thailand, we estimated the cost-effectiveness of pre-adolescent HPV vaccination, screening [visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), HPV DNA testing, and cytology] between one and five times per lifetime in adulthood, and combined pre-adolescent vaccination and screening. Vaccine efficacy, coverage, cost, and screening frequency were varied in sensitivity analyses. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios, expressed as cost per year of life saved (YLS). Assuming lifelong efficacy and 80% coverage, pre-adolescent HPV vaccination alone was projected to reduce the lifetime risk of cervical cancer by 55%, which was greater than any strategy of screening alone. When cost per vaccinated girl was I$10 (approximately $2 per dose) or less, HPV vaccination alone was cost saving. Pre-adolescent vaccination and HPV DNA testing five times per lifetime, starting at age 35 years, reduced the lifetime cervical cancer risk by 70%, and had a cost-effectiveness ratio less than Thailand's GDP per capita (I$8100), provided the cost per vaccinated girl was I$200 or less. Low cost pre-adolescent HPV vaccination followed by HPV screening five times per lifetime is an efficient strategy for Thailand. Costs may need to be lower, however, for this strategy to be affordable. If vaccination is not feasible, HPV DNA testing five times per lifetime is efficient. © 2011 The Authors BJOG An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology © 2011 RCOG.

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.

48 CFR 215.404-71-5 - Cost efficiency factor.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... productivity measures may provide the basis for assessing the effectiveness of the contractor's cost reduction... asset utilization or improved productivity. (c) When selecting the percentage to use for this special...

The effect of life-cycle cost disclosure on consumer behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deutsch, Matthias

For more than 20 years, analysts have reported on the so-called "energy paradox" or the "energy efficiency gap", referring to the fact that economic agents could in principle lower their total cost at current prices by using more energy-efficient technology but, nevertheless, often decide not to do so. Theory suggests that providing information in a simplified way could potentially reduce this "efficiency gap". Such simplification may be achieved by providing the estimated monetary operating cost and life-cycle cost (LCC) of a given appliance---which has been a recurring theme within the energy policy and efficiency labeling community. Yet, little is known so far about the causal effects of LCC disclosure on consumer action because of the gap between the acquisition of efficiency information and consumer purchasing behavior in the real marketplace. This dissertation bridges the gap by experimentally integrating LCC disclosure into two major German commercial websites---a price comparison engine for cooling appliances, and an online shop for washing machines. Internet users arriving on these websites were randomly assigned to two experimental groups, and the groups were exposed to different visual stimuli. The control group received regular product price information, whereas the treatment group was, in addition, offered information about operating cost and total LCC. Click-stream data of consumers' shopping behavior was evaluated with multiple regression analysis by controlling for several product characteristics. This dissertation finds that LCC disclosure reduces the mean energy use of chosen cooling appliances by 2.5% (p<0.01), and the energy use of chosen washing machines by 0.8% (p<0.001). For the latter, it also reduces the mean water use by 0.7% (p<0.05). These effects suggest a potential role for public policy in promoting LCC disclosure. While I do not attempt to estimate the costs of such a policy, a simple quantification shows that the benefits amount to 100 to 200 thousand Euros per year for Germany, given current predictions regarding the price of tradable permits for CO2, and not counting other potential benefits. Future research should strive for increasing external validity, using better instruments, and evaluating the effectiveness of different information formats for LCC disclosure.

[Effects, safety and cost-benefit analysis of Down syndrome screening in first trimester].

PubMed

Shengmou, Lin; Min, Chen; Chenhong, Wang; Shengli, Li; Jiansheng, Xie; Hui, Yuan; Dinghao, Lin; Xiaoxia, Wu; Wei, Wang; Hongyun, Zhang; Haiyan, Tang

2014-05-01

To investigate the effects, safety and cost-benefit analysis of Down syndrome screening in first trimester. From January 2009 to December 2012, 43 729 pregnant women undergoing 3 methods of Down syndrome traditional screening strategies in Shenzhen Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital were studied retrospectively, including in 17 502 cases in pregnancy associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) and free β-hCG measured biochemistry screening, 14 080 cases in nuchal translucency (NT) screening and 12 147 cases in combined screening, meanwhile, 7 389 cases on non-invasive fetal trisomy test (NIFTY) were performed in Huada Gene Research Institute(BGI). The effects and safety of four screening strategies were assessed throughout a decision tree. The economical characters of each screening strategy were compared by cost-effectiveness analysis as well as cost-benefit analysis. (1) The effects of four strategies are: NIFTY > combined screening > NT screening > biochemistry screening. (2) The safety of four strategies are: NIFTY > combined screening > NT screening > biochemistry screening. (3) Cost-effectiveness analysis and cost-benefit analysis:the biochemistry screening has lowest cost-effectiveness ratio (CER) and highest cost-benefit ratio (CBR), which performed a better economical efficiency. The incremental CER of three traditional screening strategies are all less than the economical burden of Down syndrome.NIFTY has highest CER and negative net present value (NPV), NPV would be positive and CBR would be more than 1 if the price of NIFTY reduce to 1 434 Yuan. Combined screening possess best screening efficiency, while biochemistry screening was demonstrated more economical in traditional screening.NIFTY is the future of Down syndrome screening.

Cost-effectiveness and the socialization of health care.

PubMed

Musgrove, P

1995-01-01

The more health care is socialized, the more cost-effectiveness is an appropriate criterion for expenditure. Utility-maximizing individuals, facing divisibility of health care purchases and declining marginal health gains, and complete information about probable health improvements, should buy health care according to its cost-effectiveness. Absent these features, individual health spending will not be cost-effective; and in any case, differences in personal utilities and risk aversion will not lead to the same ranking of health care interventions for everyone. Private insurance frees consumers from concern for cost, which undermines cost-effectiveness, but lets them emphasize effectiveness, which favors value for money. This is most important for costly and cost-effective interventions, especially for poor people. Cost-effectiveness is more appropriate and easier to achieve under second-party insurance. More complete socialization of health care, via public finance, can yield greater efficiency by making insurance compulsory. Cost-effectiveness is also more attractive when taxpayers subsidize others' care: needs (effectiveness) take precedence over wants (utility). The gain in effectiveness may be greater, and the welfare loss from Pareto non-optimality smaller, in poor countries than in rich ones.

Do photovoltaics have a future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, B. F.

1979-01-01

There is major concern as to the economic practicality of widespread terrestrial use because of the high cost of the photovoltaic arrays themselves. Based on their high efficiency, photovoltaic collectors should be one of the cheapest forms of energy generators known. Present photovoltaic panels are violating the trend of lower costs with increasing efficiency due to their reliance on expensive materials. A medium technology solution should provide electricity competitive with the existing medium to high technology energy generators such as oil, coal, gas, and nuclear fission thermal plants. Programs to reduce the cost of silicon and develop reliable thin film materials have a realistic chance of producing cost effective photovoltaic panels.

Energy Savings Lifetimes and Persistence

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

Hoffman, Ian M.; Schiller, Steven R.; Todd, Annika

2016-02-01

This technical brief explains the concepts of energy savings lifetimes and savings persistence and discusses how program administrators use these factors to calculate savings for efficiency measures, programs and portfolios. Savings lifetime is the length of time that one or more energy efficiency measures or activities save energy, and savings persistence is the change in savings throughout the functional life of a given efficiency measure or activity. Savings lifetimes are essential for assessing the lifecycle benefits and cost effectiveness of efficiency activities and for forecasting loads in resource planning. The brief also provides estimates of savings lifetimes derived from amore » national collection of costs and savings for electric efficiency programs and portfolios.« less

10 CFR 436.11 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Life Cycle Cost Analyses § 436.11 Definitions. As used in this subpart— Base Year means the fiscal year in which a life cycle cost analysis is conducted. Building energy system means an energy conservation... building that improve energy efficiency and are life cycle cost effective and that involve energy...

Benefit-Cost Analysis of Drug Abuse Prevention Programs: A Macroscopic Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Sehwan; And Others

1995-01-01

Determines the overall strategy for initiating benefit-cost analysis (BCA) in relation to drug abuse prevention programs, followed by definitions of BCA and cost-effectiveness analysis. Determines the most likely population benefit-cost efficiency ratio of 15:1, indicating that there is a $15 savings on every dollar spent on drug abuse education.…

Improving environmental impact and cost assessment for supplier evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beucker, Severin; Lang, Claus

2004-02-01

Improving a company"s environmental and financial performance necessitates the evaluation of environmental impacts deriving from the production and cost effects of corporate actions. These effects have to be made transparent and concrete targets have to be developed. Such an evaluation has to be done on a regular basis but with limited expenses. To achieve this, different instruments of environmental controlling such as LCA and environmental performance indicators have to be combined with methods from cost accounting. Within the research project CARE (Computer Aided Resource Efficiency Accounting for Medium-Sized Enterprises), the method Resource Efficiency Accounting (REA) is used to give the participating companies new insights into hidden costs and environmental effects of their production and products. The method combines process based cost accounting with environmental impact assessment methodology and offers results that can be integrated into a company"s environmental controlling system and business processes like cost accounting, supplier assessment, etc. Much of the data necessary for the combined assessment can be available within a company"s IT system and therefore can be efficiently used for the assessment process. The project CARE puts a strong focus on the use of company data and information systems for the described assessment process and offers a methodological background for the evaluation and the structuring of such data. Besides the general approach of the project CARE the paper will present results from a case study in which the described approach is used for the evaluation of suppliers.

Health policy in times of austerity-A conceptual framework for evaluating effects of policy on efficiency and equity illustrated with examples from Europe since 2008.

PubMed

Wenzl, Martin; Naci, Huseyin; Mossialos, Elias

2017-09-01

The objective of this paper is to provide a framework for evaluation of changes in health policy against overarching health system goals. We propose a categorisation of policies into seven distinct health system domains. We then develop existing analytical concepts of insurance coverage and cost-effectiveness further to evaluate the effects of policies in each domain on equity and efficiency. The framework is illustrated with likely effects of policy changes implemented in a sample of European countries since 2008. Our illustrative analysis suggests that cost containment has been the main focus and that countries have implemented a mix of measures that are efficient or efficiency neutral. Similarly, policies are likely to have mixed effects on equity. Additional user charges were a common theme but these were frequently accompanied by additional exemptions, making their likely effects on equity difficult to evaluate. We provide a framework for future, and more detailed, evaluations of changes in health policy. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Present and future of cervical cancer prevention in Spain: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

PubMed

Georgalis, Leonidas; de Sanjosé, Silvia; Esnaola, Mikel; Bosch, F Xavier; Diaz, Mireia

2016-09-01

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination within a nonorganized setting creates a poor cost-effectiveness scenario. However, framed within an organized screening including primary HPV DNA testing with lengthening intervals may provide the best health value for invested money. To compare the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different cervical cancer (CC) prevention strategies, including current status and new proposed screening practices, to inform health decision-makers in Spain, a Markov model was developed to simulate the natural history of HPV and CC. Outcomes included cases averted, life expectancy, reduction in the lifetime risk of CC, life years saved, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), net health benefits, lifetime costs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. The willingness-to-pay threshold is defined at 20 000&OV0556;/QALY. Both costs and health outcomes were discounted at an annual rate of 3%. A strategy of 5-year organized HPV testing has similar effectiveness, but higher efficiency than 3-year cytology. Screening alone and vaccination combined with cytology are dominated by vaccination followed by 5-year HPV testing with cytology triage (12 214&OV0556;/QALY). The optimal age for both ending screening and switching age from cytology to HPV testing in older women is 5 years later for unvaccinated than for vaccinated women. Net health benefits decrease faster with diminishing vaccination coverage than screening coverage. Primary HPV DNA testing is more effective and cost-effective than current cytological screening. Vaccination uptake improvements and a gradual change toward an organized screening practice are critical components for achieving higher effectiveness and efficiency in the prevention of CC in Spain.

Including quality attributes in efficiency measures consistent with net benefit: creating incentives for evidence based medicine in practice.

PubMed

Eckermann, Simon; Coelli, Tim

2013-01-01

Evidence based medicine supports net benefit maximising therapies and strategies in processes of health technology assessment (HTA) for reimbursement and subsidy decisions internationally. However, translation of evidence based medicine to practice is impeded by efficiency measures such as cost per case-mix adjusted separation in hospitals, which ignore health effects of care. In this paper we identify a correspondence method that allows quality variables under control of providers to be incorporated in efficiency measures consistent with maximising net benefit. Including effects framed from a disutility bearing (utility reducing) perspective (e.g. mortality, morbidity or reduction in life years) as inputs and minimising quality inclusive costs on the cost-disutility plane is shown to enable efficiency measures consistent with maximising net benefit under a one to one correspondence. The method combines advantages of radial properties with an appropriate objective of maximising net benefit to overcome problems of inappropriate objectives implicit with alternative methods, whether specifying quality variables with utility bearing output (e.g. survival, reduction in morbidity or life years), hyperbolic or exogenous variables. This correspondence approach is illustrated in undertaking efficiency comparison at a clinical activity level for 45 Australian hospitals allowing for their costs and mortality rates per admission. Explicit coverage and comparability conditions of the underlying correspondence method are also shown to provide a robust framework for preventing cost-shifting and cream-skimming incentives, with appropriate qualification of analysis and support for data linkage and risk adjustment where these conditions are not satisfied. Comparison on the cost-disutility plane has previously been shown to have distinct advantages in comparing multiple strategies in HTA, which this paper naturally extends to a robust method and framework for comparing efficiency of health care providers in practice. Consequently, the proposed approach provides a missing link between HTA and practice, to allow active incentives for evidence based net benefit maximisation in practice. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The NASA Lewis Research Center program in space solar cell research and technology. [efficient silicon solar cell development program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brandhorst, H. W., Jr.

1979-01-01

Progress in space solar cell research and technology is reported. An 18 percent-AMO-efficient silicon solar cell, reduction in the radiation damage suffered by silicon solar cells in space, and high efficiency wrap-around contact and thin (50 micrometer) coplanar back contact silicon cells are among the topics discussed. Reduction in the cost of silicon cells for space use, cost effective GaAs solar cells, the feasibility of 30 percent AMO solar energy conversion, and reliable encapsulants for space blankets are also considered.

Towards ultra-thin plasmonic silicon wafer solar cells with minimized efficiency loss.

PubMed

Zhang, Yinan; Stokes, Nicholas; Jia, Baohua; Fan, Shanhui; Gu, Min

2014-05-13

The cost-effectiveness of market-dominating silicon wafer solar cells plays a key role in determining the competiveness of solar energy with other exhaustible energy sources. Reducing the silicon wafer thickness at a minimized efficiency loss represents a mainstream trend in increasing the cost-effectiveness of wafer-based solar cells. In this paper we demonstrate that, using the advanced light trapping strategy with a properly designed nanoparticle architecture, the wafer thickness can be dramatically reduced to only around 1/10 of the current thickness (180 μm) without any solar cell efficiency loss at 18.2%. Nanoparticle integrated ultra-thin solar cells with only 3% of the current wafer thickness can potentially achieve 15.3% efficiency combining the absorption enhancement with the benefit of thinner wafer induced open circuit voltage increase. This represents a 97% material saving with only 15% relative efficiency loss. These results demonstrate the feasibility and prospect of achieving high-efficiency ultra-thin silicon wafer cells with plasmonic light trapping.

Budgeting for Efficiency and Effectiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pereus, Steven C.

2012-01-01

For most districts, budgeting has become a cost-cutting exercise designed to close the gap between revenues and expenses. During this process, decision makers inherently assume that existing operations are efficient and effective--an assumption that is rarely validated by facts. Cutting programs and services balances budgets but does not…

The Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Teleglaucoma Screening Device

PubMed Central

Thomas, Sera

2015-01-01

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss and costs the American economy $2.9 billion. Teleglaucoma remotely detects glaucoma improving access to ophthalmic care in rural areas. It helps manage glaucoma more efficiently to preserve vision and reduce healthcare costs. A cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted using healthcare provider or third-party payer perspective within rural Canada. The study population were patients at-risk of glaucoma which includes those with diabetes and/or hypertension, family history of glaucoma, adults older than 50 years, and concurrent ocular conditions in rural Alberta. Markov modelling was used to model glaucoma health states. Effectiveness was measured in Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) and costs were used in Canadian dollars. Using TreeAge Pro 2009, incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) were developed in dollars per QALYs. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the factors affecting cost-effectiveness. Teleglaucoma had a 20% increase in ophthalmologist-referral rate; it reduced patient travel times by 61 hours and physician wait times by 30% in comparison to in-person examination (standard of care). Teleglaucoma costs $872 per patient screened which was 80% less than in-person examination. Teleglaucoma had a greater incremental effectiveness providing an additional 0.12 QALY per patient examination. It was more sensitive (86.5%) and less specific (78.6%) than in-person examination. Teleglaucoma was more cost-effective than in-person examination with an ICER of-$27,460/QALY. This indicated that teleglaucoma will save $27, 460 for each additional QALY gained. Long term benefits showed teleglaucoma prevents 24% cases of glaucoma blindness after 30 years. Teleglaucoma demonstrated improved health outcomes, as well as, cost benefits. It increases access to ophthalmic care and improves healthcare service efficiency, specifically in rural areas. Teleglaucoma is more cost-effective than current in-person examination and can improve the quality of life in glaucoma patients. PMID:26382956

The Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Teleglaucoma Screening Device.

PubMed

Thomas, Sera; Hodge, William; Malvankar-Mehta, Monali

2015-01-01

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss and costs the American economy $2.9 billion. Teleglaucoma remotely detects glaucoma improving access to ophthalmic care in rural areas. It helps manage glaucoma more efficiently to preserve vision and reduce healthcare costs. A cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted using healthcare provider or third-party payer perspective within rural Canada. The study population were patients at-risk of glaucoma which includes those with diabetes and/or hypertension, family history of glaucoma, adults older than 50 years, and concurrent ocular conditions in rural Alberta. Markov modelling was used to model glaucoma health states. Effectiveness was measured in Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) and costs were used in Canadian dollars. Using TreeAge Pro 2009, incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) were developed in dollars per QALYs. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the factors affecting cost-effectiveness. Teleglaucoma had a 20% increase in ophthalmologist-referral rate; it reduced patient travel times by 61 hours and physician wait times by 30% in comparison to in-person examination (standard of care). Teleglaucoma costs $872 per patient screened which was 80% less than in-person examination. Teleglaucoma had a greater incremental effectiveness providing an additional 0.12 QALY per patient examination. It was more sensitive (86.5%) and less specific (78.6%) than in-person examination. Teleglaucoma was more cost-effective than in-person examination with an ICER of-$27,460/QALY. This indicated that teleglaucoma will save $27, 460 for each additional QALY gained. Long term benefits showed teleglaucoma prevents 24% cases of glaucoma blindness after 30 years. Teleglaucoma demonstrated improved health outcomes, as well as, cost benefits. It increases access to ophthalmic care and improves healthcare service efficiency, specifically in rural areas. Teleglaucoma is more cost-effective than current in-person examination and can improve the quality of life in glaucoma patients.

How Much Is That in Dollars?: Costly International Downsizing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Renard, Monika; Tracy, Kay

2011-01-01

Economic downturns can lead companies doing business internationally to cut costs by reducing staff and/or closing subsidiaries. Efficiency in downsizing can put people and capital to their most effective use. This exercise educates students about country differences in labor termination practices, costs, legal requirements for downsizing, and…

Governance and performance: the performance of Dutch hospitals explained by governance characteristics.

PubMed

Blank, Jos L T; van Hulst, Bart Laurents

2011-10-01

This paper describes the efficiency of Dutch hospitals using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method with bootstrapping. In particular, the analysis focuses on accounting for cost inefficiency measures on the part of hospital corporate governance. We use bootstrap techniques, as introduced by Simar and Wilson (J. Econom. 136(1):31-64, 2007), in order to obtain more efficient estimates of the effects of governance on the efficiency. The results show that part of the cost efficiency can be explained with governance. In particular we find that a higher remuneration of the board as well as a higher remuneration of the supervisory board does not implicate better performance.

Advanced avionics concepts: Autonomous spacecraft control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

A large increase in space operations activities is expected because of Space Station Freedom (SSF) and long range Lunar base missions and Mars exploration. Space operations will also increase as a result of space commercialization (especially the increase in satellite networks). It is anticipated that the level of satellite servicing operations will grow tenfold from the current level within the next 20 years. This growth can be sustained only if the cost effectiveness of space operations is improved. Cost effectiveness is operational efficiency with proper effectiveness. A concept is presented of advanced avionics, autonomous spacecraft control, that will enable the desired growth, as well as maintain the cost effectiveness (operational efficiency) in satellite servicing operations. The concept of advanced avionics that allows autonomous spacecraft control is described along with a brief description of each component. Some of the benefits of autonomous operations are also described. A technology utilization breakdown is provided in terms of applications.

Analysis and Evaluation of Processes and Equipment in Tasks 2 and 4 of the Low-cost Solar Array Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolf, M.

1979-01-01

To facilitate the task of objectively comparing competing process options, a methodology was needed for the quantitative evaluation of their relative cost effectiveness. Such a methodology was developed and is described, together with three examples for its application. The criterion for the evaluation is the cost of the energy produced by the system. The method permits the evaluation of competing design options for subsystems, based on the differences in cost and efficiency of the subsystems, assuming comparable reliability and service life, or of competing manufacturing process options for such subsystems, which include solar cells or modules. This process option analysis is based on differences in cost, yield, and conversion efficiency contribution of the process steps considered.

Optimising productivity, quality and efficiency in community nursing.

PubMed

Holland, Agi; McIntosh, Brian

2012-08-01

By 2014 the NHS is expected to make £21 billion in efficiency savings and increase productivity by 6% per annum, while maintaining or improving the quality of care. Given that the cost of the 1.7 million strong workforce represents 60% of the NHS budget, changes are likely. This context of innovation and cost-effectiveness has resulted in an ever greater emphasis to fully engage and support community nursing.

Coûts Et Financement De L'Alphabétisation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diagne, Amadou Wade

2008-11-01

While the costs of literacy programmes continue to outstrip the resources available, this article argues that much can be done by bringing more efficiency and clarity into accounting and financing procedures. Drawing on the example of Senegal, the author argues for more effective methods of calculating the costs of programmes, analysing the various cost components, managing budgets and evaluating cost- effectiveness. He also points out the need for partnership between different sectors and emphasizes that political stability is very important for positive results.

Using cost-effectiveness analysis to evaluate targeting strategies: the case of vitamin A supplementation.

PubMed

Loevinsohn, B P; Sutter, R W; Costales, M O

1997-03-01

Given the demonstrated efficacy of vitamin A supplements in reducing childhood mortality, health officials now have to decide whether it would be efficient to target the supplements to high risk children. Decisions about targeting are complex because they depend on a number of factors; the degree of clustering of preventable deaths, the cost of the intervention, the side-effects of the intervention, the cost of identifying the high risk group, and the accuracy of the 'diagnosis' of risk. A cost-effectiveness analysis was used in the Philippines to examine whether vitamin A supplements should be given universally to all children 6-59 months, targeted broadly to children suffering from mild, moderate, or severe malnutrition, or targeted narrowly to pre-schoolers with moderate and severe malnutrition. The first year average cost of the universal approach was US$67.21 per death averted compared to $144.12 and $257.20 for the broad and narrow targeting approaches respectively. When subjected to sensitivity analysis the conclusion about the most cost-effective strategy was robust to changes in underlying assumptions such as the efficacy of supplements, clustering of deaths, and toxicity. Targeting vitamin A supplements to high risk children is not an efficient use of resources. Based on the results of this cost-effectiveness analysis and a consideration of alternate strategies, it is apparent that vitamin A, like immunization, should be provided to all pre-schoolers in the developing world. Issues about targeting public health interventions can usefully be addressed by cost-effectiveness analysis.

Energy Efficiency in Small Server Rooms: Field Surveys and Findings

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

Cheung, Iris; Greenberg, Steve; Mahdavi, Roozbeh

Fifty-seven percent of US servers are housed in server closets, server rooms, and localized data centers, in what are commonly referred to as small server rooms, which comprise 99percent of all server spaces in the US. While many mid-tier and enterprise-class data centers are owned by large corporations that consider energy efficiency a goal to minimize business operating costs, small server rooms typically are not similarly motivated. They are characterized by decentralized ownership and management and come in many configurations, which creates a unique set of efficiency challenges. To develop energy efficiency strategies for these spaces, we surveyed 30 smallmore » server rooms across eight institutions, and selected four of them for detailed assessments. The four rooms had Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) values ranging from 1.5 to 2.1. Energy saving opportunities ranged from no- to low-cost measures such as raising cooling set points and better airflow management, to more involved but cost-effective measures including server consolidation and virtualization, and dedicated cooling with economizers. We found that inefficiencies mainly resulted from organizational rather than technical issues. Because of the inherent space and resource limitations, the most effective measure is to operate servers through energy-efficient cloud-based services or well-managed larger data centers, rather than server rooms. Backup power requirement, and IT and cooling efficiency should be evaluated to minimize energy waste in the server space. Utility programs are instrumental in raising awareness and spreading technical knowledge on server operation, and the implementation of energy efficiency measures in small server rooms.« less

The Long-Term Effectiveness of Reading Recovery and the Cost-Efficiency of Reading Recovery Relative to the Learning Disabled Classification Rate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galluzzo, Charles A.

2010-01-01

There is a great deal of research supporting Reading Recovery as a successful reading intervention program that assists below level first graders readers in closing the gap in reading at the same level of their average peers. There is a lack of research that analyses the cost-effectiveness of the Reading Recovery program compared to the cost in…

[The socio-hygienic monitoring as an integral system for health risk assessment and risk management at the regional level].

PubMed

Kuzmin, S V; Gurvich, V B; Dikonskaya, O V; Malykh, O L; Yarushin, S V; Romanov, S V; Kornilkov, A S

2013-01-01

The information and analytical framework for the introduction of health risk assessment and risk management methodologies in the Sverdlovsk Region is the system of socio-hygienic monitoring. Techniques of risk management that take into account the choice of most cost-effective and efficient actions for improvement of the sanitary and epidemiologic situation at the level of the region, municipality, or a business entity of the Russian Federation, have been developed and proposed. To assess the efficiency of planning and activities for health risk management common method approaches and economic methods of "cost-effectiveness" and "cost-benefit" analyses provided in method recommendations and introduced in the Russian Federation are applied.

Energy Efficiency Potential in the U.S. Single-Family Housing Stock

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

Wilson, Eric J.; Christensen, Craig B.; Horowitz, Scott G.

Typical approaches for assessing energy efficiency potential in buildings use a limited number of prototypes, and therefore suffer from inadequate resolution when pass-fail cost-effectiveness tests are applied, which can significantly underestimate or overestimate the economic potential of energy efficiency technologies. This analysis applies a new approach to large-scale residential energy analysis, combining the use of large public and private data sources, statistical sampling, detailed building simulations, and high-performance computing to achieve unprecedented granularity - and therefore accuracy - in modeling the diversity of the single-family housing stock. The result is a comprehensive set of maps, tables, and figures showing themore » technical and economic potential of 50 plus residential energy efficiency upgrades and packages for each state. Policymakers, program designers, and manufacturers can use these results to identify upgrades with the highest potential for cost-effective savings in a particular state or region, as well as help identify customer segments for targeted marketing and deployment. The primary finding of this analysis is that there is significant technical and economic potential to save electricity and on-site fuel use in the single-family housing stock. However, the economic potential is very sensitive to the cost-effectiveness criteria used for analysis. Additionally, the savings of particular energy efficiency upgrades is situation-specific within the housing stock (depending on climate, building vintage, heating fuel type, building physical characteristics, etc.).« less

A low-cost mullite-titania composite ceramic hollow fiber microfiltration membrane for highly efficient separation of oil-in-water emulsion.

PubMed

Zhu, Li; Chen, Mingliang; Dong, Yingchao; Tang, Chuyang Y; Huang, Aisheng; Li, Lingling

2016-03-01

Oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion is considered to be difficult to treat. In this work, a low-cost multi-layer-structured mullite-titania composite ceramic hollow fiber microfiltration membrane was fabricated and utilized to efficiently remove fine oil droplets from (O/W) emulsion. In order to reduce membrane cost, coal fly ash was effectively recycled for the first time to fabricate mullite hollow fiber with finger-like and sponge-like structures, on which a much more hydrophilic TiO2 layer was further deposited. The morphology, crystalline phase, mechanical and surface properties were characterized in details. The filtration capability of the final composite membrane was assessed by the separation of a 200 mg·L(-1) synthetic (O/W) emulsion. Even with this microfiltration membrane, a TOC removal efficiency of 97% was achieved. Dilute NaOH solution backwashing was used to effectively accomplish membrane regeneration (∼96% flux recovery efficiency). This study is expected to guide an effective way to recycle waste coal fly ash not only to solve its environmental problems but also to produce a high-valued mullite hollow fiber membrane for highly efficient separation application of O/W emulsion with potential simultaneous functions of pure water production and oil resource recovery. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

State Policy Initiatives for Financing Energy Efficiency in Public Buildings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Business Officer, 1984

1984-01-01

Alternative financing methods (other than state financing) for developing cost-effective energy efficiency projects are discussed. It is suggested that by properly financing energy efficiency investments, state campuses can generate immediate positive cash savings. The following eight initiatives for maximizing energy savings potential are…

Reduce on the Cost of Photovoltaic Power Generation for Polycrystalline Silicon Solar Cells by Double Printing of Ag/Cu Front Contact Layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Zhuoyin; Liu, Zhou; Chen, Jianlin; Liao, Lida; Chen, Jian; Li, Cong; Li, Wei

2018-06-01

With the development of photovoltaic industry, the cost of photovoltaic power generation has become the significant issue. And the metallization process has decided the cost of original materials and photovoltaic efficiency of the solar cells. Nowadays, double printing process has been introduced instead of one-step printing process for front contact of polycrystalline silicon solar cells, which can effectively improve the photovoltaic conversion efficiency of silicon solar cells. Here, the relative cheap Cu paste has replaced the expensive Ag paste to form Ag/Cu composite front contact of silicon solar cells. The photovoltaic performance and the cost of photovoltaic power generation have been investigated. With the optimization on structure and height of Cu finger layer for Ag/Cu composite double-printed front contact, the silicon solar cells have exhibited a photovoltaic conversion efficiency of 18.41%, which has reduced 3.42 cent per Watt for the cost of photovoltaic power generation.

Potentialities of TEC topping: A simplified view of parametric effects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, J. F.

1980-01-01

An examination of the benefits of thermionic-energy-conversion (TEC)-topped power plants and methods of increasing conversion efficiency are discussed. Reductions in the cost of TEC modules yield direct decreases in the cost of electricity (COE) from TEC-topped central station power plants. Simplified COE, overall-efficiency charts presented illustrate this trend. Additional capital-cost diminution results from designing more compact furnaces with considerably increased heat transfer rates allowable and desirable for high temperature TEC and heat pipes. Such improvements can evolve of the protection from hot corrosion and slag as well as the thermal expansion compatibilities offered by silicon-carbide clads on TEC-heating surfaces. Greater efficiencies and far fewer modules are possible with high-temperature, high-power-density TEC: This decreases capital and fuel costs much more and substantially increases electric power outputs for fixed fuel inputs. In addition to more electricity, less pollution, and lower costs, TEC topping used directly in coal-combustion products contributes balance-of-payment gains.

Cost-effectiveness of aftercare services for people with severe mental disorders: an analysis parallel to a randomised controlled clinical trial in Iran.

PubMed

Moradi-Lakeh, Maziar; Yaghoubi, Mohsen; Hajebi, Ahmad; Malakouti, Seyed Kazem; Vasfi, Mohamad Ghadiri

2017-05-01

Aftercare services are not part of the usual care for people with severe mental disorders in Iran. This study was performed to assess the cost-effectiveness of aftercare services, including telephone follow-up or home visit, in addition to caregivers' education and training of social skills, for all subjects during the 20 months after hospital discharge. An economic evaluation was performed along with a registered randomised controlled trial (IRCT201009052557N2) on two groups of 60 persons recruited between 2010 and 2012. Intervention's effectiveness was measured by psychopathology and quality of life indicators. Cost-effectiveness and cost-utility were analysed from the societal and Ministry of Health (MoH) perspectives. All indicators of psychopathology, quality of life and satisfaction with services in the intervention group were significantly different from the control group. Mean intervention costs was US$674 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 572-776) per subject in the intervention group. Average total direct costs were US$1445 (95% CI: 1086-1804) and US$1640 (95% CI: 1087-2093) per subject in the intervention and control groups respectively. From the societal perspective, intervention had more effects with lower costs. The ratios for incremental cost-effectiveness was US$8399.1 (95% CI: 8178.2-8620.0) per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained from the MoH perspective for 20 months of follow-up. This study showed that aftercare services can create opportunities to use hospital beds more efficiently for unmet needs of people with psychiatric disorders. Indirect and intangible costs were not considered in this study, if taken into account, they are likely to further increase the efficiency of intervention. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cost-effectiveness of a European ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction network: results from the Catalan Codi Infart network

PubMed Central

Bosch, Julia; Martín-Yuste, Victoria; Rosas, Alba; Faixedas, Maria Teresa; Gómez-Hospital, Joan Antoni; Figueras, Jaume; Curós, Antoni; Cequier, Angel; Goicolea, Javier; Fernández-Ortiz, Antonio; Macaya, Carlos; Tresserras, Ricard; Pellisé, Laura; Sabaté, Manel

2015-01-01

Objectives To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) network of Catalonia (Codi Infart). Design Cost-utility analysis. Setting The analysis was from the Catalonian Autonomous Community in Spain, with a population of about 7.5 million people. Participants Patients with STEMI treated within the autonomous community of Catalonia (Spain) included in the IAM CAT II-IV and Codi Infart registries. Outcome measures Costs included hospitalisation, procedures and additional personnel and were obtained according to the reperfusion strategy. Clinical outcomes were defined as 30-day avoided mortality and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), before (N=356) and after network implementation (N=2140). Results A substitution effect and a technology effect were observed; aggregate costs increased by 2.6%. The substitution effect resulted from increased use of primary coronary angioplasty, a relatively expensive procedure and a decrease in fibrinolysis. Primary coronary angioplasty increased from 31% to 89% with the network, and fibrinolysis decreased from 37% to 3%. Rescue coronary angioplasty declined from 11% to 4%, and no reperfusion from 21% to 4%. The technological effect was related to improvements in the percutaneous coronary intervention procedure that increased efficiency, reducing the average length of the hospital stay. Mean costs per patient decreased from €8306 to €7874 for patients with primary coronary angioplasty. Clinical outcomes in patients treated with primary coronary angioplasty did not change significantly, although 30-day mortality decreased from 7.5% to 5.6%. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio resulted in an extra cost of €4355 per life saved (30-day mortality) and €495 per QALY. Below a cost threshold of €30 000, results were sensitive to variations in costs and outcomes. Conclusions The Catalan STEMI network (Codi Infart) is cost-efficient. Further studies are needed in geopolitical different scenarios. PMID:26656019

Wireless electricity (Power) transmission using solar based power satellite technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maqsood, M.; Nauman Nasir, M.

2013-06-01

In the near future due to extensive use of energy, limited supply of resources and the pollution in environment from present resources e.g. (wood, coal, fossil fuel) etc, alternative sources of energy and new ways to generate energy which are efficient, cost effective and produce minimum losses are of great concern. Wireless electricity (Power) transmission (WET) has become a focal point as research point of view and nowadays lies at top 10 future hot burning technologies that are under research these days. In this paper, we present the concept of transmitting power wirelessly to reduce transmission and distribution losses. The wired distribution losses are 70 - 75% efficient. We cannot imagine the world without electric power which is efficient, cost effective and produce minimum losses is of great concern. This paper tells us the benefits of using WET technology specially by using Solar based Power satellites (SBPS) and also focuses that how we make electric system cost effective, optimized and well organized. Moreover, attempts are made to highlight future issues so as to index some emerging solutions.

Delivering pediatric HIV care in resource-limited settings: cost considerations in an expanded response.

PubMed

Tolle, Michael A; Phelps, B Ryan; Desmond, Chris; Sugandhi, Nandita; Omeogu, Chinyere; Jamieson, David; Ahmed, Saeed; Reuben, Elan; Muhe, Lulu; Kellerman, Scott E

2013-11-01

If children are to be protected from HIV, the expansion of PMTCT programs must be complemented by increased provision of paediatric treatment. This is expensive, yet there are humanitarian, equity and children's rights arguments to justify the prioritization of treating HIV-infected children. In the context of limited budgets, inefficiencies cost lives, either through lower coverage or less effective services. With the goal of informing the design and expansion of efficient paediatric treatment programs able to utilize to greatest effect the available resources allocated to the treatment of HIV-infected children, this article reviews what is known about cost drivers in paediatric HIV interventions, and makes suggestions for improving efficiency in paediatric HIV programming. High-impact interventions known to deliver disproportional returns on investment are highlighted and targeted for immediate scale-up. Progress will carry a cost - increased funding, as well as additional data on intervention costs and outcomes, will be required if universal access of HIV-infected children to treatment is to be achieved and sustained.

Is there scope for cost savings and efficiency gains in HIV services? A systematic review of the evidence from low- and middle-income countries

PubMed Central

Siapka, Mariana; Remme, Michelle; Obure, Carol Dayo; Maier, Claudia B; Dehne, Karl L

2014-01-01

Abstract Objective To synthesize the data available – on costs, efficiency and economies of scale and scope – for the six basic programmes of the UNAIDS Strategic Investment Framework, to inform those planning the scale-up of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) services in low- and middle-income countries. Methods The relevant peer-reviewed and “grey” literature from low- and middle-income countries was systematically reviewed. Search and analysis followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines. Findings Of the 82 empirical costing and efficiency studies identified, nine provided data on economies of scale. Scale explained much of the variation in the costs of several HIV services, particularly those of targeted HIV prevention for key populations and HIV testing and treatment. There is some evidence of economies of scope from integrating HIV counselling and testing services with several other services. Cost efficiency may also be improved by reducing input prices, task shifting and improving client adherence. Conclusion HIV programmes need to optimize the scale of service provision to achieve efficiency. Interventions that may enhance the potential for economies of scale include intensifying demand-creation activities, reducing the costs for service users, expanding existing programmes rather than creating new structures, and reducing attrition of existing service users. Models for integrated service delivery – which is, potentially, more efficient than the implementation of stand-alone services – should be investigated further. Further experimental evidence is required to understand how to best achieve efficiency gains in HIV programmes and assess the cost–effectiveness of each service-delivery model. PMID:25110375

RESIDENTIAL VENTILATION STUDY

EPA Science Inventory

This project evaluated the effectiveness, first costs and operational costs of various types of residential ventilation systems in three different climates in the U.S. The Agency, through its Energy Star Program, recommends that builders construct homes that are energy efficient ...

Improving the cost-effectiveness of IRS with climate informed health surveillance systems

PubMed Central

Worrall, Eve; Connor, Stephen J; Thomson, Madeleine C

2008-01-01

Background This paper examines how the cost-effectiveness of IRS varies depending on the severity of transmission and level of programme coverage and how efficiency could be improved by incorporating climate information into decision making for malaria control programmes as part of an integrated Malaria Early Warning and Response System (MEWS). Methods A climate driven model of malaria transmission was used to simulate cost-effectiveness of alternative IRS coverage levels over six epidemic and non-epidemic years. Decision rules for a potential MEWS system that triggers different IRS coverage are described. The average and marginal cost per case averted with baseline IRS coverage (24%) and under varying IRS coverage levels (50%, 75% and 100%) were calculated. Results Average cost-effectiveness of 24% coverage varies dramatically between years, from US$108 per case prevented in low transmission to US$0.42 in epidemic years. Similarly for higher coverage (24–100%) cost per case prevented is far higher in low than high transmission years ($108–$267 to $0.88–$2.26). Discussion Efficiency and health benefit gains could be achieved by implementing MEWS that provides timely, accurate information. Evidence from southern Africa, (especially Botswana) supports this. Conclusion Advance knowledge of transmission severity can help managers make coverage decisions which optimise resource use and exploit efficiency gains if a fully integrated MEWS is in place alongside a health system with sufficient flexibility to modify control plans in response to information. More countries and programmes should be supported to use the best available evidence and science to integrate climate informed MEWS into decision making within malaria control programmes. PMID:19108723

Preventing the Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome in Australia: cost-effectiveness of thiamin-supplementation alternatives.

PubMed

Connelly, L; Price, J

1996-04-01

Alcoholic Wernicke's encephalopathy has been commonplace in Australia for many years and, as this syndrome is attributed to a deficiency in the diet, it should be preventable. This study employs conventional cost-effectiveness methodology to compare the economic efficiency of several thiamin-supplementation alternatives that have been proposed for the prevention of Wernicke's encephalopathy. A series of rankings of these measures is derived from an estimated cost per case averted for each of the alternatives studied. These rankings identify the least cost-effective thiamin-supplementation alternative as that of enriching bread-making flour with thiamin.

Energy, cost and design aspects of coarse- and fine-bubble aeration systems in the MBBR IFAS process.

PubMed

Sander, S; Behnisch, J; Wagner, M

2017-02-01

With the MBBR IFAS (moving bed biofilm reactor integrated fixed-film activated sludge) process, the biomass required for biological wastewater treatment is either suspended or fixed on free-moving plastic carriers in the reactor. Coarse- or fine-bubble aeration systems are used in the MBBR IFAS process. In this study, the oxygen transfer efficiency (OTE) of a coarse-bubble aeration system was improved significantly by the addition of the investigated carriers, even in-process (∼1% per vol-% of added carrier material). In a fine-bubble aeration system, the carriers had little or no effect on OTE. The effect of carriers on OTE strongly depends on the properties of the aeration system, the volumetric filling rate of the carriers, the properties of the carrier media, and the reactor geometry. This study shows that the effect of carriers on OTE is less pronounced in-process compared to clean water conditions. When designing new carriers in order to improve their effect on OTE further, suppliers should take this into account. Although the energy efficiency and cost effectiveness of coarse-bubble aeration systems can be improved significantly by the addition of carriers, fine-bubble aeration systems remain the more efficient and cost-effective alternative for aeration when applying the investigated MBBR IFAS process.

The high intensity solar cell - Key to low cost photovoltaic power

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sater, B. L.; Goradia, C.

1975-01-01

This paper discusses the problems associated with conventional solar cells at high intensities and presents the design considerations and performance characteristics of the 'high intensity' (HI) solar cell which appears to eliminate the major problems. Test data obtained at greater than 250 AM1 suns gave a peak output power density of 2 W per sq cm at an efficiency exceeding 6% with an unoptimized cell operating at over 100 C. It appears that operation at 1000 AM1 suns at efficiencies greater than 10% is possible. At 1000 AM1 suns and 10% efficiency, the HI cell manufacturing cost is estimated to be $0.25/watt, with multi-megawatt annual production capability already existing within the industrial sector. A high intensity solar system was also analyzed to determine its cost effectiveness and to assess the benefits of further improving HI cell efficiency.

Assembly of a Cost-Effective Anode Using Palladium Nanoparticles for Alkaline Fuel Cell Applications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feliciano-Ramos, Ileana; Casan~as-Montes, Barbara; García-Maldonado, María M.; Menendez, Christian L.; Mayol, Ana R.; Díaz-Vazquez, Liz M.; Cabrera, Carlos R.

2015-01-01

Nanotechnology allows the synthesis of nanoscale catalysts, which offer an efficient alternative for fuel cell applications. In this laboratory experiment, the student selects a cost-effective anode for fuel cells by comparing three different working electrodes. These are commercially available palladium (Pd) and glassy carbon (GC) electrodes, and…

Elements of Effective E-Learning Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Andrew R.; Voltz, Bradley D.

2005-01-01

Preparing and developing e-learning materials is a costly and time consuming enterprise. This paper highlights the elements of effective design that we consider assist in the development of high quality materials in a cost efficient way. We introduce six elements of design and discuss each in some detail. These elements focus on paying attention…

Comparative life cycle assessment and life cycle costing of four disposal scenarios for used polyethylene terephthalate bottles in Mauritius.

PubMed

Foolmaun, Rajendra Kumar; Ramjeeawon, Toolseeram

2012-09-01

The annual rise in population growth coupled with the flourishing tourism industry in Mauritius has lead to a considerable increase in the amount of solid waste generated. In parallel, the disposal of non-biodegradable wastes, especially plastic packaging and plastic bottles, has also shown a steady rise. Improper disposal of used polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles constitutes an eyesore to the environmental landscape and is a threat to the flourishing tourism industry. It is of utmost importance, therefore, to determine a suitable disposal method for used PET bottles which is not only environmentally efficient but is also cost effective. This study investigated the environmental impacts and the cost effectiveness of four selected disposal alternatives for used PET bottles in Mauritius. The four disposal routes investigated were: 100% landfilling; 75% incineration with energy recovery and 25% landfilling; 40% flake production (partial recycling) and 60% landfilling; and 75% flake production and 25% landfilling. Environmental impacts of the disposal alternatives were determined using ISO standardized life cycle assessment (LCA) and with the support of SimaPro 7.1 software. Cost effectiveness was determined using life cycle costing (LCC). Collected data were entered into a constructed Excel-based model to calculate the different cost categories, Net present values, damage costs and payback periods. LCA and LCC results indicated that 75% flake production and 25% landfilling was the most environmentally efficient and cost-effective disposal route for used PET bottles in Mauritius.

Energy-efficient membrane separations in the sweetener industry. Final report for Phase I

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

Babcock, W.C.

1984-02-14

The objective of the program is to investigate the use of membrane processes as energy-efficient alternatives to conventional separation processes in current use in the corn sweetener industry. Two applications of membranes were studied during the program: (1) the concentration of corn steep water by reverse osmosis; and (2) the concentration of dilute wastes called sweetwater with a combination of reverse osmosis and a process known as countercurrent reverse osmosis. Laboratory experiments were conducted for both applications, and the results were used to conduct technical and economic analyses of the process. It was determined that the concentration of steep watermore » by reverse osmosis plus triple-effect evaporation offers savings of a factor of 2.5 in capital costs and a factor of 4.5 in operating costs over currently used triple-effect evaporation. In the concentration of sweetwater by reverse osmosis and countercurrent reverse osmosis, capital costs would be about the same as those for triple-effect evaporation, but operating costs would be only about one-half those of triple-effect evaporation.« less

World's Most Efficient Solar Cell

Science.gov Websites

on the cost effectiveness and revenue-generating capabilities of high-power space satellites over the ) and Spectrolab. The high efficiency makes the cells attractive for use in solar concentrator systems ." Similar high-efficiency solar cells - invented and developed over 10 years at NREL before being

Reducing Transaction Costs for Energy Efficiency Investments and Analysis of Economic Risk Associated With Building Performance Uncertainties: Small Buildings and Small Portfolios Program

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

Langner, R.; Hendron, B.; Bonnema, E.

2014-08-01

The small buildings and small portfolios (SBSP) sector face a number of barriers that inhibit SBSP owners from adopting energy efficiency solutions. This pilot project focused on overcoming two of the largest barriers to financing energy efficiency in small buildings: disproportionately high transaction costs and unknown or unacceptable risk. Solutions to these barriers can often be at odds, because inexpensive turnkey solutions are often not sufficiently tailored to the unique circumstances of each building, reducing confidence that the expected energy savings will be achieved. To address these barriers, NREL worked with two innovative, forward-thinking lead partners, Michigan Saves and Energi,more » to develop technical solutions that provide a quick and easy process to encourage energy efficiency investments while managing risk. The pilot project was broken into two stages: the first stage focused on reducing transaction costs, and the second stage focused on reducing performance risk. In the first stage, NREL worked with the non-profit organization, Michigan Saves, to analyze the effects of 8 energy efficiency measures (EEMs) on 81 different baseline small office building models in Holland, Michigan (climate zone 5A). The results of this analysis (totaling over 30,000 cases) are summarized in a simple spreadsheet tool that enables users to easily sort through the results and find appropriate small office EEM packages that meet a particular energy savings threshold and are likely to be cost-effective.« less

Air-to-Water Heat Pumps With Radiant Delivery in Low-Load Homes

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

Backman, C.; German, A.; Dakin, B.

2013-12-01

Space conditioning represents nearly 50% of average residential household energy consumption, highlighting the need to identify alternative cost-effective, energy-efficient cooling and heating strategies. As homes are better built, there is an increasing need for strategies that are particularly well suited for high performance, low load homes. ARBI researchers worked with two test homes in hot-dry climates to evaluate the in-situ performance of air-to-water heat pump (AWHP) systems, an energy efficient space conditioning solution designed to cost-effectively provide comfort in homes with efficient, safe, and durable operation. Two monitoring projects of test houses in hot-dry climates were initiated in 2010 tomore » test this system. Both systems were fully instrumented and have been monitored over one year to capture complete performance data over the cooling and heating seasons. Results are used to quantify energy savings, cost-effectiveness, and system performance using different operating modes and strategies. A calibrated TRNSYS model was developed and used to evaluate performance in various climate regions. This strategy is most effective in tight, insulated homes with high levels of thermal mass (i.e. exposed slab floors).« less

Spectrophotovoltaic orbital power generation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knowles, G.; Stoltzman, D.; Lin, R.; Lo, S. K.

1980-01-01

A system with 1000 : 1 concentration ratio is defined, using a cassegrain telescope as the first stage concentration (270 x) and compound parabolic concentrators (CPC) for the second stage concentration of 4.7 x for each spectral band. Using reported state of the art (S.O.A.) solar cells device parameters and considering structural losses due to optics and beamsplitters, the efficiencies of one to four cell systems were calculated with efficiencies varying from approximately 22% to 30%. Taking into account cost of the optics, beamsplitter, radiator, and the cost of developing new cells the most cost effective system is the GaAs/Si system.

Comparing the cost-effectiveness of water conservation policies in a depleting aquifer:A dynamic analysis of the Kansas High Plains

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This research analyzes two groundwater conservation policies in the Kansas High Plains located within the Ogallala aquifer: 1) cost-share assistance to increase irrigation efficiency; and 2) incentive payments to convert irrigated crop production to dryland crop production. To compare the cost-effec...

Optimal surveillance and eradication of invasive species in heterogeneous landscapes

Treesearch

Rebecca S. Epanchin-Niell; Robert G. Haight; Ludek Berec; John M. Kean; Andrew M. Liebhold

2012-01-01

Cost-effective surveillance strategies are needed for efficient responses to biological invasions and must account for the trade-offs between surveillance effort and management costs. Less surveillance may allow greater population growth and spread prior to detection, thereby increasing the costs of damages and control. In addition, surveillance strategies are usually...

[Cost-effectiveness analysis of interferon beta-1b as treatment for patients with clinically isolated syndrome suggestive of multiple sclerosis in Spain].

PubMed

Piñol, C

2016-05-01

The BENEFIT study has demonstrated the benefits of early treatment with interferon beta 1b (IFNβ-1b). The objective of this study was to estimate the efficiency of early vs delayed IFNβ-1b treatment in patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) suggestive of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Spain. A Markov model reflecting the social perspective was developed with time horizons ranging from 2 years to lifetime. A cohort of 1000 patients with CIS, whose health status had been measured on the Expanded Disability Symptom Scale (EDSS), included patients who received early IFNβ-1b treatment and those who did not. Data from the BENEFIT study were used to model EDSS progression and transitions to MS. Costs were estimated from published literature. Patient utilities were derived from EQ-5D data and published data. Mortality was estimated using life tables and EDSS data. Costs (€ at 2013 rates) and outcomes were discounted at 3% per annum. A probabilistic sensitivity analysis was performed. In the base case, both the incremental cost utility ratio (ICUR) and the incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) of IFNβ-1b versus no treatment were dominant (more effective and less costly) from a social perspective. From the perspective of the Spanish Health System, the ICUR was € 40,702/QALY and the ICER was € 13/relapse avoided. Early treatment with IFNβ-1b after a CIS versus delayed treatment is efficient from a social perspective, but it may not be efficient from the perspective of the NHS which does not take non health-related costs into account. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Costs and cost-efficacy analysis of the 2014 GESIDA/Spanish National AIDS Plan recommended guidelines for initial antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected adults.

PubMed

Blasco, Antonio Javier; Llibre, Josep M; Berenguer, Juan; González-García, Juan; Knobel, Hernando; Lozano, Fernando; Podzamczer, Daniel; Pulido, Federico; Rivero, Antonio; Tuset, Montserrat; Lázaro, Pablo; Gatell, Josep M

2015-03-01

GESIDA and the National AIDS Plan panel of experts suggest preferred (PR) and alternative (AR) regimens of antiretroviral treatment (ART) as initial therapy in HIV-infected patients for 2014. The objective of this study is to evaluate the costs and the efficiency of initiating treatment with these regimens. An economic assessment was made of costs and efficiency (cost/efficacy) based on decision tree analyses. Efficacy was defined as the probability of reporting a viral load <50 copies/mL at week 48, in an intention-to-treat analysis. Cost of initiating treatment with an ART regimen was defined as the costs of ART and its consequences (adverse effects, changes of ART regimen, and drug resistance studies) during the first 48 weeks. The payer perspective (National Health System) was applied by considering only differential direct costs: ART (official prices), management of adverse effects, studies of resistance, and HLA B*5701 testing. The setting is Spain and costs correspond to those of 2014. A sensitivity deterministic analysis was conducted, building three scenarios for each regimen: base case, most favourable and least favourable. In the base case scenario, the cost of initiating treatment ranges from 5133 Euros for ABC/3TC+EFV to 11,949 Euros for TDF/FTC+RAL. The efficacy varies between 0.66 for ABC/3TC+LPV/r and ABC/3TC+ATV/r, and 0.89 for TDF/FTC/EVG/COBI. Efficiency, in terms of cost/efficacy, ranges from 7546 to 13,802 Euros per responder at 48 weeks, for ABC/3TC+EFV and TDF/FTC+RAL respectively. Considering ART official prices, the most efficient regimen was ABC/3TC+EFV (AR), followed by the non-nucleoside containing PR (TDF/FTC/RPV and TDF/FTC/EFV). The sensitivity analysis confirms the robustness of these findings. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica. All rights reserved.

Potential of powdered activated mustard cake for decolorising raw sugar.

PubMed

Singh, Kaman; Bharose, Ram; Verma, Sudhir Kumar; Singh, Vimalesh Kumar

2013-01-15

Carbon decolorisation has become customary in the food processing industries; however, it is not economical. Extensive research has therefore been directed towards investigating potential substitutes for commercial activated carbons which might have the advantage of offering an effective, lower-cost replacement for existing bone char or coal-based granular activated carbon (GAC). The physical (bulk density and hardness), chemical (pH and mineral content) and adsorption characteristics (iodine test, molasses test and raw sugar decolorisation efficiency) of powdered activated mustard cake (PAMC) made from de-oiled mustard cake were determined and compared to commercial adsorbents. Although the colour removal efficiency of the PAMC is lower than that of commercial materials, it is cost effective and eco-friendly compared to the existing decolorisation/refining processes. To reduce the load on GAC/activated carbon/charcoal, PAMC could be used on an industrial scale. A decolorisation mechanism has been postulated on the basis of oxygen surface functionalities and surface charge of the PAMC and, accordingly, charge transfer interaction seems to be responsible for the decolorisation mechanism. In addition, a complex interplay of electrostatics and dispersive interaction seem to be involved during the decolorisation process. A low-cost agricultural waste product in the form of de-oiled mustard cake was converted to an efficient adsorbent, PAMC, for use in decolorising raw as well as coloured sugar solutions. The physical, chemical, adsorption characteristics and raw sugar decolorisation efficiency of PAMC were determined and compared to those of commercial adsorbents. The colour removal efficiency of the PAMC is lower than that of commercial materials but it is cost effective and eco-friendly as compared to existing decolorisation/refining processes. The availability of the raw material for the production of PAMC further demands its use on an industrial scale. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry.

Space Station - An integrated approach to operational logistics support

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hosmer, G. J.

1986-01-01

Development of an efficient and cost effective operational logistics system for the Space Station will require logistics planning early in the program's design and development phase. This paper will focus on Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) Program techniques and their application to the Space Station program design, production and deployment phases to assure the development of an effective and cost efficient operational logistics system. The paper will provide the methodology and time-phased programmatic steps required to establish a Space Station ILS Program that will provide an operational logistics system based on planned Space Station program logistics support.

How to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis with surrogate endpoint: renal denervation in patients with resistant hypertension (DENERHTN) trial as an example.

PubMed

Bulsei, Julie; Darlington, Meryl; Durand-Zaleski, Isabelle; Azizi, Michel

2018-04-01

Whilst much uncertainty exists as to the efficacy of renal denervation (RDN), the positive results of the DENERHTN study in France confirmed the interest of an economic evaluation in order to assess efficiency of RDN and inform local decision makers about the costs and benefits of this intervention. The uncertainty surrounding both the outcomes and the costs can be described using health economic methods such as the non-parametric bootstrap. Internationally, numerous health economic studies using a cost-effectiveness model to assess the impact of RDN in terms of cost and effectiveness compared to antihypertensive medical treatment have been conducted. The DENERHTN cost-effectiveness study was the first health economic evaluation specifically designed to assess the cost-effectiveness of RDN using individual data. Using the DENERHTN results as an example, we provide here a summary of the principle methods used to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis.

A comparison of 8.415-, 32.0- and 565646-GHz deep space telemetry links

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dickinson, R. M.

1985-01-01

An economic and performance comparison is made of spacecraft telecommunication links at 8.415, 32.0, and 565646 GHz (0.53-micron wavelength) for the return of 3.43 x 10 to the 11th power bits from a Saturn Orbiter/Titan Probe mission in year 2000. Technical performance and costs for both ends of the links are included. Spacecraft antenna or telescope efficiencies, pointing losses, ground-based or Earth-orbiting relay terminals efficiencies, noise temperatures, recurring and nonrecurring engineering, and maintenance and operations costs are modeled. Weather effects, dc-to-RF or laser power conversion efficiencies, gravity and other environment distortions gain reductions, and the cost of pointing and tracking are analyzed. The effort is focused primarily on the microwave frequency links. There are large uncertainties in the cost results, but conclusions indicate that for a mid-1990's launch, the Ka-band system is as cost effective as X-band. The Ka-band system has a data rate advantage as compared to the X-band system for the same dc power input to the spacecraft. The magnitude of the advantage is a complex function of the weather at the DSN stations and the elevation angle of the ground antenna. A simple numerical comparison of the advantage is difficult and curves are provided. The optical frequency link is more costly based on the launch-to-orbit costs for the orbiting terminal. A more detailed study of the optical system is recommended to quantify astrometric tracking benefits and improve the accuracy of the cost estimate.

School Finance. Trends and Issues.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hadderman, Margaret, Comp.

During the past several years, policymakers and practitioners have concentrated their energies on resolving equity/adequacy issues, reforming school tax structures, improving schools' efficiency and cost-effectiveness, developing school-based accountability, and exploring alternative cost-cutting and fundraising strategies. Total expenditures for…

Assessment of the effectiveness of supply-side cost-containment measures

PubMed Central

Garrison, Louis P.

1992-01-01

This article assesses the arguments and evidence concerning the likely effectiveness of four supply-side cost-containment measures. The health planning efforts of the 1970s, particularly certificate-of-need regulations, had very limited success in containing costs. The new and related tools of technology assessment and practice guidelines hold some promise for refining benefit packages, but they are inadequate for micromanaging complex medical practices. Payment policies, such as hospital ratesetting, have enjoyed some success in limiting hospital cost growth but are less effective at controlling total costs. None of these measures alone is likely to address fully the fundamental issues of equity and efficiency in health care resource allocation that underlie the problem of rising costs. PMID:25372721

Efficient Solutions for New Homes Case Study: Savannah Gardens

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

None

2016-03-15

The Savannah Housing Department is leading sustainable and affordable housing development in Georgia. It partnered with Southface Energy Institute, a member of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Partnership for Home Innovation Building America research team, to seek cost-effective solutions for increasing the energy efficiency of the Savannah Housing Department’s standard single-family home plans in the Savannah Gardens Community. Based on engineering, cost, and constructability analyses, the combined research team chose to pilot two technologies to evaluate efficiency and comfort impacts for homeowners: a heat-pump water heater in an encapsulated attic and an insulated exterior wall sheathing.

Optical enhancement of a printed organic tandem solar cell using diffractive nanostructures.

PubMed

Mayer, Jan A; Offermans, Ton; Chrapa, Marek; Pfannmöller, Martin; Bals, Sara; Ferrini, Rolando; Nisato, Giovanni

2018-03-19

Solution processable organic tandem solar cells offer a promising approach to achieve cost-effective, lightweight and flexible photovoltaics. In order to further enhance the efficiency of optimized organic tandem cells, diffractive light-management nanostructures were designed for an optimal redistribution of the light as function of both wavelength and propagation angles in both sub-cells. As the fabrication of these optical structures is compatible with roll-to-roll production techniques such as hot-embossing or UV NIL imprinting, they present an optimal cost-effective solution for printed photovoltaics. Tandem cells with power conversion efficiencies of 8-10% were fabricated in the ambient atmosphere by doctor blade coating, selected to approximate the conditions during roll-to-roll manufacturing. Application of the light management structure onto an 8.7% efficient encapsulated tandem cell boosted the conversion efficiency of the cell to 9.5%.

Identification of Conflicting Selective Effects on Highly Expressed Genes

PubMed Central

Higgs, Paul G.; Hao, Weilong; Golding, G. Brian

2007-01-01

Many different selective effects on DNA and proteins influence the frequency of codons and amino acids in coding sequences. Selection is often stronger on highly expressed genes. Hence, by comparing high- and low-expression genes it is possible to distinguish the factors that are selected by evolution. It has been proposed that highly expressed genes should (i) preferentially use codons matching abundant tRNAs (translational efficiency), (ii) preferentially use amino acids with low cost of synthesis, (iii) be under stronger selection to maintain the required amino acid content, and (iv) be selected for translational robustness. These effects act simultaneously and can be contradictory. We develop a model that combines these factors, and use Akaike’s Information Criterion for model selection. We consider pairs of paralogues that arose by whole-genome duplication in Saccharmyces cerevisiae. A codon-based model is used that includes asymmetric effects due to selection on highly expressed genes. The largest effect is translational efficiency, which is found to strongly influence synonymous, but not non-synonymous rates. Minimization of the cost of amino acid synthesis is implicated. However, when a more general measure of selection for amino acid usage is used, the cost minimization effect becomes redundant. Small effects that we attribute to selection for translational robustness can be identified as an improvement in the model fit on top of the effects of translational efficiency and amino acid usage. PMID:19430600

Design and analysis issues for economic analysis alongside clinical trials.

PubMed

Marshall, Deborah A; Hux, Margaret

2009-07-01

Clinical trials can offer a valuable and efficient opportunity to collect the health resource use and outcomes data for economic evaluation. However, economic and clinical studies differ fundamentally in the question they seek to answer. The design and analysis of trial-based cost-effectiveness studies require special consideration, which are reviewed in this article. Traditional randomized controlled trials, using an experimental design with a controlled protocol, are designed to measure safety and efficacy for product registration. Cost-effectiveness analysis seeks to measure effectiveness in the context of routine clinical practice, and requires collection of health care resources to allow estimation of cost over an equal timeframe for each treatment alternative. In assessing suitability of a trial for economic data collection, the comparator treatment and other protocol factors need to reflect current clinical practice and the trial follow-up must be sufficiently long to capture important costs and effects. The broadest available population and a measure of effectiveness reflecting important benefits for patients are preferred for economic analyses. Special analytical issues include dealing with missing and censored cost data, assessing uncertainty of the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, and accounting for the underlying heterogeneity in patient subgroups. Careful consideration also needs to be given to data from multinational studies since practice patterns can differ across countries. Although clinical trials can be an efficient opportunity to collect data for economic evaluation, careful consideration of the suitability of the study design, and appropriate analytical methods must be applied to obtain rigorous results.

Health systems: changes in hospital efficiency and profitability.

PubMed

Büchner, Vera Antonia; Hinz, Vera; Schreyögg, Jonas

2016-06-01

This study investigates potential changes in hospital performance after health system entry, while differentiating between hospital technical and cost efficiency and hospital profitability. In the first stage we obtained (bootstrapped) data envelopment analysis (DEA) efficiency scores. Then, genetic matching is used as a novel matching procedure in this context along with a difference-in-difference approach within a panel regression framework. With the genetic matching procedure, independent and health system hospitals are matched along a number of environmental and organizational characteristics. The results show that health system entry increases hospital technical and cost efficiency by between 0.6 and 3.4 % in four alternative post-entry periods, indicating that health system entry has not a transitory but rather a permanent effect on hospital efficiency. Regarding hospital profitability, the results reveal an increase in hospital profitability only 1 year after health system entry, and the estimations suggest that this effect is a transitional phenomenon. Overall, health system entry may serve as an appropriate management instrument for decision makers to increase hospital performance.

Direct procurement of wound management products.

PubMed

Jenkins, Trevor

2014-03-01

This article describes a collaborative project between Bedfordshire Community Health Services and Primary Care Trusts/Clinical Commissioning Groups to improve provision of dressings to nurses for the patients they treat. Commissioners have facilitated a transformational approach and encouraged development of efficient systems of increased cost-effectiveness rather than a transactional approach based on opportunistic cost improvement plans. Reconfiguration to direct procurement from GP prescribing has reduced wastage, released nurse time from processes to spend on clinical contact time with patients, increased efficiency, and reduced prescription workload for GPs, all without adverse effects on expenditure. Establishing a wound care products formulary placed control under the nurses treating patients and facilitated decision-making based on cost-effectiveness in clinical use. Nurses now manage 60% of expenditure in the local community health economy, and this is increasing. Relationships with the dressings manufacturing industry have also changed in a positive, constructive direction.

Teledermatology applied following patient selection by general practitioners in daily practice improves efficiency and quality of care at lower cost.

PubMed

van der Heijden, J P; de Keizer, N F; Bos, J D; Spuls, P I; Witkamp, L

2011-11-01

Teledermatology, the application of telemedicine in the field of dermatology, has similar accuracy and reliability as physical dermatology. Teledermatology has been widely used in daily practice in the Netherlands since 2005 and is fully reimbursed. This study prospectively investigated the effect of teledermatology on efficiency, quality and costs of care when integrated in daily practice and applied following patient selection by the general practitioner (GP). Teledermatology consultations between GP and regional dermatologist were performed in daily GP practice in the Netherlands. Efficiency of care was measured by the decrease in the number of physical referrals to the dermatologist. Quality of care was measured by the percentage of teleconsultations for second opinion, physical referrals resulting from these teleconsultations, the response time of the dermatologists and educational effect experienced by the GP. Costs of conventional healthcare without teledermatology were compared with costs with teledermatology. One thousand, eight hundred and twenty GPs and 166 dermatologists performed teledermatology, and 37,207 teleconsultations performed from March 2007 to September 2010 were included. In the group of patients where the GP used teleconsultation to prevent a referral (n =26,596), 74% of physical referrals were prevented. In the group of patients where the GP used teleconsultation for a second opinion (n =10,611), 16% were physically referred after teleconsultation. The prevented referral rate in the total population was 68%. The mean response time of dermatologists was 4·6 h (median 2·0). GPs indicated that there was a beneficial educational effect in 85% of the teleconsultations. The estimated cost reduction was 18%. Teledermatology can lead to efficient care probably at lower cost. We are therefore of the opinion that teledermatology following GP selection should be considered as a possible pathway of referral to secondary care. © 2011 The Authors. BJD © 2011 British Association of Dermatologists.

Power and spectrally efficient M-ARY QAM schemes for future mobile satellite communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sreenath, K.; Feher, K.

1990-01-01

An effective method to compensate nonlinear phase distortion caused by the mobile amplifier is proposed. As a first step towards the future use of spectrally efficient modulation schemes for mobile satellite applications, we have investigated effects of nonlinearities and the phase compensation method on 16-QAM. The new method provides about 2 dB savings in power for 16-QAM operation with cost effective amplifiers near saturation and thereby promising use of spectrally efficient linear modulation schemes for future mobile satellite applications.

Engineering crop nutrient efficiency for sustainable agriculture.

PubMed

Chen, Liyu; Liao, Hong

2017-10-01

Increasing crop yields can provide food, animal feed, bioenergy feedstocks and biomaterials to meet increasing global demand; however, the methods used to increase yield can negatively affect sustainability. For example, application of excess fertilizer can generate and maintain high yields but also increases input costs and contributes to environmental damage through eutrophication, soil acidification and air pollution. Improving crop nutrient efficiency can improve agricultural sustainability by increasing yield while decreasing input costs and harmful environmental effects. Here, we review the mechanisms of nutrient efficiency (primarily for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and iron) and breeding strategies for improving this trait, along with the role of regulation of gene expression in enhancing crop nutrient efficiency to increase yields. We focus on the importance of root system architecture to improve nutrient acquisition efficiency, as well as the contributions of mineral translocation, remobilization and metabolic efficiency to nutrient utilization efficiency. © 2017 Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Organizational change through Lean Thinking.

PubMed

Tsasis, Peter; Bruce-Barrett, Cindy

2008-08-01

In production and manufacturing plants, Lean Thinking has been used to improve processes by eliminating waste and thus enhancing efficiency. In health care, Lean Thinking has emerged as a comprehensive approach towards improving processes embedded in the diagnostic, treatment and care activities of health-care organizations with cost containment results. This paper provides a case study example where Lean Thinking is not only used to improve efficiency and cost containment, but also as an approach to effective organizational change.

Thermophotonics for ultra-high efficiency visible LEDs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ram, Rajeev J.

2017-02-01

The wall-plug efficiency of modern light-emitting diodes (LEDs) has far surpassed all other forms of lighting and is expected to improve further as the lifetime cost of a luminaire is today dominated by the cost of energy. The drive towards higher efficiency inevitably opens the question about the limits of future enhancement. Here, we investigate thermoelectric pumping as a means for improving efficiency in wide-bandgap GaN based LEDs. A forward biased diode can work as a heat pump, which pumps lattice heat into the electrons injected into the active region via the Peltier effect. We experimentally demonstrate a thermally enhanced 450 nm GaN LED, in which nearly fourfold light output power is achieved at 615 K (compared to 295 K room temperature operation), with virtually no reduction in the wall-plug efficiency at bias V < ℏω/q. This result suggests the possibility of removing bulky heat sinks in high power LED products. A review of recent high-efficiency GaN LEDs suggests that Peltier thermal pumping plays a more important role in a wide range of modern LED structures that previously thought - opening a path to even higher efficiencies and lower lifetime costs for future lighting.

7 CFR Appendix A to Part 277 - Principles for Determining Costs Applicable to Administration of the Food Stamp Program by State...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... on the fundamental premises that: (a) State agencies are responsible for the efficient and effective... State agency in writing of the disapproval, the reason for the disapproval and the effective date. Costs... allowable. (2) Advertising. Advertising media includes newspapers, magazines, radio and television programs...

The Efficiency of a Group-Specific Mandated Benefit Revisited: The Effect of Infertility Mandates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lahey, Joanna N.

2012-01-01

This paper examines the labor market effects of state health insurance mandates that increase the cost of employing a demographically identifiable group. State mandates requiring that health insurance plans cover infertility treatment raise the relative cost of insuring older women of child-bearing age. Empirically, wages in this group are…

Guidebook : managing operating costs for rural and small urban public transit systems.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-05-01

This guidebook is a resource for rural and small urban transit agency managers to use in better understanding, predicting, and managing operational costs. Doing so can improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of public transit in the...

Cost and performance model for redox flow batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viswanathan, Vilayanur; Crawford, Alasdair; Stephenson, David; Kim, Soowhan; Wang, Wei; Li, Bin; Coffey, Greg; Thomsen, Ed; Graff, Gordon; Balducci, Patrick; Kintner-Meyer, Michael; Sprenkle, Vincent

2014-02-01

A cost model is developed for all vanadium and iron-vanadium redox flow batteries. Electrochemical performance modeling is done to estimate stack performance at various power densities as a function of state of charge and operating conditions. This is supplemented with a shunt current model and a pumping loss model to estimate actual system efficiency. The operating parameters such as power density, flow rates and design parameters such as electrode aspect ratio and flow frame channel dimensions are adjusted to maximize efficiency and minimize capital costs. Detailed cost estimates are obtained from various vendors to calculate cost estimates for present, near-term and optimistic scenarios. The most cost-effective chemistries with optimum operating conditions for power or energy intensive applications are determined, providing a roadmap for battery management systems development for redox flow batteries. The main drivers for cost reduction for various chemistries are identified as a function of the energy to power ratio of the storage system. Levelized cost analysis further guide suitability of various chemistries for different applications.

Stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation in France: comparative cost-effectiveness of new oral anticoagulants (apixaban, dabigatran, and rivaroxaban), warfarin, and aspirin.

PubMed

Lanitis, T; Cotté, F E; Gaudin, A F; Kachaner, I; Kongnakorn, T; Durand-Zaleski, I

2014-08-01

To conduct an economic evaluation of the currently prescribed treatments for stroke prevention in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) including warfarin, aspirin, and novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) from a French payer perspective. A previously published Markov model was adapted in accordance to the new French guidelines of the Commission for Economic Evaluation and Public Health (CEESP), to adopt the recommended efficiency frontier approach. A cohort of patients with NVAF eligible for stroke preventive treatment was simulated over lifetime. Clinical events modeled included strokes, systemic embolism, intracranial hemorrhage, other major bleeds, clinically relevant non-major bleeds, and myocardial infarction. Efficacy and bleeding data for warfarin, apixaban, and aspirin were obtained from ARISTOTLE and AVERROES trials, whilst efficacy data for other NOACs were from published indirect comparisons. Acute medical costs were obtained from a dedicated analysis of the French national hospitalization database (PMSI). Long-term medical costs and utility data were derived from the literature. Univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the robustness of the model projections. Warfarin and apixaban were the two optimal treatment choices, as the other five treatment strategies including aspirin, dabigatran 110 mg, dabigatran in sequential dosages, dabigatran 150 mg, and rivaroxaban were strictly dominated on the efficiency frontier. Further, apixaban was a cost-effective alternative vs warfarin with an incremental cost of €2314 and an incremental quality-adjusted life year (QALY) of 0.189, corresponding to an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of €12,227/QALY. Apixaban may be the most economically efficient alternative to warfarin in NVAF patients eligible for stroke prevention in France. All other strategies were dominated, yielding apixaban as a less costly yet more effective treatment alternative. As formally requested by the CEESP, these results need to be verified in a French clinical setting using stroke reduction and bleeding safety observed in real-life patient cohorts using these anticoagulants.

High-efficiency crystalline silicon technology development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prince, M. B.

1984-01-01

The rationale for pursuing high efficiency crystalline silicon technology research is discussed. Photovoltaic energy systems are reviewed as to their cost effectiveness and their competitiveness with other energy systems. The parameters of energy system life are listed and briefly reviewed.

The Effects of Operational Parameters on a Mono-wire Cutting System: Efficiency in Marble Processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yilmazkaya, Emre; Ozcelik, Yilmaz

2016-02-01

Mono-wire block cutting machines that cut with a diamond wire can be used for squaring natural stone blocks and the slab-cutting process. The efficient use of these machines reduces operating costs by ensuring less diamond wire wear and longer wire life at high speeds. The high investment costs of these machines will lead to their efficient use and reduce production costs by increasing plant efficiency. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the cutting performance parameters of mono-wire cutting machines in terms of rock properties and operating parameters. This study aims to investigate the effects of the wire rotational speed (peripheral speed) and wire descending speed (cutting speed), which are the operating parameters of a mono-wire cutting machine, on unit wear and unit energy, which are the performance parameters in mono-wire cutting. By using the obtained results, cuttability charts for each natural stone were created on the basis of unit wear and unit energy values, cutting optimizations were performed, and the relationships between some physical and mechanical properties of rocks and the optimum cutting parameters obtained as a result of the optimization were investigated.

An empirical investigation of the efficiency effects of integrated care models in Switzerland

PubMed Central

Reich, Oliver; Rapold, Roland; Flatscher-Thöni, Magdalena

2012-01-01

Introduction This study investigates the efficiency gains of integrated care models in Switzerland, since these models are regarded as cost containment options in national social health insurance. These plans generate much lower average health care expenditure than the basic insurance plan. The question is, however, to what extent these total savings are due to the effects of selection and efficiency. Methods The empirical analysis is based on data from 399,274 Swiss residents that constantly had compulsory health insurance with the Helsana Group, the largest health insurer in Switzerland, covering the years 2006–2009. In order to evaluate the efficiency of the different integrated care models, we apply an econometric approach with a mixed-effects model. Results Our estimations indicate that the efficiency effects of integrated care models on health care expenditure are significant. However, the different insurance plans vary, revealing the following efficiency gains per model: contracted capitated model 21.2%, contracted non-capitated model 15.5% and telemedicine model 3.7%. The remaining 8.5%, 5.6% and 22.5%, respectively, of the variation in total health care expenditure can be attributed to the effects of selection. Conclusions Integrated care models have the potential to improve care for patients with chronic diseases and concurrently have a positive impact on health care expenditure. We suggest policy-makers improve the incentives for patients with chronic diseases within the existing regulations providing further potential for cost-efficiency of medical care. PMID:22371691

What Determines HIV Prevention Costs at Scale? Evidence from the Avahan Programme in India.

PubMed

Lépine, Aurélia; Chandrashekar, Sudhashree; Shetty, Govindraj; Vickerman, Peter; Bradley, Janet; Alary, Michel; Moses, Stephen; Vassall, Anna

2016-02-01

Expanding essential health services through non-government organisations (NGOs) is a central strategy for achieving universal health coverage in many low-income and middle-income countries. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention services for key populations are commonly delivered through NGOs and have been demonstrated to be cost-effective and of substantial global public health importance. However, funding for HIV prevention remains scarce, and there are growing calls internationally to improve the efficiency of HIV prevention programmes as a key strategy to reach global HIV targets. To date, there is limited evidence on the determinants of costs of HIV prevention delivered through NGOs; and thus, policymakers have little guidance in how best to design programmes that are both effective and efficient. We collected economic costs from the Indian Avahan initiative, the largest HIV prevention project conducted globally, during the first 4 years of its implementation. We use a fixed-effect panel estimator and a random-intercept model to investigate the determinants of average cost. We find that programme design choices such as NGO scale, the extent of community involvement, the way in which support is offered to NGOs and how clinical services are organised substantially impact average cost in a grant-based payment setting. © 2016 The Authors. Health Economics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Using stated preference methods to design cost-effective subsidy programs to induce technology adoption: an application to a stove program in southern Chile.

PubMed

Gómez, Walter; Salgado, Hugo; Vásquez, Felipe; Chávez, Carlos

2014-01-01

We study the design of an economic incentive based program - a subsidy - to induce adoption of more efficient technology in a pollution reduction program in southern Chile. Stated preferences methods, contingent valuation (CV), and choice experiment (CE) are used to estimate the probability of adoption and the willingness to share the cost of a new technology by a household. The cost-effectiveness property of different subsidy schemes is explored numerically for different regulatory objectives. Our results suggest that households are willing to participate in voluntary programs and to contribute by paying a share of the cost of adopting more efficient technologies. We find that attributes of the existing and the new technology, beyond the price, are relevant determinant factors of the participation decision and payment. Limited access to credit markets for low income families can be a major barrier for an effective implementation of these types of programs. Variations in the design of the subsidy and on the regulator's objective and constraints can have significant impact on the level and the cost of reduction of aggregate emissions achieved. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cost and Time Effectiveness Analysis of a Telemedicine Service in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Sorwar, Golam; Rahamn, Md Mustafizur; Uddin, Ramiz; Hoque, Md Rakibul

2016-01-01

Telemedicine has great potential to overcome geographical barriers to providing access to equal health care services, particularly for people living in remote and rural areas in developing countries like Bangladesh. A number of telemedicine systems have been implemented in Bangladesh. However, no significant studies have been conducted to determine either their cost effectiveness or efficiency in reducing travel time required by patients. In addition, very few studies have analyzed the attitude and level of satisfaction of telemedicine service recipients in Bangladesh. The aim of this study was to analyze the cost and time effectiveness of a telemedicine service, implemented through locally developed PC based diagnostic equipment and software in Bangladesh, compared to conventional means of providing those services. The study revealed that the introduced telemedicine service reduced cost and travel time on average by 56% and 94% respectively compared to its counterpart conventional approach. The study also revealed that majority of users were highly satisfied with the newly introduced telemedicine service. Therefore, the introduced telemedicine service can be considered as a low cost and time efficient health service solution to improve health care facilities in the remote rural areas in Bangladesh.

New benchmarks for costs and cost-efficiency of school-based feeding programs in food-insecure areas.

PubMed

Gelli, Aulo; Cavallero, Andrea; Minervini, Licia; Mirabile, Mariana; Molinas, Luca; de la Mothe, Marc Regnault

2011-12-01

School feeding is a popular intervention that has been used to support the education, health and nutrition of school children. Although the benefits of school feeding are well documented, the evidence on the costs of such programs is remarkably thin. Address the need for systematic estimates of the cost of different school feeding modalities, and of the determinants of the considerable cost variation among countries. WFP project data, including expenditures and number of schoolchildren covered, were collected for 78 projects in 62 countries through project reports and validated through WFP Country Office records. Yearly project costs per schoolchild were standardized over a set number of feeding days and the amount of energy provided by the average ration. Output metrics, such as tonnage, calories, and micronutrient content, were used to assess the cost-efficiency of the different delivery mechanisms. The standardized yearly average school feeding cost per child, not including school-level costs, was US$48. The yearly costs per child were lowest at US$23 for biscuit programs reaching school-going children and highest at US$75 for take-home rations programs reaching families of schoolgoing children. The average cost of programs combining on-site meals with extra take-home rations for children from vulnerable households was US$61. Commodity costs were on average 58% of total costs and were highest for biscuit and take-home rations programs (71% and 68%, respectively). Fortified biscuits provided the most cost-efficient option in terms of micronutrient delivery, whereas take-home rations were more cost-efficient in terms of food quantities delivered. Both costs and effects should be considered carefully when designing school feeding interventions. The average costs of school feeding estimated here are higher than those found in earlier studies but fall within the range of costs previously reported. Because this analysis does not include school-level costs, these findings highlight the higher nontransfer costs for programs delivering cooked meals in schools than for other school feeding modalities. The benchmarks presented here reflect the centralized WFP implementation model, which is not always relevant in terms of government school feeding programs, particularly those procuring within national boundaries using "home-grown" approaches.

The grain of spatially referenced economic cost and biodiversity benefit data and the effectiveness of a cost targeting strategy.

PubMed

Sutton, N J; Armsworth, P R

2014-12-01

Facing tight resource constraints, conservation organizations must allocate funds available for habitat protection as effectively as possible. Often, they combine spatially referenced economic and biodiversity data to prioritize land for protection. We tested how sensitive these prioritizations could be to differences in the spatial grain of these data by demonstrating how the conclusion of a classic debate in conservation planning between cost and benefit targeting was altered based on the available information. As a case study, we determined parcel-level acquisition costs and biodiversity benefits of land transactions recently undertaken by a nonprofit conservation organization that seeks to protect forests in the eastern United States. Then, we used hypothetical conservation plans to simulate the types of ex ante priorities that an organization could use to prioritize areas for protection. We found the apparent effectiveness of cost and benefit targeting depended on the spatial grain of the data used when prioritizing parcels based on local species richness. However, when accounting for complementarity, benefit targeting consistently was more efficient than a cost targeting strategy regardless of the spatial grain of the data involved. More pertinently for other studies, we found that combining data collected over different spatial grains inflated the apparent effectiveness of a cost targeting strategy and led to overestimation of the efficiency gain offered by adopting a more integrative return-on-investment approach. © 2014 Society for Conservation Biology.

Generalized cost-effectiveness analysis for national-level priority-setting in the health sector

PubMed Central

Hutubessy, Raymond; Chisholm, Dan; Edejer, Tessa Tan-Torres

2003-01-01

Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is potentially an important aid to public health decision-making but, with some notable exceptions, its use and impact at the level of individual countries is limited. A number of potential reasons may account for this, among them technical shortcomings associated with the generation of current economic evidence, political expediency, social preferences and systemic barriers to implementation. As a form of sectoral CEA, Generalized CEA sets out to overcome a number of these barriers to the appropriate use of cost-effectiveness information at the regional and country level. Its application via WHO-CHOICE provides a new economic evidence base, as well as underlying methodological developments, concerning the cost-effectiveness of a range of health interventions for leading causes of, and risk factors for, disease. The estimated sub-regional costs and effects of different interventions provided by WHO-CHOICE can readily be tailored to the specific context of individual countries, for example by adjustment to the quantity and unit prices of intervention inputs (costs) or the coverage, efficacy and adherence rates of interventions (effectiveness). The potential usefulness of this information for health policy and planning is in assessing if current intervention strategies represent an efficient use of scarce resources, and which of the potential additional interventions that are not yet implemented, or not implemented fully, should be given priority on the grounds of cost-effectiveness. Health policy-makers and programme managers can use results from WHO-CHOICE as a valuable input into the planning and prioritization of services at national level, as well as a starting point for additional analyses of the trade-off between the efficiency of interventions in producing health and their impact on other key outcomes such as reducing inequalities and improving the health of the poor. PMID:14687420

Generalized cost-effectiveness analysis for national-level priority-setting in the health sector.

PubMed

Hutubessy, Raymond; Chisholm, Dan; Edejer, Tessa Tan-Torres

2003-12-19

Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is potentially an important aid to public health decision-making but, with some notable exceptions, its use and impact at the level of individual countries is limited. A number of potential reasons may account for this, among them technical shortcomings associated with the generation of current economic evidence, political expediency, social preferences and systemic barriers to implementation. As a form of sectoral CEA, Generalized CEA sets out to overcome a number of these barriers to the appropriate use of cost-effectiveness information at the regional and country level. Its application via WHO-CHOICE provides a new economic evidence base, as well as underlying methodological developments, concerning the cost-effectiveness of a range of health interventions for leading causes of, and risk factors for, disease.The estimated sub-regional costs and effects of different interventions provided by WHO-CHOICE can readily be tailored to the specific context of individual countries, for example by adjustment to the quantity and unit prices of intervention inputs (costs) or the coverage, efficacy and adherence rates of interventions (effectiveness). The potential usefulness of this information for health policy and planning is in assessing if current intervention strategies represent an efficient use of scarce resources, and which of the potential additional interventions that are not yet implemented, or not implemented fully, should be given priority on the grounds of cost-effectiveness.Health policy-makers and programme managers can use results from WHO-CHOICE as a valuable input into the planning and prioritization of services at national level, as well as a starting point for additional analyses of the trade-off between the efficiency of interventions in producing health and their impact on other key outcomes such as reducing inequalities and improving the health of the poor.

[Study cost/effectiveness of portable fridges in the mobile unit of emergencies of Alcañiz (Teruel)].

PubMed

Mir Ramos, Eduardo; Martínez Tofé, Jesús; Castro Salanova, Rafael; Azón López, Esther; Corcuera Cantabrana, Ana; Sancho Pellicer, Antonio

2012-09-01

The maintenance of cold chain can result difficult in Emergency Mobil Units that's why the aim of this study is to value the effectiveness of portable fridges with/without compressor and its cost-effectiveness by a computer simulation. This descriptive, transversal and cost effectiveness analysis was developed in two Emergency Mobil Units of 061 Aragón of Alcañiz (Teruel) along a year. The results showed that in the fridge with compressor, the 93'8% of the temperatures was between 2 and 8 degrees C, where as in the fridge without compressor was of the 35,7%.The global and specific cost effectiveness ratio of the fridge with and without compressor were of 0,063 and 7,411 and of 0,080 and 147,55 respectively. Fridge with compressor was more cost-effective, amortizing quickly its initial cost. This fridge had a better and more efficient thermoregulation what supposed a better conservation of drugs and lower costs, according to the model of simulation.

Are drug-coated balloons cost effective for femoropopliteal occlusive disease? A comparison of bare metal stents and uncoated balloons.

PubMed

Poder, Thomas G; Fisette, Jean-François

2016-07-01

To perform a cost-effectiveness analysis to help hospital decision-makers with regard to the use of drug-coated balloons compared with bare metal stents and uncoated balloons for femoropopliteal occlusive disease. Clinical outcomes were extracted from the results of meta-analyses already published, and cost units are those used in the Quebec healthcare network. The literature review was limited to the last four years to obtain the most recent data. The cost-effectiveness analysis was based on a 2-year perspective, and risk factors of reintervention were considered. The cost-effectiveness analysis indicated that drug-coated balloons were generally more efficient than bare metal stents, particularly for patients with higher risk of reintervention (up to CAD$1686 per patient TASC II C or D). Compared with uncoated balloons, results indicated that drug-coated balloons were more efficient if the reintervention rate associated with uncoated balloons is very high and for patients with higher risk of reintervention (up to CAD$3301 per patient). The higher a patient's risk of reintervention, the higher the savings associated with the use of a drug-coated balloon will be. For patients at lower risk, the uncoated balloon strategy is still recommended as a first choice for endovascular intervention.

An Analysis of Marine Corps Training

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-06-01

total systems approach to datarmine how it can be made more effective and efficient with the ultimate goal of improved combat readiness. Six major...their attention in recent years on the costs and the effectiveness of military train- ing and ieducation.- This concern has -caused each of the Services...more-effi- cient-without a- loss- of effectiveness . To achieve--optimum effectiveness and-efficiency,_ decisions €o6ncerning -manage- ment of the-tr

Teleradiology from the provider's perspective-cost analysis for a mid-size university hospital.

PubMed

Rosenberg, Christian; Kroos, Kristin; Rosenberg, Britta; Hosten, Norbert; Flessa, Steffen

2013-08-01

Real costs of teleradiology services have not been systematically calculated. Pricing policies are not evidence-based. This study aims to prove the feasibility of performing an original cost analysis for teleradiology services and show break-even points to perform cost-effective practice. Based on the teleradiology services provided by the Greifswald University Hospital in northeastern Germany, a detailed process analysis and an activity-based costing model revealed costs per service unit according to eight examination categories. The Monte Carlo method was used to simulate the cost amplitude and identify pricing thresholds. Twenty-two sub-processes and four staff categories were identified. The average working time for one unit was 55 (x-ray) to 72 min (whole-body CT). Personnel costs were dominant (up to 68 %), representing lower limit costs. The Monte Carlo method showed the cost distribution per category according to the deficiency risk. Avoiding deficient pricing by a likelihood of 90 % increased the cost of a cranial CT almost twofold as compared with the lower limit cost. Original cost analysis is possible when providing teleradiology services with complex statutory requirements in place. Methodology and results provide useful data to help enhance efficiency in hospital management as well as implement realistic reimbursement fees. • Analysis of original costs of teleradiology is possible for a providing hospital • Results discriminate pricing thresholds and lower limit costs to perform cost-effective practice • The study methods represent a managing tool to enhance efficiency in providing facilities • The data are useful to help represent telemedicine services in regular medical fee schedules.

Cost-effectiveness of an electronic clinical decision support system for improving quality of antenatal and childbirth care in rural Tanzania: an intervention study.

PubMed

Saronga, Happiness Pius; Duysburgh, Els; Massawe, Siriel; Dalaba, Maxwell Ayindenaba; Wangwe, Peter; Sukums, Felix; Leshabari, Melkizedeck; Blank, Antje; Sauerborn, Rainer; Loukanova, Svetla

2017-08-07

QUALMAT project aimed at improving quality of maternal and newborn care in selected health care facilities in three African countries. An electronic clinical decision support system was implemented to support providers comply with established standards in antenatal and childbirth care. Given that health care resources are limited and interventions differ in their potential impact on health and costs (efficiency), this study aimed at assessing cost-effectiveness of the system in Tanzania. This was a quantitative pre- and post- intervention study involving 6 health centres in rural Tanzania. Cost information was collected from health provider's perspective. Outcome information was collected through observation of the process of maternal care. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios for antenatal and childbirth care were calculated with testing of four models where the system was compared to the conventional paper-based approach to care. One-way sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine whether changes in process quality score and cost would impact on cost-effectiveness ratios. Economic cost of implementation was 167,318 USD, equivalent to 27,886 USD per health center and 43 USD per contact. The system improved antenatal process quality by 4.5% and childbirth care process quality by 23.3% however these improvements were not statistically significant. Base-case incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of the system were 2469 USD and 338 USD per 1% change in process quality for antenatal and childbirth care respectively. Cost-effectiveness of the system was sensitive to assumptions made on costs and outcomes. Although the system managed to marginally improve individual process quality variables, it did not have significant improvement effect on the overall process quality of care in the short-term. A longer duration of usage of the electronic clinical decision support system and retention of staff are critical to the efficiency of the system and can reduce the invested resources. Realization of gains from the system requires effective implementation and an enabling healthcare system. Registered clinical trial at www.clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT01409824 ). Registered May 2009.

2 CFR 225.20 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... approach for determining costs and to promote effective program delivery, efficiency, and better... allowable costs only. They are not intended to identify the circumstances or to dictate the extent of... Agreements Office of Management and Budget Guidance for Grants and Agreements OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET...

40 CFR 35.1650-2 - Limitations on awards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... costs for harvesting aquatic vegetation, or for chemical treatment to alleviate temporarily the symptoms of eutrophication, or for operating and maintaining lake aeration devices, or for providing similar palliative methods and procedures, unless these procedures are the most energy efficient or cost effective...

40 CFR 35.1650-2 - Limitations on awards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... costs for harvesting aquatic vegetation, or for chemical treatment to alleviate temporarily the symptoms of eutrophication, or for operating and maintaining lake aeration devices, or for providing similar palliative methods and procedures, unless these procedures are the most energy efficient or cost effective...

40 CFR 35.1650-2 - Limitations on awards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... costs for harvesting aquatic vegetation, or for chemical treatment to alleviate temporarily the symptoms of eutrophication, or for operating and maintaining lake aeration devices, or for providing similar palliative methods and procedures, unless these procedures are the most energy efficient or cost effective...

40 CFR 35.1650-2 - Limitations on awards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... costs for harvesting aquatic vegetation, or for chemical treatment to alleviate temporarily the symptoms of eutrophication, or for operating and maintaining lake aeration devices, or for providing similar palliative methods and procedures, unless these procedures are the most energy efficient or cost effective...

Middle-Aged Thinking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nixon, Charles W.

1998-01-01

Examines renovation issues involving 30- and 40-year-old school facilities. Explores ways a school district can renovate old buildings to first-class cost-effective facilities while avoiding excessive transition costs. Discussions include installation of new technology and the resulting wiring demands, and developing more energy-efficient heating…

Assessment of design parameters and construction requirements for full depth reclamation projects with cement.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-02-01

The ability to efficiently rehabilitate and maintain the State of Vermonts Highway infrastructure in a : cost-effective manner is a daunting task. Historically, pavement overlay treatments were specified : because it was a rapid low cost solution ...

A practical, cost-effective method for recruiting people into healthy eating behavior programs.

PubMed

McDonald, Paul W

2007-04-01

The population impact of programs designed to develop healthy eating behaviors is limited by the number of people who use them. Most public health providers and researchers rely on purchased mass media, which can be expensive, on public service announcements, or clinic-based recruitment, which can have limited reach. Few studies offer assistance for selecting high-outreach and low-cost strategies to promote healthy eating programs. The purpose of this study was 1) to determine whether classified newspaper advertising is an effective and efficient method of recruiting participants into a healthy eating program and 2) to determine whether segmenting messages by transtheoretical stage of change would help engage individuals at all levels of motivation to change their eating behavior. For 5 days in 1997, three advertisements corresponding to different stages of change were placed in a Canadian newspaper with a daily circulation of 75,000. There were 282 eligible people who responded to newspaper advertisements, and the cost was Can $1.11 (U.S. $0.72) per recruit. This cost compares favorably with the cost efficiency of mass media, direct mail, and other common promotional methods. Message type was correlated with respondent's stage of change, and this correlation suggested that attempts to send different messages to different audience segments were successful. Classified advertisements appear to be a highly cost-efficient method for recruiting a diverse range of participants into healthy eating programs and research about healthy eating.

The role of cost-effectiveness analysis in developing nutrition policy.

PubMed

Cobiac, Linda J; Veerman, Lennert; Vos, Theo

2013-01-01

Concern about the overconsumption of unhealthy foods is growing worldwide. With high global rates of noncommunicable diseases related to poor nutrition and projections of more rapid increases of rates in low- and middle-income countries, it is vital to identify effective but low-cost interventions. Cost-effectiveness studies show that individually targeted dietary interventions can be effective and cost-effective, but a growing number of modeling studies suggest that population-wide approaches may bring larger and more sustained benefits for population health at a lower cost to society. Mandatory regulation of salt in processed foods, in particular, is highly recommended. Future research should focus on lacunae in the current evidence base: effectiveness of interventions addressing the marketing, availability, and price of healthy and unhealthy foods; modeling health impacts of complex dietary changes and multi-intervention strategies; and modeling health implications in diverse subpopulations to identify interventions that will most efficiently and effectively reduce health inequalities.

Choosing options for ultrasound screening in pregnancy and comparing cost effectiveness: a decision analysis approach.

PubMed

Roberts, T; Mugford, M; Piercy, J

1998-09-01

To compare the cost effectiveness of different programmes of routine antenatal ultrasound screening to detect four key fetal anomalies: serious cardiac anomalies, spina bifida, Down's syndrome and lethal anomalies, using existing evidence. Decision analysis was used based on the best data currently available, including expert opinion from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Working Party and secondary data from the literature, to predict the likely outcomes in terms of malformations detected by each screening programme. Results applicable in clinics, hospitals or GP practices delivering antenatal screening. The number of cases with a 'target' malformation correctly detected antenatally. There was substantial overlap between the cost ranges of each screening programme demonstrating considerable uncertainty about the relative economic efficiency of alternative programmes for ultrasound screening. The cheapest, but not the most effective, screening programme consisted of one second trimester ultrasound scan. The cost per target anomaly detected (cost effectiveness) for this programme was in the range 5,000 pound silver-109,000, pound silver but in any 1000 women it will also fail to detect between 3.6 and 4.7 target anomalies. The range of uncertainty in the costs did not allow selection of any one programme as a clear choice for NHS purchasers. The results suggested that the overall allocation of resources for routine ultrasound screening in the UK is not currently economically efficient, but that certain scenarios for ultrasound screening are potentially within the range of cost effectiveness reached by other, possibly competing, screening programmes. The model highlighted the weakness of available evidence and demonstrated the need for more information both about current practice and costs.

Emergency Food Assistance in Northern Syria: An Evaluation of Transfer Programs in Idleb Governorate.

PubMed

Doocy, Shannon; Tappis, Hannah; Lyles, Emily; Witiw, Joseph; Aken, Vicki

2017-06-01

The war in Syria has left millions struggling to survive amidst violent conflict, pervasive unemployment, and food insecurity. Although international assistance funding is also at an all-time high, it is insufficient to meet the needs of conflict-affected populations, and there is increasing pressure on humanitarian stakeholders to find more efficient, effective ways to provide assistance. To evaluate 3 different assistance programs (in-kind food commodities, food vouchers, and unrestricted vouchers) in Idleb Governorate of Syria from December 2014 and March 2015. The evaluation used repeated survey data from beneficiary households to determine whether assistance was successful in maintaining food security at the household level. Shopkeeper surveys and program monitoring data were used to assess the impact on markets at the district/governorate levels and compare the cost-efficiency and cost-effectiveness of transfer modalities. Both in-kind food assistance and voucher programs showed positive effects on household food security and economic measures in Idleb; however, no intervention was successful in improving all outcomes measured. Food transfers were more likely to improve food access and food security than vouchers and unrestricted vouchers. Voucher programs were found to be more cost-efficient than in-kind food assistance, and more cost-effective for increasing household food consumption. Continuation of multiple types of transfer programs, including both in-kind assistance and vouchers, will allow humanitarian actors to remain responsive to evolving access and security considerations, local needs, and market dynamics.

The cost benefit and efficiency of waste water treatment using domestic ponds—the ultimate solution in Southern Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ntengwe, F. W.

Wastewater treatment has become a challenge to most countries in Southern Africa because of the fluctuating economies that have been hit by high levels of debts. The treatment of domestic wastewater using ponds, if carefully utilized, as has been observed in most countries in the world, is the most cost effective means of handling wastewaters. When compared to the conventional use of treatment plants, the ponds have been observed to be the ultimate solution for the countries in Southern Africa especially those that are classified as Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) because of little or no operating costs associated with the treatment. The study conducted on Kitwe Waste Water Treatment Ponds to evaluate the cost benefit and efficiencies has revealed low levels of operating cost and high removal efficiencies of oxygen demanding wastes (BOD removal of 86% and TSS removal of 75%), pH values ranged from 7 to 8 indicating an increasing alkalinity from facultative to maturation ponds while other parameters such as nitrates, phosphates and temperature were found to be within acceptable levels thereby releasing effluent that makes the environment sustainable. The overall social benefit was found to be much higher than the operating costs.

Is bigger better? An empirical analysis of waste management in New South Wales

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

Carvalho, Pedro, E-mail: pedrotcc@gmail.com; CESUR – Center for Urban and Regional Systems, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisbon; Marques, Rui Cunha, E-mail: rui.marques@tecnico.ulisboa.pt

Highlights: • We search for the most efficient cost structure for NSW household waste services. • We found that larger services are no longer efficient. • We found an optimal size for the range 12,000–20,000 inhabitants. • We found significant economies of output density for household waste collection. • We found economies of scope in joint provision of unsorted and recycling services. - Abstract: Across the world, rising demand for municipal solid waste services has seen an ongoing increase in the costs of providing these services. Moreover, municipal waste services have typically been provided through natural or legal monopolies, wheremore » few incentives exist to reduce costs. It is thus vital to examine empirically the cost structure of these services in order to develop effective public policies which can make these services more cost efficient. Accordingly, this paper considers economies of size and economies of output density in the municipal waste collection sector in the New South Wales (NSW) local government system in an effort to identify the optimal size of utilities from the perspective of cost efficiency. Our results show that – as presently constituted – NSW municipal waste services are not efficient in terms of costs, thereby demonstrating that ‘bigger is not better.’ The optimal size of waste utilities is estimated to fall in the range 12,000–20,000 inhabitants. However, significant economies of output density for unsorted (residual) municipal waste collection and recycling waste collection were found, which means it is advantageous to increase the amount of waste collected, but maintaining constant the number of customers and the intervention area.« less

Effect of increasing energy cost on arm coordination in elite sprint swimmers.

PubMed

Komar, J; Leprêtre, P M; Alberty, M; Vantorre, J; Fernandes, R J; Hellard, P; Chollet, D; Seifert, L

2012-06-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze the changes in stroke parameters, motor organization and swimming efficiency with increasing energy cost in aquatic locomotion. Seven elite sprint swimmers performed a 6×300-m incremental swimming test. Stroke parameters (speed, stroke rate and stroke length), motor organization (arm stroke phases and arm coordination index), swimming efficiency (swimming speed squared and hand speed squared) and stroke index were calculated from aerial and underwater side-view cameras. The energy cost of locomotion was assessed by measuring oxygen consumption and blood lactate. Results showed that the increase in energy cost of locomotion was correlated to an increase in the index of coordination and stroke rate, and a decrease in stroke length (p<.05). Furthermore, indicators of swimming efficiency and stroke index did not change significantly with the speed increments (p<.05), indicating that swimmers did not decrease their efficiency despite the increase in energy cost. In parallel, an increase in the index of coordination IdC and stroke rate were observed, along with a decrease in stroke length, stroke index and hand speed squared with each increment, revealing an adaptation to the fatigue within the 300m. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Is law enforcement of drug-impaired driving cost-efficient? An explorative study of a methodology for cost-benefit analysis.

PubMed

Veisten, Knut; Houwing, Sjoerd; Mathijssen, M P M René; Akhtar, Juned

2013-03-01

Road users driving under the influence of psychoactive substances may be at much higher relative risk (RR) in road traffic than the average driver. Legislation banning blood alcohol concentrations above certain threshold levels combined with roadside breath-testing of alcohol have been in lieu for decades in many countries, but new legislation and testing of drivers for drug use have recently been implemented in some countries. In this article we present a methodology for cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of increased law enforcement of roadside drug screening. This is an analysis of the profitability for society, where costs of control are weighed against the reduction in injuries expected from fewer drugged drivers on the roads. We specify assumptions regarding costs and the effect of the specificity of the drug screening device, and quantify a deterrence effect related to sensitivity of the device yielding the benefit estimates. Three European countries with different current enforcement levels were studied, yielding benefit-cost ratios in the approximate range of 0.5-5 for a tripling of current levels of enforcement, with costs of about 4000 EUR per convicted and in the range of 1.5 and 13 million EUR per prevented fatality. The applied methodology for CBA has involved a simplistic behavioural response to enforcement increase and control efficiency. Although this methodology should be developed further, it is clearly indicated that the cost-efficiency of increased law enforcement of drug driving offences is dependent on the baseline situation of drug-use in traffic and on the current level of enforcement, as well as the RR and prevalence of drugs in road traffic. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Data on electrical energy conservation using high efficiency motors for the confidence bounds using statistical techniques.

PubMed

Shaikh, Muhammad Mujtaba; Memon, Abdul Jabbar; Hussain, Manzoor

2016-09-01

In this article, we describe details of the data used in the research paper "Confidence bounds for energy conservation in electric motors: An economical solution using statistical techniques" [1]. The data presented in this paper is intended to show benefits of high efficiency electric motors over the standard efficiency motors of similar rating in the industrial sector of Pakistan. We explain how the data was collected and then processed by means of formulas to show cost effectiveness of energy efficient motors in terms of three important parameters: annual energy saving, cost saving and payback periods. This data can be further used to construct confidence bounds for the parameters using statistical techniques as described in [1].

Bioremediation of PAHs and VOCs: Advances in clay mineral-microbial interaction.

PubMed

Biswas, Bhabananda; Sarkar, Binoy; Rusmin, Ruhaida; Naidu, Ravi

2015-12-01

Bioremediation is an effective strategy for cleaning up organic contaminants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Advanced bioremediation implies that biotic agents are more efficient in degrading the contaminants completely. Bioremediation by microbial degradation is often employed and to make this process efficient, natural and cost-effective materials can serve as supportive matrices. Clay/modified clay minerals are effective adsorbents of PAHs/VOCs, and readily available substrate and habitat for microorganisms in the natural soil and sediment. However, the mechanism underpinning clay-mediated biodegradation of organic compounds is often unclear, and this requires critical investigation. This review describes the role of clay/modified clay minerals in hydrocarbon bioremediation through interaction with microbial agents in specific scenarios. The vision is on a faster, more efficient and cost-effective bioremediation technique using clay-based products. This review also proposes future research directions in the field of clay modulated microbial degradation of hydrocarbons. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Report: Superfund Interagency Agreements

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Report #2001-P-00011, June 22, 2001. EPA generally had effective controls in place to ensure its Superfund IAGs achieve expected environmental results in a timely, cost-effective, and efficient manner.

Costing bias in economic evaluations.

PubMed

Frappier, Julie; Tremblay, Gabriel; Charny, Mark; Cloutier, L Martin

2015-01-01

Determining the cost-effectiveness of healthcare interventions is key to the decision-making process in healthcare. Cost comparisons are used to demonstrate the economic value of treatment options, to evaluate the impact on the insurer budget, and are often used as a key criterion in treatment comparison and comparative effectiveness; however, little guidance is available to researchers for establishing the costing of clinical events and resource utilization. Different costing methods exist, and the choice of underlying assumptions appears to have a significant impact on the results of the costing analysis. This editorial describes the importance of the choice of the costing technique and it's potential impact on the relative cost of treatment options. This editorial also calls for a more efficient approach to healthcare intervention costing in order to ensure the use of consistent costing in the decision-making process.

Value-based Proposition for a Dedicated Interventional Pulmonology Suite: an Adaptable Business Model.

PubMed

Desai, Neeraj R; French, Kim D; Diamond, Edward; Kovitz, Kevin L

2018-05-31

Value-based care is evolving with a focus on improving efficiency, reducing cost, and enhancing the patient experience. Interventional pulmonology has the opportunity to lead an effective value-based care model. This model is supported by the relatively low cost of pulmonary procedures and has the potential to improve efficiencies in thoracic care. We discuss key strategies to evaluate and improve efficiency in Interventional Pulmonology practice and describe our experience in developing an interventional pulmonology suite. Such a model can be adapted to other specialty areas and may encourage a more coordinated approach to specialty care. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Lowering the barriers to consumer-directed health care: responding to concerns.

PubMed

Baicker, Katherine; Dow, William H; Wolfson, Jonathan

2007-01-01

Consumer-directed health care is a potentially promising tool for moving toward more efficient use of health care resources. Tax policy has long been biased against health plans with significant patient cost sharing. Tax advantages created by health savings accounts (HSAs) began to change that, and proposed tax reforms could go even further. We assess various critiques of these plans, focusing on why they benefit not just the healthy and wealthy. Lower costs and more efficient health spending would help all patients and reduce uninsurance. Potential negative distributional effects are important but can be remedied more efficiently without distorting insurance design.

Strategies for designing an efficient insurance fertility benefit: a 21st century approach.

PubMed

Jones, Howard W; Allen, Brian D

2009-06-01

Creating a 21st century insurance benefit for infertility should be cost effective. Savings can be realized by eliminating hidden infertility costs, eliminating payments for ineffective treatments, and providing coverage for effective 21st century treatments, thus reducing costs associated with iatrogenic multiple pregnancies. The new benefit allows patients to attempt 21st century forms of infertility treatments while being managed by certified infertility providers. Industry and insurance carriers might save money by examination and implementation of this concept.

Staged, High-Pressure Oxy-Combustion Technology: Development and Scale-Up

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

Axelbaum, Richard; Kumfer, Benjamin; Gopan, Akshay

The immediate need for a high efficiency, low cost carbon capture process has prompted the recent development of pressurized oxy-combustion. With a greater combustion pressure the dew point of the flue gas is increased, allowing for effective integration of the latent heat of flue gas moisture into the Rankine cycle. This increases the net plant efficiency and reduces costs. A novel, transformational process, named Staged, Pressurized Oxy-Combustion (SPOC), achieves additional step changes in efficiency and cost reduction by significantly reducing the recycle of flue gas. The research and development activities conducted under Phases I and II of this project (FE0009702)more » include: SPOC power plant cost and performance modeling, CFD-assisted design of pressurized SPOC boilers, theoretical analysis of radiant heat transfer and ash deposition, boiler materials corrosion testing, construction of a 100 kWth POC test facility, and experimental testing. The results of this project have advanced the technology readiness level (TRL) of the SPOC technology from 1 to 5.« less

Extremely Cost-Effective and Efficient Solar Vapor Generation under Nonconcentrated Illumination Using Thermally Isolated Black Paper.

PubMed

Liu, Zhejun; Song, Haomin; Ji, Dengxin; Li, Chenyu; Cheney, Alec; Liu, Youhai; Zhang, Nan; Zeng, Xie; Chen, Borui; Gao, Jun; Li, Yuesheng; Liu, Xiang; Aga, Diana; Jiang, Suhua; Yu, Zongfu; Gan, Qiaoqiang

2017-02-27

Passive solar vapor generation represents a promising and environmentally benign method of water purification/desalination. However, conventional solar steam generation techniques usually rely on costly and cumbersome optical concentration systems and have relatively low efficiency due to bulk heating of the entire liquid volume. Here, an efficient strategy using extremely low-cost materials, i.e., carbon black (powder), hydrophilic porous paper, and expanded polystyrene foam is reported. Due to the excellent thermal insulation between the surface liquid and the bulk volume of the water and the suppressed radiative and convective losses from the absorber surface to the adjacent heated vapor, a record thermal efficiency of ≈88% is obtained under 1 sun without concentration, corresponding to the evaporation rate of 1.28 kg (m 2 h) -1 . When scaled up to a 100 cm 2 array in a portable solar water still system and placed in an outdoor environment, the freshwater generation rate is 2.4 times of that of a leading commercial product. By simultaneously addressing both the need for high-efficiency operation as well as production cost limitations, this system can provide an approach for individuals to purify water for personal needs, which is particularly suitable for undeveloped regions with limited/no access to electricity.

Early Years Centres for Pre-School Children with Primary Language Difficulties: What Do They Cost, and are They Cost-Effective?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Law, J.; Dockrell, J. E.; Castelnuovo, E.; Williams, K.; Seeff, B.; Normand, C.

2006-01-01

Background: High levels of early language difficulties raise practical issues about the efficient and effective means of meeting children's needs. Persistent language difficulties place significant financial pressures on health and education services. This has led to large investment in intervention in the early years; yet, little is known about…

Value-based differential pricing: efficient prices for drugs in a global context.

PubMed

Danzon, Patricia; Towse, Adrian; Mestre-Ferrandiz, Jorge

2015-03-01

This paper analyzes pharmaceutical pricing between and within countries to achieve second-best static and dynamic efficiency. We distinguish countries with and without universal insurance, because insurance undermines patients' price sensitivity, potentially leading to prices above second-best efficient levels. In countries with universal insurance, if each payer unilaterally sets an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) threshold based on its citizens' willingness-to-pay for health; manufacturers price to that ICER threshold; and payers limit reimbursement to patients for whom a drug is cost-effective at that price and ICER, then the resulting price levels and use within each country and price differentials across countries are roughly consistent with second-best static and dynamic efficiency. These value-based prices are expected to differ cross-nationally with per capita income and be broadly consistent with Ramsey optimal prices. Countries without comprehensive insurance avoid its distorting effects on prices but also lack financial protection and affordability for the poor. Improving pricing efficiency in these self-pay countries includes improving regulation and consumer information about product quality and enabling firms to price discriminate within and between countries. © 2013 The Authors. Health Economics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Economic evaluation of infection control activities.

PubMed

Seko, T; Tachi, T; Kawashima, N; Maeda, T; Yasuda, M; Noguchi, Y; Teramachi, H

2017-08-01

Healthcare-associated infections by drug-resistant bacteria affect a patient's prognosis. Infection control activities at medical institutions in Japan are increasingly focused on the threat from these bacteria. To undertake a full cost analysis that included the costs of consumables and labour required for infection control activities. The cost of infection control activities undertaken by the infection control team (ICT) at Nishimino Kosei Hospital in Japan was surveyed from January 2013 to December 2015. The evaluation index of infection control activities used the meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus detection rate. The cost:effectiveness ratio (CER) of each intervention was calculated. Consumables and labour costs increased over time, as did the ratio of labour cost to total cost over time. However, the CER of interventions was found to have decreased, from ¥164,177 in 2014 to ¥57,989 in 2015. There were increases not only in the amount of consumables, but also in ICT time, suggesting the possibility of improvements in the economic efficiency of infection control. Increasing the amount of consumables and the time input of the ICT could help improve the economic efficiency of infection control. Our research suggests the possibility for improvements in the economic efficiency of infection control. Copyright © 2017 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cost/CYP: a bottom line that helps keep CSM projects cost-efficient.

PubMed

1985-01-01

In contraceptive social marketing (CSM), the objective is social good, but project managers also need to run a tight ship, trimming costs, allocating scarce funds, and monitoring their program's progress. 1 way CSM managers remain cost-conscious is through the concept of couple-years-of-protection (CYP). Devised 2 decades ago as an administrative tool to compare the effects of different contraceptive methods, CYP's uses have multiplied to include assessing program output and cost effectiveness. Some of the factors affecting cost/CYP are a project's age, sales volume, management efficiency, and product prices and line. These factors are interconnected. The cost/CYP figures given here do not include outlays for commodities. While the Agency for International Development's commodity costs alter slightly with each new purchase contrast, the agency reports that a condom costs about 4 cents (US), an oral contraceptive (OC) cycle about 12 cents, and a spermicidal tablet about 7 cents. CSM projects have relatively high start-up costs. Within a project's first 2 years, expenses must cover such marketing activities as research, packaging, warehousing, and heavy promotion. As a project ages, sales should grow, producing revenues that gradually amortize these initial costs. The Nepal CSM project provides an example of how cost/CYP can improve as a program ages. In 1978, the year sales began, the project's cost/CYP was about $84. For some time the project struggled to get its products to its target market and gradually overcome several major hurdles. The acquisition of jeeps eased distribution and, by adding another condom brand, sales were increased still more, bringing the cost/CYP down to $8.30 in 1981. With further sales increases and resulting revenues, the cost/CYP dropped to just over $7 in 1983. When the sales volume becomes large enough, CSM projects can achieve economies of scale, which greatly improves cost-efficiency. Fixed costs shrink as a proportion of total expenditures. Good project management goes hand-in-hand with increasing sales. Cost/CYP is a powerful tool, but some project strategies alter its meaning. Some projects have lowered net costs by selling products at high prices. This dilutes the social marketing credo of getting low-cost projects to those in need. When this occurs, cost/CYP undergoes an identity crisis, for it no longer measures a purely social objective.

The Cost-Effectiveness of High-Risk Lung Cancer Screening and Drivers of Program Efficiency.

PubMed

Cressman, Sonya; Peacock, Stuart J; Tammemägi, Martin C; Evans, William K; Leighl, Natasha B; Goffin, John R; Tremblay, Alain; Liu, Geoffrey; Manos, Daria; MacEachern, Paul; Bhatia, Rick; Puksa, Serge; Nicholas, Garth; McWilliams, Annette; Mayo, John R; Yee, John; English, John C; Pataky, Reka; McPherson, Emily; Atkar-Khattra, Sukhinder; Johnston, Michael R; Schmidt, Heidi; Shepherd, Frances A; Soghrati, Kam; Amjadi, Kayvan; Burrowes, Paul; Couture, Christian; Sekhon, Harmanjatinder S; Yasufuku, Kazuhiro; Goss, Glenwood; Ionescu, Diana N; Hwang, David M; Martel, Simon; Sin, Don D; Tan, Wan C; Urbanski, Stefan; Xu, Zhaolin; Tsao, Ming-Sound; Lam, Stephen

2017-08-01

Lung cancer risk prediction models have the potential to make programs more affordable; however, the economic evidence is limited. Participants in the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial (NLST) were retrospectively identified with the risk prediction tool developed from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. The high-risk subgroup was assessed for lung cancer incidence and demographic characteristics compared with those in the low-risk subgroup and the Pan-Canadian Early Detection of Lung Cancer Study (PanCan), which is an observational study that was high-risk-selected in Canada. A comparison of high-risk screening versus standard care was made with a decision-analytic model using data from the NLST with Canadian cost data from screening and treatment in the PanCan study. Probabilistic and deterministic sensitivity analyses were undertaken to assess uncertainty and identify drivers of program efficiency. Use of the risk prediction tool developed from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial with a threshold set at 2% over 6 years would have reduced the number of individuals who needed to be screened in the NLST by 81%. High-risk screening participants in the NLST had more adverse demographic characteristics than their counterparts in the PanCan study. High-risk screening would cost $20,724 (in 2015 Canadian dollars) per quality-adjusted life-year gained and would be considered cost-effective at a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000 in Canadian dollars per quality-adjusted life-year gained with a probability of 0.62. Cost-effectiveness was driven primarily by non-lung cancer outcomes. Higher noncurative drug costs or current costs for immunotherapy and targeted therapies in the United States would render lung cancer screening a cost-saving intervention. Non-lung cancer outcomes drive screening efficiency in diverse, tobacco-exposed populations. Use of risk selection can reduce the budget impact, and screening may even offer cost savings if noncurative treatment costs continue to rise. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Direct mailing was a successful recruitment strategy for a lung-cancer screening trial.

PubMed

Hinshaw, Lisa B; Jackson, Sharon A; Chen, Michael Y

2007-08-01

To analyze advertising, recruitment methods, and study participant demographics for the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) site at Wake Forest University School of Medicine to define efficient ways to recruit participants for general clinical trials. Recruitment method data, demographics, geographic location, and date of enrollment were collected from all 1,112 NLST participants. Marketing data and financial records were analyzed to determine the effectiveness of each recruitment method. The total amount spent on advertising was $144,668, with the cost of enrollment per participant averaging $130. For black participants, the recruitment cost per person was $406, whereas for white and other race participants, the cost was $122 (P<0.0001). To encourage minority enrollment, $13,192 was spent on television advertising geared toward black viewers, resulting in eight black participants at an average cost per person of $1,649. Direct mailing cost $143 per participant recruited, whereas TV ads cost $382 per participant. Direct mailing to a targeted group was the most efficient way to recruit participants. Printed advertising methods, that is, newspaper ads and brochures, were quite effective, whereas television ads were expensive. Appropriate minority recruitment needs sufficient attention and resources to ensure census groups are adequately represented.

Design and cost drivers in 2-D braiding

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morales, Alberto

1993-01-01

Fundamentally, the braiding process is a highly efficient, low cost method for combining single yarns into circumferential shapes, as evidenced by the number of applications for continuous sleeving. However, this braiding approach cannot fully demonstrate that it can drastically reduce the cost of complex shape structural preforms. Factors such as part geometry, machine design and configuration, materials used, and operating parameters are described as key cost drivers and what is needed to minimize their effect on elevating the cost of structural braided preforms.

Bidding cost evaluation with fuzzy methods on building project in Jakarta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Susetyo, Budi; Utami, Tin Budi

2017-11-01

National construction companies today demanded to become more competitive to face increasingly competition. Every construction company especially the contractor must work better than ever. Ability to prepare cost of the work that represents the efficiency and effectiveness of the implementation of the work necessary to produce cost - competitive. The project is considered successful if the target meets the quality, cost and time. From the aspect of cost, the project has been designed in accordance with certain technical criteria to be taken into account based on standard costs. To ensure the cost efficiency of the bidding process carried out meet the rules of a fairly and competitive. The research objective is to formulate the proper way to compare several deals with the standard cost of the work. The fuzzy technique is used as a evaluation methods to decision making. The evaluation not merely based on the lowest prices. The methods is looking for the most valuable and reasonable prices. The comparison is conducted to determine the most cost-competitive and reasonable as the winner of the bidding.

Industrial Energy Audit Guidebook: Guidelines for Conducting an Energy Audit in Industrial Facilities

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

Hasanbeigi, Ali; Price, Lynn

Various studies in different countries have shown that significant energy-efficiency improvement opportunities exist in the industrial sector, many of which are cost-effective. These energy-efficiency options include both cross-cutting as well as sector-specific measures. However, industrial plants are not always aware of energy-efficiency improvement potentials. Conducting an energy audit is one of the first steps in identifying these potentials. Even so, many plants do not have the capacity to conduct an effective energy audit. In some countries, government policies and programs aim to assist industry to improve competitiveness through increased energy efficiency. However, usually only limited technical and financial resources formore » improving energy efficiency are available, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. Information on energy auditing and practices should, therefore, be prepared and disseminated to industrial plants. This guidebook provides guidelines for energy auditors regarding the key elements for preparing for an energy audit, conducting an inventory and measuring energy use, analyzing energy bills, benchmarking, analyzing energy use patterns, identifying energy-efficiency opportunities, conducting cost-benefit analysis, preparing energy audit reports, and undertaking post-audit activities. The purpose of this guidebook is to assist energy auditors and engineers in the plant to conduct a well-structured and effective energy audit.« less

Bridge-in-a-Backpack(TM). Task 2 : reduction of costs through design modifications and optimization.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-09-01

The cost effective use of FRP composites in infrastructure requires the efficient use of the : composite materials in the design. Previous work during the development phase and : demonstration phase illustrated the need to refine the design methods f...

How to Control Administrative Cost.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halfond, Jay A.

1991-01-01

Growth in college administration has increased costs and bureaucracy. Rather than wait for fiscal crisis or consumer revolt, academic leaders, including faculty and administrators, should initiate change by simplifying activities and procedures and rewarding consolidation. The challenge is to use resources more effectively and efficiently in a…

Integration of aerobic granular sludge and mesh filter membrane bioreactor for cost-effective wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Li, Wen-Wei; Wang, Yun-Kun; Sheng, Guo-Ping; Gui, Yong-Xin; Yu, Lei; Xie, Tong-Qing; Yu, Han-Qing

2012-10-01

Conventional MBR has been mostly based on floc sludge and the use of costly microfiltration membranes. Here, a novel aerobic granule (AG)-mesh filter MBR (MMBR) process was developed for cost-effective wastewater treatment. During 32-day continuous operation, a predominance of granules was maintained in the system, and good filtration performance was achieved at a low trans-membrane pressure (TMP) of below 0.025 m. The granules showed a lower fouling propensity than sludge flocs, attributed to the formation of more porous biocake layer at mesh surface. A low-flux and low-TMP filtration favored a stable system operation. In addition, the reactor had high pollutant removal efficiencies, with a 91.4% chemical oxygen demand removal, 95.7% NH(4)(+) removal, and a low effluent turbidity of 4.1 NTU at the stable stage. This AG-MMBR process offers a promising technology for low-cost and efficient treatment of wastewaters. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficient microplastics extraction from sand. A cost effective methodology based on sodium iodide recycling.

PubMed

Kedzierski, Mikaël; Le Tilly, Véronique; César, Guy; Sire, Olivier; Bruzaud, Stéphane

2017-02-15

Evaluating the microplastics pollution on the shores requires overcoming the technological and economical challenge of efficient plastic extraction from sand. The recovery of dense microplastics requires the use of NaI solutions, a costly process. The aim of this study is to decrease this cost by recycling the NaI solutions and to determine the impact of NaI storage. For studying the NaI recyclability, the solution density and the salt mass have been monitored during ten life cycles. Density, pH and salt mass have been measured for 40days to assess the storage effect. The results show that NaI solutions are recyclable without any density alterations with a total loss of 35.9% after the 10cycles of use. During storage, chemical reactions may appear but are reversible. Consequently, the use of recycling methods allows for a significant cost reduction. How far the plastic extraction by dense solutions is representative is discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Boiler MACT Technical Assistance (Fact Sheet)

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

Not Available

2012-03-01

Fact sheet describing the changes to Environmental Protection Act process standards. The DOE will offer technical assistance to ensure that major sources burning coal and oil have information on cost-effective, clean energy strategies for compliance, and to promote cleaner, more efficient boiler burning to cut harmful pollution and reduce operational costs. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to finalize the reconsideration process for its Clean Air Act pollution standards National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Major Sources: Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Boilers and Process Heaters (known as Boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT)), in Spring 2012.more » This rule applies to large and small boilers in a wide range of industrial facilities and institutions. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will offer technical assistance to ensure that major sources burning coal or oil have information on cost-effective clean energy strategies for compliance, including combined heat and power, and to promote cleaner, more efficient boilers to cut harmful pollution and reduce operational costs.« less

[Comparative cost-effectiveness analysis between darunavir/ritonavir and other protease inhibitors in treatment-naive human immunodeficiency syndrome type 1-infected patients in Spain].

PubMed

Smets, Erik; Brogan, Anita J; Hill, Andrew; Adriaenssen, Ines; Sawyer, Anthony W; Domingo-Pedrol, Pere; Gostkorzewicz, Joana; Ledesma, Francisco

2013-01-01

GESIDA (AIDS Study Group) has proposed preferred regimens of antiretroviral treatment as initial therapy in HIV infected patients. The objective of this analysis is to compare the costs and effectiveness of darunavir/r QD and other ritonavir-boosted (/r) protease inhibitors (PIs) currently recommended in GESIDA guidelines for treatment-naïve patients. A cost-efficacy model compared the boosted PIs recommended as preferred or alternative treatment choices, each used with a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor backbone. Efficacy was measured by 48-week virological response (viral load < 50 copies/mL) adjusted by baseline viral load and CD4 cell count. To generate efficiency frontiers and cost-efficacy ratios, one-year antiretroviral therapy costs in Spain, and 48-week efficacy values were used. The model estimated that starting treatment with darunavir/r QD was the most cost-effective choice compared with the other preferred PI/r based therapies. The average cost per patient with a virological response was lower for darunavir/r QD (13,420€) than for atazanavir/r QD (14,000€), or lopinavir/r BID (13,815€). Among the preferred PI/r-based therapies, darunavir/r QD also was estimated to be the most efficient option for treatment-naïve patients. Atazanavir/r QD and lopinavir/r BID were found to be «dominated» by darunavir/r) and, consequently, were outside the efficiency frontier of PI/r-based first-line treatment. Given a fixed budget of 10 million euros for PI/r-based first-line therapy, the model estimated that darunavir/r QD would yield more responders (745) than atazanavir/r QD (714), or lopinavir/r BID (724). At the same time, darunavir/r QD would reduce the number of individuals failing treatment (150) compared with atazanavir/r QD (172) and lopinavir/r BID (286). In this model, darunavir/r QD was found to be the most cost-effective choice, among the preferred PI/r-based therapies recommended in the Spanish guidelines for treatment-naïve patients. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Espana.

Efficiency assessment of using satellite data for crop area estimation in Ukraine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallego, Francisco Javier; Kussul, Nataliia; Skakun, Sergii; Kravchenko, Oleksii; Shelestov, Andrii; Kussul, Olga

2014-06-01

The knowledge of the crop area is a key element for the estimation of the total crop production of a country and, therefore, the management of agricultural commodities markets. Satellite data and derived products can be effectively used for stratification purposes and a-posteriori correction of area estimates from ground observations. This paper presents the main results and conclusions of the study conducted in 2010 to explore feasibility and efficiency of crop area estimation in Ukraine assisted by optical satellite remote sensing images. The study was carried out on three oblasts in Ukraine with a total area of 78,500 km2. The efficiency of using images acquired by several satellite sensors (MODIS, Landsat-5/TM, AWiFS, LISS-III, and RapidEye) combined with a field survey on a stratified sample of square segments for crop area estimation in Ukraine is assessed. The main criteria used for efficiency analysis are as follows: (i) relative efficiency that shows how much time the error of area estimates can be reduced with satellite images, and (ii) cost-efficiency that shows how much time the costs of ground surveys for crop area estimation can be reduced with satellite images. These criteria are applied to each satellite image type separately, i.e., no integration of images acquired by different sensors is made, to select the optimal dataset. The study found that only MODIS and Landsat-5/TM reached cost-efficiency thresholds while AWiFS, LISS-III, and RapidEye images, due to its high price, were not cost-efficient for crop area estimation in Ukraine at oblast level.

High-Efficiency, Multijunction Solar Cells for Large-Scale Solar Electricity Generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurtz, Sarah

2006-03-01

A solar cell with an infinite number of materials (matched to the solar spectrum) has a theoretical efficiency limit of 68%. If sunlight is concentrated, this limit increases to about 87%. These theoretical limits are calculated using basic physics and are independent of the details of the materials. In practice, the challenge of achieving high efficiency depends on identifying materials that can effectively use the solar spectrum. Impressive progress has been made with the current efficiency record being 39%. Today's solar market is also showing impressive progress, but is still hindered by high prices. One strategy for reducing cost is to use lenses or mirrors to focus the light on small solar cells. In this case, the system cost is dominated by the cost of the relatively inexpensive optics. The value of the optics increases with the efficiency of the solar cell. Thus, a concentrator system made with 35%- 40%-efficient solar cells is expected to deliver 50% more power at a similar cost when compare with a system using 25%-efficient cells. Today's markets are showing an opportunity for large concentrator systems that didn't exist 5-10 years ago. Efficiencies may soon pass 40% and ultimately may reach 50%, providing a pathway to improved performance and decreased cost. Many companies are currently investigating this technology for large-scale electricity generation. The presentation will cover the basic physics and more practical considerations to achieving high efficiency as well as describing the current status of the concentrator industry. This work has been authored by an employee of the Midwest Research Institute under Contract No. DE- AC36-99GO10337 with the U.S. Department of Energy. The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this work, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes.

Cost-Effectiveness of Rural Incentive Packages for Graduating Medical Students in Lao PDR

PubMed Central

Keuffel, Eric; Jaskiewicz, Wanda; Theppanya, Khampasong; Tulenko, Kate

2017-01-01

Background: The dearth of health workers in rural settings in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) and other developing countries limits healthcare access and outcomes. In evaluating non-wage financial incentive packages as a potential policy option to attract health workers to rural settings, understanding the expected costs and effects of the various programs ex ante can assist policy-makers in selecting the optimal incentive package. Methods: We use discrete choice experiments (DCEs), costing analyses and recent empirical results linking health worker density and health outcomes to estimate the future location decisions of physicians and determine the cost-effectiveness of 15 voluntary incentives packages for new physicians in Lao PDR. Our data sources include a DCE survey completed by medical students (n = 329) in May 2011 and secondary cost, economic and health data. Mixed logit regressions provide the basis for estimating how each incentive package influences rural versus urban location choice over time. We estimate the expected rural density of physicians and the cost-effectiveness of 15 separate incentive packages from a societal perspective. In order to generate the cost-effectiveness ratios we relied on the rural uptake probabilities inferred from the DCEs, the costing data and prior World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that relate health outcomes to health worker density. Results: Relative to no program, the optimal voluntary incentive package would increase rural physician density by 15% by 2016 and 65% by 2041. After incorporating anticipated health effects, seven (three) of the 15 incentive packages have anticipated average cost-effectiveness ratio less than the WHO threshold (three times gross domestic product [GDP] per capita) over a 5-year (30 year) period. The optimal package’s incremental cost-effectiveness ratio is $1454/QALY (quality-adjusted life year) over 5 years and $2380/QALY over 30 years. Capital intensive components, such as housing or facility improvement, are not efficient. Conclusion: Conditional on using voluntary incentives, Lao PDR should emphasize non-capital intensive options such as advanced career promotion, transport subsidies and housing allowances to improve physician distribution and rural health outcomes in a cost-effective manner. Other countries considering voluntary incentive programs can implement health worker/trainee DCEs and costing surveys to determine which incentive bundles improve rural uptake most efficiently but should be aware of methodological caveats. PMID:28812834

Indirect reciprocity provides a narrow margin of efficiency for costly punishment

PubMed Central

Iwasa, Yoh; Nowak, Martin A.

2008-01-01

Indirect reciprocity1-5 is a key mechanism for the evolution of human cooperation. Our behavior toward other people depends not only on what they have done to us, but also on what they have done to others. Indirect reciprocity works via reputation5-17. The standard model of indirect reciprocity offers a binary choice: people can either cooperate or defect. Cooperation implies a cost for the donor and a benefit for the recipient. Defection has no cost and yields no benefit. Currently there is considerable interest in studying the effect of costly (or altruistic) punishment on human behavior18-25. Punishment implies a cost for the punished person. Costly punishment means that the punisher also pays a cost. It has been suggested that costly punishment between individuals can promote cooperation. Here we study the role of costly punishment in an explicit model of indirect reciprocity. We analyze all social norms, which depend on the action of the donor and the reputation of the recipient. We allow errors in assigning reputation and study gossip as a mechanism for establishing coherence. We characterize all strategies that allow the evolutionary stability of cooperation. Some of those strategies use costly punishment, while others do not. We find that punishment strategies typically reduce the average payoff of the population. Consequently, there is only a small parameter region where costly punishment leads to an efficient equilibrium. In most cases, the population does better by not using costly punishment. The efficient strategy for indirect reciprocity is to withhold help for defectors rather than punish them. PMID:19122640

Hybrid WDM/OCDMA for next generation access network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xu; Wada, Naoya; Miyazaki, T.; Cincotti, G.; Kitayama, Ken-ichi

2007-11-01

Hybrid wavelength division multiplexing/optical code division multiple access (WDM/OCDMA) passive optical network (PON), where asynchronous OCDMA traffic transmits over WDM network, can be one potential candidate for gigabit-symmetric fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) services. In a cost-effective WDM/OCDMA network, a large scale multi-port encoder/decoder can be employed in the central office, and a low cost encoder/decoder will be used in optical network unit (ONU). The WDM/OCDMA system could be one promising solution to the symmetric high capacity access network with high spectral efficiency, cost effective, good flexibility and enhanced security. Asynchronous WDM/OCDMA systems have been experimentally demonstrated using superstructured fiber Bragg gratings (SSFBG) and muti-port OCDMA en/decoders. The total throughput has reached above Tera-bit/s with spectral efficiency of about 0.41. The key enabling techniques include ultra-long SSFBG, multi-port E/D with high power contrast ratio, optical thresholding, differential phase shift keying modulation with balanced detection, forward error correction, and etc. Using multi-level modulation formats to carry multi-bit information with single pulse, the total capacity and spectral efficiency could be further enhanced.

Luminescent Solar Concentrators in the Algal Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hellier, Katie; Corrado, Carley; Carter, Sue; Detweiler, Angela; Bebout, Leslie

2013-03-01

Today's industry for renewable energy sources and highly efficient energy management systems is rapidly increasing. Development of increased efficiency Luminescent Solar Concentrators (LSCs) has brought about new applications for commercial interests, including greenhouses for agricultural crops. This project is taking first steps to explore the potential of LSCs to enhance production and reduce costs for algae and cyanobacteria used in biofuels and nutraceuticals. This pilot phase uses LSC filtered light for algal growth trials in greenhouses and laboratory experiments, creating specific wavelength combinations to determine effects of discrete solar light regimes on algal growth and the reduction of heating and water loss in the system. Enhancing the optimal spectra for specific algae will not only increase production, but has the potential to lessen contamination of large scale production due to competition from other algae and bacteria. Providing LSC filtered light will reduce evaporation and heating in regions with limited water supply, while the increased energy output from photovoltaic cells will reduce costs of heating and mixing cultures, thus creating a more efficient and cost effective production system.

Energy savings and cost-benefit analysis of the new commercial building standard in China

DOE PAGES

Zhao, Shanguo; Feng, Wei; Zhang, Shicong; ...

2015-10-07

In this study, a comprehensive comparison of the commercial building energy efficiency standard between the previous 2005 version and the new proposed version is conducted, including the energy efficiency analysis and cost-benefit analysis. To better understand the tech-economic performance of the new Chinese standard, energy models were set up based on a typical commercial office building in Chinese climate zones. The building energy standard in 2005 is used as the baseline for this analysis. Key building technologies measures are analyzed individually, including roof, wall, window, lighting and chiller and so on and finally whole building cost-benefit analysis was conducted. Resultsmore » show that the new commercial building energy standard demonstrates good cost-effective performance, with whole building payback period around 4 years.« less

Energy savings and cost-benefit analysis of the new commercial building standard in China

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

Zhao, Shanguo; Feng, Wei; Zhang, Shicong

In this study, a comprehensive comparison of the commercial building energy efficiency standard between the previous 2005 version and the new proposed version is conducted, including the energy efficiency analysis and cost-benefit analysis. To better understand the tech-economic performance of the new Chinese standard, energy models were set up based on a typical commercial office building in Chinese climate zones. The building energy standard in 2005 is used as the baseline for this analysis. Key building technologies measures are analyzed individually, including roof, wall, window, lighting and chiller and so on and finally whole building cost-benefit analysis was conducted. Resultsmore » show that the new commercial building energy standard demonstrates good cost-effective performance, with whole building payback period around 4 years.« less

Presenting Germany's drug pricing rule as a cost-per-QALY rule.

PubMed

Gandjour, Afschin

2012-06-01

In Germany, the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) makes recommendations for ceiling prices of drugs based on an evaluation of the relationship between costs and effectiveness. To set ceiling prices, IQWiG uses the following decision rule: the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of a new drug compared with the next effective intervention should not be higher than that of the next effective intervention compared to its comparator. The purpose of this paper is to show that IQWiG's decision rule can be presented as a cost-per-QALY rule by using equity-weighted QALYs. This transformation shows where both rules share commonalities. Furthermore, it makes the underlying ethical implications of IQWiG's decision rule transparent and open to debate.

Large-scale implementation of disease control programmes: a cost-effectiveness analysis of long-lasting insecticide-treated bed net distribution channels in a malaria-endemic area of western Kenya-a study protocol.

PubMed

Gama, Elvis; Were, Vincent; Ouma, Peter; Desai, Meghna; Niessen, Louis; Buff, Ann M; Kariuki, Simon

2016-11-21

Historically, Kenya has used various distribution models for long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets (LLINs) with variable results in population coverage. The models presently vary widely in scale, target population and strategy. There is limited information to determine the best combination of distribution models, which will lead to sustained high coverage and are operationally efficient and cost-effective. Standardised cost information is needed in combination with programme effectiveness estimates to judge the efficiency of LLIN distribution models and options for improvement in implementing malaria control programmes. The study aims to address the information gap, estimating distribution cost and the effectiveness of different LLIN distribution models, and comparing them in an economic evaluation. Evaluation of cost and coverage will be determined for 5 different distribution models in Busia County, an area of perennial malaria transmission in western Kenya. Cost data will be collected retrospectively from health facilities, the Ministry of Health, donors and distributors. Programme-effectiveness data, defined as the number of people with access to an LLIN per 1000 population, will be collected through triangulation of data from a nationally representative, cross-sectional malaria survey, a cross-sectional survey administered to a subsample of beneficiaries in Busia County and LLIN distributors' records. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis will be used for the evaluation. A cost-effectiveness analysis will be performed from a health-systems perspective, and cost-effectiveness ratios will be calculated using bootstrapping techniques. The study has been evaluated and approved by Kenya Medical Research Institute, Scientific and Ethical Review Unit (SERU number 2997). All participants will provide written informed consent. The findings of this economic evaluation will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Promoting adverse drug reaction reporting: comparison of different approaches.

PubMed

Ribeiro-Vaz, Inês; Santos, Cristina Costa; Cruz-Correia, Ricardo

2016-01-01

To describe different approaches to promote adverse drug reaction reporting among health care professionals, determining their cost-effectiveness. We analyzed and compared several approaches taken by the Northern Pharmacovigilance Centre (Portugal) to promote adverse drug reaction reporting. Approaches were compared regarding the number and relevance of adverse drug reaction reports obtained and costs involved. Costs by report were estimated by adding the initial costs and the running costs of each intervention. These costs were divided by the number of reports obtained with each intervention, to assess its cost-effectiveness. All the approaches seem to have increased the number of adverse drug reaction reports. We noted the biggest increase with protocols (321 reports, costing 1.96 € each), followed by first educational approach (265 reports, 20.31 €/report) and by the hyperlink approach (136 reports, 15.59 €/report). Regarding the severity of adverse drug reactions, protocols were the most efficient approach, costing 2.29 €/report, followed by hyperlinks (30.28 €/report, having no running costs). Concerning unexpected adverse drug reactions, the best result was obtained with protocols (5.12 €/report), followed by first educational approach (38.79 €/report). We recommend implementing protocols in other pharmacovigilance centers. They seem to be the most efficient intervention, allowing receiving adverse drug reactions reports at lower costs. The increase applied not only to the total number of reports, but also to the severity, unexpectedness and high degree of causality attributed to the adverse drug reactions. Still, hyperlinks have the advantage of not involving running costs, showing the second best performance in cost per adverse drug reactions report.

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

Eilert, P.L.; Hoeschele, M.

This paper discussed a market-transformation program to reduce energy use in modular school classrooms, a large part of new construction activities in California's schools. Today's modular classrooms cost more to operate than is necessary to provide effective, comfortable learning conditions for students and teachers. Although past resource acquisition programs have created a demand for efficient products and services, modular classrooms remain poorly differentiated in this respect. The cost-effectiveness of a range of potential energy efficiency measures (EEM's) were evaluated including lighting, alternative HVAC options, and improved envelope features. Viable EEM's were combined in two separate packages. The first includes measuresmore » that can easily be implemented and are projected to reduce operating costs by 30%. The second implements a daylighting system, a two-stage evaporative cooler, and radiant heating, resulting in projected annual energy cost savings over 60%. Transforming the market for modular classrooms is accomplished using natural market forces, rather than financial incentives directed at an entire industry. Proactive efforts are focused on the manufacturing industry's change leaders to commercialize energy-efficient products. Lost market share and peer pressure do the heavy lifting of convincing market followers to upgrade their products. Demand for efficient classrooms is increased by educating schools about the new products' financial advantages, comfort enhancements, and environmental benefits. As new products become established in the marketplace, support will be gradually withdrawn. The relevance of this work extends beyond California, given other States' programs to reduce class size, and the Presidents initiative to reduce class size nationally.« less

CPERC CONSORTIUM

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

Boopathy, Ramaraj

2012-12-31

CPERC’s activities focused on two major themes: (a) cost-effective production of next-generation fuels with a focus on hydrogen from gasification and biofuels (primarily ethanol and butanol), and (b) efficient utilization of hydrogen and biofuels for power generation with a focus on improved performance, greater reliability and reduced energy costs.

Some tradeoffs in ingot shaping and price of solar photovoltaic modules

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daud, T.

1982-01-01

Growth of round ingots is cost-effective for sheets but leaves unused space when round cells are packed into a module. This reduces the packing efficiency, which approaches 95% for square cells, to about 78% and reduces the conversion efficiency of the module by the same ratio. Shaping these ingots into squares with regrowth of cut silicon improves the packing factor, but increases growth cost. The cost impact on solar cell modules was determined by considering shaping ingots in stages from full round to complete square. The sequence of module production with relevant price allocation guidelines is outlined. The severe penalties in add-on price due to increasing slice thickness and kerf are presented. Trade-offs between advantages of recycling silicon and shaping costs are developed for different slicing scenarios. It is shown that shaping results in cost saving of up to 21% for a 15 cm dia. ingot.

Dairy farm cost efficiency.

PubMed

Tauer, L W; Mishra, A K

2006-12-01

A stochastic cost equation was estimated for US dairy farms using national data from the production year 2000 to determine how farmers might reduce their cost of production. Cost of producing a unit of milk was estimated into separate frontier (efficient) and inefficiency components, with both components estimated as a function of management and causation variables. Variables were entered as impacting the frontier component as well as the efficiency component of the stochastic curve because a priori both components could be impacted. A factor that has an impact on the cost frontier was the number of hours per day the milking facility is used. Using the milking facility for more hours per day decreased frontier costs; however, inefficiency increased with increased hours of milking facility use. Thus, farmers can decrease costs with increased utilization of the milking facility, but only if they are efficient in this strategy. Parlors compared with stanchions used for milking did not decrease frontier costs, but decreased costs because of increased efficiency, as did the use of a nutritionist. Use of rotational grazing decreased frontier costs but also increased inefficiency. Older farmers were less efficient.

The relationship between effectiveness and costs measured by a risk-adjusted case-mix system: multicentre study of Catalonian population data bases.

PubMed

Sicras-Mainar, Antoni; Navarro-Artieda, Ruth; Blanca-Tamayo, Milagrosa; Velasco-Velasco, Soledad; Escribano-Herranz, Esperanza; Llopart-López, Josep Ramon; Violan-Fors, Concepción; Vilaseca-Llobet, Josep Maria; Sánchez-Fontcuberta, Encarna; Benavent-Areu, Jaume; Flor-Serra, Ferran; Aguado-Jodar, Alba; Rodríguez-López, Daniel; Prados-Torres, Alejandra; Estelrich-Bennasar, Jose

2009-06-25

The main objective of this study is to measure the relationship between morbidity, direct health care costs and the degree of clinical effectiveness (resolution) of health centres and health professionals by the retrospective application of Adjusted Clinical Groups in a Spanish population setting. The secondary objectives are to determine the factors determining inadequate correlations and the opinion of health professionals on these instruments. We will carry out a multi-centre, retrospective study using patient records from 15 primary health care centres and population data bases. The main measurements will be: general variables (age and sex, centre, service [family medicine, paediatrics], and medical unit), dependent variables (mean number of visits, episodes and direct costs), co-morbidity (Johns Hopkins University Adjusted Clinical Groups Case-Mix System) and effectiveness.The totality of centres/patients will be considered as the standard for comparison. The efficiency index for visits, tests (laboratory, radiology, others), referrals, pharmaceutical prescriptions and total will be calculated as the ratio: observed variables/variables expected by indirect standardization.The model of cost/patient/year will differentiate fixed/semi-fixed (visits) costs of the variables for each patient attended/year (N = 350,000 inhabitants). The mean relative weights of the cost of care will be obtained. The effectiveness will be measured using a set of 50 indicators of process, efficiency and/or health results, and an adjusted synthetic index will be constructed (method: percentile 50).The correlation between the efficiency (relative-weights) and synthetic (by centre and physician) indices will be established using the coefficient of determination. The opinion/degree of acceptance of physicians (N = 1,000) will be measured using a structured questionnaire including various dimensions. multiple regression analysis (procedure: enter), ANCOVA (method: Bonferroni's adjustment) and multilevel analysis will be carried out to correct models. The level of statistical significance will be p < 0.05.

MODEM: A comprehensive approach to modelling outcome and costs impacts of interventions for dementia. Protocol paper.

PubMed

Comas-Herrera, Adelina; Knapp, Martin; Wittenberg, Raphael; Banerjee, Sube; Bowling, Ann; Grundy, Emily; Jagger, Carol; Farina, Nicolas; Lombard, Daniel; Lorenz, Klara; McDaid, David

2017-01-11

The MODEM project (A comprehensive approach to MODelling outcome and costs impacts of interventions for DEMentia) explores how changes in arrangements for the future treatment and care of people living with dementia, and support for family and other unpaid carers, could result in better outcomes and more efficient use of resources. MODEM starts with a systematic mapping of the literature on effective and (potentially) cost-effective interventions in dementia care. Those findings, as well as data from a cohort, will then be used to model the quality of life and cost impacts of making these evidence-based interventions more widely available in England over the period from now to 2040. Modelling will use a suite of models, combining microsimulation and macrosimulation methods, modelling the costs and outcomes of care, both for an individual over the life-course from the point of dementia diagnosis, and for individuals and England as a whole in a particular year. Project outputs will include an online Dementia Evidence Toolkit, making evidence summaries and a literature database available free to anyone, papers in academic journals and other written outputs, and a MODEM Legacy Model, which will enable local commissioners of services to apply the model to their own populations. Modelling the effects of evidence-based cost-effective interventions and making this information widely available has the potential to improve the health and quality of life both of people with dementia and their carers, while ensuring that resources are used efficiently.

Existing Whole-House Solutions Case Study: Islip Housing Authority Energy Efficiency Turnover Protocols, Islip, New York

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

J. Dentz, F. Conlin, D. Podorson, and K. Alaigh

2014-08-01

In this project, Building America team ARIES worked with two public housing authorities (PHA) to develop packages of energy efficiency retrofit measures the PHAs can cost effectively implement at the time when units are refurbished between occupancies.

A cost-effectiveness threshold analysis of a multidisciplinary structured educational intervention in pediatric asthma.

PubMed

Rodriguez-Martinez, Carlos E; Sossa-Briceño, Monica P; Castro-Rodriguez, Jose A

2018-05-01

Asthma educational interventions have been shown to improve several clinically and economically important outcomes. However, these interventions are costly in themselves and could lead to even higher disease costs. A cost-effectiveness threshold analysis would be helpful in determining the threshold value of the cost of educational interventions, leading to these interventions being cost-effective. The aim of the present study was to perform a cost-effectiveness threshold analysis to determine the level at which the cost of a pediatric asthma educational intervention would be cost-effective and cost-saving. A Markov-type model was developed in order to estimate costs and health outcomes of a simulated cohort of pediatric patients with persistent asthma treated over a 12-month period. Effectiveness parameters were obtained from a single uncontrolled before-and-after study performed with Colombian asthmatic children. Cost data were obtained from official databases provided by the Colombian Ministry of Health. The main outcome was the variable "quality-adjusted life-years" (QALYs). A deterministic threshold sensitivity analysis showed that the asthma educational intervention will be cost-saving to the health system if its cost is under US$513.20. Additionally, the analysis showed that the cost of the intervention would have to be below US$967.40 in order to be cost-effective. This study identified the level at which the cost of a pediatric asthma educational intervention will be cost-effective and cost-saving for the health system in Colombia. Our findings could be a useful aid for decision makers in efficiently allocating limited resources when planning asthma educational interventions for pediatric patients.

Low-Cost High-Pressure Hydrogen Generator

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

Cropley, Cecelia C.; Norman, Timothy J.

Electrolysis of water, particularly in conjunction with renewable energy sources, is potentially a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method of producing hydrogen at dispersed forecourt sites, such as automotive fueling stations. The primary feedstock for an electrolyzer is electricity, which could be produced by renewable sources such as wind or solar that do not produce carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions. However, state-of-the-art electrolyzer systems are not economically competitive for forecourt hydrogen production due to their high capital and operating costs, particularly the cost of the electricity used by the electrolyzer stack. In this project, Giner Electrochemical Systems, LLC (GES)more » developed a low cost, high efficiency proton-exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis system for hydrogen production at moderate pressure (300 to 400 psig). The electrolyzer stack operates at differential pressure, with hydrogen produced at moderate pressure while oxygen is evolved at near-atmospheric pressure, reducing the cost of the water feed and oxygen handling subsystems. The project included basic research on catalysts and membranes to improve the efficiency of the electrolysis reaction as well as development of advanced materials and component fabrication methods to reduce the capital cost of the electrolyzer stack and system. The project culminated in delivery of a prototype electrolyzer module to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for testing at the National Wind Technology Center. Electrolysis cell efficiency of 72% (based on the lower heating value of hydrogen) was demonstrated using an advanced high-strength membrane developed in this project. This membrane would enable the electrolyzer system to exceed the DOE 2012 efficiency target of 69%. GES significantly reduced the capital cost of a PEM electrolyzer stack through development of low cost components and fabrication methods, including a 60% reduction in stack parts count. Economic analysis indicates that hydrogen could be produced for $3.79 per gge at an electricity cost of $0.05/kWh by the lower-cost PEM electrolyzer developed in this project, assuming high-volume production of large-scale electrolyzer systems.« less

Understanding the Uncertainty of an Effectiveness-Cost Ratio in Educational Resource Allocation: A Bayesian Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pan, Yilin

2016-01-01

Given the necessity to bridge the gap between what happened and what is likely to happen, this paper aims to explore how to apply Bayesian inference to cost-effectiveness analysis so as to capture the uncertainty of a ratio-type efficiency measure. The first part of the paper summarizes the characteristics of the evaluation data that are commonly…

Microcomputer-Based Organizational Survey Assessment: Applications to Training.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-08-01

organizations, a growing need for efficient, flexible and cost effective training programs becomes paramount. To cope with these increased training demands, many...and cost effective training programs becomes paramount. To cnpe with these increased training demands, many orga- nizations have turned to Computer...organizational setings the need for better training will .,, For continue to increase (Wexley & Latham, 1981). Recent surveys of the literature document

Sharing the cost of river basin adaptation portfolios to climate change: Insights from social justice and cooperative game theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Girard, Corentin; Rinaudo, Jean-Daniel; Pulido-Velazquez, Manuel

2016-10-01

The adaptation of water resource systems to the potential impacts of climate change requires mixed portfolios of supply and demand adaptation measures. The issue is not only to select efficient, robust, and flexible adaptation portfolios but also to find equitable strategies of cost allocation among the stakeholders. Our work addresses such cost allocation problems by applying two different theoretical approaches: social justice and cooperative game theory in a real case study. First of all, a cost-effective portfolio of adaptation measures at the basin scale is selected using a least-cost optimization model. Cost allocation solutions are then defined based on economic rationality concepts from cooperative game theory (the Core). Second, interviews are conducted to characterize stakeholders' perceptions of social justice principles associated with the definition of alternatives cost allocation rules. The comparison of the cost allocation scenarios leads to contrasted insights in order to inform the decision-making process at the river basin scale and potentially reap the efficiency gains from cooperation in the design of river basin adaptation portfolios.

Study of the Staebler-Wronski degradation effect in a-Si:H based p-i-n solar cell

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Naseem, H. A.; Brown, W. D.; Ang, S. S.

1993-01-01

Conversion of solar energy into electricity using environmentally safe and clean photovoltaic methods to supplement the ever increasing energy needs has been a cherished goal of many scientists and engineers around the world. Photovoltaic solar cells on the other hand, have been the power source for satellites ever since their introduction in the early sixties. For widespread terrestrial applications, however, the cost of photovoltaic systems must be reduced considerably. Much progress has been made in the recent past towards developing economically viable terrestrial systems, and the future looks highly promising. Thin film solar cells offer cost reductions mainly from their low processing cost, low material cost, and choice of low cost substrates. These are also very attractive for space applications because of their high power densities (power produced per kilogram of solar cell pay load) and high radiation resistance. Amorphous silicon based solar cells are amongst the top candidates for economically viable terrestrial and space based power generation. Despite very low federal funding during the eighties, amorphous silicon solar cell efficiencies have continually been improved - from a low 3 percent to over 13 percent now. Further improvements have been made by the use of multi-junction tandem solar cells. Efficiencies close to 15 percent have been achieved in several labs. In order to be competitive with fossil fuel generated electricity, it is believed that module efficiency of 15 percent or cell efficiency of 20 percent is required. Thus, further improvements in cell performance is imperative. One major problem that was discovered almost 15 years ago in amorphous silicon devices is the well known Staebler-Wronski Effect. Efficiency of amorphous silicon solar cells was found to degrade upon exposure to sunlight. Until now their is no consensus among the scientists on the mechanism for this degradation. Efficiency may degrade anywhere from 10 percent to almost 50 percent within the first few months of operation. In order to improve solar cell efficiencies, it is clear that the cause or causes of such degradation must be found and the processing conditions altered to minimize the loss in efficiency. This project was initiated in 1987 to investigate a possible link between metallic impurities, in particular, Ag, and this degradation. Such a link was established by one of the NASA scientists for the light induced degradation of n+/p crystalline silicon solar cells.

Comparative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness analyses frequently agree on value.

PubMed

Glick, Henry A; McElligott, Sean; Pauly, Mark V; Willke, Richard J; Bergquist, Henry; Doshi, Jalpa; Fleisher, Lee A; Kinosian, Bruce; Perfetto, Eleanor; Polsky, Daniel E; Schwartz, J Sanford

2015-05-01

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, known as PCORI, was established by Congress as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to promote evidence-based treatment. Provisions of the ACA prohibit the use of a cost-effectiveness analysis threshold and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) in PCORI comparative effectiveness studies, which has been understood as a prohibition on support for PCORI's conducting conventional cost-effectiveness analyses. This constraint complicates evidence-based choices where incremental improvements in outcomes are achieved at increased costs of care. How frequently this limitation inhibits efficient cost containment, also a goal of the ACA, depends on how often more effective treatment is not cost-effective relative to less effective treatment. We examined the largest database of studies of comparisons of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness to see how often there is disagreement between the more effective treatment and the cost-effective treatment, for various thresholds that may define good value. We found that under the benchmark assumption, disagreement between the two types of analyses occurs in 19 percent of cases. Disagreement is more likely to occur if a treatment intervention is musculoskeletal and less likely to occur if it is surgical or involves secondary prevention, or if the study was funded by a pharmaceutical company. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Lower HVAC Costs | Efficient Windows Collaborative

Science.gov Websites

system. Smaller HVAC systems cost less and as such can offset some of the cost of the efficient windows dehumidification. First cost savings - Smaller HVAC units cost less. If, for example, down-sizing the HVAC system by half a ton saves $275, the cost premium of energy-efficient windows does not present as big an up

On the powerful use of simulations in the quake-catcher network to efficiently position low-cost earthquake sensors

USGS Publications Warehouse

Benson, K.; Estrada, T.; Taufer, M.; Lawrence, J.; Cochran, E.

2011-01-01

The Quake-Catcher Network (QCN) uses low-cost sensors connected to volunteer computers across the world to monitor seismic events. The location and density of these sensors' placement can impact the accuracy of the event detection. Because testing different special arrangements of new sensors could disrupt the currently active project, this would best be accomplished in a simulated environment. This paper presents an accurate and efficient framework for simulating the low cost QCN sensors and identifying their most effective locations and densities. Results presented show how our simulations are reliable tools to study diverse scenarios under different geographical and infrastructural constraints. ?? 2011 IEEE.

Reactive granular optics for passive tracking of the sun

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frenkel, I.; Niv, A.

2017-08-01

The growing need for cost-effective renewable energy sources is hampered by the stagnation in solar cell technology, thus preventing a substantial reduction in the module and energy-production price. Lowering the energy-production cost could be achieved by using modules with efficiency. One of the possible means for increasing the module efficiency is concentrated photovoltaics (CPV). CPV, however, requires complex and accurate active tracking of the sun that reduces much of its cost-effectiveness. Here, we propose a passive tracking scheme based on a reactive optical device. The optical reaction is achieved by a new kind of light activated mechanical force that acts on micron-sized particles. This optical force allows the formation of granular disordered optical media that can be switched from being opaque to become transparent based on the intensity of light it interacts with. Such media gives rise to an efficient passive tracking scheme that when combined with an external optical cavity forms a new solar power conversion approach. Being external to the cell itself, this approach is indifferent to the type of semiconducting material that is used, as well as to other aspects of the cell design. This, in turn, liberates the cell layout from its optical constraints thus paving the way to higher efficiencies at lower module price.

Cost and cost-effectiveness of nationwide school-based helminth control in Uganda

PubMed Central

BROOKER, SIMON; KABATEREINE, NARCIS B; FLEMING, FIONA; DEVLIN, NANCY

2009-01-01

Estimates of cost and cost-effectiveness are typically based on a limited number of small-scale studies with no investigation of the existence of economies to scale or intra-country variation in cost and cost-effectiveness. This information gap hinders the efficient allocation of health care resources and the ability to generalize estimates to other settings. The current study investigates the intra-country variation in the cost and cost-effectiveness of nationwide school-based treatment of helminth (worm) infection in Uganda. Programme cost data were collected through semi-structured interviews with districts officials and from accounting records in six of the 23 intervention districts. Both financial and economic costs were assessed. Costs were estimated on the basis of cost in US$ per schoolchild treated and an incremental cost effectiveness ratio (cost in US$ per case of anaemia averted) was used to evaluate programme cost-effectiveness. Sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the effect of discount rate and drug price. The overall economic cost per child treated in the six districts was US$ 0.54 and the cost-effectiveness was US$ 3.19 per case of anaemia averted. Analysis indicated that estimates of both cost and cost-effectiveness differ markedly with the total number of children which received treatment, indicating economies of scale. There was also substantial variation between districts in the cost per individual treated (US$ 0.41-0.91) and cost per anaemia case averted (US$ 1.70-9.51). Independent variables were shown to be statistically associated with both sets of estimates. This study highlights the potential bias in transferring data across settings without understanding the nature of observed variations. PMID:18024966

Decentralized energy studies: Compendium of international studies and research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallace, C.

1980-03-01

With efficient use of energy, renewable energy sources can supply the majority, if not the totality, of energy supplies in developed nations at real energy prices that double or triple by 2025 (1975 prices). This appears true even in harsh climates with oil dependent industrial economies. Large increases in end-use energy efficiency are cost effective at present prices. Some reports show that cost effective end-use efficiency improvements can reduce energy consumption (per capita, per unit of amenity, or per unit of output) to as much as 90 percent. This was demonstrated by highly disaggregated analyses of end-uses. Such analyses consistently show larger potential for efficiency improvements than can be detected from conventional analyses of more aggregated data. As energy use demands decline due to end use efficiency improvements, energy supply problems subsequently decrease. Lifestyle changes, influenced by social factors, and rising energy prices can substantially reduce demands for energy. Such changes are already discernible in end-use energy studies. When energy efficient capital stock is in place, many end-users of energy will be able to provide a substantial portion of their own energy needs from renewable energy sources that are directly available to them.

[Cost-effectiveness analysis of 2 strategies of Helicobacter pylori eradication: results of a prospective and randomized study in primary care].

PubMed

Gomollón, F; Valdepérez, J; Garuz, R; Fuentes, J; Barrera, F; Malo, J; Tirado, M; Simón, M A

2000-06-03

To analyze cost-effectiveness of two different strategies to treat H. pylori infection in peptic ulcer in the primary care setting. Consecutive patients with endoscopic diagnosis of peptic ulcer were randomized to one of two strategies: a) treatment during 7 days with omeprazole, tetracycline, metronidazole and bismuth subcitrate ("quadruple" therapy) and if failure second-line treatment with omeprazole, amoxycillin and clarithromycin during 7 days (OCA7), and b) initial treatment with OCA7 and if failure treatment with "quadruple therapy". End point was eradication 8 weeks after last treatment dose. Direct and indirect costs were estimated (euros, 1997) and a cost-effectiveness analysis using a decision-tree model was undertaken after real clinical data. 95% confidence intervals are given. After screening 255 patients, 97 were finally included. 48 patients were given strategy a and 49 strategy b. Eradication was obtained (intention-to-treat) in 72.9% (CI 95%: 58.2-84.7) in group a versus 91.8% (CI 95%: 80.4-97.7) (p < 0.05) in group b. Mean cost per case treated was lower in group a (237 versus 268 euros) but cost per case eradicated was lower in group b (320 versus 296 euros). The cost was primarily determined by efficacy. Treatment with OCA7 followed by rescue with "quadruple" therapy if failure is more efficient in our area that the inverse strategy. Efficiency is mostly determined by efficacy.

Cost effectiveness analysis of Year 2 of an elementary school-located influenza vaccination program-Results from a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Yoo, Byung-Kwang; Humiston, Sharon G; Szilagyi, Peter G; Schaffer, Stanley J; Long, Christine; Kolasa, Maureen

2015-11-16

School-located vaccination against influenza (SLV-I) has the potential to improve current suboptimal influenza immunization coverage for U.S. school-aged children. However, little is known about SLV-I's cost-effectiveness. The objective of this study is to establish the cost-effectiveness of SLV-I based on a two-year community-based randomized controlled trial (Year 1: 2009-2010 vaccination season, an unusual H1N1 pandemic influenza season, and Year 2: 2010-2011, a more typical influenza season). We performed a cost-effectiveness analysis on a two-year randomized controlled trial of a Western New York SLV-I program. SLV-I clinics were offered in 21 intervention elementary schools (Year 1 n = 9,027; Year 2 n = 9,145 children) with standard-of-care (no SLV-I) in control schools (Year 1 n = 4,534 (10 schools); Year 2 n = 4,796 children (11 schools)). We estimated the cost-per-vaccinated child, by dividing the incremental cost of the intervention by the incremental effectiveness (i.e., the number of additionally vaccinated students in intervention schools compared to control schools). In Years 1 and 2, respectively, the effectiveness measure (proportion of children vaccinated) was 11.2 and 12.0 percentage points higher in intervention (40.7 % and 40.4 %) than control schools. In year 2, the cost-per-vaccinated child excluding vaccine purchase ($59.88 in 2010 US $) consisted of three component costs: (A) the school costs ($8.25); (B) the project coordination costs ($32.33); and (C) the vendor costs excluding vaccine purchase ($16.68), summed through Monte Carlo simulation. Compared to Year 1, the two component costs (A) and (C) decreased, while the component cost (B) increased in Year 2. The cost-per-vaccinated child, excluding vaccine purchase, was $59.73 (Year 1) and $59.88 (Year 2, statistically indistinguishable from Year 1), higher than the published cost of providing influenza vaccination in medical practices ($39.54). However, taking indirect costs (e.g., averted parental costs to visit medical practices) into account, vaccination was less costly in SLV-I ($23.96 in Year 1, $24.07 in Year 2) than in medical practices. Our two-year trial's findings reinforced the evidence to support SLV-I as a potentially favorable system to increase childhood influenza vaccination rates in a cost-efficient way. Increased efficiencies in SLV-I are needed for a sustainable and scalable SLV-I program.

Costing maternal health services in South Tanzania: a case study from Mtwara Urban District.

PubMed

von Both, Claudia; Jahn, Albrecht; Fleba, Steffen

2008-05-01

The following paper presents the methodology and results of a costing exercise of maternal health services in Tanzania. The main objective of this study was to determine the actual costs of antenatal and obstetric care in different health institutions in a district in Tanzania as a basis of more efficient resource allocation. A costing tool was developed that allows the calculation of costs of service units, such as deliveries and antenatal care, and separates these costs from the costs of other services. Time consumed by each activity was used as an allocation key. For that purpose, we recorded the personnel consumption with different time-study methodologies. This approach was tested and implemented in Mtwara Urban District, South Tanzania. The results were analyzed by a spreadsheet program. The paper presents average costs for different costing units of maternal care. Among other findings, we found that the cost of a normal vaginal delivery is US $12.30 in a dispensary and US $6.30 in the hospital--a result that needs explanation, as usually one would expect that hospitals are more cost-intensive than first-line facilities. However, dispensaries are grossly underutilized so that the costs per service unit are rather high. The cost for surgical delivery (only in hospitals) was found to be US $69.26 and the average cost per antenatal care consultation (only at dispensaries) was US $2.50. We conclude that improved planning of elective services is a prerequisite for more effective and efficient use of personnel resources. In addition, the definition of medically and economically sound standards, in particular staffing standards, is critical to make cost analysis an effective management tool to guide rational resource allocation.

Mitigation of power sector environmental emissions through energy efficiency improvements: The case of Pakistan

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

Shrestha, R.M.; Biswas, W.K.; Jalal, A.I.

1998-11-01

This paper assesses the potential of selected efficient electrical appliances for avoiding power generation and for mitigation of selected air pollutants from the power sector in Pakistan from technical as well as national, utility and user perspectives. The study shows that about 14, 21 and 35% of the total CO{sub 2}, SO{sub 2} and NO{sub x} emissions in the business as usual (BAU) case could be avoided by the adoption of selected efficient appliances during 1997--2015 from the national perspective, while the corresponding figures from the user perspective are 12, 17 and 29%, respectively. All selected efficient appliances would bemore » cost effective to the users if electricity prices were set at the long-run marginal cost of supply.« less

In situ prepared transparent polyaniline electrode and its application in bifacial dye-sensitized solar cells.

PubMed

Tai, Qidong; Chen, Bolei; Guo, Feng; Xu, Sheng; Hu, Hao; Sebo, Bobby; Zhao, Xing-Zhong

2011-05-24

Highly uniform and transparent polyaniline (PANI) electrodes that can be used as counter electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were prepared by a facile in situ polymerization method. They were used to fabricate a novel bifacially active transparent DSSC, which showed conversion efficiencies of 6.54 and 4.26% corresponding to front- and rear-side illumination, respectively. Meanwhile, the efficiency of the same photoanode employing a Pt counter electrode was 6.69%. Compared to conventional Pt-based DSSCs, the design of the bifacial DSSC fabricated in this work would help to bring down the cost of energy production due to the lower cost of the materials and the higher power-generating efficiency of such devices for their capabilities of utilizing the light from both sides. These promising results highlight the potential application of PANI in cost-effective, transparent DSSCs.

Cost analysis of percutaneous fixation of hand fractures in the main operating room versus the ambulatory setting.

PubMed

Gillis, Joshua A; Williams, Jason G

2017-08-01

To date, there have been no studies identifying the cost differential for performing closed reduction internal fixation (CRIF) of hand fractures in the operating room (OR) versus an ambulatory setting. Our goal was to analyse the cost and efficiency of performing CRIF in these two settings and to investigate current practice trends in Canada. A detailed analysis of the costs involved both directly and indirectly in the CRIF of a hand fracture was conducted. Hospital records were used to calculate efficiency. A survey was distributed to practicing plastic surgeons across Canada regarding their current practice of managing hand fractures. In an eight-hour surgical block we are able to perform five CRIF in the OR versus eight in an ambulatory setting. The costs of performing a CRIF in the OR under local anaesthetic, not including surgeon compensation, is $461.27 Canadian (CAD) compared to $115.59 CAD in the ambulatory setting, a 299% increase. The use of a regional block increases the cost to $665.49 CAD, a 476% increase. The main barrier to performing CRIFs in an outpatient setting is the absence of equipment necessary to perform these cases effectively, based on survey results. The use of the OR for CRIF of hand fractures is associated with a significant increase in cost and hospital resources with decreased efficiency. For appropriately selected hand fractures, CRIF in an ambulatory setting is less costly and more efficient compared to the OR and resources should be allocated to facilitate CRIF in this setting. Copyright © 2017 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Determination of cost-effective strategies in colorectal cancer screening].

PubMed

Dervaux, B; Eeckhoudt, L; Lebrun, T; Sailly, J C

1992-01-01

The object of the article is to implement particular methodologies in order to determine which strategies are cost-effective in the mass screening of colorectal cancer after a positive Hemoccult test. The first approach to be presented consists in proposing a method which enables all the admissible diagnostic strategies to be determined. The second approach enables a minimal cost function to be estimated using an adaptation of "Data Envelopment Analysis". This method proves to be particularly successful in cost-efficiency analysis, when the performance indicators are numerous and hard to aggregate. The results show that there are two cost-effective strategies after a positive Hemoccult test: coloscopy and sigmoidoscopy; they put into question the relevance of double contrast barium enema in the diagnosis of colo-rectal lesions.

Development of a Field Demonstration for Cost-Effective Low-Grade Heat Recovery and Use Technology Designed to Improve Efficiency and Reduce Water Usage Rates for a Coal-Fired Power Plant

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

Noble, Russell; Dombrowski, K.; Bernau, M.

Coal-based power generation systems provide reliable, low-cost power to the domestic energy sector. These systems consume large amounts of fuel and water to produce electricity and are the target of pending regulations that may require reductions in water use and improvements in thermal efficiency. While efficiency of coal-based generation has improved over time, coal power plants often do not utilize the low-grade heat contained in the flue gas and require large volumes of water for the steam cycle make-up, environmental controls, and for process cooling and heating. Low-grade heat recovery is particularly challenging for coal-fired applications, due in large partmore » to the condensation of acid as the flue gas cools and the resulting potential corrosion of the heat recovery materials. Such systems have also not been of significant interest as recent investments on coal power plants have primarily been for environmental controls due to more stringent regulations. Also, in many regions, fuel cost is still a pass-through to the consumer, reducing the motivation for efficiency improvements. Therefore, a commercial system combining low-grade heat-recovery technologies and associated end uses to cost effectively improve efficiency and/or reduce water consumption has not yet been widely applied. However, pressures from potential new regulations and from water shortages may drive new interest, particularly in the U.S. In an effort to address this issue, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has sought to identify and promote technologies to achieve this goal.« less

National Cost-effectiveness of ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2010 Compared to ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007

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

Thornton, Brian; Halverson, Mark A.; Myer, Michael

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) completed this project for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Building Energy Codes Program (BECP). DOE’s BECP supports upgrading building energy codes and standards, and the states’ adoption, implementation, and enforcement of upgraded codes and standards. Building energy codes and standards set minimum requirements for energy-efficient design and construction for new and renovated buildings, and impact energy use and greenhouse gas emissions for the life of buildings. Continuous improvement of building energy efficiency is achieved by periodically upgrading energy codes and standards. Ensuring that changes in the code that may alter costs (for building components,more » initial purchase and installation, replacement, maintenance and energy) are cost-effective encourages their acceptance and implementation. ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1 is the energy standard for commercial and multi-family residential buildings over three floors.« less

Cost-effectiveness of ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2010 Compared to ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007

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

Thornton, Brian A.; Halverson, Mark A.; Myer, Michael

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) completed this project for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Building Energy Codes Program (BECP). DOE’s BECP supports upgrading building energy codes and standards, and the states’ adoption, implementation, and enforcement of upgraded codes and standards. Building energy codes and standards set minimum requirements for energy-efficient design and construction for new and renovated buildings, and impact energy use and greenhouse gas emissions for the life of buildings. Continuous improvement of building energy efficiency is achieved by periodically upgrading energy codes and standards. Ensuring that changes in the code that may alter costs (for building components,more » initial purchase and installation, replacement, maintenance and energy) are cost-effective encourages their acceptance and implementation. ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1 is the energy standard for commercial and multi-family residential buildings over three floors.« less

Aerodynamic design and optimization in one shot

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ta'asan, Shlomo; Kuruvila, G.; Salas, M. D.

1992-01-01

This paper describes an efficient numerical approach for the design and optimization of aerodynamic bodies. As in classical optimal control methods, the present approach introduces a cost function and a costate variable (Lagrange multiplier) in order to achieve a minimum. High efficiency is achieved by using a multigrid technique to solve for all the unknowns simultaneously, but restricting work on a design variable only to grids on which their changes produce nonsmooth perturbations. Thus, the effort required to evaluate design variables that have nonlocal effects on the solution is confined to the coarse grids. However, if a variable has a nonsmooth local effect on the solution in some neighborhood, it is relaxed in that neighborhood on finer grids. The cost of solving the optimal control problem is shown to be approximately two to three times the cost of the equivalent analysis problem. Examples are presented to illustrate the application of the method to aerodynamic design and constraint optimization.

SSL Pricing and Efficacy Trend Analysis for Utility Program Planning

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

Tuenge, J. R.

2013-10-01

Report to help utilities and energy efficiency organizations forecast the order in which important SSL applications will become cost-effective and estimate when each "tipping point" will be reached. Includes performance trend analysis from DOE's LED Lighting Facts® and CALiPER programs plus cost analysis from various sources.

Economic Modeling as a Component of Academic Strategic Planning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacKinnon, Joyce; Sothmann, Mark; Johnson, James

2001-01-01

Computer-based economic modeling was used to enable a school of allied health to define outcomes, identify associated costs, develop cost and revenue models, and create a financial planning system. As a strategic planning tool, it assisted realistic budgeting and improved efficiency and effectiveness. (Contains 18 references.) (SK)

Comparison of L1000 and Affymetrix Microarray for In Vitro Concentration-Response Gene Expression Profiling (SOT)

EPA Science Inventory

Advances in high-throughput screening technologies and in vitro systems have opened doors for cost-efficient evaluation of chemical effects on a diversity of biological endpoints. However, toxicogenomics platforms remain too costly to evaluate large libraries of chemicals in conc...

Visual versus mechanised leucocyte differential counts: costing and evaluation of traditional and Hemalog D methods.

PubMed

Hudson, M J; Green, A E

1980-11-01

Visual differential counts were examined for efficiency, cost effectiveness, and staff acceptability within our laboratory. A comparison with the Hemalog D system was attempted. The advantages and disadvantages of each system are enumerated and discussed in the context of a large general hospital.

Cost-Effectiveness of High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Testing With Messenger RNA Versus DNA Under United States Guidelines for Cervical Cancer Screening.

PubMed

Ting, Jie; Smith, Jennifer S; Myers, Evan R

2015-10-01

To compare the cost-effectiveness of high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) testing using a hrHPV DNA and a hrHPV messenger RNA (mRNA) assay under current US cervical cancer screening guidelines. We constructed a Markov model for stochastic cost-effectiveness analysis using published data. We compared screening efficiency using DNA and mRNA testing for the following: (1) cotesting with cytology in women 30 to 65 years, and (2) triage of women with mild cervical cytological abnormalities (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance [ASC-US]) in the United States. Screening end point is histologically confirmed high-grade lesions (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2, 3, or invasive cancer). Sensitivity and specificity estimates of DNA and mRNA testing to detect cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2, 3, or invasive cancer were obtained from 2 published trials: the US Clinical Evaluation of APTIMA mRNA (CLEAR) study for ASC-US triage and the French APTIMA Screening Evaluation (FASE) study for cotesting. Costs of DNA and mRNA testing were assumed identical. Costs of screening, diagnosis, and treatment of cervical neoplasia and cancer were from previously published estimates, adjusted to 2012 US dollars. Inputs were modeled as distributions for Monte Carlo probabilistic sensitivity analysis. Model outcomes were costs per life-year saved for each strategy, discounted at 3% annually. For both cotesting and ASC-US triage, mRNA testing cost less than DNA testing, whereas life expectancies were widely overlapping. There was a 100% probability that DNA testing was not cost-effective at $100,000/life-year saved threshold for ASC-US triage and a 55% probability that DNA testing was not cost-effective at the same threshold for cotesting. Based on the available evidence, mRNA testing for cotesting or ASC-US triage is likely to be more efficient than DNA testing under current US cervical cancer screening guidelines.

Excimer laser annealing to fabricate low cost solar cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

The objective is to show whether or not pulsed excimer laser annealing (PELA) of ion-implanted junctions is a cost effective replacement for diffused junctions in fabricating crystalline silicon solar cells. The preliminary economic analysis completed shows that the use of PELA to fabricate both the front junction and back surface field (BSF) would cost approximately 35 cents per peak watt (Wp), compared to a cost of 15 cents/Wp for diffusion, aluminum BSF and an extra cleaning step in the baseline process. The cost advantage of the PELA process depends on improving the average cell efficiency from 14% to 16%, which would lower the overall cost of the module by about 15 cents/Wp. An optimized PELA process compatible with commercial production is to be developed, and increased cell efficiency with sufficient product for adequate statistical analysis demonstrated. An excimer laser annealing station was set-up and made operational. The first experiment used 248 nm radiation to anneal phosphorus implants in polished and texture-etched silicon.

The Application of Incentives and the Defense Business Operations Fund

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-12-01

The Defense Business Operations Fund (DBOF) is an attempt to incorporate private sector business incentives into the public sector. Truly efficient...or resources are missing an organization will not become more cost effective and efficient. The private sector goal is profit maximization. This goal

Materials interface engineering for solution-processed photovoltaics.

PubMed

Graetzel, Michael; Janssen, René A J; Mitzi, David B; Sargent, Edward H

2012-08-16

Advances in solar photovoltaics are urgently needed to increase the performance and reduce the cost of harvesting solar power. Solution-processed photovoltaics are cost-effective to manufacture and offer the potential for physical flexibility. Rapid progress in their development has increased their solar-power conversion efficiencies. The nanometre (electron) and micrometre (photon) scale interfaces between the crystalline domains that make up solution-processed solar cells are crucial for efficient charge transport. These interfaces include large surface area junctions between photoelectron donors and acceptors, the intralayer grain boundaries within the absorber, and the interfaces between photoactive layers and the top and bottom contacts. Controlling the collection and minimizing the trapping of charge carriers at these boundaries is crucial to efficiency.

Financial evaluation of different vaccination strategies for controlling the bluetongue virus serotype 8 epidemic in The Netherlands in 2008.

PubMed

Velthuis, Annet G J; Mourits, Monique C M; Saatkamp, Helmut W; de Koeijer, Aline A; Elbers, Armin R W

2011-05-04

Bluetongue (BT) is a vector-borne disease of ruminants caused by bluetongue virus that is transmitted by biting midges (Culicoides spp.). In 2006, the introduction of BTV serotype 8 (BTV-8) caused a severe epidemic in Western and Central Europe. The principal effective veterinary measure in response to BT was believed to be vaccination accompanied by other measures such as movement restrictions and surveillance. As the number of vaccine doses available at the start of the vaccination campaign was rather uncertain, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and the Dutch agricultural industry wanted to evaluate several different vaccination strategies. This study aimed to rank eight vaccination strategies based on their efficiency (i.e. net costs in relation to prevented losses or benefits) for controlling the bluetongue virus serotype 8 epidemic in 2008. An economic model was developed that included the Dutch professional cattle, sheep and goat sectors together with the hobby farms. Strategies were evaluated based on the least cost - highest benefit frontier, the benefit-cost ratio and the total net returns. Strategy F, where all adult sheep at professional farms in The Netherlands would be vaccinated was very efficient at lowest costs, whereas strategy D, where additional to all adult sheep at professional farms also all adult cattle in the four Northern provinces would be vaccinated, was also very efficient but at a little higher costs. Strategy C, where all adult sheep and cattle at professional farms in the whole of The Netherlands would be vaccinated was also efficient but again at higher costs. This study demonstrates that a financial analysis differentiates between vaccination strategies and indicates important decision rules based on efficiency.

Financial Evaluation of Different Vaccination Strategies for Controlling the Bluetongue Virus Serotype 8 Epidemic in the Netherlands in 2008

PubMed Central

Velthuis, Annet G. J.; Mourits, Monique C. M.; Saatkamp, Helmut W.; de Koeijer, Aline A.; Elbers, Armin R. W.

2011-01-01

Background Bluetongue (BT) is a vector-borne disease of ruminants caused by bluetongue virus that is transmitted by biting midges (Culicoides spp.). In 2006, the introduction of BTV serotype 8 (BTV-8) caused a severe epidemic in Western and Central Europe. The principal effective veterinary measure in response to BT was believed to be vaccination accompanied by other measures such as movement restrictions and surveillance. As the number of vaccine doses available at the start of the vaccination campaign was rather uncertain, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and the Dutch agricultural industry wanted to evaluate several different vaccination strategies. This study aimed to rank eight vaccination strategies based on their efficiency (i.e. net costs in relation to prevented losses or benefits) for controlling the bluetongue virus serotype 8 epidemic in 2008. Methodology/Principal Findings An economic model was developed that included the Dutch professional cattle, sheep and goat sectors together with the hobby farms. Strategies were evaluated based on the least cost - highest benefit frontier, the benefit-cost ratio and the total net returns. Strategy F, where all adult sheep at professional farms in the Netherlands would be vaccinated was very efficient at lowest costs, whereas strategy D, where additional to all adult sheep at professional farms also all adult cattle in the four Northern provinces would be vaccinated, was also very efficient but at a little higher costs. Strategy C, where all adult sheep and cattle at professional farms in the whole of the Netherlands would be vaccinated was also efficient but again at higher costs. Conclusions/Significance This study demonstrates that a financial analysis differentiates between vaccination strategies and indicates important decision rules based on efficiency. PMID:21573195

Reducing electrocoagulation harvesting costs for practical microalgal biodiesel production.

PubMed

Dassey, Adam J; Theegala, Chandra S

2014-01-01

Electrocoagulation has shown potential to be a primary microalgae harvesting technique for biodiesel production. However, methods to reduce energy and electrode costs are still necessary for practical application. Electrocoagulation tests were conducted on Nannochloris sp. and Dunaliella sp. using perforated aluminium and iron electrodes under various charge densities. Aluminium electrodes were shown to be more efficient than iron electrodes when harvesting both algal species. Despite the lower harvesting efficiency, however, the iron electrodes were more energy and cost efficient. Operational costs of less than $0.03/L oil were achieved when harvesting Nannochloris sp. with iron electrodes at 35% harvest efficiency, whereas aluminium electrodes cost $0.75/L oil with 42% harvesting efficiency. Increasing the harvesting efficiencies for both aluminium and iron electrodes also increased the overall cost per litre of oil, therefore lower harvesting efficiencies with lower energy inputs was recommended. Also, increasing the culturing salinity to 2 ppt sodium chloride for freshwater Nannochloris sp. was determined practical to improve the electrocoagulation energy efficiency despite a 25% reduction in cell growth.

Networked remote area dental services: a viable, sustainable approach to oral health care in challenging environments.

PubMed

Dyson, Kate; Kruger, Estie; Tennant, Marc

2012-12-01

This study examines the cost effectiveness of a model of remote area oral health service. Retrospective financial analysis. Rural and remote primary health services. Clinical activity data and associated cost data relating to the provision of a networked visiting oral health service by the Centre for Rural and Remote Oral Health formed the basis of the study data frameset. The cost-effectiveness of the Centre's model of service provision at five rural and remote sites in Western Australia during the calendar years 2006, 2008 and 2010 was examined in the study. Calculations of the service provision costs and value of care provided were made using data records and the Fee Schedule of Dental Services for Dentists. The ratio of service provision costs to the value of care provided was determined for each site and was benchmarked against the equivalent ratios applicable to large scale government sector models of service provision. The use of networked models have been effective in other disciplines but this study is the first to show a networked hub and spoke approach of five spokes to one hub is cost efficient in remote oral health care. By excluding special cost-saving initiatives introduced by the Centre, the study examines easily translatable direct service provision costs against direct clinical care outcomes in some of Australia's most challenging locations. This study finds that networked hub and spoke models of care can be financially efficient arrangements in remote oral health care. © 2012 The Authors. Australian Journal of Rural Health © National Rural Health Alliance Inc.

Time-based analysis of total cost of patient episodes: a case study of hip replacement.

PubMed

Peltokorpi, Antti; Kujala, Jaakko

2006-01-01

Healthcare in the public and private sectors is facing increasing pressure to become more cost-effective. Time-based competition and work-in-progress have been used successfully to measure and improve the efficiency of industrial manufacturing. Seeks to address this issue. Presents a framework for time based management of the total cost of a patient episode and apply it to the six sigma DMAIC-process development approach. The framework is used to analyse hip replacement patient episodes in Päijät-Häme Hospital District in Finland, which has a catchment area of 210,000 inhabitants and performs an average of 230 hip replacements per year. The work-in-progress concept is applicable to healthcare--notably that the DMAIC-process development approach can be used to analyse the total cost of patient episodes. Concludes that a framework, which combines the patient-in-process and the DMAIC development approach, can be used not only to analyse the total cost of patient episode but also to improve patient process efficiency. Presents a framework that combines patient-in-process and DMAIC-process development approaches, which can be used to analyse the total cost of a patient episode in order to improve patient process efficiency.

How to design a horizontal patient-focused hospital.

PubMed

Murphy, E C; Ruflin, P

1993-05-01

Work Imaging is an executive information system for analyzing the cost effectiveness and efficiency of work processes and structures in health care. Advanced Work Imaging relational database technology allows managers and employees to take a sample work activities profile organization-wide. This is married to financial and organizational data to produce images of work within and across all functions, departments, and levels. The images are benchmarked against best practice data to provide insight on the quality and cost efficiency of work practice patterns, from individual roles to departmental skill mix to organization-wide service processes.

A Highly Efficient and Facile Approach for Fabricating Graphite Nanoplatelets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Thanh, Dang; Van Thien, Nguyen; Thang, Bui Hung; Van Chuc, Nguyen; Hong, Nguyen Manh; Trang, Bui Thi; Lam, Tran Dai; Huyen, Dang Thi Thu; Hong, Phan Ngoc; Minh, Phan Ngoc

2016-05-01

In this study, we report a highly efficient, convenient, and cost-effective technique for producing graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs) from plasma-expanded graphite oxides (PEGOs) obtained directly from low-cost, recycled graphite electrodes of used batteries, x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the successful preparation of GNPs. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the GNPs have lateral width from several hundreds of nanometers to 1.5 μm with an approximate thickness of 20-50 nm. These GNPs can serve as a precursor for the preparation of GNPs-based nanocomposite.

Lessons from international experience in controlling pharmaceutical expenditure. III: Regulating industry.

PubMed Central

Bloor, K.; Maynard, A.; Freemantle, N.

1996-01-01

This is the third of three papers that review international policies to control spending on drugs and to improve the efficiency of drug use. This paper reviews policies regulating the supply of drugs, particularly licensing and reimbursement controls, price and profit regulation. Price and profit controls contain few incentives for improving cost effective use of drugs, and focus on cost containment and profitability of domestic industry. Carefully monitored economic evaluation could lead to improvements in efficiency and benefits to patients and the health care system. PMID:8664771

Development of a concentrating solar power system using fluidized-bed technology for thermal energy conversion and solid particles for thermal energy storage

DOE PAGES

Ma, Z.; Mehos, M.; Glatzmaier, G.; ...

2015-05-01

Concentrating solar power (CSP) is an effective way to convert solar energy into electricity with an economic energy-storage capability for grid-scale, dispatchable renewable power generation. However, CSP plants need to reduce costs to be competitive with other power generation methods. Two ways to reduce CSP cost are to increase solar-to-electric efficiency by supporting a high-efficiency power conversion system, and to use low-cost materials in the system. The current nitrate-based molten-salt systems have limited potential for cost reduction and improved power-conversion efficiency with high operating temperatures. Even with significant improvements in operating performance, these systems face challenges in satisfying the costmore » and performance targets. This paper introduces a novel CSP system with high-temperature capability that can be integrated into a high-efficiency CSP plant and that meets the low-cost, high-performance CSP targets. Unlike a conventional salt-based CSP plant, this design uses gas/solid, two-phase flow as the heat-transfer fluid (HTF); separated solid particles as storage media; and stable, inexpensive materials for the high-temperature receiver and energy storage containment. We highlight the economic and performance benefits of this innovative CSP system design, which has thermal energy storage capability for base-load power generation.« less

Improved Efficient Routing Strategy on Scale-Free Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Zhong-Yuan; Liang, Man-Gui

Since the betweenness of nodes in complex networks can theoretically represent the traffic load of nodes under the currently used routing strategy, we propose an improved efficient (IE) routing strategy to enhance to the network traffic capacity based on the betweenness centrality. Any node with the highest betweenness is susceptible to traffic congestion. An efficient way to improve the network traffic capacity is to redistribute the heavy traffic load from these central nodes to non-central nodes, so in this paper, we firstly give a path cost function by considering the sum of node betweenness with a tunable parameter β along the actual path. Then, by minimizing the path cost, our IE routing strategy achieved obvious improvement on the network transport efficiency. Simulations on scale-free Barabási-Albert (BA) networks confirmed the effectiveness of our strategy, when compared with the efficient routing (ER) and the shortest path (SP) routing.

Costs and cost-effectiveness of HIV community services: quantity and quality of studies published 1986-2011.

PubMed

Beck, Eduard J; Fasawe, Olufunke; Ongpin, Patricia; Ghys, Peter; Avilla, Carlos; De Lay, Paul

2013-06-01

Community services comprise an important part of a country's HIV response. English language cost and cost-effectiveness studies of HIV community services published between 1986 and 2011 were reviewed but only 74 suitable studies were identified, 66% of which were performed in five countries. Mean study scores by continent varied from 42 to 69% of the maximum score, reflecting variation in topics covered and the quality of coverage: 38% of studies covered key and 11% other vulnerable populations - a country's response is most effective and efficient if these populations are identified given they are key to a successful response. Unit costs were estimated using different costing methods and outcomes. Community services will need to routinely collect and analyze information on their use, cost, outcome and impact using standardized costing methods and outcomes. Cost estimates need to be disaggregated into relevant cost items and stratified by severity and existing comorbidities. Expenditure tracking and costing of services are complementary aspects of the health sector 'resource cycle' that feed into a country's investment framework and the development and implementation of national strategic plans.

Effects of oncological care pathways in primary and secondary care on patient, professional, and health systems outcomes: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

van Hoeve, Jolanda C; Vernooij, Robin W M; Lawal, Adegboyega K; Fiander, Michelle; Nieboer, Peter; Siesling, Sabine; Rotter, Thomas

2018-03-27

The high impact of a cancer diagnosis on patients and their families and the increasing costs of cancer treatment call for optimal and efficient oncological care. To improve the quality of care and to minimize healthcare costs and its economic burden, many healthcare organizations introduce care pathways to improve efficiency across the continuum of cancer care. However, there is limited research on the effects of cancer care pathways in different settings. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis described in this protocol is to synthesize existing literature on the effects of oncological care pathways. We will conduct a systematic search strategy to identify all relevant literature in several biomedical databases, including Cochrane library, MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL. We will follow the methodology of Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC), and we will include randomized trials, non-randomized trials, controlled before-after studies, and interrupted time series studies. In addition, we will include full economic evaluations (cost-effectiveness analyses, cost-utility analyses, and cost-benefit analyses), cost analyses, and comparative resource utilization studies, if available. Two reviewers will independently screen all studies and evaluate those included for risk of bias. From these studies, we will extract data regarding patient, professional, and health systems outcomes. Our systematic review will follow the PRISMA set of items for reporting in systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Following the protocol outlined in this article, we aim to identify, assess, and synthesize all available evidence in order to provide an evidence base on the effects of oncological care pathways as reported in the literature. PROSPERO CRD42017057592 .

Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) and Optically-Detected Magnetic Resonance (ODMR) studies on organic materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Min

Organic semiconductors have evolved rapidly over the last decades and currently are considered as the next-generation technology for many applications, such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) in flat-panel displays (FPDs) and solid state lighting (SSL), and organic solar cells (OSCs) in clean renewable energy. This dissertation focuses mainly on OLEDs. Although the commercialization of the OLED technology in FPDs is growing and appears to be just around the corner for SSL, there are still several key issues that need to be addressed: (1) the cost of OLEDs is very high, largely due to the costly current manufacturing process; (2) the efficiency of OLEDs needs to be improved. This is vital to the success of OLEDs in the FPD and SSL industries; (3) the lifetime of OLEDs, especially blue OLEDs, is the biggest technical challenge. All these issues raise the demand for new organic materials, new device structures, and continued lower-cost fabrication methods. In an attempt to address these issues, we used solution-processing methods to fabricate highly efficient small molecule OLEDs (SMOLEDs); this approach is cost-effective in comparison to the more common thermal vacuum evaporation. We also successfully made efficient indium tin oxide (ITO)-free SMOLEDs to further improve the efficiency of the OLEDs. We employed the spin-dependent optically-detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) technique to study the luminescence quenching processes in OLEDs and organic materials in order to understand the intrinsic degradation mechanisms. We also fabricated polymer LEDs (PLEDs) based on a new electron-accepting blue-emitting polymer and studied the effect of molecular weight on the efficiency of PLEDs. All these studies helped us to better understand the underlying relationship between the organic semiconductor materials and the OLEDs' performance, and will subsequently assist in further enhancing the efficiency of OLEDs. With strongly improved device performance (in addition to other OLEDs' attributes such as mechanical flexibility and potential low cost), the OLED technology is promising to successfully compete with current technologies, such as LCDs and inorganic LEDs.

Optimal medical outcomes with limited liability: risk management principles for medical practices at the intersection of medicine, law, and business.

PubMed

Paterick, Timothy J; Paterick, Timothy E; Waterhouse, Blake E

2007-01-01

Physicians practice at the intersection of medicine, law, and business. Each discipline creates its own challenges for the practicing physician: to practice efficient, effective medicine; to limit potential liability; and to create a positive financial outcome. Those challenges increase with escalating costs and reduced reimbursements. In this paper, the common clinical presentation of chest pain has been used to create a paradigm to educate physicians to understand efficient and effective approaches to diagnosis and treatment, and how effective communication with patients and meticulous documentation of all medical encounters can limit the potential for liability. Ultimately, given today's reimbursement formulas, physicians must also understand the cost of testing, in relation to its benefits, in an attempt to yield a positive financial outcome.

Efficiency in the United States electric industry: Transaction costs, deregulation, and governance structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterson, Carl

Transaction costs economics (TCE) posits that firms have an incentive to bypass the market mechanisms in situations where the cost of using the market is prohibitive. Vertical integration, among other governance mechanisms, can be used to minimize the transactions costs associated with the market mechanism. The study analyses different governance mechanisms, which range from complete vertical integration to the use of market mechanisms, for firms in the US electric sector. This sector has undergone tremendous change in the past decade including the introduction of retail competition in some jurisdictions. As a result of the push toward deregulation of the industry, vertically integration, while still significant in the sector, has steadily been replaced by alternative governance structures. Using a sample of 136 investor-owned electric utilities that reported data the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission between 1996 and 2002, this study estimates firm level efficiency using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and relates these estimates to governance structure and public policies. The analysis finds that vertical integration is positively related to firm efficiency, although in a non-linear fashion suggesting that hybrid governance structures tend to be associated with lower efficiency scores. In addition, while some evidence is found for negative short-term effects on firm efficiency from the choice to deregulate, this result is sensitive to DEA model choice. Further, competition in retail markets is found to be positively related to firm level efficiency, but the retreat from deregulation, which occurred after 2000, is negatively associated with firm-level efficiency. These results are important in the ongoing academic and public policy debates concerning deregulation of the electric section and indicate that vertical economies remain in the industry, but that competition has provided incentives for improving firm level efficiency.

Assessing the shelf life of cost-efficient conservation plans for species at risk across gradients of agricultural land use.

PubMed

Robillard, Cassandra M; Kerr, Jeremy T

2017-08-01

High costs of land in agricultural regions warrant spatial prioritization approaches to conservation that explicitly consider land prices to produce protected-area networks that accomplish targets efficiently. However, land-use changes in such regions and delays between plan design and implementation may render optimized plans obsolete before implementation occurs. To measure the shelf life of cost-efficient conservation plans, we simulated a land-acquisition and restoration initiative aimed at conserving species at risk in Canada's farmlands. We accounted for observed changes in land-acquisition costs and in agricultural intensity based on censuses of agriculture taken from 1986 to 2011. For each year of data, we mapped costs and areas of conservation priority designated using Marxan. We compared plans to test for changes through time in the arrangement of high-priority sites and in the total cost of each plan. For acquisition costs, we measured the savings from accounting for prices during site selection. Land-acquisition costs and land-use intensity generally rose over time independent of inflation (24-78%), although rates of change were heterogeneous through space and decreased in some areas. Accounting for spatial variation in land price lowered the cost of conservation plans by 1.73-13.9%, decreased the range of costs by 19-82%, and created unique solutions from which to choose. Despite the rise in plan costs over time, the high conservation priority of particular areas remained consistent. Delaying conservation in these critical areas may compromise what optimized conservation plans can achieve. In the case of Canadian farmland, rapid conservation action is cost-effective, even with moderate levels of uncertainty in how to implement restoration goals. © 2016 Society for Conservation Biology.

Effectiveness and Cost Efficiency of Different Surveillance Components for Proving Freedom and Early Detection of Disease: Bluetongue Serotype 8 in Cattle as Case Study for Belgium, France and the Netherlands.

PubMed

Welby, S; van Schaik, G; Veldhuis, A; Brouwer-Middelesch, H; Peroz, C; Santman-Berends, I M; Fourichon, C; Wever, P; Van der Stede, Y

2017-12-01

Quick detection and recovery of country's freedom status remain a constant challenge in animal health surveillance. The efficacy and cost efficiency of different surveillance components in proving the absence of infection or (early) detection of bluetongue serotype 8 in cattle populations within different countries (the Netherlands, France, Belgium) using surveillance data from years 2006 and 2007 were investigated using an adapted scenario tree model approach. First, surveillance components (sentinel, yearly cross-sectional and passive clinical reporting) within each country were evaluated in terms of efficacy for substantiating freedom of infection. Yearly cross-sectional survey and passive clinical reporting performed well within each country with sensitivity of detection values ranging around 0.99. The sentinel component had a sensitivity of detection around 0.7. Secondly, how effective the components were for (early) detection of bluetongue serotype 8 and whether syndromic surveillance on reproductive performance, milk production and mortality data available from the Netherlands and Belgium could be of added value were evaluated. Epidemic curves were used to estimate the timeliness of detection. Sensitivity analysis revealed that expected within-herd prevalence and number of herds processed were the most influential parameters for proving freedom and early detection. Looking at the assumed direct costs, although total costs were low for sentinel and passive clinical surveillance components, passive clinical surveillance together with syndromic surveillance (based on reproductive performance data) turned out most cost-efficient for the detection of bluetongue serotype 8. To conclude, for emerging or re-emerging vectorborne disease that behaves such as bluetongue serotype 8, it is recommended to use passive clinical and syndromic surveillance as early detection systems for maximum cost efficiency and sensitivity. Once an infection is detected and eradicated, cross-sectional screening for substantiating freedom of infection and sentinel for monitoring the disease evolution are recommended. © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Is implementation of the 2013 Australian treatment guidelines for posttraumatic stress disorder cost-effective compared to current practice? A cost-utility analysis using QALYs and DALYs.

PubMed

Mihalopoulos, Cathrine; Magnus, Anne; Lal, Anita; Dell, Lisa; Forbes, David; Phelps, Andrea

2015-04-01

To assess, from a health sector perspective, the incremental cost-effectiveness of three treatment recommendations in the most recent Australian Clinical Practice Guidelines for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The interventions assessed are trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (TF-CBT) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for the treatment of PTSD in adults and TF-CBT in children, compared to current practice in Australia. Economic modelling, using existing databases and published information, was used to assess cost-effectiveness. A cost-utility framework using both quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) averted was used. Costs were tracked for the duration of the respective interventions and applied to the estimated 12 months prevalent cases of PTSD in the Australian population of 2012. Simulation modelling was used to provide 95% uncertainty around the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. Consideration was also given to factors not considered in the quantitative analysis but could determine the likely uptake of the proposed intervention guidelines. TF-CBT is highly cost-effective compared to current practice at $19,000/QALY, $16,000/DALY in adults and $8900/QALY, $8000/DALY in children. In adults, 100% of uncertainty iterations fell beneath the $50,000/QALY or DALY value-for-money threshold. Using SSRIs in people already on medications is cost-effective at $200/QALY, but has considerable uncertainty around the costs and benefits. While there is a 13% chance of health loss there is a 27% chance of the intervention dominating current practice by both saving dollars and improving health in adults. The three Guideline recommended interventions evaluated in this study are likely to have a positive impact on the economic efficiency of the treatment of PTSD if adopted in full. While there are gaps in the evidence base, policy-makers can have considerable confidence that the recommendations assessed in the current study are likely to improve the efficiency of the mental health care sector. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2014.

Estimating the Effects of Module Area on Thin-Film Photovoltaic System Costs: Preprint

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

Horowitz, Kelsey A; Fu, Ran; Silverman, Timothy J

We investigate the potential effects of module area on the cost and performance of photovoltaic systems. Applying a bottom-up methodology, we analyzed the costs associated with thin-film modules and systems as a function of module area. We calculate a potential for savings of up to 0.10 dollars/W and 0.13 dollars/W in module manufacturing costs for CdTe and CIGS respectively, with large area modules. We also find that an additional 0.04 dollars/W savings in balance-of-systems costs may be achieved. Sensitivity of the dollar/W cost savings to module efficiency, manufacturing yield, and other parameters is presented. Lifetime energy yield must also bemore » maintained to realize reductions in the levelized cost of energy; the effects of module size on energy yield for monolithic thin-film modules are not yet well understood. Finally, we discuss possible non-cost barriers to adoption of large area modules.« less

Three essays on energy efficiency and environmental policies in Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gamtessa, Samuel Faye

This thesis is organized into five Chapters. In Chapter 1, we provide an introduction. In Chapter 2, we present a study on residential energy-efficiency retrofits in Canada. We describe the EnerGuide for Houses data and model household decisions to invest in energy-efficiency retrofits. Our results show that government financial incentives have important positive effects. The decision to invest in energy-efficiency retrofits is positively related to potential energy cost savings and negatively related to the costs of the retrofits. We find that household characteristics such as the age composition of household members are important factors. All else remaining constant, low income households are more likely to undertake energy-efficiency retrofits. In the third Chapter, we present our study on price-induced energy efficiency improvements in Canadian manufacturing. Our study employs a new approach to the estimation of price-induced energy efficiency improvements and the results have important empirical and policy implications. In the fourth chapter, we present our study on the implications of the “shale gas revolution” on Alberta greenhouse gas emission abatement strategy. Given that the strategy is centered on deployment of CCS technologies, we analyze the effects of the declines in natural gas price on CCS deployment in the electricity sector. We use the CIMS simulation model to simulate various policy scenarios under high and low natural gas price assumptions. Comparison of the results shows that CCS market penetration in the electricity sector is very minimal in the low natural gas price scenario even when a 50% cost subsidy is applied. Accordingly, there is little gain from subsidizing CCS given the “shale gas revolution.” We provide a few concluding remarks in Chapter 5.

Three Essays on Energy Efficiency and Environmental Policies in Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gamtessa, Samuel

2011-09-01

This thesis is organized into five Chapters. In Chapter 1, we provide an introduction. In Chapter 2, we present a study on residential energy-efficiency retrofits in Canada. We describe the EnerGuide for Houses data and model household decisions to invest in energy-efficiency retrofits. Our results show that government financial incentives have important positive effects. The decision to invest in energy-efficiency retrofits is positively related to potential energy cost savings and negatively related to the costs of the retrofits. We find that household characteristics such as the age composition of household members are important factors. All else remaining constant, low income households are more likely to undertake energy-efficiency retrofits. In the third Chapter, we present our study on price-induced energy efficiency improvements in Canadian manufacturing. Our study employs a new approach to the estimation of price-induced energy efficiency improvements and the results have important empirical and policy implications. In the fourth chapter, we present our study on the implications of the "shale gas revolution" on Alberta greenhouse gas emission abatement strategy. Given that the strategy is centered on deployment of CCS technologies, we analyze the effects of the declines in natural gas price on CCS deployment in the electricity sector. We use the CIMS simulation model to simulate various policy scenarios under high and low natural gas price assumptions. Comparison of the results shows that CCS market penetration in the electricity sector is very minimal in the low natural gas price scenario even when a 50% cost subsidy is applied. Accordingly, there is little gain from subsidizing CCS given the "shale gas revolution." We provide a few concluding remarks in Chapter 5.

Surplus Value in Organizational Communication

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-03-01

according to Farace et al, you get what you pay for. 3. Efficiency and Value The relationship of cost to effectiveness is the efficiency of a communication...Structures and Computer Support: A Field Experiment" ACM Transactions on Office Information Systems, Vol. 6, No. 4. pp. 354-379, October 1988. Farace , R., J

Space Shuttle capabilities, constraints, and cost

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, C. M.

1980-01-01

The capabilities, constraints, and costs of the Space Transportation System (STS), which combines reusable and expendable components, are reviewed, and an overview of the current planning activities for operating the STS in an efficient and cost-effective manner is presented. Traffic forecasts, performance constraints and enhancements, and potential new applications are discussed. Attention is given to operating costs, pricing policies, and the steps involved in 'getting on board', which includes all the interfaces between NASA and the users necessary to come to launch service agreements.

Technical- and environmental-efficiency analysis of irrigated cotton-cropping systems in Punjab, Pakistan using data envelopment analysis.

PubMed

Ullah, Asmat; Perret, Sylvain R

2014-08-01

Cotton cropping in Pakistan uses substantial quantities of resources and adversely affects the environment with pollutants from the inputs, particularly pesticides. A question remains regarding to what extent the reduction of such environmental impact is possible without compromising the farmers' income. This paper investigates the environmental, technical, and economic performances of selected irrigated cotton-cropping systems in Punjab to quantify the sustainability of cotton farming and reveal options for improvement. Using mostly primary data, our study quantifies the technical, cost, and environmental efficiencies of different farm sizes. A set of indicators has been computed to reflect these three domains of efficiency using the data envelopment analysis technique. The results indicate that farmers are broadly environmentally inefficient; which primarily results from poor technical inefficiency. Based on an improved input mix, the average potential environmental impact reduction for small, medium, and large farms is 9, 13, and 11 %, respectively, without compromising the economic return. Moreover, the differences in technical, cost, and environmental efficiencies between small and medium and small and large farm sizes were statistically significant. The second-stage regression analysis identifies that the entire farm size significantly affects the efficiencies, whereas exposure to extension and training has positive effects, and the sowing methods significantly affect the technical and environmental efficiencies. Paradoxically, the formal education level is determined to affect the efficiencies negatively. This paper discusses policy interventions that can improve the technical efficiency to ultimately increase the environmental efficiency and reduce the farmers' operating costs.

The efficiency of life insurance and family Takaful in Malaysia: Relative efficiency using the stochastic cost frontier analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baharin, Roziana; Isa, Zaidi

2013-04-01

This paper focuses on the Stochastic cost Frontier Analysis (SFA) approach, in an attempt to measure the relationship between efficiency and organizational structure for Takaful and insurance operators in Malaysia's dual financial system. This study applied a flexible cost functional form i.e., Fourier Flexible Functional Form, for a sample consisting of 19 firms, chosen between 2002 and 2010, by employing the Battese and Coelli invariant efficiency model. The findings show that on average, there is a significant difference in cost efficiency between the Takaful industry and the insurance industry. It was found that Takaful has lower cost efficiency than conventional insurance, which shows that the organization form has an influence on efficiency. Overall, it was observed that the level of efficiency scores for both life insurance and family Takaful do not vary across time.

The effect of dietary nicotine on the allocation of assimilated food to energy metabolism and growth in fourth-instar larvae of the southern armyworm, Spodoptera eridania (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

PubMed

Cresswell, James E; Merritt, Stewart Z; Martin, Michael M

1992-03-01

Dietary nicotine (0.5%), which is a substrate of the PSMO (polysubstrate monooxygenase) detoxification system in the southern armyworm Spodoptera eridania, has significant negative effects on the weight of food ingested, weight gained, relative growth rate (RGR), and efficiency of conversion of digested food (ECD) by fourthinstar S. eridania larvae on a nutrient-rich artificial diet. It has a significant positive effect on the weight of food respired by the larvae. Thus, the detoxification of nicotine by the PSMO system exacts a fitness cost and imposes a metabolic cost on S. eridania larvae. In contrast, dietary α-(+)-pinene, an inducer of the PSMO system, neither exacts a fitness cost nor imposes a metabolic cost on the larvae. We believe this to be the first study to demonstrate unequivocally that the negative effect of a dietary toxin on net growth efficiency (ECD) in an insect herbivore is due to an increase in the allocation of assimilated food to energy metabolism and not to a decrease in the amount of food assimilated. This study, therefore, supports the hypothesis that detoxification can impose a significant metabolic load on an insect herbivore. Implications of a corroboration of the metabolic load hypothesis are discussed.

Operational Energy Metrics: Increasing Flexibility While Reducing Vulnerability

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

procurement decisions with a greater level of fidelity concerning the cost- benefit analysis for systems lifetime cost of energy. Furthermore, it...or we have to RTB, we’re BINGO -fuel48”? As General Ronald Keys, USAF (RET.) stated when discussing energy efficiency and mission effectiveness...of Defense change to fully value the delivered cost of fuel, the sooner joint force commanders will reap the “strategic benefits of reallocating

Costs and cost-efficiency of a mobile cash transfer to prevent child undernutrition during the lean season in Burkina Faso: a mixed methods analysis from the MAM'Out randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Puett, Chloe; Salpéteur, Cécile; Houngbe, Freddy; Martínez, Karen; N'Diaye, Dieynaba S; Tonguet-Papucci, Audrey

2018-01-01

This study assessed the costs and cost-efficiency of a mobile cash transfer implemented in Tapoa Province, Burkina Faso in the MAM'Out randomized controlled trial from June 2013 to December 2014, using mixed methods and taking a societal perspective by including costs to implementing partners and beneficiary households. Data were collected via interviews with implementing staff from the humanitarian agency and the private partner delivering the mobile money, focus group discussions with beneficiaries, and review of accounting databases. Costs were analyzed by input category and activity-based cost centers. cost-efficiency was analyzed by cost-transfer ratios (CTR) and cost per beneficiary. Qualitative analysis was conducted to identify themes related to implementing electronic cash transfers, and barriers to efficient implementation. The CTR was 0.82 from a societal perspective, within the same range as other humanitarian transfer programs; however the intervention did not achieve the same degree of cost-efficiency as other mobile transfer programs specifically. Challenges in coordination between humanitarian and private partners resulted in long wait times for beneficiaries, particularly in the first year of implementation. Sensitivity analyses indicated a potential 6% reduction in CTR through reducing beneficiary wait time by one-half. Actors reported that coordination challenges improved during the project, therefore inefficiencies likely would be resolved, and cost-efficiency improved, as the program passed the pilot phase. Despite the time required to establish trusting relationships among actors, and to set up a network of cash points in remote areas, this analysis showed that mobile transfers hold promise as a cost-efficient method of delivering cash in this setting. Implementation by local government would likely reduce costs greatly compared to those found in this study context, and improve cost-efficiency especially by subsidizing expansion of mobile money network coverage and increasing cash distribution points in remote areas which are unprofitable for private partners.

Promoting adverse drug reaction reporting: comparison of different approaches

PubMed Central

Ribeiro-Vaz, Inês; Santos, Cristina Costa; Cruz-Correia, Ricardo

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To describe different approaches to promote adverse drug reaction reporting among health care professionals, determining their cost-effectiveness. METHODS We analyzed and compared several approaches taken by the Northern Pharmacovigilance Centre (Portugal) to promote adverse drug reaction reporting. Approaches were compared regarding the number and relevance of adverse drug reaction reports obtained and costs involved. Costs by report were estimated by adding the initial costs and the running costs of each intervention. These costs were divided by the number of reports obtained with each intervention, to assess its cost-effectiveness. RESULTS All the approaches seem to have increased the number of adverse drug reaction reports. We noted the biggest increase with protocols (321 reports, costing 1.96 € each), followed by first educational approach (265 reports, 20.31 €/report) and by the hyperlink approach (136 reports, 15.59 €/report). Regarding the severity of adverse drug reactions, protocols were the most efficient approach, costing 2.29 €/report, followed by hyperlinks (30.28 €/report, having no running costs). Concerning unexpected adverse drug reactions, the best result was obtained with protocols (5.12 €/report), followed by first educational approach (38.79 €/report). CONCLUSIONS We recommend implementing protocols in other pharmacovigilance centers. They seem to be the most efficient intervention, allowing receiving adverse drug reactions reports at lower costs. The increase applied not only to the total number of reports, but also to the severity, unexpectedness and high degree of causality attributed to the adverse drug reactions. Still, hyperlinks have the advantage of not involving running costs, showing the second best performance in cost per adverse drug reactions report. PMID:27143614

Economic Assessment of Supercritical CO2 Extraction of Waxes as Part of a Maize Stover Biorefinery.

PubMed

Attard, Thomas M; McElroy, Con Robert; Hunt, Andrew J

2015-07-31

To date limited work has focused on assessing the economic viability of scCO2 extraction to obtain waxes as part of a biorefinery. This work estimates the economic costs for wax extraction from maize stover. The cost of manufacture (COM) for maize stover wax extraction was found to be € 88.89 per kg of wax, with the fixed capital investment (FCI) and utility costs (CUT) contributing significantly to the COM. However, this value is based solely on scCO2 extraction of waxes and does not take into account the downstream processing of the biomass following extraction. The cost of extracting wax from maize stover can be reduced by utilizing pelletized leaves and combusting the residual biomass to generate electricity. This would lead to an overall cost of € 10.87 per kg of wax (based on 27% combustion efficiency for electricity generation) and €4.56 per kg of wax (based on 43% combustion efficiency for electricity generation). A sensitivity analysis study showed that utility costs (cost of electricity) had the greatest effect on the COM.

Principles of light harvesting from single photosynthetic complexes.

PubMed

Schlau-Cohen, G S

2015-06-06

Photosynthetic systems harness sunlight to power most life on Earth. In the initial steps of photosynthetic light harvesting, absorbed energy is converted to chemical energy with near-unity quantum efficiency. This is achieved by an efficient, directional and regulated flow of energy through a network of proteins. Here, we discuss the following three key principles of this flow and of photosynthetic light harvesting: thermal fluctuations of the protein structure; intrinsic conformational switches with defined functional consequences; and environmentally triggered conformational switches. Through these principles, photosynthetic systems balance two types of operational costs: metabolic costs, or the cost of maintaining and running the molecular machinery, and opportunity costs, or the cost of losing any operational time. Understanding how the molecular machinery and dynamics are designed to balance these costs may provide a blueprint for improved artificial light-harvesting devices. With a multi-disciplinary approach combining knowledge of biology, this blueprint could lead to low-cost and more effective solar energy conversion. Photosynthetic systems achieve widespread light harvesting across the Earth's surface; in the face of our growing energy needs, this is functionality we need to replicate, and perhaps emulate.

Economic Assessment of Supercritical CO2 Extraction of Waxes as Part of a Maize Stover Biorefinery

PubMed Central

Attard, Thomas M.; McElroy, Con Robert; Hunt, Andrew J.

2015-01-01

To date limited work has focused on assessing the economic viability of scCO2 extraction to obtain waxes as part of a biorefinery. This work estimates the economic costs for wax extraction from maize stover. The cost of manufacture (COM) for maize stover wax extraction was found to be €88.89 per kg of wax, with the fixed capital investment (FCI) and utility costs (CUT) contributing significantly to the COM. However, this value is based solely on scCO2 extraction of waxes and does not take into account the downstream processing of the biomass following extraction. The cost of extracting wax from maize stover can be reduced by utilizing pelletized leaves and combusting the residual biomass to generate electricity. This would lead to an overall cost of €10.87 per kg of wax (based on 27% combustion efficiency for electricity generation) and €4.56 per kg of wax (based on 43% combustion efficiency for electricity generation). A sensitivity analysis study showed that utility costs (cost of electricity) had the greatest effect on the COM. PMID:26263976

Abandoned mine drainage in the Swatara Creek Basin, southern anthracite coalfield, Pennsylvania, USA: 2. performance of treatment systems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cravotta, Charles A.

2010-01-01

A variety of passive and semi-passive treatment systems were constructed by state and local agencies to neutralize acidic mine drainage (AMD) and reduce the transport of dissolved metals in the upper Swatara Creek Basin in the Southern Anthracite Coalfield in eastern Pennsylvania. To evaluate the effectiveness of selected treatment systems installed during 1995–2001, the US Geological Survey collected water-quality data at upstream and downstream locations relative to each system eight or more times annually for a minimum of 3 years at each site during 1996–2007. Performance was normalized among treatment types by dividing the acid load removed by the size of the treatment system. For the limestone sand, open limestone channel, oxic limestone drain, anoxic limestone drain (ALD), and limestone diversion well treatment systems, the size was indicated by the total mass of limestone; for the aerobic wetland systems, the size was indicated by the total surface area of ponds and wetlands. Additionally, the approximate cost per tonne of acid treated over an assumed service life of 20 years was computed. On the basis of these performance metrics, the limestone sand, ALD, oxic limestone drain, and limestone diversion wells had similar ranges of acid-removal efficiency and cost efficiency. However, the open limestone channel had lower removal efficiency and higher cost per ton of acid treated. The wetlands effectively attenuated metals transport but were relatively expensive considering metrics that evaluated acid removal and cost efficiency. Although the water-quality data indicated that all treatments reduced the acidity load from AMD, the ALD was most effective at producing near-neutral pH and attenuating acidity and dissolved metals. The diversion wells were effective at removing acidity and increasing pH of downstream water and exhibited unique potential to treat moderate to high flows associated with storm flow conditions.

Distributed Bees Algorithm Parameters Optimization for a Cost Efficient Target Allocation in Swarms of Robots

PubMed Central

Jevtić, Aleksandar; Gutiérrez, Álvaro

2011-01-01

Swarms of robots can use their sensing abilities to explore unknown environments and deploy on sites of interest. In this task, a large number of robots is more effective than a single unit because of their ability to quickly cover the area. However, the coordination of large teams of robots is not an easy problem, especially when the resources for the deployment are limited. In this paper, the Distributed Bees Algorithm (DBA), previously proposed by the authors, is optimized and applied to distributed target allocation in swarms of robots. Improved target allocation in terms of deployment cost efficiency is achieved through optimization of the DBA’s control parameters by means of a Genetic Algorithm. Experimental results show that with the optimized set of parameters, the deployment cost measured as the average distance traveled by the robots is reduced. The cost-efficient deployment is in some cases achieved at the expense of increased robots’ distribution error. Nevertheless, the proposed approach allows the swarm to adapt to the operating conditions when available resources are scarce. PMID:22346677

Yield and cost of individual common diagnostic tests in new primary care outpatients in Japan.

PubMed

Takemura, Yuzuru; Ishida, Haku; Inoue, Yuji; Beck, J Robert

2002-01-01

Appropriate diagnostic testing involves considerations of cost-effectiveness. We examined the cost-effectiveness of individual tests in a panel of tests defined by the Japan Society of Clinical Pathology. We studied 540 new, symptomatic primary care outpatients with a set of 30 common diagnostic tests [the Essential Laboratory Tests (2); ELT(2) panel] for clinical evaluation and identification of occult disease. A useful result (UR) of testing was defined as a finding that contributed to a change in a physician's diagnosis or decision-making relating to a "tentative initial diagnosis" obtained from history and physical examination alone. The ELT(2) panel testing yielded 398 URs and uncovered 261 occult diseases among 540 patients. In total, 1592 tests contributed to either UR-generation or discovery of occult disease. The cost per effective test (cost required per test that contributed to either definition of effectiveness) ranged from 108 yen (approximately 0.92 US dollars) for total cholesterol to 6200 yen (approximately 52.50 dollars) for chest x-ray. Contribution rates and the cost per effective test varied among disease categories. We restructured panel components considering the effectiveness of each test. Subsets of the ELT(2) would have improved cost-effectiveness and achieved cost savings in five of eight disease categories. Assembly of tests based on cost-effectiveness can improve clinical efficiency and decrease total cost of panel testing for selected patient groups.

Media formulation influences chemical effects on neuronal growth and morphology

EPA Science Inventory

Abstract Screening for developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) using in vitro, cell-based test systems has been proposed as an efficient and cost-effective alternative to performing in vivo DNT studies. One of the pri...

Efficiency of antenatal care and childbirth services in selected primary health care facilities in rural Tanzania: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Saronga, Happiness P; Duysburgh, Els; Massawe, Siriel; Dalaba, Maxwell A; Savadogo, Germain; Tonchev, Pencho; Dong, Hengjin; Sauerborn, Rainer; Loukanova, Svetla

2014-02-28

Cost studies are paramount for demonstrating how resources have been spent and identifying opportunities for more efficient use of resources. The main objective of this study was to assess the actual dimension and distribution of the costs of providing antenatal care (ANC) and childbirth services in selected rural primary health care facilities in Tanzania. In addition, the study analyzed determining factors of service provision efficiency in order to inform health policy and planning. This was a retrospective quantitative cross-sectional study conducted in 11 health centers and dispensaries in Lindi and Mtwara rural districts. Cost analysis was carried out using step down cost accounting technique. Unit costs reflected efficiency of service provision. Multivariate regression analysis on the drivers of observed relative efficiency in service provision between the study facilities was conducted. Reported personnel workload was also described. The health facilities spent on average 7 USD per capita in 2009. As expected, fewer resources were spent for service provision at dispensaries than at health centers. Personnel costs contributed a high approximate 44% to total costs. ANC and childbirth consumed approximately 11% and 12% of total costs; and 8% and 10% of reported service provision time respectively. On average, unit costs were rather high, 16 USD per ANC visit and 79.4 USD per childbirth. The unit costs showed variation in relative efficiency in providing the services between the health facilities. The results showed that efficiency in ANC depended on the number of staff, structural quality of care, process quality of care and perceived quality of care. Population-staff ratio and structural quality of basic emergency obstetric care services highly influenced childbirth efficiency. Differences in the efficiency of service provision present an opportunity for efficiency improvement. Taking into consideration client heterogeneity, quality improvements are possible and necessary. This will stimulate utilization of ANC and childbirth services in resource-constrained health facilities. Efficiency analyses through simple techniques such as measurement of unit costs should be made standard in health care provision, health managers can then use the performance results to gauge progress and reward efficiency through performance based incentives.

How much does it cost to change the behavior of health professionals? A mathematical model and an application to academic detailing.

PubMed

Gandjour, Afschin; Lauterbach, Karl Wilhelm

2005-01-01

Several strategies have shown to be effective at enhancing the implementation of research findings in daily practice. These implementation strategies improve the delivery of preventive or therapeutic care by successfully educating health professionals. On the other hand, little is known about the costs of these implementation strategies. The goal of this article is to present a mathematical model that predicts implementation costs by using published data. As an important feature, the model portrays the relationship between the degree of treatment underuse and implementation costs. Two application examples of outreach programs for the prevention of stroke and coronary disease analyze the relevance of implementation costs with respect to the cost-effectiveness ratio and total costs. They demonstrate that implementation costs may have little impact on the cost-effectiveness ratio but may nevertheless be relevant to a 3rd-party payer who needs to stay within the budget and ensure that care is provided to a large underserved population. The model and its consideration of implementation costs may contribute to a more efficient use of health care resources.

Cost-effectiveness of health research study participant recruitment strategies: a systematic review.

PubMed

Huynh, Lynn; Johns, Benjamin; Liu, Su-Hsun; Vedula, S Swaroop; Li, Tianjing; Puhan, Milo A

2014-10-01

A large fraction of the cost of conducting clinical trials is allocated to recruitment of participants. A synthesis of findings from studies that evaluate the cost and effectiveness of different recruitment strategies will inform investigators in designing cost-efficient clinical trials. To systematically identify, assess, and synthesize evidence from published comparisons of the cost and yield of strategies for recruitment of participants to health research studies. We included randomized studies in which two or more strategies for recruitment of participants had been compared. We focused our economic evaluation on studies that randomized participants to different recruitment strategies. We identified 10 randomized studies that compared recruitment strategies, including monetary incentives (cash or prize), direct contact (letters or telephone call), and medical referral strategies. Only two of the 10 studies compared strategies for recruiting participants to clinical trials. We found that allocating additional resources to recruit participants using monetary incentives or direct contact yielded between 4% and 23% additional participants compared to using neither strategy. For medical referral, recruitment of prostate cancer patients by nurses was cost-saving compared to recruitment by consultant urologists. For all underlying study designs, monetary incentives cost more than direct contact with potential participants, with a median incremental cost per recruitment ratio of Int$72 (Int$-International dollar, a theoretical unit of currency) for monetary incentive strategy compared to Int$28 for direct contact strategy. Only monetary incentives and source of referral were evaluated for recruiting participants into clinical trials. We did not review studies that presented non-monetary cost or lost opportunity cost. We did not adjust for the number of study recruitment sites or the study duration in our economic evaluation analysis. Systematic and explicit reporting of cost and effectiveness of recruitment strategies from randomized comparisons is required to aid investigators to select cost-efficient strategies for recruiting participants to health research studies including clinical trials. © The Author(s) 2014.

Sensitivities of projected 1980 photovoltaic system costs to major system cost drivers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zimmerman, L. W.; Smith, J. L.

1984-01-01

The sensitivity of projected 1990 photovoltaic (PV) system costs to major system cost drivers was examined. It includes: (1) module costs and module efficiencies; (2) area related balance of system (BOS) costs; (3) inverter costs and efficiencies; and (4) module marketing and distribution markups and system integration fees. Recent PV system cost experiences and the high costs of electricity from the systems are reviewed. The 1990 system costs are projected for five classes of PV systems, including four ground mounted 5-MWp systems and one residential 5-kWp system. System cost projections are derived by first projecting costs and efficiencies for all subsystems and components. Sensitivity analyses reveal that reductions in module cost and engineering and system integration fees seem to have the greatest potential for contributing to system cost reduction. Although module cost is clearly the prime candidate for fruitful PV research and development activities, engineering and system integration fees seem to be more amenable to reduction through appropriate choice of system size and market strategy. Increases in inverter and module efficiency yield significant benefits, especially for systems with high area related costs.

Marginal abatement cost curves for NOx that account for ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

A marginal abatement cost curve (MACC) traces out the relationship between the quantity of pollution abated and the marginal cost of abating each additional unit. In the context of air quality management, MACCs typically are developed by sorting end-of-pipe controls by their respective cost effectiveness. Alternative measures, such as renewable electricity, energy efficiency, and fuel switching (RE/EE/FS), are not considered as it is difficult to quantify their abatement potential. In this paper, we demonstrate the use of an energy system model to develop a MACC for nitrogen oxides (NOx) that incorporates both end-of-pipe controls and these alternative measures. We decompose the MACC by sector, and evaluate the cost-effectiveness of RE/EE/FS relative to end-of-pipe controls. RE/EE/FS are shown to produce considerable emission reductions after end-of-pipe controls have been exhausted. Furthermore, some RE/EE/FS are shown to be cost-competitive with end-of-pipe controls. Demonstrate how the MARKAL energy system model can be used to evaluate the potential role of renewable electricity, energy efficiency and fuel switching (RE/EE/FS) in achieving NOx reductions. For this particular analysis, we show that RE/EE/FSs are able to increase the quantity of NOx reductions available for a particular marginal cost (ranging from $5k per ton to $40k per ton) by approximately 50%.

[Social return on internet interventions for alcohol use disorders].

PubMed

Blankers, M

One of the main reasons for treating patients using internet interventions is that this modality is considered highly efficient. However, little is known about the actual cost-effectiveness of internet interventions for alcohol use disorders (aud).
AIM: To provide insight in the cost-effectiveness of internet interventions for the treatment of aud.
METHOD: Review of the relevant literature in this area.
RESULTS: A considerable amount of research has been performed on the effectiveness of internet interventions for aud, with mostly positive findings. However, research on the cost-effectiveness of these interventions has been relatively sparse. Based on the available evidence there are indications that internet interventions for aud can be cost-effective - although findings in the literature are mixed.
CONCLUSION: More research is needed to make valid estimates of the cost-effectiveness of internet interventions for aud. Potential savings can only be estimated after the system has been used over a longer period. However, the evidence obtained thus far is promising.

Energy-efficient sensing in wireless sensor networks using compressed sensing.

PubMed

Razzaque, Mohammad Abdur; Dobson, Simon

2014-02-12

Sensing of the application environment is the main purpose of a wireless sensor network. Most existing energy management strategies and compression techniques assume that the sensing operation consumes significantly less energy than radio transmission and reception. This assumption does not hold in a number of practical applications. Sensing energy consumption in these applications may be comparable to, or even greater than, that of the radio. In this work, we support this claim by a quantitative analysis of the main operational energy costs of popular sensors, radios and sensor motes. In light of the importance of sensing level energy costs, especially for power hungry sensors, we consider compressed sensing and distributed compressed sensing as potential approaches to provide energy efficient sensing in wireless sensor networks. Numerical experiments investigating the effectiveness of compressed sensing and distributed compressed sensing using real datasets show their potential for efficient utilization of sensing and overall energy costs in wireless sensor networks. It is shown that, for some applications, compressed sensing and distributed compressed sensing can provide greater energy efficiency than transform coding and model-based adaptive sensing in wireless sensor networks.

An extended cost potential field cellular automata model considering behavior variation of pedestrian flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Fang; Li, Xingli; Kuang, Hua; Bai, Yang; Zhou, Huaguo

2016-11-01

The original cost potential field cellular automata describing normal pedestrian evacuation is extended to study more general evacuation scenarios. Based on the cost potential field function, through considering the psychological characteristics of crowd under emergencies, the quantitative formula of behavior variation is introduced to reflect behavioral changes caused by psychology tension. The numerical simulations are performed to investigate the effects of the magnitude of behavior variation, the different pedestrian proportions with different behavior variation and other factors on the evacuation efficiency and process in a room. The spatiotemporal dynamic characteristic during the evacuation process is also discussed. The results show that compared with the normal evacuation, the behavior variation under an emergency does not necessarily lead to the decrease of the evacuation efficiency. At low density, the increase of the behavior variation can improve the evacuation efficiency, while at high density, the evacuation efficiency drops significantly with the increasing amplitude of the behavior variation. In addition, the larger proportion of pedestrian affected by the behavior variation will prolong the evacuation time.

Recycled-tire pyrolytic carbon made functional: A high-arsenite [As(III)] uptake material PyrC350®.

PubMed

Mouzourakis, E; Georgiou, Y; Louloudi, M; Konstantinou, I; Deligiannakis, Y

2017-03-15

A novel material, PyrC 350 ® , has been developed from pyrolytic-tire char (PyrC), as an efficient low-cost Arsenite [As(III)] adsorbent from water. PyrC 350 ® achieves 31mgg -1 As(III) uptake, that remains unaltered at pH=4-8.5. A theoretical Surface Complexation Model has been developed that explains the adsorption mechanism, showing that in situ formed Fe 3 C, ZnS particles act cooperatively with the carbon matrix for As(III) adsorption. Addressing the key-issue of cost-effectiveness, we provide a comparison of As(III)-uptake effectiveness in conjunction with a cost analysis, showing that PyrC 350 ® stands in the top of [effectiveness/cost] vs. existing carbon-based, low-cost materials. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cost-Effectiveness of Rural Incentive Packages for Graduating Medical Students in Lao PDR.

PubMed

Keuffell, Eric; Jaskiewicz, Wanda; Theppanya, Khampasong; Tulenko, Kate

2016-10-29

The dearth of health workers in rural settings in Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) and other developing countries limits healthcare access and outcomes. In evaluating non-wage financial incentive packages as a potential policy option to attract health workers to rural settings, understanding the expected costs and effects of the various programs ex ante can assist policy-makers in selecting the optimal incentive package. We use discrete choice experiments (DCEs), costing analyses and recent empirical results linking health worker density and health outcomes to estimate the future location decisions of physicians and determine the cost-effectiveness of 15 voluntary incentives packages for new physicians in Lao PDR. Our data sources include a DCE survey completed by medical students (n = 329) in May 2011 and secondary cost, economic and health data. Mixed logit regressions provide the basis for estimating how each incentive package influences rural versus urban location choice over time. We estimate the expected rural density of physicians and the cost-effectiveness of 15 separate incentive packages from a societal perspective. In order to generate the cost-effectiveness ratios we relied on the rural uptake probabilities inferred from the DCEs, the costing data and prior World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that relate health outcomes to health worker density. Relative to no program, the optimal voluntary incentive package would increase rural physician density by 15% by 2016 and 65% by 2041. After incorporating anticipated health effects, seven (three) of the 15 incentive packages have anticipated average cost-effectiveness ratio less than the WHO threshold (three times gross domestic product [GDP] per capita) over a 5-year (30 year) period. The optimal package's incremental cost-effectiveness ratio is $1454/QALY (quality-adjusted life year) over 5 years and $2380/QALY over 30 years. Capital intensive components, such as housing or facility improvement, are not efficient. Conditional on using voluntary incentives, Lao PDR should emphasize non-capital intensive options such as advanced career promotion, transport subsidies and housing allowances to improve physician distribution and rural health outcomes in a cost-effective manner. Other countries considering voluntary incentive programs can implement health worker/trainee DCEs and costing surveys to determine which incentive bundles improve rural uptake most efficiently but should be aware of methodological caveats. © 2017 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.

Visual versus mechanised leucocyte differential counts: costing and evaluation of traditional and Hemalog D methods.

PubMed Central

Hudson, M J; Green, A E

1980-01-01

Visual differential counts were examined for efficiency, cost effectiveness, and staff acceptability within our laboratory. A comparison with the Hemalog D system was attempted. The advantages and disadvantages of each system are enumerated and discussed in the context of a large general hospital. PMID:7440760

ResStock Analysis Tool | Buildings | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Energy and Cost Savings for U.S. Homes Contact Eric Wilson to learn how ResStock can benefit your approach to large-scale residential energy analysis by combining: Large public and private data sources uncovered $49 billion in potential annual utility bill savings through cost-effective energy efficiency

An AOP-based alternative testing strategy to predict the impact of thyroid hormone disruption on swim bladder inflation in zebrafish

EPA Science Inventory

Within the field of chemical safety assessment, there is a desire to replace costly whole organism testing with more efficient and cost-effective alternatives based on in vitro test systems. Disruption of thyroid hormone signaling via inhibition of enzymes called deiodinases is o...

Identifying Low Cost Energy Improvements for School Buildings: An Energy Audit Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minnesota State Dept. of Energy and Economic Development, St. Paul.

This manual is a guide for performing energy audits in school buildings using low- and no-cost measures found effective in Minnesota. The manual helps school maintenance and administrative personnel conduct walk-through inspections of school buildings, focusing on the energy efficiency of their equipment and operations. The measures recommended…

European attitudes to water pricing: Internalizing environmental and resource costs.

PubMed

Kejser, Anne

2016-12-01

Efficient use of the water resource requires internalization of all costs in the price of water, including environmental and resource costs. However, water resource management tends to be highly political and increasing water prices are a sensitive and complicated policy matter. Hence, there is a need for increased understanding of the implementation process and the attitudes towards implementation among the general public. This paper explores the spatial heterogeneity in the public attitude towards internalizing environmental and resource costs in the price of water across the EU regions. Within an extensive spatial dataset constructed for the purpose, we estimate the effect of individual information levels and affordability concerns on the attitude towards environmental water pricing. Information about water problems is found to have a significant and positive effect on attitudes as is affordability concern, which may be explained by expectations of inequity measures to come in place in parallel with increasing water prices. Overall these results support the hypothesis that lack of information and affordability concern could lead to resistance towards efficient water pricing among the general public. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stochastic Control of Energy Efficient Buildings: A Semidefinite Programming Approach

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

Ma, Xiao; Dong, Jin; Djouadi, Seddik M

2015-01-01

The key goal in energy efficient buildings is to reduce energy consumption of Heating, Ventilation, and Air- Conditioning (HVAC) systems while maintaining a comfortable temperature and humidity in the building. This paper proposes a novel stochastic control approach for achieving joint performance and power control of HVAC. We employ a constrained Stochastic Linear Quadratic Control (cSLQC) by minimizing a quadratic cost function with a disturbance assumed to be Gaussian. The problem is formulated to minimize the expected cost subject to a linear constraint and a probabilistic constraint. By using cSLQC, the problem is reduced to a semidefinite optimization problem, wheremore » the optimal control can be computed efficiently by Semidefinite programming (SDP). Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and power efficiency by utilizing the proposed control approach.« less

High-Efficiency InGaN/GaN Quantum Well-Based Vertical Light-Emitting Diodes Fabricated on β-Ga2O3 Substrate.

PubMed

Muhammed, Mufasila M; Alwadai, Norah; Lopatin, Sergei; Kuramata, Akito; Roqan, Iman S

2017-10-04

We demonstrate a state-of-the-art high-efficiency GaN-based vertical light-emitting diode (VLED) grown on a transparent and conductive (-201)-oriented (β-Ga 2 O 3 ) substrate, obtained using a straightforward growth process that does not require a high-cost lift-off technique or complex fabrication process. The high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) images confirm that we produced high quality upper layers, including a multiquantum well (MQW) grown on the masked β-Ga 2 O 3 substrate. STEM imaging also shows a well-defined MQW without InN diffusion into the barrier. Electroluminescence (EL) measurements at room temperature indicate that we achieved a very high internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of 78%; at lower temperatures, IQE reaches ∼86%. The photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved PL analysis indicate that, at a high carrier injection density, the emission is dominated by radiative recombination with a negligible Auger effect; no quantum-confined Stark effect is observed. At low temperatures, no efficiency droop is observed at a high carrier injection density, indicating the superior VLED structure obtained without lift-off processing, which is cost-effective for large-scale devices.

EAO consensus conference: economic evaluation of implant-supported prostheses.

PubMed

Beikler, Thomas; Flemmig, Thomas F

2015-09-01

There are various alternatives for the management of oral conditions that may lead to or already have lead to partial or full edentulism. Economic evaluations measure the efficiency of alternative healthcare interventions and provide useful information for decision-making and the allocation of scarce resources. The current English literature dealing with "cost-effectiveness" of dental implant therapy versus different alternative treatment modalities, that is, complete and fixed partial dentures, root canal, and periodontal treatment, has been included in this narrative review. Due to the high heterogeneity within the literature, a meta-analysis could not be conducted. The available evidence from economic evaluations indicated that for the treatment of central incisors with irreversible pulpitis and coronal lesions, root canal treatments were most cost-effective initial treatment options. When initial root canal treatments failed, orthograde retreatments were most cost-effective. When root canal retreatments failed, extractions and replacement with single implant-supported crowns were more cost-effective compared to fixed or removable partial dentures. In the treatment of periodontitis in molars with Class I furcation invasion, non-surgical periodontal therapy was more effective and costed less than implant-supported single crowns. For the replacement of single missing teeth, two evaluations indicated that implant-supported single crowns provided better outcomes in terms of greater quality-adjusted tooth years or survival rates at lower costs compared to fixed partial prostheses. Another economic evaluation found that implant-supported crowns costed more, but provided greater survival rates compared to fixed partial dentures. For the restoration of edentulous mandibles, two evaluations indicated that overdentures retained by two or four implants improved oral health-related quality of life outcomes, but costed more than complete dentures. To better assess the efficiency of implant-supported prostheses in various clinical conditions, more economic evaluations are needed that follow well-established methodologies in health economics. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cost-benefit and cost-savings analyses of antiarrhythmic medication monitoring.

PubMed

Snider, Melissa; Carnes, Cynthia; Grover, Janel; Davis, Rich; Kalbfleisch, Steven

2012-09-15

The economic impact of pharmacist-managed antiarrhythmic drug therapy monitoring on an academic medical center's electrophysiology (EP) program was investigated. Data were collected for the initial two years of patient visits (n = 816) to a pharmacist-run clinic for antiarrhythmic drug therapy monitoring. A retrospective cost analysis was conducted to assess the direct costs associated with three appointment models: (1) a clinic office visit only, (2) a clinic visit involving electrocardiography and basic laboratory tests, and (3) a clinic visit including pulmonary function testing and chest x-rays in addition to electrocardiography and laboratory testing. A subset of patient cases (n = 18) were included in a crossover analysis comparing pharmacist clinic care and usual care in an EP physician clinic. The primary endpoints were the cost benefits and cost savings associated with pharmacy-clinic care versus usual care. A secondary endpoint was improvement of overall EP program efficiency. The payer mix was 61.6% (n = 498) Medicare, 33.2% (n = 268) managed care, and 5.2% (n = 42) other. Positive contribution margins were demonstrated for all appointment models. The pharmacist-managed clinic also yielded cost savings by reducing overall patient care charges by 21% relative to usual care. By the second year, the pharmacy clinic improved EP program efficiency by scheduling an average of 24 patients per week, in effect freeing up one day per week of EP physician time to spend on other clinical activities. Pharmacist monitoring of antiarrhythmic drug therapy in an out-patient clinic provided cost benefits, cost savings, and improved overall EP program efficiency.

System Dynamics Modeling of Households' Electricity Consumption and Cost-Income Ratio: a Case Study of Latvia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bariss, Uldis; Bazbauers, Gatis; Blumberga, Andra; Blumberga, Dagnija

2017-11-01

Increased energy efficiency of the building sector is high on the list of priorities for energy policy since better energy efficiency would help to reduce impact on climate change and increase security of energy supply. One aim of the present study was to find a relative effect of growth of demand for energy services due to changes in income, energy consumption per unit of demand due to technological development, changes in electricity price and household income on household electricity consumption in Latvia. The method applied included system dynamics modeling and data from a household survey regarding the relationship between electricity saving activities and the electricity cost-income ratio. The results revealed that, in direct contrast to the expected, a potential reduction of the electricity consumption is rather insensitive to electricity price and electricity cost-income ratio, and that the efficiency of technologies could be the main drivers for future electricity savings. The results suggest that support to advancement of technologies and faster replacement of inefficient ones rather than influencing the energy price could be effective energy policy measures. The model, developed in the study could be used in similar assessments in other countries.

Kinetic Super-Resolution Long-Wave Infrared (KSR LWIR) Thermography Diagnostic for Building Envelopes: Camp Lejeune, NC

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-18

of Defense (DoD) to achieve cost-effective energy efficiency at much greater scale than other commercially available techniques of measuring energy...recommends specific energy conservation measures (ECMs), and quantifies significant potential return on investment. ERDC/CERL TR-15-18 iii...effective energy efficiency at much greater scale than other commercially available techniques of measuring energy loss due to envelope inefficien- cies

On determining specifications and selections of alternative technologies for airport checked-baggage security screening.

PubMed

Feng, Qianmei

2007-10-01

Federal law mandates that every checked bag at all commercial airports be screened by explosive detection systems (EDS), explosive trace detection systems (ETD), or alternative technologies. These technologies serve as critical components of airport security systems that strive to reduce security risks at both national and global levels. To improve the operational efficiency and airport security, emerging image-based technologies have been developed, such as dual-energy X-ray (DX), backscatter X-ray (BX), and multiview tomography (MVT). These technologies differ widely in purchasing cost, maintenance cost, operating cost, processing rate, and accuracy. Based on a mathematical framework that takes into account all these factors, this article investigates two critical issues for operating screening devices: setting specifications for continuous security responses by different technologies; and selecting technology or combination of technologies for efficient 100% baggage screening. For continuous security responses, specifications or thresholds are used for classifying threat items from nonthreat items. By investigating the setting of specifications on system security responses, this article assesses the risk and cost effectiveness of various technologies for both single-device and two-device systems. The findings provide the best selection of image-based technologies for both single-device and two-device systems. Our study suggests that two-device systems outperform single-device systems in terms of both cost effectiveness and accuracy. The model can be readily extended to evaluate risk and cost effectiveness of multiple-device systems for airport checked-baggage security screening.

Economic evaluation of alternative crossbreeding systems involving four breeds of swine. I. The simulation model.

PubMed

McLaren, D G; Buchanan, D S; Williams, J E

1987-10-01

A static, deterministic computer model, programmed in Microsoft Basic for IBM PC and Apple Macintosh computers, was developed to calculate production efficiency (cost per kg of product) for nine alternative types of crossbreeding system involving four breeds of swine. The model simulates efficiencies for four purebred and 60 alternative two-, three- and four-breed rotation, rotaterminal, backcross and static cross systems. Crossbreeding systems were defined as including all purebred, crossbred and commercial matings necessary to maintain a total of 10,000 farrowings. Driving variables for the model are mean conception rate at first service and for an 8-wk breeding season, litter size born, preweaning survival rate, postweaning average daily gain, feed-to-gain ratio and carcass backfat. Predictions are computed using breed direct genetic and maternal effects for the four breeds, plus individual, maternal and paternal specific heterosis values, input by the user. Inputs required to calculate the number of females farrowing in each sub-system include the proportion of males and females replaced each breeding cycle in purebred and crossbred populations, the proportion of male and female offspring in seedstock herds that become breeding animals, and the number of females per boar. Inputs required to calculate the efficiency of terminal production (cost-to-product ratio) for each sub-system include breeding herd feed intake, gilt development costs, feed costs and labor and overhead costs. Crossbreeding system efficiency is calculated as the weighted average of sub-system cost-to-product ratio values, weighting by the number of females farrowing in each sub-system.

Energy conversion approaches and materials for high-efficiency photovoltaics.

PubMed

Green, Martin A; Bremner, Stephen P

2016-12-20

The past five years have seen significant cost reductions in photovoltaics and a correspondingly strong increase in uptake, with photovoltaics now positioned to provide one of the lowest-cost options for future electricity generation. What is becoming clear as the industry develops is that area-related costs, such as costs of encapsulation and field-installation, are increasingly important components of the total costs of photovoltaic electricity generation, with this trend expected to continue. Improved energy-conversion efficiency directly reduces such costs, with increased manufacturing volume likely to drive down the additional costs associated with implementing higher efficiencies. This suggests the industry will evolve beyond the standard single-junction solar cells that currently dominate commercial production, where energy-conversion efficiencies are fundamentally constrained by Shockley-Queisser limits to practical values below 30%. This Review assesses the overall prospects for a range of approaches that can potentially exceed these limits, based on ultimate efficiency prospects, material requirements and developmental outlook.

Is There an Ideal REDD+ Program? An Analysis of Policy Trade-Offs at the Local Level

PubMed Central

Dyer, George A.; Matthews, Robin; Meyfroidt, Patrick

2012-01-01

We use economy-wide simulation methods to analyze the outcome of a simple REDD+ program in a mixed subsistence/commercial-agriculture economy. Alternative scenarios help trace REDD+’s causal chain, revealing how trade-offs between the program’s public and private costs and benefits determine its effectiveness, efficiency and equity (the 3Es). Scenarios reveal a complex relationship between the 3Es not evident in more aggregate analyses. Setting aside land as a carbon sink always influences the productivity of agriculture and its supply of non-market goods and services; but the overall returns to land and labor–which ultimately determine the opportunity cost of enrollment, the price of carbon and the distribution of gains and losses–depend on local conditions. In the study area, market-oriented landowners could enroll 30% of local land into a cost-effective program, but local subsistence demands would raise their opportunity costs as REDD+ unfurls, increasing the marginal cost of carbon. A combination of rent and wage changes would create net costs for most private stakeholders, including program participants. Increasing carbon prices undermines the program’s efficiency without solving its inequities; expanding the program reduces inefficiencies but increases private costs with only minor improvements in equity. A program that prevents job losses could be the best option, but its efficiency compared to direct compensation could depend on program scale. Overall, neither the cost nor the 3Es of alternative REDD+ programs can be assessed without accounting for local demand for subsistence goods and services. In the context of Mexico’s tropical highlands, a moderate-sized REDD+ program could at best have no net impact on rural households. REDD+ mechanisms should avoid general formulas by giving local authorities the necessary flexibility to address the trade-offs involved. National programs themselves should remain flexible enough to adjust for spatially and temporally changing contexts. PMID:23300681

Is there an ideal REDD+ program? An analysis of policy trade-offs at the local level.

PubMed

Dyer, George A; Matthews, Robin; Meyfroidt, Patrick

2012-01-01

We use economy-wide simulation methods to analyze the outcome of a simple REDD+ program in a mixed subsistence/commercial-agriculture economy. Alternative scenarios help trace REDD+'s causal chain, revealing how trade-offs between the program's public and private costs and benefits determine its effectiveness, efficiency and equity (the 3Es). Scenarios reveal a complex relationship between the 3Es not evident in more aggregate analyses. Setting aside land as a carbon sink always influences the productivity of agriculture and its supply of non-market goods and services; but the overall returns to land and labor-which ultimately determine the opportunity cost of enrollment, the price of carbon and the distribution of gains and losses-depend on local conditions. In the study area, market-oriented landowners could enroll 30% of local land into a cost-effective program, but local subsistence demands would raise their opportunity costs as REDD+ unfurls, increasing the marginal cost of carbon. A combination of rent and wage changes would create net costs for most private stakeholders, including program participants. Increasing carbon prices undermines the program's efficiency without solving its inequities; expanding the program reduces inefficiencies but increases private costs with only minor improvements in equity. A program that prevents job losses could be the best option, but its efficiency compared to direct compensation could depend on program scale. Overall, neither the cost nor the 3Es of alternative REDD+ programs can be assessed without accounting for local demand for subsistence goods and services. In the context of Mexico's tropical highlands, a moderate-sized REDD+ program could at best have no net impact on rural households. REDD+ mechanisms should avoid general formulas by giving local authorities the necessary flexibility to address the trade-offs involved. National programs themselves should remain flexible enough to adjust for spatially and temporally changing contexts.

Rural health service planning: the need for a comprehensive approach to costing.

PubMed

Kornelsen, Jude A; Barclay, Lesley; Grzybowski, Stefan; Gao, Yu

2016-01-01

The precipitous closure of rural maternity services in industrialized countries over the past two decades is underscored in part by assumptions of efficiencies of scale leading to cost-effectiveness. However, there is scant evidence to support this and the costing evidence that exists lacks comprehensiveness. To clearly understand the cost-effectiveness of rural services we must take the broadest societal perspective to include not only health system costs, but also those costs incurred at the family and community levels. We must consider manifest costs (hard, easily quantifiable costs, both direct and indirect) and latent costs (understood as what is sacrificed or lost), and take into account cost shifting (reallocating costs to different parts of the system) and cost downloading (passing costs on to women and families). Further, we must compare the costs of having a rural maternity service to those incurred by not having a service, a comparison that is seldom made. This approach will require determining a methodological framework for weighing all costs, one which will likely involve attention to the rich descriptions of those experiencing loss.

City-scale analysis of water-related energy identifies more cost-effective solutions.

PubMed

Lam, Ka Leung; Kenway, Steven J; Lant, Paul A

2017-02-01

Energy and greenhouse gas management in urban water systems typically focus on optimising within the direct system boundary of water utilities that covers the centralised water supply and wastewater treatment systems, despite a greater energy influence by the water end use. This work develops a cost curve of water-related energy management options from a city perspective for a hypothetical Australian city. It is compared with that from the water utility perspective. The curves are based on 18 water-related energy management options that have been implemented or evaluated in Australia. In the studied scenario, the cost-effective energy saving potential from a city perspective (292 GWh/year) is far more significant than that from a utility perspective (65 GWh/year). In some cases, for similar capital cost, if regional water planners invested in end use options instead of utility options, a greater energy saving potential at a greater cost-effectiveness could be achieved in urban water systems. For example, upgrading a wastewater treatment plant for biogas recovery at a capital cost of $27.2 million would save 31 GWh/year with a marginal cost saving of $63/MWh, while solar hot water system rebates at a cost of $28.6 million would save 67 GWh/year with a marginal cost saving of $111/MWh. Options related to hot water use such as water-efficient shower heads, water-efficient clothes washers and solar hot water system rebates are among the most cost-effective city-scale opportunities. This study demonstrates the use of cost curves to compare both utility and end use options in a consistent framework. It also illustrates that focusing solely on managing the energy use within the utility would miss substantial non-utility water-related energy saving opportunities. There is a need to broaden the conventional scope of cost curve analysis to include water-related energy and greenhouse gas at the water end use, and to value their management from a city perspective. This would create opportunities where the same capital investment could achieve far greater energy savings and greenhouse gas emissions abatement. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Process for purification of solids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herzer, H.; Rath, H. J.; Schmidt, D.

1981-01-01

A process for purifying solids, especially silicon, by melting and subsequent resolidification, is described. Silicon used in solar cell manufacturing is processed more efficiently and cost effectively.

The cost of routine Aedes aegypti control and of insecticide-treated curtain implementation.

PubMed

Baly, Alberto; Flessa, Steffen; Cote, Marilys; Thiramanus, Thirapong; Vanlerberghe, Veerle; Villegas, Elci; Jirarojwatana, Somchai; Van der Stuyft, Patrick

2011-05-01

Insecticide-treated curtains (ITCs) are promoted for controlling the Dengue vector Aedes aegypti. We assessed the cost of the routine Aedes control program (RACP) and the cost of ITC implementation through the RACP and health committees in Venezuela and through health volunteers in Thailand. The yearly cost of the RACP per household amounted to US$2.14 and $1.89, respectively. The ITC implementation cost over three times more, depending on the channel used. In Venezuela the RACP was the most efficient implementation-channel. It spent US$1.90 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.83; 1.97) per curtain distributed, of which 76.9% for the curtain itself. Implementation by health committees cost significantly (P = 0.02) more: US$2.32 (95% CI: 1.93; 2.61) of which 63% for the curtain. For ITC implementation to be at least as cost-effective as the RACP, at equal effectiveness and actual ITC prices, the attained curtain coverage and the adulticiding effect should last for 3 years.

The Cost of Routine Aedes aegypti Control and of Insecticide-Treated Curtain Implementation

PubMed Central

Baly, Alberto; Flessa, Steffen; Cote, Marilys; Thiramanus, Thirapong; Vanlerberghe, Veerle; Villegas, Elci; Jirarojwatana, Somchai; Van der Stuyft, Patrick

2011-01-01

Insecticide-treated curtains (ITCs) are promoted for controlling the Dengue vector Aedes aegypti. We assessed the cost of the routine Aedes control program (RACP) and the cost of ITC implementation through the RACP and health committees in Venezuela and through health volunteers in Thailand. The yearly cost of the RACP per household amounted to US$2.14 and $1.89, respectively. The ITC implementation cost over three times more, depending on the channel used. In Venezuela the RACP was the most efficient implementation-channel. It spent US$1.90 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.83; 1.97) per curtain distributed, of which 76.9% for the curtain itself. Implementation by health committees cost significantly (P = 0.02) more: US$2.32 (95% CI: 1.93; 2.61) of which 63% for the curtain. For ITC implementation to be at least as cost-effective as the RACP, at equal effectiveness and actual ITC prices, the attained curtain coverage and the adulticiding effect should last for 3 years. PMID:21540384

Collaborative testing for key-term definitions under representative conditions: Efficiency costs and no learning benefits.

PubMed

Wissman, Kathryn T; Rawson, Katherine A

2018-01-01

Students are expected to learn key-term definitions across many different grade levels and academic disciplines. Thus, investigating ways to promote understanding of key-term definitions is of critical importance for applied purposes. A recent survey showed that learners report engaging in collaborative practice testing when learning key-term definitions, with outcomes also shedding light on the way in which learners report engaging in collaborative testing in real-world contexts (Wissman & Rawson, 2016, Memory, 24, 223-239). However, no research has directly explored the effectiveness of engaging in collaborative testing under representative conditions. Accordingly, the current research evaluates the costs (with respect to efficiency) and the benefits (with respect to learning) of collaborative testing for key-term definitions under representative conditions. In three experiments (ns = 94, 74, 95), learners individually studied key-term definitions and then completed retrieval practice, which occurred either individually or collaboratively (in dyads). Two days later, all learners completed a final individual test. Results from Experiments 1-2 showed a cost (with respect to efficiency) and no benefit (with respect to learning) of engaging in collaborative testing for key-term definitions. Experiment 3 evaluated a theoretical explanation for why collaborative benefits do not emerge under representative conditions. Collectively, outcomes indicate that collaborative testing versus individual testing is less effective and less efficient when learning key-term definitions under representative conditions.

Removal of APIs and bacteria from hospital wastewater by MBR plus O(3), O(3) + H(2)O(2), PAC or ClO(2).

PubMed

Nielsen, U; Hastrup, C; Klausen, M M; Pedersen, B M; Kristensen, G H; Jansen, J L C; Bak, S N; Tuerk, J

2013-01-01

The objective of this study has been to develop technologies that can reduce the content of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and bacteria from hospital wastewater. The results from the laboratory- and pilot-scale testings showed that efficient removal of the vast majority of APIs could be achieved by a membrane bioreactor (MBR) followed by ozone, ozone + hydrogen peroxide or powdered activated carbon (PAC). Chlorine dioxide (ClO(2)) was significantly less effective. MBR + PAC (450 mg/l) was the most efficient technology, while the most cost-efficient technology was MBR + ozone (156 mg O(3)/l applied over 20 min). With MBR an efficient removal of Escherichia coli and enterococci was measured, and no antibiotic resistant bacteria were detected in the effluent. With MBR + ozone and MBR + PAC also the measured effluent concentrations of APIs (e.g. ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole and sulfamethizole) were below available predicted no-effect concentrations (PNEC) for the marine environment without dilution. Iodinated contrast media were also reduced significantly (80-99% for iohexol, iopromide and ioversol and 40-99% for amidotrizoateacid). A full-scale MBR treatment plant with ozone at a hospital with 900 beds is estimated to require an investment cost of €1.6 mill. and an operating cost of €1/m(3) of treated water.

What Determines HIV Prevention Costs at Scale? Evidence from the Avahan Programme in India

PubMed Central

Chandrashekar, Sudhashree; Shetty, Govindraj; Vickerman, Peter; Bradley, Janet; Alary, Michel; Moses, Stephen; Vassall, Anna

2016-01-01

Abstract Expanding essential health services through non‐government organisations (NGOs) is a central strategy for achieving universal health coverage in many low‐income and middle‐income countries. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention services for key populations are commonly delivered through NGOs and have been demonstrated to be cost‐effective and of substantial global public health importance. However, funding for HIV prevention remains scarce, and there are growing calls internationally to improve the efficiency of HIV prevention programmes as a key strategy to reach global HIV targets. To date, there is limited evidence on the determinants of costs of HIV prevention delivered through NGOs; and thus, policymakers have little guidance in how best to design programmes that are both effective and efficient. We collected economic costs from the Indian Avahan initiative, the largest HIV prevention project conducted globally, during the first 4 years of its implementation. We use a fixed‐effect panel estimator and a random‐intercept model to investigate the determinants of average cost. We find that programme design choices such as NGO scale, the extent of community involvement, the way in which support is offered to NGOs and how clinical services are organised substantially impact average cost in a grant‐based payment setting. © 2016 The Authors. Health Economics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. PMID:26763652

Economics of infection control surveillance technology: cost-effective or just cost?

PubMed

Furuno, Jon P; Schweizer, Marin L; McGregor, Jessina C; Perencevich, Eli N

2008-04-01

Previous studies have suggested that informatics tools, such as automated alert and decision support systems, may increase the efficiency and quality of infection control surveillance. However, little is known about the cost-effectiveness of these tools. We focus on 2 types of economic analyses that have utility in assessing infection control interventions (cost-effectiveness analysis and business-case analysis) and review the available literature on the economics of computerized infection control surveillance systems. Previous studies on the effectiveness of computerized infection control surveillance have been limited to assessments of whether these tools increase the sensitivity and specificity of surveillance over traditional methods. Furthermore, we identified only 2 studies that assessed the costs associated with computerized infection control surveillance. Thus, it remains unknown whether computerized infection control surveillance systems are cost-effective and whether use of these systems improves patient outcomes. The existing data are insufficient to allow for a summary conclusion on the cost-effectiveness of infection control surveillance technology. All future studies of computerized infection control surveillance systems should aim to collect outcomes and economic data to inform decision making and assist hospitals with completing business-cases analyses.

Cost-effectiveness of statins for primary prevention in patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the Netherlands.

PubMed

de Vries, Folgerdiena M; Denig, Petra; Visser, Sipke T; Hak, Eelko; Postma, Maarten J

2014-03-01

Statins are lipid-lowering drugs that reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes. The objective of this study was to determine whether statin treatment for primary prevention in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes is cost-effective, taking nonadherence, baseline risk, and age into account. A cost-effectiveness analysis was performed by using a Markov model with a time horizon of 10 years. The baseline 10-year cardiovascular risk was estimated in a Dutch population of primary prevention patients with newly diagnosed diabetes from the Groningen Initiative to Analyse Type 2 Diabetes Treatment (GIANTT) database, using the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study risk engine. Statin adherence was measured as pill days covered in the IADB.nl pharmacy research database. Cost-effectiveness was measured in costs per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) from the health care payers' perspective. For an average patient aged 60 years, the base case, statin treatment was highly cost-effective at €2245 per QALY. Favorable cost-effectiveness was robust in sensitivity analysis. Differences in age and 10-year cardiovascular risk showed large differences in cost-effectiveness from almost €100,000 per QALY to almost being cost saving. Treating all patients younger than 45 years at diabetes diagnosis was not cost-effective (weighted cost-effectiveness of almost €60,000 per QALY). Despite the nonadherence levels observed in actual practice, statin treatment is cost-effective for primary prevention in patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Because of large differences in cost-effectiveness according to different risk and age groups, the efficiency of the treatment could be increased by targeting patients with relatively higher cardiovascular risk and higher ages. Copyright © 2014 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The differential impact of low-carbon technologies on climate change mitigation cost under a range of socioeconomic and climate policy scenarios.

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

Barron, Robert W.; McJeon, Haewon C.

2015-05-01

This paper considers the effect of several key parameters of low carbon energy technologies on the cost of abatement. A methodology for determining the minimum level of performance required for a parameter to have a statistically significant impact on CO2 abatement cost is developed and used to evaluate the impact of eight key parameters of low carbon energy supply technologies on the cost of CO2 abatement. The capital cost of nuclear technology is found to have the greatest impact of the parameters studied. The cost of biomass and CCS technologies also have impacts, while their efficiencies have little, if any.more » Sensitivity analysis of the results with respect to population, GDP, and CO2 emission constraint show that the minimum performance level and impact of nuclear technologies is consistent across the socioeconomic scenarios studied, while the other technology parameters show different performance under higher population, lower GDP scenarios. Solar technology was found to have a small impact, and then only at very low costs. These results indicate that the cost of nuclear is the single most important driver of abatement cost, and that trading efficiency for cost may make biomass and CCS technologies more competitive.« less

Assessment of Energy Efficiency Improvement and CO2 Emission Reduction Potentials in India's Cement Industry

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

Morrow, III, William R.; Hasanbeigi, Ali; Xu, Tengfang

2012-12-03

India’s cement industry is the second largest in the world behind China with annual cement production of 168 Mt in 2010 which accounted for slightly greater than six percent of the world’s annual cement production in the same year. To produce that amount of cement, the industry consumed roughly 700 PJ of fuel and 14.7 TWh of electricity. We identified and analyzed 22 energy efficiency technologies and measures applicable to the processes in the Indian cement industry. The Conservation Supply Curve (CSC) used in this study is an analytical tool that captures both the engineering and the economic perspectives ofmore » energy conservation. Using a bottom-up electricity CSC model and compared to an electricity price forecast the cumulative cost-effective plant-level electricity savings potential for the Indian cement industry for 2010- 2030 is estimated to be 83 TWh, and the cumulative plant-level technical electricity saving potential is 89 TWh during the same period. The grid-level CO2 emissions reduction associated with cost-effective electricity savings is 82 Mt CO2 and the electric grid-level CO2 emission reduction associated with technical electricity saving potential is 88 Mt CO2. Compared to a fuel price forecast, an estimated cumulative cost-effective fuel savings potential of 1,029 PJ with associated CO2 emission reduction of 97 Mt CO2 during 2010-2030 is possible. In addition, a sensitivity analysis with respect to the discount rate used is conducted to assess the effect of changes in this parameter on the results. The result of this study gives a comprehensive and easy to understand perspective to the Indian cement industry and policy makers about the energy efficiency potential and its associated cost over the next twenty years.« less

The salutary effect of an integrated system on the rate of repeat CT scanning in transferred trauma patients: Improved costs and efficiencies.

PubMed

Bledsoe, Joseph; Liepert, Amy E; Allen, Todd L; Dong, Li; Hemingway, Jamon; Majercik, Sarah; Gardner, Scott; Stevens, Mark H

2017-08-01

Duplication of Computed Tomography (CT) scanning in trauma patients has been a source of quality waste in healthcare and potential harm for patients. Integrated and regional health systems have been shown to promote opportunities for efficiencies, cost savings and increased safety. This study evaluated traumatically injured patients who required transfer to a Level One Trauma Center (TC) from either within a vertically integrated healthcare system (IN) or from an out-of-network (OON) hospital. We found the rate of repeat CT scanning, radiology costs and total costs for day one of hospitalization to be significantly lower for trauma patients transferred from an IN hospital as compared to those patients transferred from OON hospitals. The inefficiencies and waste often associated with transferred patients can be mitigated and strategies to do so are necessary to reduce costs in the current healthcare environment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multi-Scale Ordered Cell Structure for Cost Effective Production of Hydrogen by HTWS

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

Elangovan, Elango; Rao, Ranjeet; Colella, Whitney

Production of hydrogen using an electrochemical device provides for large scale, high efficiency conversion and storage of electrical energy. When renewable electricity is used for conversion of steam to hydrogen, a low-cost and low emissions pathway to hydrogen production emerges. This project was intended to demonstrate a high efficiency High Temperature Water Splitting (HTWS) stack for the electrochemical production of low cost H2. The innovations investigated address the limitations of the state of the art through the use of a novel architecture that introduces macro-features to provide mechanical support of a thin electrolyte, and micro-features of the electrodes to lowermore » polarization losses. The approach also utilizes a combination of unique sets of fabrication options that are scalable to achieve manufacturing cost objectives. The development of HTWS process and device is guided by techno-economic and life cycle analyses.« less

A Single-use Strategy to Enable Manufacturing of Affordable Biologics.

PubMed

Jacquemart, Renaud; Vandersluis, Melissa; Zhao, Mochao; Sukhija, Karan; Sidhu, Navneet; Stout, Jim

2016-01-01

The current processing paradigm of large manufacturing facilities dedicated to single product production is no longer an effective approach for best manufacturing practices. Increasing competition for new indications and the launch of biosimilars for the monoclonal antibody market have put pressure on manufacturers to produce at lower cost. Single-use technologies and continuous upstream processes have proven to be cost-efficient options to increase biomass production but as of today the adoption has been only minimal for the purification operations, partly due to concerns related to cost and scale-up. This review summarizes how a single-use holistic process and facility strategy can overcome scale limitations and enable cost-efficient manufacturing to support the growing demand for affordable biologics. Technologies enabling high productivity, right-sized, small footprint, continuous, and automated upstream and downstream operations are evaluated in order to propose a concept for the flexible facility of the future.

GRIN planar waveguide concentrator used with a single axis tracker.

PubMed

Bouchard, Sébastien; Thibault, Simon

2014-03-10

It is generally accepted that small to medium level concentrators could be used as cost-competitive replacements for tracked solar panels. The objective is to design a system that can reach a good level of sun concentration with only one sun-tracking axis and is cheap to fabricate. As the most critical parameter for all concentrator designs, optical efficiency needed improvement to reduce the cost of power produced by our system. By using a graded-index planar waveguide with an index profile similar to SELFOC fiber, the ray's path can be controlled. Also, the concentrator can be fabricated in a single block, which reduces Fresnel reflections. Overall, the optical efficiency can be improved by as much as 33% compared to the same system made with a homogeneous waveguide. Furthermore, the ability to cost-effectively fabricate the concentrator by molding can be preserved, making it possible to reduce the cost of the solar power produced.

GRIN planar waveguide concentrator used with a single axis tracker.

PubMed

Bouchard, Sébastien; Thibault, Simon

2014-03-10

It is generally accepted that small to medium level concentrators could be used as cost-competitive replacements for tracked solar panels. The objective is to design a system that can reach a good level of sun concentration with only one sun-tracking axis and is cheap to fabricate. As the most critical parameter for all concentrator designs, optical efficiency needed improvement to reduce the cost of power produced by our system. By using a graded-index planar waveguide with an index profile similar to SELFOC fiber, the ray’s path can be controlled. Also, the concentrator can be fabricated in a single block, which reduces Fresnel reflections. Overall, the optical efficiency can be improved by as much as 33% compared to the same system made with a homogeneous waveguide. Furthermore, the ability to cost-effectively fabricate the concentrator by molding can be preserved, making it possible to reduce the cost of the solar power produced.

Cost-effectiveness of iso- versus low-osmolality contrast media in outpatients with high risk of contrast medium-induced nephropathy.

PubMed

Chicaíza-Becerra, Liliana Alejandra; García-Molina, Mario; Gamboa, Óscar

2012-06-01

Contrast media can cause acute renal failure by direct toxic effects on the tubular cells and kidney ischemia. Diabetics and hospitalized patients have a greater risk of developing contrast-induced nephropathy than the general population. The cost effectiveness of iso and low-osmolality contrast media was assessed in high risk outpatients. The analysis was based on a systematic literature review comparing the nephrotoxic effects of iso- to low-osmolality contrast media. Only direct costs were considered; these were obtained from the official tariff manual. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios, efficiency curves and acceptability curves were calculated. Univariate sensitivity analyses were performed for costs and effects, as well as probabilistic analyses. Zero and 3% discounts were applied to results. The cost-effectiveness threshold was equal to the per capita GDP per life-year gained. Alternatives with Iopamidol and Iodixanol are preferable to the others, because both reduce risk of contrast-induced nephropathy and are less costly. The incremental cost-effectiveness of the Iodixanol alternative compared to the Iopamidol alternative is US$ 14,660 per additional life year gained; this is more than twice the threshold. The low-osmolality contrast medium, Iopamidol, appears to be cost-effective when compared with Iohexol or other low-osmolality contrast media (Iopromide, Iobitridol, Iomeprol, Iopentol and Ioxilan) in contrast-induced nephropathy, high-risk outpatients. The choice of the iso-osmolality contrast medium, Iodixanol, depends on its cost per vial and on the willingness to pay.

Energy Efficiency Appliance Standards: Where do we stand, how far can we go and how do we get there? An analysis across several economies

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

Letschert, Virginie E.; de la Rue du Can, Stephane; McNeil, Michael A.

This paper analyses several potential savings scenarios for minimum energy performance standard (MEPS) and comparable programs for governments participating i n the Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) Initiative, of the Clean Energy Ministerial, which represent over 60% of primary energy consumption in the world. We compare projected energy savings from the main end uses in the residential sector using three energy efficiency scenarios: (1) recent achievements, (2) cost-effective saving potential, and (3) energy efficiency technical potential. The recent achievement scenario (1) evaluates the future impact of MEPS enacted or under development between 2010 and 2012. The cost-effective potential scenariomore » (2) identifies the maximum potential for energy efficiency that results in net benefits to the consumer. The best available technology scenario (3) re presents the full potential of energy efficiency considering best available technologies as candidates for MEPS and incentive programs. We use the Bottom Up Energy Analysis System (BUENAS), developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in collaboration with the Collaborative Labelling and Appliances Standards Program (CLASP), to provide a consistent methodology to com pare the different scenarios. This paper focuses on the main end uses in the residential sector. The comparison of the three scenarios for each economy provides possible opportunities for scaling up current policies or implementing additional policies. This comparison across economies reveals country best practices as well as end uses that present the greatest additional potential savings. The paper describes areas where methodologies and additional policy instruments can increase penetration of energy efficient technologies. First , we summarize the barriers and provide remedial policy tools/best practices, such as techno-economic analysis, in response to each barriers that prevent economies from capturing the full cost-effective potentials of MEPS (Scenario 1 to 2). Then, we consider the possible complementary policy options, such as incentive pro grams, to reach the full technical potential of energy efficiency in the residential sector (Scenario 2 to 3).« less

Investing to Survive in a Duopoly Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinto, Alberto A.; Oliveira, Bruno M. P. M.; Ferreira, Fernanda A.; Ferreira, Miguel

We present deterministic dynamics on the production costs of Cournot competitions, based on perfect Nash equilibria of nonlinear R&D investment strategies to reduce the production costs of the firms at every period of the game. We analyse the effects that the R&D investment strategies can have in the profits of the firms along the time. We show that small changes in the initial production costs or small changes in the parameters that determine the efficiency of the R&D programs or of the firms can produce strong economic effects in the long run of the profits of the firms.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of diarrhoea management approaches in Nigeria: A decision analytical model

PubMed Central

Ekwunife, Obinna I.

2017-01-01

Background Diarrhoea is a leading cause of death in Nigerian children under 5 years. Implementing the most cost-effective approach to diarrhoea management in Nigeria will help optimize health care resources allocation. This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of various approaches to diarrhoea management namely: the ‘no treatment’ approach (NT); the preventive approach with rotavirus vaccine; the integrated management of childhood illness for diarrhoea approach (IMCI); and rotavirus vaccine plus integrated management of childhood illness for diarrhoea approach (rotavirus vaccine + IMCI). Methods Markov cohort model conducted from the payer’s perspective was used to calculate the cost-effectiveness of the four interventions. The markov model simulated a life cycle of 260 weeks for 33 million children under five years at risk of having diarrhoea (well state). Disability adjusted life years (DALYs) averted was used to quantify clinical outcome. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) served as measure of cost-effectiveness. Results Based on cost-effectiveness threshold of $2,177.99 (i.e. representing Nigerian GDP/capita), all the approaches were very cost-effective but rotavirus vaccine approach was dominated. While IMCI has the lowest ICER of $4.6/DALY averted, the addition of rotavirus vaccine was cost-effective with an ICER of $80.1/DALY averted. Rotavirus vaccine alone was less efficient in optimizing health care resource allocation. Conclusion Rotavirus vaccine + IMCI approach was the most cost-effective approach to childhood diarrhoea management. Its awareness and practice should be promoted in Nigeria. Addition of rotavirus vaccine should be considered for inclusion in the national programme of immunization. Although our findings suggest that addition of rotavirus vaccine to IMCI for diarrhoea is cost-effective, there may be need for further vaccine demonstration studies or real life studies to establish the cost-effectiveness of the vaccine in Nigeria. PMID:29261649

Decision Support for the Capacity Management of Bronchoscopy Devices: Optimizing the Cost-Efficient Mix of Reusable and Single-Use Devices Through Mathematical Modeling.

PubMed

Edenharter, Günther M; Gartner, Daniel; Pförringer, Dominik

2017-06-01

Increasing costs of material resources challenge hospitals to stay profitable. Particularly in anesthesia departments and intensive care units, bronchoscopes are used for various indications. Inefficient management of single- and multiple-use systems can influence the hospitals' material costs substantially. Using mathematical modeling, we developed a strategic decision support tool to determine the optimum mix of disposable and reusable bronchoscopy devices in the setting of an intensive care unit. A mathematical model with the objective to minimize costs in relation to demand constraints for bronchoscopy devices was formulated. The stochastic model decides whether single-use, multi-use, or a strategically chosen mix of both device types should be used. A decision support tool was developed in which parameters for uncertain demand such as mean, standard deviation, and a reliability parameter can be inserted. Furthermore, reprocessing costs per procedure, procurement, and maintenance costs for devices can be parameterized. Our experiments show for which demand pattern and reliability measure, it is efficient to only use reusable or disposable devices and under which circumstances the combination of both device types is beneficial. To determine the optimum mix of single-use and reusable bronchoscopy devices effectively and efficiently, managers can enter their hospital-specific parameters such as demand and prices into the decision support tool.The software can be downloaded at: https://github.com/drdanielgartner/bronchomix/.

Effective swine wastewater treatment by combining microbial fuel cells with flocculation.

PubMed

Ding, Weijun; Cheng, Shaoan; Yu, Liliang; Huang, Haobin

2017-09-01

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) provide a cost-effective method for treating swine wastewater treatment and simultaneously producing electricity, yet they need to be combined with other wastewater treatment processes to improve the effluent water quality. In this paper, we constructed single-chamber air-cathode MFCs with a compact configuration for nitrogen and COD removal and high electricity production and combined them with a low-cost flocculation process to discharge higher quality wastewater. We show that MFCs could remove ammonia at a rate of 269.2 ± 0.5 g m -3 d -1 (99.1± 0.1% ammonia removal efficiency) with a maximum power density of 37.5 W m -3 and 21.6% of coulombic efficiency at a 40:60 ratio of raw swine wastewater to denitrification effluent of swine wastewater. Up to 82.5 ± 0.5% COD could be removed with MFCs, from 2735 ± 15 mg L -1 to 480 ± 15 mg L -1 , and flocculation further reduced levels to 90 ± 1 mg L -1 for a 96.6 ± 0.2% overall COD removal efficiency of the combination technology. Cost analysis of the combined MFC and flocculation process showed a net economic benefit of $ 0.026 m -3 . In summary, this novel combination wastewater treatment method provides an effective way to treat swine wastewater to low pollutant levels in the effluent at low cost (a net gain). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Developing a cost accounting system for a physician group practice.

PubMed

Mays, J; Gordon, G

1996-10-01

Physicians in group practices must gain a competitive edge to survive in a healthcare environment in which cost efficiency has become critical to success. One tool that can help them is a cost accounting system that yields reliable, detailed data on the costs of delivering care. Such a system not only can enable physicians and group administrators to manage their operations more cost-effectively, but also can help them accurately assess the potential profitability of prospective managed care plans. An otolaryngology practice located in Mississippi provides a model for developing a cost accounting system that can be applied to physician group practices.

[Analysis of cost and efficiency of a medical nursing unit using time-driven activity-based costing].

PubMed

Lim, Ji Young; Kim, Mi Ja; Park, Chang Gi

2011-08-01

Time-driven activity-based costing was applied to analyze the nursing activity cost and efficiency of a medical unit. Data were collected at a medical unit of a general hospital. Nursing activities were measured using a nursing activities inventory and classified as 6 domains using Easley-Storfjell Instrument. Descriptive statistics were used to identify general characteristics of the unit, nursing activities and activity time, and stochastic frontier model was adopted to estimate true activity time. The average efficiency of the medical unit using theoretical resource capacity was 77%, however the efficiency using practical resource capacity was 96%. According to these results, the portion of non-added value time was estimated 23% and 4% each. The sums of total nursing activity costs were estimated 109,860,977 won in traditional activity-based costing and 84,427,126 won in time-driven activity-based costing. The difference in the two cost calculating methods was 25,433,851 won. These results indicate that the time-driven activity-based costing provides useful and more realistic information about the efficiency of unit operation compared to traditional activity-based costing. So time-driven activity-based costing is recommended as a performance evaluation framework for nursing departments based on cost management.

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

Yelundur, Vijay

Suniva, Inc., in collaboration with the University Center for Excellence in Photovoltaics (UCEP) at the Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT) proposed this comprehensive three year program to enable the development of an advanced high performance product that will help the US regain its competitive edge in PV. This project was designed to overcome cost and efficiency barriers through advances in PV science, technology innovation, low-cost manufacturing and full production of ~22.5% efficient n-type Si cells in Norcross, GA. At the heart of the project is the desire to complement the technology being developed concurrently under the Solarmat and ARPAe initiativesmore » to develop a differentiated product superior in both performance and cost effectiveness to the competing alternatives available on the market, and push towards achieving SunShot objectives while ensuring a sustainable business model based on US manufacturing. A significant reduction of the costs in modules produced today will need to combine reductions in wafer costs, cell processing costs as well as module fabrication costs while delivering a product that is not only more efficient under test conditions but also increases the energy yield in outdoor operations. This project will result in a differentiated high performance product and technology that is consistent with sustaining PV manufacturing in the US for a longer term and further highlights the need for continued support for developing the next generation concepts that can keep US manufacturing thriving to support the growing demand for PV in the US and consistent with the US government’s mandates for energy independence.« less

Customized "In-Office" Three-Dimensional Printing for Virtual Surgical Planning in Craniofacial Surgery.

PubMed

Mendez, Bernardino M; Chiodo, Michael V; Patel, Parit A

2015-07-01

Virtual surgical planning using three-dimensional (3D) printing technology has improved surgical efficiency and precision. A limitation to this technology is that production of 3D surgical models requires a third-party source, leading to increased costs (up to $4000) and prolonged assembly times (averaging 2-3 weeks). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility, cost, and production time of customized skull models created by an "in-office" 3D printer for craniofacial reconstruction. Two patients underwent craniofacial reconstruction with the assistance of "in-office" 3D printing technology. Three-dimensional skull models were created from a bioplastic filament with a 3D printer using computed tomography (CT) image data. The cost and production time for each model were measured. For both patients, a customized 3D surgical model was used preoperatively to plan split calvarial bone grafting and intraoperatively to more efficiently and precisely perform the craniofacial reconstruction. The average cost for surgical model production with the "in-office" 3D printer was $25 (cost of bioplastic materials used to create surgical model) and the average production time was 14  hours. Virtual surgical planning using "in office" 3D printing is feasible and allows for a more cost-effective and less time consuming method for creating surgical models and guides. By bringing 3D printing to the office setting, we hope to improve intraoperative efficiency, surgical precision, and overall cost for various types of craniofacial and reconstructive surgery.

Can electrocoagulation process be an appropriate technology for phosphorus removal from municipal wastewater?

PubMed

Nguyen, D Duc; Ngo, H Hao; Guo, W; Nguyen, T Thanh; Chang, Soon W; Jang, A; Yoon, Yong S

2016-09-01

This paper evaluated a novel pilot scale electrocoagulation (EC) system for improving total phosphorus (TP) removal from municipal wastewater. This EC system was operated in continuous and batch operating mode under differing conditions (e.g. flow rate, initial concentration, electrolysis time, conductivity, voltage) to evaluate correlative phosphorus and electrical energy consumption. The results demonstrated that the EC system could effectively remove phosphorus to meet current stringent discharge standards of less than 0.2mg/L within 2 to 5min. This target was achieved in all ranges of initial TP concentrations studied. It was also found that an increase in conductivity of solution, voltages, or electrolysis time, correlated with improved TP removal efficiency and reduced specific energy consumption. Based on these results, some key economic considerations, such as operating costs, cost-effectiveness, product manufacturing feasibility, facility design and retrofitting, and program implementation are also discussed. This EC process can conclusively be highly efficient in a relatively simple, easily managed, and cost-effective for wastewater treatment system. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Techno-Economic Analysis of Indian Draft Standard Levels for RoomAir Conditioners

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

McNeil, Michael A.; Iyer, Maithili

The Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) finalized its first set of efficiency standards and labels for room air conditioners in July of 2006. These regulations followed soon after the publication of levels for frost-free refrigerators in the same year. As in the case of refrigerators, the air conditioner program introduces Minimum Efficiency Performance Standards (MEPS) and comparative labels simultaneously, with levels for one to five stars. Also like the refrigerator program, BEE defined several successive program phases of increasing stringency. In support of BEE's refrigerator program, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) produced an analysis of national impacts of standardsmore » in collaboration with the Collaborative Labeling and Standards Program (CLASP). That analysis drew on LBNL's experience with standards programs in the United States, as well as many other countries. Subsequently, as part of the process for setting optimal levels for air conditioner regulations, CLASP commissioned LBNL to provide support to BEE in the form of a techno-economic evaluation of air conditioner efficiency technologies. This report describes the methodology and results of this techno-economic evaluation. The analysis consists of three components: (1) Cost effectiveness to consumers of efficiency technologies relative to current baseline. (2) Impacts on the current market from efficiency regulations. (3) National energy and financial impacts. The analysis relied on detailed and up-to-date technical data made available by BEE and industry representatives. Technical parameters were used in conjunction with knowledge about air conditioner use patterns in the residential and commercial sectors, and prevailing marginal electricity prices, in order to give an estimate of per-unit financial impacts. In addition, the overall impact of the program was evaluated by combining unit savings with market forecasts in order to yield national impacts. LBNL presented preliminary results of these analyses in May 2006, at a meeting of BEEs Technical Committee for Air Conditioners. This meeting was attended by a wide array of stakeholder, including industry representatives, engineers and consumer advocates. Comments made by stakeholders at this meeting are incorporated into the final analysis presented in this report. The current analysis begins with the Rating Plan drafted by BEE in 2006, along with an evaluation of the market baseline according to test data submitted by manufacturers. MEPS, label rating levels, and baseline efficiencies are presented in Section 2. First, we compare Indian MEPS with current standards in other countries, and assess their relative stringency. Baseline efficiencies are then used to estimate the fraction of models likely to remain on the market at each phase of the program, and the impact on market-weighted efficiency levels. Section 3 deals with cost-effectiveness of higher efficiency design options. The cost-benefit analysis is grounded in technical parameters provided by industry representatives in India. This data allows for an assessment of financial costs and benefits to consumers as a result of the standards and labeling program. A Life-Cycle Cost (LCC) calculation is used to evaluate the impacts of the program at the unit level, thus providing some insight into the appropriateness of the levels chosen, and additional opportunities for further ratcheting. In addition to LCC, we also calculate payback periods, cost of conserved energy (CCE), and return on investment (ROI). Finally, Section 4 covers national impacts. This is an extension of unit level estimates in the two previous sections. Extrapolation to the national level depends on a forecast of air conditioner purchases (shipments), which we describe here. Following the cost-benefit analysis, we construct several efficiency scenarios including the BEE plan, but also considering further potential for efficiency improvement. These are combined with shipments through a stock accounting model in order to forecast air conditioner energy consumption in each scenario, and associated electricity savings and carbon emission mitigation. Finally, financial costs and savings are scaled to the national level to evaluate net fiscal benefits.« less

Assessing the Efficiency of HIV Prevention around the World: Methods of the PANCEA Project

PubMed Central

Marseille, Elliot; Dandona, Lalit; Saba, Joseph; McConnel, Coline; Rollins, Brandi; Gaist, Paul; Lundberg, Mattias; Over, Mead; Bertozzi, Stefano; Kahn, James G

2004-01-01

Objective To develop data collection methods suitable to obtain data to assess the costs, cost-efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of eight types of HIV prevention programs in five countries. Data Sources/Study Setting Primary data collection from prevention programs for 2002–2003 and prior years, in Uganda, South Africa, India, Mexico, and Russia. Study Design This study consisted of a retrospective review of HIV prevention programs covering one to several years of data. Key variables include services delivered (outputs), quality indicators, and costs. Data Collection/Extraction Methods Data were collected by trained in-country teams during week-long site visits, by reviewing service and financial records and interviewing program managers and clients. Principal Findings Preliminary data suggest that the unit cost of HIV prevention programs may be both higher and more variable than previous studies suggest. Conclusions A mix of standard data collection methods can be successfully implemented across different HIV prevention program types and countries. These methods can provide comprehensive services and cost data, which may carry valuable information for the allocation of HIV prevention resources. PMID:15544641

Adverse outcome pathway networks II: Network analytics

EPA Science Inventory

The US EPA is developing more cost effective and efficient ways to evaluate chemical safety using high throughput and computationally based testing strategies. An important component of this approach is the ability to translate chemical effects on fundamental biological processes...

Tribal Waste Journal: What Is an Integrated Waste Management Plan (Issue 7)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Integrated Waste Management Plans (IWMPs) may offer tribes an efficient and cost-effective way to reduce open dumping, effectively manage solid waste, and protect human health and the environment for this generation and the next.

Analyzing the Cost Efficiency of Academic Departments and Instructional Personnel at State Universities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norris, Robert G.

A cost-effectiveness model is presented for academic administrators to use in making evaluation and planning decisions related directly to the instructional activities of academic departments. The advantages seen in the model are that it is simple and flexible, concentrates on balancing income generated by the department to expenses incurred, and…

Gossip as an effective and low-cost form of punishment.

PubMed

Feinberg, Matthew; Cheng, Joey T; Willer, Robb

2012-02-01

The spreading of reputational information about group members through gossip represents a widespread, efficient, and low-cost form of punishment. Research shows that negative arousal states motivate individuals to gossip about the transgressions of group members. By sharing information in this way groups are better able to promote cooperation and maintain social control and order.

An AOP-based alternative testing strategy to predict the impact of thyroid hormone disruption on swim bladder inflation in zebrafish (poster)

EPA Science Inventory

Within the field of chemical safety assessment, there is a desire to replace costly whole organism testing with more efficient and cost-effective alternatives based on in vitro test systems. Disruption of thyroid hormone signaling via inhibition of enzymes called deiodinases is o...

Spatially explicit forecasts of large wildland fire probability and suppression costs for California

Treesearch

Haiganoush Preisler; Anthony L. Westerling; Krista M. Gebert; Francisco Munoz-Arriola; Thomas P. Holmes

2011-01-01

In the last decade, increases in fire activity and suppression expenditures have caused budgetary problems for federal land management agencies. Spatial forecasts of upcoming fire activity and costs have the potential to help reduce expenditures, and increase the efficiency of suppression efforts, by enabling them to focus resources where they have the greatest effect...

The Cost Efficiency Impact of the University Operation Fund on Public Universities in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuo, Jenn-Shyong; Ho, Yi-Cheng

2008-01-01

This study uses the stochastic frontier multiple-product cost function that is modeled after Battese and Coelli [Battese, G. E., & Coelli, T. J. (1995). "A model for technical inefficiency effects in a stochastic frontier production for panel data." "Empirical Economics" 20(2), 325-332.] in order to empirically measure the…

Transit vehicle emissions program.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-08-01

The evaluation, selection, and implementation of fuel and powertrain technology choices are critically important to accomplishing : the mission of providing safe, efficient, reliable, environmentally-conscious, and cost-effective public transportatio...

High efficiency and low cost preparation of size controlled starch nanoparticles through ultrasonic treatment and precipitation.

PubMed

Chang, Yanjiao; Yan, Xiaoxia; Wang, Qian; Ren, Lili; Tong, Jin; Zhou, Jiang

2017-07-15

The purpose of this work was to develop an approach to produce size controlled starch nanoparticles (SNPs), via precipitation with high efficiency and low cost. High concentration starch aqueous pastes (up to 5wt.%) were treated by ultrasound. Viscosity measurements and size exclusion chromatography characterization revealed that, after 30min ultrasonic treatment, viscosity of the starch pastes decreased two orders of magnitude and the weight average molecular weight of the starch decreased from 8.4×10 7 to 2.7×10 6 g/mol. Dynamic light scattering measurements and scanning electron microscopy observations showed that the SNPs prepared from the starch pastes with ultrasonic treatments were smaller (∼75nm) and more uniform. Moreover, SNPs could be obtained using less non-solvents. X-ray diffraction results indicated that effect of the ultrasonic treatment on crystalline structure of the SNPs was negligible. Ultrasound can be utilized to prepare smaller SNPs through nanoprecipitation with higher efficiency and lower cost. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Simplified Perovskite Solar Cell with 4.1% Efficiency Employing Inorganic CsPbBr3 as Light Absorber.

PubMed

Duan, Jialong; Zhao, Yuanyuan; He, Benlin; Tang, Qunwei

2018-05-01

Perovskite solar cells with cost-effectiveness, high power conversion efficiency, and improved stability are promising solutions to the energy crisis and environmental pollution. However, a wide-bandgap inorganic-semiconductor electron-transporting layer such as TiO 2 can harvest ultraviolet light to photodegrade perovskite halides, and the high cost of a state-of-the-art hole-transporting layer is an economic burden for commercialization. Here, the building of a simplified cesium lead bromide (CsPbBr 3 ) perovskite solar cell with fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO)/CsPbBr 3 /carbon architecture by a multistep solution-processed deposition technology is demonstrated, achieving an efficiency as high as 4.1% and improved stability upon interfacial modification by graphene quantum dots and CsPbBrI 2 quantum dots. This work provides new opportunities of building next-generation solar cells with significantly simplified processes and reduced production costs. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Gastric cancer screening of a high-risk population in Japan using serum pepsinogen and barium digital radiography.

PubMed

Ohata, Hiroshi; Oka, Masashi; Yanaoka, Kimihiko; Shimizu, Yasuhito; Mukoubayashi, Chizu; Mugitani, Kouichi; Iwane, Masataka; Nakamura, Hideya; Tamai, Hideyuki; Arii, Kenji; Nakata, Hiroya; Yoshimura, Noriko; Takeshita, Tetsuya; Miki, Kazumasa; Mohara, Osamu; Ichinose, Masao

2005-10-01

With the aim of developing more efficient gastric cancer screening programs for use in Japan, we studied a new screening program that combines serum pepsinogen (PG) testing and barium digital radiography (DR). A total of 17 647 middle-aged male subjects underwent workplace screening over a 7-year period using a combination of PG testing and DR. This program's effectiveness, as well as other characteristics of the program, was analyzed. Forty-nine cases of gastric cancer were detected (comprising 88% early cancer cases). The detection rate was 0.28%, and the positive predictive value was 0.85%. The PG test detected 63.3% of cases, DR detected 69.4% of cases, and both tests were positive in 32.7% of cancer cases. The two methods were almost equally effective, and were considerably more effective than conventional screening using photofluorography. Each screening method detected a distinct gastric cancer subgroup; the PG test efficiently detected asymptomatic small early cancer with intestinal type histology, while DR was efficient at detecting cancers with depressed or ulcerated morphology and diffuse type histology. The cost for the detection of a single cancer was much less than that for conventional screening. In fact, it is possible to further reduce the cost of detecting a single cancer to a cost comparable to that of surgically resecting a single gastric cancer. Thus, it is probable that a highly efficient gastric cancer screening system can be implemented by combining the two screening methods. Such a screening program would be beneficial in a population at high risk for gastric cancer.

The Automated Array Assembly Task of the Low-cost Silicon Solar Array Project, Phase 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coleman, M. G.; Grenon, L.; Pastirik, E. M.; Pryor, R. A.; Sparks, T. G.

1978-01-01

An advanced process sequence for manufacturing high efficiency solar cells and modules in a cost-effective manner is discussed. Emphasis is on process simplicity and minimizing consumed materials. The process sequence incorporates texture etching, plasma processes for damage removal and patterning, ion implantation, low pressure silicon nitride deposition, and plated metal. A reliable module design is presented. Specific process step developments are given. A detailed cost analysis was performed to indicate future areas of fruitful cost reduction effort. Recommendations for advanced investigations are included.

Life-cycle costs of high-performance cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daniel, R.; Burger, D.; Reiter, L.

1985-01-01

A life cycle cost analysis of high efficiency cells was presented. Although high efficiency cells produce more power, they also cost more to make and are more susceptible to array hot-spot heating. Three different computer analysis programs were used: SAMICS (solar array manufacturing industry costing standards), PVARRAY (an array failure mode/degradation simulator), and LCP (lifetime cost and performance). The high efficiency cell modules were found to be more economical in this study, but parallel redundancy is recommended.

Achieving Realistic Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions in U.S. Cities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blackhurst, Michael F.

2011-12-01

In recognizing that energy markets and greenhouse gas emissions are significantly influences by local factors, this research examines opportunities for achieving realistic energy greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. cities through provisions of more sustainable infrastructure. Greenhouse gas reduction opportunities are examined through the lens of a public program administrator charged with reducing emissions given realistic financial constraints and authority over emissions reductions and energy use. Opportunities are evaluated with respect to traditional public policy metrics, such as benefit-cost analysis, net benefit analysis, and cost-effectiveness. Section 2 summarizes current practices used to estimate greenhouse gas emissions from communities. I identify improved and alternative emissions inventory techniques such as disaggregating the sectors reported, reporting inventory uncertainty, and aligning inventories with local organizations that could facilitate emissions mitigation. The potential advantages and challenges of supplementing inventories with comparative benchmarks are also discussed. Finally, I highlight the need to integrate growth (population and economic) and business as usual implications (such as changes to electricity supply grids) into climate action planning. I demonstrate how these techniques could improve decision making when planning reductions, help communities set meaningful emission reduction targets, and facilitate CAP implementation and progress monitoring. Section 3 evaluates the costs and benefits of building energy efficiency are estimated as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Pittsburgh, PA and Austin, TX. Two policy objectives were evaluated: maximize GHG reductions given initial budget constraints or maximize social savings given target GHG reductions. This approach explicitly evaluates the trade-offs between three primary and often conflicting program design parameters: initial capital constraints, social savings, and GHG reductions. Results suggest uncertainty in local stocks, demands, and efficiency significantly impacts anticipated outcomes. Annual greenhouse gas reductions of 1 ton CO2 eq/capita/yr in Pittsburgh could cost near nothing or over $20 per capita annually. Capital-constrained policies generate slightly less social savings (a present value of a few hundred dollars per capita) than policies that maximize social savings. However, sectors, technologies, and end uses targeted for intervention vary depending on policy objectives and constraints. The optimal efficiency investment strategy for some end uses varies significantly (in excess of 100%) between Pittsburgh and Austin, suggesting that resources and guidance conducted at the national scale may mislead state and local decision-makers. Section 3 then evaluates the impact of rebound effects on modeled efficiency program outcomes. Differential rebound effects across end-uses can change the optimal program design strategy, i.e., the end-uses and technologies targeted for intervention. The rebound effect results suggest that rebound should be integral to effective efficiency program design. Section 4 evaluates the life cycle assessment costs and benefits of the widespread retrofit of green roofs in a typical urban mixed-use neighborhood. Shadow-cost analysis was used to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of green roofs' many benefits. Results suggest green roofs are currently not cost effective on a private cost basis, but multi-family and commercial building green roofs are competitive when social benefits are included. Multifamily and commercial green roofs are also competitive alternatives for reducing greenhouse gases and storm water run-off. However, green roofs are not competitive energy conservation techniques. GHG impacts are dominated by the material production and use phases. Energy impacts are dominated by the use phase, with urban heat island (UHI) impacts being an order of magnitude higher than direct building impacts. Results highlight the importance of clarifying sustainable infrastructure costs and benefits across many public and private organizations (e.g., private building owners, storm water agencies, efficiency stakeholders, and roofing contractors) to identify appropriate incentives and effective program design strategies. Section 5 synthesizes the work and provides guidance for local and state sustainability program administrators. Section 5 highlights the unrealized social benefits associated with sustainability and reflects upon the role of local and state governments in overcoming barriers to achieving more sustainable infrastructure. Section 5 encourages program administrators to consider their local markets for sustainability as influences by resource pricing, weather, infrastructure condition, jurisdiction, and other factors. The differences between sustainability programming and traditional municipal programming are highlighted, namely that sustainability programming often requires self-selection for participation and is subject to new sources of uncertain regarding user behavior, technology breadth and change, and the scope of costs and benefits. These characteristic issues of sustainable infrastructure opportunities provide new challenges to program administrators, requiring new paradigms and support resources. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Domestic refrigeration appliances in Poland: Potential for improving energy efficiency

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

Meyers, S.; Schipper, L.; Lebot, B.

1993-08-01

This report is based on information collected from the main Polish manufacturer of refrigeration appliances. We describe their production facilities, and show that the energy consumption of their models for domestic sale is substantially higher than the average for similar models made in W. Europe. Lack of data and uncertainty about future production costs in Poland limits our evaluation of the cost-effective potential to increase energy efficiency, but it appears likely that considerable improvement would be economic from a societal perspective. Many design options are likely to have a simple payback of less than five years. We found that themore » production facilities are in need of substantial modernization in order to produce higher quality and more efficient appliances. We discuss policy options that could help to build a market for more efficient appliances in Poland and thereby encourage investment to produce such equipment.« less

Maximizing Efficiency and Reducing Robotic Surgery Costs Using the NASA Task Load Index.

PubMed

Walters, Carrie; Webb, Paula J

2017-10-01

Perioperative leaders at our facility were struggling to meet efficiency targets for robotic surgery procedures while also maintaining the satisfaction of the surgical team. We developed a human resources time and motion study tool and used it in conjunction with the NASA Task Load Index to observe and analyze the required workload of personnel assigned to 25 robotic surgery procedures. The time and motion study identified opportunities to enlist the help of nonlicensed support personnel to ensure safe patient care and improve OR efficiency. Using the NASA Task Load Index demonstrated that high temporal, effort, and physical demands existed for personnel assisting with and performing robotic surgery. We believe that this process could be used to develop cost-effective staffing models, resulting in safe and efficient care for all surgical patients. Copyright © 2017 AORN, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparing technical efficiency of farms with an automatic milking system and a conventional milking system.

PubMed

Steeneveld, W; Tauer, L W; Hogeveen, H; Oude Lansink, A G J M

2012-12-01

Changing from a conventional milking system (CMS) to an automatic milking system (AMS) necessitates a new management approach and a corresponding change in labor tasks. Together with labor savings, AMS farms have been found to have higher capital costs, primarily because of higher maintenance costs and depreciation. Therefore, it is hypothesized that AMS farms differ from CMS farms in capital:labor ratio and possibly their technical efficiency, at least during a transition learning period. The current study used actual farm accounting data from dairy farms in the Netherlands with an AMS and a CMS to investigate the empirical substitution of capital for labor in the AMS farms and to determine if the technical efficiency of the AMS farms differed from the CMS farms. The technical efficiency estimates were obtained with data envelopment analysis. The 63 AMS farms and the 337 CMS farms in the data set did not differ in general farm characteristics such as the number of cows, number of hectares, and the amount of milk quota. Farms with AMS have significantly higher capital costs (€12.71 per 100 kg of milk) than CMS farms (€10.10 per 100 kg of milk). Total labor costs and net outputs were not significantly different between AMS and CMS farms. A clear substitution of capital for labor with the adoption of an AMS could not be observed. Although the AMS farms have a slightly lower technical efficiency (0.76) than the CMS farms (0.78), a significant difference in these estimates was not observed. This indicates that the farms were not different in their ability to use inputs (capital, labor, cows, and land) to produce outputs (total farm revenues). The technical efficiency of farms invested in an AMS in 2008 or earlier was not different from the farms invested in 2009 or 2010, indicating that a learning effect during the transition period was not observed. The results indicate that the economic performance of AMS and CMS farms are similar. What these results show is that other than higher capital costs, the use of AMS rather than a CMS does not affect farm efficiency and that the learning costs to use an AMS are not present as measured by any fall in technical efficiency. Copyright © 2012 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Integrating fluoroquinolones into the hospital formulary.

PubMed

Bertino, J S

2001-10-01

With the increasing availability of new agents, selection of fluoroquinolones for formulary inclusion can be difficult. Appropriate evaluation of the important characteristics (pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties, antimicrobial activity, efficacy, tolerability, cost) of these agents should allow selection of the most cost-effective ones. Evidence from in vitro studies and clinical trials indicates differences exist among fluoroquinolones, especially in terms of activity against gram-positive, aerobic organisms. For selected clinical situations, it may be important to choose an agent that is available in both intravenous and oral formulations. Comparative drug costs, as well as costs associated with potential clinical failure and adverse events, should be evaluated carefully. Dosage regimens should be considered, as shorter durations of therapy and less frequent dose administration may lead to reduced labor costs and increased patient compliance, thereby improving effectiveness and economic efficiency.

Thermal Management and Reliability of Power Electronics and Electric Machines

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

Narumanchi, Sreekant

2016-09-19

Increasing the number of electric-drive vehicles (EDVs) on America's roads has been identified as a strategy with near-term potential for dramatically decreasing the nation's dependence on oil - by the U.S. Department of Energy, the federal cross-agency EV-Everywhere Challenge, and the automotive industry. Mass-market deployment will rely on meeting aggressive technical targets, including improved efficiency and reduced size, weight, and cost. Many of these advances will depend on optimization of thermal management. Effective thermal management is critical to improving the performance and ensuring the reliability of EDVs. Efficient heat removal makes higher power densities and lower operating temperatures possible, andmore » in turn enables cost and size reductions. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), along with DOE and industry partners is working to develop cost-effective thermal management solutions to increase device and component power densities. In this presentation, the activities in recent years related to thermal management and reliability of automotive power electronics and electric machines are presented.« less

Digestion-ligation-only Hi-C is an efficient and cost-effective method for chromosome conformation capture.

PubMed

Lin, Da; Hong, Ping; Zhang, Siheng; Xu, Weize; Jamal, Muhammad; Yan, Keji; Lei, Yingying; Li, Liang; Ruan, Yijun; Fu, Zhen F; Li, Guoliang; Cao, Gang

2018-05-01

Chromosome conformation capture (3C) technologies can be used to investigate 3D genomic structures. However, high background noise, high costs, and a lack of straightforward noise evaluation in current methods impede the advancement of 3D genomic research. Here we developed a simple digestion-ligation-only Hi-C (DLO Hi-C) technology to explore the 3D landscape of the genome. This method requires only two rounds of digestion and ligation, without the need for biotin labeling and pulldown. Non-ligated DNA was efficiently removed in a cost-effective step by purifying specific linker-ligated DNA fragments. Notably, random ligation could be quickly evaluated in an early quality-control step before sequencing. Moreover, an in situ version of DLO Hi-C using a four-cutter restriction enzyme has been developed. We applied DLO Hi-C to delineate the genomic architecture of THP-1 and K562 cells and uncovered chromosomal translocations. This technology may facilitate investigation of genomic organization, gene regulation, and (meta)genome assembly.

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

Narumanchi, Sreekant

Increasing the number of electric-drive vehicles (EDVs) on America's roads has been identified as a strategy with near-term potential for dramatically decreasing the nation's dependence on oil - by the U.S. Department of Energy, the federal cross-agency EV-Everywhere Challenge, and the automotive industry. Mass-market deployment will rely on meeting aggressive technical targets, including improved efficiency and reduced size, weight, and cost. Many of these advances will depend on optimization of thermal management. Effective thermal management is critical to improving the performance and ensuring the reliability of EDVs. Efficient heat removal makes higher power densities and lower operating temperatures possible, andmore » in turn enables cost and size reductions. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), along with DOE and industry partners is working to develop cost-effective thermal management solutions to increase device and component power densities. In this presentation, the activities in recent years related to thermal management and reliability of automotive power electronics and electric machines are presented.« less

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

Narumanchi, Sreekant

Increasing the number of electric-drive vehicles (EDVs) on America's roads has been identified as a strategy with near-term potential for dramatically decreasing the nation's dependence on oil -- by the U.S. Department of Energy, the federal cross-agency EV-Everywhere Challenge, and the automotive industry. Mass-market deployment will rely on meeting aggressive technical targets, including improved efficiency and reduced size, weight, and cost. Many of these advances will depend on optimization of thermal management. Effective thermal management is critical to improving the performance and ensuring the reliability of EDVs. Efficient heat removal makes higher power densities and lower operating temperatures possible, andmore » in turn enables cost and size reductions. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), along with DOE and industry partners is working to develop cost-effective thermal management solutions to increase device and component power densities. In this presentation, the activities in recent years related to thermal management and reliability of automotive power electronics and electric machines will be presented.« less

Improving the Efficiency and Quality of the Value Assessment Process for Companion Diagnostic Tests: The Companion test Assessment Tool (CAT).

PubMed

Canestaro, William J; Pritchard, Daryl E; Garrison, Louis P; Dubois, Robert; Veenstra, David L

2015-08-01

Companion diagnostic tests (CDTs) have emerged as a vital technology in the effective use of an increasing number of targeted drug therapies. Although CDTs can offer a multitude of potential benefits, assessing their value within a health technology appraisal process can be challenging because of a complex array of factors that influence clinical and economic outcomes. To develop a user-friendly tool to assist managed care and other health care decision makers in screening companion tests and determining whether an intensive technology review is necessary and, if so, where the review should be focused to improve efficiency. First, we conducted a systematic literature review of CDT cost-effectiveness studies to identify value drivers. Second, we conducted key informant interviews with a diverse group of stakeholders to elicit feedback and solicit any additional value drivers and identify desirable attributes for an evidence review tool. A draft tool was developed based on this information that captured value drivers, usability features, and had a particular focus on practical use by nonexperts. Finally, the tool was pilot tested with test developers and managed care evidence evaluators to assess face-validity and usability. The tool was also evaluated using several diverse examples of existing companion diagnostics and refined accordingly. We identified 65 cost-effectiveness studies of companion diagnostic technologies. The following factors were most commonly identified as value drivers from our literature review: clinical validity of testing; efficacy, safety, and cost of baseline and alternative treatments; cost and mortality of health states; and biomarker prevalence and testing cost. Stakeholders identified the following additional factors that they believed influenced the overall value of a companion test: regulatory status, actionability, utility, and market penetration. These factors were used to maximize the efficiency of the evidence review process. Stakeholders also stated that a tool should be easy to use and time efficient. Cognitive interviews with stakeholders led to minor changes in the draft tool to improve usability and relevance. The final tool consisted of 4 sections: (1) eligibility for review (2 questions), (2) prioritization of review (3 questions), (3) clinical review (3 questions), and (4) economic review (5 questions). Although the evaluation of CDTs can be challenging because of limited evidence and the added complexity of incorporating a diagnostic test into drug treatment decisions, using a pragmatic tool to identify tests that do not need extensive evaluation may improve the efficiency and effectiveness of CDT value assessments.

Contact engineering for efficient charge injection in organic transistors with low-cost metal electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panigrahi, D.; Kumar, S.; Dhar, A.

2017-10-01

Controlling charge injection at the metal-semiconductor interface is very crucial for organic electronic devices in general as it can significantly influence the overall device performance. Herein, we report a facile, yet efficient contact modification approach, to enhance the hole injection efficiency through the incorporation of a high vacuum deposited TPD [N,N'-Bis(3-methylphenyl)-N,N'-diphenylbenzidine] interlayer between the electrodes and the active semiconducting layer. The device performance parameters such as mobility and on/off ratio improved significantly after the inclusion of the TPD buffer layer, and more interestingly, the devices with cost effective Ag and Cu electrodes were able to exhibit a superior device performance than the typically used Au source-drain devices. We have also observed that this contact modification technique can be even more effective than commonly used metal oxide interface modifying layers. Our investigations demonstrate the efficacy of the TPD interlayer in effectively reducing the interfacial contact resistance through the modification of pentacene energy levels, which consequently results in the substantial improvement in the device performances.

Explaining efficient search for conjunctions of motion and form: evidence from negative color effects.

PubMed

Dent, Kevin

2014-05-01

Dent, Humphreys, and Braithwaite (2011) showed substantial costs to search when a moving target shared its color with a group of ignored static distractors. The present study further explored the conditions under which such costs to performance occur. Experiment 1 tested whether the negative color-sharing effect was specific to cases in which search showed a highly serial pattern. The results showed that the negative color-sharing effect persisted in the case of a target defined as a conjunction of movement and form, even when search was highly efficient. In Experiment 2, the ease with which participants could find an odd-colored target amongst a moving group was examined. Participants searched for a moving target amongst moving and stationary distractors. In Experiment 2A, participants performed a highly serial search through a group of similarly shaped moving letters. Performance was much slower when the target shared its color with a set of ignored static distractors. The exact same displays were used in Experiment 2B; however, participants now responded "present" for targets that shared the color of the static distractors. The same targets that had previously been difficult to find were now found efficiently. The results are interpreted in a flexible framework for attentional control. Targets that are linked with irrelevant distractors by color tend to be ignored. However, this cost can be overridden by top-down control settings.

Effective utilization of clinical laboratories.

PubMed

Murphy, J; Henry, J B

1978-11-01

Effective utilization of clinical laboratories requires that underutilization, overutilization, and malutilization be appreciated and eliminated or reduced. Optimal patient care service, although subjective to a major extent, is reflected in terms of outcome and cost. Increased per diem charges, reduced hospital stay, and increased laboratory workload over the past decade all require each laboratory to examine its internal operations to achieve economy and efficiency as well as maximal effectiveness. Increased research and development, an active managerial role on the part of pathologists, internal self-assessment, and an aggressive response to sophisticated scientific and clinical laboratory data base requirements are not only desirable but essential. The importance of undergraduate and graduate medical education in laboratory medicine to insure understanding as well as effective utilization is stressed. The costs and limitations as well as the accuracy, precision, sensitivity, specificity, and pitfalls of measurements and examinations must also be fully appreciated. Medical malpractice and defensive medicine and the use of critical values, emergency and routine services, and an active clinical role by the pathologist are of the utmost value in assuring effective utilization of the laboratory. A model for the optimal use of the laboratory including economy and efficiency has been achieved in the blood bank in regard to optimal hemotherapy for elective surgery, assuring superior patient care in a cost effective and safe manner.

Cost-effectiveness Analysis of an Aftercare Service vs Treatment-As-Usual for Patients with Severe Mental Disorders.

PubMed

Barfar, Eshagh; Sharifi, Vandad; Amini, Homayoun; Mottaghipour, Yasaman; Yunesian, Masud; Tehranidoost, Mehdi; Sobhebidari, Payam; Rashidian, Arash

2017-09-01

There have been claims that community mental health principles leads to the maintenance of better health and functioning in patients and can be more economical for patients with severe and chronic mental disorders. Economic evaluation studies have been used to assess the cost-effectiveness of national health programs, or to propose efficient strategies for health care delivery. The current study is intended to test the cost-effectiveness of an Aftercare Service when compared with Treatment-As-Usual for patients with severe mental disorders in Iran. This study was a parallel group randomized controlled trial. A total of 160 post-discharge eligible patients were randomized into two equal patient groups, Aftercare Service (that includes either Home Visiting Care, or Telephone Follow-up for outpatient treatment) vs Treatment-As-Usual, using stratified balanced block randomization method. All patients were followed for 12 months after discharge. The perspective of the present study was the societal perspective. The outcome measures were the rate of readmission at the hospitals after discharge, psychotic symptoms, manic symptoms, depressive symptoms, illness severity, global functioning, quality of life, and patients' satisfaction with the services. The costs included the intervention costs and the patient and family costs in the evaluation period. There was no significant difference in effectiveness measures between the two groups. The Aftercare Service arm was about 66,000 US$ cheaper than Treatment-As-Usual arm. The average total cost per patient in the Treatment-As-Usual group was about 4651 USD, while it was reduced to 3823 US$ in the Aftercare Service group; equivalent to a cost reduction of about 800 USD per patient per year. Given that there was no significant difference in effectiveness measures between the two groups (slightly in favor of the intervention), the Aftercare Service was cost-effective. The most important limitation of the study was the relatively small sample size due to limited budget for the implementation of the study. A larger sample size and longer follow-ups are warranted. Considering the limited resources and equity concerns for health systems, the importance of making decisions about healthcare interventions based on cost-effectiveness evidence is increasing. Our results suggest that the aftercare service can be recommended as an efficient service delivery mode, especially when psychiatric bed requirements are insufficient for a population. Further research should continue the work done with a larger sample size and longer follow-ups to further establish the cost-effectiveness analysis of an aftercare service program compared with routine conventional care.

A Bayesian model averaging approach with non-informative priors for cost-effectiveness analyses.

PubMed

Conigliani, Caterina

2010-07-20

We consider the problem of assessing new and existing technologies for their cost-effectiveness in the case where data on both costs and effects are available from a clinical trial, and we address it by means of the cost-effectiveness acceptability curve. The main difficulty in these analyses is that cost data usually exhibit highly skew and heavy-tailed distributions, so that it can be extremely difficult to produce realistic probabilistic models for the underlying population distribution. Here, in order to integrate the uncertainty about the model into the analysis of cost data and into cost-effectiveness analyses, we consider an approach based on Bayesian model averaging (BMA) in the particular case of weak prior informations about the unknown parameters of the different models involved in the procedure. The main consequence of this assumption is that the marginal densities required by BMA are undetermined. However, in accordance with the theory of partial Bayes factors and in particular of fractional Bayes factors, we suggest replacing each marginal density with a ratio of integrals that can be efficiently computed via path sampling. Copyright (c) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

[Sclerotherapy of hydrocele and cord cyst with polidocanol. Efficiency study].

PubMed

Merenciano Cortina, F J; Rafie Mazketli, W; Amat Cecilia, M; Romero Pérez, P

2001-01-01

Checking the efficiency (cost/benefit) of the sclerotherapy with polidocanol in our country for the treatment of hydrocele and epididymal cyst. We studies 86 patients with this diagnosis from may of 1995, until april of 2000. We have applied the costs for process according to the indicators of administration-cost our hospital in the year 1999. 79 patient completed the protocol. The overall cure rate was 83.87% with sclerotherapy; 42.3% with first one treatment. Only a 4.5% of the patients had significant pain and a 7.4% others complications. There were necessaries 1.5 sclerotherapies of mean for curation, resulting this treatment 4.78 more cheaper than surgery. The sclerotherapy with polidocanol of the hydrocele or epididymal cyst are an effective treatment, sure, simple, reasonably comfortable and fundamentally, economical.

A Process Management System for Networked Manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Tingting; Wang, Huifen; Liu, Linyan

With the development of computer, communication and network, networked manufacturing has become one of the main manufacturing paradigms in the 21st century. Under the networked manufacturing environment, there exist a large number of cooperative tasks susceptible to alterations, conflicts caused by resources and problems of cost and quality. This increases the complexity of administration. Process management is a technology used to design, enact, control, and analyze networked manufacturing processes. It supports efficient execution, effective management, conflict resolution, cost containment and quality control. In this paper we propose an integrated process management system for networked manufacturing. Requirements of process management are analyzed and architecture of the system is presented. And a process model considering process cost and quality is developed. Finally a case study is provided to explain how the system runs efficiently.

A Novel High-Efficiency Rear-Contact Solar Cell with Bifacial Sensitivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hezel, R.

At present, wafer-based silicon solar cells have a share of more than 90% of the photovoltaic market. Despite rapid growth in the manufacturing volume, accompanied by a significant drop in the module selling price, the high costs currently associated with photovoltaic power generation are one of the most important obstacles to widespread global use of solar electricity. Up to a certain level, a higher production volume is a key driver in cost reduction. However, apart from a drastic reduction of the silicon wafer thickness in conjunction with improved light-trapping schemes, innovative processing sequences combining very high solar cell efficiencies with simple and cost-effective fabrication techniques are needed to become competitive with conventional energy sources and thus to move solar energy from niche to mainstream.

Roles, Cost, and Criteria for Assessing Agriculture Disaster Assistance Programs Between 1980 and 1988

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-03-06

Deveopmer. Division vkef ore the Subca-rittee c:- Agr~cultural Productirm and Stablllza-t;cn of Prices Senate Ccrratt:ee on Agric -.;ture, \\,utr;.tion and...efficient program, costs [ 1Disaster Assistance: Crop Insurance Can Provide Assistance More Effectively Than Other Programs (GAO/RCED-89-211, Sept. 20...1989). 1ist * should be minimized. On this basis, we identified eight criteria that should be considered in devising an effective disaster assistance

A Review of Models of Cost and Training Effectiveness Analysis (CTEA). Volume 1. Training Effectiveness Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-10-01

19 treated in interaction with each other and the hardware and software design. The authors point out some of the inadequacies in HP technologies and...life cycle costs recognition performance on secondary tasks effort/efficiency number of wins ( gaming tasks) number of instructors needed amount of...student interacts with this material in real time via a terminal and display system. The computer performs many functions, such as diagnose student

Natural Gas STAR Program

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA’s Voluntary Methane Programs encourage oil and natural gas companies to adopt cost-effective technologies and practices that improve operational efficiency and reduce emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

A cost-effectiveness analysis of hormone replacement therapy in the menopause.

PubMed

Cheung, A P; Wren, B G

1992-03-02

To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of hormone replacement therapy in the menopause with particular reference to osteoporotic fracture and myocardial infarction. The multiple-decrement form of the life table was the mathematical model used to follow women of age 50 through their lifetime under the "no hormone replacement" and "hormone replacement" assumptions. Standard demographic and health economic techniques were used to calculate the corresponding lifetime differences in direct health care costs (net costs in dollars) and health effects ("net effectiveness" in terms of life expectancy and quality, in "quality-adjusted life-years"). This was then expressed as a cost-effectiveness ratio or the cost ($) per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) for each of the chosen hormone replacement regimens. All women of age 50 in New South Wales, Australia (n = 27,021). The analysis showed that the lifetime net increments in direct medical care costs were largely contributed by hormone drug and consultation costs. Hormone replacement was associated with increased quality-adjusted life expectancy, a large percentage of which was attributed to a relief of menopausal symptoms. Cost-effectiveness ratios ranged from under 10,000 to over a million dollars per QALY. Factors associated with improved cost-effectiveness were prolonged treatment duration, the presence of menopausal symptoms, minimum progestogen side effects (in the case of oestrogen with progestogen regimens), oestrogen use after hysterectomy and the inclusion of cardiac benefits in addition to fracture prevention. Hormone replacement therapy for symptomatic women is cost-effective when factors that enhance its efficiency are considered. Short-term treatment of asymptomatic women for prevention of osteoporotic fractures and myocardial infarction is an inefficient use of health resources. Cost-effectiveness of hormone replacement in asymptomatic women is dependent on the magnitude of cardiac benefits associated with hormone use and the treatment duration.

Rebound Effects in the Context of Developing Country Efficiency

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

de la Rue du Can, Stephane; McNeil, Michael A.; Leventis, Greg

Energy efficiency-related “rebound effects” usually refer to the tendency of most consumers to increase their use of energy services in response to efficiency measures that have reduced their energy costs. This phenomenon is one reason why energy efficiency policies often result in lower energy savings than engineering-based estimates predict. Rebound effects have been the subject of intense debate in the field of energy efficiency policy for many years.1 In the past, the focus of this debate has been on the perceived loss of the expected energy savings and related benefits resulting from the rebound effects. However, more recently, there hasmore » been a growing recognition that policymakers need to consider the health, economic and other non-energy benefits that often result from the increase in energy services represented by user “rebound effects”. This is especially true in developing countries where basic energy service demands—such as lighting, heating, cooling, and refrigeration of food—are often not being met. As economic conditions improve and household incomes increase, demand for increased energy services (such as space conditioning and appliances) tends to rise rapidly. Improving energy efficiency reduces the amount of energy needed to produce one unit of energy service output (for example an hour of cooling at 21°C delivered for X vs Y kWh). Greater efficiency therefore often enables more rapid increased in energy services (and sometimes access), expanding the amount of services that can be provided by a fixed amount (or cost) of energy.« less

Extremely Cost‐Effective and Efficient Solar Vapor Generation under Nonconcentrated Illumination Using Thermally Isolated Black Paper

PubMed Central

Liu, Zhejun; Song, Haomin; Ji, Dengxin; Li, Chenyu; Cheney, Alec; Liu, Youhai; Zhang, Nan; Zeng, Xie; Chen, Borui; Gao, Jun; Li, Yuesheng; Liu, Xiang; Aga, Diana; Jiang, Suhua; Yu, Zongfu

2017-01-01

Passive solar vapor generation represents a promising and environmentally benign method of water purification/desalination. However, conventional solar steam generation techniques usually rely on costly and cumbersome optical concentration systems and have relatively low efficiency due to bulk heating of the entire liquid volume. Here, an efficient strategy using extremely low‐cost materials, i.e., carbon black (powder), hydrophilic porous paper, and expanded polystyrene foam is reported. Due to the excellent thermal insulation between the surface liquid and the bulk volume of the water and the suppressed radiative and convective losses from the absorber surface to the adjacent heated vapor, a record thermal efficiency of ≈88% is obtained under 1 sun without concentration, corresponding to the evaporation rate of 1.28 kg (m2 h)−1. When scaled up to a 100 cm2 array in a portable solar water still system and placed in an outdoor environment, the freshwater generation rate is 2.4 times of that of a leading commercial product. By simultaneously addressing both the need for high‐efficiency operation as well as production cost limitations, this system can provide an approach for individuals to purify water for personal needs, which is particularly suitable for undeveloped regions with limited/no access to electricity. PMID:28616256

Organizational determinants of efficiency and effectiveness in mental health partial care programs.

PubMed Central

Schinnar, A P; Kamis-Gould, E; Delucia, N; Rothbard, A B

1990-01-01

The use of partial care as a treatment modality for mentally ill patients, particularly the chronically mentally ill, has greatly increased. However, research into what constitutes a "good" program has been scant. This article reports on an evaluation study of staff productivity, cost efficiency, and service effectiveness of adult partial care programs carried out in New Jersey in fiscal year 1984/1985. Five program performance indexes are developed based on comparisons of multiple measures of resources, service activities, and client outcomes. These are used to test various hypotheses regarding the effect of organizational and fiscal variables on partial care program efficiency and effectiveness. The four issues explored are: auspices, organizational complexity, service mix, and fiscal control by the state. These were found to explain about half of the variance in program performance. In addition, partial care programs demonstrating midlevel performance with regard to productivity and efficiency were observed to be the most effective, implying a possible optimal level of efficiency at which effectiveness is maximized. PMID:2113046

Autologous blood transfusion during emergency trauma operations.

PubMed

Brown, Carlos V R; Foulkrod, Kelli H; Sadler, Holli T; Richards, E Kalem; Biggan, Dennis P; Czysz, Clea; Manuel, Tony

2010-07-01

Intraoperative cell salvage (CS) of shed blood during emergency surgical procedures provides an effective and cost-efficient resuscitation alternative to allogeneic blood transfusion, which is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in trauma patients. Retrospective matched cohort study. Level I trauma center. All adult trauma patients who underwent an emergency operation and received CS as part of their intraoperative resuscitation. The CS group was matched to a no-CS group for age, sex, Injury Severity Score, mechanism of injury, and operation performed. Amount and cost of allogeneic transfusion of packed red blood cells and plasma. The 47 patients in the CS group were similar to the 47 in the no-CS group for all matched variables. Patients in the CS group received an average of 819 mL of autologous CS blood. The CS group received fewer intraoperative (2 vs 4 U; P = .002) and total (4 vs 8 U; P < .001) units of allogeneic packed red blood cells. The CS group also received fewer total units of plasma (3 vs 5 U; P = .03). The cost of blood product transfusion (including the total cost of CS) was less in the CS group ($1616 vs $2584 per patient; P = .004). Intraoperative CS provides an effective and cost-efficient resuscitation strategy as an alternative to allogeneic blood transfusion in trauma patients undergoing emergency operative procedures.

Effect of carbon-composite knee-ankle-foot orthoses on walking efficiency and gait in former polio patients.

PubMed

Brehm, Merel-Anne; Beelen, Anita; Doorenbosch, Caroline A M; Harlaar, Jaap; Nollet, Frans

2007-10-01

To investigate the effects of total-contact fitted carbon-composite knee-ankle-foot orthoses (KAFOs) on energy cost of walking in patients with former polio who normally wear a conventional leather/metal KAFO or plastic/metal KAFO. A prospective uncontrolled study with a multiple baseline and follow-up design. Follow-up measurements continued until 26 weeks after intervention. Twenty adults with polio residuals (mean age 55 years). Each participant received a new carbon-composite KAFO, fitted according to a total-contact principle, which resulted in a rigid, lightweight and well-fitting KAFO. Energy cost of walking, walking speed, biomechanics of gait, physical functioning and patient satisfaction. The energy cost decreased significantly, by 8%, compared with the original KAFO. Furthermore, the incremention energy cost during walking with the carbon-composite KAFO was reduced by 18% towards normative values. An improvement in knee flexion, forward excursion of the centre of pressure, peak ankle moment, and timing of peak ankle power were significantly associated with the decrease in energy cost. Walking speed and physical functioning remained unchanged. In patients with former polio, carbon-composite KAFOs are superior to conventional leather/metal and plastic/metal KAFOs with respect to improving walking efficiency and gait, and are therefore important in reducing overuse and maintaining functional abilities in polio survivors.

Implications of sampling design and sample size for national carbon accounting systems.

PubMed

Köhl, Michael; Lister, Andrew; Scott, Charles T; Baldauf, Thomas; Plugge, Daniel

2011-11-08

Countries willing to adopt a REDD regime need to establish a national Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system that provides information on forest carbon stocks and carbon stock changes. Due to the extensive areas covered by forests the information is generally obtained by sample based surveys. Most operational sampling approaches utilize a combination of earth-observation data and in-situ field assessments as data sources. We compared the cost-efficiency of four different sampling design alternatives (simple random sampling, regression estimators, stratified sampling, 2-phase sampling with regression estimators) that have been proposed in the scope of REDD. Three of the design alternatives provide for a combination of in-situ and earth-observation data. Under different settings of remote sensing coverage, cost per field plot, cost of remote sensing imagery, correlation between attributes quantified in remote sensing and field data, as well as population variability and the percent standard error over total survey cost was calculated. The cost-efficiency of forest carbon stock assessments is driven by the sampling design chosen. Our results indicate that the cost of remote sensing imagery is decisive for the cost-efficiency of a sampling design. The variability of the sample population impairs cost-efficiency, but does not reverse the pattern of cost-efficiency of the individual design alternatives. Our results clearly indicate that it is important to consider cost-efficiency in the development of forest carbon stock assessments and the selection of remote sensing techniques. The development of MRV-systems for REDD need to be based on a sound optimization process that compares different data sources and sampling designs with respect to their cost-efficiency. This helps to reduce the uncertainties related with the quantification of carbon stocks and to increase the financial benefits from adopting a REDD regime.

Wastewater Treatment Costs and Outlays in Organic Petrochemicals: Standards Versus Taxes With Methodology Suggestions for Marginal Cost Pricing and Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, Russell G.; Singleton, F. D., Jr.

1986-04-01

With the methodology recommended by Baumol and Oates, comparable estimates of wastewater treatment costs and industry outlays are developed for effluent standard and effluent tax instruments for pollution abatement in five hypothetical organic petrochemicals (olefins) plants. The computational method uses a nonlinear simulation model for wastewater treatment to estimate the system state inputs for linear programming cost estimation, following a practice developed in a National Science Foundation (Research Applied to National Needs) study at the University of Houston and used to estimate Houston Ship Channel pollution abatement costs for the National Commission on Water Quality. Focusing on best practical and best available technology standards, with effluent taxes adjusted to give nearly equal pollution discharges, shows that average daily treatment costs (and the confidence intervals for treatment cost) would always be less for the effluent tax than for the effluent standard approach. However, industry's total outlay for these treatment costs, plus effluent taxes, would always be greater for the effluent tax approach than the total treatment costs would be for the effluent standard approach. Thus the practical necessity of showing smaller outlays as a prerequisite for a policy change toward efficiency dictates the need to link the economics at the microlevel with that at the macrolevel. Aggregation of the plants into a programming modeling basis for individual sectors and for the economy would provide a sound basis for effective policy reform, because the opportunity costs of the salient regulatory policies would be captured. Then, the government's policymakers would have the informational insights necessary to legislate more efficient environmental policies in light of the wealth distribution effects.

A comparative assessment of the financial costs and carbon benefits of REDD+ strategies in Southeast Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graham, Victoria; Laurance, Susan G.; Grech, Alana; McGregor, Andrew; Venter, Oscar

2016-11-01

REDD+ holds potential for mitigating emissions from tropical forest loss by providing financial incentives for carbon stored in forests, but its economic viability is under scrutiny. The primary narrative raised in the literature is that REDD+ will be of limited utility for reducing forest carbon loss in Southeast Asia, while the level of finance committed falls short of profits from alternative land-use activities in the region, including large-scale timber and oil palm operations. Here we assess the financial costs and carbon benefits of various REDD+ strategies deployed in the region. We find the cost of reducing emissions ranges from 9 to 75 per tonne of avoided carbon emissions. The strategies focused on reducing forest degradation and promoting forest regrowth are the most cost-effective ways of reducing emissions and used in over 60% of REDD+ projects. By comparing the financial costs and carbon benefits of a broader range of strategies than previously assessed, we highlight the variation between different strategies and draw attention to opportunities where REDD+ can achieve maximum carbon benefits cost-effectively. These findings have broad policy implications for Southeast Asia. Until carbon finance escalates, emissions reductions can be maximized from reforestation, reduced-impact logging and investing in improved management of protected areas. Targeting cost-efficient opportunities for REDD+ is important to improve the efficiency of national REDD+ policy, which in-turn fosters greater financial and political support for the scheme.

PEM Electrolyzer Incorporating an Advanced Low-Cost Membrane

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

Hamdan, Monjid

The Department of Energy (DOE) has identified hydrogen production by electrolysis of water at forecourt stations as a critical technology for transition to the hydrogen economy; however, the cost of hydrogen produced by present commercially available electrolysis systems is considerably higher than the DOE 2015 and 2020 cost targets. Analyses of proton-exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer systems indicate that reductions in electricity consumption and electrolyzer stack and system capital cost are required to meet the DOE cost targets. The primary objective is to develop and demonstrate a cost-effective energy-based system for electrolytic generation of hydrogen. The goal is to increase PEMmore » electrolyzer efficiency and to reduce electrolyzer stack and system capital cost to meet the DOE cost targets for distributed electrolysis. To accomplish this objective, work was conducted by a team consisting of Giner, Inc. (Giner), Virginia Polytechnic Institute & University (VT), and domnick hunter group, a subsidiary of Parker Hannifin (Parker). The project focused on four (4) key areas: (1) development of a high-efficiency, high-strength membrane; (2) development of a long-life cell-separator; (3) scale-up of cell active area to 290 cm2 (from 160 cm²); and (4) development of a prototype commercial electrolyzer system. In each of the key stack development areas Giner and our team members conducted focused development in laboratory-scale hardware, with analytical support as necessary, followed by life-testing of the most promising candidate materials. Selected components were then scaled up and incorporated into low-cost scaled-up stack hardware. The project culminated in the fabrication and testing of a highly efficient electrolyzer system for production of 0.5 kg/hr hydrogen and validation of the stack and system in testing at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).« less

Extending the coverage of the internet of things with low-cost nanosatellite networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almonacid, Vicente; Franck, Laurent

2017-09-01

Recent technology advances have made CubeSats not only an affordable means of access to space, but also promising platforms to develop a new variety of space applications. In this paper, we explore the idea of using nanosatellites as access points to provide extended coverage to the Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications. This study is mainly motivated by two facts: on the one hand, it is already obvious that the number of machine-type devices deployed globally will experiment an exponential growth over the forthcoming years. This trend is pushed by the available terrestrial cellular infrastructure, which allows adding support for M2M connectivity at marginal costs. On the other hand, the same growth is not observed in remote areas that must rely on space-based connectivity. In such environments, the demand for M2M communications is potentially large, yet it is challenged by the lack of cost-effective service providers. The traffic characteristics of typical M2M applications translate into the requirement for an extremely low cost per transmitted message. Under these strong economical constraints, we expect that nanosatellites in the low Earth orbit will play a fundamental role in overcoming what we may call the IoT digital divide. The objective of this paper is therefore to provide a general analysis of a nanosatellite-based, global IoT/M2M network. We put emphasis in the engineering challenges faced in designing the Earth-to-Space communication link, where the adoption of an efficient multiple-access scheme is paramount for ensuring connectivity to a large number of terminal nodes. In particular, the trade-offs energy efficiency-access delay and energy efficiency-throughput are discussed, and a novel access approach suitable for delay-tolerant applications is proposed. Thus, by keeping a system-level standpoint, we identify key issues and discuss perspectives towards energy efficient and cost-effective solutions.

Restructuring and performance in India's electricity sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panda, Arun Kumar

Restructuring and privatization, used as major tools in electricity sector reform, are often viewed as part of the same process and the terms used interchangeably. Although related, they represent quite different dimensions of change and reform. Privatization is the result of change in the management/ownership. Restructuring, on the other hand, refers to changes in structure such as the unbundling of vertically integrated utilities, and the introduction of competition. Most studies attempt to assess the impact of privatization of the electric utilities on their tariff structure, performance and efficiency. They have not tried to estimate the effect of restructuring on the performance of the unbundled utilities. Using panel data on the state electricity boards and the thermal power plants, and employing variance-component fixed effects and random effects models, this study examines the effects of restructuring and ownership on the performance of India's electricity sector. We also study the effects of absolute majority of political parties on performance. The study also uses a cross-country-comparison-framework to compare the electricity sector reforms of India with those of Chile, Hungary and Norway. Results show that restructuring has significantly positive effects on such performance indicators as plant availability, plant load factor, forced outage, average tariff collection, and sales revenue as a ratio of cost. With regard to labor efficiency indicators, we find mixed results. Restructuring also appears to entail reduction in the extent of cross-subsidization. However, the cost of supply seems to be unaffected by restructuring. Absolute majority of the party in government shows adverse effects on costs, sales revenue as a ratio of cost, and labor efficiency. The effects of ownership are somewhat mixed, with state ownership (as opposed to federal or private) indicating adverse effects on plant performance. Interestingly, after controlling for location-specific effects, we do not find significant difference between privately owned plants and other plants in areas like plant availability, and plant load factor. In a developing country like India with a long tradition of public ownership and vertical integration in electricity sector, this has important policy implications.

Adverse outcome pathway networks: Development, analytics and applications

EPA Science Inventory

The US EPA is developing more cost effective and efficient ways to evaluate chemical safety using high throughput and computationally based testing strategies. An important component of this approach is the ability to translate chemical effects on fundamental biological processes...