Fertility control in the koala, Phascolarctos cinereus: the impact of slow-release implants containing levonorgestrel or oestradiol on the production of pouch young

2003 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 207 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Middleton ◽  
Bryan Walters ◽  
Peter Menkhorst ◽  
Patrick Wright
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Slow Release ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Fertility Control ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Phascolarctos Cinereus ◽  
Custom Made ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
The Impact

Two hormone-based fertility-control treatments were trialed on free-ranging female koalas. Either levonorgestrel or oestradiol-17β was administered in a cylindrical, silastic, sub-dermal implant. Levonorgestrel was administered in a commercially produced implant (Norplant 2, Leiras). Two different doses of oestradiol were administered via custom-made implants of different length (1 cm and 0.5 cm). Treatments were randomly applied to 58 females (each koala receiving a single implant) and a control group of 27 female koalas received no implant. Fertility, as determined by the presence of pouch young, was recorded following capture and examination during June 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001. Fertility was reduced in all treatment groups but remained high (90%) in the untreated group. Fertility was lowest in koalas that received levonorgestrel (0%) and longer oestradiol implants (5%). The results demonstrate that slow-release implants containing either of these two steroid hormones have the ability to significantly lower fertility of wild koalas for at least four breeding seasons following treatment. No adverse side effects were apparent in any of the treated individuals. Compared with the cost of current management strategies for over-abundant koala populations, their deployment on a large scale should be cost-effective.

scholarly journals Building State Capacity: Evidence from Biometric Smartcards in India

2016 ◽  
Vol 106 (10) ◽  
pp. 2895-2929 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karthik Muralidharan ◽  
Paul Niehaus ◽  
Sandip Sukhtankar
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
State Capacity ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Welfare Programs ◽  
The Government ◽  
Antipoverty Programs ◽  
The Impact ◽  
New System

Antipoverty programs in developing countries are often difficult to implement; in particular, many governments lack the capacity to deliver payments securely to targeted beneficiaries. We evaluate the impact of biometrically authenticated payments infrastructure (“Smartcards”) on beneficiaries of employment (NREGS) and pen sion (SSP) programs in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, using a large-scale experiment that randomized the rollout of Smartcards over 157 subdistricts and 19 million people. We find that, while incompletely implemented, the new system delivered a faster, more predictable, and less corrupt NREGS payments process without adversely affecting program access. For each of these outcomes, treatment group distributions first-order stochastically dominated those of the control group. The investment was cost-effective, as time savings to NREGS beneficiaries alone were equal to the cost of the intervention, and there was also a significant reduction in the “leakage” of funds between the government and beneficiaries in both NREGS and SSP programs. Beneficiaries overwhelmingly preferred the new system for both programs. Overall, our results suggest that investing in secure payments infrastructure can significantly enhance “state capacity” to implement welfare programs in developing countries. (JEL H53, H55, I32, I38, J65)

scholarly journals Management of damage by elk (Cervus elaphus) in North America: a review

2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 630 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. David Walter ◽  
Michael J. Lavelle ◽  
Justin W. Fischer ◽  
Therese L. Johnson ◽  
Scott E. Hygnstrom ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cervus Elaphus ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Fertility Control ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Public Property ◽  
Historical Agency ◽  
Free Ranging

Abundant populations of elk (Cervus elaphus) are cherished game in many regions of the world and also cause considerable human–wildlife conflicts through depredation on agriculture and speciality crops, lack of regeneration to native ecosystems, collisions with vehicles and transmission of disease between free-ranging and farmed hoofstock. Management of elk varies, depending on current and historical agency objectives, configuration of the landscapes elk occupy, public perception, population density and behaviour of elk. Selection of the method to manage elk often requires knowledge of timing of impacts, duration relief from elk damage is desired, cost-effectiveness of management activities, tolerance of impacts, public perception of management strategies and motivation or habituation of elk to determine the likelihood of success for a proposed management action. We reviewed methods that are available to control abundant populations of elk that include lethal (e.g. hunting, sharpshooting) and non-lethal (e.g. fertility control, frightening) options. We promote an integrated approach that incorporates the timely use of a variety of cost-effective methods to reduce impacts to tolerable levels. Lethal options that include regulated hunting, sharpshooting and aerial gunning vary by likelihood of success, duration needed for population reduction, cost to implement reduction and public perceptions. Several non-lethal options are available to affect population dynamics directly (e.g. fertility control, translocation), protect resources from damage (e.g. fences, repellents) or influence space use of elk on a regular basis (e.g. harassment, frightening, herding dogs, humans). Public perception should be considered by agencies that are looking for feasible methods to control populations of elk. Disturbance to residents or visitors of public property may influence methods of management employed. Future research should explore the duration of harassment needed to avert elk from sensitive areas and costs to implement such programs. Several methods in our review were implemented on deer and additional research on elk and other cervids in conflict with human interests would provide a much needed component to our understanding of management methods available for ungulate species.

scholarly journals Anti-meningococcal B vaccination in Italian adolescents: a cost-effective health opportunity

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
D Panatto ◽  
P Landa ◽  
D Amicizia ◽  
P L Lai ◽  
E Lecini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Vaccination Strategy ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Dose Schedule ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Invasive Disease ◽  
International Setting ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Invasive disease due to Neisseria meningitidis (Nm) is a serious public health problem even in developed countries, owing to its high lethality rate (8-15%) and the invalidating sequelae suffered by many (up to 60%) survivors. As the microorganism is transmitted via the airborne route, the only available weapon in the fight against Nm invasive disease is vaccination. Our aim was to carry out an HTA to evaluate the costs and benefits of anti-meningococcal B (MenB) vaccination with Trumenba® in adolescents in Italy, while also considering the impact of this new vaccination strategy on organizational and ethics aspects. Methods A lifetime Markov model was developed. MenB vaccination with the two-dose schedule of Trumenba® in adolescents was compared with 'non-vaccination'. Two perspectives were considered: the National Health Service (NHS) and society. Three disease phases were defined: acute, post-acute and long-term. Epidemiological, economic and health utilities data were taken from Italian and international literature. The analysis was conducted by means of Microsoft Excel 2010®. Results Our study indicated that vaccinating adolescents (11th year of life) with Trumenba® was cost-effective with an ICER = € 7,912/QALY from the NHS perspective and € 7,758/QALY from the perspective of society. Vaccinating adolescents reduces the number of cases of disease due to meningococcus B in one of the periods of highest incidence of the disease, resulting in significant economic and health savings. Conclusions This is the first study to evaluate the overall impact of free MenB vaccination in adolescents both in Italy and in the international setting. Although cases of invasive disease due to meningococcus B are few, if the overall impact of the disease is adequately considered, it becomes clear that including anti-meningococcal B vaccination into the immunization program for adolescents is strongly recommended from the health and economic standpoints. Key messages Free, large-scale MenB vaccination is key to strengthening the global fight against invasive meningococcal disease. Anti-meningococcal B vaccination in adolescents is a cost-effective health opportunity.

Multimodal Analgesia and Decreased Opioid Use in Adult Trauma Patients

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (8) ◽  
pp. 950-954
Author(s):  
Andrew L. Drahos ◽  
Anthony M. Scott ◽  
Tracy J. Johns ◽  
Dennis W. Ashley
Keyword(s):  
Acute Kidney Injury ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Kidney Injury ◽  
Multimodal Analgesia ◽  
The United States ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Trauma Patients ◽  
Opioid Use ◽  
Trauma Service ◽  
The Impact

Background There is an opioid epidemic in the United States. With the increased concern of over-prescribing opioids, physicians are seeking alternative pain management strategies. The purpose of this study is to review the impact of instituting a multimodal analgesia (MMA) guideline on decreasing opioid use in trauma patients at a Level 1 trauma center. Methods In 2017, an MMA guideline was developed and included anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants, neuropathic agents, and local analgesics in addition to opioids. Staff were educated and the guideline was implemented. A retrospective review of medications prescribed to patients admitted from 2016 through 2018 was performed. Patients admitted in 2016 served as the control group (before MMA). In 2018, all patients received multimodal pain therapy as standard practice, and served as the comparison group. Results A total of 10 340 patients were admitted to the trauma service from 2016 through 2018. There were 3013 and 3249 patients for review in 2016 and 2018, respectively. Total morphine milligram equivalents were 2 402 329 and 1 975 935 in 2016 and 2018, respectively, a 17.7% decrease ( P < .001). Concurrently, there was a statistically significant increase in the use of multimodal pain medications. A secondary endpoint was studied to evaluate for changes in acute kidney injury; there was not a statistically significant increase (0.56% versus 0.68%, P = .55). Discussion Implementation of an MMA guideline significantly reduced opioid use in trauma patients. The use of nonopioid MMA medications increased without an increased incidence of acute kidney injury.

scholarly journals Effect of Protocatechuic Acid on Euglena gracilis Growth and Accumulation of Metabolites

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 9158
Author(s):  
Xiaomiao Tan ◽  
Jiangyu Zhu ◽  
Minato Wakisaka
Keyword(s):  
Euglena Gracilis ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Protocatechuic Acid ◽  
Biomass Yield ◽  
Growth Promotion ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Biological Functions ◽  
First Time

The development of efficient, environmentally friendly, low-cost approaches used to boost the growth of microalgae is urgently required to meet the increasing demands for food supplements, cosmetics, and biofuels. In this study, the growth promotion effects of protocatechuic acid (PCA) in the freshwater microalga Euglena gracilis were confirmed for the first time. PCA is a simple phenolic compound derived from natural plants and has a range of biological functions. The highest biomass yield, 3.1-fold higher than that of the control, used at 1.3 g·L−1, was obtained at 800 mg·L−1 of PCA. The yields of the metabolites chlorophyll a, carotenoids, and paramylon in the presence of PCA at 800 mg·L−1 were 3.1, 3.3, and 1.7 times higher than those of the control group, respectively. The highest paramylon yield was achieved at a lower dosage of PCA (100 mg·L−1), which is considered to be feasible for economic paramylon production. The growth and biosynthesis of metabolites stimulated by phytochemicals such as PCA could be an efficient and cost-effective strategy to enhance the productivity of microalgae in large-scale cultivations.

scholarly journals Effect of Risk and Protective Decision Aids on Flood Preparation in Vulnerable Communities

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 401-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabrielle Wong-Parodi ◽  
Baruch Fischhoff ◽  
Benjamin Strauss
Keyword(s):  
Decision Aids ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Perceptions Of Risk ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Vulnerable Communities ◽  
Protective Actions ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Positive Effect

Abstract Although the risks of flooding demand responses by communities and societies, there are also many cost-effective actions that individuals can take. The authors examine two potential determinants of such adoption: individual predisposition to act and the impact of decision aids that emphasize the risk, the actions, both, or neither (control). Respondents are a representative sample (N = 1201) of individuals in the areas most heavily affected by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. The authors find that, in the overall sample, seeing protective actions coupled with risk information or alone produced higher rates of individuals reporting that they intended to take action preparing for future storms, compared to a control group receiving no additional information. Moreover, that occurred despite the aids reducing their perceptions of risk. The authors find that individuals who reported having taken previous action are more responsive to decision aid messages with the exception of the combined message (risk and protective actions)—which had a positive effect on those who had not acted previously, but a negative effect on those who had. These results suggest that, in communities that already are aware of their flood risks, the critical need is for authoritative, comprehensible information regarding the most feasible and cost-effective protective actions that they can take. Providing such information requires analysis to determine which actions qualify and a design process that incorporates user feedback to ensure that recommendations are easily understood and credible.

scholarly journals Impact of network sectorisation on water quality management

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 424-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hooman Armand ◽  
Ivan Stoianov ◽  
Nigel Graham
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Water Quality Management ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Pressure Control ◽  
Supply Networks ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Hydraulic Variables

Abstract The sectorisation of water supply networks (WSNs) includes the permanent closure of valves in order to achieve a cost-effective leakage management and simplify pressure control. The impact of networks sectorisation, also known as district metered areas (DMAs), on water quality and discolouration has not been extensively studied and it remains unknown. In addition, hydraulic variables used in the literature for assessing the likelihood of potential discolouration are limited and inconclusive. This paper investigates a methodology to evaluate the impact of networks sectorisation (DMAs) on water quality and the likelihood of discolouration incidents. The methodology utilises a set of surrogate hydraulic variables and an analysis of the hydraulic condition in pipes with historic discolouration complaints. The proposed methodology has been applied to a large-scale WSN, with and without sectors, in order to assess the potential impact of DMAs on water quality. The results demonstrate that the sectorisation of WSN (DMAs) could compromise the overall water quality and increase the likelihood of discolouration incidents. The results of this study and the proposed surrogate hydraulic variables facilitate the formulation of optimisation problems for the re-design and control of WSNs with sectorised topologies.

Randomized Controlled Trial of a Cognitive Narrative Crisis Intervention for Bereavement in Primary Healthcare

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Sofia Andrade ◽  
Margarida Moreira ◽  
Mónica Sá ◽  
Duarte Pacheco ◽  
Vera Almeida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Demographic Questionnaire ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Experimental Group

Background and Aims: As there are known risks of retraumatization through bereavement crisis interventions, we tailored a new intervention lowering the degree of direct emotional activation. However, we need some evidence on the effects of depression and psychotraumatic symptoms between 1 and 6 months after a loss. Method: We conducted a randomized controlled trial with two groups: control group (n = 18) and experimental group (n = 11) in two assessments (1 and 6 months after loss); both included a semi-structured interview (Socio-Demographic Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory and the Impact of Events Scale-Revised–IES-R). The experimental group had a cognitive-narrative program with four sessions: recalling; cognitive and emotional subjectivization; metaphorization; and projecting sessions. Results: Participants in the experimental and control groups have lower levels of depression and traumatic stress 6 months after a loss. Statistically significant results in emotional numbing IES-R sub-scale are observed. Conclusions: A brief narrative-based cost-effective intervention has a positive effect on depression, controlling the traumatic stress and time after a loss.

scholarly journals A Momentary Impact Injury of Vertebral Endplates, even without Structural Disruption, Initiates Disc Degeneration In Vitro.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhengang Sun ◽  
Xiaoshuai Wang ◽  
Yongjie Jiang ◽  
Guoliang Chen ◽  
Zenmin Ling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disc Degeneration ◽  
Impact Load ◽  
Degenerative Changes ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Custom Made ◽  
Spinal Segments ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Impact Injury ◽  
Structural Disruption

Abstract Background ： It has been acknowledged that the intervertebral disc degeneration(IDD) is associated with an aberrant cell-medicated response to structural failures, such as vertebral burst fracture, radial fissures, and endplate fracture. However, whether a momentary impact injury of the endplates without structural disruption is sufficiently to initiate disc degeneration remains elusive. This study was to further evolve an in vitro momentary impact injury model of IDD and to investigate if a momentary impact load of the endplates without structural disruption could initiate IDD. Methods. Rats spinal segments (from L1/2 to L5/6, n=54) were harvested and randomly assigned into three groups: Control (n=18), Low Impact (12 J/cm 3 , n=18) and High Impact (25 J/cm 3 , n=18). Samples in both of the impact groups were subjected axial momentary impact load using a custom-made apparatus, and cultured for 14 days. The degenerative process was investigated by using histomorphology and real-time PCR. Results: The discs in both of the impact groups showed significant degenerative changes at 14 days, both of which showed much higher histological scores and up-regulation of the catabolic (MMP-9, MMP-13) genes transcription than that of the control group ( P ＜0.05). The discs with endplate fracture compared to that with intact endplate also showed strongly up-regulated catabolic (MMP-9, MMP-13) genes transcription, and more significant degenerative changes based on the histological scoring ( P ＜0.05). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that a momentary impact load (12 J/cm 3 ) on the spinal segments of the rats could initiate IDD at 14 days after injury and not only endplate fracture but also a momentary impact injury without structural disruption could also promote IDD.

scholarly journals Assessing the impact of free-roaming dog population management through systems modelling

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren M. Smith ◽  
Rupert J. Quinnell ◽  
Conor Goold ◽  
Alex M. Munteanu ◽  
Sabine Hartmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Fertility Control ◽  
Population Management ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Efficient Reduction ◽  
Cost Efficient ◽  
Responsible Ownership ◽  
The Impact

AbstractFree-roaming dogs can present significant challenges to public health, wildlife conservation, and livestock production. Their own welfare may also be a concern, as free-roaming dogs can experience poor health and welfare. Dog population management is widely conducted to mitigate these issues. To ensure efficient use of resources, it is critical that effective, cost-efficient, and high-welfare strategies are identified. The dog population comprises distinct subpopulations characterised by their restriction status and level of ownership, but the assessment of dog population management often fails to consider the impact of the interaction between subpopulations on management success. We present a system dynamics model that incorporates an interactive and dynamic system of dog subpopulations. We identify that methods incorporating both fertility control and responsible ownership interventions (a reduction in abandonment and an increase in shelter adoptions) have the greatest potential to reduce free-roaming dog population sizes over longer periods of time, whilst being cost-effective and improving overall welfare. We suggest that future management should be applied at high levels of coverage and should target all sources of population increase, such as abandonment, births, and free-roaming owned dogs, to ensure effective and cost-efficient reduction in free-roaming dog numbers.

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