Burrow fumigation versus trapping for pocket gopher (Thomomys spp.) management: a comparison of efficacy and cost effectiveness

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger A. Baldwin ◽  
Ryan Meinerz ◽  
Steve B. Orloff
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Pocket Gopher ◽  
Aluminum Phosphide ◽  
Monitoring Method ◽  
Pocket Gophers ◽  
Multiple Treatment ◽  
Treatment Type

Context Pocket gophers (Geomyidae) cause extensive damage to many crops throughout western North America. A variety of methods are available to manage these populations, but data are often lacking on their efficacy and especially their cost effectiveness. Additionally, little peer-reviewed data are available that compare multiple methods simultaneously. Aims We tested aluminum phosphide and pressurised exhaust using the Pressurised Exhaust Rodent Controller (PERC) as burrow fumigants, and compared them to trapping to determine which approach was most efficacious and cost effective. Methods We assessed the efficacy of aluminum phosphide, the PERC machine, and trapping through the use of the open-hole monitoring method after single and multiple treatments over multiple years. We determined material and labour costs for each treatment type and amortised this cost over 1250 days of application to determine which treatment type was most cost effective. Key results Aluminum phosphide had the shortest time for application, but we were able to make far more applications per day using the PERC machine, given our ability to treat multiple burrow systems at once with this machine. Trapping and aluminum phosphide were more efficacious than was the PERC machine. When costs were amortised over time, trapping was the most cost-effective approach even with longer application times, given high efficacy. Multiple treatment applications were needed to maximise the efficacy of management programs. Conclusions For small-scale management efforts, aluminum phosphide was a cost-effective and efficacious option. For a greater number of treatments, trapping was the most successful and cost effective. However, a modest increase in efficacy could make the PERC machine a preferred tool as well. We also stress that regardless of the management approach, multiple treatment applications will generally be needed to manage pocket gopher populations. Implications The present study provides growers with information needed to determine efficient and cost-effective methods for managing pocket gophers. This information can be used to craft an integrated pest-management approach to manage damaging pocket gopher populations.

Contributions of gopher mound and casting disturbances to plant community structure in a Cascade Range meadow complex

Botany ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 91 (8) ◽  
pp. 555-561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madelon F. Case ◽  
Charles B. Halpern ◽  
Simon A. Levin
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Individual Plant ◽  
Pocket Gopher ◽  
Community Patterns ◽  
Pocket Gophers ◽  
Mountain Meadows ◽  
Oregon Cascades

Pocket gophers (Geomyidae) are major agents of disturbance in North American grasslands. Gopher mounds bury existing plants and influence community structure through various mechanisms. However, in mountain meadows that experience winter snowpack, gophers also create winter castings, smaller tube-shaped deposits, previously ignored in studies of plant–gopher disturbance relationships. We studied the influences of the Mazama pocket gopher (Thomomys mazama Merriam, 1897) in montane meadows of the Oregon Cascades, quantifying community patterns at larger spatial scales than previously studied in this system and considering, for the first time, effects of both mounds and castings. We measured cover of disturbance and individual plant species along twenty 5 m transects in each of four plots with differing species composition. Total plant cover was negatively correlated with mounds and castings. However, only mounds influenced growth-form dominance, reducing graminoid cover and increasing the forb–graminoid ratio — effects attributable to the greater volume and longevity of mounds. Forb-disturbance relationships were variable among plots, likely due to differences in species’ tolerance of burial. Transect-scale richness and heterogeneity (variation in composition within transects) increased with disturbance. We conclude that frequent, small-scale disturbances create a shifting mosaic of vegetation states, reducing graminoid dominance and enhancing species richness and heterogeneity at larger spatial scales.

Cost-Effectiveness of Dementia Prevention Interventions

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
I. McRae ◽  
L. Zheng ◽  
S. Bourke ◽  
N. Cherbuin ◽  
K.J. Anstey
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Dementia Prevention ◽  
The Impact

Background: Assessment of cost-effectiveness of interventions to address modifiable risk factors associated with dementia requires estimates of long-term impacts of these interventions which are rarely directly available and must be estimated using a range of assumptions. OBJECTIVES: To test the cost-effectiveness of dementia prevention measures using a methodology which transparently addresses the many assumptions required to use data from short-term studies, and which readily incorporates sensitivity analyses. DESIGN: We explore an approach to estimating cost-effective prices which uses aggregate data including estimated lifetime costs of dementia, both financial and quality of life, and incorporates a range of assumptions regarding sustainability of short- term gains and other parameters. SETTING: The approach is addressed in the context of the theoretical reduction in a range of risk factors, and in the context of a specific small-scale trial of an internet-based intervention augmented with diet and physical activity consultations. MEASUREMENTS: The principal outcomes were prices per unit of interventions at which interventions were cost-effective or cost-saving. RESULTS: Taking a societal perspective, a notional intervention reducing a range of dementia risk-factors by 5% was cost-effective at $A460 per person with higher risk groups at $2,148 per person. The on-line program costing $825 per person was cost-effective at $1,850 per person even if program effect diminished by 75% over time. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions to address risk factors for dementia are likely to be cost-effective if appropriately designed, but confirmation of this conclusion requires longer term follow-up of trials to measure the impact and sustainability of short-term gains.

scholarly journals Modelling the cost-effectiveness of introducing subsidised malaria rapid diagnostic tests in the private retail sector in sub-Saharan Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. e002138
Author(s):  
David Bath ◽  
Catherine Goodman ◽  
Shunmay Yeung
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Rapid Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Retail Sector ◽  
First Line ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Cost

BackgroundOver the last 10 years, there has been a huge shift in malaria diagnosis in public health facilities, due to widespread deployment of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), which are accurate, quick and easy to use and inexpensive. There are calls for RDTs to be made available at-scale in the private retail sector where many people with suspected malaria seek care. Retail sector RDT use in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is limited to small-scale studies, and robust evidence on value-for-money is not yet available. We modelled the cost-effectiveness of introducing subsidised RDTs and supporting interventions in the SSA retail sector, in a context of a subsidy programme for first-line antimalarials.MethodsWe developed a decision tree following febrile patients through presentation, diagnosis, treatment, disease progression and further care, to final health outcomes. We modelled results for three ‘treatment scenarios’, based on parameters from three small-scale studies in Nigeria (TS-N), Tanzania (TS-T) and Uganda (TS-U), under low and medium/high transmission (5% and 50% Plasmodium falciparum (parasite) positivity rates (PfPR), respectively).ResultsCost-effectiveness varied considerably between treatment scenarios. Cost per disability-adjusted life year averted at 5% PfPR was US$482 (TS-N) and US$115 (TS-T) and at 50% PfPR US$44 (TS-N) and US$45 (TS-T), from a health service perspective. TS-U was dominated in both transmission settings.ConclusionThe cost-effectiveness of subsidised RDTs is strongly influenced by treatment practices, for which further evidence is required from larger-scale operational settings. However, subsidised RDTs could promote increased use of first-line antimalarials in patients with malaria. RDTs may, therefore, be more cost-effective in higher transmission settings, where a greater proportion of patients have malaria and benefit from increased antimalarial use. This is contrary to previous public sector models, where RDTs were most cost-effective in lower transmission settings as they reduced unnecessary antimalarial use in patients without malaria.

A scale-independent cost-effective design of Nature-Based Solutions within a multifractal framework

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yangzi Qiu ◽  
Daniel Schertzer ◽  
Ioulia Tchiguirinskaia ◽  
Laurent Monier ◽  
Bernard Willinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Development Strategy ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Economic Indicator ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Physically Based ◽  
Scale Range ◽  
The Cost

<p>In the last decades, Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) have become widely considered as a sustainable development strategy for the development of urban environments. Many previous studies only focused on the hydrological performances of NBS, whose economic impacts were not considered. Some studies considered both hydrological performances and economic costs to design cost-effective NBS scenarios, but only at a single catchment scale. Thus, a comprehensive investigation of NBS in terms of both hydrological performances and Life cycle costs (LCC) within the Universal Multifractal (UM) framework is significant for improving the multi-scale resilience of cities. In this study, the hydrological response of a 5.2 km<sup>2</sup> semi-urban watershed is investigated under various NBS scenarios and highly spatially variable rainfall events. First, the heterogeneous spatial NBS distribution in each scenario is quantified using their fractal dimension. Then, the hydrological responses are assessed with the help of the fully-distributed and physically-based model (Multi-Hydro) with a spatial resolution of 10 m. To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of NBS scenarios across scales, the statistical scale-independent “maximum probable singularity”<em> γ<sub>s</sub></em>, as defined in the UM framework, is combined with the economic indicator (LCC) to obtain the scale-independent cost-effectiveness (scale-independent CE) indicator for designing cost-effective NBS scenarios. The effective maximum singularity <em>γ<sub>max </sub></em>of each simulation is combined with LCC at different scales to obtain a scale-dependent cost-effectiveness (scale-dependent CE) indicator to be compared with the scale-independent CE. Results show that CEs obtained by both methods are strongly correlated, especially over the small-scale range. Therefore, the scale-independent CE based on UM framework is considered as an appropriate indicator to design NBS implementation at different scales.</p><p>Overall, this study presents a new approach for designing cost-effective NBS scenarios. This approach is based on the UM framework and enables to quantify the NBS scenario cost-effectiveness across a range of scales with the help of a scale-independent CE indicator. This approach can be efficiently applied to urban planning across various scales.</p>

Within trial cost-effectiveness of a structured lifestyle intervention in adults with overweight/obesity and type 2 diabetes: Results from the Action for Health in Diabetes (Look AHEAD) Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping Zhang ◽  
Karen M. Atkinson ◽  
George Bray ◽  
Haiying Chen ◽  
Jeanne M. Clark ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Lifestyle Intervention ◽  
Health Utility Index ◽  
Health Benefit ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Health Utility ◽  
Health Care Expenditures ◽  
Quality Adjusted Life Year

<b>OBJECTIVE </b>To assess the cost-effectiveness (CE) of an intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) compared to standard diabetes support and education (DSE) in adults with overweight/obesity and type 2 diabetes, as implemented in the Action for Health in Diabetes study. <p><b>RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS</b> Data were from 4,827 participants during the first 9 years of the study from 2001 to 2012. Information on Health Utility Index-2 and -3, SF-6D, and Feeling Thermometer [FT]), cost of delivering the interventions, and health expenditures were collected during the study. CE was measured by incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) in costs per quality-adjusted life year (QALY). Future costs and QALYs were discounted at 3% annually. Costs were in 2012 US dollars. </p> <p><b>RESULTS </b><a>Over the </a>9 years studied, the mean cumulative intervention costs and mean cumulative health care expenditures were $11,275 and $64,453 per person for ILI and $887 and $68,174 for DSE. Thus, ILI cost $6,666 more per person than DSE. Additional QALYs gained by ILI were not statistically significant measured by the HUIs and were 0.17 and 0.16, respectively, measured by SF-6D and FT. The ICERs ranged from no health benefit with a higher cost based on HUIs, to $96,458/QALY and $43,169/QALY, respectively, based on SF-6D and FT. </p> <p><b>Conclusions </b>Whether<b> </b>ILI was cost-effective over the 9-year period is unclear because different health utility measures led to different conclusions. </p>

Urban pollution control strategy: SBR technology to treat agricultural waste from pig farm in Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Lindawati Lindawati
Keyword(s):  
Cost Estimation ◽  
Batch Reactor ◽  
Agricultural Waste ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Land Application ◽  
Pig Manure ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Piggery Wastewater ◽  
Pig Farm ◽  
Number Of Customers

Reduction of food rations and shortages is one of the impacts of the increasing human population. Food sector industries then try to cope with the fast growing number of customers. Agribusiness sector gains its popularity in these recent years, including pig farm. The increase trend of animal farming industry is likely to bring increasing pollution problem unless effective treatment methods are used. The main problems related to the pig farm include odor nuisance and pig manure disposal. The existing land application of piggery wastewater is the traditional way to discharge the wastewater. This may yield in land and water contamination, due to the accumulation of unused nutrients by crop plant. A case study of a large commercial pig farm from Australia is proposed to apply in smaller scale in Indonesia. Operational strategies for the small-scale SBR (Sequencing Batch Reactor) treating piggery effluent were developed based on lab-scale experiments. Due to SBR characteristics, which are money-saving and space-saving, it is very suitable to be applied in urban area. An economic evaluation was made of various process options. The cost estimation showed that SBR is a cost effective process, allowing operational batches to be adjusted to reduce unnecessary aeration cost. A reduction in the aeration cost was achieved by shortening the batch time from 24-h to 8-h. A comparison of three different SBR options showed that smaller size reactors could be more flexible and cost effective when compared with the larger ones.

scholarly journals Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of BCG Vaccination against Tuberculosis in Indonesia: A Model-Based Study

Vaccines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 707
Author(s):  
Afifah Machlaurin ◽  
Franklin Christiaan Karel Dolk ◽  
Didik Setiawan ◽  
Tjipke Sytse van der Werf ◽  
Maarten J. Postma
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Univariate Analysis ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Control Programme ◽  
Detection Rates ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Bcg Vaccination ◽  
Life Years ◽  
The Cost

Bacillus Calmette–Guerin (BCG), the only available vaccine for tuberculosis (TB), has been applied for decades. The Indonesian government recently introduced a national TB disease control programme that includes several action plans, notably enhanced vaccination coverage, which can be strengthened through underpinning its favourable cost-effectiveness. We designed a Markov model to assess the cost-effectiveness of Indonesia’s current BCG vaccination programme. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were evaluated from the perspectives of both society and healthcare. The robustness of the analysis was confirmed through univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA). Using epidemiological data compiled for Indonesia, BCG vaccination at a price US$14 was estimated to be a cost-effective strategy in controlling TB disease. From societal and healthcare perspectives, ICERs were US$104 and US$112 per quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), respectively. The results were robust for variations of most variables in the univariate analysis. Notably, the vaccine’s effectiveness regarding disease protection, vaccination costs, and case detection rates were key drivers for cost-effectiveness. The PSA results indicated that vaccination was cost-effective even at US$175 threshold in 95% of cases, approximating the monthly GDP per capita. Our findings suggest that this strategy was highly cost-effective and merits prioritization and extension within the national TB programme. Our results may be relevant for other high endemic low- and middle-income countries.

scholarly journals Cost Effectiveness of Transbronchial Needle Aspiration

1999 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 332-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A Crocket ◽  
Eric YL Wong ◽  
Dale C Lien ◽  
Khanh Gia Nguyen ◽  
Michelle R Chaput ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Diagnostic Procedures ◽  
Needle Aspiration ◽  
Benign Disease ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Transbronchial Needle Aspiration ◽  
Computed Tomographic ◽  
The Cost

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the yield and cost effectiveness of transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) in the assessment of mediastinal and/or hilar lymphadenopathy.DESIGN: Retrospective study.SETTING: A university hospital.POPULATION STUDIED: Ninety-six patients referred for bronchoscopy with computed tomographic evidence of significant mediastinal or hilar adenopathy.RESULTS: Ninety-nine patient records were reviewed. Three patients had two separate bronchoscopy procedures. TBNA was positive in 42 patients (44%) and negative in 54 patients. Of the 42 patients with a positive aspirate, 40 had malignant cytology and two had cells consistent with benign disease. The positive TBNA result altered management in 22 of 40 patients with malignant disease and one of two patients with benign disease, thereby avoiding further diagnostic procedures. The cost of these subsequent procedures was estimated at $27,335. No complications related to TBNA were documented.CONCLUSIONS: TBNA is a high-yield, safe and cost effective procedure for the diagnosis and staging of bronchogenic cancer.

The cost-effectiveness of insulin analogs and regular insulin for diabetes control: a case study in Iran

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (4/5) ◽  
pp. 323-331
Author(s):  
Mohsen pakdaman ◽  
Raheleh akbari ◽  
Hamid reza Dehghan ◽  
Asra Asgharzadeh ◽  
Mahdieh Namayandeh
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Regular Insulin ◽  
Diabetes Control ◽  
Diabetic Patients ◽  
Insulin Analogs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Patients With Diabetes ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Cost

PurposeFor years, traditional techniques have been used for diabetes treatment. There are two major types of insulin: insulin analogs and regular insulin. Insulin analogs are similar to regular insulin and lead to changes in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. The purpose of the present research was to determine the cost-effectiveness of insulin analogs versus regular insulin for diabetes control in Yazd Diabetes Center in 2017.Design/methodology/approachIn this descriptive–analytical research, the cost-effectiveness index was used to compare insulin analogs and regular insulin (pen/vial) for treatment of diabetes. Data were analyzed in the TreeAge Software and a decision tree was constructed. A 10% discount rate was used for ICER sensitivity analysis. Cost-effectiveness was examined from a provider's perspective.FindingsQALY was calculated to be 0.2 for diabetic patients using insulin analogs and 0.05 for those using regular insulin. The average cost was $3.228 for analog users and $1.826 for regular insulin users. An ICER of $0.093506/QALY was obtained. The present findings suggest that insulin analogs are more cost-effective than regular insulin.Originality/valueThis study was conducted using a cost-effectiveness analysis to evaluate insulin analogs versus regular insulin in controlling diabetes. The results of study are helpful to the government to allocate more resources to apply the cost-effective method of the treatment and to protect patients with diabetes from the high cost of treatment.

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