scholarly journals Brain size is correlated with endangerment status in mammals

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1825) ◽  
pp. 20152772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric S. Abelson
Keyword(s):  
Brain Size ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Relationship

Increases in relative encephalization (RE), brain size after controlling for body size, comes at a great metabolic cost and is correlated with a host of cognitive traits, from the ability to count objects to higher rates of innovation. Despite many studies examining the implications and trade-offs accompanying increased RE, the relationship between mammalian extinction risk and RE is unknown. I examine whether mammals with larger levels of RE are more or less likely to be at risk of endangerment than less-encephalized species. I find that extant species with large levels of encephalization are at greater risk of endangerment, with this effect being strongest in species with small body sizes. These results suggest that RE could be a valuable asset in estimating extinction vulnerability. Additionally, these findings suggest that the cost–benefit trade-off of RE is different in large-bodied species when compared with small-bodied species.

Drug costs and treatment choices: a DTB symposium

1993 ◽  
Vol 31 (11) ◽  
pp. 41-44
Keyword(s):  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Health Benefit ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Drug Costs ◽  
Benefit Analysis ◽  
Treatment Choices ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Service Managers

The relationship between drug costs and treatment choices was the subject of the first annual Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin symposium held in March 1993.* In a time of severe financial constraints for the NHS it is important that the money available is well spent. In the case of treatment that means the benefits must be worth the cost. There is, however, no agreed way of deciding when a particular health benefit to an individual is worth the cost to the NHS. Drug prices are easier to measure and more consistent than the prices of other treatments, and may be more amenable to cost-benefit analysis. Treatment choices are made primarily by doctors but with critical input from patients, pharmacists, nurses and health service managers. In this article we give an overview of the symposium at which speakers described ways in which drug costs and treatment choices were tackled in general practice (Ann McPherson, John Howie), in hospital (Dorothy Anderson), in clinical research and audit (Iain Chalmers, Alison Frater), by consumers (Anna Bradley), by health economists (Mike Drummond) and by government (Joe Collier). We also take into account points raised in discussion by the participants.

Sustainable Distribution Design: Contrasting Disposable, Recyclable, and Reusable Strategies for Packaging Materials Using a Total Cost Analysis With an Illustration of Milk Distribution

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sri Satya Kanaka Nagendra Jayanty ◽  
William J. Sawaya ◽  
Michael D. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Packaging Materials ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Specific Product ◽  
Cost Structures ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Total Cost Analysis ◽  
Plastic Containers

Engineers, policy makers, and managers have shown increasing interest in increasing the sustainability of products over their complete lifecycles and also from the ‘cradle to grave’ or from production to the disposal of each specific product. However, a significant amount of material is disposed of in landfills rather than being reused in some form. A sizeable proportion of the products being dumped in landfills consist of packaging materials for consumable products. Technological advances in plastics, packaging, cleaning, logistics, and new environmental awareness and understanding may have altered the cost structures surrounding the lifecycle use and disposal costs of many materials and products resulting in different cost-benefit trade-offs. An explicit and well-informed economic analysis of reusing certain containers might change current practices and results in significantly less waste disposal in landfills and in less consumption of resources for manufacturing packaging materials. This work presents a method for calculating the costs associated with a complete process of implementing a system to reuse plastic containers for food products. Specifically, the different relative costs of using a container and then either disposing of it in a landfill, recycling the material, or reconditioning the container for reuse and then reusing it are compared explicitly. Specific numbers and values are calculated for the case of plastic milk bottles to demonstrate the complicated interactions and the feasibility of such a strategy.

scholarly journals Seasonal maturation of Glypthelmins vitellinophilum (Trematoda: Digenea) in Lysapsus limellus (Anura: Pseudidae) from an Argentinian subtropical permanent pond

2006 ◽  
Vol 66 (1a) ◽  
pp. 85-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. I. Hamann
Keyword(s):  
Body Length ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Stage Iv ◽  
The Body ◽  
Climatic Fluctuations ◽  
Parasite Stage ◽  
Permanent Pond ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
The Relationship

From December 1995 to November 2000, the seasonal maturation of Glypthelmins vitellinophilum Dobbin, 1958, in its definitive host, the frog Lysapsus limellus Cope, 1862, was studied in a subtropical permanent pond in northeastern Argentina. The objectives of this study were: 1) to determine the infrapopulation dynamics of the parasite, analyzing the seasonal maturation cycle throughout the years; and 2) to examine the relationship between the intensity of trematode infection in different developmental stages (recruitment, growth and maturation) and the host's body length. Of a total of 1,400 frogs examined over 60 months (5 years), 38% were found to be infected with G. vitellinophilum, and the intensity of infection was 1-15 trematodes per frog. Specimens of G. vitellinophilum were present in L. limellus throughout the years, but did not show a pronounced seasonal maturation cycle. Possible reasons for these findings are discussed with reference to climatic fluctuations and biotic factors. The infective period of the parasite (stage I) occurred in summer, autumn and spring, coinciding with the time each frog cohort appeared. These infections were found principally in small body sizes (classes 1 and 2) of L. limellus. Juvenile and nongravid specimens of worms (stage II and III) were found in frogs of different body sizes throughout the period of investigation. Gravid specimens of the parasite (stage IV) were generally recorded in autumn, winter and spring, mainly in the bodies of larger frogs. The body length of Trematodes in stages I and IV was significantly and positively correlated with that of the frogs.

New Model to Promote Well-Being in Work Areas of an Aerospace Industry Facility in Mexicali

2022 ◽  
pp. 150-172
Author(s):  
Carlos Raul Navarro Gonzalez ◽  
Juan Ceballos-Corral ◽  
Olivia Yessenia Vargas-Bernal ◽  
Gustavo Lopez Badilla ◽  
Judith M. Paz-Delgadillo
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Aerospace Industry ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Industrial Operations ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The City ◽  
Health And Well Being

This investigation was made to evaluate the health and well-being of workers who made activities in the manufacturing processes of an aerospace industry installed in the city of Mexicali and based on the evidence presented in certain stages of a production line. The cost-benefit of applying ergonomic methods was analyzed, developing a descriptive model, which involved important aspects. Said aspects analyzed were (1) work methods, (2) training of employees in the operational area, (3) evaluation of times and movements of industrial operations, and (4) working conditions as the relationship of workers with supervisors and managers.

Cooperation and Collaboration Using Computer-Mediated Communication

2002 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesley G. Hathorn ◽  
Albert L. Ingram
Keyword(s):  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Other ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Collaborative Groups ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Key Characteristics ◽  
The Cost

This study operationally defined and measured collaboration and compared the products and structure of collaborative groups that used computer-mediated communication. Key characteristics of collaboration selected from the literature were interdependence, synthesis, and independence, and a model for evaluating these characteristics was developed. All communication in this study occurred via asynchronous computer-mediated communication, using a threaded Web discussion. Participants in the study were graduate students, studying the same course with the same instructor at two venues. The students were divided into small groups from one or both venues, and four of these groups were studied. All students were given a problem to solve involving the cost-benefit trade-offs of distance education. The groups received different instructions. Two of them were told to collaborate on a solution, and the other two were told to select a role and discuss the problem from that point of view. Groups that were instructed to collaborate were more collaborative, but they produced a solution of a lower quality than the other groups. No conclusions could be drawn from the results on the structure of the groups. The role of collaboration in problem solving is discussed along with methods for creating more effective collaboration.

Science and Policy Analysis in the U.S. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs

2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beryl A. Radin
Keyword(s):  
Policy Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Political Conflict ◽  
Science And Policy ◽  
White House ◽  
Regulatory Affairs ◽  
Analysis Technique ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Relationship

This article focuses on one expression of the relationship between science and policy analysis: the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) in the Office of Management and Budget. It has used a classic policy analysis technique—cost–benefit analysis—as the way that the White House will review regulations. This discussion highlights the utilization of the cost–benefit method in the OIRA decision-making process, the roles of various actors in the system, and the response to that use by various policy actors. It illustrates the difficulty of utilizing rational analytical methods in an environment of political conflict.

AN EVALUATION OF A CONFIGURABLE VLIW MICROARCHITECTURE FOR EMBEDDED DSP APPLICATIONS

2004 ◽  
Vol 13 (06) ◽  
pp. 1321-1345
Author(s):  
WANLI LIU ◽  
DAVID H. ALBONESI ◽  
JOHN GOSTOMSKI ◽  
LLOYD PALUM ◽  
DAVE HINTERBERGER ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Memory Systems ◽  
Cost Performance ◽  
Processor Performance ◽  
Embedded Dsp ◽  
Power Models ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Improve Cost ◽  
Dsp Applications

The last decade has witnessed a significant increase in processor offerings geared towards embedded DSP applications. Such processors are commonly VLIW architectures with special ISA and/or microarchitecture features for speeding up signal processing functions and customization options to improve cost/performance. The Jazz Programmable System Architecture from Improv Systems is one such processor offering. Jazz employs a VLIW architecture which is well-suited to the characteristics of embedded DSP applications such as voice over packet, media processing, and home connectivity. The microarchitecture incorporates overlaid datapaths, distributed register file and memory systems, code compression, and parallel computation and memory access. Jazz permits design-time configuration in an attempt to bridge the gap between the flexibility of a programmable processor and the cost-benefit of full customization. In this paper, we explore the cost/performance tradeoffs of the Jazz microarchitecture on various embedded multimedia applications using a detailed cycle-level simulator as well as area and power models. Through a comparison of the performance, power, and area of different hardware configurations running these applications, we demonstrate how the configurability of the architecture affords a cost-performance benefit over a fixed microarchitecture. Key features of the microarchitecture are quantitatively evaluated in terms of their influence on performance. The relationship between compiler optimizations and processor performance is also explored.

scholarly journals The Goldilocks effect: female geladas in mid-sized groups have higher fitness

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1952) ◽  
pp. 20210820
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Tinsley Johnson ◽  
Jacob A. Feder ◽  
Thore J. Bergman ◽  
Amy Lu ◽  
Noah Snyder-Mackler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Group Size ◽  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Individual Fitness ◽  
Cost Benefit Ratio ◽  
Reproductive Rates ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Relationship

The cost–benefit ratio of group living is thought to vary with group size: individuals in ‘optimally sized’ groups should have higher fitness than individuals in groups that are either too large or too small. However, the relationship between group size and individual fitness has been difficult to establish for long-lived species where the number of groups studied is typically quite low. Here, we present evidence for optimal group size that maximizes female fitness in a population of geladas ( Theropithecus gelada ). Drawing on 14 years of demographic data, we found that females in small groups experienced the highest death rates, while females in mid-sized groups exhibited the highest reproductive performance. This group size effect on female reproductive performance was largely explained by variation in infant mortality (and, in particular, by infanticide from immigrant males) but not by variation in reproductive rates. Taken together, females in mid-sized groups are projected to attain optimal fitness due to conspecific infanticide and, potentially, predation. Our findings provide insight into how and why group size shapes fitness in long-lived species.

Economic Costs Associated with Bariatric Surgery Complications

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric S. Bour
Keyword(s):  
Bariatric Surgery ◽  
Staple Line ◽  
Surgical Complication ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Surgery Complications ◽  
Economic Costs ◽  
Staple Line Leak ◽  
Bariatric Surgery Complications ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Relationship

Surgical complications in bariatric procedures occur despite all efforts to minimize their incidence. This chapter examines the costs and expenses associated with four complications: bleeding, stricture, staple-line leak, and internal hernia. In addition, it defines the relationship between the expense of techniques designed to reduce the incidence of complications and the cost of caring for the patient who sustains a complication. Last, it explores the medicolegal and financial implications of any surgical complication in the changing healthcare landscape of the future. Through a better understanding these issues, surgeons should be able to tailor their practice by determining the cost/benefit and “value” of interventions used to prevent or treat complications.

scholarly journals Functional diversity of small-mammal postcrania is linked to both substrate preference and body size

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (5) ◽  
pp. 539-553
Author(s):  
Lucas N Weaver ◽  
David M Grossnickle
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Morphological Divergence ◽  
Functional Diversification ◽  
Evolutionary Patterns ◽  
Selective Pressures ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Body Sizes

Abstract Selective pressures favor morphologies that are adapted to distinct ecologies, resulting in trait partitioning among ecomorphotypes. However, the effects of these selective pressures vary across taxa, especially because morphology is also influenced by factors such as phylogeny, body size, and functional trade-offs. In this study, we examine how these factors impact functional diversification in mammals. It has been proposed that trait partitioning among mammalian ecomorphotypes is less pronounced at small body sizes due to biomechanical, energetic, and environmental factors that favor a “generalist” body plan, whereas larger taxa exhibit more substantial functional adaptations. We title this the Divergence Hypothesis (DH) because it predicts greater morphological divergence among ecomorphotypes at larger body sizes. We test DH by using phylogenetic comparative methods to examine the postcranial skeletons of 129 species of taxonomically diverse, small-to-medium-sized (<15 kg) mammals, which we categorize as either “tree-dwellers” or “ground-dwellers.” In some analyses, the morphologies of ground-dwellers and tree-dwellers suggest greater between-group differentiation at larger sizes, providing some evidence for DH. However, this trend is neither particularly strong nor supported by all analyses. Instead, a more pronounced pattern emerges that is distinct from the predictions of DH: within-group phenotypic disparity increases with body size in both ground-dwellers and tree-dwellers, driven by morphological outliers among “medium”-sized mammals. Thus, evolutionary increases in body size are more closely linked to increases in within-locomotor-group disparity than to increases in between-group disparity. We discuss biomechanical and ecological factors that may drive these evolutionary patterns, and we emphasize the significant evolutionary influences of ecology and body size on phenotypic diversity.

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