A Methodology for Evaluating the Cost-Effectiveness of Alternative Management Tools in Public-Sector Institutions: An Application to Public Education

2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 203-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaw M. Mensah ◽  
Michael P. Schoderbek ◽  
Robert H. Werner
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Education Economics ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Accounting Systems ◽  
Performance Budgeting ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Conflicting Objectives ◽  
The Cost

ABSTRACT: The shift toward performance budgeting and outcome measures for public-sector institutions in recent decades has created a need to formally link inputs consumed and outcomes achieved. Given the inherent problems of cost accounting systems in public-sector institutions, we propose a statistical approach to identify the most cost-effective management tools that also recognize the endogeneity between costs and outcomes. The model developed allows for the examination of possible trade-offs that can be exercised by public-sector institutions facing multiple stakeholders with conflicting objectives. Using public schools in New Jersey and a set of variables identified from the education economics literature, we estimate cost and outcome functions to demonstrate empirically the choices made by school district superintendents that trade off the interests of various stakeholders, while seeking to meet the core objectives of the institutions. Our empirical results provide insight on the variables controllable by the superintendents that appear to be used inefficiently, or are subject to institutional constraints that limit the flexibility in input choice assumed by the proposed method. From a management accounting standpoint, the identification of such variables narrows the areas to be focused on in the search for improvements in performance.

scholarly journals Recommendations for performance optimizations when using GATK3.8 and GATK4

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob R Heldenbrand ◽  
Saurabh Baheti ◽  
Matthew A Bockol ◽  
Travis M Drucker ◽  
Steven N Hart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Population ◽  
Variant Calling ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Performance Improvements ◽  
Computational Performance ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Genome Analysis Toolkit ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Multiple Samples ◽  
Parameter Values

Abstract Background Use of the Genome Analysis Toolkit (GATK) continues to be the standard practice in genomic variant calling in both research and the clinic. Recently the toolkit has been rapidly evolving. Significant computational performance improvements have been introduced in GATK3.8 through collaboration with Intel in 2017. The first release of GATK4 in early 2018 revealed rewrites in the code base, as the stepping stone toward a Spark implementation. As the software continues to be a moving target for optimal deployment in highly productive environments, we present a detailed analysis of these improvements, to help the community stay abreast with changes in performance. Results We re-evaluated multiple options, such as threading, parallel garbage collection, I/O options and data-level parallelization. Additionally, we considered the trade-offs of using GATK3.8 and GATK4. We found optimized parameter values that reduce the time of executing the best practices variant calling procedure by 29.3% for GATK3.8 and 16.9% for GATK4. Further speedups can be accomplished by splitting data for parallel analysis, resulting in run time of only a few hours on whole human genome sequenced to the depth of 20X, for both versions of GATK. Nonetheless, GATK4 is already much more cost-effective than GATK3.8. Thanks to significant rewrites of the algorithms, the same analysis can be run largely in a single-threaded fashion, allowing users to process multiple samples on the same CPU. Conclusions In time-sensitive situations, when a patient has a critical or rapidly developing condition, it is useful to minimize the time to process a single sample. In such cases we recommend using GATK3.8 by splitting the sample into chunks and computing across multiple nodes. The resultant walltime will be nnn.4 hours at the cost of $41.60 on 4 c5.18xlarge instances of Amazon Cloud. For cost-effectiveness of routine analyses or for large population studies, it is useful to maximize the number of samples processed per unit time. Thus we recommend GATK4, running multiple samples on one node. The total walltime will be ∼34.1 hours on 40 samples, with 1.18 samples processed per hour at the cost of $2.60 per sample on c5.18xlarge instance of Amazon Cloud.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Treatment for Esophageal Varices in Japan

1987 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 575-586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akira Sasaki ◽  
John M. Eisenberg
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Esophageal Varices ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Japanese Literature ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Injection Sclerotherapy ◽  
Endoscopic Injection ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Cost Effective Treatment ◽  
The Cost

AbstractWe analyzed the cost-effectiveness of nonemergent treatment for esophageal varices commonly used in Japan (endoscopic injection sclerotherapy, nonshunting direct interruption procedure, and selective shunt). We assessed the cost per survivor from the perspective of the Japanese government and other payors. Epidemiologic and economic data from published Japanese literature and from Japanese hospital-cost information were applied in decision analysis. While sclerotherapy is the most cost-effective treatment, the popular surgical procedures save the most lives, thus raising difficult ethical issues regarding trade-offs of cost and quality.

scholarly journals On the Cost-Effective Design of Agglomeration Bonus Schemes for the Conservation of Multiple Competing Species

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Drechsler
Keyword(s):  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Spatial Arrangement ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Competing Species ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Conservation Measures ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Agglomeration Bonus

An important mechanism of species co-existence in spatially structured landscapes is the competition-colonisation trade-off which states that co-existence of competing species is possible if, all other things equal, the better competitor is the worse coloniser. The effectiveness of this trade-off for the facilitation of co-existence, however, is likely to depend on the spatial arrangement of the habitat, because too strong agglomeration of the habitat may overly benefit the strong competitor (being the poor disperser), implying extinction of the inferiour competitor, while too much dispersion of the habitat may drive the superiour competitor (being the inferiour coloniser) to extinction. In working landscapes, biodiversity conservation is often induced through conservation payments that offset the forgone profits incurred by the conservation measure. To control the spatial arrangement of conservation measures and habitats in a conservation payment scheme, the agglomeration bonus has been proposed to provide financial incentives for allocating conservation measures in the vicinity of other sites with conservation measures. This paper presents a generic spatially explicit ecological-economic simulation model to explore the ability of the agglomeration bonus to cost-effectively conserve multiple competing species that differ by their competition strengths, their colonisation rates and their dispersal ranges. The interacting effects of the agglomeration bonus and different species traits and their trade-offs on the species richness in the model landscape are analysed. Recommendations for the biodiversity-maximising design of agglomeration bonus schemes are derived.

scholarly journals Multiobjective Optimization of a Residential Grid-Tied Solar System

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 8648
Author(s):  
Warren S. Vaz
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Electric Vehicle ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Optimal Choice ◽  
Battery Storage ◽  
Solar Systems ◽  
Conflicting Objectives ◽  
Cost Metrics ◽  
The Cost

Residential customers are increasingly turning to solar energy as they are becoming more climate-conscious and solar energy is becoming more cost-effective. However, customers are often faced with myriad choices from retailers. The current retail landscape features several solar panel sizes, battery storage sizes, and technologies, and all of them come in a range of prices. The present study aims to present a strategy to optimize the choice for the customer taking two conflicting objectives into account: minimizing the cost and minimizing the carbon footprint. By presenting multiple nondominated (optimal) solutions based on the individual’s unique parameters, customers can make the optimal choice. Two disparate locations are examined: New York City, NY, USA and Phoenix, AZ, USA. Several variations are examined, including no battery storage, battery storage, and charging of an electric vehicle. The strategy was found to suitably highlight a variety of options that gave the best tradeoff between carbon emissions and cost. Metrics to compare nondominated fronts showed that a variable season charging time for the electric vehicle produced fronts that dominated a fixed season strategy by 6%. This strategy can be easily implemented by customers to avoid choosing improperly sized and priced residential solar systems.

scholarly journals Economic evaluation of alternative testing regimes and settings to detect undiagnosed HIV in Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Owain D. Williams ◽  
Judith A. Dean ◽  
Anna Crothers ◽  
Charles F. Gilks ◽  
Jeff Gow
Keyword(s):  
Point Of Care ◽  
Cost Model ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Positive Diagnosis ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Self Testing ◽  
Undiagnosed Hiv ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Cost

Abstract Background The study aimed to estimate the comparative costs per positive diagnosis of previously undetected HIV in three testing regimes: conventional; parallel and point of care (POC) testing. The regimes are analysed in six testing settings in Australia where infection is concentrated but with low prevalence. Methods A cost model was developed to highlight the trade-offs between test and economic efficiency from a provider perspective. First, an estimate of the number of tests needed to find a true (previously undiagnosed) positive diagnosis was made. Second, estimates of the average cost per positive diagnosis in whole of population (WoP) and men who have sex with men (MSM) was made, then third, aggregated to the total cost for diagnosis of all undetected infections. Results Parallel testing is as effective as conventional testing, but more economically efficient. POC testing provide two significant advantages over conventional testing: they screen out negatives effectively at comparatively lower cost and, with confirmatory testing of reactive results, there is no loss in efficiency. The average and total costs per detection in WoP are prohibitive, except for Home Self Testing. The diagnosis in MSM is cost effective in all settings, but especially using Home Self Testing when the individual assumes the cost of testing. Conclusions This study illustrates the trade-offs between economic and test efficiency and their interactions with population(s) prevalence. The efficient testing regimes and settings are presently under or not funded in Australia. Home Self Testing has the potential to dramatically increase testing rates at very little cost.

The IBM-PC in electron microscopy

1996 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 612-613
Author(s):  
James F. Mancuso
Keyword(s):  
Head Start ◽  
Image Acquisition ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Financial Applications ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Instrument Control ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Training And Support ◽  
Control Image ◽  
Ibm Pc

IBM PC compatible computers are widely used in microscopy for applications ranging from control to image acquisition and analysis. The choice of IBM-PC based systems over competing computer platforms can be based on technical merit alone or on a number of factors relating to economics, availability of peripherals, management dictum, or simple personal preference.IBM-PC got a strong “head start” by first dominating clerical, document processing and financial applications. The use of these computers spilled into the laboratory where the DOS based IBM-PC replaced mini-computers. Compared to minicomputer, the PC provided a more for cost-effective platform for applications in numerical analysis, engineering and design, instrument control, image acquisition and image processing. In addition, the sitewide use of a common PC platform could reduce the cost of training and support services relative to cases where many different computer platforms were used. This could be especially true for the microscopists who must use computers in both the laboratory and the office.

Sonographically guided, transcatheter foam sclerotherapy of the great saphenous vein

Phlebologie ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 36 (06) ◽  
pp. 309-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Schulz ◽  
M. Jünger ◽  
M. Hahn
Keyword(s):  
Saphenous Vein ◽  
Great Saphenous Vein ◽  
Clinical Stage ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Duplex Sonography ◽  
Foam Sclerotherapy ◽  
Average Loss ◽  
One Year ◽  
The Cost

Summary Objective: The goal of the study was to assess the effectiveness and patient tolerability of single-session, sonographically guided, transcatheter foam sclerotherapy and to evaluate its economic impact. Patients, methods: We treated 20 patients with a total of 22 varicoses of the great saphenous vein (GSV) in Hach stage III-IV, clinical stage C2-C5 and a mean GSV diameter of 9 mm (range: 7 to 13 mm). We used 10 ml 3% Aethoxysklerol®. Additional varicoses of the auxiliary veins of the GSV were sclerosed immediately afterwards. Results: The occlusion rate in the treated GSVs was 100% one week after therapy as demonstrated with duplex sonography. The cost of the procedure was 207.91 E including follow-up visit, with an average loss of working time of 0.6 days. After one year one patient showed clinical signs of recurrent varicosis in the GSV; duplex sonography showed reflux in the region of the saphenofemoral junction in a total of seven patients (32% of the treated GSVs). Conclusion: Transcatheter foam sclerotherapy of the GSV is a cost-effective, safe method of treating varicoses of GSV and broadens the spectrum of therapeutic options. Relapses can be re-treated inexpensively with sclerotherapy.

A Digital Economy Model for Talent Prediction Data Analytic

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 260-266
Author(s):  
Haru Purnomo Ipung ◽  
Amin Soetomo
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Technology Innovation ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Sharing Economy ◽  
Token Economy ◽  
Economy Model ◽  
New Business ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Data Analytic

This research proposed a model to assist the design of the associated data architecture and data analytic to support talent forecast in the current accelerating changes in economy, industry and business change due to the accelerating pace of technological change. The emerging and re-emerging economy model were available, such as Industrial revolution 4.0, platform economy, sharing economy and token economy. Those were driven by new business model and technology innovation. An increase capability of technology to automate more jobs will cause a shift in talent pool and workforce. New business model emerge as the availabilityand the cost effective emerging technology, and as a result of emerging or re-emerging economic models. Both, new business model and technology innovation, create new jobs and works that have not been existed decades ago. The future workers will be faced by jobs that may not exist today. A dynamics model of inter-correlation of economy, industry, business model and talent forecast were proposed. A collection of literature review were conducted to initially validate the model.

CAD Of Anticorrosive Protection Of Steel Structures

2019 ◽  
pp. 18-23
Keyword(s):  
Protective Coating ◽  
Computer Aided Design ◽  
Steel Structures ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Computational Tool ◽  
Protection Method ◽  
Cost Effective Method ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Aided Design

The choice of cost-effective method of anticorrosive protection of steel structures is an urgent and time consuming task, considering the significant number of protection ways, differing from each other in the complex of technological, physical, chemical and economic characteristics. To reduce the complexity of solving this problem, the author proposes a computational tool that can be considered as a subsystem of computer-aided design and used at the stage of variant and detailed design of steel structures. As a criterion of the effectiveness of the anti-corrosion protection method, the cost of the protective coating during the service life is accepted. The analysis of existing methods of steel protection against corrosion is performed, the possibility of their use for the protection of the most common steel structures is established, as well as the estimated period of effective operation of the coating. The developed computational tool makes it possible to choose the best method of protection of steel structures against corrosion, taking into account the operating conditions of the protected structure and the possibility of using a protective coating.

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