scholarly journals Cost-effectiveness Analysis of a Strawberry Breeding Program Incorporating DNA-informed Technology

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth D. Wannemuehler ◽  
Chengyan Yue ◽  
Wendy K. Hoashi-Erhardt ◽  
R. Karina Gallardo ◽  
Vicki McCracken
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Prunus Persica ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Removal Rate ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Parent Material ◽  
Breeding Program ◽  
Breeding Cycle ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Herbaceous Perennials

DNA-informed breeding techniques allow breeders to examine individual plants before costly field trials. Previous studies with tree fruits such as apple (Malus ×domestica) and peach (Prunus persica) have identified cost-effective implementation of DNA-informed techniques. However, it is unclear whether breeding programs for herbaceous perennials with 1- to 2-year juvenile phases benefit economically from these techniques. In this study, a cost-benefit analysis examining marker-assisted selection (MAS) in a Pacific northwest U.S. strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa) breeding program was conducted to elucidate the effectiveness of DNA-informed breeding in perennial crops and explore the capabilities of a decision support tool. Procedures and associated costs were identified to create simulations of the breeding program. Simulations compared a conventional breeding program to a breeding program using MAS with low (12.5%), medium (25%), and high (50%) removal rates, and examined different scenarios where MAS had diminishing power to remove individuals as selections reenter the breeding cycle as parent material. We found that MAS application under current costs was not cost-effective in the modeled strawberry program when applied at the greenhouse stage, but cost-effectiveness was observed when MAS was applied at the end of the seedling trials before clonal trials with a removal rate of 12.5%.

scholarly journals Estimated Implementation Costs of DNA-informed Breeding in a Peach Breeding Program

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 356-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth D. Wannemuehler ◽  
Chengyan Yue ◽  
William W. Shane ◽  
R. Karina Gallardo ◽  
Vicki McCracken
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Prunus Persica ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Breeding Program ◽  
Breeding Cycle ◽  
Breeding Programs ◽  
Implementation Costs ◽  
Peach Breeding ◽  
Additional Costs

Marker-assisted selection (MAS) use in breeding programs allows for examination of seedlings at an early stage before accumulation of high field costs. However, introducing MAS into a breeding program implies additional costs and uncertainties about effective incorporation. Previous simulations in apple (Malus ×domestica) have shown cost-effective applications of MAS. To further evaluate MAS cost-effectiveness in perennial crops, we conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis examining MAS in an upper midwestern U.S. peach (Prunus persica) breeding program. Breeding program procedures and associated costs were collected and used as input into spreadsheet-based simulations of the breeding program. Simulations compared a conventional breeding program to MAS with varying cull rates of low, medium, and high at multiple stages in the breeding cycle. Cost-effective MAS implementation was identified at the end of seedling trials with a break-even cull rate of 4%. These results inform breeders of cost-effectiveness of MAS use in a peach breeding program.

Field Evaluation and Cost Effectiveness of Crack Sealing in Flexible and Composite Pavements

2018 ◽  
Vol 2672 (12) ◽  
pp. 51-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Momen Mousa ◽  
Mostafa A. Elseifi ◽  
Mohammad Bashar ◽  
Zhongjie Zhang ◽  
Kevin Gaspard
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Field Performance ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Field Evaluation ◽  
Asphalt Emulsion ◽  
Transverse Cracks ◽  
Crack Sealing ◽  
Composite Pavements

One of the most common methods used to treat longitudinal and transverse cracks is crack sealing (CS), which is categorized as a preventive maintenance method. Field performance and cost-effectiveness of this treatment widely vary depending on pavement conditions and installation of the material. The objective of this study was to evaluate the field performance and cost-effectiveness of CS in flexible and composite pavements in hot and wet climates such as Louisiana, and to develop a model that would quantify the expected benefits of CS given project conditions. To achieve this objective, 28 control sections that were crack-sealed between 2003 and 2010 were monitored for at least four years. These sections included flexible and composite pavements, sealed and unsealed segments, and varying traffic levels. The performance of these sections was evaluated for the random cracking index (RCI) and roughness index (RI). Based on the results of this analysis, it was concluded that CS only has a significant impact on random cracking. When compared with untreated segments, CS extended pavement service life (PSL) by two years. When compared with the original pavement, CS extended PSL by 5.6 and 3.2 years for flexible and composite pavements, respectively, if applied at the correct time. The cost-benefit analysis indicated that CS is cost-effective whether asphalt emulsion or rubberized asphalt sealant is used. A non-linear regression model was developed to predict the extension in PSL because of CS without the need for performance data based on the average daily traffic (ADT), pavement type, and prior pavement conditions.

STUDY OF EQUIPMENT AND METHODS FOR REMOVING OR DISPERSING OIL FROM OPEN WATERS

1971 ◽  
Vol 1971 (1) ◽  
pp. 405-414
Author(s):  
C.H. Henager ◽  
P.C. Walkup ◽  
J.R. Blacklaw ◽  
J.D. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Removal Rate ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Cost Effectiveness Ratio ◽  
Universal System ◽  
System Availability ◽  
Marine Life ◽  
Limited Applicability ◽  
Criteria For Evaluation ◽  
Spilled Oil

ABSTRACT A cost effectiveness analysis was performed for equipment, materials and techniques applicable to the removal or dispersal of spilled oil from U.S. Navy oilers and gasoline tankers on open waters. Effectiveness parameters included oil product types (JP-5, Distillate Fule, Navy Special and Bunker C), a range of spill locations (3 and 12 miles from shore) and varying spill sizes (2,700 gal, 270,000 gal, and 6,750,000 gal). Criteria for evaluation of systems under the above parameter situations, formulated for presently available equipment and materials, included: completeness of oil removal; rate of removal; hazard and pollution; use in limited access areas; sensitivity to expected environmental factors; sensitivity to temperature extremes; toxicity to marine life; and system availability. Cost effectiveness was determined using the 3 spill sizes and checked for spill frequency sensitivity, The three most cost effective systems for the range of spill sizes were found to be burning, dispersing, and mechanical skimming. Considering system applicability to avrious products and the requirements of rate of removal for massive spills, the most practical universal system with a favorable cost effectiveness ratio was found to be dispersing. This is followed by dispersing plus a containment boom. Burning agents applied directly to the spill were judged to be the third best system based on its favorable cost effectiveness but limited applicability to oil types and permissible burning circumstances.

Suture Button Fixation Versus Syndesmotic Screws in Supination–External Rotation Type 4 Injuries: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 210-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaitlin C. Neary ◽  
Matthew A. Mormino ◽  
Hongmei Wang
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
External Rotation ◽  
Removal Rate ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Hardware Removal ◽  
Ankle Fractures ◽  
Total Cost ◽  
Suture Button ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Supination External Rotation

Background: In stress-positive, unstable supination–external rotation type 4 (SER IV) ankle fractures, implant selection for syndesmotic fixation is a debated topic. Among the available syndesmotic fixation methods, the metallic screw and the suture button have been routinely compared in the literature. In addition to strength of fixation and ability to anatomically restore the syndesmosis, costs associated with implant use have recently been called into question. Purpose: This study aimed to examine the cost-effectiveness of the suture button and determine whether suture button fixation is more cost-effective than two 3.5-mm syndesmotic screws not removed on a routine postoperative basis. Study Design: Economic and decision analysis; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: Studies with the highest evidence levels in the available literature were used to estimate the hardware removal and failure rates for syndesmotic screws and suture button fixation. Costs were determined by examining the average costs for patients who underwent surgery for unstable SER IV ankle fractures at a single level-1 trauma institution. A decision analysis model that allowed comparison of the 2 fixation methods was developed. Results: Using a 20% screw hardware removal rate and a 4% suture button hardware removal rate, the total cost for 2 syndesmotic screws was US$20,836 and the total effectiveness was 5.846. This yielded a total cost of $3564 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) over an 8-year time period. The total cost for suture button fixation was $19,354 and the total effectiveness was 5.904, resulting in a total cost of $3294 per QALY over the same time period. A sensitivity analysis was then conducted to assess suture button fixation costs as well as screw and suture button hardware removal rates. Other possible treatment scenarios were also examined, including 1 screw and 2 suture buttons for operative fixation of the syndesmosis. To become more cost-effective, the screw hardware removal rate would have to be reduced to less than 10%. Furthermore, fixation with a single suture button continued to be the dominant treatment strategy compared with 2 suture buttons, 1 screw, and 2 screws for syndesmotic fixation. Conclusion: This cost-effectiveness analysis suggests that for unstable SER IV ankle fractures, suture button fixation is more cost-effective than syndesmotic screws not removed on a routine basis. Suture button fixation was a dominant treatment strategy, because patients spent on average $1482 less and had a higher quality of life by 0.058 QALYs compared with patients who received fixation with 2 syndesmotic screws. Assuming that functional outcomes and failure rates were equivalent, screw fixation only became more cost-effective when the screw hardware removal rate was reduced to less than 10% or when the suture button cost exceeded $2000. In addition, fixation with a single suture button device proved more cost-effective than fixation with either 1 or 2 syndesmotic screws.

scholarly journals Analysis of the Cost Effectiveness of a Suicide Barrier on the Golden Gate Bridge

Crisis ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dayna Atkins Whitmer ◽  
David Lauren Woods
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
Suicide Mortality ◽  
Golden Gate ◽  
Golden Gate Bridge ◽  
The Cost

Background: The Golden Gate Bridge (GGB) is a well-known “suicide magnet” and the site of approximately 30 suicides per year. Recently, a suicide barrier was approved to prevent further suicides. Aims: To estimate the cost-effectiveness of the proposed suicide barrier, we compared the proposed costs of the barrier over a 20-year period ($51.6 million) to estimated reductions in mortality. Method: We reviewed San Francisco and Golden Gate Bridge suicides over a 70-year period (1936–2006). We assumed that all suicides prevented by the barrier would attempt suicide with alternative methods and estimated the mortality reduction based on the difference in lethality between GGB jumps and other suicide methods. Cost/benefit analyses utilized estimates of value of statistical life (VSL) used in highway projects. Results: GGB suicides occur at a rate of approximately 30 per year, with a lethality of 98%. Jumping from other structures has an average lethality of 47%. Assuming that unsuccessful suicides eventually committed suicide at previously reported (12–13%) rates, approximately 286 lives would be saved over a 20-year period at an average cost/life of approximately $180,419 i.e., roughly 6% of US Department of Transportation minimal VSL estimate ($3.2 million). Conclusions: Cost-benefit analysis suggests that a suicide barrier on the GGB would result in a highly cost-effective reduction in suicide mortality in the San Francisco Bay Area.

scholarly journals Cost-effectiveness of mandatory folic acid fortification of flours in prevention of neural tube defects: A systematic review

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. e0258488
Author(s):  
Viviane Belini Rodrigues ◽  
Everton Nunes da Silva ◽  
Maria Leonor Pacheco Santos
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Folic Acid ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Neural Tube ◽  
Neural Tube Defects ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Quality Analysis ◽  
Positive Health ◽  
The Cost

Background Neural tube defects (NTDs) constitute the most frequent group among congenital malformations and are the main cause of neonatal morbimortality. Folic acid (FA) can reduce the risk of pregnancies affected by NTDs. Objective We aimed to investigate whether mandatory folic acid (FA) fortification of flours is cost-effective as compared to non-mandatory fortification, and to verify whether FA dosage, cost composition, and the quality of economic studies influence the cost-effectiveness of outcomes. Methods We conducted a systematic review. The protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD 42018115682). A search was conducted using the electronic databases MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, and EBSCO/CINAHL between January 2019 and October 2020 and updated in February 2021. Eligible studies comprised original economic analyses of mandatory FA fortification of wheat and corn flours (maize flours) compared to strategies of non-mandatory fortification in flours and/or use of FA supplements for NTD prevention. The Drummond verification list was used for quality analysis. Results A total of 7,859 studies were identified, of which 13 were selected. Most (77%; n = 10) studies originated from high-income countries, while three (23%) were from upper-middle-income countries. Results of a cost-effectiveness analysis showed that fortification is cost-effective for NTD prevention, except for in one study in New Zealand. The cost-benefit analysis yielded a median ratio of 17.5:1 (0.98:1 to 417.1:1), meaning that for each monetary unit spent in the program, there would be a return of 17.5 monetary units. Even in the most unfavorable case of mandatory fortification, the investment in the program would virtually payoff at a ratio of 1:0.98. All FA dosages were cost-effective and offered positive health gains, except in one study. The outcomes of two studies showed that FA dosages above 300 μg/100 g have a higher CBA ratio. The studies with the inclusion of “loss of consumer choice” in the analysis may alter the fortification cost-efficacy ratio. Conclusion We expect the findings to be useful for public agencies in different countries in decision-making on the implementation and/or continuity of FA fortification as a public policy in NTD prevention.

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>

Cost-effective upgrading of the Arnsberg WWTP by post denitrification with a moving bed system

2000 ◽  
Vol 41 (9) ◽  
pp. 123-130
Author(s):  
N. Jardin ◽  
L. Rath ◽  
A. Sabin ◽  
F. Schmitt ◽  
D. Thöle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Source ◽  
Biological Process ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Benefit Analysis ◽  
Moving Bed ◽  
Trickling Filters ◽  
Sludge Hydrolysis ◽  
Effective Integration

On the basis of a cost-benefit analysis it was decided to expand the Arnsberg WWTP by a multistage biological process which allows for cost-effective integration of the existing facilities. Carbon removal will then be accomplished in a high-loaded activated sludge stage for which the existing primary clarifier is to be reconstructed. The existing trickling filters will be used for nitrification during a midterm period and will be replaced later on either by a moving bed system or by new trickling filters. Line 3 of the existing secondary clarifiers will be reconstructed and used for post denitrification in a moving bed system. The carbon needed for denitrification will be provided by means of sludge hydrolysis and the use of an external carbon source.

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