Academic literature on the topic 'Information technology Cost effectiveness Evaluation'
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Journal articles on the topic "Information technology Cost effectiveness Evaluation"
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Huang, Duen-Huang, Hao-En Chueh, Huai-Te Huang, Hong-Fa Ho, and Chang-Yi Kao. "Method of Information Technology Enhanced Japanese Vocabulary Learning and Evaluation." International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET) 16, no. 12 (June 18, 2021): 233. http://dx.doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v16i12.22207.
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Japanese vocabulary proficiency is directly related to Japanese language proficiency, and the learning and evaluation of Japanese vocabulary is vital in Japanese learning. To evaluate the learners’ Japanese vocabulary proficiency, in this study, we propose an effective method for evaluating Japanese vocabulary and implement it into a system. To prove the evaluation ability of the proposed method and implemented system, we conducted an experiment involving 80 students from the Japanese Group of the department of applied foreign languages of a senior high school to investigate the effectiveness of the method and system. The results of this study confirmed that (1) the reliability and validity of the proposed Japanese vocabulary evaluation method and system are favorable; and (2) the correlation coefficient between the experimental results and the students’ academic performance is higher than 0.80. Theoretically, the multidimensional Japanese vocabulary quotient model proposed herein can be the basis for Japanese vocabulary detection. Practically, the low-cost and rapid Japanese vocabulary evaluation system developed is applicable to educational evaluation, whereas the technical evaluation method and system for Japanese vocabulary can improve the efficiency and effectiveness in evaluating the Japanese vocabulary of learners.
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Shearer, James, and Sarah Byford. "The basics of economic evaluation in mental healthcare." BJPsych Advances 21, no. 5 (September 2015): 345–53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1192/apt.bp.114.013003.
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SummaryEconomic evaluation involves the comparative analysis of the costs and consequences of alternative (different) treatment options. Economic evaluations provide decision makers with information about the relative value for money, or cost-effectiveness, of various treatment programmes. The relative cost-effectiveness of new interventions is a key consideration in health technology assessments by the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and economic evaluations alongside randomised controlled trials are routinely requested by funders such as the National Institute for Health Research. This article outlines some of the key concepts and issues in the economic evaluation of mental healthcare.
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Hazel, Cynthia Afedi, Sheana Bull, Elizabeth Greenwell, Maya Bunik, Jini Puma, and Marcelo Perraillon. "Systematic review of cost-effectiveness analysis of behavior change communication apps: Assessment of key methods." DIGITAL HEALTH 7 (January 2021): 205520762110005. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/20552076211000559.
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Objective Evidence backing the effectiveness of mobile health technology is growing, and behavior change communication applications (apps) are fast becoming a useful platform for behavioral health programs. However, data to support the cost-effectiveness of these interventions are limited. Suggestions for overcoming the low output of economic data include addressing the methodological challenges for conducting cost-effectiveness analysis of behavior change app programs. This study is a systematic review of cost-effectiveness analyses of behavior change communication apps and a documentation of the reported challenges for investigating their cost-effectiveness. Materials and methods Four academic databases: Medline (Ovid), CINAHL, EMBASE and Google Scholar, were searched. Eligibility criteria included original articles that use a cost-effectiveness evaluation method, published between 2008 and 2018, and in the English language. Results Out of the 60 potentially eligible studies, 6 used cost-effectiveness analysis method and met the inclusion criteria. Conclusion The evidence to support the cost-effectiveness of behavior change communication apps is insufficient, with all studies reporting significant study challenges for estimating program costs and outcomes. The main challenges included limited or lack of cost data, inappropriate cost measures, difficulty with identifying and quantifying app effectiveness, representing app effects as Quality-adjusted Life Years, and aggregating cost and effects into a single quantitative measure like Incremental Cost Effectiveness Ratio. These challenges highlight the need for comprehensive economic evaluation methods that balance app data quality issues with practical concerns. This would likely improve the usefulness of cost-effectiveness data for decisions on adoption, implementation, scalability, sustainability, and the benefits of broader healthcare investments.
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Wang, George, and Richard Macaulay. "VP07 Cost-Effectiveness Of HTA Fees." International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care 35, S1 (2019): 77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0266462319002873.
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IntroductionHealth technology assessment (HTA) bodies evaluate the clinical and/or economic impact of new therapies to inform public reimbursement decision-making. This research evaluates the value for money of current or proposed fees for HTA in countries with mandatory cost-effectiveness HTA bodies relative to their respective public drug expenditure.MethodsHTA appraisal fees were identified from publicly-available websites: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH), Institut National d'Excellence en Santé et Services Sociaux (INESSS), and Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC). Annual national public drug expenditure (ANPDE) were sourced from the National Health Service England, Canadian Institute for Health Information, and the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme.ResultsNICE is proposing to charge GBP 126,000 (EUR 142,582) for a single technology or highly specialized technology appraisal, CADTH charges CAD 72,480 (EUR 48,576) for a Schedule A submission, INESSS charges CAD 38,921 (EUR 26,089) for the first evaluation of a new drug or new indication, and PBAC charges AUD 136,716 (EUR 87,576) for a Major Lodgment. The ANPDE in England: GBP 16 billion (EUR 18.1 billion), Canada: CAD 14.5 billion (EUR 9.7 billion), Quebec: CAD 4 billion (EUR 2.7 billion) and Australia: AUD 8.7 billion (EUR 5.6 billion). The appraisal cost to drug expenditure ratio for these countries/regions were: 126,984, 200,055, 102,772, and 63,636, respectively.ConclusionsHTA submissions in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia require financial contributions from manufacturers. These contributions bear little relation to the market size and cumulatively exceed EUR 300,000 (assuming no resubmissions). By adopting charging/cost recovery models, HTA bodies are aiming to reinvest the proceeds to increase the efficiency and capacity of appraisals, expediting patient access. However, these fees may be burdensome, especially for SMEs with promising therapies for orphan/rare diseases, and they may thus have the potential to deter/delay their submissions.
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Gelijns, Annetine C., and Henk Rigter. "Health Care Technology Assessment in the Netherlands." International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care 6, no. 1 (January 1990): 157–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0266462300009016.
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Our present-day health sectors are increasingly characterized by both rapid technological change and growing visibility of its considerable consequences in terms of the quality and costs of health care. Improved health care decision-making in such an environment requires adequate and timely information on the benefits, risks, and costs of health care technology. Whereas traditionally, technology assessment focused predominantly on evaluating efficacy and (short-term) safety in a more or less “controlled” environment, an interesting shift in emphasis is now occurring. There is a growing recognition that improved information is also needed on the health and economic outcomes of technology as used in everyday clinical practice, i.e., on its effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and long-term safety in normal “uncontrolled” daily medical life. Moreover, because the treatment of particular clinical conditions (such as stable angina, gallstones, or prostatism) increasingly involves choices among alternative diagnostic and therapeutic options, these assessments should ideally provide effectiveness and cost-effectiveness information for all the various technological alternatives involved.
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Tinelli, Michela, Andrea Manfrin, Martin Knapp, Americo Cicchetti, and Andrea Mandelli. "VP164 Applying Health Technology Assessment To Pharmacy: The Italian-Medicine-Use-Review-Health Technology Assessment." International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care 33, S1 (2017): 223–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0266462317004007.
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INTRODUCTION:There is a lack of Health-Technology-Assessment (HTA) tools in pharmacy practice and the collection of real-world-evidence (RWE) in community pharmacy to populate longer-term-disease-progression-modelling (1). This project is looking at the development and application of a novel Patient-Reported-Outcome- Measure (PROM) in community pharmacy that can enable: the evaluation of the quality of care delivered from the patient perspective in terms of economic impact, patient health outcomes and ‘utilities’; the collection of RWE and evaluate long-term effect of care; to provide different stakeholders with unique evidence-based information that help formulate health policies in community pharmacy that are safe, effective, patient-focused and cost-effective, balancing access to innovation and cost containment.METHODS:Evidence from the Italian-Medicine-Use-Review (I-MUR) trial (2) showed that the I-MUR intervention provided by community pharmacists to asthma patients is effective, cost-saving and cost-effective (3). The trial allowed to model a framework (I-MUR-HTA) that would enable to routinely deliver the intervention, but also collect and analyse PROM data on its clinical-effectiveness, quality-of-life and cost-effectiveness. I-MUR-HTA was discussed within three expert-panel discussions including policy-makers, commissioners, academics, healthcare-professionals and patient-representatives in Italy, United Kingdom and Europe. Current plan include testing the use of the tool in the real world environment.RESULTS:Evidence collected from the panel discussions confirmed that I-MUR-HTA evidence-based information is relevant to meet current National-Health-Care-System plans and this is what is needed to support the evaluation of innovative effective and cost-effective health policies and promote their implementation across nations. Current Italian law on pharmacy services provides the appropriate institutional framework to regulate the introduction of I-MUR-HTA across the territory. Its implementation is underway and a real-world pilot is planned to take place in Italy.CONCLUSIONS:I-MUR-HTA appears to be an innovative tool to promote active patient involvement into policy-decision-making and pharmacy-service.
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Lamrock, Felicity, Joanne O'Connor, Joy Leahy, Claire Gorry, Lesley Tilson, and Michael Barry. "OP97 Cost-effectiveness Model Appraisal Guidelines For Health Technology Assessments In Ireland." International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care 35, S1 (2019): 24–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0266462319001478.
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IntroductionThe National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE) assesses the cost-effectiveness of new drugs for which reimbursement by the healthcare payer, the Health Service Executive (HSE), is sought in Ireland. This research aims to create a systematic approach for the NCPE review group (RG) to assess each of the cost-effectiveness models submitted by the applicant by creating cost-effectiveness model appraisal guidelines.MethodsThe RG consists of clinical, statistical and health economic expertise. In order to systematically appraise the HTA submission, which includes a cost-effectiveness model, clear guidelines on how each of the members of the RG can work together are required. The current members of the RG in the NCPE were given a draft of the guidelines created by the primary author, and additional feedback and testing was performed using the expert experience of the team. A version of the guidelines was tested for its usefulness.ResultsThree checklists were created. The purpose of the first checklist is to evaluate if the cost-effectiveness model works correctly. The second checklist ensures that each of the assumptions included in the HTA dossier are the same as those included in the cost-effectiveness model. The final checklist validates the assumptions used in the cost-effectiveness model to ensure they are reasonable and appropriate for decision making. The final version of the checklists were validated by choosing cost-effectiveness models with known errors and/or discrepancies and testing that the issues were captured by the checklists.ConclusionsThese guidelines are not an exhaustive list of checks that should be performed, but are presented as the minimum requirements for consideration to be included with each RG assessment of the corresponding HTA submission. The guidelines will be constantly updated as the process evolves over time. The cost-effectiveness models should follow the National Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Guidelines for the Economic Evaluation of Health Technologies in Ireland.
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Shields, Gemma E., Adrian Wells, Patrick Doherty, Anthony Heagerty, Deborah Buck, and Linda M. Davies. "Cost-effectiveness of cardiac rehabilitation: a systematic review." Heart 104, no. 17 (April 13, 2018): 1403–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2017-312809.
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Patients may be offered cardiac rehabilitation (CR), a supervised programme often including exercises, education and psychological care, following a cardiac event, with the aim of reducing morbidity and mortality. Cost-constrained healthcare systems require information about the best use of budget and resources to maximise patient benefit. We aimed to systematically review and critically appraise economic studies of CR and its components. In January 2016, validated electronic searches of the National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED), Health Technology Assessment, PsycINFO, MEDLINE and Embase databases were run to identify full economic evaluations published since 2001. Two levels of screening were used and explicit inclusion criteria were applied. Prespecified data extraction and critical appraisal were performed using the NHS EED handbook and Drummond checklist. The majority of studies concluded that CR was cost-effective versus no CR (incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) ranged from $1065 to $71 755 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY)). Evidence for specific interventions within CR was varied; psychological intervention ranged from dominant (cost saving and more effective) to $226 128 per QALY, telehealth ranged from dominant to $588 734 per QALY and while exercise was cost-effective across all relevant studies, results were subject to uncertainty. Key drivers of cost-effectiveness were risk of subsequent events and hospitalisation, hospitalisation and intervention costs, and utilities. This systematic review of studies evaluates the cost-effectiveness of CR in the modern era, providing a fresh evidence base for policy-makers. Evidence suggests that CR is cost-effective, especially with exercise as a component. However, research is needed to determine the most cost-effective design of CR.
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Riley, Philip, Anne-Marie Glenny, Helen V. Worthington, Elisabet Jacobsen, Clare Robertson, Justin Durham, Stephen Davies, Helen Petersen, and Dwayne Boyers. "Oral splints for patients with temporomandibular disorders or bruxism: a systematic review and economic evaluation." Health Technology Assessment 24, no. 7 (February 2020): 1–224. http://dx.doi.org/10.3310/hta24070.
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Background Splints are a non-invasive, reversible management option for temporomandibular disorders or bruxism. The clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of splints remain uncertain. Objectives The objectives were to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of splints for patients with temporomandibular disorders or bruxism. This evidence synthesis compared (1) all types of splint versus no/minimal treatment/control splints and (2) prefabricated versus custom-made splints, for the primary outcomes, which were pain (temporomandibular disorders) and tooth wear (bruxism). Review methods Four databases, including MEDLINE and EMBASE, were searched from inception until 1 October 2018 for randomised clinical trials. The searches were conducted on 1 October 2018. Cochrane review methods (including risk of bias) were used for the systematic review. Standardised mean differences were pooled for the primary outcome of pain, using random-effects models in temporomandibular disorder patients. A Markov cohort, state-transition model, populated using current pain and Characteristic Pain Intensity data, was used to estimate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for splints compared with no splint, from an NHS perspective over a lifetime horizon. A value-of-information analysis identified future research priorities. Results Fifty-two trials were included in the systematic review. The evidence identified was of very low quality with unclear reporting by temporomandibular disorder subtype. When all subtypes were pooled into one global temporomandibular disorder group, there was no evidence that splints reduced pain [standardised mean difference (at up to 3 months) –0.18, 95% confidence interval –0.42 to 0.06; substantial heterogeneity] when compared with no splints or a minimal intervention. There was no evidence that other outcomes, including temporomandibular joint noises, decreased mouth-opening, and quality of life, improved when using splints. Adverse events were generally not reported, but seemed infrequent when reported. The most plausible base-case incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was uncertain and driven by the lack of clinical effectiveness evidence. The cost-effectiveness acceptability curve showed splints becoming more cost-effective at a willingness-to-pay threshold of ≈£6000, but the probability never exceeded 60% at higher levels of willingness to pay. Results were sensitive to longer-term extrapolation assumptions. A value-of-information analysis indicated that further research is required. There were no studies measuring tooth wear in patients with bruxism. One small study looked at pain and found a reduction in the splint group [mean difference (0–10 scale) –2.01, 95% CI –1.40 to –2.62; very low-quality evidence]. As there was no evidence of a difference between splints and no splints, the second objective became irrelevant. Limitations There was a large variation in the diagnostic criteria, splint types and outcome measures used and reported. Sensitivity analyses based on these limitations did not indicate a reduction in pain. Conclusions The very low-quality evidence identified did not demonstrate that splints reduced pain in temporomandibular disorders as a group of conditions. There is insufficient evidence to determine whether or not splints reduce tooth wear in patients with bruxism. There remains substantial uncertainty surrounding the most plausible incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. Future work There is a need for well-conducted trials to determine the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of splints in patients with carefully diagnosed and subtyped temporomandibular disorders, and patients with bruxism, using agreed measures of pain and tooth wear. Study registration This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42017068512. Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 24, No. 7. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.
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Nikulchev, Evgeny, Dmitry Ilin, and Alexander Gusev. "Technology Stack Selection Model for Software Design of Digital Platforms." Mathematics 9, no. 4 (February 4, 2021): 308. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/math9040308.
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The article is dedicated to the development of a mathematical model and methodology for evaluating the effectiveness of integrating information technology solutions into digital platforms using virtual simulation infrastructures. The task of selecting a stack of technologies is formulated as the task of selecting elements from sets of possible solutions. This allows us to develop a mathematically unified approach to evaluating the effectiveness of different solutions, such as choosing programming languages, choosing Database Management System (DBMS), choosing operating systems and data technologies, and choosing the frameworks used. Introduced technology compatibility operation and decomposition of the evaluation of the efficiency of the technology stack at the stages of the life cycle of the digital platform development allowed us to reduce the computational complexity of the formation of the technology stack. A methodology based on performance assessments for experimental research in a virtual software-configurable simulation environment has been proposed. The developed solution allows the evaluation of the performance of the digital platform before its final implementation, while reducing the cost of conducting an experiment to assess the characteristics of the digital platform. It is proposed to compare the characteristics of digital platform efficiency based on the use of fuzzy logic, providing the software developer with an intuitive tool to support decision-making on the inclusion of the solution in the technology stack.
Dissertations / Theses on the topic "Information technology Cost effectiveness Evaluation"
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Mathe, H. T., and der Walt M. S. Van. ""Why is information technology investment not paying off?"." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/50547.
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Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2005.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This paper discusses factors that contribute to information technology (IT) investment not paying off as might have been expected. The main purpose is to describe this IT _productivity paradox. The paper explores ideas that align organizations' business strategies and information technology as a key to achieving improved productivity. Which are possible to properly measure in terms of the financial results? The main aims and objectives are to find out why managers invest in IT; whether there is a phenomenon such as an IT productivity paradox; whether IT pays off as expected; and how IT impacts on organizations. The study will investigate options for proper management of information technology and data structures. It is necessary to ascertain whether ensuring proper IT implementation has a positive impact on productivity, leading to increased innovation and performance. The research design builds on research done on the use of IT in organizations, usmg a qualitative research method. This research paper looks at organizational issues such as IT management styles, political and ethical issues, and work settings. The paper looks at organizations across the service and manufacturing sectors to determine their production, innovation, and profits into their existing organizational processes and how technology is interpreted. A group of IT users, IT managers and analysts were used as a sample to study the way IT managers and knowledge workers encounter information technology in organizations. The research method used in this research paper is called the informant approach, to take points of entry IT users would provide. This means that the interviewee, in this case the IT user was questioned on the use of information technology tools to gather information. In this study the aim was to conduct interviews with IT users and those they work with about their experiences. The sampling population was selected on the basis that they use this technology. In the data collection method a second interview was used to gather first-hand responses from the respondents to help me consolidate the information gathered to validate and ensure that it is reliable. The validity and reliability aspect of this research paper are based on the main sources of data and interpretation and adopts coding as the main technique of analysis. The internal reliability of this research methodology concern itself with the research methods that were used within this research paper. Measures to be taken in the paper are to obtain internal reliability in systematic gathering of data. The last part of this paper presents the conclusions and recommendations for changes to be made by managers and those investing in IT. IT managers should plan strategically when dealing with sales and marketers in order to put business needs before the needs of IT or systems. Technology should fit business needs rather than the business adjusted to fit the technology. IT should not cost an organization any additional profit it generates.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Belegging in Informasietegnologie skyn nie so betalend te wees as wat aanvanklik verwag is nie. Hierdie studie beskryf bogenoemde IT produktiwiteitsparadoks, en ondersoek faktore wat daartoe bydra. Verder word planne wat ten doel stel om organisasies se besigheidsstrategie en IT te laat saamwerk ten einde produktiwiteit te verhoog, ondersoek. Is dit moontlik om hierdie te meet in terme van finansiële resultate? Ander voornemens is om te bepaal waarom bestuurders in IT belê, is dit so betalend soos aanvanklik geskat is, hoe dit die maatskappy beïnvloed en bestaan daar werklik 'n verskynsel soos die IT produktiwiteitsparadoks? Hierdie studie sal moontlikhede ondersoek vir kundige bestuur van IT en datastrukture. Dit is nodig om vas te stel of die deeglike toepassing van IT 'n positiewe uitwerking het op vernuwende denke en produktiwiteit. Die navorsingsontwerp is gebaseer op navorsing wat reeds gedoen is oor die gebruik van IT in organisasies. In hierdie navorsing word ondersoek ingestel na organisatoriese kwessies soos IT bestuursmetodes, politieke en etiese invloede en werksomstandighede. Hierdie dokument neem maatskappye regoor die diens- en vervaardingsektore in oënskou ten opsigte van hul produksie, vernuwende idees en winsmarge, hoe hierdie aspekte inpas in hul huidige organisatoriese prosesse en hoe tegnologie interpreteer word. 'n Groep van IT gebruikers, IT bestuurders en analiste is as monster geneem, ten einde die manier waarop IT bestuurders en inligtingwerkers informasietegnologie teëkom in maatskappye te bestudeer. Die navorsingsmetode wat tydens hierdie studie gebruik is, word genoem die informantbenadering, wat behels om informasie te gebruik wat deur IT gebruikers verskaf word. Dit beteken dat die IT gebruiker ondervra word oor die gebruik van IT toerusting om informasie te versamel. Die doelwit was om onderhoude met IT gebruikers te voer, asook diegene met wie hulle saamwerk, in verband met hulondervindinge. Die steekproefpopulasie is gekies op grond daarvan dat hulle IT gebruik. In die datainsamelingsmetode is 'n tweede onderhoud gehou om eerstehandse menings van die respondente te verkry, met die doel om die informasie tot dusver te bevestig as betroubaar. Die geldigheid- en betroubaarheidsaspekte van hierdie dokument is gebaseer op die hoofbronne van data en vertolking en gebruik kodering as die primêre tegniek van analise. Die intrinsieke betroubaarheid van hierdie navorsingsmetode is gebaseer op die navorsingsmetodes wat gebruik is vir hierdie studie. Stappe is geneem tydens die studie om intrinsieke betroubaarheid te verkry deur die sistematiese verkryging van data. Die laaste deel van hierdie dokument bied die gevoltrekkings aan en ook voorstelle vir veranderings wat gemaak kan word deur bestuurders en diegene wat belê in IT. IT bestuurders behoort strategies te beplan wanneer hulle in aanraking kom met handelaars, om doelgerig die benodighede van die maatskappy te stel voor die benodigdhede van die IT en gepaardgaande sisteme. Tegnologie behoort in te pas by die benodigdhede van die maatskappyeerder dat die maatskappy hoef aan te pas by die tegnologie. IT behoort nie die maatskappy meer uit die sak te jaag as wat dit aan wins genereer nie.
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Combier, Robert. "Risk-informed scenario-based technology and manufacturing evaluation of aircraft systems." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/49046.
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In the last half century, the aerospace industry has seen a dramatic paradigm shift from a focus on performance-at-any-cost to product economics and value. The steady increase in product requirements, complexity and global competition has driven aircraft manufacturers to seek broad portfolios of advanced technologies. The development costs and cycle times of these technologies vary widely, and the resulting design environment is one where decisions must be made under substantial uncertainty. Modeling and simulation have recently become the standard practice for addressing these issues; detailed simulations and explorations of candidate future states of these systems help reduce a complex design problem into a comprehensible, manageable form where decision factors are prioritized. While there are still fundamental criticisms about using modeling and simulation, the emerging challenge becomes ``How do you best configure uncertainty analyses and the information they produce to address real world problems?”
One such analysis approach was developed in this thesis by structuring the input, models, and output to answer questions about the risk and economic impact of technology decisions in future aircraft programs. Unlike other methods, this method placed emphasis on the uncertainty in the cumulative cashflow space as the integrator of economic viability. From this perspective, it then focused on exploration of the design and technology space to tailor the business case and its associated risk in the cash flow dimension. The methodology is called CASSANDRA and is intended to be executed by a program manager of a manufacturer working of the development of future concepts. The program manager has the ability to control design elements as well as the new technology allocation on that aircraft. She is also responsible for the elicitation of the uncertainty in those dimensions within control as well as the external scenarios (that are out of program control). The methodology was applied on a future single-aisle 150 passenger aircraft design.
The overall methodology is compared to existing approaches and is shown to identify more economically robust design decisions under a set of at-risk program scenarios. Additionally, a set of metrics in the uncertain cumulative cashflow space were developed to assist the methodology user in the identification, evaluation, and selection of design and technology. These metrics are compared to alternate approaches and are shown to better identify risk efficient design and technology selections.
At the modeling level, an approach is given to estimate the production quantity based on an enhanced Overall Evaluation Criterion method that captures the competitive advantage of the aircraft design. This model was needed as the assumption of production quantity is highly influential to the business case risk. Finally, the research explored the capacity to generate risk mitigation strategies in to two analysis configurations: when available data and simulation capacity are abundant, and when they are sparse or incomplete. The first configuration leverages structured filtration of Monte Carlo simulation results. The allocation of design and technology risk is then identified on the Pareto Frontier. The second configuration identifies the direction of robust risk mitigation based on the available data and limited simulation ability. It leverages a linearized approximation of the cashflow metrics and identifies the direction of allocation using the Jacobian matrix and its inversion.
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Halton, Kate Amanda. "Setting hospital infection control policy : a decision-making framework incorporating health economics and healthcare epidemiology." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2009. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/31145/1/Kate_Halton_Thesis.pdf.
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Background:
Reducing rates of healthcare acquired infection has been identified by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care as a national priority. One of the goals is the prevention of central venous catheter-related bloodstream infection (CR-BSI). At least 3,500 cases of CR-BSI occur annually in Australian hospitals, resulting in unnecessary deaths and costs to the healthcare system between $25.7 and $95.3 million. Two approaches to preventing these infections have been proposed: use of antimicrobial catheters (A-CVCs); or a catheter care and management ‘bundle’. Given finite healthcare budgets, decisions about the optimal infection control policy require consideration of the effectiveness and value for money of each approach.
Objectives:
The aim of this research is to use a rational economic framework to inform efficient infection control policy relating to the prevention of CR-BSI in the intensive care unit. It addresses three questions relating to decision-making in this area:
1. Is additional investment in activities aimed at preventing CR-BSI an efficient use of healthcare resources?
2. What is the optimal infection control strategy from amongst the two major approaches that have been proposed to prevent CR-BSI?
3. What uncertainty is there in this decision and can a research agenda to improve decision-making in this area be identified?
Methods:
A decision analytic model-based economic evaluation was undertaken to identify an efficient approach to preventing CR-BSI in Queensland Health intensive care units. A Markov model was developed in conjunction with a panel of clinical experts which described the epidemiology and prognosis of CR-BSI. The model was parameterised using data systematically identified from the published literature and extracted from routine databases. The quality of data used in the model and its validity to clinical experts and sensitivity to modelling assumptions was assessed.
Two separate economic evaluations were conducted. The first evaluation compared all commercially available A-CVCs alongside uncoated catheters to identify which was cost-effective for routine use. The uncertainty in this decision was estimated along with the value of collecting further information to inform the decision. The second evaluation compared the use of A-CVCs to a catheter care bundle. We were unable to estimate the cost of the bundle because it is unclear what the full resource requirements are for its implementation, and what the value of these would be in an Australian context. As such we undertook a threshold analysis to identify the cost and effectiveness thresholds at which a hypothetical bundle would dominate the use of A-CVCs under various clinical scenarios.
Results:
In the first evaluation of A-CVCs, the findings from the baseline analysis, in which uncertainty is not considered, show that the use of any of the four A-CVCs will result in health gains accompanied by cost-savings. The MR catheters dominate the baseline analysis generating 1.64 QALYs and cost-savings of $130,289 per 1.000 catheters. With uncertainty, and based on current information, the MR catheters remain the optimal decision and return the highest average net monetary benefits ($948 per catheter) relative to all other catheter types. This conclusion was robust to all scenarios tested, however, the probability of error in this conclusion is high, 62% in the baseline scenario.
Using a value of $40,000 per QALY, the expected value of perfect information associated with this decision is $7.3 million. An analysis of the expected value of perfect information for individual parameters suggests that it may be worthwhile for future research to focus on providing better estimates of the mortality attributable to CR-BSI and the effectiveness of both SPC and CH/SSD (int/ext) catheters.
In the second evaluation of the catheter care bundle relative to A-CVCs, the results which do not consider uncertainty indicate that a bundle must achieve a relative risk of CR-BSI of at least 0.45 to be cost-effective relative to MR catheters. If the bundle can reduce rates of infection from 2.5% to effectively zero, it is cost-effective relative to MR catheters if national implementation costs are less than $2.6 million ($56,610 per ICU). If the bundle can achieve a relative risk of 0.34 (comparable to that reported in the literature) it is cost-effective, relative to MR catheters, if costs over an 18 month period are below $613,795 nationally ($13,343 per ICU).
Once uncertainty in the decision is considered, the cost threshold for the bundle increases to $2.2 million. Therefore, if each of the 46 Level III ICUs could implement an 18 month catheter care bundle for less than $47,826 each, this approach would be cost effective relative to A-CVCs. However, the uncertainty is substantial and the probability of error in concluding that the bundle is the cost-effective approach at a cost of $2.2 million is 89%.
Conclusions:
This work highlights that infection control to prevent CR-BSI is an efficient use of healthcare resources in the Australian context. If there is no further investment in infection control, an opportunity cost is incurred, which is the potential for a more efficient healthcare system. Minocycline/rifampicin catheters are the optimal choice of antimicrobial catheter for routine use in Australian Level III ICUs, however, if a catheter care bundle implemented in Australia was as effective as those used in the large studies in the United States it would be preferred over the catheters if it was able to be implemented for less than $47,826 per Level III ICU.
Uncertainty is very high in this decision and arises from multiple sources. There are likely greater costs to this uncertainty for A-CVCs, which may carry hidden costs, than there are for a catheter care bundle, which is more likely to provide indirect benefits to clinical practice and patient safety. Research into the mortality attributable to CR-BSI, the effectiveness of SPC and CH/SSD (int/ext) catheters and the cost and effectiveness of a catheter care bundle in Australia should be prioritised to reduce uncertainty in this decision.
This thesis provides the economic evidence to inform one area of infection control, but there are many other infection control decisions for which information about the cost-effectiveness of competing interventions does not exist. This work highlights some of the challenges and benefits to generating and using economic evidence for infection control decision-making and provides support for commissioning more research into the cost-effectiveness of infection control.
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Chaya, Antoine Karim. "Empirical evidence of the relationship between IT spending, cost of operations and competitive strategy." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/28940.
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Mason, Cecily, and cecily mason@deakin edu au. "I.T. investment effectiveness in education." Swinburne University of Technology, 2001. http://adt.lib.swin.edu.au./public/adt-VSWT20051130.142153.
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Governments and school communities are heavily investing in information technology (IT) assuming that this will prepare their children for the workforce and in future life. This research aimed to establish an IT investment effectiveness model in the educational, domain easily applicable to schools in assessing whether their IT investments were effective. Literature research revealed a dearth of information on IT investment effectiveness in the area of education and it was therefore deemed necessary to implement an interpretive approach. Consequently a qualitative combined research methodology involving literature research, interviews, and a modified Delphi Survey I was undertaken. An initial starting point investigated the extensive business literature in IT effectiveness and IT investment particularly in small business, as most schools due to their size and budget can be categorised as thus. The information gleaned from the literature assisted in establishing a questionnaire for the interviews. Participants were selected from thirteen Victorian State, private and Catholic secondary schools that were perceived as expert in the area of IT. An in-depth three stage analysis of the interview data revealed twenty-four initial key issues. These key issues were then circulated to the participants who were requested to rate each issue using an interval scale. They were also asked to add or delete any issues, giving a rationale for their action. Participants underwent a two round process of highlighting and reassessing the key issues and the Delphi Survey was found to be valid as two new issues not identified from the interview process were raised. Based on their responses ten key issues were derived: the Principal, teachers, curriculum and IT planning, technical support, the students, the actual use of IT, training and personal development, the school council, budget, and the Learning Technologies Committee. These key issues revealed themselves as indicators or determinants of IT investment effectiveness exhibiting organisational or individual perspectives. The analysis of previous research, together with the current research findings enabled the development of a functional Model of IT Investment Effectiveness which can now be used by schools to assess their IT investment effectiveness. Finally the schools surveyed were utilising the best business IT practise and were treating IT as a strategic issue with their IT goals closely aligned and based upon the goals of the school.
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Khan, Gillian. "Investigating the need for costing and estimating in information technology academic programs at technikons." Thesis, Peninsula Technikon, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/1380.
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Thesis (MTech (Information Technology))--Peninsula Technikon, 2005"This study was initiated to determine whether cost estimation is a necessary skill for an Information Technology (IT) consultant. The historic poor record in the software industry for delivering software projects within budget has highlighted a need for IT students to receive adequate preparation for future experiences in the world of work especially if they were to become self-employed. The literature revealed that a variety of employability skills are required when preparing students for entrepreneurship. In IT there is a particular need for project management skills when the entrepreneur is responsible for all aspects of the software project. Cost estimation is a key function of project management.
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Makaula, Pumza. "Factors influencing IT investments in a selected University of Technology." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/2428.
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Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016.The study, using a selected University of Technology (UoT) as a case study, investigated factors influencing information technology (IT) investments in adopting new technologies in University of Technologies (UoTs). The objective is to determine the benefits of IT investments in UoTs and the impact on UoT operations. Technology is constantly advancing and impacting on organisations’ decisions and how to acquire the right technology for effective administration. IT-investment decisions require unique understanding and management by organisations to properly adapt to changing technology. The research was based on the premise that the purpose of deploying new technologies in any organisation is to reduce the costs of running the organisation and to improve operational effectiveness. This would include Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). However, at most UoTs there is a slow response to adopting new technologies, making them lag behind in the deployment of such technologies.
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Stemmer, John K. "The Perception of Effectiveness in Merged Information Services Organizations: Combining Library and Information Technology Services at Liberal Arts Institutions." Ohio : Ohio University, 2007. http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/view.cgi?ohiou1178203531.
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Abiola, James. "The impact of information and communication technology on internal control's prevention and detection of fraud." Thesis, De Montfort University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2086/9496.
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This study explores the Impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on internal control effectiveness in preventing and detecting fraud within the financial sector of a developing economy - Nigeria. Using a triangulation of questionnaire and interview techniques to investigate the internal control activities of Nigerian Internal Auditors in relation to their use of ICT in fraud prevention and detection, the study made use of cross-tabulations, correlation coefficients and one-way ANOVAs for the analysis of quantitative data, while thematic analysis was adopted for the qualitative aspects. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Omoteso et al.'s Three-Layered Model (TLM) were used to underpin the study in order to provide theoretical considerations of the issues involved. The study's findings show that Nigerian Internal Auditors are increasingly adopting IT-based tools and techniques in their internal control activities. Secondly, the use of ICT-based tools and techniques in internal control positively impacts on Internal Auditors' independence and objectivity. Also, the study's findings indicate that Internal Auditors' use of ICT-based tools and techniques has the potential of preventing electronic fraud, and such ICT-based tools and techniques are effective in detecting electronic fraud. However, continuous online auditing was found to be effective in preventing fraud, but not suited for fraud detection in financial businesses. This exploratory study sheds light on the impact of ICT usage on internal control's effectiveness and on internal auditors' independence. The study contributes to the debate on the significance of ICT adoption in accounting disciplines by identifying perceived benefits, organisational readiness, trust and external pressure as variables that could affect Internal Auditors' use of ICT. Above all, this research was able to produce a new model: the Technology Effectiveness Planning and Evaluation Model (TEPEM), for the study of ICT adoption in internal control effectiveness for prevention and detection of fraud. As a result of its planning capability for external contingencies, the model is useful for the explanation of studies involving ICT in a unique macro environment of developing economies such as Nigeria, where electricity generation is in short supply and regulatory activities unpredictable. The model proposes that technology effectiveness (in the prevention and the detection of fraud) is a function of TAM variables (such as perceived benefits, organisational readiness, trust, external pressures), contingent factors (size of organisation, set-up and maintenance cost, staff training and infrastructural readiness), and an optimal mix of human and technological capabilities
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Daniel, Gregory Wayne. "An Evaluation of a Payer-Based Electronic Health Record in an Emergency Department on Quality, Efficiency, and Cost of Care." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/195598.
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Background: Health information exchange technologies are currently being implemented in many practice settings with the promise to improve quality, efficiency, and costs of care. The benefits are likely highest in settings where entry into the healthcare system is gained; however, in no setting is the need for timely, accurate, and pertinent information more critical than in the emergency department (ED). This study evaluated the use of a payer-based electronic health record (EHR) in an ED on quality, efficiency, and costs of care among a commercially insured population.Methods: Data came from a large health plan and the ED of a large urban ED. Visits with the use of a payer-based EHR were identified from claims between 9/1/05 and 2/17/06. A historical comparison sample of visits was identified from 11/1/04 to 3/31/05. Outcomes included return visits, ED duration, use of laboratory and diagnostic imaging, total costs during and in the four weeks after, and prescription drug utilization.Results: A total of 2,288 ED visits were analyzed (779 EHR visits and 1,509 comparison visits). Discharged visits were associated with an 18 minute shorter duration (95% CI: 5-33); whereas, the EHR among admitted visits was associated with a 77 minute reduction (95% CI: 28-126). The EHR was also associated with $1,560 (95% CI: $43-$2,910) savings in total plan paid for the visit among admitted visits. No significant differences were observed on return visits, laboratory or diagnostic imaging services and total costs over the four week follow-up. Exploratory analyses suggested that the EHR may be associated with a reduction in the number of prescription drugs used among chronic medication users.Conclusion: The EHR studied was associated with a significant reduction in ED duration. Technologies that can reduce ED lengths of stay can have a substantial impact on the care provided to patients and their satisfaction. The data suggests that the EHR may be associated with lower health plan paid amounts among admitted visits and a reduction in the number of pharmacy claims after the visit among chronic users of prescription drugs. Additional research should be conducted to confirm these findings.
Books on the topic "Information technology Cost effectiveness Evaluation"
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Wright, Ellen V. Federal information technology. New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2009.
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1941-, Money Arthur H., and Sherwood-Smith Michael, eds. The effective measurement and management of IT costs and benefits. 2nd ed. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2000.
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1941-, Money Arthur H., Twite Alan 1948-, and Remenyi D. 1944-, eds. The effective measurement and management of IT costs and benefits. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1995.
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W, Land F., and Targett David, eds. How to assess your IT investment: A study of methods and practice. Oxford: Boston, 1993.
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Read, Tony. The IT value network: From IT investment to stakeholder value. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons, 2009.
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1941-, Money Arthur H., Bannister Frank, and Remenyi D. 1944-, eds. The effective measurement and management of ICT costs and benefits. 3rd ed. Oxford: CIMA, 2007.
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Planning and implementing IT portfolio management: Maximizing the return on information technology investments. Gaithersburg, Md: IT Economics Corp., 2005.
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Canada, Canada Industry. IM/IT investment evaluation guide. Ottawa: Treasury Board, 1998.
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Masterson, Naomi. An evaluation of the impact of cross functional relationships on the business value derived from IT. Dublin: University College Dublin, Graduate School of Business, 1998.
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Board, Canada Treasury. IM/IT investment evaluation guide =: Guide d'évaluation des investissements en GI/TI. Ottawa, Ont: Treasury Board of Canada = Conseil du trésor du Canada, 1998.
Find full textBook chapters on the topic "Information technology Cost effectiveness Evaluation"
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Herasevich, Vitaly, and Brian Pickering. "Cost Evaluation." In Health Information Technology Evaluation Handbook, 101–16. 2nd ed. New York: Productivity Press, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003042969-7.
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Herasevich, Vitaly, and Brian Pickering. "Efficacy and Effectiveness Evaluation." In Health Information Technology Evaluation Handbook, 117–29. 2nd ed. New York: Productivity Press, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003042969-8.
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Edlin, Richard, Christopher McCabe, Claire Hulme, Peter Hall, and Judy Wright. "Economic Evaluation, Cost Effectiveness Analysis and Health Care Resource Allocation." In Cost Effectiveness Modelling for Health Technology Assessment, 1–13. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15744-3_1.
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Edlin, Richard, Christopher McCabe, Claire Hulme, Peter Hall, and Judy Wright. "Value of Information in Health Technology Regulation and Reimbursement." In Cost Effectiveness Modelling for Health Technology Assessment, 199–208. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15744-3_13.
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Edlin, Richard, Christopher McCabe, Claire Hulme, Peter Hall, and Judy Wright. "Investing in Health Care, Research and the Value of Information." In Cost Effectiveness Modelling for Health Technology Assessment, 177–98. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15744-3_12.
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Carrara, Paolo, Davide Russo, and Anna Rita Bennato. "Market Complexity Evaluation to Enhance the Effectiveness of TRIZ Outputs." In IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, 66–74. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02456-7_6.
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Tiwari, Abhinav, Nisha Wadhawan, and Neeraj Kumar. "A New Markov Chain Based Cost Evaluation Metric for Routing in MANETs." In Information Technology and Mobile Communication, 259–62. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2011. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-20573-6_42.
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Birch, Stephen, and Amiram Gafni. "Cost-Effectiveness and Cost Utility Analyses: Methods for the Non-Economic Evaluation of Health Care Programmes and How We Can Do Better." In Management of Medical Technology, 51–67. Boston, MA: Springer US, 1996. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-1415-8_4.
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Reuter, Christina, Jan-Philipp Prote, and Torben Schmitz. "Cost Modelling Approach for the Source Specific Evaluation of Alternative Manufacturing Networks." In IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, 615–23. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2016. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51133-7_73.
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Abramov, Oleg Y., Alexander V. Medvedev, and Vladimir Y. Rychagov. "Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Modern TRIZ Based on Practical Results in New Product Development." In IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, 36–44. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32497-1_4.
Full textConference papers on the topic "Information technology Cost effectiveness Evaluation"
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Cheng, Jian, Lijuan Wang, Guohui Jia, and Qian Liu. "Research on Effectiveness Evaluation Model of Intrusion Detection System based on Cost and Performance." In 2020 IEEE 9th Joint International Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence Conference (ITAIC). IEEE, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/itaic49862.2020.9338872.
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NashikIndia, R. "Evaluation of cost effectiveness of renewable energy system considering carbon trading under clean development mechanism." In IET-UK International Conference on Information and Communication Technology in Electrical Sciences (ICTES 2007). IEE, 2007. http://dx.doi.org/10.1049/ic:20070622.
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Germani, Michele, Maura Mengoni, and Margherita Peruzzini. "Metrics-Based Approach for VR Technology Evaluation in Styling Product Design." In ASME 2009 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference. ASMEDC, 2009. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/detc2009-86228.
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In recent years, the interest of small and medium sized enterprises towards Virtual Reality (VR) systems is strongly increased thanks both to the improvement of VR tools effectiveness and to the cost reduction of technologies implementation. Due to the growing number of installed systems, many SMEs (Small Manufacturing Enterprises) companies require robust methods for evaluating technology performance. In this context, the present paper presents a metrics-based approach in order to analyze the VR system performance. It is specifically dedicated to the design review process during styling product design. The evaluation parameters are related to the effective communication and preservation of design intent. Metrics are classified in two main classes. The first one is related to the product, the process and the characteristics of VR technology. The second one is related to the design intent meanings preservation along the design process. Two experimental case studies are reported in order to test the approach in different operative fields.
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Tavakkoli, Fatemeh, Siavash Ebrahimi, Xiaogang Sun, Yan Cui, and Ali Heydari. "Design Analysis and Performance Evaluation of a Data Center With Indirect Evaporative Cooling." In ASME 2017 International Technical Conference and Exhibition on Packaging and Integration of Electronic and Photonic Microsystems collocated with the ASME 2017 Conference on Information Storage and Processing Systems. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/ipack2017-74295.
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With the rapid growth of data centers worldwide and the global shift towards energy sustainability, deploying new cooling technologies has an utmost importance. Conventional cooling systems such as chilled water system, usually have high capital costs and relatively low energy efficiency, leading to a high PUE and TCO values. Indirect evaporative cooling is a promising technology, which offers air cooling with high efficiency, hygiene air quality, and lower total cost. This paper details the design of a proof-of-concept data center with indirect evaporative cooling, which will be eventually deployed at megawatt-scale Baidu datacenters. BIN data analysis and CFD simulation are performed to optimize the physical design and operating conditions. CFD analysis of the data center room is established to optimize rack placement, air flow management, and cold aisle hot aisle configuration. A comprehensive TCO analysis is established, which shows a total savings of 9% using IDEC technology compared to chilled water system for cooling. In addition, TCO analysis indicates small to negligible effect of air supply temperature. Hence, air supply to the cold aisle is set to 27 °C to improve cooling performance. Finally, ROI sensitivity analysis is performed to measure the sensitivity of ROI on power usage effectiveness of the IDEC unit.
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Fosu, Agyei. "Technology versus Quality Education in an Underdeveloped Region: A Case Study of UNISA Students in Former Ciskei Homeland in Eastern Cape." In InSITE 2017: Informing Science + IT Education Conferences: Vietnam. Informing Science Institute, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.28945/3780.
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Aim/Purpose: This paper seeks to show how University of South Africa (UNISA) is using technology to connect lecturers, tutors and students of [UNISA] in an underdeveloped region in South Africa (SA) to reduce cost and time of travelling to access information, tutorials and help [available] in designated centers, hence making quality and higher education more accessible and less costly. Background: This empirical study gives evidence to back the effectiveness, helpfulness and cost reduction of using technology as a medium of making quality and higher education accessible to under developed regions. Methodology Quantitative and purposeful sampling was deemed appropriate for the study, whereby 200 questionnaires was developed and specifically distributed to UNISA students from former Ciskei towns at East London Tutorial Center. Contribution: The paper is about the usage of mobile technology for knowledge creation and dissemination, instruction and learning, The data generated and presented add to the knowledge base about underdeveloped countries. This data and the conclusions reached based the analysis could be of interest to researchers, university administrators, politicians, planners and policy makers in underdeveloped countries. Findings: Evaluation of the overall effectiveness, helpfulness and cost reduction of e-tutorials show a slight advantage over the face-face tutorials. Recommendations for Practitioners: In the quest for ways and means of making quality and higher education accessible to underdeveloped regions, no matter which medium is chosen, the periodic measurement of success in terms of effectiveness, helpfulness, and cost implication in relation to the learner cannot be over looked. Recommendation for Researchers: More work needs to be done to check the effectiveness of technology as an efficient medium to provide access to quality and higher education to underdeveloped regional economies. Impact on Society The results could have significant implications for raising the level of education and advancing employment equity by improving the delivery and accessibility to quality and higher education to underdeveloped regional economies. Future Research: The analysis of cost efficiency and effectiveness done in this work is just representative of one point of view: the student one of accessibility and cost. There is, however, need in future work to research the implications for the institutions of higher education (in terms teaching design, curriculum design, knowledge of individual learning types, need for change in and rate of change in knowledge view, learning philosophies), individual stakeholders, and the competitive repositioning of society.
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Sreedharan, Priya, and David Miller. "Smart Grid in California: The Value of Energy Storage and Permanent Load Shifting." In ASME 2011 5th International Conference on Energy Sustainability. ASMEDC, 2011. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/es2011-54849.
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Smart grid has become linked with topics of energy efficiency, renewables integration and climate policy. A smarter grid is one that utilizes communications and information systems to achieve more flexible grid operations. Energy storage and more broadly, load shifting, is one mechanism for achieving flexible grid operations. Unlike demand response, permanent load shifting moves energy on a regular basis, from peak to off-peak. Technologies that can deliver load shifting include thermal storage, electrical and mechanical storage and process shifting. This paper highlights findings from a recent study, mandated by a California Public Utilities Commission order, of permanent load shifting (PLS) opportunities located at customer sites in California. We developed a cost-effectiveness framework to estimate the costs and benefits of PLS technologies, demonstrated the framework with an analysis of PLS systems, and evaluated the market for PLS, including an assessment of challenges to expanding PLS. The cost-effectiveness analysis included a technology-neutral scenario analysis and an evaluation of technology-specific cases. Grid-level benefits of load shifting range from approximately $500–$2500/peak kW. Among the case studies, some approaches, such as refrigerated warehouse precooling, are cost-effective for both the utility and the consumer, while others, such as flow batteries, are not yet cost-effective and can be viewed as emerging technologies. Due to the wide range of technology costs and performance, these results are unsurprising. Still, PLS technologies can be one tool that can help set the stage for integrating large amounts of renewables in the future, a road California is paving.
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Regazzoni, Daniele, Andrea Vitali, Caterina Rizzi, and Giorgio Colombo. "A Method to Analyse Generic Human Motion With Low-Cost Mocap Technologies." In ASME 2018 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/detc2018-86197.
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A number of pathologies impact on the way a patient can either move or control the movements of the body. Traumas, articulation arthritis or generic orthopedic disease affect the way a person can walk or perform everyday movements; brain or spine issues can lead to a complete or partial impairment, affecting both muscular response and sensitivity. Each of these disorder shares the need of assessing patient’s condition while doing specific tests and exercises or accomplishing everyday life tasks. Moreover, also high-level sport activity may be worth using digital tools to acquire physical performances to be improved. The assessment can be done for several purpose, such as creating a custom physical rehabilitation plan, monitoring improvements or worsening over time, correcting wrong postures or bad habits and, in the sportive domain to optimize effectiveness of gestures or related energy consumption. The paper shows the use of low-cost motion capture techniques to acquire human motion, the transfer of motion data to a digital human model and the extraction of desired information according to each specific medical or sportive purpose. We adopted the well-known and widespread Mocap technology implemented by Microsoft Kinect devices and we used iPisoft tools to perform acquisition and the preliminary data elaboration on the virtual skeleton of the patient. The focus of the paper is on the working method that can be generalized to be adopted in any medical, rehabilitative or sportive condition in which the analysis of the motion is crucial. The acquisition scene can be optimized in terms of size and shape of the working volume and in the number and positioning of sensors. However, the most important and decisive phase consist in the knowledge acquisition and management. For each application and even for each single exercise or tasks a set of evaluation rules and thresholds must be extracted from literature or, more often, directly form experienced personnel. This operation is generally time consuming and require further iterations to be refined, but it is the core to generate an effective metric and to correctly assess patients and athletes performances. Once rules are defined, proper algorithms are defined and implemented to automatically extract only the relevant data in specific time frames to calculate performance indexes. At last, a report is generated according to final user requests and skills.
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Sun, Bo, Huafeng Ni, Zhongyuan Shi, Kecai Guo, Mingyu Lu, Yongdi Zhang, Haikun Ding, and John Zhou. "Defining Geologic Structure Encountered in Horizontal Well and Its Impact on Petrophysical Evaluation." In 2022 SPWLA 63rd Annual Symposium. Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.30632/spwla-2022-0076.
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In horizontal wells, the traditional formation evaluation can be effectively carried out only after the geometric relationship between the well trajectory and the target reservoir is correctly interpreted. With the omnipresence of horizontal wells nowadays, a priority in petrophysical uncertainty evaluation is to control the spatial uncertainty between the well path and the target formation. Because of the cost and technology access constraints, the set of logs in a typical horizontal well alone may not be adequate in fully defining the geometry. Consequently, constraints from the offset/pilot well logs, seismic images, and other geologic information are utilized to achieve an integrated geometric understanding. Through the analysis of a set of horizontal wells with extensive suite of LWD logs in a pilot study, this paper discusses the workflow to determine the geologic structure and fluid contact around the wellbore under complex geologic environment. The project evaluates the effectiveness of various combinations of LWD measurements to understand the role of geologic constraints in place of additional measurements. The investigation starts with the commonly applied log-correlation between neighboring wells, progresses to the inclusion of images for the geometric relationship between the well and bedding， and the addition of the advanced boundary-detection curtain sections around the wellbore to quantify the reservoir thickness and continuity wherever feasible. The lateral variation observed in horizontal wells improves our understanding of the reservoir extension and spatial variation. Modeling and inversion of logging tool responses and the understanding of the underlying response characteristics in various geologic environments also enable us to correct the environmental effects on some measurements to minimize the uncertainty in reserves computation and to understand the continuity of the fluid barrier. Field examples are presented with the focus on accounting for the complexity of the reservoir. In particular, the reality of gradual change in the saturation and/or shalyness does not fit nicely with the distance-to-boundary or DTB inversion model of step-variation in resistivity. In this pilot study, the service company provided a complete set of azimuth propagation resistivity logs for boundary-detection purpose. Therefore, the contribution of information content to the petrophysical evaluation by using various types of data is experimented. The project tells that the petrophysical evaluation must consider the spatial location of the wellbore inside the reservoir. The study provides workflow and examples to guide the interpretation sequence not commonly practiced otherwise.
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Nejad, Amir M., Stanislav Sheludko, Robert F. Shelley, Trey Hodgson, and Riley McFall. "A Case History: Evaluating Well Completions in the Eagle Ford Shale Using a Data-Driven Approach." In SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference. SPE, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/spe-173336-ms.
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AbstractUnconventional shale resources are key hydrocarbon sources, gaining importance and popularity as hydrocarbon reservoirs both in the United States and internationally. Horizontal wellbores and multiple transverse hydraulic fracturing are instrumental factors for economical production from shale assets. Hydraulic fracturing typically represents a major component of total well completion costs, and many efforts have been made to study and investigate different strategies to improve well production and reduce costs. The focus of this paper is completion effectiveness evaluation in different parts of the Eagle Ford Shale Formation, and our objective is to identify appropriate completion strategies in the field.A data-driven neural network model is trained on the database comprised of multiple operators' well data. In this model, drilling and mud data are used as indicators for geology and reservoir-related parameters such as pressure, fluid saturation and permeability. Additionally, completion- and fracture-related parameters are also used as model inputs. Because wells are pressure managed differently, normalized oil and gas production is used as a model output. Thousands of neural networks are trained using genetic algorithm in order to fully evaluate hidden correlations within the database. This results in selection of a neural network that is able to understand reservoir, completion and frac differences between wells and identify how to improve future completion/stimulation designs.The final neural network model is successfully developed and tested on two separate data sets located in different parts of the Eagle Ford Shale oil window. Further, an additional test data set comprised of eight wells from a third field location is used to validate the predictive usefulness of the data-driven model. Under-producing wells were also identified by the model and new fracture designs were recommended to improve well productivity.This paper will be useful for understanding the effects of completion and fracture treatment designs on well productivity in the Eagle Ford. This information will help operators select more effective treatment designs, which can reduce operational costs associated with completion/fracturing and can improve oil and gas production.
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Eddy, Douglas, Justin Calderara, Mark Price, Sundar Krishnamurty, and Ian Grosse. "Approach Towards a Decision Support System for Additive Manufacturing." In ASME 2016 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2016. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/detc2016-60507.
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Advancements in the capabilities of additive manufacturing (AM) have increased its usage as an appropriate manufacturing process, particularly when the number of parts in an assembly can be significantly reduced, production volumes are low, or geometric complexity is difficult, if not impossible, to obtain through conventional subtractive processes. However, there are many reasons why it is best to not design a given part based on AM technology. The choice of conventional versus AM manufacturing must occur as early as possible in the design process as this choice can substantially affect how the product is designed. Making the wrong decision will lead to wasted design time, increased time to market the product, a functionally inferior design, and/or a costlier product. To address this critical manufacturing decision, we introduce a usable template and a decision making method for manufacturing process selection which is integrated early into the design process (DS-SAM). This work can serve as the logical foundation for a potential holistic and more mathematically rigorous formulation toward a decision making method that could infer design evaluations based on designer inputs. This approach improves early design efficiency and effectiveness by methodically focusing on the key design process elements to optimally compare alternatives earlier in a design process. The benefits and potential cost savings of using the DS-SAM approach are demonstrated by a pair of case studies, and the results are discussed.
Reports on the topic "Information technology Cost effectiveness Evaluation"
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El-Rayes, Khaled, and Ernest-John Ignacio. Evaluating the Benefits of Implementing Mobile Road Weather Information Sensors. Illinois Center for Transportation, February 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.36501/0197-9191/22-004.
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State departments of transportation (DOTs) have traditionally utilized fixed road weather information sensors (RWIS) to improve road safety during inclement weather; enhance the management of labor, equipment, and materials for winter road maintenance; and reduce adverse environmental impacts from road maintenance activities. Despite the benefits of these fixed RWIS sites, their coverage and effectiveness are limited because of their stationary locations. To overcome these limitations, recent advances in mobile road weather information sensing technology and cellular communications have enabled the development of mobile RWIS that can be deployed on vehicles to expand the limited coverage of fixed RWIS networks. Combining mobile RWIS, fixed RWIS networks, automatic vehicle location, and maintenance decision support systems (MDSS) provide DOTs with accurate georeferenced road and weather information that can be used by DOTs to optimize winter road maintenance operations and deicer applications. This report presents the findings of a research project funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation to investigate the effectiveness of mobile RWIS and MDSS in improving winter maintenance operations. This project had the following three objectives. First, conduct a literature review to gather and analyze current practices and latest research studies on mobile RWIS and their use for collecting real-time winter roadway conditions to optimize winter maintenance operations. Second, perform interviews with other state DOTs to gather and analyze their experiences and best management practices for the deployment and use of mobile RWIS and MDSS. Third, develop recommendations for a pilot study to evaluate the deployment and performance of mobile RWIS and MDSS in order to determine their effectiveness, implementation requirements, software/technology needs, operational challenges, and life-cycle costs.
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Rankin, Nicole, Deborah McGregor, Candice Donnelly, Bethany Van Dort, Richard De Abreu Lourenco, Anne Cust, and Emily Stone. Lung cancer screening using low-dose computed tomography for high risk populations: Investigating effectiveness and screening program implementation considerations: An Evidence Check rapid review brokered by the Sax Institute (www.saxinstitute.org.au) for the Cancer Institute NSW. The Sax Institute, October 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.57022/clzt5093.
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Background Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer death worldwide.(1) It is the fifth most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia (12,741 cases diagnosed in 2018) and the leading cause of cancer death.(2) The number of years of potential life lost to lung cancer in Australia is estimated to be 58,450, similar to that of colorectal and breast cancer combined.(3) While tobacco control strategies are most effective for disease prevention in the general population, early detection via low dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening in high-risk populations is a viable option for detecting asymptomatic disease in current (13%) and former (24%) Australian smokers.(4) The purpose of this Evidence Check review is to identify and analyse existing and emerging evidence for LDCT lung cancer screening in high-risk individuals to guide future program and policy planning. Evidence Check questions This review aimed to address the following questions: 1. What is the evidence for the effectiveness of lung cancer screening for higher-risk individuals? 2. What is the evidence of potential harms from lung cancer screening for higher-risk individuals? 3. What are the main components of recent major lung cancer screening programs or trials? 4. What is the cost-effectiveness of lung cancer screening programs (include studies of cost–utility)? Summary of methods The authors searched the peer-reviewed literature across three databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Embase) for existing systematic reviews and original studies published between 1 January 2009 and 8 August 2019. Fifteen systematic reviews (of which 8 were contemporary) and 64 original publications met the inclusion criteria set across the four questions. Key findings Question 1: What is the evidence for the effectiveness of lung cancer screening for higher-risk individuals? There is sufficient evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses of combined (pooled) data from screening trials (of high-risk individuals) to indicate that LDCT examination is clinically effective in reducing lung cancer mortality. In 2011, the landmark National Lung Cancer Screening Trial (NLST, a large-scale randomised controlled trial [RCT] conducted in the US) reported a 20% (95% CI 6.8% – 26.7%; P=0.004) relative reduction in mortality among long-term heavy smokers over three rounds of annual screening. High-risk eligibility criteria was defined as people aged 55–74 years with a smoking history of ≥30 pack-years (years in which a smoker has consumed 20-plus cigarettes each day) and, for former smokers, ≥30 pack-years and have quit within the past 15 years.(5) All-cause mortality was reduced by 6.7% (95% CI, 1.2% – 13.6%; P=0.02). Initial data from the second landmark RCT, the NEderlands-Leuvens Longkanker Screenings ONderzoek (known as the NELSON trial), have found an even greater reduction of 26% (95% CI, 9% – 41%) in lung cancer mortality, with full trial results yet to be published.(6, 7) Pooled analyses, including several smaller-scale European LDCT screening trials insufficiently powered in their own right, collectively demonstrate a statistically significant reduction in lung cancer mortality (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.73–0.91).(8) Despite the reduction in all-cause mortality found in the NLST, pooled analyses of seven trials found no statistically significant difference in all-cause mortality (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.90–1.00).(8) However, cancer-specific mortality is currently the most relevant outcome in cancer screening trials. These seven trials demonstrated a significantly greater proportion of early stage cancers in LDCT groups compared with controls (RR 2.08, 95% CI 1.43–3.03). Thus, when considering results across mortality outcomes and early stage cancers diagnosed, LDCT screening is considered to be clinically effective. Question 2: What is the evidence of potential harms from lung cancer screening for higher-risk individuals? The harms of LDCT lung cancer screening include false positive tests and the consequences of unnecessary invasive follow-up procedures for conditions that are eventually diagnosed as benign. While LDCT screening leads to an increased frequency of invasive procedures, it does not result in greater mortality soon after an invasive procedure (in trial settings when compared with the control arm).(8) Overdiagnosis, exposure to radiation, psychological distress and an impact on quality of life are other known harms. Systematic review evidence indicates the benefits of LDCT screening are likely to outweigh the harms. The potential harms are likely to be reduced as refinements are made to LDCT screening protocols through: i) the application of risk predication models (e.g. the PLCOm2012), which enable a more accurate selection of the high-risk population through the use of specific criteria (beyond age and smoking history); ii) the use of nodule management algorithms (e.g. Lung-RADS, PanCan), which assist in the diagnostic evaluation of screen-detected nodules and cancers (e.g. more precise volumetric assessment of nodules); and, iii) more judicious selection of patients for invasive procedures. Recent evidence suggests a positive LDCT result may transiently increase psychological distress but does not have long-term adverse effects on psychological distress or health-related quality of life (HRQoL). With regards to smoking cessation, there is no evidence to suggest screening participation invokes a false sense of assurance in smokers, nor a reduction in motivation to quit. The NELSON and Danish trials found no difference in smoking cessation rates between LDCT screening and control groups. Higher net cessation rates, compared with general population, suggest those who participate in screening trials may already be motivated to quit. Question 3: What are the main components of recent major lung cancer screening programs or trials? There are no systematic reviews that capture the main components of recent major lung cancer screening trials and programs. We extracted evidence from original studies and clinical guidance documents and organised this into key groups to form a concise set of components for potential implementation of a national lung cancer screening program in Australia: 1. Identifying the high-risk population: recruitment, eligibility, selection and referral 2. Educating the public, people at high risk and healthcare providers; this includes creating awareness of lung cancer, the benefits and harms of LDCT screening, and shared decision-making 3. Components necessary for health services to deliver a screening program: a. Planning phase: e.g. human resources to coordinate the program, electronic data systems that integrate medical records information and link to an established national registry b. Implementation phase: e.g. human and technological resources required to conduct LDCT examinations, interpretation of reports and communication of results to participants c. Monitoring and evaluation phase: e.g. monitoring outcomes across patients, radiological reporting, compliance with established standards and a quality assurance program 4. Data reporting and research, e.g. audit and feedback to multidisciplinary teams, reporting outcomes to enhance international research into LDCT screening 5. Incorporation of smoking cessation interventions, e.g. specific programs designed for LDCT screening or referral to existing community or hospital-based services that deliver cessation interventions. Most original studies are single-institution evaluations that contain descriptive data about the processes required to establish and implement a high-risk population-based screening program. Across all studies there is a consistent message as to the challenges and complexities of establishing LDCT screening programs to attract people at high risk who will receive the greatest benefits from participation. With regards to smoking cessation, evidence from one systematic review indicates the optimal strategy for incorporating smoking cessation interventions into a LDCT screening program is unclear. There is widespread agreement that LDCT screening attendance presents a ‘teachable moment’ for cessation advice, especially among those people who receive a positive scan result. Smoking cessation is an area of significant research investment; for instance, eight US-based clinical trials are now underway that aim to address how best to design and deliver cessation programs within large-scale LDCT screening programs.(9) Question 4: What is the cost-effectiveness of lung cancer screening programs (include studies of cost–utility)? Assessing the value or cost-effectiveness of LDCT screening involves a complex interplay of factors including data on effectiveness and costs, and institutional context. A key input is data about the effectiveness of potential and current screening programs with respect to case detection, and the likely outcomes of treating those cases sooner (in the presence of LDCT screening) as opposed to later (in the absence of LDCT screening). Evidence about the cost-effectiveness of LDCT screening programs has been summarised in two systematic reviews. We identified a further 13 studies—five modelling studies, one discrete choice experiment and seven articles—that used a variety of methods to assess cost-effectiveness. Three modelling studies indicated LDCT screening was cost-effective in the settings of the US and Europe. Two studies—one from Australia and one from New Zealand—reported LDCT screening would not be cost-effective using NLST-like protocols. We anticipate that, following the full publication of the NELSON trial, cost-effectiveness studies will likely be updated with new data that reduce uncertainty about factors that influence modelling outcomes, including the findings of indeterminate nodules. Gaps in the evidence There is a large and accessible body of evidence as to the effectiveness (Q1) and harms (Q2) of LDCT screening for lung cancer. Nevertheless, there are significant gaps in the evidence about the program components that are required to implement an effective LDCT screening program (Q3). Questions about LDCT screening acceptability and feasibility were not explicitly included in the scope. However, as the evidence is based primarily on US programs and UK pilot studies, the relevance to the local setting requires careful consideration. The Queensland Lung Cancer Screening Study provides feasibility data about clinical aspects of LDCT screening but little about program design. The International Lung Screening Trial is still in the recruitment phase and findings are not yet available for inclusion in this Evidence Check. The Australian Population Based Screening Framework was developed to “inform decision-makers on the key issues to be considered when assessing potential screening programs in Australia”.(10) As the Framework is specific to population-based, rather than high-risk, screening programs, there is a lack of clarity about transferability of criteria. However, the Framework criteria do stipulate that a screening program must be acceptable to “important subgroups such as target participants who are from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from disadvantaged groups and people with a disability”.(10) An extensive search of the literature highlighted that there is very little information about the acceptability of LDCT screening to these population groups in Australia. Yet they are part of the high-risk population.(10) There are also considerable gaps in the evidence about the cost-effectiveness of LDCT screening in different settings, including Australia. The evidence base in this area is rapidly evolving and is likely to include new data from the NELSON trial and incorporate data about the costs of targeted- and immuno-therapies as these treatments become more widely available in Australia.
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Fitch, Dillon, Zeyu Gao, Lucy Noble, and Terry Mac. Examining the Effects of a Bike and E-Bike Lending Program on Commuting Behavior. Mineta Transportation Institute, March 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.31979/mti.2022.2051.
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In 2015, Google added a new transportation demand management (TDM) program to increase bike commuting to their two main campuses in Mountain View and Sunnyvale, California. An initial survey of employees indicated that bike ownership and worry about maintenance were primary bicycling barriers. With this information, Google began a program that loaned high-quality electric-assisted and conventional bicycles for a period of six months at no cost to interested employees. This research evaluates the effectiveness of the program at changing travel behavior to the corporate campuses by using self-reported and smartphone-integrated travel data. The lending program at Google represents one of, if not the largest, employer-sponsored bike and e-bike lending program in North America with over 1,000 bikes in its inventory. Thus, the evaluation of this program is a critical first step for understanding how bike lending can influence travel behavior in North American suburban contexts.
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Nechypurenko, Pavlo P., and Vladimir N. Soloviev. Using ICT as the Tools of Forming the Senior Pupils’ Research Competencies in the Profile Chemistry Learning of Elective Course “Basics of Quantitative Chemical Analysis”. [б. в.], November 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.31812/123456789/2659.
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Aims of the study: to substantiate possibilities of the research competencies formation among senior pupils in terms of profile Chemistry learning by means of practical using information and communication technology while accomplishing an elective course “Basics of quantitative chemical analysis”. This research considers the influence of various ICT tools on the formation of individual study and research competencies, in particular the system components of the research competencies among senior pupils in terms of profile Chemistry learning and the methods of their practical applying while accomplishing an elective course “Basics of quantitative chemical analysis”. Object of the study: ICT tools for Chemistry learning. Subject of the study: ICT tools of research competencies formation among senior pupils in terms of profile Chemistry learning. Methods of the study: reviewing and analyzing scientific publications, expert evaluation, summarizing pedagogical experience. Results of the study: the system of research competencies formation among senior pupils is effectively provided by the correct selection of ICT tools and conditions of their applying for the certain research competence formation, which embodies system components. Our research confirms the idea that the most ICT tools are to be leading in the development of research competencies among senior pupils in profile Chemistry learning. They are successfully tested by means of their applying in the process of studying the elective course “Basics of Quantitative Chemical Analysis”. They show the high effectiveness. Our study confirms that virtual chemical laboratories are the most universal and influential tools of forming the research competencies among senior pupils in profile Chemistry learning.
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Gur, Amit, Edward Buckler, Joseph Burger, Yaakov Tadmor, and Iftach Klapp. Characterization of genetic variation and yield heterosis in Cucumis melo. United States Department of Agriculture, January 2016. http://dx.doi.org/10.32747/2016.7600047.bard.
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Project objectives: 1) Characterization of variation for yield heterosis in melon using Half-Diallele (HDA) design. 2) Development and implementation of image-based yield phenotyping in melon. 3) Characterization of genetic, epigenetic and transcriptional variation across 25 founder lines and selected hybrids. The epigentic part of this objective was modified during the course of the project: instead of characterization of chromatin structure in a single melon line through genome-wide mapping of nucleosomes using MNase-seq approach, we took advantage of rapid advancements in single-molecule sequencing and shifted the focus to Nanoporelong-read sequencing of all 25 founder lines. This analysis provides invaluable information on genome-wide structural variation across our diversity 4) Integrated analyses and development of prediction models Agricultural heterosis relates to hybrids that outperform their inbred parents for yield. First generation (F1) hybrids are produced in many crop species and it is estimated that heterosis increases yield by 15-30% globally. Melon (Cucumismelo) is an economically important species of The Cucurbitaceae family and is among the most important fleshy fruits for fresh consumption Worldwide. The major goal of this project was to explore the patterns and magnitude of yield heterosis in melon and link it to whole genome sequence variation. A core subset of 25 diverse lines was selected from the Newe-Yaar melon diversity panel for whole-genome re-sequencing (WGS) and test-crosses, to produce structured half-diallele design of 300 F1 hybrids (MelHDA25). Yield variation was measured in replicated yield trials at the whole-plant and at the rootstock levels (through a common-scion grafted experiments), across the F1s and parental lines. As part of this project we also developed an algorithmic pipeline for detection and yield estimation of melons from aerial-images, towards future implementation of such high throughput, cost-effective method for remote yield evaluation in open-field melons. We found extensive, highly heritable root-derived yield variation across the diallele population that was characterized by prominent best-parent heterosis (BPH), where hybrids rootstocks outperformed their parents by 38% and 56 % under optimal irrigation and drought- stress, respectively. Through integration of the genotypic data (~4,000,000 SNPs) and yield analyses we show that root-derived hybrids yield is independent of parental genetic distance. However, we mapped novel root-derived yield QTLs through genome-wide association (GWA) analysis and a multi-QTLs model explained more than 45% of the hybrids yield variation, providing a potential route for marker-assisted hybrid rootstock breeding. Four selected hybrid rootstocks are further studied under multiple scion varieties and their validated positive effect on yield performance is now leading to ongoing evaluation of their commercial potential. On the genomic level, this project resulted in 3 layers of data: 1) whole-genome short-read Illumina sequencing (30X) of the 25 founder lines provided us with 25 genome alignments and high-density melon HapMap that is already shown to be an effective resource for QTL annotation and candidate gene analysis in melon. 2) fast advancements in long-read single-molecule sequencing allowed us to shift focus towards this technology and generate ~50X Nanoporesequencing of the 25 founders which in combination with the short-read data now enable de novo assembly of the 25 genomes that will soon lead to construction of the first melon pan-genome. 3) Transcriptomic (3' RNA-Seq) analysis of several selected hybrids and their parents provide preliminary information on differentially expressed genes that can be further used to explain the root-derived yield variation. Taken together, this project expanded our view on yield heterosis in melon with novel specific insights on root-derived yield heterosis. To our knowledge, thus far this is the largest systematic genetic analysis of rootstock effects on yield heterosis in cucurbits or any other crop plant, and our results are now translated into potential breeding applications. The genomic resources that were developed as part of this project are putting melon in the forefront of genomic research and will continue to be useful tool for the cucurbits community in years to come.
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Kenya update: FRONTIERS adolescent reproductive health project. Population Council, 2001. http://dx.doi.org/10.31899/rh2001.1022.
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The Kenya Adolescent Reproductive Health Project (KARHP) was launched in October 1999 in Busia and Vihiga districts as a three-year operations research study to determine the feasibility, cost, and effectiveness of implementing systematic interventions that address the reproductive health (RH) needs of adolescents aged 10–19 years. This USAID-funded project is part of the Population Council’s Frontiers in Reproductive Health Program’s global operations research. PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health) is implementing the project, in collaboration with the Ministries of Health, Education, and Home Affairs, Heritage, and Sports. The objective of the study is to establish the effectiveness of interventions designed to increase adolescents’ RH knowledge, delay the onset of sexual activity, increase adolescent use of RH services, and reduce risky sexual behavior. The community-based intervention comprises two components. The first is geared toward sensitizing stakeholders in the community about the need for adolescent RH services and information. The second provides services and information to adolescents through out-of-school peer educators. This document provides an update on the KARHP project.
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Testing a community-based distribution approach to reproductive health service delivery in Senegal (a study of community agents in Kébémer). Population Council, 2004. http://dx.doi.org/10.31899/rh17.1010.
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The Division of Reproductive Health (DSR) of the Senegal Ministry of Health and Social Action, in partnership with the Population Council’s FRONTIERS in Reproductive Health program and Management Sciences for Health (MSH), conducted a study to test and compare three ways of providing reproductive health services to rural communities in the Kébémer district of Senegal in terms of their effectiveness, cost, and cost-effectiveness. FRONTIERS and MSH collaborated with the DSR to design the interventions, MSH supported the DSR in implementing the interventions, and FRONTIERS undertook the evaluation. This study, funded by USAID, responded to the recommendations of a 1999 workshop, organized by FRONTIERS and the DSR, on the community-based distribution (CBD) approach, which defined alternative CBD models appropriate for Senegal. The DSR sees the development of community-based service delivery models as essential for the future of health care in Senegal. As noted in this report, the general objective of the study was to contribute to the development of an integrated cost-effective program to increase the accessibility and availability of reproductive health information and services in rural areas of Senegal.