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Benefit Analysis (benefit + analysis)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	30%
Humanities and Social Sciences	20%
Psychology	10%
Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting	10%
Life Sciences	7%
Earth and Environmental Science	7%
3 Other Domains	16%

Selected Abstracts

TURNING ISOLATION TO ADVANTAGE IN REGIONAL COST,BENEFIT ANALYSIS

ECONOMIC PAPERS: A JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECONOMICS AND POLICY, Issue 1 2007
LEO DOBES
Projects in small regional communities are rarely subjected to cost,benefit analysis, partly because of the perceived difficulty and cost of doing so. However, the very isolation of such communities means that well-established analytical techniques used for transport projects can be used to estimate the costs and benefits of government provision of goods and services. [source]

Corporate Travel Medicine: Benefit Analysis of On-Site Services

JOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE, Issue 4 2001
Timothy S. Prince
Background: Corporations with employees who travel internationally address their travel-related medical needs in a variety of ways. Options utilized include corporate medical departments, local health departments, and local clinics, both contracted and independent. Methods: A travel clinic at a university medical center routinely provided preventive travel medicine services for many of the local companies. Two of these companies had on-site medical clinics which routinely saw patients for occupational and personal health reasons. At these companies, the university travel clinic assisted in moving employee travel medicine services to the on-site clinic. Direct and indirect costs for new, predeparture employee travel care at each company were compared before, and after, the move on-site. Results: When measured per patient, total cost savings associated with the on-site travel clinic were greater than 15% at both companies (17%, 25%), primarily due to the value of the employees' time saved with decreased travel. Utilization increased at one company by 24% over the first 8 months and lead to higher overall cost, but this cost increase was only 4%. Informal assessments of the value of the on-site service at both companies was uniformly positive. Conclusion: For certain corporate settings, on-site clinics may be effective ways of providing travel medicine services. [source]

War with Iraq: A Cost,Benefit Analysis

MIDDLE EAST POLICY, Issue 4 2002
Anthony H. Cordesman
The following is an edited transcript of the thirtieth in a series of Capitol Hill conferences convened by the Middle East Policy Council. The meeting was held on October 9, 2002, in the Dirksen Senate Office Building with Chas. W. Freeman, Jr., moderating. [source]

Cost,benefit analysis: New foundations on shifting sand

REGULATION & GOVERNANCE, Issue 1 2009
2006), A review of Matthew D. Adler, Benefit Analysis (Harvard University Press, Eric A. Posner's New Foundations of Cost
Abstract New Foundations of Cost,Benefit Analysis, by Matthew Adler and Eric Posner, represents the most ambitious and credible effort to date to build a solid theoretical defense of the use of cost,benefit analysis (CBA) in evaluating government regulation. In this review, three cost,benefit "skeptics" offer their reactions to this ambitious and important book. We note its virtues , its humility, its scrupulousness, its open-mindedness. We also explore its vices. If preferences are to be "laundered," is it intellectually defensible to remove the bad but not consider adding the good? Does Adler's and Posner's welfarism really play the limited role they suppose, or does it risk "crowding out" other important deontological and distributional values? If CBA is merely a decision procedure that provides an imperfect proxy of welfare , the moral criterion we really care about , how do we know that the proxy it provides in practice will actually be accurate enough to be useful? Isn't this at bottom an empirical question that cannot be answered by this thoroughly theoretical book? If CBA is no more than an imperfect proxy for welfare, then alternative imperfect decision procedures may perform better in the real world. [source]

IMPLEMENTING BEST PRACTICE REGULATION IN A DYNAMIC MARKETPLACE: CONSULTATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY

ECONOMIC PAPERS: A JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECONOMICS AND POLICY, Issue S1 2008
RIC SIMES
The practice of financial regulation in Australia has drifted away from the lighted-handed principles articulated in the Wallis Report. The burden of regulatory compliance has steadily grown. The inconsistency between regulatory principle and practice is explained as the result of perverse incentives facing regulators, an absence of effective consultation with industry regarding the cost burden of regulation, and a failure to properly assess the social benefits and costs of regulatory intervention. The paper argues for the creation of a Bureau of Financial Sector Regulation to improve the accountability of regulators and publish independent social cost,benefit analyses of financial regulation. The paper also calls for a further inquiry into Australia's financial system ten years on from the Wallis Inquiry. [source]

Preventive Care in the Emergency Department: Should Emergency Departments Conduct Routine HIV Screening?

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 3 2003
A Systematic Review
Abstract Objective: To perform a systematic review of the emergency medicine literature to assess the appropriateness of offering routine HIV screening to patients in the emergency department (ED). Methods: The systematic review was conducted with the aid of a structured template, a companion explanatory guide, and a grading and methodological scoring system based on published criteria for critical appraisal. Two reviewers conducted independent searches using OvidR, PubMed, MD Consult, and Grateful Med. Relevant abstracts were reviewed; those most pertinent to the stated objective were selected for complete evaluation using the structured template. Results: Fifty-two relevant abstracts were reviewed; of these, nine were selected for detailed evaluation. Seven ED-based prospective cross-sectional seroprevalence studies found HIV rates of 2,17%. Highest rates of infection were seen among patients with behavioral risks such as male homosexual activity and intravenous drug use. Two studies demonstrated feasibility of both standard and rapid HIV testing in the ED, with more than half of the patients approached consenting to testing by either method, consistent with voluntary testing acceptance rates described in other settings. Several cost,benefit analyses lend indirect support for HIV screening in the ED. Conclusions: Multiple ED-based studies meeting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guideline threshold to recommend routine screening, in conjunction with limited feasibility trials and extrapolation from cost,benefit studies, provide evidence to recommend that EDs offer HIV screening to high-risk patients (i.e., those with identifiable risk factors) or high-risk populations (i.e., those where HIV seroprevelance is at least 1%). [source]

Predictors and correlates of edentulism in the healthy old people in Edinburgh (HOPE) study

GERODONTOLOGY, Issue 4 2008
John M. Starr
Objectives:, To determine the extent to which correlates of edentulism are explained by an association between tooth loss and cognitive ability. Methods:, Participants in the Healthy Old People in Edinburgh (HOPE) study aged 70 or more at baseline were assessed and health, cognitive, socio-economic and socio-environmental data collected on four consecutive occasions. It was noted whether the participant had any retained teeth and if not, the age when the last tooth was lost. Prior determinants of edentulism were investigated with binary logistic regression models. At the 9-year follow-up, associations with edentulism were examined using general linear models with edentulism as an independent factor. Results:, 201 participants were adequately tested, of whom 104 (51.7%) were edentulous. A logistic regression model that considered age, sex, education, social class, deprivation index of residence, objective distance from dentist, participant's estimate of distance from dentist and NART-estimated IQ (NARTIQ) found age (p = 0.032), occupational class (p = 0.019) and NARTIQ (p = 0.027) as significant predictors of edentulism. Cox's proportional hazards modelling found only NARTIQ (p = 0.050) to be correlated. Being edentulous was associated with poorer respiratory function but not hand grip strength (p = 0.23). Edentulous participants had lower self esteem scores (p = 0.020) and poorer dietary assessment scores (p = 0.028). Being edentulous was also associated with significantly lower mean scores on all cognitive testing, although these associations became non-significant after adjustment for NARTIQ and age. Conclusions:, In healthy older people, edentulism is associated with relative impairment of cognitive ability, although this association is explained by the fact that lower original intelligence predisposes to edentulism and poorer performance on cognitive tests in old age. Once original intelligence is adjusted for, tooth loss is not related to cognitive ability. Tooth loss is, however, associated with poorer status across a wide range of health measures: physical health, nutrition, disability and self-esteem. Establishing the degree to which these health outcomes are causally related to edentulism could usefully be factored into cost,benefit analyses of programmes designed to prevent tooth loss. [source]

Structure, function and evolution of the gas exchangers: comparative perspectives

JOURNAL OF ANATOMY, Issue 4 2002
J. N. Maina
Abstract Over the evolutionary continuum, animals have faced similar fundamental challenges of acquiring molecular oxygen for aerobic metabolism. Under limitations and constraints imposed by factors such as phylogeny, behaviour, body size and environment, they have responded differently in founding optimal respiratory structures. A quintessence of the aphorism that ,necessity is the mother of invention', gas exchangers have been inaugurated through stiff cost,benefit analyses that have evoked transaction of trade-offs and compromises. Cogent structural,functional correlations occur in constructions of gas exchangers: within and between taxa, morphological complexity and respiratory efficiency increase with metabolic capacities and oxygen needs. Highly active, small endotherms have relatively better-refined gas exchangers compared with large, inactive ectotherms. Respiratory structures have developed from the plain cell membrane of the primeval prokaryotic unicells to complex multifunctional ones of the modern Metazoa. Regarding the respiratory medium used to extract oxygen from, animal life has had only two choices , water or air , within the biological range of temperature and pressure the only naturally occurring respirable fluids. In rarer cases, certain animals have adapted to using both media. Gills (evaginated gas exchangers) are the primordial respiratory organs: they are the archetypal water breathing organs. Lungs (invaginated gas exchangers) are the model air breathing organs. Bimodal (transitional) breathers occupy the water,air interface. Presentation and exposure of external (water/air) and internal (haemolymph/blood) respiratory media, features determined by geometric arrangement of the conduits, are important features for gas exchange efficiency: counter-current, cross-current, uniform pool and infinite pool designs have variably developed. [source]

The impact of the model for end-stage liver disease on recipient selection for adult living liver donation

LIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 10C 2003
Richard B. Freeman
Key points 1. The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) system can be used to assess recipient pre-transplant risks and help select appropriate candidates for the adult to adult living donation liver transplant procedure. 2. Selection of candidates for the adult to adult living donation liver transplant procedure requires assessment of candidate risk of death without a transplant, risk of death with a transplant, and donor risk of death. 3. Understanding of the risks involved allows for development of clinical decision models to inform the risk benefit analyses. 4. MELD provides a useful, objective, and universal tool for clinicians around the world to estimate risks for clinical decision making in all forms of liver transplantation. [source]

Effect of dietary probiotic Biogen® supplementation as a growth promoter on growth performance and feed utilization of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (L.)

AQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 14 2006
E R EL-Haroun
Abstract Probiotic microbial feed supplements are gaining wide acceptance in livestock production, and may be applicable to aquaculture production systems. The present study was conducted to examine probiotic treatment in the fingerling diet of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (L.). A total of 240 of Nile tilapia fingerlings (weight ranged from 22.96 to 26.40 g) were divided into five experimental groups. The experiment was conducted for 120 days. Experimental diets were identical in all, except for the variation in probiotic levels. A probiotic (Biogen®) was used at 0% (diet 1), 0.5% (diet 2), 1.5% (diet 3), 2.0% (diet 4) and 2.5% (diet 5) inclusion rates in the experimental diets. The growth performance and nutrient utilization of Nile tilapia including weight gain, specific growth rate, protein efficiency ratio, protein productive value and energy retention were significantly (P,0.01) higher in the treatment receiving probiotic (Biogen®) than the control diet. No differences were observed for moisture, ash and protein content (P,0.01) among the experimental diets. The lowest gross energy and lipid contents were recorded for fish fed the diet containing 0.5% Biogen® (P,0.01). The production performance and subsequent cost,benefit analyses clearly indicated that the diets containing probiotic biogen recorded the highest net return and the lowest total cost compared with the control diet. [source]

Replacement of fish meal with a mixture of different plant protein sources in juvenile Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.) diets

AQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 13 2003
Deyab M S D El-Saidy
Abstract A plant protein mixture (PPM) was tested to replace fish meal (FM) in diets for juvenile Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. Fish averaging (±SD) 3.7±0.14 g were divided into 15 groups. Three groups were fed each of five isonitrogenous (33.6%) and isocaloric (4.7 kcal g,1) diets replacing 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of the FM protein with similar percentages of PPM (PPM0, PPM25, PPM50, PPM75 or PPM100 respectively). The PPM consisted of 25% soybean meal, 25% cottonseed meal, 25% sunflower meal and 25% linseed meal, and 0.5% of both methionine and lysine were added to each diet except for the control. After 16 weeks of feeding, the fish fed diets PPM75 and PPM100 exhibited growth performance not differing significantly from the fish fed control diet. PPM substitution of up to 75% of the FM protein did not result in differences in the apparent protein digestibility compared with the control, whereas in the PPM100 group digestibility was significantly lower than in the other groups, except for fish fed the PPM75 diet. The incorporation of PPM in diets did not significantly affect whole-body dry matter, protein, fat or energy compared with the control. The cost,benefit analyses of the test diets indicated that the PPM diets were economically superior to FM. The protein from PPM can completely replace the FM protein in the diets for Nile tilapia, based on the results of this study. [source]

The use of drug detection dogs in Sydney, Australia

DRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 6 2009
MATTHEW DUNN
Abstract Introduction and Aims. At present there is little research into the use of drug detection dogs. The present study sought to explore the use of detection dogs in Sydney, Australia, utilising multiple data sources. Design and Methods. Data were taken from interviews with 100 regular ecstasy users and 20 key experts as part of the 2006 New South Wales arm of the Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System, and secondary data sources. Results. The majority of regular ecstasy users reported taking some form of precaution if made aware that dogs would be at an event they were attending. A small proportion of the sample reported consuming their drugs when coming into contact with detection dogs. One group of key experts viewed the use of detection dogs as useful; one group disliked the use of detection dogs though cooperated with law enforcement when dogs were used; and one group considered that detection dogs contribute to greater harm. Secondary data sources further suggested that the use of detection dogs do not significantly assist police in identifying and apprehending drug suppliers. Discussion and Conclusions. The present study suggests that regular ecstasy users do not see detection dogs as an obstacle to their drug use. Future research is necessary to explore in greater depth the experiences that drug users have with detection dogs; the effect detection dogs may have on deterring drug consumption; whether encounters with detection dogs contribute to drug-related harm; and the cost,benefit analysis of this law enforcement exercise. [Dunn M, Degenhardt L. The use of drug detection dogs in Sydney, Australia. Drug Alcohol Rev 2009] [source]

TURNING ISOLATION TO ADVANTAGE IN REGIONAL COST,BENEFIT ANALYSIS

Should we beware of the Precautionary Principle?

ECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 33 2001
Christian Gollier
How should society deal with risks when there is scientific uncertainty about the size of these risks? There has been much recent discussion of the Precautionary Principle, which states that lack of full scientific knowledge should not be used as a reason to postpone cost,effective preventive measures. We show in this paper that the Precautionary Principle contradicts one important intuition about the right way to act in the face of risk, namely the principle of ,looking before you leap'. When we expect to learn more about the future, the effectiveness of our preventive measures will be greater if we learn before we act. However, a number of other ways of taking uncertainty into account are consistent with a reasonable interpretation of the Precautionary Principle. First, postponing preventive measures may increase our vulnerability to damage, which induces a precautionary motive for risk,prevention, similar to the precautionary savings motive. Secondly, stronger preventive actions often yield more flexibility for the future, so that acting early has an option value. Thirdly, when better information comes from a process of learning,by,doing, the risk associated with early events is amplified by the information they yield about the future. This plays a role analogous to that of an increase in risk aversion, making us more cautious. Fourthly, because imperfect knowledge of the risk makes it difficult to insure, the social cost of risk should include a risk premium. Finally, uncertainty about the economic environment enjoyed by future generations should be taken into account. This raises the benefit of acting early to prevent long,term risks. If the Precautionary Principle sometimes gives good and sometimes gives bad advice, there is no escape from the need to undertake a careful cost,benefit analysis. We show that standard cost,benefit analysis can be refined to take account of scientific uncertainty, in ways that balance the Precautionary Principle against the benefits of waiting to learn before we act. Furthermore, it is important that they be used to do so, for instinct is an unreliable guide in such circumstances. Abandoning cost,benefit analysis in favour of simple maxims can result in some seriously misleading conclusions. [source]

The European Water Framework Directive and economic valuation of wetlands: the restoration of floodplains along the River Elbe

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 1 2007
Jürgen Meyerhoff
Abstract This paper concerns the economic valuation of riparian wetlands ecological services within the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). The directive is an integrated approach to river basin management in Europe and aims at achieving a good water status for both surface and ground water. It introduces economic analysis as a core part of the development of integrated river basin management plans. However, to date the WFD has not clearly stated to what extent wetlands should be used for the achievement of environmental objectives, or what scope the economic analysis should have. Our study of the river Elbe shows that riparian wetlands provide significant benefits that should be considered in river basin management decisions. To neglect these benefits would lead to biased cost,benefit analysis results and might therefore misguide the decision-making process. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]

Policy analysis for tropical marine reserves: challenges and directions

FISH AND FISHERIES, Issue 1 2003
Murray A Rudd
Abstract Marine reserves are considered to be a central tool for marine ecosystem-based management in tropical inshore fisheries. The arguments supporting marine reserves are often based on both the nonmarket values of ecological amenities marine reserves provide and the pragmatic cost-saving advantages relating to reserve monitoring and enforcement. Marine reserves are, however, only one of a suite of possible policy options that might be used to achieve conservation and fisheries management objectives, and have rarely been the focus of rigorous policy analyses that consider a full range of economic costs and benefits, including the transaction costs of management. If credible analyses are not undertaken, there is a danger that current enthusiasm for marine reserves may wane as economic performance fails to meet presumed potential. Fully accounting for the value of ecological services flowing from marine reserves requires consideration of increased size and abundance of focal species within reserve boundaries, emigration of target species from reserves to adjacent fishing grounds, changes in ecological resilience, and behavioural responses of fishers to spatially explicit closures. Expanding policy assessments beyond standard cost,benefit analysis (CBA) also requires considering the impact of social capital on the costs of managing fisheries. In the short term, the amount of social capital that communities possess and the capacity of the state to support the rights of individuals and communities will affect the relative efficiency of marine reserves. Reserves may be the most efficient policy option when both community and state capacity is high, but may not be when one and/or the other is weak. In the longer term, the level of social capital that a society possesses and the level of uncertainty in ecological and social systems will also impact the appropriate level of devolution or decentralization of fisheries governance. Determining the proper balance of the state and the community in tropical fisheries governance will require broad comparative studies of marine reserves and alternative policy tools. [source]

Cost,benefit analysis involving addictive goods: contingent valuation to estimate willingness-to-pay for smoking cessation

HEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 2 2009
David L. Weimer
Abstract The valuation of changes in consumption of addictive goods resulting from policy interventions presents a challenge for cost,benefit analysts. Consumer surplus losses from reduced consumption of addictive goods that are measured relative to market demand schedules overestimate the social cost of cessation interventions. This article seeks to show that consumer surplus losses measured using a non-addicted demand schedule provide a better assessment of social cost. Specifically, (1) it develops an addiction model that permits an estimate of the smoker's compensating variation for the elimination of addiction; (2) it employs a contingent valuation survey of current smokers to estimate their willingness-to-pay (WTP) for a treatment that would eliminate addiction; (3) it uses the estimate of WTP from the survey to calculate the fraction of consumer surplus that should be viewed as consumer value; and (4) it provides an estimate of this fraction. The exercise suggests that, as a tentative first and rough rule-of-thumb, only about 75% of the loss of the conventionally measured consumer surplus should be counted as social cost for policies that reduce the consumption of cigarettes. Additional research to estimate this important rule-of-thumb is desirable to address the various caveats relevant to this study. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Eliciting individual preferences for health care: a case study of perinatal care

HEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 1 2010
Marjon Van Der Pol PhD
Abstract Objective, To demonstrate how a discrete choice experiment (DCE) can be used to elicit individuals' preferences for health care and how these preferences can be incorporated into a cost,benefit analysis. Methods, A DCE which elicited preferences for three perinatal services: specialist nurse appointments; home visits from a trained lay visitor; and home-help. Cost was included to obtain a monetary measure of the value that individuals place on the services. In total, 292 women who had previously participated in a randomized trial of alternative forms of pre-natal care were interviewed. Results, The most preferred service configuration consisted of three nurse appointments and two home visits before birth and 4 h of home-help per week for the first 4 weeks after birth. On average, women are willing to pay $371 for this package. A package that excluded home-help was valued at $122 whilst provision of three nurse appointments only was valued at $97. The predicted uptake of the services ranged from 37% to 93% depending on the woman's experience with the service, whether or not it was her first child and her level of education. Conclusion, The willingness to pay values were much higher than the costs for nurse appointments, suggesting this service produces a net social benefit. The willingness to pay for the package including both the nurse appointments and home visits only just exceeded the costs of the package, suggesting there is a relatively high chance that this package produces a net social loss. [source]

Intangible benefits valuation in ERP projects

INFORMATION SYSTEMS JOURNAL, Issue 4 2002
Kenneth E Murphy
Abstract. The development, implementation and ownership of information systems, especially large-scale systems such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), has become progressively longer in duration and more cost intensive. As a result, IS managers are being required to justify projects financially based on their return. Historically, information systems have been difficult to quantify in monetary terms because of the intangible nature of many of the derived benefits, e.g. improved customer service. Using the case study methodology, this paper examines an attempt by a large computer manufacturer to incorporate intangibles into traditional cost,benefit analysis in an ERP project. The paper reviews the importance of intangibles, lists intangible benefits that are important in ERP projects and demonstrates the use of a scheme through which they can be incorporated into traditional evaluation techniques. [source]

Democracy and sustainable development,what is the alternative to cost,benefit analysis?

INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2006
Peter Söderbaum
Abstract Cost,benefit analysis (CBA) is part of neoclassical economics, a specific paradigm, or theoretical perspective. In searching for alternatives to CBA, competing theoretical frameworks in economics appear to be a natural starting point. Positional analysis (PA) as an alternative to CBA is built on institutional theory and a different set of assumptions about human beings, organizations, markets, etc. Sustainable development (SD) is a multidimensional concept that includes social and ecological dimensions in addition to monetary aspects. If the political commitment to SD in the European Union and elsewhere is taken seriously, then approaches to decision making should be chosen that 1st open the door for multidimensional analysis rather than close it. Sustainable development suggests a direction for development in a broad sense but is still open to different interpretations. Each such interpretation is political in kind, and a 2nd criterion for judging different approaches is whether they are ideologically open rather than closed. Although methods for decision making have traditionally been connected with mathematical objective functions and optimization, the purpose of PA is to illuminate a decision situation in a many-sided way with respect to possibly relevant ideological orientations, alternatives, and consequences. Decisions are understood in terms of matching the ideological orientation of each decision maker with the expected effects profile of each alternative considered. Appropriateness and pattern recognition are other concepts in understanding this process. [source]

UVB phototherapy and skin cancer risk: a review of the literature

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 5 2005
Ernest Lee MD
Background, UVB phototherapy is a common treatment modality for psoriasis and other skin diseases. Although UVB has been in use for many decades, many clinicians are hesitant to use this type of phototherapy because of concern over increasing the skin cancer risk. Over the past 20 years, numerous studies have been published examining this issue, but a consensus or analysis of the skin cancer risk is required for the dermatologist to make an educated risk,benefit analysis. Objective, To assess the risk of skin cancer associated with UVB phototherapy. Methods, All prospective or retrospective studies were identified in MEDLINE from 1966 to June 2002. Bibliographies were searched to identify any additional studies examining this issue. All studies that attempted to quantify or qualify any additional skin cancer risk from UVB phototherapy were included. Study selection was performed by two independent reviewers. Results, Eleven studies (10 of which concerned psoriasis patients), involving approximately 3400 participants, were included. Of note, three of the studies involved the same cohort: members of the 16-center US Psoralen plus UVA (PUVA) Follow-up Study. Other than the most recent Finnish study, all studies eventually showed no increased skin cancer risk with UVB phototherapy. One of the PUVA cohort studies examined genital skin cancers, and found an increased rate of genital tumors associated with UVB phototherapy, although this study has not been duplicated. Conclusion, The evidence suggests that UVB phototherapy remains a very safe treatment modality. [source]

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Echinacea purpurea and Allium sativum as immunostimulants in fish culture using Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

JOURNAL OF ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY AND NUTRITION, Issue 5 2010
S. M. Aly
Summary The study was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of echnicacea (E) and garlic (G) supplemented diets as immunostimulant for tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Seven treatments were designed including a control (C). Fish were fed on 35% protein diet at a rate of 3% body weight per day. Echinacea (1.0 ppt) and garlic (3%) were incorporated in the feed, which was administered for periods of 1, 2 and 3 months (summer season), followed by basal diet for 4 more months (winter season). Neutrophil adherence and haematocrit values increased in both supplemented groups with prolonging period of application. The neutrophils adherence was significantly increased in all treatments except group administered echinacea for 1 month. The lymphocytic counts were significantly (p < 0.004) elevated that resulted in a significant increase in the total leucocytic count in groups administered echinacea for 1 and 2 months when compared with the control and/or other treatments. The gain in the body weight and specific growth rate was significantly increased in all supplemented groups (p < 0.004) during summer, but remained without any significant increase after winter. The survival rate was significantly high (>85%) in all the supplemented groups. The percentage of protection, after challenge infection using pathogenic Aeromonas hydrophila was the highest in groups supplemented with echinacea and garlic for 3 months after summer and winter seasons. It could be concluded that echinacea and garlic improve the gain in body weight, survival rate and resistance against challenge infection. Both compounds showed extended effects after withdrawal and improved resistance to cold stress during the winter season. However, a full commercial cost benefit analysis is necessary before recommending their application in aquaculture. [source]

Does cost,benefit analysis or self-control predict involvement in two forms of aggression?

AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, Issue 5 2010
John Archer
Abstract The main aim of this research was to assess the relative association between physical aggression and (1) self-control and (2) cost-benefit assessment, these variables representing the operation of impulsive and reflective processes. Study 1 involved direct and indirect aggression among young Indian men, and Study 2 physical aggression to dating partners among Spanish adolescents. In Study 1, perceived benefits and costs but not self-control were associated with direct aggression at other men, and the association remained when their close association with indirect aggression was controlled. In Study 2, benefits and self-control showed significant and independent associations (positive for benefits, negative for self-control) with physical aggression at other-sex partners. Although being victimized was also correlated in the same direction with self-control and benefits, perpetration and being victimized were highly correlated, and there was no association between being victimized and these variables when perpetration was controlled. These results support the theory that reflective (cost-benefit analyses) processes and impulsive (self-control) processes operate in parallel in affecting aggression. The finding that male adolescents perceived more costs and fewer benefits from physical aggression to a partner than female adolescents did is consistent with findings indicating greater social disapproval of men hitting women than vice versa, rather than with the view that male violence to women is facilitated by internalized patriarchal values. Aggr. Behav. 36:292,304, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Does cost,benefit analysis or self-control predict involvement in bullying behavior by male prisoners?

AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, Issue 1 2009
John Archer
Abstract The main aim of this study is to assess whether lack of self-control or the perceived costs and benefits of aggression provide the better predictors of bullying behavior and victimization, and direct aggression perpetration, in a sample of 122 male British prisoners. We also assessed whether bullying was associated with height and weight. Zero-order correlations showed that perceived benefits, self-control, and perceived costs were most closely associated with perpetration of bullying, and that lack of self-control was weakly associated with victimization. Height and weight were unrelated to bullying or victimization. In a standard regression analyses, perceived benefits was the strongest predictor of bullying perpetration, with lack of self-control contributing further; all three variables made a significant contribution when direct aggression was the criterion. Mediation analysis showed that a combined cost,benefit measure partially mediated the association between self-control and both bullying and direct aggression. The findings are discussed in relation to explanations of aggression based on impulse control or a cost,benefit analysis. Aggr. Behav. 35:31,40, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Reflections on ethics and MCA in environmental decisions

JOURNAL OF MULTI CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS, Issue 2 2001
Felix Rauschmayer
Abstract The aim of decision analysis is normative. Consequently, at least in public spheres, one has to reflect on its normative foundation. Multi-criteria analysis (MCA) uses aggregated evaluations on several criteria to recommend a decision. The claim for the adequacy of the recommended solution is usually based on the assumption that the interests of the decision-maker(s) are adequately assessed by the MC model (see, for example, Munda G. 1996. Cost,benefit analysis in integrated environmental assessment: some methodological issues. Ecological Economics19: 157,168). I argue that as a prerequisite to a normative foundation, the criteria have to reflect not only the interests but possibly all values stemming from normative arguments of the decision-maker(s). These arguments might differ substantially from each other. This is especially true for environmental decisions. The integration of values will result in changes of the MCA understanding, criteria building, and aggregation method, and will not be possible without analytical capacities of the decision analyst in ethics. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Cost,benefit analysis of team supervision: the development of an innovative model and its application as a case study in one Finnish university hospital

JOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 5 2001
Kristiina Hyrkäs Lic.
Aim To develop a model of costs and benefits of team supervision and a formula, which are examined more closely by means of an example. Background The popularity of clinical supervision (CS) as one of the methods of supporting health care practitioners' professional development (formative function), coping (restorative function) and quality improvement (normative function) has increased in the 1990s. CS may take the form of one-to-one or group supervision. Team supervision is a special form of group supervision. It means a group that has an interrelated work life outside the group. A host of literature and articles is available on CS. However, the costs and benefits of CS are less examined even though these have given rise to discussion particularly among decision-makers, because the monetary benefit of CS remains unsolved. Method A nominal group technique was used to develop a model of costs and benefits of team supervision and a formula was derived on the basis of the model. The existing statistical data, for example a hospital ward's annual reports, data on sick days and reports on indemnities were utilized in the application of the formula. Findings and conclusion Team supervision was efficient in economic terms on the example ward. The model and the formula constitute a first attempt to ascertain the net present benefit of team supervision. Both the model and the formula need to be further tested, specified and refined. [source]

Narrow-band ultraviolet B treatment for vitiligo, pruritus, and inflammatory dermatoses

PHOTODERMATOLOGY, PHOTOIMMUNOLOGY & PHOTOMEDICINE, Issue 4 2003
Sharam Samson Yashar
Background: Narrow-band ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) therapy has been used successfully for the treatment of inflammatory and pigmentary skin disorders including atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, mycosis fungoides, polymorphous light eruption, and vitiligo. Methods: This is a retrospective review of the treatment outcomes of 117 consecutive patients with vitiligo, pruritus, and other inflammatory dermatoses, excluding those with psoriasis and CTCL, who were treated with NB-UVB between 1998 and 2001 at our institution. Results: Approximately 80% of all patients showed improvement in their condition. NB-UVB phototherapy was well tolerated, with no serious adverse effects. In patients with vitiligo, 6.4% had an abnormal thyroid-stimulating hormone level and 6.5% had anemia. Conclusion: NB-UVB may be considered as a viable therapeutic option in the treatment of vitiligo, pruritus, and other inflammatory dermatoses. Long-term adverse effects and cost,benefit analysis of NB-UVB therapy compared to other treatment modalities remain to be determined. [source]

Cost,benefit analysis: New foundations on shifting sand

Opening up Public Services to Competition by Putting Them Out to Tender: An Evaluation

ANNALS OF PUBLIC AND COOPERATIVE ECONOMICS, Issue 1 2003
P. Bance
This article examines the effects of systematizing tendering procedures when awarding public service concessions. The opening up of the water supply industry to competition is used by way of illustration. Results show that arguments in favour of systematization are not robust when focusing solely on the expected benefits of the liberalization process. The peculiarities of the contract relationship in the delegation of public services, the mobilization of specific assets, and the long duration and incompleteness of the contracts invalidate this type of argument and expose public authorities to the opportunism of operators. The efficiency of awarding public services concessions relies on cost,benefit analysis, taking into account sectoral aspects as well as specificities of the contracting organizations and structures. The public service culture of these organizations is in this respect a key factor in the choice of efficient organizations since it conditions their ability to internalize the mission of fulfilling the public interest. [source]

The Vabra aspirator versus the Pipelle device for outpatient endometrial sampling

AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 2 2007
Norzilawati M. NAIM
Abstract Objective:, To compare the effectiveness of the Vabra aspirator and the Pipelle device as an outpatient endometrial assessment tool. Method:, This was a randomised, prospective trial conducted for a period of one year. Results:, A total of 147 patients were recruited, of which 71 were in the Vabra group and 76 were in the Pipelle arm. The procedure success rate in the Pipelle group was significantly higher than the Vabra arm (98.7 vs 88.7%, P = 0.02). Adequate tissue yield was also significantly more in the Pipelle arm (73.3 vs 52.4%, P = 0.02). Cost,benefit analysis revealed a higher average cost per patient in the Vabra group compared to the Pipelle arm. Conclusion:, This study proved that the Vabra aspirator was not as effective as the Pipelle device in obtaining endometrial tissue for histological diagnosis. Despite its higher price per unit, the Pipelle device was a more cost-effective tool for outpatient endometrial assessment. [source]