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Leveraging a combination of analytical frameworks and empirical assessments, this study investigates the effects of wait-for-free (WFF) pricing schemes on the monetization of serialized, digital entertainment content, which has become increasingly pervasive on online platforms. WFF pricing is a strategy in which consumers are given the option to either wait a certain amount of time to acquire digital content at no cost or pay to consume it immediately. We evaluate the extent to which habit formation and presentbiased preferences driven by the consumption of addictive stock affect individual consumers' willingness to wait (or pay) for content, which, in turn, determines the efficacy of WFF pricing. We also examine the conditions under which consumers switch from waiting for free content to instantaneously purchasing content. Our findings indicate that WFF pricing increases the sales of serialized digital content, generating new demand from customers who would otherwise forgo participation in the market. In addition, the pricing design effectively generates sustained profits in the long run. We found that most consumers who initiate a purchase either upon initial market entry or upon switching continue to purchase as new episodes become available. Moreover, the results indicate that as a user accumulates free episodes of a specific series, given extended waiting periods, the likelihood of their conversion from a wait-for-free customer to an instant-purchase customer increases. In particular, WFF pricing effectively augments the willingness to pay of low-valuation consumers as habit formation builds up through time with the free consumption of serialized content. One free episode can elevate the likelihood of consumer purchase by up to 13%. However, as the number of free episodes consumed goes beyond a threshold, the likelihood of conversion decreases. We conclude with a discussion of managerial implications that can help content providers monetize their serialized digital content products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a serious complication following orthopedic shoulder surgery; however, research is limited involving the break-even cost-effectiveness of VTE prophylaxis. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the cost of aspirin and enoxaparin would break even for VTE prevention in patients following shoulder surgery. A drug retail database was used to obtain the lowest price for a course of aspirin (81 mg) and enoxaparin (40 mg) to perform a break-even cost analysis. Our institutional purchasing records were then searched to estimate the cost of treating a symptomatic VTE. The TriNetX national database was queried to establish a rate of VTE after shoulder surgery. A break-even cost analysis was performed by determining the absolute risk reduction (ARR). This value was used to calculate the number of patients who are treated to prevent a single VTE while breaking even on cost. Sensitivity analyses were performed for drugs that did not break even at the database-derived VTE rates. Full medication courses of aspirin and enoxaparin were found to cost $1.18 and $125.37, respectively. The cost of treating a symptomatic VTE was determined to be $9407.00. Data from the TriNetX database showed rates of symptomatic VTE following shoulder arthroplasty, hemiarthroplasty, and arthroscopic rotator cuff repair of 1.60%, 1.50%, and 0.68%, respectively. Aspirin broke even on cost for all procedures if the initial rate decreased by an ARR of 0.01% (number needed to treat, 7972). Similarly, enoxaparin broke even for shoulder arthroplasty and hemiarthroplasty if the initial rate of VTE decreased by an ARR of 1.33% (number needed to treat, 75). Enoxaparin did not break even at the initial VTE rate for arthroscopic rotator cuff repair; however, sensitivity analysis found enoxaparin would break even if the drug could be obtained at a cost of ≤$60.00. Enoxaparin broke even if the cost of treating a symptomatic VTE was ≥$20,000.00. The cost of a 3-week course of twice-daily aspirin or once-daily enoxaparin breaks even for VTE prophylaxis following shoulder arthroplasty and hemiarthroplasty if these drugs reduce the VTE rate by a calculated ARR. Given the lower rate of VTE observed for patients undergoing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, only the 3-week course of aspirin broke even under these conditions. Once-daily enoxaparin did not break even at current market rate. Further research is needed to help determine optimal VTE prophylaxis after shoulder surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) following total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) can cause substantial morbidity and mortality. To prevent this complication, surgeons often prescribe postoperative chemoprophylaxis. However, much controversy exists regarding the efficacy of chemoprophylaxis because of the limited studies exploring its use. Furthermore, even less is known about its cost-effectiveness. Therefore, this study sought to determine the cost-effectiveness of commonly prescribed chemoprophylactic agents using a break-even analysis economic model. Methods: The literature was searched, and an online database was used to identify patients who developed a symptomatic VTE after undergoing TAA. Our institutional records were used to estimate the cost of treating a symptomatic VTE, and an online drug database was used to obtain the cost of commonly prescribed chemoprophylactic agents. A break-even analysis was then performed to determine the final break-even rate necessary to make a drug cost-effective. Results: The low and high rates of symptomatic VTE were determined to be 0.46% and 9.8%. From 2011 to 2021, a total of 3455 patients underwent total ankle arthroplasty. Of these patients, 16 developed a postoperative symptomatic VTE (1.01%). Aspirin 81 mg was cost-effective if the initial symptomatic VTE rates decreased by an absolute risk reduction (ARR) of 0.0003% (NNT = 31 357). Aspirin 325 mg was also cost-effective if the initial rates decreased by an ARR 0.02% (NNT = 5807). Likewise, warfarin (5 mg) was cost-effective at all initial rates with an ARR of 0.02% (NNT = 4480). In contrast, enoxaparin (40 mg) and rivaroxaban (20 mg) were only cost-effective at higher initial symptomatic VTE rates with ARRs of 1.48% (NNT = 68) and 5.36% (NNT = 19). Additional analyses demonstrated that enoxaparin (40 mg) and rivaroxaban (20 mg) become cost-effective when costs of treating a symptomatic VTE are higher than our estimates. Conclusion: Chemoprophylaxis following TAA can be cost-effective. A tailored approach to VTE prophylaxis with cost-effectiveness in mind may be beneficial to the patient and health system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses differing consumer-to-consumer platform revenue models used by the online retailers eBay.com and Taobao.com. The article says that eBay using a brokerage model for payments on a transaction basis and Taobao uses an advertising model for revenue from sellers. Other topics include the social welfare outcomes of both models, the matching probabilities under the different models, and an analysis of the equilibrium of buyers and sellers on the platforms.

This paper aims to display benefits of applying economic modeling to predict the most economic treatment among three wastewater treatment plants containing conventional activated sludge without denitrification (CAS), conventional activated sludge with pre-denitrification (CAS-N), and membrane bioreactor (MBR) using CapdetWorks (v.3) simulation software. The software was run for each alternative with an average flow of 30,000 m3/d to calculate and evaluate the current worth costs of these WWTPs. Besides, the price per cubic meter of influent flow of the WWTPs has been evaluated. Tikrit WWTP was selected as a case study. Results demonstrated that the current worth cost of the MBR plant is higher than that for the CAS and CAS-N by about 57%, 42% respectively. Furthermore, the price per cubic meter of influent flow of the CAS plant is 0.2 $/m3. Dissimilarity, costs of the CAS-N and MBR plants are 0.27 $/m3 and 0.43 $/m3 respectively. The low cost of the CAS comes with lower removal efficiencies in comparison to the CAS-N and MBR. Accordingly, the economic modeling is helpful to build and compare relative costs for treatment alternatives which lead to better engineering decisions and suitable selection of the appropriate treatment based on either cost or effluent quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Omadacycline is an oral and intravenous (IV) once-daily aminomethylcycline antibiotic that was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of patients with acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI). In 2 phase 3 clinical trials, IV-to-oral switch and oral-only administration of omadacycline achieved the primary end points of noninferiority compared with linezolid in treating patients with ABSSSI. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the potential cost-savings with bioequivalent IV-to-oral antibiotics, such as omadacycline, compared with the standard of care with IV vancomycin by avoiding hospitalizations and reducing hospital stays in patients presenting from the emergency department for ABSSSI treatment. METHODS: We used hospital avoidance models to examine the potential cost-savings of managing patients with ABSSSI and no or limited comorbidities and without life-threatening conditions by using omadacycline in the outpatient setting compared with the current standard of care. Early hospital discharge models were used to evaluate the hospital stay reduction that would be required to be achieved with omadacycline treatment relative to IV vancomycin to confer cost-savings compared with standard of care among patients with ABSSSI and ≥2 comorbidities but no life-threatening conditions. RESULTS: In the hospital stay avoidance models, cost-savings may be realized by using therapeutically bioequivalent IV-to-oral antibiotics, such as omadacycline, compared with inpatient treatment with IV vancomycin. Based on a sensitivity analysis, further savings could be possible with outpatient administration of omadacycline, even if 20% of omadacycline outpatients were subsequently admitted and incurred the full inpatient cost, with no reimbursement penalties. Of more than 300 patients, only 1 was admitted to the hospital after a full course of omadacycline in the oral-only clinical trial. In the early hospital discharge models, the maximum cost-minimizing daily expense of omadacycline varied from $173 to $936, depending on the presence of active comorbidities or systemic symptoms, hospital stay reduction, and model perspective. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the targeted use of antibiotics with bioequivalent IV-to-oral formulations, such as omadacycline, for select patients with ABSSSI may lead to cost-savings compared with inpatient IV vancomycin treatment by shifting care to the outpatient setting or by facilitating earlier hospital discharge among hospitalized patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We apply the terrorist attack vulnerability evaluation model (TAVE-Model) to evaluate the effect of terrorism on the economic performance of Turkey. We examine both the short run and long-run economic impact of terrorist attacks in Turkey. The TAVE-Model deploys a number of indicators to evaluate the economic impact. The indicators are economic desgrowth (- δ), intensity of terrorist activities (α i), terrorist attack losses (- π), economic wear (Π), level of terrorist attack tension (ζ), level of terrorist attacks monitoring (η), and total economic leaking (Ω t) under a terrorist attack. The basic underlying idea of TAVE-Model is that the economic impact of a terrorist attack depends on a country's vulnerability to attacks from domestic and international terrorist groups. The application of a model to Turkey is highly topical in light of the spate of terrorist attacks the country suffered in recent years. The results of TAVE-Model confirm that economic leaking, economic desgrowth, and economic wear has increased between 1990 and 2016. The issue of terrorism in Turkey is multidimensional, and tackling it requires an effective social assistance program as well as a stronger and impartial justice system. These reforms will render poorer Turks less vulnerable and increase the opportunity cost of terrorism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study here presented pertains to the analysis of mutual interactions of the monetary and fiscal policies in the case of Poland. The historical policies carried out during different periods of time and their economic effects are compared with the possible strategies, obtained from the analysis of the proposed monetaryfiscal game. In the study, the methods of non-cooperative game theory are combined with macroeconomic modeling. The respective game is formulated for monetary and fiscal authorities as players. Strategies of these players refer to the respective instruments of their policies: the real interest rate and the budget deficit in relation to GDP. Payoffs include inflation and GDP growth, respectively. The payoffs are calculated using a recursive macroeconomic model estimated for the Polish economy. The model describes influences of the instruments of the monetary and fiscal policies on the state of the economy. The best response strategies, the Nash equilibria and Pareto optimality are analyzed. Changes of the policies towards the more restrictive or more expansive ones and their effects in comparison to the historically applied are discussed. This is performed for two different time periods - the time of recovery after 2004 and the time of the global financial crisis after 2008. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fisheries resources play a major role in the national economy and to food security in Solomon Islands. Climate change is likely to have a substantial impact on fish production that can lead to a fragile food security condition in the country. This paper assesses the potential economic impact of three important climate change adaptation strategies – natural resource management (NRM), fish aggregating devices (FAD) and aquaculture – in Solomon Islands. The study used a country-specific partial equilibrium economic model with six fish sub-sectors and analyzed potential impact of alternate climate change adaptation strategies for 2035 and 2050. The modeling and scenario analyses show that total fish demand is likely to surpass domestic fish production in 2050. Without appropriate climate adaptation strategy, per capita consumption of domestically produced fish will decline, which has serious negative food security implications for the country. The economic (welfare) analysis conducted based on modeling results show that the national level net economic gains due to climate change adaptation strategies are substantial. If cost and topographic conditions permit, low-cost inshore FADs are expected to be a good mechanism for augmenting domestic supplies of tuna and similar species in Solomon Islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fisheries sectors in Vanuatu and Timor-Leste are important sources of food and income. Similar to other developing countries and those in the Pacific, they are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change more so because of their geographic location, socioeconomic conditions and political instability. Nonetheless, there are approaches to alleviate the damaging effects of climate change in the region's fisheries sector. Using economic modeling, this paper estimates the economic costs of potential climate change adaptation strategies for the fisheries sector in Vanuatu and Timor-Leste through assessment of alternative future scenarios. Strategies include aquaculture development, natural resource management through establishment and/or expansion of marine protected areas, and deployment of low-cost inshore fish aggregating devices. Modeling results demonstrate that the above innovations will enable the two countries to significantly improve coastal and freshwater fish production in the medium-term (2035) and long-term (2050). Fish consumption is projected to grow due to population and income improvements; yet considerable increases in production will augment demand. Furthermore, national-level gains are projected from these adaptation strategies through fish exports. Improved production under climate change will require significant investments from the national governments of Vanuatu and Timor-Leste and/or private sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capture fisheries and aquaculture sectors have played major roles in the national economy and food security of Fiji. But climate change may place substantial stress on these sectors within this archipelago. This paper assesses the potential economic impact of two important climate change adaptation strategies in Fiji, natural resource management (NRM) and aquaculture, using a market fish supply–demand model. The model undertakes a comparative analysis of alternative fisheries development scenarios for 2035 and 2050, while taking account of the impact of climate change on the fisheries sector. The modeling and scenario analyses show that promoting aquaculture can help raise aggregate fish production, consumption, and trade. However, the required increases in aquaculture could be massive. While aquaculture development alone is unlikely to meet the growing excess demand for fish in Fiji, it will be an important component in adapting to the negative effects of climate change on capture fisheries. Various NRM strategies, such as marine protected areas (MPAs) and locally managed marine areas (LMMAs), are projected to have positive impacts in Fiji, expanding the stock and catch of fish. But current efforts on various NRM strategies are too small to have any meaningful impact to reverse the declining trends of coastal fisheries catch. Efforts would need to be greatly scaled-up to achieve significant production gains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A recent article in Technological Forecasting & Social Change presents a calculation of historical rebound effects in thirty sectors of the United States economy over the period 1960–2005 (Saunders 2013). Here, we show that the empirical data set used to generate those findings—a prominent input–output data set developed by Jorgenson (2007)—is not appropriate for the use to which Saunders puts it. Saunders' model requires annual data on the price and quantity of energy consumed by each sector; however, the Jorgenson data are inferred from national prices, not prices observed at the sector level and disaggregated by geographic region. Furthermore, Jorgenson reports average prices, rather than marginal prices; yet the rebound effect is caused by changes in marginal price of energy services. We compare the differences between national prices and sector-specific prices across geographic regions in the United States, demonstrating that Saunders' use of national average energy prices is inappropriate for investigating the rebound effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents some examples of real two-dimensional random variables defined on a product of measurable spaces, among which there is a non-trivial stochastic transition function affecting the distribution. For the two-dimensional random variable of each example is determined the correlation coefficient of the random marginal variables, studying its influence of the stochastic transition function. Finally, it presents some applications in the financial field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effect of the change of economic structure on the emissions and energy use in China. The study uses the ChinaLINDA model, a calculation framework especially well-suited for analyzing structural change and sectoral shifts in Chinese economy and industry. We illustrate the implications of the different economic development paths up to year 2030 regarding emissions, energy use and employment with a set of three scenarios. In comparison with the reference scenario, the reduction in CO 2 emission level in Policy scenario is less than 1 3 by 2030 even with huge investment in renewable energy capacity and a clear turn away from carbon-intensive growth pattern. Cumulatively the difference of emissions between the Reference scenario and Policy scenario within 2013–2030 is less than 20%. The Chinese CO 2 intensity and energy intensity targets are rather stringent. Reaching the CO 2 intensity target is difficult even with the optimistic assumption of fast expansion of renewable energy capacity and fast structural change. However, while the renewable energy capacity grows fast, targets set for it are not equally ambitious. The set CO 2 intensity and energy intensity targets call for concretization of energy policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The aim of this study was to assess the long-term cost-effectiveness of dapagliflozin (Forxiga(®)) added to metformin, compared with sulfonylurea (SU) added to metformin, in Nordic Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients inadequately controlled on metformin.Methods: Data from a 52-week clinical trial comparing dapagliflozin and SU in combination with metformin was used in a Cardiff simulation model to estimate long term diabetes-related complications in a cohort of T2DM patients. Costs and QALYs were calculated from a healthcare provider perspective and estimated over a patient's lifetime.Results: Compared with metformin+SU, the cost per QALY gained with dapagliflozin+metformin was €7944 in Denmark, €5424 in Finland, €4769 in Norway, and €6093 in Sweden. Metformin+dapagliflozin was associated with QALY gains ranging from 0.236 in Norway to 0.278 in Sweden and incremental cost ranging from €1125 in Norway to €1962 in Denmark. Results were robust across both one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. Results were driven by weight changes associated with each treatment.Conclusions: Results indicate that metformin+dapagliflozin is associated with gains in QALY compared with metformin+SU in Nordic T2DM patients inadequately controlled on metformin. Dapagliflozin treatment is a cost-effective treatment alternative for Type 2 diabetes in all four Nordic countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims The aim of this study was to assess the long-term cost-effectiveness of dapagliflozin (Forxiga ® ) added to metformin, compared with sulfonylurea (SU) added to metformin, in Nordic Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients inadequately controlled on metformin. Methods Data from a 52-week clinical trial comparing dapagliflozin and SU in combination with metformin was used in a Cardiff simulation model to estimate long term diabetes-related complications in a cohort of T2DM patients. Costs and QALYs were calculated from a healthcare provider perspective and estimated over a patient's lifetime. Results Compared with metformin + SU, the cost per QALY gained with dapagliflozin + metformin was €7944 in Denmark, €5424 in Finland, €4769 in Norway, and €6093 in Sweden. Metformin + dapagliflozin was associated with QALY gains ranging from 0.236 in Norway to 0.278 in Sweden and incremental cost ranging from €1125 in Norway to €1962 in Denmark. Results were robust across both one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. Results were driven by weight changes associated with each treatment. Conclusions Results indicate that metformin + dapagliflozin is associated with gains in QALY compared with metformin + SU in Nordic T2DM patients inadequately controlled on metformin. Dapagliflozin treatment is a cost-effective treatment alternative for Type 2 diabetes in all four Nordic countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a methodology that aids in the design of economically feasible Net Zero Energy (NZE) vaccine warehouses for the developing world. The methodology used a simulation-optimization approach to combine an optimization technique with two simulation software programs in order to determine the cost optimal design solution. To test its effectiveness, a case study building of a vaccine warehouse using typical Tunisian construction was analyzed for two construction techniques, five climates, and three photovoltaic panel prices in order to gain insights on the economic space of the optimal solution. The optimization results were used to provide generalized climatic recommendations for all of the building parameters studied and showed that by investing in better construction materials, the annual energy use can be cost-effectively reduced by 50% compared to current construction practices. The proposed methodology can efficiently and effectively aid in the design of an economically feasible Net Zero Energy vaccine warehouse for the developing world. Its use in practice may be of great relevance as the results showed, on average, a $42,000 differences between an economically efficient and economically inefficient NZEB in terms of initial investment cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the prospect of a possible unification between People's Republic of China (Mainland China) and Republic of China (Taiwan) from a multi-dimensional perspective which encompasses the political, social, economic, and technological dimensions. The underlying idea is to evaluate the possibility of a partial or total reunification between the two countries in a more comprehensive way than just assessing the economic costs and benefits. Our evaluation is based on the application of the GDRI-Model, which looks at unification and regional integration simultaneously from the political, economic, social and technological perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Batteries are responsible for the major share of costs of electric vehicles (EVs). However, they are idle most of the time during vehicle use and expected to retain a significant capacity when discarded from vehicle use. As a result, they may provide an additional value during and after their vehicle life, helping to reduce their total costs of ownership. We use a dynamic model to evaluate three competing approaches of using EV batteries for grid applications. These are (1) batteries installed in EVs, also known as vehicle-to-grid (V2G), as well as (2) used and (3) new batteries installed in stationary energy storage systems (ESS), which we refer to as battery-to-grid (B2G). We find that none of the approaches is likely to be implemented on a large scale as the anticipated revenues barely (if at all) offset the additional costs incurred by the corresponding applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Aim: The objective of this study was to investigate the cost-effectiveness of saxagliptin (Onglyza®), a DPP-4 inhibitor, plus metformin compared with a sulphonylurea (SU) (Glipizide) plus metformin in Swedish patients not well controlled on metformin alone. Methods: Data from a 52-week clinical trial comparing saxagliptin and glipizide in combination with metformin was used in a simulation model to estimate long term complications in a cohort of type 2 diabetes patients. The model estimates the incidence of microvascular and macrovascular complications, diabetes-specific mortality, all-cause mortality, and ultimately, costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) associated with the investigated treatment strategies. Costs and QALYs were estimated for a lifetime time horizon. Results: Compared with SU+metformin, the cost per QALY gained with saxagliptin+metformin is approximately SEK 91,000. Patients on saxagliptin+metformin gain 0.10 QALYs on average, at an incremental cost of around SEK 9500. The cost-effectiveness results were robust to various sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that, over a patient''s lifetime, the addition of saxagliptin to metformin is associated with improvements in quality-adjusted life years compared with SU in patients with type 2 diabetes. Saxagliptin treatment is a cost-effective treatment alternative for type 2 diabetes in patients not well-controlled on metformin alone. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Clinical trials may furnish data to conduct economic analyses. An economic analysis requires us to identify all opportunity costs associated with the intervention over the time horizon chosen for the analysis and enumerate the improvements in benefits from the intervention of interest. We review the basic steps used when performing economic studies based on secondary analysis of data from clinical trials using examples from myocardial infarction studies. Different types of economic analyses and the potential contributions of Markov modeling are described. Issues of measuring quality of life, patient utilities, cost of care, and potential sources of cost data are reviewed. The interpretation of incremental cost-effectiveness ratios is discussed and economic benchmarks for defining good and poor value interventions are provided. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Since its origins, decision makers have broadly used the Delphi method as a collaborative technique for generating important events and scenarios about what may happen in the future. This is a complex process because of the different interrelations and the potential synergetic effects among the relevant events related to a decision. This fact, along with the uncertainty about the occurrence or non-occurrence of the events, makes the scenario generation task a challenging issue in Delphi processes. In the 1960''s, Cross-Impact Analysis (CIA) appeared as a methodological tool for dealing with this complexity. CIA can be used for creating a working model out from a set of significant events. CIA has been combined with other methodological approaches in order to increase its functionality and improve its final outcome. In this paper, the authors propose a new step-by-step model for scenario-analysis based on a merger of Turoff''s alternative approach to CIA and the technique called Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM). The authors'' proposal adds tools for detecting critical events and for producing a graphical representation to the previous scenario-generation methods based on CIA. Moreover, it allows working with large sets of events without using large computational infrastructures. The authors present sufficient information and data so that anyone who wishes to may duplicate the implementation of the process. Additionally they make explicit a set of requirements for carrying out a Delphi process for a group to develop a set of significant events, collectively make the estimations of cross impacts, and to support a continuous planning process within an organization. They use two examples to discuss operational issues and practical implications of the model. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: When allocating limited resources, public and private sector leaders in health policy consider both the health and economic value of new measures for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention. The ability to develop and prioritize policy measures is hindered by important gaps in health economics data. Methods and Results: The Policy Research Implementation Group (PRIG) of the National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention convened a symposium to develop priorities for research on the economics of CVD primary prevention and elimination of CVD disparities. Suggested top opportunities include expanded CVD surveillance, advances in evaluation and economic modeling of primary prevention, and use of behavioral economics to identify new prevention strategies. Enhanced policy, funding, and leadership support are vital to realizing this research agenda. Conclusions: Targeted research on the health and economic value of CVD prevention, especially to eliminate CVD disparities, would bolster the justification for increased investment in cardiovascular health. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Analyzing short-term security of supply or the degree of physical market integration in the European gas market requires models with high spatial and temporal granularity which allow to do so in a comprehensive manner taking interdependencies in the supply infrastructure into account. This paper presents an infrastructure and dispatch model of the European gas market which enables such analyses. The ex-post application of the model to the January 2009 Russia–Ukraine crisis yields that the market’s reaction to the crisis was close to the optimal least-cost response implying a very efficient handling of the transit disruption by the gas sector. While large diversions of gas flows from the west to the east were possible, a high dependence on one import route, limited infrastructure flexibility and storage volumes in eastern Europe hampered security of supply in this region. Generally, the results confirm the importance of gas stocks in mitigating risks from supply disruptions as additional storage withdrawals compensated more than two thirds of supply shortfalls during the crisis. Further simulations also demonstrate that increasing flexibility of the transport system (reverse flow capabilities) enhances security of supply for further consumers in eastern Europe, but not for all of them. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

At the macro level, the time-series of the amounts of loans granted (a flow) and repaid (a flow) to the banking system in each period are not available. The information on these flows is important in many analyses, such as the impact of the bank lending on investment outlays. However, one can get the information concerning the structure of loans (a stock variable) regarding their duration. In each period, the loans are granted for different periods: from overnight ones to those lasting several years. The effective preferences of the credit takers are reflected in the term distribution of the outstanding loans. In order to estimate these flows, a model aimed at linking the above-mentioned preferences, the levels of loans and flows has been developed. In the approach proposed, the amount of loans outstanding is a resultant of the rate of the new loans and their duration, which in turn is the result of the term preferences. The evaluation of the flow of loans granted in the Polish banking sector is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agreement between international agencies that Tourism Satellite Accounts (TSA) are the most appropriate way to measure the economic contribution of tourism has led to an explosion in the number of countries (and regions) developing such accounts. In reliably reconciling visitor supply and demand, TSAs offer improved information for tourism policy development and economic impact assessments, both of which are important in guiding resources and support for new tourism infrastructure and individual events. There are, however, a number of conceptual and structural issues that limit the usefulness of the TSA for economic modeling purposes. This article suggests that while the collection and manipulation of information that supports the ISA will aid impact and policy assessment, a further reengineering of the TSA framework is necessary to lever the full benefits for such studies. The TSA is found to be ideally used as a basis for complementary modeling techniques, including that of Computable General Equilibrium and Social Accounting Matrices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the recent efforts of the state of Hawaii, USA, a mass tourism destination in the Pacific, to bring new understanding, knowledge, and policy to improve the quality and sustainability of tourism across the islands. The study. described in some detail in the article, consisted of three main parts: an Infrastructure and Environmental Overview Study, an Economic and Environmental Assessment Modeling Study, and a Public Input and Socio-Cultural Impact Study. The methodology, results, and challenges experienced in each of the three studies are discussed. The article also extrapolates the experience in Hawaii to other mass tourism destinations seeking to improve their sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In mineral process operations, vortex separators are used extensively for solid-liquid separation. Their performance depends on the particle separation size, diameter and number of installed units in a battery. These parameters have severe impact on the concentrate and hence project economics. The design procedures are normally based on the correlation developed from historic data and for data from manufacturers. However, it is always impossible to eliminate the elements of uncertainty, which could result in concentrate losses in the tailings. It is therefore important to implement an online process monitoring of the vortex separators to correct any deficiencies to prevent low separation efficiencies and high concentrate losses. In this study, the authors develop an intelligent monitoring technology, forex to solve the problem. forex is an interactive fortran-based program in excel with graphic display that allows the user to input or modify the operating and other process parameters to yield economic separation results. For an industrial stream of 1000 tons day−1, feed concentration of 0.76 kg m−3, given an individual underflow to feed ratio of 0.1 and differential specific gravity of 1.04, forex intelligently yielded an economic battery of seven vortex separators with an individual diameter of 44.8 mm, operating at a pressure drop of 11.8 bar and an optimum particle separation size of 3.86 μm. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Soybean producers participate in a checkoff program to support research and market development activities. Checkoff funds are used for both yield-enhancing and cost reducing production research. Using USDA cost-of-production data and a regional modeling framework with greater model pretest support than several alternatives, national marginal returns to producers are estimated to be higher for checkoff supported research than for publicly supported soybean research. They are also higher for checkoffcost-reducing research than for checkoffyield-enhancing research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]