Humans Select Subgoals That Balance Immediate and Future Cognitive Costs During Physical Assembly

BackgroundWhen vaccines increase longevity, vaccinated people may experience costs and benefits during added life-years. These future benefits and costs may include increased productivity as well as medical and non-medical costs. Such impacts should be considered in cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA) of vaccines but are often omitted. Here, we illustrate the impact of including future costs on the cost-effectiveness of vaccination against pneumococcus disease. We emphasize the relevance of differentiating cost estimates between risk groups. MethodsWe updated an existing Dutch CEA of vaccination against pneumococcus disease with the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) to include all future medical and non-medical costs. We linked costs by age and risk with survival information and estimates of cases prevented per vaccination strategy based on the original study to calculate the impact of inclusion. Future medical costs were adjusted for relevant risk groups. ResultsFor the base-case strategy, the original incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of PVC13 was €9,157 per quality adjusted life-year (QALY). Including all future medical costs increased the ICER to €28,540 per QALY. Also including future non-medical costs resulted in an ICER of €45,691 per QALY. The impact of future medical costs varied considerably per risk group and generally increased with age. Discussion and conclusionThis study showed a substantial effect of the inclusion of future costs on the ICER of vaccinating with PCV13. Especially when lives of people with underlying health conditions are extended, the impact of future medical costs is large. This inclusion may make vaccination a less attractive option, especially in relation to low thresholds as often applied for prevention. Although this raises important questions, ignoring these real future costs may lead to an inefficient use of healthcare resources. Our results may imply that prices for some vaccines need to be lowered to be cost-effective.

Planning is hard. The use of subgoals can make planning more tractable, but selecting these subgoals is computationally costly. What algorithms might enable us to reap the benefits of planning using subgoals while minimizing the computational overhead of selecting them? We propose visual scoping, a strategy that interleaves planning and acting by alternately defining a spatial region as the next subgoal and selecting actions to achieve it. We evaluated our visual scoping algorithm on a variety of physical assembly problems against two baselines: planning all subgoals in advance and planning without subgoals. We found that visual scoping achieves comparable task performance to the subgoal planner while requiring only a fraction of the total computational cost.Together, these results contribute to our understanding of how humans might make efficient use of cognitive resources to solve complex planning problems.

Background and ObjectiveThe supply-side threshold for the UK National Health Service has been empirically estimated as the marginal returns to healthcare spending on health outcomes. These estimates implicitly exclude future healthcare costs, which is inconsistent with the objective of making the most efficient use of healthcare resources. This paper illustrates how empirical estimates of the threshold within healthcare can be adjusted to account for future healthcare costs.MethodsUsing cause-deleted life tables and previous work on future costs in England and Wales, we illustrate how such estimates can be adjusted.ResultsWhile the effect of including future healthcare costs can have substantial effects on incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of specific life-extending interventions, we find that including future costs has relatively little impact (an increase of £743 per quality-adjusted life-year) on the threshold estimate.ConclusionsFor some life-extending interventions the impact of including future costs on whether an intervention is deemed cost effective may be considerable.

From Rio to Iragua--sustainability versus efficiency and equity for preventive health interventions.

In the article are described and analyzed the influence of factors of external and internal environments on maintaining the planned economic growth, efficient use of the resource potential of the regional economic complex. Are provided methods of analysis and comprehensive measures to maintain the planned pace of economic growth of the region, expansion of competitive advantages. Enlargement and generalization determine the impact of economic environmental factors, in accordance with the duration of optimization and changes in the business cycle, provide a high level of confidence in the estimates of the impact of the macro environment on the process of achieving economic success, efficient use of the resource potential of the regional economic complex. Analysis of the internal conditions of region is carried out by management on the basis of establishing the optimal values of the distribution of the resource potential for high-priority, economically viable, and socially important areas of efficient use of logistical, labor, information, and natural resources, analysis of the current or having a tendency to the formation of informal communities in the sectoral components of economic activities, industrial complexes and social services. The possibilities of the availability and abilities of the region to influence the structural components in achieving the economic and financial goals of the activity are considered, including ensuring sustainable dynamics in increasing the efficiency of regional production, providing competitive advantages in the use of consumed resources. The factors proposed for consideration, different management of the regional economy, contribute to the creation of both formal and informal organizational and economic communities, taking into account the interests of all its participants. In addition, mechanisms and tools are proposed that facilitate the creation of favorable conditions for participants in informal clusters in the regional economy. At the end of the article summarizing the opportunities and consequences of the impact of internal factors in the distribution and efficiency of the use of the potential of the resource economic complex. In addition, recommendations are made to determine the maximum number of these factors, the features of their objectification and significance, while making managerial decisions on ensuring economic growth.

This article distinguishes between energy efficiency and the economically efficient use of energy resources. Policies intended to enhance energy efficiency are unlikely to contribute to the economically efficient use of energy and are therefore likely to waste resources. Policies that enhance the economic efficiency with which resources are used may increase or decrease energy efficiency, or leave it unaffected. The implication is that energy efficiency and economic efficiency are different policy goals, one promoting the use of fewer energy resources, the other promoting the efficient use of all resources.

Projecting the direct cost burden of osteoarthritis in Canada using a microsimulation model

This article examines the problem of changing the designated purpose of agricultural land in the context of a modern market economy. The author draws attention to the priority of agricultural land use established by law and the importance of efficient use of these resources for the development of other sectors of the economy and in accordance with the needs of the population. The study examines the factors that influence the decision to change the designated purpose of land and discusses the possible consequences of such changes for agricultural production and environmental sustainability. The subject of this research is an analysis of the problem of changing the designated purpose of agricultural land in the current conditions of a market economy. The research methodology includes an analysis of current legislation, a study of the practice of applying its provisions, as well as a review of current research and statistics in the field of agriculture and land relations. The purpose of the article is to reveal the importance of the priority of agricultural land use and the need for efficient use of these resources in a market economy. The study shows that changing the designated purpose of agricultural land can have a significant impact on the economy, environment and social sphere. It is shown that, despite the need for other uses of some land plots, the priority of agricultural land use is a key factor in ensuring food security and sustainable agricultural development. Based on the analysis of research, the author concludes that it is necessary to implement comprehensive measures for the conservation and rational use of agricultural land. The proposed strategies include the development of effective legislation, promotion of alternative forms of agricultural production, such as organic agriculture, as well as control over compliance with land legislation and the introduction of tools for monitoring changes in land designation. The article examines the list of principles of land management, including the principles of sustainable use, rational use, environmental safety and others. The author emphasises the importance of taking these principles into account when making decisions on planning and use of agricultural land in order to ensure sustainable development of the agricultural sector and preservation of the environment. The study found that economic, environmental and social aspects are important among the principles that influence changes in the designated purpose of agricultural land. Economic principles include the value of land, its efficient use and market competitiveness. Environmental principles focus on the preservation of soil, water resources and biodiversity. Social principles take into account the interests of the local population, ensuring food security and even development of territories. The conclusion of the study emphasises the need to take these principles into account when developing strategies for land use, sustainable agricultural development and the conservation of natural resources. In addition, it is important to develop land management mechanisms based on the principles of economic efficiency, environmental sustainability and social responsibility. Such an approach states the need for a balanced approach to changing the designated purpose of land, taking into account the interests of the agricultural sector, the needs of the population and environmental requirements. This approach will help to ensure sustainable development of the agricultural sector and efficient use of land resources in the current economic and environmental challenges.

Problem statement. The development of mobile communication networks does not stop for a minute, new standards and various new technologies are emerging. The opportunities provided by mobile technologies have long gone beyond voice services. The sharp growth of Internet traffic in networks around the world is explained by the widespread use of devices connected to mobile networks. With the development of mobile networks, new and diverse requirements are being imposed on them. Technology development is aimed at increasing productivity and expanding opportunities. Therefore, it becomes necessary to study the influence of the characteristics of additional parameters (delays, station loads) on the quality of data packet processing in order to optimize the operation of 5G networks and ensure more efficient use of resources. Many scientists who conducted research on 5G networks using modeling did not take into account various variants of queue processing algorithms, did not consider how the values of data transmission delays and the number of lost packets would change with an increase or decrease in the number of base stations, models consisting of several base stations were not considered. Based on this, we will conclude that it is advisable to develop a 5G network model, with the help of which various studies can be carried out, which will take into account the above parameters. The goal is to investigate the resource model of data transmission in 5G networks, to analyze the operation of the 5G network model in the AnyLogic environment. Results. During the study of traffic maintenance in the 5G network, the optimal system parameters were determined, allowing the most efficient use of network resources. It turned out that the use of methods of dynamic resource allocation and automatic change of base station parameters reduces the load on the network and increases its performance. The developed model allows us to assess the reliability of the system and its ability to process user requests, because the probability of losing an application or non-fulfillment of an application is high, this can lead to user dissatisfaction and a decrease in the quality of service. Practical significance. The developed model can be used in practice to study and evaluate the parameters of the 5G network, as well as to analyze various characteristics that affect the quality of the network in order to improve it. This can help telecom operators optimize their networks and ensure more efficient use of resources.

The economic aspects of trauma centres were examined using published results and local financial data to discover if such institutions are an efficient use of resources. The cost of trauma centre care depends upon the number of centres built. An 'ideal' system in the UK of eight centres will cost 31.268 pounds per life saved compared with 45.661 pounds for the system proposed by the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Trauma centre care will be expensive but will generate benefits in return. Survivors will be young (mean age 30 years) and most (70-80 per cent) will regain their pre-injury functional/work status. When considered in terms of Quality Adjusted Life Years (QUALYs), trauma centres are a relatively efficient use of resources. An expected cost per QUALY of 942-1376 pounds is inexpensive compared with many health pursuits currently funded within the UK National Health Service.

Learning-related emotions in multimedia learning: An application of control-value theory

Many university-taught courses moved to online form since the outbreak of the global pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Distance learning has become broadly used as a result of the widely applied lockdowns, however, many students lack personal contact in the learning process. A classical web-based distance learning does not provide means for natural interpersonal interaction. The technology of immersive virtual reality (iVR) may mitigate this problem. Current research has been aimed mainly at specific instances of collaborative immersive virtual environment (CIVE) applications for learning. The fields utilizing iVR for knowledge construction and skills training with the use of spatial visualizations show promising results. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of collaborative and individual use of iVR for learning geography, specifically training in hypsography. Furthermore, the study’s goals were to determine whether collaborative learning would be more effective and to investigate the key elements in which collaborative and individual learning were expected to differ–motivation and use of cognitive resources. The CIVE application developed at Masaryk University was utilized to train 80 participants in inferring conclusions from cartographic visualizations. The collaborative and individual experimental group underwent a research procedure consisting of a pretest, training in iVR, posttest, and questionnaires. A statistical comparison between the geography pretest and posttest for the individual learning showed a significant increase in the score (p = 0.024, ES = 0.128) and speed (p = 0.027, ES = 0.123), while for the collaborative learning, there was a significant increase in the score (p<0.001, ES = 0.333) but not in speed (p = 1.000, ES = 0.000). Thus, iVR as a medium proved to be an effective tool for learning geography. However, comparing the collaborative and individual learning showed no significant difference in the learning gain (p = 0.303, ES = 0.115), speed gain (p = 0.098, ES = 0.185), or performance motivation (p = 0.368, ES = 0.101). Nevertheless, the collaborative learning group had significantly higher use of cognitive resources (p = 0.046, ES = 0.223) than the individual learning group. The results were discussed in relation to the cognitive load theories, and future research directions for iVR learning were proposed.

This study investigated the encoding strategies employed by Chinese and English language users when recalling sequences of pictured objects. The working memory performance of native English participants (n = 14) and Chinese speakers of English as a second language (Chinese ESL; n = 14) was compared using serial recall of visually-presented pictures of familiar objects with three conditions: (i) phonologically and visually distinct, (ii) phonologically similar and visually distinct, and (iii) phonologically distinct and visually similar. Digit span, visual pattern span and articulation rate were also measured. Results indicated that whilst English participants were affected by the phonological but not the visual similarity of items, the performance of Chinese ESL participants was comparable across all three conditions. No significant differences in digit span, visual memory or articulation rate were found between groups. These results are discussed in the light of our understanding of the use of cognitive resources in short-term memory in users of diverse orthographies.

Ecological interface design effectively reduces cognitive workload – The example of HMIs for speed control

Abstract. Problem. For manufacturing enterprises, it is very important to reduce production and logistics costs, and one of the resource-intensive elements of this system is warehousing. Therefore, the need to establish conditions for the efficient use of material and warehouse resources is identified. Goal. The goal is to reduce the total cost of operating the built warehouse system by introducing efficient conditions for the use of resources. Methodology. A structural model of the warehouse system elements has been developed, which takes into account the main features of technological interaction of subsystems for processing incoming, internal and external flows of containers, packaging and finished products. To determine the conditions for efficient use of resources in the functioning of the warehouse system, it is proposed to use the evaluation parameter - the total cost of the warehouse system of a production enterprise. The parameters of external influence are the following intensities of flows determined by the warehouse process of a manufacturing enterprise: input, internal, and output. It is proposed to consider three options for the use of human and material resources. Originality. The article develops forecasting models of a degree type for three proposed three variants of use of material and human resources in functioning of warehouse systems of production enterprises. The obtained dependencies allow obtaining decisionmaking conditions depending on the intensity of incoming, internal and outgoing cargo flows. Practical value. Determining the conditions for using resources at the lowest possible total cost. The least costly option is to use two operators in each warehouse subsystem and one mechanism