Average Economic Benefit Research Articles

Rational Maize–Soybean Strip Intercropping Planting System Improves Interspecific Relationships and Increases Crop Yield and Income in the China Hexi Oasis Irrigation Area

Abundant light and heat in the Hexi Oasis Irrigation Area in China provide superior natural conditions for agricultural development. To study the maize–soybean planting system of intercropping and determine superior group yield and economic benefits in the Hexi Oasis Irrigation Area, eight treatments were set up in 2022–2023: maize–soybean intercropping with a bandwidth of 1.8 m and a row ratio of 2:3 (M1S3), a bandwidth of 1.8 m and a row ratio of 2:4 (M1S4), a bandwidth of 2.0 m and a row ratio of 2:3 (M2S3), a bandwidth of 2.0 m and a row ratio of 2:4 (M2S4), a bandwidth of 2.2 m and a row ratio of 2:3 (M3S3), a bandwidth of 2.2 m and a row ratio of 2:4 (M3S4), monocropping maize (M), and monocropping soybean (S). We analyzed the effects of changes in bandwidth–row ratios on photosynthetic characteristics, yield, and interspecific relationships in these treatments during two crop reproductive periods. Our results showed the following: (1) Under the intercropping system, the photosynthetic capacity of maize was highest when the row ratio was 2∶3 and bandwidth was 1.8 m. The net photosynthetic rate (Pn) increased by 1.72% to 48.90%, the transpiration rate (Tr) increased by 5.53% to 118.10%, and stomatal conductance (Gs) increased by 2.82% to 86.49% compared with other planting systems. Increasing the bandwidth from 1.8 m to 2.2 m improved the photosynthetic characteristics of soybean, increasing Pn, Tr, and Gs by 3.44% to 74.21%, 3.92% to 53.69%, and 2.41% to 55.22%, respectively. (2) The yield of maize and soybean under monocropping was significantly higher than that under intercropping. In the intercropping treatments, the average yield of crops in the M3S3 system was 16,519.4 kg ha−1, an increase of 6.48% compared with the M3S4 system, indicating that the reduction of one row of soybean in the same bandwidth system increases crop yield; The average economic benefit of the M3S3 system over two years was 35,171.73 CNY ha−1, which increased by 13.3 and 80% compared with the average economic benefit of maize and soybean monocropping, indicating that the intercropping system leads to better economic results for farmers than monocropping. (3) In the two-year experiment, the land equivalent ratio (LER) was highest in the M3S3 model, averaging 1.25 over the two years, showing better land productivity compared with other intercropping systems. (4) When bandwidth was 1.8, 2.0, or 2.2 m, the LER decreased by 8.3, 5.9, and 5.6% when planting an additional row of soybeans, the relative crowding coefficient of soybeans in the respective bandwidths increased by 4.59, 4.72, and 0.75%, the competition ratio of maize (CRM) increased by 22.94, 16.97, and 12.74%, the competition ratio of soybean (CRS) decreased by 20.47, 17.61, and 16.78%, and the competitive power of maize was greater than that of soybean, indicating that the increase in soybean rows in the same bandwidth system would weaken the competitive advantage of soybean, resulting in crop yield and economic benefit reduction. When the row ratio was 2:3 or 2:4, bandwidth increased from 1.8 m to 2.2 m, LER decreased by 3.31 and 0.86%, intercropping maize aggressiveness (AM) decreased by 7.55 and 12.50%, CRM decreased by 18.04 and 24.84%, and CRS increased by 17.32 and 22.77%, respectively, which indicated that the increase in bandwidth under different row ratio systems could improve the competitive advantage of intercropping soybean, thereby improving crop yield and economic benefits. (5) The AHP method, entropy weight method, and TOPSIS analysis showed that M3S3 ranked first, with the highest comprehensive evaluation (0.6017). In conclusion, the M3S3 planting system can better coordinate crop interspecies relationships, with higher land yield and economic benefit, and can be used as a suitable maize–soybean intercropping system in the Hexi oasis irrigation area.

The Contribution of Improving Phosphorous Use Efficiency to Agricultural Economics: A Case Study in Türkiye

The contribution of improving phosphorous (P) use efficiency (PUE) in agricultural areas of Türkiye to agricultural economics has been measured regionally for the years of 2007-2011 within this study. For this purpose, the economic benefit gained from use of P mineral fertilizers has been presented when improving PUE from 5% to maximum PUE in agricultural areas. PUE values used in this study were estimated by using hyperbolic regression model, which states the relationship between phosphorous input and output in agricultural areas of Türkiye. The results showed that important economic benefit would be gained by improving PUE, even when PUE was improved to maximum level, this benefit would be almost the half of the expenses for purchasing P mineral fertilizers. Yearly average economic benefits gained from purchasing P mineral fertilizers would be 0.22 ( 0.15 billion) and 0.82 billion TL(0.56 billion) by 5% improving of PUE and reaching maximum PUE, respectively over the five years 2007-2011.

Reinforcement Learning Optimized Intelligent Electricity Dispatching System

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, new changes are coming to all walks of life including traditional manufacturing industry, bio-pharmaceutical industry, electric-power industry, etc.. For electric-power industry, many machine learning algorithms have been used to achieve intelligent dispatch of electricity, intelligent electricity equipment fault diagnosis and more optimized customer management, among which the automation of power network is one of the most important issue ensuring safe operation of electricity grid. In the recent years, intelligent dispatch method based on big data analysis has been used in intellectual scheduling of electricity and has got significant promotion. However, the intelligent dispatch on big data analysis needs tremendous history data that is sometime not that easy to get. Moreover, once a small probability event happens, the big data based intelligent dispatch method may lose efficacy, thus in this paper we proposed a new intelligent dispatch model based on the reinforcement learning that is more robust, safer and with higher efficiency. Finally, according to the empirical study result, our model outperforms the traditional methods, where the average economic benefit in the test area increases more than 25%, fluctuation of distribution is more stable than before and the carbon emission decreases about 30%.

Optimal Allocation of Water Resources and Eco-Compensation Mechanism Model Based on the Interval-Fuzzy Two-Stage Stochastic Programming Method for Tingjiang River.

In this work, based on the upper line of water resources utilization and the bottom line of water environmental quality of “Three Lines, Single Project”, a fuzzy optimization method was introduced into the Tingjiang River water resources optimal allocation and eco-compensation mechanism model, which is based on the interval two-stage (ITS) stochastic programming method. In addition, a Tingjiang River water resources allocation and eco-compensation mechanism model based on the interval fuzzy two-stage (IFTS) optimization method was also constructed. The objective functions of both models were to maximize the economic benefits of the Tingjiang River. The available water resources in the basin, the water environmental quality requirements, and regional development requirements were used as constraints, and under the five hydrological scenarios of extreme dryness, dryness, normal flow, abundance, and extreme abundance, the water resources allocation plan of various sectors (industry, municipal, agriculture, and ecology) in the Tingjiang River was optimized, and an eco-compensation mechanism was developed. In this work, the uncertainty of the maximum available water resources in each region and the whole basin was considered. If the maximum available water resources were too high, it would lead to a large waste of water resources, whereas if the maximum available water resources were too low, regional economic development would be limited. Therefore, the above two parameters were set as fuzzy parameters in the optimization model construction in this work. The simulation results from the IFTS model showed that the amount of water available in the river basin directly affects the water usage by various departments, thereby affecting the economic benefits of the river basin and the amount of eco-compensation paid by the downstream areas. The average economic benefit of the Tingjiang River after the optimization of the IFTS model simulation was [3868.51, 5748.99] × 108 CNY, which is an increase of [1.67%, 51.9%] compared to the economic benefit of the basin announced by the government in 2018. Compared to the ITS model, the economic benefit interval of the five hydrological scenarios of extreme dryness, dryness, normal flow, abundance, and extreme abundance was reduced by 28.54%, 44.9%, 31.49%, 40.37%, and 36.43%, respectively, which can improve the economic benefits of the basin and provide more accurate decision-making schemes. In addition, the IFTS simulation showed that the eco-compensation quota paid by downstream Guangdong Province to upstream Fujian Province is [28,116.4, 30,738.6] × 104 CNY, which is a reduction of [8461.404, 110,836] × 104 CNY compared to the 2018 compensation scheme of the government. Compared to the ITS model, the range of eco-compensation values was observed to increase by 9.94%, 54.81%, 15.85%, 50.31%, and 82.90%, respectively, under the five hydrological scenarios, which reduces the burden of ecological expenditure downstream and provides a broader decision-making space for decision-makers and thus enables improved decision-making efficiency. At the same time, after the optimization of the IFTS model, the additional water consumption of the second stage of the Tingjiang River during the extremely dry year decreased by 62.11% compared to the results of the ITS model. The additional water consumption of the industrial sector decreased by 68.39%, the municipal sector decreased by 59.27%, and in the first phase of water resources allocation for 14 districts and counties in the Tingjiang River, industrial and municipal sectors are the main two sectors. After introducing the fuzzy method into the IFTS model, the difference in the water consumption by these two sectors in the basin under different hydrological scenarios can be alleviated, and the waste of water resources caused by too low water allocation or excessive water allocation can be avoided. The national and local (the downstream region) eco-compensation quotas can be indirectly reduced, and the risk of water resources allocation and eco-compensation decision-making in the basin can be effectively reduced.

KINERJA KOPERASI UNIT DESA (KUD) MINA DERMAGA KECAMATAN KALIANDA KABUPATEN LAMPUNG SELATAN BERDASARKAN PENDEKATAN TRIPARTITE

The purpose of this research is to analyze cooperative’s performance as a business entity, performance related to development, performance towards the interests of cooperative members, as well as economic and non-economic benefits received by members. This research was conducted at KUD Mina Dermaga using a case study method, the location was selected purposively with the consideration that the cooperative has not yet been ranked by researchers or local agencies. Responses stating that 30 people members. This research uses descriptive quantitative data analysis, customer satisfaction index analysis, and importance performance analysis. The results of this study indicate that the performance of business entities and performance related to the development of KUD Mina Dermaga are included in the qualified category. The performance of KUD Mina Dermaga in the interests of its members is of sufficient quality category. The economic benefits received by members are the difference in the cost of buying and selling services . The total annual average economic benefits received by KUD Mina Dermaga members are IDR 508,358.26. The non-economic benefits members on service performance and meeting the needs of members are in the high category (satisfied).Keyword : KUD, member satisfaction, performance

Assessing the benefits of exchanging spinning reserve capacity within the hydro-Dominated nordic market

This paper presents a hydrothermal scheduling toolchain suitable for detailed studies of procurement of spinning reserves in the hydro-dominated Nordic power system. The toolchain combines a long-term model to find the expected marginal value of water in the hydropower reservoirs and initial states for thermal generators, and a short-term model to optimize the daily unit commitment and dispatch. The short-term model has a detailed description of both hydro and thermal generation technologies to realistically constrain their capabilities as reserve capacity providers. The toolchain is applied on a data description representing a 2030 scenario of the Northern European power system to quantify the benefits of exchanging spinning reserve capacity both between bidding zones and between countries within the Nordic market. By allowing 10% of the transmission line capacity for exchange of reserves, we find that the daily average economic benefit is 290 k€ and 102 k€ for reserve exchange between bidding zones and countries, respectively. Moreover, we quantify and illustrate the importance of applying unit commitment for hydropower stations and strictly enforcing their minimum power requirements.

Health and Economic Consequences of Lead Exposure Associated with Products and Services Provided by the Informal Economy.

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the presence of an informal economy can lead to human exposure to toxic metals such as lead (Pb). This paper demonstrates the local health and economic benefits of modifying practices within the informal economic sector in Madagascar. Specifically, leaded components in 504 locally manufactured household water pumps were replaced with unleaded components. Prior to the intervention, 32% of the household systems exhibited lead concentrations above the World Health Organization (WHO) provisional drinking water guideline of 10 μg/L, but after the intervention, fewer than 3% of the systems were in exceedance. The reduction of lead concentration is modeled to reduce the fraction of children with elevated BLLs (>5 μg/dL) from 34 to 13%. The reduction in BLLs is estimated to provide an average economic benefit of US$11 800 per child based on predicted increases in lifetime productivity. This corresponds to a total benefit of US$8.7 million for the 730 children aged 1-5 associated with the pumps, representing a return on investment of greater than 1000-to-1. Results demonstrate how the formation of partnerships between public, private, and civil society entities, as suggested by UN Sustainable Development Goal 17, can realize important local economic and health benefits in LMICs.

Nitrogen fertilizer management effects on soil nitrate leaching, grain yield and economic benefit of summer maize in Northwest China

Reducing soil nitrate leaching losses from agricultural ecosystem and improving crop yield and nitrogen use efficiency with effective nitrogen management strategies are extremely important for sustainable agricultural development. A-two-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of five nitrogen management strategies (CK: no nitrogen application; FP: applying 210 kg N ha−1 at sowing; MFP: applying 105 kg N ha−1 at sowing and top-dressing 105 kg N ha−1 at V12 stage; Drip210 and Drip150: multi-split-N fertigation (MSF, sowing: 20%, V6: 30%, V14: 30% and R1: 20%) with 210 and 150 kg N ha−1) on soil nitrate-N (NO3−-N) distribution and residual, nitrate leaching losses, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), grain yield and economic benefit of summer maize in Northwest China. The results showed that MSF produced more consistent soil NO3−-N content over the entire maize growing season. The two-year average leachate NO3−-N concentration of Drip210 and Drip150 was 24.1 and 19.2 mg L−1, significantly lower than FP and MFP. The total nitrate leaching losses (TNLL) of Drip210 and Drip150 were significantly lower than that of FP and MFP (P < 0.05). The two-year average TNLL of Drip210 and Drip150 was 19.0 and 14.4 kg ha−1, decreased by 32.4% and 48.7% compared with FP (28.1 kg ha−1), respectively. The above-ground biomass, grain yield and NUE of Drip210 and Drip150 were higher than that of FP and MFP (P < 0.05). Both Drip210 and Drip150 achieved comparable grain yield, but Drip150 used 28.6% less nitrogen than Drip210, resulted in 24.0% lower TNLL and higher NUE than Drip210. In addition, the average economic benefit under Drip150 was the highest and increased by 397 and 1675 CNY ha−1, respectively, compared with Drip210 and MFP. Therefore, Drip150 was recommended as a promising fertilization strategy to reduce nitrate leaching losses and improve nitrogen use efficiency, while maintain high crop yield and economic benefit in Northwest China.

Quantifying ecological and economic value of pest control services provided by bats in a vineyard landscape of central Chile

The top-down suppression of pest insects by their natural enemies, such as insectivorous bats, represents an important ecosystem service in agricultural systems. Recognizing the importance of bats to suppress pest populations and further conserve their populations near agricultural systems could reduce damage to crops thereby potentially increasing the monetary gain of farmers. Viticulture represents one of the most extensive and economically important agricultural crops in the Mediterranean biome. While pest consumption by bats has been recently revealed in vineyards, direct evidence of the reduction of grapevine pests by bats in vineyards is lacking, and their benefits to winegrape production remains to be quantified. Using large nocturnal exclosures in vineyards, we examined the top-down effects of aerial insectivorous bats in suppressing insect populations by assessing leaf and grape cluster damage; we also examined the benefit of these natural pest predators by quantifying resulting increases in potential vineyard yield. Grapevine plants excluded from bats had significantly higher leaf herbivory and greater grape cluster damage than control plots. Grape cluster damage was 7% lower on control plots, yielding an average economic benefit of US$188-$248/ha/year due to bat predation. These results provide the first experimental evidence that bats reduce grapevine pest insect infections and thus increase vineyard yield and winegrowers’ income. Therefore, bats should be included in future biodiversity conservation plans in vineyards and be considered within agricultural management strategies based on natural pest suppression.

Field-based measurements of natural gas burning in domestic wall-mounted gas stove and estimates of climate, health and economic benefits in rural Baoding and Langfang regions of Northern China

Abstract The implementation of coal-to-gas shift in rural households for meeting people's heating and cooking demands can reduce pollutant emissions, improve indoor air quality and increase climate, health and economic co-benefits. In rural Baoding and Langfang regions of Hebei Province, China, approximately 1.25 million households have shifted from coal to natural gas combustion. Field-based emission factors, modified combustion efficiency, and thermal efficiency of typical gas stoves were measured to evaluate the contribution of this shift to local air pollution control. Natural gas burning in stoves produced much lower air pollution than coal or other popular fuel/stove combinations due to its good fuel properties and high combustion efficiency. All tested gas stoves were rated at excellent tiers according to Chinese national standards. Through the adoption of coal-to-gas shift during a complete winter heating season, the total emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitric oxide (NO), methane (CH4), particles with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) and ≤10 μm (PM10) were reduced by 98%, 56%, 33%, 80%, 82%, 99% and 99% in rural Baoding region, and by 99%, 37%, 25%, 83%, 71%, 99% and 99% in rural Langfang region, respectively. Correspondingly, GWC100 values decreased from 11 396 to 4 554 and from 13 408 to 7 881 ktCO2e·heat season−1·city−1 for the two cities, respectively. The estimated 7 083, 1 142, 8 834, 3 422, and 2 464 all-cause mortality cases resulting from the intakes of CO, NO, SO2, PM2.5 and PM10 were avoided in rural Baoding region, and 5 771, 467, 7 432, 2 762 and 1 987 cases were avoided in rural Langfang region, among which cardiopulmonary death was the primary reduced mortality. The average economic benefits were 10.40 and 9.98 billion CNY (Chinese Yuan), which was equivalent to 3.19% and 3.22% of the local GDPs.

Forecasting the impacts of climate change on inland waterways

Inland waterways are vulnerable to climate change as river navigation depends on water levels. Droughts can severely disrupt inland navigation services by reducing water levels either to completely non-navigable ones or to levels that oblige operators to reduce vessel load. We analyse the impacts of droughts induced by climate change using projections of river discharge data provided by eleven different climate model runs. We consider location specific characteristics by focusing the analysis on four specific locations of the Rhine and the Danube where a substantial part of the total freight activity in the European Union (EU) takes place. For the majority of the cases and scenarios considered, a decrease of the number of low water level days is projected, leading to fewer drought related disruptions in the operation of the inland waterway transport system. Although the uncertainties from the climate projections should not be neglected, the navigation sector could benefit from global warming which means that European inland waterways might be one of the few sectors where climate change can have negligible, or even positive, impact. The average economic benefit, for the cases considered, from the decrease of low water levels by the end of the century is projected to be almost €8million annually.

Plot size can influence yield benefits from fungicides on corn

Abstract Use of foliar fungicides on corn has increased over the last decade. Part of the reason for this increase is due to physiological benefits on plants from QoI (strobilurin) containing fungicides. However, there remains controversy over how significant yield and economic benefits are from strobilurin fungicides. A potential source of this controversy might be explained by experimental plot size. To better understand grower-relevant yield benefits from fungicides, three hundred and fourteen commercial-strip trials (8.1 ha fungicide treated and 8.1 ha untreated) were conducted on growers' farms across four years, and twenty-five small plot (37.2 m2 or less) trials were conducted across the corn belt in 2010. Yield benefits from fungicides were much greater in the commercial-strip trials than in the small plot trials. In 2011, twenty-six large plot trials (ranging from 557 to 1394 m2), were established with efforts made to reduce border and alley effects. Two corn hybrids were evaluated at each of the 26 trial locations, and the results indicated that corn yield benefits from Quadris® fungicide (a solo formulation containing 22.9% azoxystrobin) applied at the V4-V8 growth stage, Quilt Xcel® fungicide (a premix formulation containing 13.5% azoxystrobin and 11.7% propiconazole) applied at the R1 growth stage, or a combination of the two, provided yield benefits similar to those from the commercial-strip trials. The financial gain/loss from the use of fungicides was determined. Using the highest cost estimates for fungicide and applications, Quilt Xcel fungicide applied at the R1 growth stage provided estimated yield benefits of $105, $219, $241, and $278/ha ($19, $65, $74, and $89/A) over the untreated checks in the commercial-strip trials conducted in 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2013, respectively. The average economic benefit to growers over the four year period was $211 ± 37/ha ($62 ± $15/A). Variability in economic benefit not only includes costs associated with fungicides but also includes annual commodity price, disease pressure, and location effects. This study supports the hypothesis that plot size influences assessment of yield effects of fungicides. Yield responses from the small plot, large plot, and commercial-strip trials resulted in increases of 378 kg/Ha (6 Bu/A), 701 kg/Ha (11 Bu/A), and 1132 kg/Ha (18 Bu/A) over the untreated, respectively.

Study on the Optimal Distribution Strategy of Multi-Firepower Units Based on Markov Model

Under the circumstances of informationized war, how to distribute firepower units in the most economic manner to maximize the performance of combat system as a whole has become the hot topic with which the combat agent is concerned. The conventional static method based on linear programming intends to distribute firepower units to the enemy targets under certain restrictions as possible as it can , when the number of enemy targets is more than that of the firepower units, there will be multiple firepower units acting to the same enemy target, the effectiveness of combat will be greatly reduced oppositely while the invasion intensity of enemy targets is becoming larger and stronger suddenly. The threat intensity of coming enemy target is included into performance indices for distribution by Markov random target dynamic distribution strategy. based on the original static distribution strategy proposed by this paper, and the weapons will be redistributed to other targets when one weapon finishes its shooting with no more targets distributed, and the less efficient weapons will be replaced with those more efficient ones. Thus, the system can still redistribute firepower units to enemy targets that haven’t been destroyed according to the current status of weapon system's firepower units, even though no new targets arrive or no new instructions of dynamic firepower targets’ distribution decisions are given. All these can help minimize the whole threatening intensity of enemy group, in order to realize the maximum of weapon system’s average economic benefit of combat in the long term.

Economic evaluation of a prerelease substance abuse treatment program for repeat criminal offenders

Substance use disorders are common conditions among repeat criminal offenders. Without addressing these underlying substance use behaviors, parolees are significantly more likely to recidivate within 1 year of release. New Jersey is one of the first states to actively pursue substance abuse treatment options for inmates who are in the final stages of their sentences. Given the fiscal realities of taxpayer-supported programs, such initiatives must clearly demonstrate economic benefits for sustainability and growth. This article conducted one of the few comprehensive economic evaluations of prerelease substance abuse treatment to determine whether Community Education Centers' programs in New Jersey generated desirable outcomes, significant economic benefits, and positive net benefits. Relative to a matched comparison group of offenders who did not receive treatment, the intervention group returned an average economic benefit of $4,307 to $6,209 over the 1-year postrelease period. These economic benefits are underscored by the fact that the treatment program is housed in a separate facility, with a lower average per diem from that of the general inmate population. These results provide quantitative economic evidence that prerelease substance abuse treatment programs have the potential to reduce recidivism and save taxpayer dollars without adding to existing prison resources.

Systematic co-operation between employer, occupational health service and social insurance office: A 6-year follow-up of vocational rehabilitation for people on sick-leave, including economic benefits

To evaluate the effects of systematic co-operation among municipal employees on the number of sick-leave days per month and the type of benefit granted by the Social Insurance Office. A further aim was to evaluate the economic consequences for society. A 6-year follow-up study with a matched-pairs design. Days on sick-leave were calculated for each subject one year before the intervention started and yearly for the following 6-year period. Statistical mixed-model analysis was used. The economic benefit of the intervention was estimated as the increased production stemming from fewer days on sick-leave. Sixty-four employees on long-term sick-leave were individually matched with controls from another Social Insurance Office in a county with a socioeconomic structure similar to that of the study group. The study group had 5.7 fewer days on sick-leave per month and person over the 6-year period (p=0.003). The estimated average economic benefit of the intervention was euro36,600 per person over the 6-year period. In conclusion, those who received systematic co-operation in vocational rehabilitation had fewer days on sick-leave than their "treatment-as-usual" peers. This effect persisted over 6 years, generating substantial net economic gains for society.

A Partial Budget Model to Estimate Economic Benefits of Lactational Treatment of Subclinical Staphylococcus aureus Mastitis

Subclinical Staphylococcus aureus mastitis is rarely treated during lactation because it is widely believed to be uneconomical, although there are no economic studies that support this view. Partial budgeting was used to develop a deterministic simulation model to estimate the net cost or benefit of antibiotic treatment of subclinical S. aureus mastitis during lactation. Direct and indirect effects of treatment were taken into account, including prevention of clinical flare-ups and contagious transmission. Input variables were based on literature and on 2003–2004 prices in the Netherlands. When contagious transmission of S. aureus was likely (reproductive ratio R = 5.3), 3- and 8-d treatments resulted in an average net profit of €95.62 and €142.42, respectively, compared with no treatment. When the probability of S. aureus transmission was low (R = 0.32), the average economic benefit of 3- or 8-d treatment was−€21.12 and−€57.70, respectively. On low-transmission farms, 3-d treatment was profitable when the appropriate cows were selected for treatment using known risk factors for cure. Sensitivity analysis showed that the 6 most influential input variables in the model were chance of bacteriological cure, R, probability of culling, retention pay-off, and cost of antibiotics and bacterial culture. Although the economic outcome of lactational treatment of subclinical S. aureus mastitis is highly herd-, cow-, and strain-dependent, treatment is economically justified in many situations.

Residential Drug Treatment Found to Be Good Value

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Health Care EconomicsFull AccessResidential Drug Treatment Found to Be Good ValueKate MulliganKate MulliganSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:7 Feb 2003https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.38.3.0012Researchers found that the benefits of residential drug abuse treatment exceed costs by a factor of 4 to 1 in five programs in Washington state, when they used a benefit-cost analysis that considers societal costs.Michael T. French, Ph.D., Helena J. Salome, and Molly Carney, Ph.D., used recently developed methods and guidelines for using the drug abuse treatment cost analysis (DATCAP) and the addiction severity index (ASI) to estimate the economic costs and benefits in five programs in Washington state that serve patients in publicly funded programs.Their report, “Using the DATCAP and ASI to Estimate the Costs and Benefits of Residential Addiction Treatment in the State of Washington,” appears in the February issue of Social Science and Medicine.Carney is a research scientist at the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute at the University of Washington, and French is a professor of health care economics at the Medical University of South Carolina. Salome is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Miami.“The average economic cost of treatment for this sample of residential clients in Washington state was $4,912. The average economic benefit was $21,329. The average net benefit of treatment was $16,418, and the benefit-cost ratio was 4.34,” they pointed out.Data from the Office of Applied Studies suggest that approximately 70 percent of the total cost of addiction treatment in the United States is funded through public budgets.According to the article, “the average cost of residential addiction treatment is about 5.69 times higher than the cost of outpatient nonmethadone services.”So, according to the researchers, the value of residential addiction treatment is being reappraised by many state agencies.Researchers estimated the economic cost by using the DATCAP, which was administered on site at each of the five residential programs. They determined treatment outcomes by analysis of client-specific baseline and follow-up data collected through the ASI.The researchers derived estimates for average weekly and total cost of addiction treatment, total benefit of treatment, net benefit of treatment, and the benefit-cost ratio.Benefit-cost analysis, they argued, is different from cost-effectiveness analysis and preferable to it when different outcomes of the treatment intervention must be included and programs with different goals or effects must be compared.Benefit-cost analysis “compares the opportunity cost of an intervention to the total benefit, while expressing both in a common monetary metric. Benefit-cost measures include a benefit-cost ratio (i.e., benefit divided by cost) or simply a net benefit estimate (i.e., cost subtracted from benefit).”Economic benefits were derived from patient self-reported information collected at the beginning of treatment and six months after discharge from the program.The researchers converted the following ASI measures into dollar-equivalent values for the benefit analysis: inpatient medical days, inpatient psychiatric days, residential addiction treatment days (follow-up only), days experiencing medical problems, income received from employment, days engaged in illegal activities, and days experiencing psychological or emotional problems.Reported number of days engaged in illegal activities was used to estimate the reduction in crime-related costs.The researchers used multivariate regression models to determine which client and/or treatment characteristics were significantly related to economic cost and benefit.Robert Rosenheck, M.D., director of the VA Northeast Program Evaluation Center and a professor of psychiatry and public health at Yale School of Medicine, told Psychiatric News, “This is a very important type of study, but one which, as the authors note, must be interpreted cautiously for two reasons. First, since there was no control group, we cannot be certain that the cost savings were the result of treatment. They may reflect the fact that improvement can come about as a result of some natural recovery process in people who have decided to get help. Second, although measuring the economic value of health gains theoretically is very important, practically such measurement is very hard to accomplish.” ▪ ISSUES NewArchived

Treatment strategies for juvenile delinquents : Alex Hawryluk American Judicature Society (1155 East 60th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637), 1971, 29 pp., paperback

Substance use disorders are common conditions among repeat criminal offenders. Without addressing these underlying substance use behaviors, parolees are significantly more likely to recidivate within 1 year of release. New Jersey is one of the first states to actively pursue substance abuse treatment options for inmates who are in the final stages of their sentences. Given the fiscal realities of taxpayer-supported programs, such initiatives must clearly demonstrate economic benefits for sustainability and growth. This article conducted one of the few comprehensive economic evaluations of prerelease substance abuse treatment to determine whether Community Education Centers' programs in New Jersey generated desirable outcomes, significant economic benefits, and positive net benefits. Relative to a matched comparison group of offenders who did not receive treatment, the intervention group returned an average economic benefit of $4,307 to $6,209 over the 1-year postrelease period. These economic benefits are underscored by the fact that the treatment program is housed in a separate facility, with a lower average per diem from that of the general inmate population. These results provide quantitative economic evidence that prerelease substance abuse treatment programs have the potential to reduce recidivism and save taxpayer dollars without adding to existing prison resources.