Share Of Consumption Research Articles

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ФОРМУВАННЯ СІМЕЙНОГО БЮДЖЕТУ В УМОВАХ ФІНАНСОВО-ЕКОНОМІЧНОЇ НЕСТАБІЛЬНОСТІ

Introduction. In the conditions of financial and economic instability, approaches to the formation and distribution of financial resources of the state, business and households have changed radically. Therefore, the study of the structure and features of forming the family budget is an objective requirement of the time. The purpose of the article.. Study of the essence, analysis of the structure and problems of formation of family budgets of citizens in Ukraine. Results. The authors of the article suggest that the family budget should be considered as a plan for the formation and use of cash income to ensure the well-being and appropriate standard of family living over a certain period of time. The analysis of the income structure of family budgets shows that the largest share is wages 57%, social benefits and transfers – 21%, profit and mixed income – 15%, income from property – 7%. During the studied period, the average monthly pension increased by 86.2%, the stipend by 53%, the minimum pension by 33.4%, the subsistence minimum by 38.33%, but in dollar equivalent it is 23%, 1.8%, -11.8% respectively. Important factors affecting the incomes of Ukrainian citizens are: the level of development of the country’s economy; the size of state social guarantees, the level of labor productivity; unemployment rate; the level of purchasing power of citizens; inflation; the structure of citizens’ expenses. It has been studied that in the conditions of war, the number of Ukrainians living on the edge of poverty has increased by 1.8 million since 2020, one of the indicators indicating a decrease in the level of income is an increase in the share of expenditure on food products in the general budget. According to the structure of family budgets, Ukrainians spend almost 66% on food and mandatory payments, which is twice the world average. During the war, the situation has changed, charity and donations occupy a larger part of family budget expenses compared to education or loan payments. Conclusions. It is suggested that in order to ensure the stability of the financial condition of Ukrainian citizens, it is necessary to develop and implement effective measures for socio-economic support of the population’s standard of living and the creation conditions for the development of small and medium-sized businesses at the state and regional levels.

Expenditure Rules: Limiting the Level or the Variation of Public Expenditure?

The main goal of the first-generation expenditure rules was to ensure fiscal discipline: preserving a sound fiscal framework and public debt sustainability. Regarding this goal, analytically as well as empirically, limiting the share of public expenditure in GDP would be more appropriate in case of weak potential economic growth or if the public expenditure-to-GDP ratio is high. On the contrary, limiting the variation of public expenditure would be more appropriate for countries with high potential economic growth or with a weak public expenditure-to-GDP ratio. The second goal of expenditure rules is to contribute to sustaining economic activity. Regarding this goal, limiting the level of public expenditure appears as more favorable than limiting the variation of public expenditure. Indeed, a rule in terms of variation could hamper economic growth, especially for countries with a high public expenditure-to-GDP ratio.

Inequalities in local funding cuts to environmental and regulatory service expenditure in England

Abstract Background The financial crisis in 2008 has led to governments across Europe introducing austerity measures. England has experienced significant financial cuts to local authority (LA) services. Environmental and regulatory (ER) services provide key functions in public protection such as, Food Safety (FS) and Animal and Public Health Infectious Disease Control (APH), services which are key infectious disease resilience. Here we investigate inequalities in local funding cuts to ER services by socioeconomic deprivation, LA type, and urbanicity, and impact on key ER service indicators. Methods This ecological study uses longitudinal modelling techniques to analyse trends in ER expenditure since the introduction of austerity and the inequalities present. We use Generalised Estimating Equations to estimate the annual percent change of ER service expenditure, and FS and APH expenditure between 2009/10 and 2020/21 in relation to deprivation, LA type and population density. Quasi-Poisson regression is used to assess impact of cuts on ER service indicators. Results Areas of higher deprivation had the largest reduction in expenditure, with ER and FS and APH cuts of 2% and of 23% respectively, compared to a 1% and 8% reduction in the least deprived areas. The share of ER expenditure spent on FS and APH decreased by 13% in the most deprived authorities compared to 6% in the least deprived areas. London boroughs had the greatest reductions in FS and APH expenditure, decreasing by 10%. Both ER and FS and APH expenditure decreased with increasing population density. Preliminary analysis shows inequalities in food business hygiene ratings in addition to other key ER service indicators since the introduction of these cuts. Conclusions The unequal distribution of cuts shows the need for increased and equitable investment into these services to enable resilience to infectious disease threats, and to prevent widening of health inequalities. Key messages • This work provides strong evidence of inequalities in local funding cuts to ER services and highlights where investment should be focused, in order to protect environmental and public health. • This work introduces the impact of local funding cuts on a vital public health service and lays the foundation for future work into the unequal impact of cuts to these services on health outcomes.

Adverse Drug Reactions to β-Lactam Antibiotics: A Portuguese Pharmacovigilance Database Analysis

Abstract Background The β-lactam antibiotics are one of the most relevant drug classes globally. They accounted for the largest share of systemic antibiotics consumption in Portugal across both community and hospital settings. Due to their significance, continuous monitoring of adverse drug reactions (ADR) associated with β-lactams is fundamental. Aim To analyse and characterise cases related to β-lactam antibiotics received by the Portuguese National Pharmacovigilance System. Methods Retrospective analysis of cases containing at least one medicinal product classified as suspect under the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) code J01C or J01D, reported to the Portuguese Pharmacovigilance System between 2014 and 2023. Characterisation of cases considered patient demographics, reported suspected medicines, MedDRA Preferred Term (PT), seriousness and type of reporter. Results A total of 3557 cases were identified (54.0% females; median age = 42.0 years; interquartile range = 52.2), with 95.9% originating from spontaneous reporting and 93.5% being reported by healthcare professionals. The most frequently reported medicines were those belonging to ATC J01CR. Around 70% of cases were classified as serious, with 38.7% being related to situations of disability or other criteria of greater seriousness. Most frequently reported PTs were related to skin disorders. Anaphylactic reaction was the most reported Designated Medical Event term. The PTs “Drug ineffective” and “Off label use” were reported in 5.2% and 2.4% of the cases, respectively. Conclusions Despite the majority of cases are serious, most of the ADR identified are related to already known hypersensitivity reactions. To improve the knowledge regarding these medicines and to generate evidence to address emerging public health issues it is of paramount importance to strength the Portuguese Pharmacovigilance System. This can be achieved through enhancing spontaneous reporting and implementing active pharmacovigilance programs. Key messages • Monitoring the efficacy and safety profile of β-lactams in a real-world context is crucial to mitigate the impact in public health and associated economic burden. • Enhancing the surveillance systems improves data collection and evidence generation, supporting tailoring treatment approaches and implementation of public health policies.

Recurrent Flooding and Household Food Access in Central Java, Indonesia.

It is unknown how recurring flooding impacts household diet in Central Java. We aimed to assess how recurrent flooding influenced household food access over 22 years in Central Java by linking the Global Surface Water dataset (GSW) to the Indonesian Family Life Survey. We examined linear and nonlinear relationships and joint effects with indicators of adaptive capacity. We measured recurrent flooding as the fraction of district raster cells with episodic flooding from 1984-2015 using GSW. Food access outcomes were household food expenditure share (FES) and dietary diversity score (DDS). We fit generalized linear mixed models and random forest regression models. We detected joint effects with flooding and adaptive capacity. Wealth and access to credit were associated with improved FES and DDS. The effect of wealth on FES was stronger in households in more flood-affected districts, while access to credit was associated with reduced odds of DDS in more flood-affected districts. Flooding had more predictive importance for FES than for DDS. Access to credit, a factor that ordinarily improves food access, may not be effective in flood-prone areas. Wealthier households may be better able to adapt in terms of food access. Future research should incorporate land use data to understand how different locales are affected and further understand the complexity of these relationships.

Assessing energy savings and visual comfort with PDLC-based smart window in an Istanbul office building: A case study

Lighting applications in architectural structures have a high share in energy consumption. Inefficient lighting applications and technologies will increase energy consumption and do not guarantee the visual comfort desired by users. Recognizing the importance of user comfort, this study takes a deeply user-centric approach in proposing feasible lighting control methods that can improve energy efficiency in smart and carbon-neutral future buildings and change daylight's benefits in favor of the user. Smart glass technology, which can adjust the color and transmittance of the light in response to external stimuli (applied voltage) and can be dynamically modulated, changing window and door characteristics, has high potential in the market for modern societies. This paper develops an innovative lighting control method to improve energy efficiency and visual comfort and reduce energy consumption. The daily performance of the proposed control methods regarding illuminance, uniformity factor, and energy consumption is experimentally analyzed in a test bench modeling an office environment with IG80 glass (for comparison), artificial lighting source (LED lamp), and polymer-dispersed liquid-crystal (PDLC)-based smart window. The research methodology involved a detailed analysis of the relationship between performance metrics and dimmer percentages and comparing the energy consumption performance of the lighting methods with other design parameters and technological advances. This algorithm prioritizes user comfort and considers the PDLC-based smart window light transmittance and LED lamp dimmer control depending on daylight. The results show that the proposed algorithm can increase energy savings by up to 22 %. While efficient lighting control is closely related to weather conditions and indoor specifications, it has similar energy consumption performance compared to research into design parameters and technological advances, eliminating further efforts.

Young adults, particularly young women, account for an increasingly large share of Dutch mental healthcare expenditure over the period between 2015 and 2021.

There is increasing concern over the mental distress of youth in recent years, which may impact mental healthcare utilisation. Here we aim to examine temporal patterns of mental healthcare expenditures in the Netherlands by age and sex in the period between 2015 and 2021. Comprehensive data from health insurers in the Netherlands at the 3-number postal code level were used for cluster weighted linear regressions to examine temporal patterns of mental healthcare expenditure by age group (18-34 vs 35-65). The same was done for medical specialist and general practitioner costs. Additionally, we examined interactions with gender, by adding the interaction between age, year and sex to the model. Mental healthcare costs for younger adults (18-34) were higher than those for older adults (35-65) at all time points (β = 0.22, 95%-CI = 0.19; 0.25). Furthermore there was an increase in the strength of the association between younger age and mental healthcare costs from β = 0.22 (95%-CI = 0.19; 0.25) in 2015 to β = 0.37 (95%-CI = 0.35; 0.40) in 2021 (p < 0.0001) and this was most evident in women (p < 0.0001). Younger age was associated with lower general practitioner costs at all time points, but this association weakened over time. Younger age was also associated with lower medical specialist costs, which did not weaken over time. Young adults, particularly young women, account for an increasing share of mental healthcare expenditure in the Netherlands. This suggests that mental distress in young people is increasingly met by a response from the medical system. To mitigate this trend a public mental health approach is needed.

Assessing the impact of various irrigation technologies on agricultural production: A water-energy‑carbon nexus perspective

Effective coordination of water, energy, and carbon is vital for the sustainable development of irrigated agriculture. However, limited research has been conducted on the impact of irrigation technology on the coupling and coordination relationship of these elements, especially on the North China Plain (NCP) where irrigation is applied extensively. This study establishes a water-energy‑carbon (WEC) nexus framework based on footprint theory and energy analysis. Water utilization, energy consumption, and carbon emissions in a wheat production system under conventional irrigation (CI), sprinkler irrigation (SI), and drip irrigation (DI) technology on the NCP from 2000 to 2019 were quantified. Subsequently, the coupling coordination degree (CCD) model is used to analyze the interactions and correlations of the WEC nexus. Results indicated that SI and CI effectively reduced water consumption and mitigated water degradation, but this came at the expense of increased energy consumption and carbon emissions. The irrigation process represented the predominant share of energy consumption, representing 40.54 % and 37.64 % of the production-based energy consumption under SI and DI, respectively. The primary contributors to the production-based carbon footprint under CI, SI, and DI were N fertilizer (23.67 %), pipeline production (59.10 %), and irrigation electricity (21.85 %), respectively. The CCD range of WEC systems under the three irrigation technologies varied from 0.35 to 0.50 on the NCP during the investigation period. There were some slight differences in the average annual CCD between each irrigation technology, with DI (0.43) > SI (0.40) > CI (0.39). SI and DI was in basic coordination, while CI was in imbalanced type. Meanwhile, the spatial heterogeneity of CCD was fully reflected over time. Promoting water-saving irrigation technologies, developing clean energy, controlling the expansion of irrigation areas, and strengthening the connections among various subsystems are crucial measure to achieve regional WEC nexus coupling coordination.

Relationship between the Human Development Index and public social spending: European experience for Ukraine

This study focuses on the relationship between the Human Development Index (HDI) and public social expenditures, analyzing socio-economic models using the examples of selected European countries and Ukraine. The study used the values of the HDI, GDP, and indicators of public expenditures for social purposes, namely, healthcare, education, leisure, culture and religion, and social protection for the period from 2010 to 2021. The analysis targeted 13 European countries using data sets from Eurostat, the Office for National Statistics of the United Kingdom, the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine. The input time series were checked for lagged values using the STATISTICA software.Empirical evidence suggests a relationship between HDI and public social spending. An increase in the share of public social expenditures in GDP leads to an increase in HDI and vice versa. European countries with a social-democratic model of development have the highest level of centralization of public expenditure in GDP (34.72%) and the highest HDI (0.930), while countries belonging to the Southern European model have the lowest share of socially oriented public expenditure (30.41%) and the lowest HDI (0.873). In addition, there is a time lag between the investment of public funds in healthcare, education, leisure, culture and religion, and social protection and their impact on HDI changes. Thus, ensuring a high level of HDI is achieved, among other things, through state financial support for the relevant components of the social sphere and social protection. AcknowledgmentThe study is funded by the EU NextGenerationEU through the Recovery and Resilience Plan for Slovakia under project No. 09I03-03-V01-00130.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Financial Situation of Rural and Urban Households in Poland

The COVID-19 pandemic not only caused a global health crisis but also had a huge impact on household finances. This research aimed to examine the financial situation of rural and urban households in Poland between 2018 and 2022 from a multidimensional perspective. In a unidimensional approach, the financial situation of households was analyzed separately for their income, expenditures, savings rate, and shares of fixed expenses. In a multidimensional approach, the analysis used a synthetic index constructed for all these variables combined, employing the TOPSIS method and drawing on microdata from the Polish Central Statistical Office that totaled approximately 150,000 households. It was found that despite the pandemic outbreak, which led to major changes in the labor market, government-introduced organizational and legal measures protected the income of Polish households from decline. Indeed, income was increasing up until 2021, with a modest fall in 2022, which was less severe in rural households (by about 2%) than in urban ones (by 6%). A more immediate response to the outbreak was observed in consumer spending, which fell sharply, while the food share in consumption increased at similar levels in rural and urban areas. Regression analysis showed that compared to 2019, the pandemic worsened the financial situation of Polish households, but only in 2020 and 2022 were these changes statistically significant. In 2021, the financial situation improved slightly, but the change was not statistically significant. Before the pandemic, the synthetic assessment of the financial situation in rural areas was lower than in urban ones, and the pandemic period did not reduce these differences, showing no convergence between poorer rural areas and richer urban ones. Diagnosing and monitoring the household financial situation are crucial steps for achieving the social dimension goals of sustainable development. Research on the pandemic’s effects on household finances provides valuable information that can help develop effective strategies to counter future crises while supporting the social dimension of the sustainable development strategy.

Usage of intellectual analysis of ecological-economic data in the pension insurance system and for forecasting expenditures on social protection and social security

The paper is devoted to an actual scientific and applied problem – the development of methodology for applying mathematical models and data mining methods for actuarial calculations in mandatory state pension insurance system. The paper describes methodology for modeling changes in the number of pension recipients taking into account the impact of environmental factors, in particular air pollution. The basis of the proposed method is a multi-model approach, characterized by combination of data mining and probabilistic models in the form of Bayesian network, which are appropriate in conditions of statistical, parametric and structural uncertainty.The proposed approach describes the change in number of pension recipients, in particular for disability and breadwinner loss, under influence of air pollution from organic and inorganic compounds. The scientific novelty of the paper is in the use of an ensemble of models including probabilistic and statistical models in the form of Bayesian network and regression models, in the system of actuarial calculations of mandatory state pension insurance.The paper considers several scenarios for the impact of pollutants on the growth of number of pension recipients. The indicator of the share of expenditures on social protection and social security of the population in the gross national product was chosen as the target variable of the process under study. Mathematical models were found to be adequate to the modeling process, and the Bayesian network classification error is about 20%. The model structure is built in Genie 2.0 modeling system. The principal component analysis, is used to reduce the data dimension. The proposed methodology can also be applied to other tasks of forecasting social protection and social security expenditures.

The process of youth formation in the Kyrgyz Republic

This article examines key aspects of the process of youth formation and development in Kyrgyzstan. The author analyzes the current situation in the areas of employment, education and digital skills of young people, and identifies the main challenges faced by the young generation of the country. Key points that young people in Kyrgyzstan are predominantly employed in the service sector and agriculture, while the share of unemployed and non-studying youth remains high (19–21 %). There is a significant gender gap the share of young women not involved in labor or educational activities is more than 2 times higher than that of men. The share of education expenditure in Kyrgyzstan’s GDP is declining, despite the high priority of this area in budget policy. The digital skills of young people, especially women, are underdeveloped, limiting their opportunities in the labor market. The author proposes to intensify programs for employment, advanced training and development of entrepreneurial competencies of young people as a response to these challenges, which will allow them to fully realize their potential.

Household Energy Poverty in European Union Countries: A Comparative Analysis Based on Objective and Subjective Indicators

The study aims to assess household energy poverty in European Union (EU) countries, comparing them based on the Objective Energy Poverty Index and the Subjective Energy Poverty Index. The Objective Energy Poverty Index is derived from indicators such as energy expenditure share, risk-of-poverty rate, and electricity prices. The Subjective Energy Poverty Index includes indicators such as the inability to keep the home adequately warm, arrears on utility bills, and bad housing conditions. Both indices aggregate the indicators mentioned above using equal and non-equal weighting approaches. The analysis uses country-level data from 2019 to 2023 sourced from Eurostat. The findings indicate considerable variation in household energy poverty across the EU, with more pronounced inequalities in subjective indicators than objective ones. Additionally, the study reveals a weak correlation between the Objective Energy Poverty Index and the Subjective Energy Poverty Index, leading to differing country rankings based on these indices. However, the choice of weights in constructing the energy poverty indices does not significantly impact a country’s energy poverty ranking. The paper also identifies countries where household energy poverty decreased in 2023 compared to 2019 and those where it increased. Regarding the Subjective Energy Poverty Index, Croatia and Hungary showed the most notable improvement in their rankings among European countries, while France, Germany, and Spain deteriorated their positions. According to the Objective Energy Poverty Index, Bulgaria, Croatia, Portugal, and Spain demonstrated the most significant improvement, whereas Greece experienced a considerable decline.

Экономика РФ в январе – апреле 2024 года

Based on the analysis of a number of macroeconomic and sectoral indicators, it is established that in January–April 2024, there was an economic decline compared to the corresponding period in 2023. Moreover, the extent of the decline is increasing month by month. It is noteworthy that the authorities, as in the past in the USSR, are turning a blind eye to the decline. The causes of the decline are determined by the combined impact of both cyclical factors (Western economic sanctions, overstrain from military expenditures) and long-term trends of a decline in fixed assets and a reduction in the workforce, as well as the qualifications of personnel at all levels. The future prospects of the Russian economy are determined, along with ensuring effective economic policy and building a functional state system, by the level of escalation of the conflict in Ukraine and the extent of economic sanctions. In the event of significant escalation of military actions, what will be required is a transition to a wartime economy with a high share of military expenditures in GDP, a reduction in consumer spending and non-productive investments, mobilization of labor resources in favor of the armed forces and the military-industrial complex, and the introduction of a rationing system for main food products, as well as the nationalization of several companies. The success of this structural maneuver is determined by the organization and qualifications of the state apparatus. In the case of moderate escalation of military actions and economic sanctions, the radical nature of structural and institutional changes will decrease.

Комплексная оценка уровня жизни в регионах России с использованием метода главных компонент

A comprehensive assessment of the living standard was conducted based on nine indicators of income and their subjective perception, inequality, expenditure structure, social and economic status, presented by their values in 82 regions that are Russian Federation subjects. For their aggregation, the principal component method was used, which led to the extraction of two generalized factors that retain 61 % of the total variance of the original indicators and are interpreted as objective and subjective characteristics of the living standard. It was found out that the growth of the economy and income in the regions of the Russian Federation is accom-panied by an increase in economic inequality; a decrease in the food share in household expenditures and in-kind receipts in food consumption reflects the situation of an increase in the living standard; the subjective per-ception of the living standard is non-linearly related to its objective indicators. Based on the distribution analysis of the subjects of the Russian Federation in the space of two principal components, groups of regions-leaders and outsiders in objective and subjective indicators of the living standard were identified. It is shown that geo-graphic location is not a significant factor in the living standard.

Influence of livelihood assets on biodiversity and household food security in tropical homegardens along urbanisation gradients

Abstract By 2050, 70% of the global population will reside in urban areas, raising concerns about food security and biodiversity loss. Tropical homegardens, a form of agroforestry, may have the potential to align concurrent demands for biodiversity conservation and food security in urban environments. Nevertheless, this depends on land-use decision-making strategies that are enabled by household livelihood assets. We examined which livelihood assets are associated with homegarden agrobiodiversity and food availability and accessibility in Kerala, India, the nature of these associations, and whether they vary along urbanisation gradients using data from 304 homegardens. We observed higher plant species richness closer to the urban centre and in smaller homegardens. Meanwhile, yields and share of household food consumption from homegardens tend to be higher farther away from urban centres. Assets like fertilizer use, irrigation and kinship affiliation are positively associated with both homegarden agrobiodiversity and food outcomes. Conversely, homegarden size is negatively associated with biodiversity outcomes across urbanisation gradients and positively associated with yield outcomes furthest away from urban centre. Some assets like family labour and farming association membership were only positively associated with food outcomes, while others like external labour availability were positively associated only with plant diversity in the urban centre. Overall, synergies between homegarden agrobiodiversity and household food security requires inputs to natural processes, such as irrigation and soil fertility, and social processes like knowledge sharing and social cohesion, especially in urban peripheries. We emphasize the relevance of homegardens and enhancing livelihood assets for food-secure households in biodiverse urban environments.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC REQUIREMENTS AND PRINCIPLES OF ENSURING FOOD SECURITY IN UKRAINE

Ensuring the country's food security is a complex and responsible task, the solution of which is determined by a combination of many factors and factors. Socio-economic factors that determine the level of physical and economic availability of food for the country's population are decisive among these factors. The article examines the main socio-economic factors that influence the sufficiency and availability of food for the population of Ukraine. Among the most important of them, the value of the minimum food basket of Ukrainians, food prices, incomes and expenses of the population, and price trends in the food market were analyzed. A quantitative assessment of rates of the ratio of the cost of a food set and the average wage in Ukraine, which determines the economic availability of food for the population, was carried out. The structure of household expenses is analyzed. The obtained research results showed threatening trends in the growth of the share of population expenditure on food in the structure of spending to the maximum critical value. The price trends for food products and their changes in recent years have been studied. The income level of the population of Ukraine, the actual wages, and their combined effect on the availability and state of food supply are analyzed. An analytical assessment of the current state and dynamics of the level of food self-sufficiency of the population of Ukraine by its main types was carried out. Specific threatening trends have been identified regarding the sufficiency of domestic production of certain food products for food security (fruits, berries, and grapes are characterized. A set of fundamental principles are substantiated, which, according to the authors, become a priority in ensuring the strategic food security of Ukraine based on sustainable development. Priority among them are highlighted: priorities of food quality, safety, and environmental friendliness, formation of sustainable food security networks based on the creation of inclusive agro-food markets, increasing the level of social responsibility of food producers and food consumers, strategic priorities of environmental friendliness, conservation of natural and biological resources and minimization of climate change. Certain aspects of the quality and safety of agricultural production and food products were investigated in the context of the prohibited principles. The organizational principles of food quality and safety monitoring processes in the Ukrainian agro-food sector have been studied.

Transition to a green economy, oil prices and the current account

In this paper we propose and develop the hypothesis that a transition to a green economy influences the consumption-smoothing component of the current account. This is important because green economy has the potential to improve current accounts. Using a sample of 23 countries, we discover that when renewable energy consumption as a share of total final energy consumption is below the threshold value of 23.561 %, there is a negative impact of oil prices on the current account. However, the negative impact diminishes when renewable consumption exceeds this threshold. Interestingly, splitting the sample into current account surplus and deficit countries reveals that a transition to a greener economy mitigates the negative impacts of an oil price rise more so for deficit countries than surplus countries.

Energy, exergy, environmental, and economic (4E) analyses of the usability of various nano-sized particles added lubricant in a heat pump system

The need for energy is rising significantly with the growth of technology in the world. This energy need is largely met by fossil fuels. The enhancement in their prices and the damage they induce to the environment, scientists have turned to alternative energy sources due to the depletion of fossil fuels. In recent years, these alternative energy sources have come to the fore as solar, wind, and wave energy. However, heating and refrigeration systems, whose share of energy consumption in buildings in the world is 40 %, can also compete with these alternative energy sources. In particular, heat pumps (HP) are at a level that can compete with renewable energy sources to seriously reduce this rate. In this study, different nanoparticles were added to the Polyol ester oil (POE) utilized in the compressor to enhance the performance of the HP. Thermodynamic, environmental, and economic performances of the obtained nanolubricants at different concentrations (0.5 wt% and 1 wt%) and flow rates (15, 30, and 45 g/s) were evaluated. The highest COP value of the HP was calculated as 4.14 at 0.5 wt% B-POE at 45 g/s. The best energy consumption in the HP was obtained with 0.5 wt% B-POE nanolubricant with a decrease of 10.96 % at 45 g/s compared to pure POE. The highest exergy efficiency in the HP was calculated at 0.5 wt% B-POE nanolubricant with a 13.53 % increase at 30 g/s compared to pure POE. The best exergoeconomic parameter (Rg,ex) performance was determined as 3.7148 kWh/$ in 1 wt% TiO2-POE nanolubricant at 45 g/s. The best enviro-economic value of 0.16182 ¢/h was obtained with 0.5 wt% B-POE nanolubricant at 45 g/s. In line with the results obtained, it was observed that the B-POE nanolubricant has a performance that can compete with the good-performing TiO2-POE nanolubricant.

Paying for advance care planning in medicare: Impacts on care and spending near end of life

Spending at end of life (EOL) accounts for a large and growing share of healthcare expenditures in the US, and often reflects aggressive care with questionable value for dying patients. Using a novel instrumental variables approach, we conduct the first study on the causal effect of Medicare reimbursement for advance care planning (ACP)—the process of discussing and recording patient preferences for goals of care—on care utilization, spending, and mortality outcomes for critically ill Medicare patients. We find that billed ACP services substantially increase hospice use and hospice spending within a year, accompanied by corresponding increase in one-year mortality. The impacts of ACP services on hospice use and spending are especially prominent among patients with dementia and those of lower socioeconomic status. Among decedents, death is significantly less likely to occur in the hospital, and total and inpatient spending within the last 30 days of life fall significantly. Our findings suggest that paying for ACP services can be effective in improving hospice use for critically ill Medicare patients, with the (possibly intended) consequence of increased one-year mortality.