ICT Paradox： Cost Efficiency of Web Based Learning

Indonesia government in this term Directorate General of Higher Education providing grants for ICT infrastructttres supplied through all bequest competitions. The kinds and amount of the grants are various which can be used to provide hardware to make ICT based teaching materials. The government issued a huge amount of funds, therefore, it must be balanced with an optimal utilization. This research aims to analyze cost efficiency of dual mode web-based learning in Indonesia. The object of this research is four higher educations in Indonesia. The analysis is done by comparing the average cost per student and the average cost per subject among 4 institutions. The result showed that there are institutions that issued higher cost compared with the others in producing the same learning media.

AIDS Treatments Efficiency Analysis Based on Cost Efficiency Data Envelopment Analysis Model

Three data envelopment analysis (DEA) models were used to analyse the relative efficiencies of four AIDS treatments in AIDS Clinical Trial Group (ACTG) Study 193A(1 309 patients in total, classified into 4 age groups). Results from the output-oriented BCC model show that Treatment 4 ( 600 mg of zidovudine plus 400 mg of didanosine plus 400 mg of nevirapine) is particularly efficient for age group 14—25, but not efficient for the older age groups; Treatment 1 (600 mg of zidovudine alternating monthly with 400 mg of didanosine)and Treatment 2 (600 mg of zidovudine plus 2.25 mg of zalcitabine) are efficient for the age groups 35—45 and 45— ; age group 25—35 does not have a particularly efficient treatment, but Treatments 1 and 2 are relatively good. The cost efficiency BCC model, which takes the treatment cost into account, gives similar results as the output-oriented model. Results from the indirect output-oriented BCC model, which allows the replacement among medicines, show that the efficiency of Treatment 2 has greatly decreased compared with that of the output-oriented model, and a set of optimal medicine amounts for different age groups is obtained.

Has Minority Foreign Investment in China's Banks Improved Their Cost Efficiency?

Since 2001, foreign investors have been permitted to acquire minority ownership stakes m China＇s banks. This paper assesses whether there is any evidence of a cost efficiency payoff m those banks that have taken on foreign investment. Data envelopment analysis isfirst used to generate measures of cost efficiency for China＇s banks over the period 2001-2006. A second stage regression is then performed to determine whether foreign investment has an impact on cost efficiency. The results indicate a positive relationship, although one that is not statistically significant. Policy implications are discussed.

Optimal Implementation Strategy of Carbon Emission Reduction Policy Instruments in Consideration of Cost Efficiency

In this paper, regulatory and optimum programming model has been adopted. Considering the costs of emission reduction, supervision and penalty, we went all out to analyze the optimal decision of cost efficiency of regulators when implementing these three policy instruments: carbon emission standards, carbon emission trading permissions, and carbon taxes as well. Its result has indicated: In strict accordance with control target of total carbon emissions, regulators are willing to render social and economic cost able to achieve the goal of optimal cost efficiency by regulating carbon emission standards and supervising marginal cost caused by variations in the probability; fortunately, under the conditions of low supervisory cost and certain criteria which is met, the implementation of carbon emission trading permissions could provide social and economic cost with opportunities to realize that objective; through comparative analysis, carbon emission trading permissions have the advantages of higher efficiency than carbon emission standards on the premise of incomplete information. During the implementation of carbon taxes strategy, when there exists uncertainty information in the enterprises reduction behaviors, the condition which enterprises can fully comply with is the tax rate level is not higher than marginal penalty function; the tax rate level of enterprises perfect compliance ought not to be lower than the division of marginal penalty cost and marginal supervisory cost. The optimal strategy of enterprises imperfect compliance is that regulators varying the marginal cost of emission standards is equal to varying that of supervisory probability.

What Drives Cost Efficiency of Banks in China？

This study uses stochastic frontier analysis to examine the factors that influenced cost efficiency of banks in China from 2005 to 2013. The results indicate that policy variables, such as the reserve requirement ratio, the interest rate spread and open market operations by the People＇s Bank of China, are effective in improving the cost efficiency of banks, but shadow banking variables may reduce cost efficiency. Among the various bank types, city commercial banks appear to be the most efficient and foreign banks are the least efficient. The present study suggests that policy-makers can have a positive influence on bank cost efficiency by adjusting macro policy variables on different types of banks and by requiring more information on the shadow banking activities to improve monitoring.

Managing System Losses to Improve Energy Efficiency within the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Limited

The inability to achieve the target of universal access to electricity is influenced by several factors including funding limitations, the use of obsolete equipment, power theft, and system losses confronting the electricity distribution services of the Electricity Company of Ghana Limited (ECG). The study assessed the components of system losses within the ECG by determining and computing the percentage of system losses within ECG, examining the causes of both commercial and technical losses in ECG, and determining ways to improve energy efficiency by reducing system losses in the most cost-efficient manner. The study adopted deductive reasoning and a quantitative approach to guide data collection and analysis of the research output. A sample of 345 technical and non-technical staff of ECG in the Greater Accra Metropolis was selected from a population of 2500. Purposive, simple random, and cluster sampling techniques were used in identifying and accessing respondents for the study. Descriptive statistics were applied to measure central tendency and degrees of dispersion and the Relative Importance Index (RII) to predict criterion and predictor variables. The impact of low voltage network losses can adversely contribute to technical losses (20%) and reduce energy efficiency in power or electricity distribution companies. Non-technical losses are mainly caused by illegal connections, meter problems, and billing problems. Each of the non-technical losses contributes a maximum of 10% to system losses. Contributors to system losses at ECG are ranked first for power theft and least for lack of incentives. System losses at ECG include metering inaccuracies, bad workmanship, unmetered supply, and lengthy distribution lines, each recording a mean value of above 3.5. Measures to improve monitoring of the networks and systems at ECG and discourage power theft should include an extensive quantification, patrolling, and inspection of the entire network to assess the extent of the network and conditions relevant for the placement of systematically planned maintenance programmes.

Regional differences and threshold characters of the impact of energy use efficiency on energy scarcity in China

The improvement of the technical efficiency of energy use has been widely seen as an important way to alleviate energy scarcity.However,the energy rebound effect demonstrates the vulnerability and unsustainability of alleviating energy scarcity relying on technology.Under the background of the consistent development of energy factor market,it is of great importance to explore the paths and differences of energy source allocation constrained by technology and cost to promote the sustainable use of energy.This study analyzed the regional differences and threshold characteristics in the impact of the technical and cost efficiency of energy use on energy scarcity using the instrumental variable-two-stage least square method,based on the panel data of Chinese provinces from 2003 to 2017.The results showed that:①Technology and price were the critical forces of the technical and cost efficiency of energy use.They changed the degree of use of surplus production factors by affecting the complementary and replacement demand relationship between energy and non-energy factors.Meanwhile,the impact of energy use efficiency on energy scarcity showed regional and time features due to the different technology capabilities and different levels of market development in different regions and different time.②The alleviation of energy scarcity at the national level relied on the improvement of energy cost efficiency.At the regional level,the alleviation of energy scarcity in central China came from the improvement of the technical efficiency of energy use.However,the alleviation of energy scarcity in the eastern and western regions was due to the improvement of energy cost efficiency.③Constrained by the economic development,openness,science and technology input and the industrial development structure,the impact of the technical and cost efficiency of energy use on energy scarcity demonstrated a nonlinear feature.And structural mutation occurred after passing a specific‘inflection point’,which showed a significant threshold feature.Therefore,energy price should play an important role in energy use and it is necessary to pay attention to the regional differences and time characteristics of energy economic development to promote the sustainable development of energy resources.

Analysis on Evaluating Comprehensive Efficiency of Enterprise Leaders＇ Performance Based on Scientific Development Outlook

In former researches there are primary theoretical studies and qualitative analyses on enterprise leaders＇ effectiveness and performance, and there are a few studies on quantitative analyses which mostly relies on the method of comparing differences and ratio of divergence to evaluate leaders＇ performance by stage statistics. This paper illustrates how to evaluate Comprehensive Efficiency （CE） based on Scientific Development Outlook, which reflects overall development of enterprise leaders＇ performance, depends on measuring Output Efficiency Index （OEI） and Cost Efficiency Index （CEI） of enterprise leaders＇ performance, and adopts the C^2R model in Data Envelopment Analysis （DEA）.

Cost Containment of Total Knee Arthroplasty in the US: DEA Analysis on Regional Cost and Clinical Comparison between 2010 and 2013

The purpose of this research is to evaluate clinical and cost effectiveness of total knee replacement surgery (TKA) for adults hospitalized in the United States between 2010 and 2013. We tried to answer the question that whether lower length of stay and higher utilization of post-op facilities would be helpful to control the overall costs. Using the National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS) database and cost data from Blue Cross Blue shield, this study seeks to identify which U.S. region renders the highest quality patient care during a three-year span of 2008-2010. Using length of stay and discharge disposition (2010) as input factors, and regional TKA costs (2013) as output factors, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), a non-parametric method, illustrated the efficiency ranking of four regions in the US on TKA expenditures. The result shows the West is the most efficient region on controlling the overall cost by shrinking the length of stay and increasing the utilization of short-term/long-term care facilities.

Parallel Test Tasks Scheduling and Resources Configuration Based on GA-ACA

A Genetic Algorithm-Ant Colony Algorithm(GA-ACA),which can be used to optimize multi-Unit Under Test(UUT)parallel test tasks sequences and resources configuration quickly and accurately,is proposed in the paper.With the establishment of the mathematic model of multi-UUT parallel test tasks and resources,the condition of multi-UUT resources mergence is analyzed to obtain minimum resource requirement under minimum test time.The definition of cost efficiency is put forward,followed by the design of gene coding and path selection project,which can satisfy multi-UUT parallel test tasks scheduling.At the threshold of the algorithm,GA is adopted to provide initial pheromone for ACA,and then dual-convergence pheromone feedback mode is applied in ACA to avoid local optimization and parameters dependence.The practical application proves that the algorithm has a remarkable effect on solving the problems of multi-UUT parallel test tasks scheduling and resources configuration.

Clean and efficient-optimization of EAF dedusting systems

Most of the electric arc furnace(EAF) dedusting systems installed worldwide have been designed and built with the mere intention to comply with certain environmental regulations and limiting values for a determined process and production capacity- and this usually works as long as those variables are fix.But reality shows thatever since the recent financial crisis- steel producers are perpetually forced to adapt their steelmaking process in order to meet the requirements of the market and properly react to its fluctuations(e.g.by flexible use of input materials).Many installed dedusting systems cannot live up to this challenge.Badische Stahl-Engineering GmbH (BSE) optimizes dedusting systems to meet various process requirements and thus increase the overall productivity and cost efficiency- along with the strict compliance with all environmental standards and local legislations.This paper further describes the basic considerations to be taken and the BSE approach to deal with these challenges, emphasizing it by examples of our latest projects world wide.

Perceived Versus Actual Competitive Advantage

This paper examined the relationship between farm characteristics and perceived sources of competitive advantage,and cost-based and revenue-based efficiency indices.Gross farm income and the percentage of labor devoted to crop production were significant and positively correlated with cost and revenue efficiency,while the perception of the cowherd being the most important part of the operation was negatively correlated with efficiency.In general,perceived sources of competitive advantage were not significantly correlated with cost or revenue efficiency.

How to Pool Medical Services in Preventive Medicine Unit at 01/01/18 of Orleans Metropole/Orleans City Hall Structure: A Multi Disciplinary Network

To reform the unit of preventive medicine in Orleans metropole, the Director of the Administration decided to co-sign an agreement to optimize the organization of a common preventive medicine service: we made a deliberation model to permit for others towns which wanted to join us. The cost evaluated to reach the service was the cost for medical examination, regardless of the professional which included staff costs and operating costs (social benefits, costs of supplies and materials, training costs). A statement of the tasks performed for the beneficiary community was kept daily by the SMP. A strong will of the Metropolis and municipalities is to develop a synergy around health and safety at work. A joint Metropolis of Orleans, an organization chart since 1/2/2016 integrates the preventive medicine service within a Quality of Life at Work service: a multi-disciplinary service composed of prevention specialists, social workers, responsible for social action and SMP, a Department of Preventive Medicine was developed and itself multidisciplinary in accordance with the law of July 20, 2011: including doctors, nurses, psychologists, sophrologist, and a dietician. A new and active network of health is now operant with specialist correspondents. An audit is programmed in April 2018 to assess the efficacy of this network.

Assessment of Performance Based Road Maintenance Practices in Nepal

Roads are the major asset of any country and to conserve them maintenance is essential. The delay of maintenance works can lead the road in the stage of expensive rehabilitation and reconstruction. In Nepal, Department of Roads (DoR) is responsible for maintenance of strategic roads of country. The maintenance practice of the road under Department of Road is predominantly based on Strengthen Maintenance Division Process where several maintenance activities like Routine maintenance, Recurrent Maintenance, Periodic Maintenance and Emergency Maintenance are planned and carried out. The maintenance work is based on traditional quantity and unit price based short term maintenance contracts, where maintenance of physical works is outsourced. Client demands the contractor what work is to be done, when to be do it and the extent of the work. The contractor is paid on the basis of a defined output or quantity accomplished, and the schedule of the rates. DoR engineers required full time supervision of work. Pilot based performance based maintenance practice of road started in Nepal in 2003. The study assesses performance road maintenance practices of road maintenance in Nepal on the basis of the framework of cost efficiency, level of service effectiveness and quality of service. The study concluded that implementation of Performance Based Maintenance Contract (PBMC) was not successful in Nepal as Road Asset condition was not maintained to performance standard. One of the reasons is the weak service delivery of contractor alongside weak contract enforcement from the road agency.

More Discussion on High Efficiency & Low Cost Clean Steel Production Platform

The construction of high efficiency, low cost clean steel platform is one of the common key technologies concerning efficiency, quality and cost. It is basic and universal and not only applicable in the R&D and production of "high-end" products, but also in the production of bulk ordinary steel products. The platform of high efficiency, low cost clean steel is the important direction of modern steel technology progress and has great significance on the competitiveness of each steel plant. The research of high efficiency, low cost platform not only involves the production and management of the steel plant, but also the academic research field (process engineering and dynamic operation) and theories and methods innovation of engineering design (theory and method of dynamic-precision design). The integrated theory and method of high efficiency and low cost clean steel platform is the binding point of metallurgical process engineering and material engineering. Different types of high efficiency, low cost clean steel platform should combine with the corresponding rolling process and iron making process so that high efficiency, low cost clean steel manufacturing system would come into being.

Impacts of Corporate Culture on Merger

By studying the cultural background and corporate culture in China, Japan and USA, this paper analyzes the effects of cultural background and corporation culture on the transaction cost and the efficiency of control right, thus shows that cultural backgrounds have great impact on merger. This paper further studies the choice and application of the mode of culture combination of the transnational merger.

An integrative protocol for one‑step PCR amplicon library construction and accurate demultiplexing of pooled sequencing data

High-throughput sequencing of amplicons has been widely used to precisely and efficiently identify species compositions and analyze community structures,greatly promoting biological studies involving large amounts of complex samples,especially those involving environmental and pathogen-monitoring ones.Commercial library preparation kits for amplicon sequencing,which generally require multiple steps,including adapter ligation and indexing,are expensive and time-consuming,especially for applications at a large scale.To overcome these limitations,a“one-step PCR approach”has been previously proposed for constructions of amplicon libraries using long fusion primers.However,efficient amplifications of target genes and accurate demultiplexing of pooled sequencing data remain to be addressed.To tackle these,we present an integrative protocol for one-step PCR amplicon library construction(OSPALC).High-quality reads have been generated by this approach to reliably identify species compositions of mock bacterial communities and environmental samples.With this protocol,the amplicon library is constructed through one regular PCR with long primers,and the total cost per DNA/cDNA sample decreases to just 7%of the typical cost via the multi-step PCR approach.Empirically tested primers and optimized PCR conditions to construct OSPALC libraries for 16S rDNA V4 regions are demonstrated as a case study.Tools to design primers targeting at any genomic regions are also presented.In principle,OSPALC can be readily applied to construct amplicon libraries of any target genes using DNA or RNA samples,and will facilitate research in numerous fields.

Effective Query Grouping Strategy in Clouds

As the demand for the development of cloud computing grows, more and more organizations have outsourced their data and query services to the cloud for cost-saving and flexibility. Suppose an organization that has a great number of users querying the cloud-deployed multiple proxy servers to achieve cost efficiency and load balancing. Given n queries, each of which is expressed as several keywords, and k proxy servers, the problem to be solved is how to classify n queries into k groups, in order to minimize the difference between each group and the number of distinct keywords in all groups. Since this problem is NP-hard, it is solved in mathematic and heuristic ways. Mathematic grouping uses a local optimization method, and heuristic grouping is based on k-means. Specifically, two extensions are provided： the first one focuses on robustness, i.e., each user obtains search results even if some proxy servers fail; the second one focuses on benefit, i.e., each user can retrieve as many files as possible that may be of interest without increasing the sum. Extensive evaluations have been conducted on both a synthetic dataset and real query traces to verify the effectiveness of our strategies.

g-expectation of distributions

We define g-expectation of a distribution as the infimum of the g-expectations of all the terminal random variables sharing that distribution.We present two special cases for nonlinear g where the g-expectation of distributions can be explicitly derived.As a related problem,we introduce the notion of law-invariant g-expectation and provide its sufficient conditions.Examples of application in financial dynamic portfolio choice are supplied.

The submental island pedicled flap and supraclavicular artery island flap in a free flap practice

Reconstruction of head and neck defects is a delicate endeavor that poses numerous intrinsic and extrinsic challenges,which are currently magnified by rising health care costs and limitations in system resources.Current trends in the United States heavily favor the use of free tissue transfer over locoregional pedicles flaps(LRPF);however,the latter group is often undervalued,offering high utility,practicality,and cost-efficiency whilst providing equivalent results.The submental island flap and supraclavicular artery island flap are two LRPF that should be in the arsenal of the modern reconstructive surgeon.