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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the dramatic entry of collaborative robotics into applications. It also examines the current state of the art for collaborative robotics, factors driving their entry and their outlook for the future. Design/methodology/approach The paper includes discussions with key managers of robot companies. Attendance at the International Federation for Robotics round table discussion on collaboration and another industry round table meeting on collaborative robotics. Attendance at the CIRP technical conference on automation. Attendance at the Robotics Industry Association International Collaborative Robots Workshop. Findings Collaborative robotics are addressing many previously unmet applications while saving money, improving productivity, simplifying programming and speeding the time to return investment. It is forecast that collaborative robotics systems can address almost 100 million assembly and logistics tasks not previously addressable with traditional robotics technology. Practical implications The paper implies a major examination of collaborative robot technology now and in the future. Readers may be very excited to learn the many new tasks that collaborative robots are addressing, the many tools that have been developed to aid in selecting, designing and gaining worker acceptance and the many unique benefits that are provided, as well as the systems already available. Originality/value The paper implies a major examination of collaborative robot technology now and in the future. Readers may be very excited to learn the many new tasks that collaborative robots are addressing, the many tools that have been developed to aid in selecting, designing and gaining worker acceptance and the many unique benefits that are provided, as well as the systems already available.

Cost-benefit is an important consideration for ( eradication in Japan, where 1.5 million patients were reported to receive first-line eradication annually. This study aimed to identify the optimal cost-saving triple therapy regimen for eradication in Japan. This retrospective observational study used data from a large-scale, nationwide health insurance claims database (2015‒2018). Using success rates of first-line eradication, mean total costs of first-line and second-line eradications per patient were compared between regimens including a potassium-competitive acid blocker (P-CAB) or a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), and between two clarithromycin (CAM) doses (400 and 800 mg/day). Subgroup analyses by smoking habit or body mass index (BMI) were performed. Among propensity score (age, gender, CAM dose, disease name)-matched patients (P-CAB regimen, n=22,002; PPI regimen, n=22,002), total costs were lower with the P-CAB than the PPI regimen (Japanese yen [JPY] 12,952 vs 13,146) owing to significantly higher first-line eradication rates with the P-CAB regimen (93.6% vs 79.7%; <0.001). For both regimens, even among current smokers or patients with BMI ≥25 kg/m , eradication rates did not differ by CAM dose, and total costs were approximately JPY1000 lower with CAM 400 mg/day than with CAM 800 mg/day. High success rate of first-line eradication contributes to saving in total eradication costs by reducing costs of subsequent therapy, irrespective of patients' smoking status or BMI class. The combination of more potent acid-inhibitory medicine and low-dose CAM may be the optimal regimen in terms of efficacy and cost-benefit in Japan.

This research is about the utilization of two solid wastes in concrete: foundry sand from the steel smelting process and residual aggregate powder from the asphalt mix production. The solid wastes were added to concrete in contents of 0.0, 5.0, 10, 15, and 20 wt% with respect to cement, and tested in concrete with a design resistance of 280 kgf/cm2 (27.5 MPa). The effects of these wastes in concrete were compared with commercially available metakaolin, a typical admixture added to concrete, in contents of 0.0, 5.0, 10, 15, and 20 wt% replacing cement content. For all samples, the resistant activity index was evaluated at 28 days. Slump test, air content, density, and compressive strength tests were conducted. The materials’ microstructures were evaluated with SEM and XRD after 270 days, in samples immersed in water. Results show that both by-products have pozzolanic activity, classified as N-type pozzolans. Besides, concrete with the residual aggregate powder gave a strength of 541 kgf/cm2 (53.1 MPa), which corresponds to sample M4 (concrete containing 15% residual aggregate powder), consistent with 93% improvement with respect to the strength resistance. Furthermore, concrete with the foundry sand powder gave a strength of 561 kgf/cm2 (55 MPa), consistent with 100% improvement with respect to the strength resistance, which corresponds to M15 (concrete containing 20% foundry sand). Concrete with the metakaolin powder presented a strength of 609 kgf/cm2 (59.7 MPa), which corresponds to M9 (concrete containing 15% metakaolin), consistent with 116% improvement with respect to the strength resistance. The concrete developed with the by-products can be produced at lower costs than traditional admixtures, which guarantees the feasibility of the environmental solution.

Background: Chronic Kidney disease (CKD) accounts for approximately 82 billion dollars of Medicare spend. Implementing culturally competent, community-based programs may be a strategy for changing utilization behaviors and lowering cost while maintaining quality in this population. Methods: A longitudinal claims based study was carried out from April 2023 to August 2024 in the state of CA to assess the impact of the program on cost, utilization, and quality metrics. A propensity matched approach was leveraged yielding of 203 pairs of CKD Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollees. A comparison of the difference of differences was performed between utilization, and available claims-based quality metrics. Results: Enrollees in the peer support program, Connect For Life (CFL) generated significantly lower costs of $461 pmpm (95% CI = −1037 to −10 037; P = .016) significantly lower inpatient utilization of 172 per 1000 (95% CI = −10 to −330; P = .037) and significantly higher outpatient utilization of 1212 per 1000 (95% CI = 90 to 2340; P = .035). No differences were found in available quality metrics. Conclusions: For CKD MA enrollees in the intervention population, more efficient utilization patterns and lower costs while maintaining quality were observed. The tight propensity match left the study underpowered to detect significant changes for other care settings or individual stages of CKD.

Air quality monitoring has traditionally been conducted using sparsely distributed, expensive reference monitors. To understand variations in PM2.5 on a finely resolved spatiotemporal scale a dense network of over 40 low-cost monitors was deployed throughout and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Monitor locations covered a wide range of site types with varying traffic and restaurant density, varying influences from local sources, and varying socioeconomic (environmental justice, EJ) characteristics. Variability between and within site groupings was observed. Concentrations were higher near the source-influenced sites than the Urban or Suburban Residential sites. Gaseous pollutants (NO2 and SO2) were used to differentiate between traffic (higher NO2 concentrations) and industrial (higher SO2 concentrations) sources of PM2.5. Statistical analysis proved these differences to be significant (coefficient of divergence > 0.2). The highest mean PM2.5 concentrations were measured downwind (east) of the two industrial facilities while background level PM2.5 concentrations were measured at similar distances upwind (west) of the point sources. Socioeconomic factors, including the fraction of non-white population and fraction of population living under the poverty line, were not correlated with increases in PM2.5 or NO2 concentration. The analysis conducted here highlights differences in PM2.5 concentration within site groupings that have similar land use thus demonstrating the utility of a dense sensor network. Our network captures temporospatial pollutant patterns that sparse regulatory networks cannot.

Background Healthcare inequity drives high costs, worse outcomes and is heavily influenced by social determinants of health (SDOH). Addressing health behaviors and SDOH through a culturally competent community-based exposure may be effective in improving value for Medicaid enrollees. This study aims to evaluate whether such an exposure lowers costs at equal or improved quality. Methods A retrospective cohort study leveraging claims data was conducted in Detroit, Michigan from April 2021 to April 2022 to examine the impact of a community-based peer support program on clinical, utilization and financial outcomes. A one-to-one propensity matching of 738 pairs of African American Medicaid enrollees was generated, and compared the difference of differences between inpatient, emergency department, prescription and outpatient paid amounts, utilization, and available claims-based quality metrics. Results Compared to controls, peer support recipients generated significantly lower per member per month costs ($115, (95% CI $20.2 to $210)). Recipients showed a significant increase in the Adult Access to Preventative/Ambulatory Health Services 20–44 year old quality metric (8.31% (95% CI 0.35–16.3%)). Member retention in the health insurance plan was significantly higher for peer support recipients vs. the control group by 3.62% (p < 0.05). Peer support recipients displayed non-significant improvement on all other utilization and actuarial measures. No significant difference was found for any of the other examined quality metrics. Conclusions Among a population of African American Medicaid enrollees, a culturally competent community-based intervention was associated with lower cost and better member retention with preserved or improved quality.

In this study, the effect of trout insides hydrolyzate (TIH) on the growth, nutritional use, and composition of the red Tilapia carcass ( Oreochromis spp) were evaluated, as well as economic analysis of its inclusion as a nutritional alternative. For its use, physicochemical, microbiological and nutritional composition variables were measured; subsequently, four iso-proteic and iso-energetic diets were formulated; one of reference (T1), and three including 10, 20 and 30% TIH (T2, T3 and T4 respectively) to replace 5.85%, 23.42% and 44.10% of fishflour, 94.39%, 100% and 100% of vegetable oil respectively; which were supplied to 160 mono-sex juveniles of tilapia with an average weight of 145.12 ± 4.69 g; the fish were distributed using a completely randomized design (CRD). The TIH generated significant positive effects ( p  < 0.05) in the growth and nutritional use, it did not affect the composition of the carcass of the fish and it was evidenced that when it is included in the diet it generates significantly lower costs as a result of feed compared to conventional feed. Including 20% of TIH generates a better productive response in tilapia, causing a higher economic return. Evidence that TIH constitutes a high nutritional quality alternative for feeding tilapia. Graphical abstract

We demonstrate how states that lifted restrictions on interstate bank expansions, thereby improving access to cheaper credit, experienced increased farm sales and net farm income. In our empirical analysis, we use nationwide county-level data from 1970 through 2001 and a difference-in-differences econometric framework, exploiting only within-state variation in banking deregulation, to distinguish the effect of an increase in bank competition from potential confounding factors. By including region-by-year fixed effects in our econometric equation, we compare changes in farm sales and expenditures in states that lift restrictions on interstate banking to changes in states that do not lift such restrictions within the same census region. Our estimates indicate that county-level farm sales increase by about 3.4% and county-level net farm income rises by $1.57 million (in 1982 dollars) after a state deregulates its banking sector by allowing interstate bank expansion. We also find evidence that farm expenditures, in particular expenditures on feed, fuel, machine and equipment rental, as well as interest payments, grew as a result of the banking deregulation. The positive impacts on farm sales, net income, and interest payments are larger in metropolitan counties than in rural counties, consistent with the notion that interstate bank entry following deregulation was concentrated in larger metropolitan markets, leading to a greater reduction in the cost of credit in those areas.

In this paper, the low molecular weight poly (p-phenylene terephthalamide) (LMW-PPTA) solutions with different end group were obtained through changing molar ratio of monomers. Then, the high molecular weight PPTA (HMW-PPTA) polymer was synthesis by Secondary copolymerization. At that time, the PPTA fiber may be produced by means of reaction spinning in one step. Hence, the possibility of one-step method processing for PPTA fiber was studied by investigating the polymerization degree and gelling time of secondary copolymerization under different situations. The one-step method processing for PPTA fiber is not only free from the dependence on concentrated sulfuric acid, but also able to be controllable easily. Remarkably, the facile procedure, lower cost and better environmental protection are significant for the manufacture of PPTA fiber.

We model the interaction of financial market transparency and different accounting regimes. This paper provides a theoretical rationale for the recently proposed shift in accounting standards from historic cost accounting to marking to market. The paper shows that mark to market can provide investors with an early warning mechanism while historical cost gives management a \"veil\" under which they can potentially mask a firm's true economic performance. The model provides new explanations for several empirical findings and has some novel implications. We show that greater opacity in financial markets leads to more frequent and more severe crashes in asset prices (under a historic-cost-accounting regime). Moreover, our model indicates that historic cost accounting can make the financial market more rather than less volatile, which runs counter to conventional wisdom. The mechanism shown in the model also sheds light on the cause of many financial scandals in recent years.