Price-effectiveness: pharmacoeconomics,value and the right price for HPV vaccines     

Oscar Javier Maldonado Castañeda 《Journal of Cultural Economy》2017,10(2):163-177

ABSTRACT

Drawing on a pragmatist approach to pricing, this article discusses the impact of cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) in the pricing strategies of pharmaceutical companies. Through an analysis of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, this article illustrates the strategic appropriation of evidence-based medicine (narratives and practices) that pharmaceutical companies have undertaken to enhance the value of their products. While governments are concentrated on the measurement of costs and efficiency (cost-effectiveness), companies attempt to find the threshold of effectiveness that supports their estimation of value. I have called such mode of calculation, price-effectiveness. Pharmaceutical companies engage in different ways with CEA in devising their own price strategies. First, CEA is used as an instrument to raise HPV vaccines as a matter of interest for health authorities. Second, companies produce models to maximise the effectiveness of their products. Third, the expense side of CEA has opened an opportunity to represent some conditions as diseases in order to increase the potential value of the vaccine, expressed in a higher price. Debates and practices of pricing offer a unique opportunity to trace how particular forms of quantification have become the common ground in the demonstration of value in healthcare and the adaptation of companies.  相似文献   

Validity of a single lactate measure to predict fixed lactate thresholds in athletes     

Ibai Garcia-Tabar  Iñaki Llodio  Luis Sánchez-Medina  Xabier Asiain  Javier Ibáñez 《Journal of sports sciences》2017,35(4):385-392

This study aimed to validate the use of a single blood lactate concentration measure taken following a 12 km h^?1 running stage (BLC₁₂) to predict and monitor fixed blood lactate concentration (FBLC) thresholds. Three complementary studies were undertaken. Study I: the relationships between BLC₁₂ and the running speeds at FBLC of 3 mmol L^?1 (S3mM) and 4 mmol L^?1 (S4mM) measured during a multistage running field test were examined in 136 elite athletes. Study II: data from 30 athletes tested one year apart were used to test the predictive capacity of the equations obtained in Study I. Study III: 80 athletes were tested before and after an intensified training period to examine whether training-induced changes in FBLC thresholds could be predicted and monitored by BLC₁₂. Study I: BLC₁₂ was significantly (P < 0.001) and inversely related to S3mM (R² = 0.89) and S4mM (R² = 0.95). Study II: prediction models yielded robust correlations between the estimated and measured FBLC thresholds (r = 0.94–0.99; P < 0.001). Study III: estimated changes predicted actual training-induced changes in FBLC thresholds (r = 0.81–0.91; P < 0.001). This study gives empirical support to use a single lactate measure during a sub-maximal running field test as a simple, low-cost and practical alternative to FBLC thresholds in athletes.  相似文献   

Water for the City,Fountains for the People: Monumental Fountains in the Roman East     

Javier Martínez Jiménez 《Al-Masaq: Islam & the Medieval Mediterranean》2016,28(1):107-109

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Isokinetic trunk flexion–extension protocol to assess trunk muscle strength and endurance: Reliability,learning effect,and sex differences     

María Pilar García-Vaquero  David Barbado  Casto Juan-Recio  Alejandro Lpez-Valenciano  Francisco J. Vera-Garcia 《运动与健康科学(英文)》2020,9(6):692-701

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and the learning effect of an isokinetic trunk flexion–extension protocol designed to simultaneously assess trunk muscle strength and endurance. In addition, the effect of the participants' sex on the reliability data was examined.MethodsFifty-seven healthy and physically active young men (n = 28) and women (n = 29) performed the isokinetic protocol 5 times, separated by a week between each of the first 4 sessions and by a month between the last 2 sessions. The protocol consisted of performing 4 trials of 15 maximum flexion–extension concentric exertions at 120°/s (range of trunk motion = 50°). The absolute and relative peak torque and total work were calculated to assess trunk flexion and extension strength. In addition, endurance ratio, modified endurance ratio, fatigue final ratio, recovery ratio, and modified recovery ratio variables were used for the assessment of trunk muscle endurance in both directions.ResultsRegarding the absolute reliability, no relevant changes were found between paired-comparison sessions for most strength and endurance variables, except for total work and relative total work variables in the flexion movement in both sexes. In addition, the typical error of the isokinetic variables was lower than 10% in both males and females, and minimum detectable changes ranged from 7% to 20%, with a tendency to be higher in females and in endurance variables. The strength variables showed high-to-excellent intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs; >0.74); however, for the endurance variables only the endurance ratio and the modified endurance ratio obtained moderate-to-high ICC values (0.57 < ICC < 0.82). In addition, the analysis of the variance reported no significant differences between consecutive pairs of sessions for most variables in both sexes.ConclusionOverall, these findings provide clinicians, trainers, and researchers with a 10-min single-session protocol to perform a reliable muscle strength and endurance evaluation of trunk flexor and extensor muscles, all within the same protocol.  相似文献   

The effects of expressions of fear induced by background music on reading comprehension     

Agnes S.K. Wong  Matthew Moreno  Samantha Burns  Earl Woodruff 《Journal of Research in Reading》2023,46(2):143-162

Background

Research has suggested that background music can have a positive or negative effect that can influence the affective state of individuals. Although research has demonstrated that fear negatively influences our cognitive performance, there is a research gap in understanding the combined effects of different background music tempo and fear in influencing reading comprehension performance.

Methods

Data were collected from 70 participants enrolled at a public university in Canada. Participants were required to listen to background music of varying speeds with three conditions (no music, slow music and fast music). We adopted a cross-sectional multi-level modelling approach for the main analyses, and further analyses using t-test and ANOVA.

Results

Results indicated that expression of fear was not a significant predictor of participants' reading comprehension performance (Model 1). However, when music condition was added (Model 2) in addition to expression of fear, a significant relationship between reading comprehension performance and music condition was found, showing better reading comprehension performance in the slow music condition than in the no music condition. Furthermore, there was a significant interaction effect between music condition and expression of fear on reading comprehension performance (Model 3). Importantly, not all individuals were affected by the music to the same extent, with the possibility that baseline level of fear being the key issue in influencing comprehension performance.

Conclusions

Considering both expression of fear and music condition is required to understand the combined effects on cognitive performance. Expression of fear during cognitive tasks such as reading could be an essential signal that interventions should be applied. Such strategies may be especially beneficial for task performers with higher baseline levels of fear and possibly provide us with insights for best practice and research implications in the field of reading comprehension among individuals with special needs.

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The first steps for adapting an artificial intelligence emotion expression recognition software for emotional management in the educational context     

Jorge Fernández Herrero  Francisco Gómez Donoso  Rosabel Roig Vila 《British journal of educational technology : journal of the Council for Educational Technology》2023,54(6):1939-1963

To test the suitability of an automatic system for emotional management in the classroom following the control-value theory of achievement emotions (CVT) framework, the performance of an emotional expression recognition software of our creation is evaluated in an online synchronous context. Sixty students from the Faculty of Education at the University of Alicante participated in 16 educational activities recording close-ups of their faces and completing the AEQ emotional self-report, as well as detailed reports from the subsequent review of their videos. In addition, they completed the VCQ-36 test to measure their volitional competencies and relate their influence on their emotional response. The results indicate a high coherence between the emotional expressions detected by the automatic system and the detailed emotional self-reports, but insufficient precision to meet the CVT requirements. On the other hand, both the AEQ test results and the emotion expression recognition software suggest students' preference for participative activities as opposed to passive ones. Meanwhile, statistical analysis results indicate that volitional competencies seem to influence the emotional response of students in the educational context, although the AI system does not show sufficient sensitivity in this field. Implications and limitations of this study for future work are discussed.

Practitioner notes

What is already known about this topic

• Student motivation and involvement in the learning process are highly related to appropriate emotional regulation, which can be associated with particular educational activities, strategies and methodologies.
• Deep learning technology based on convolutional neural networks feeds automatic systems focused on facial expression recognition from image analysis.

What this paper adds

• There is high coherence between the emotional expressions detected by the AI system and the students' emotional self-reports, but the AI system provides just emotional valences, insufficient to meet the CVT framework.
• Both emotional self-reports and the emotion recognition software suggest students' preference for active educational activities as opposed to passive ones.
• Volitional competencies seem to influence the emotional response of students in the educational context.

Implications for practice and/or policy

• It is possible to use automatic systems to effectively monitor the emotional response of students in the learning process.
• Only if sensitivity improved, a real-time, easy-to-interpret emotional expression recognition software interface could be implemented to assist teachers with the emotional management of their classes within the CVT framework, maximizing their motivation and engagement.

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Factors Influencing Scientific Achievements of Medical Students in the Anatomy Research Group: An Analysis From the Autonomous University of Nuevo León in Mexico     

Milton Alberto Muñoz-Leija  Francisco J. Barrera  Pablo Patricio Zárate-Garza  Alejandro Quiroga-Garza  Javier Humberto Martínez-Garza  David de la Fuente-Villarreal  Santos Guzmán-López  Rodrigo Enrique Elizondo-Omaña 《Anatomical sciences education》2022,15(2):369-375

Scientific research and student involvement are critical to the formation of physicians, yet the number of medical researchers has decreased over time. To implement corrective strategies, the variables associated with positive research attitudes and productivity among medical students must be identified. The aim of this study was to evaluate the variables associated with students interested or involved in research. A validated questionnaire was applied to the student members of an established anatomy research group in a Mexican medical school with a six-year medical program. Data were collected and analyzed. A total of 85.5% (n = 77/90) students answered the survey with most respondents being second-year medical students. The majority of respondents indicated that the important component of conducting research was a contribution to the new knowledge (45.5%) and to the scientific community (42.9%). More than half of respondents mentioned a professor or a peer as the initial motivation to become involved in research. Lack of time was the main limitation (59.7%) to research involvement. Perceived benefits were knowledge and team work skills. Of those involved, most (85.7%) wished to continue participating in research as a complement to their clinical work. Professors and student colleagues were found to play an important motivational and recruitment role for medical research. These efforts in turn have developed into long-lasting mentor-mentee relationships. Students also anticipated that early involvement in research will positively influence the likelihood of future physicians' contribution and collaboration in research.  相似文献   

Building personalised homework from a learning analytics based formative assessment: Effect on fifth-grade students' understanding of fractions     

José Antonio Rodríguez-Martínez  José Antonio González-Calero  Javier del Olmo-Muñoz  David Arnau  Sergio Tirado-Olivares 《British journal of educational technology : journal of the Council for Educational Technology》2023,54(1):76-97

This study analyses the potential of a learning analytics (LA) based formative assessment to construct personalised teaching sequences in Mathematics for 5th-grade primary school students. A total of 127 students from Spanish public schools participated in the study. The quasi-experimental study was conducted over the course of six sessions, in which both control and experimental groups participated in a teaching sequence based on mathematical problems. In each session, both groups used audience response systems to record their responses to mathematical tasks about fractions. After each session, students from the control group were given generic homework on fractions—the same activities for all the participants—while students from the experimental group were given a personalised set of activities. The provision of personalised homework was based on the students' errors detected from the use of the LA-based formative assessment. After the intervention, the results indicate a higher student level of understanding of the concept of fractions in the experimental group compared to the control group. Related to motivational dimensions, results indicated that instruction using audience response systems has a positive effect compared to regular mathematics classes.

Practitioner notes

What is already known about this topic

• Developing an understanding of fractions is one of the most challenging concepts in elementary mathematics and a solid predictor of future achievements in mathematics.
• Learning analytics (LA) has the potential to provide quality, functional data for assessing and supporting learners' difficulties.
• Audience response systems (ARS) are one of the most practical ways to collect data for LA in classroom environments.
• There is a scarcity of field research implementations on LA mediated by ARS in real contexts of elementary school classrooms.

What this paper adds

• Empirical evidence about how LA-based formative assessments can enable personalised homework to support student understanding of fractions.
• Personalised homework based on an LA-based formative assessment improves the students' comprehension of fractions.
• Using ARS for the teaching of fractions has a positive effect in terms of student motivation.

Implications for practice and/or policy

• Teachers should be given LA/ARS tools that allow them to quickly provide students with personalised mathematical instruction.
• Researchers should continue exploring these potentially beneficial educational implementations in other areas.

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