| cost allocation | The assignment, to each of several particular cost-centres, of an equitable proportion of the costs of activities that serve all of them. Cost-centre usually refers to institutional departments or services. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| cost control | The containment, regulation, or restraint of costs. Costs are said to be contained when the value of resources committed to an activity is not considered excessive. This determination is frequently subjective and dependent upon the specific geographic area of the activity being measured. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cost of illness | The personal cost of acute or chronic disease. The cost to the patient may be an economic, social, or psychological cost or loss to himself, his family, or community. The cost of illness may be reflected in absenteeism, productivity, response to treatment, peace of mind, quality of life, etc. It differs from health care costs in that this concept is restricted to the cost of providing services related to the delivery of health care rather than an impact on the personal life of the patient. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cost savings | Reductions in all or any portion of the costs of providing goods or services. Savings may be incurred by the provider or the consumer. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cost sharing | Provisions of an insurance policy that require the insured to pay some portion of covered expenses. Several forms of sharing are in use, e.g., deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments. Cost sharing does not refer to or include amounts paid in premiums for the coverage. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cost-benefit analysis | A method of comparing the cost of a program with its expected benefits in dollars (or other currency). The benefit-to-cost ratio is a measure of total return expected per unit of money spent. This analysis generally excludes consideration of factors that are not measured ultimately in economic terms. Cost effectiveness compares alternative ways to achieve a specific set of results. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cost-effective | A term describing a resource that is available within the time it is needed and is able to meet or reduce electrical power demand at an estimated incremental system cost no greater than that of the least-costly, similarly reliable and available alternative. (05 Dec 1998) |
| costa | <microbiology> Rod shaped intracellular organelle lying below the undulating membrane of Trichomonas. Generates active bending associated with local loss of birefringence at the bending zone, probably as a result of conformational change in the longitudinal lamellae. Major protein approximately 90 kD. (10 Nov 1998) |
| costa cervicalis | A rib which arises from the seventh cervical vertebrae (above the normal first rib). Occurs in only about 0.5% of people. May cause nerve and artery problems. (12 Dec 1998) |
| costae fluctuantes | The two lower ribs on either side that are not attached anteriorly. Synonym: costae fluitantes, costae fluctuantes, vertebral ribs. (05 Mar 2000) |
| costae fluitantes | The two lower ribs on either side that are not attached anteriorly. Synonym: costae fluitantes, costae fluctuantes, vertebral ribs. (05 Mar 2000) |
| costae spuriae | <anatomy> Five lower ribs on either side that do not articulate with the sternum directly. Synonym: costae spuriae, vertebrochondral ribs. (05 Mar 2000) |
| costae verae | Seven upper ribs on either side whose cartilages articulate directly with the sternum. Synonym: costae verae, vertebrosternal ribs. (05 Mar 2000) |
| costal | <anatomy> Pertaining to the ribs. (27 Sep 1997) |
| costal angle | The rather abrupt change in curvature of the body of a rib posteriorly, such that the neck and head of the rib are directed upward. Synonym: angulus costae. (05 Mar 2000) |
| capital cost | The total investment needed to complete a project and bring it to a commercially operable status. The cost of construction of a new plant. The expenditures for the purchase or acquisition of existing facilities. (05 Dec 1998) |
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| sunk cost | A cost already incurred and therefore not considered in making a current investment decision. (05 Dec 1998) |
| overnight capital cost | The capital cost of a project if it could be constructed overnight. This cost does not include the interest cost of funds used during construction. (05 Dec 1998) |
| technology, high-cost | Advanced technology that is costly, requires highly skilled personnel, and is unique in its particular application. Includes innovative, specialised medical/surgical procedures as well as advanced diagnostic and therapeutic equipment. (12 Dec 1998) |
| least cost planning | (integrated resource planning) A method of power planning that recognises load uncertainty, embodies an emphasis on risk management, and reviews all available and reliable resources to meet future loads. It takes into consideration all costs of a resource, including capital, labour, fuel, maintenance, decommissioning, known environmental impacts, and the difficulty in quantifying the consequences of selecting one resource over another. Least cost planning seeks to minimise total energy costs. (05 Dec 1998) |
| levelised life-cycle cost | The present value of the cost of a resource, including capital, financing and operating costs, expressed as a stream of equal annual payments. This stream of payments can be converted to a unit cost of energy by dividing the annual payment amount by the annual kilowatt-hours produced or saved. By levelizing costs, resources with different lifetimes and generating capabilities can be compared. (05 Dec 1998) |