Average Operating Cost Research Articles

The Role of Education Operating Costs Against the Output on Madrasah Aliyah in Indonesia

The purpose of this study was to determine the role of fishers’ operational costs on the output of education in Madrasah Aliyah in Cimahi. This research uses descriptive study method because the problems studied are actual and factual so that researchers are able to study intensively about the background of the present situation. In this study, the authors used several data collection techniques, namely observation, interviews and documentation studies. In this study, there were 2 Aliyah Madrasas which became the object of the sample to be used as a comparison so that the researchers knew the role of educational operational costs on educational output namely Madrasah Aliyah Mutiteknik Asih Putera and Madrasah Aliyah Al-Farisy. Whereas the output of education in this study is seen from the value of the average NEM of Student Exams from each school. From various data obtained by the author about elite objects, the results of the study indicate that the role of educational operational costs in this study has an influence on educational output. This means that the high average operational costs of education result in better outputs of education.

Abstract 174: Cost-Utility Analysis of Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Patients With Cardiac Arrest

Introduction: Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) provides cardiac and respiratory support and serves as a bridge to definitive therapy or to recovery. However, ECPR is resource intensive and evidence of clear survival benefit is lacking. In this study, we investigated the cost-utility of ECPR (cost/QALY) in cardiac arrest patients treated at our institution. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of ECPR patients who suffered cardiac arrest at our institution between 2012 and 2017. Charges for all medical care associated with ECPR and subsequent hospital care were recorded, including direct costs, indirect costs, operating costs and payer charges. The quality-of-life status of survivors was assessed with the Health Utilities Index Mark II. Results: ECPR was instituted in 24 patients (54% in-hospital [13 of 24]), mean age 49.8 ± 17.3 years, 71% male (17 of 24), and 58% African American (14 of 24). The mean and median duration of ECMO support was 3.2 and 2.7 days, respectively. The mean and median of total length of stay was 13.4 and 7.5 days, respectively. Survival to hospital discharge and 1-year survival were 17% (4 of 24) and 13% (3 of 23), respectively. The mean score of the Health Utilities Index Mark II at discharge for the survivors was 0.53 ± 0.23 (range, 0.32-0.84). The average operating cost for patients undergoing ECMO was $188,197 per patient. The calculated cost-utility for ECPR was $59,449/QALY gained. Conclusions: The calculated cost-utility for ECPR is within the threshold considered cost-effective in the United States (<$100,000/QALY gained). These results are comparable to the cost-effectiveness of orthotopic heart transplantation for end-stage heart failure. Larger studies are needed to assess the cost-utility of ECPR and to identify whether other factors, such as patient characteristics and type of cannula, may affect the cost-utility benefit.

Assessing the operational costs of routine immunization activities at the sub-center level in Myanmar: What matters for increasing national immunization coverage?

BackgroundMyanmar’s national immunization program was launched in 1978. Routine immunization is mainly provided at sub-center level with midwives assigned as main vaccinators. The vaccinators at the sub-centers have to obtain vaccines from their designated township health department’s cold room for immunization services. This study aimed to calculate the operational costs of routine immunization at sub-centers in Myanmar. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 160 sub-centers throughout the country. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with the main vaccinator at each sub-center using a pre-tested questionnaire. The study analyzed the operational costs per facility and the associations between sub-center characteristics and operational costs. ResultsIn Myanmar, the average operational costs of routine immunization per sub-center ranged from 434,700–990,125 MMK for rural areas and 235,875–674,250 MMK for urban areas. The operational costs increased by 8,749.50 MMK (95% CI: 6,805.79–10,693.21; p < 0.001) per mile and 5,752.50 MMK (95% CI: 914.22–10,590.79; p < 0.05) per working day. ConclusionThis study indicated that the operational costs at sub-centers were high and varied significantly among the different geographical areas. The operational costs could be reduced by additional support for the resources, for example, installing cold chain facilities at sub-centers and opening new sub-centers throughout the country.

Evaluation of direct and alternating current on nitrate removal using a continuous electrocoagulation process: Economical and environmental approaches through RSM

This study aims to investigate the effects of alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) for nitrate removal and its operating costs by using a continuous electrocoagulation (CEC) process. For this purpose, two series of 31 experiments, which were designed by response surface method (RSM), were carried out in both cases of the AC and the DC modes. In each series, the effect of selected parameters, namely, initial nitrate concentration, inlet flow rate, current density and initial pH along with their interactions on the nitrate removal efficiency as well as its operating costs, as responses, were investigated separately. According to the analysis of variance (ANOVA), there is a reasonable agreement between achieving results and the experimental data for both responses. The nitrate removal in the AC mode was slightly more efficient than that of the DC mode. In addition, the average operating costs of the DC mode, including the energy and the electrode consumption for the CEC process were achieved 54 US$/(kg nitrate removed); whereas this amount was calculated 29 US$/(kg nitrate removed) for the AC mode. Therefore, the average of the operating costs was improved more than 40% using the AC mode, which was mainly related to reduction of aluminum electrode consumption.

Performance Evaluation of Tractor Operated Rotary Assisted Broad Bed Former-cum-seeder for Wheat Sowing

Tillage practices influence the soil physical parameters, which consequently affect the yield of a crop and provide solution against environmental hazards. A study was undertaken to comprehend the effects of broad bed former-cum-seeder on crop parameters, grain and biomass yield, cost-economics and energetics of operation. Simultaneous operation of tractor operated rotary-assisted broad bed former-cumseeder, developed at ICAR-Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, was compared with sequential operation of conventional seed drill on broad beds and rotary tilling on flatbed in black cotton soil for wheat cultivation. Though higher germination of seeds (183 per m2 ) was observed with simultaneous operation of bed making and seeding by rotary-assisted broad bed former-cum-seeder, but the differences in yield among treatments were insignificant. The input energy requirement in first crop year (17,710 MJ.ha-1) was marginally higher than that in conventional method (17,445 MJ.ha-1). It decreased by 378 MJ.ha-1 compared to conventional system in the second crop year. The lowest average cost of operation (2607 ` ha-1) in simultaneous operation of bed forming and seeding in the first year, followed by maintaining permanent beds in subsequent years led to an additional income of 13,980 ` ha-1 over farmers’ practice. Rotary-assisted broad bed formercum-seeder thus has the potential to boost the income of the farmers and better energy management.

Survey of clinical epidemiology of urinary calculi patients in Hubei province

Objective A retrospective study was conducted to investigate the clinical epidemiology of urinary calculus in Hubei province to provide the population characteristics, stone distribution characteristics, treatment methods, surgical costs and other clinical epidemiological data of patients with urinary calculus, and to provide clinical evidence for the development of prevention and treatment measures for urinary calculi. Methods According to the geographical position, local tertiary hospitals were selected as survey objects and medical records such as age, sex, occupation, stone position, type of operation, and cost of surgical treatment of urinary stone disease were retrospectively investigated between January, 2015 and December, 2017. Result A total of 193 784 patients were enrolled in this study from 27 hospitals in Hubei province. In which, 76 209 were admitted to the hospital for urinary calculus, accounting for 39.33%. Among them, 49 460 patients were males (64.90%) and 26 749 were females(35.10%), which the ratio was 1.85∶1. All age groups can suffer from urinary calculus, with the peak age range from 41 to 70 years old with 58 985 cases, accounting for 77.40%. The main proportion of patients with urinary calculus were farmers with 21 818 cases (28.63%), comparing with workers (9.74%), business man(5.58%), government employees (5.14%), retirees(11.25%) and unemployed(12.58%). A total of 71 439 patients with upper urinary calculus and 4 770 patients with lower urinary calculus and the ratio of upper and lower urinary calculus was 14.98∶1. From 2015 to 2017, 23 567 patients with urinary calculi underwent ureteroscopic lithotripsy, and 14 681 patients underwent percutaneous nephrolithotomy. The average operation cost of patients with urolithiasis was 18 395.52 RMB, 18 566.31 RMB, 19 080.91 RMB in 2015, 2016, 2017 respectively. Conclusion Hubei province is an area with high incidence of urinary calculus, accounting for 39.33%. The high incidence age is 41-70 years. The occupation composition is mainly farmers. In the past three years, the cost of surgery gradually increased. Key words: Hubei province; Urinary calculus; Epidemiology

Determination of optimal battery utilization to minimize operating costs for a grid-connected building with renewable energy sources

This paper proposes strategies to optimize the daily charge and discharge schedule of a battery bank, in order to minimize the operating cost of a building that uses renewable energy sources. The schedule was optimized using a range of battery charge and discharge rates over a 24 h period. These rates were controlled using a genetic algorithm (GA) and a particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO), which utilized day-ahead prediction data for electricity consumption and electricity price, as well as electricity output from a photovoltaic system and a wind turbine. The results showed that the building operating costs decreased as the number of available charge and discharge rates was increased. The average daily operating cost was reduced by up to 31% using the GA and by up to 28% using the PSO, compared to the scenario where no battery was used. Furthermore, the reduction in average daily operating costs began to plateau as the number of charge and discharge rates reached 12. It was also shown that the scaling of irradiance, wind speed and electricity price inputs impacted the optimized daily operating cost of the building. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to investigate how this scaling of inputs affected the overall performance of the GA. It was found that the optimized daily operating costs were almost unchanged after numerous scaling percentages were applied to the electricity price, with additional cost reductions of up to 3% compared to the scenario where no scaling percentages were applied. In contrast, scaling percentages applied to weather data were found to have a more significant impact on the optimized operating costs, with additional cost reductions of up to 17% compared to the scenario where no scaling percentages were applied. Moreover, a non-linear relationship was observed between the weather data scaling percentage and optimized daily cost.

Optimal lateral transshipment policies for a two location inventory problem with multiple demand classes

We consider an inventory model for spare parts with two stockpoints, providing repairable parts for a critical component of advanced technical systems. As downtime costs for these systems are expensive, ready–for–use spare parts are kept in stock to be able to quickly respond to a breakdown of a system. We allow for lateral transshipments of parts between the stockpoints upon a demand arrival. Each stockpoint faces demands from multiple demand classes. We are interested in the optimal lateral transshipment policy. There are three ways in which a demand can by satisfied: from own stock, via a lateral transshipment, or via an emergency procedure. Using stochastic dynamic programming, we characterize and prove the structure of the optimal policy, that is, the policy for satisfying the demands which minimizes the average operating costs of the system. This optimal policy is a threshold type policy, with state-dependent thresholds at each stockpoint for every demand class. We show a partial ordering in these thresholds in the demand classes. In addition, we derive conditions under which the so-called hold back and complete pooling policies are optimal, two policies that are often assumed in the literature. Furthermore, we study several model extensions which fit in the same modeling framework.

Initiating a Robotic Program for Abdominal Surgery - Experiences from a Centre in Germany

Robotic systems are becoming increasingly important in abdominal surgery. We describe the implementation of a robotic program at a German centre for abdominal surgery, with focus on feasibility, safety, patient selection, learning curves, financial aspects and the lessons learned. This retrospective analysis covered data on patient demographics, intra- and postoperative parameters, oncological results and costs of all robotic-assisted abdominal operations performed at our institution between August 2012 to December 2016. It was also evaluated how possible factors for preoperative patient selection might influence intra- or postoperative outcome and learning parameters. 81 operations were performed - mostly colorectal resections (n = 35), ventral mesh rectopexy (n = 23) and liver resections (n = 18). The conversion rate was 7%. All oncological patients underwent R0 resection. Mean postoperative hospitalisation was 8.8 days; mean morbidity was 24%, with major complications (Clavien-Dindo > II) in 7%; mortality was 0%. BMI above 33.5 kg/m2 was associated with significantly higher morbidity (p = 0.024) and rate of major complications (p = 0.046), as well as a significantly longer hospitalisation (p = 0.009). Patients older than 65 years had significantly higher morbidity (p = 0.025). With increasing numbers of operations, time of surgery decreased (p = 0.001). The average cost of a robot-assisted operation, including hospital stay, was 15,221 €. The costs of robotic sigmoid resections or liver resections were higher (compared to the open approach: 106.8 and 62.8% higher, respectively, compared to the laparoscopic approach 93.5 and 66.5% higher, respectively). Robotic surgery is a safe approach. A crucial factor in the successful and safe performance of robotic assisted operations is proper patient selection, especially during the implementation period. The inevitable learning curve and the higher costs compared to open and laparocopic surgery must be respected and specialisation of the whole team is necessary.

On-Site 3-Dimensional Printing and Preoperative Adaptation Decrease Operative Time for Mandibular Fracture Repair

The purpose of this study was to compare the intraoperative time and operating room costs between patients with mandibular fractures treated with traditional adaptation and fixation and patients treated with preadapted plates created with on-site 3-dimensionally printed models. We designed a prospective comparative cohort study for patients with mandibular fractures. The control group received traditional open reduction and internal fixation of their mandibular fractures. For the patients in the experimental group, a 3-dimensional (3D) model of the fractured mandible was made using an on-site 3D printer. The model then underwent osteotomy, if needed, and the plate was adapted to the model, submitted to sterilization, and implanted in the patient.The primary outcome variable was intraoperative plating time, and the secondary outcome variable was operating room cost. The groups were compared by the Wilcoxon signed rank test. The 38 patients included in the study had a mean age of 39.6years, and male patients comprised 81.6%. The mean time for intraoperative plate adaptation was 22.8±2.1minutes in the control group and 6.9±0.3minutes in the experimental, 3D printed group (P<.0001). In the experimental group, 4 patients (21%) required a single intraoperative corrective bend.The calculated average cost per patient based onthe average operating costs at our institution was $2,306.45 in the control group and $698.00 in the experimental group. This study shows that the use of 3D printers for fabrication of models to prebend maxillofacial reconstruction plates is associated with decreased operating room time and costs. Using an on-site 3D printer requires minor start-up and use costs and results in a significant reduction in operating room time, which remains one of the most expensive aspects of facial trauma care.

Numerical Modelling and Sensitivity Analysis of Natural Draft Cooling Towers

Abstract Cooling towers are a relatively inexpensive and consistent method of ejecting heat from several industries such as thermal power plants, refineries, and food processing. In this research, an earlier model from literature was to be validated across three different case studies. Unlike previous models, this model considers the height of the fill as the discretised domain, which produces results that give it in a distribution form along the height of the tower. As there are limitations with the software used (gPROMS) where differential equations with respect to independent variables in the numerator and denominator cannot be solved, a derivative of the saturation vapour pressure with respect to the temperature of the air was presented. Results shown were in agreement with the literature and a parametric sensitivity analysis of the cooling tower design and operating parameters were undertaken. In this work the height of fill, mass flowrates of water and air were studied with respect to sensitivity analysis. Results had shown large variations in the outlet temperatures of the water and air if the mass flows of water and air were significantly reduced. However, upon high values of either variable had shown only small gains in the rejection of heat from the water stream. With respect to the height of the fill, at larger heights of the fill, the outlet water temperature had reduced significantly. From a cost perspective, it was found that a change in the water flowrate had incurred the largest cost penalty with a 1 % increase in flowrate had increased the average operating cost by 1.2 %. In comparison, a change in air flowrate where a 1 % increase in flowrate had yielded an average of 0.4 % increase in operating cost.

Fast-Swap Charging: An Improved Operation Mode For Catenary-Free Light Rail Networks

This paper introduces the concept of fast-swap charging (FSC), an operation mode designed to improve the operating cost-efficiency relation in on-board-powered light rail (LR) networks. The main concept is to swap the depleted energy storage units for fresh, pre-charged units in every cycle after the LR vehicle arrives at its terminus. The proposed operation mode allows the empty energy storage components to be charged at low electricity-demand periods, such as at night, so that a cheaper kWh tariff is accessed. Energy efficiency models capable of assessing the energy efficiency are developed as a framework for practical case studies. Finally, a case study illustrating the effects of different operation modes on the selection and optimal sizing of energy storage components, and the energy efficiency of the Zhuhai route, China, is included. The results show that the proposed FSC outperform the counterparts in term of average operating cost per year while obtaining a similar efficiency.

Toward Optimal Energy Management of Microgrids via Robust Two-Stage Optimization

This paper considers energy management in a grid-connected microgrid which has multiple conventional generators (CGs), renewable generators and energy storage systems (ESSs). A robust two-stage optimization approach is presented to schedule the energy generation under uncertainties, aimed at minimizing the long-term average operating cost subject to realistic operational and service constraints. The first stage of optimization determines hourly unit commitment of the CGs via a day-ahead scheduling, and the second stage performs economic dispatch of the CGs, ESSs, and energy trading via a real-time scheduling. The combined solution meets the need of handling large uncertainties in the load demands and renewable generation, and provides an efficient solution under limited computational resource which approximately optimizes the long-term average operating cost while meeting the quality-of-service requirements. The performance of the proposed strategy is evaluated by simulations based on real load demand and renewable generation data.

Performance Evaluation of Tractor Operated Rotary Assisted Broad Bed Former-cum-seeder for Wheat Sowing

Tillage practices influence the soil physical parameters, which consequently affect the yield of a crop and provide solution against environmental hazards. A study was undertaken to comprehend the effects of broad bed former-cum-seeder on crop parameters, grain and biomass yield, cost-economics and energetics of operation. Simultaneous operation of tractor operated rotary-assisted broad bed former-cumseeder, developed at ICAR-Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, was compared with sequential operation of conventional seed drill on broad beds and rotary tilling on flatbed in black cotton soil for wheat cultivation. Though higher germination of seeds (183 per m2 ) was observed with simultaneous operation of bed making and seeding by rotary-assisted broad bed former-cum-seeder, but the differences in yield among treatments were insignificant. The input energy requirement in first crop year (17,710 MJ.ha-1) was marginally higher than that in conventional method (17,445 MJ.ha-1). It decreased by 378 MJ.ha-1 compared to conventional system in the second crop year. The lowest average cost of operation (2607 ` ha-1) in simultaneous operation of bed forming and seeding in the first year, followed by maintaining permanent beds in subsequent years led to an additional income of 13,980 ` ha-1 over farmers’ practice. Rotary-assisted broad bed formercum-seeder thus has the potential to boost the income of the farmers and better energy management.

Cost, production and efficiency in local bus industry: An empirical analysis for the bus system of Santiago

The aggregate cost structure of the Santiago (Chile) urban bus transport industry is studied for the presence of economies of scale, return to scale and technical efficiency. Econometric models using both operator cost and revenue (fares plus subsidy) data show that larger operators under Transantiago had higher average operating costs than the smaller ones; we obtain a similar conclusion when analysing production and the efficiency of firms: we estimate decreasing returns to scale in production, and that larger operators would be more inefficient than smaller operators. The model results also indicate that cost per passenger carried for longer, articulated buses is greater than for shorter, conventional vehicles. These findings are important considerations for the design of the industry and its regulatory framework.

DATA PROCESSING DURING CONDITION BASED MAINTENANCE OF RADIO ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT

The paper deals with the problem of necessity substantiation of statistical data processing procedures in case of radio electronic equipment operation. These procedures are used in case of realization of preventive maintenance at the use of operation strategy according to the condition with control of diagnostic variables. The basic elements of typical operation system for radio electronic equipment are considered in the paper. The analysis of models for typical elements of operation system is carried out. Radio electronic equipment is the main element of operation system, therefore the problem of statistical data processing was considered for the model of diagnostic variables trend for this equipment. The model is adopted for diagnostic variables trend, which belongs to the type of random processes with changepoint. The steady-state period of diagnostic variables trend is characterized by a random duration, which is described by normal probability density function. The period of technical state deterioration of radio electronic equipment is described by a sum of a linear function with deterministic but unknown inclination angle and uniform random variable. The quantitative estimation of data processing efficiency (availability coefficient and average operation costs) was determined by simulation modeling. The simulation results showed that there is an optimal value of preventive threshold, at which the resource costs are minimal. This result can be explained by existence of a balance between costs for repair and maintenance.

Decision model for the customer order decoupling point considering order insertion scheduling with capacity and time constraints in logistics service supply chain

In the context of mass customization logistics service, we explore how a new inserted order affects the logistics service integrator (LSIs) decision regarding the location of the customer order decoupling point (CODP). Considering a two-echelon logistics service supply chain (LSSC), consisting of an LSI and several functional logistics service providers (FLSPs), we establish a CODP decision model based on time scheduling with capacity and time constraints. The optimization objectives of the model include minimizing the average unit operation cost for the LSI and maximizing the average satisfaction of the FLSPs. In order to verify the viability of our model, with specific data derived from the daily scheduling operation records of the Baoyun Logistics Company, we perform a numerical analysis using genetic algorithms based on multiple datasets where a single parameter is changed each time while the other parameters remain unchanged. The results show that the CODP moves earlier with the increase of the volume of new order. Furthermore, as the new order's similarity coefficient increases or the new order's completion time requirement is relaxed, the CODP moves later in the LSSC. With a given similarity coefficient or time patience variance related to the new order, the maximum insertion volume decreases and the CODP moves later in the LSSC.

Thermodynamic and economic analysis for ground-source heat pump system coupled with borehole free cooling

The energy performance of a ground-source heat pump (GSHP) system will gradually deteriorate and the annual operation cost will increase annually if the heat injected into and extracted from the underground soil is imbalanced. To solve the underground heat balance problem and improve the energy efficiency of the system in the long-term, a temperature difference control strategy for the GSHP system coupled with borehole free cooling (BFC) is proposed in this study. An office building located in Tianjin is selected as a case study. According to the established simulation models by Designbuilder and TRNSYS, measured data is used for validation. The new control strategy and two other contrasting control strategies are validated with TRNSYS. The results show that free cooling with borehole water matches the indoor air parameter with the design indoor conditions and also improves the average annual cooling efficiency of the GSHP system to 16.22. Moreover, the underground soil heat imbalance can be improved, and the average annual energy consumption and operation cost can be decreased to 55.9% and 56.0%, respectively. The proposed control strategy has the potential to improve heat imbalance and reduce energy consumption and operation cost for GSHP systems.

Organizational learning, operating costs and airline consolidation policy in the Chinese airline industry

This study investigated and reviewed organizational learning in the Chinese airline industry, which is dominated by state-owned or state-controlled airlines. This empirical research focused on the extensive scale of airline mergers and acquisitions among 12 Chinese airlines for the period of 1996–2014. This research aims to make a contribution towards addressing the general lack of academic reflection on the impact of organizational learning on airline performance during and after the completion of mergers and acquisitions. The empirical findings of this paper suggested that there was, in general, organizational learning experienced by Chinese airlines from their prior operating experience in improving operating costs. However, airline mergers in 2001/02 increased airlines' average operating costs, as most state-owned airlines are notorious for poor cost management. Significantly, the performance improvement among Chinese airlines was found during the post-merger periods in this study, and the increase in Chinese airlines’ operating costs during the post-acquisition periods due to the limited integration of 2010 acquisition compared with the 2001/02 mergers.

KINERJA DUA PROTOTIPE TEKNIK PENGELUARAN KAYU DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN SISTEM KABEL LAYANG

Timber extraction from felling area to road side is not an easy job. This activity facing a number of difficulties particularly due to geo-biophysical conditions, such as steep terrain, up and/or down-hill, valley or river-to be crossed, slippery road and also the size of the timber and low accessibility. To anticipate those obstacles two engineering designs of the skyline system had been tried, the so called Expo-2000 Generation-1, using gasoline engine of 6 HP (G-1), and Expo-2000 Generation-3 using diesel engine of 12 HP (G-3). G-1 model has been tested in Cimeong and Rancaparang in 2011. G-3 model has been examined in Cibatu Canjur and Cibaliung Banten in 2013. This paper evaluates the modification of skyline system for steep terrain and to compare the performance between two modified skyline systems, in term of productivity and cost. The data collected included working time, log volume extracted, log extraction distance and fuel used. Data were analyzed to get the average productivity and cost of operation. Result show that prototype G-3 with logs in horizontal position at a distance of 130-430 m, can extract logs averaging 1.72 m3/hr, at a cost of about Rp 80,346/m3, while prototype G-1 and logs in vertical position at a distance of about 50-320 m, could only extract logs averaging ± 0.85 m3/ hr at a cost of about Rp 156,351/m3. It suggests that prototype Expo-2000 G-3 is more effective for log extraction logs in steep terrain.