Increase Cost Efficiency Research Articles

Trauma-team-activation in Germany: how do emergency service professionals use the activation due to trauma mechanism? Results from a nationwide survey.

Trauma team activation (TTA) requires significant human and financial resources. The implemented German guidelines reduced the mortality of severe injured patients significantly over the last decade. Up to now there is no two-tier trauma team activation protocol in Germany. A two-tier TTA [often activated due to trauma mechanism (TM)] is thought to be a reasonable way to maintain patient safety while increasing cost efficiency. We created an online survey addressed at the Emergency Medical Service in Germany to conduct a cross-sectional study. Both physicians and rescue service professionals (RSPs) were included. A minimum of 1550 participants answered questions in 4 different categories concerning the aspects of limited-TTA (L-TTA). Case studies were presented to evaluate the usage of TTA due to TM in the daily routine. Eighty percent (n:1233) of the respondents wish for a possibility to activate a limited trauma team. Seventy-two percent (n: 1109) of the participants consider a L-TTA due to TM to be adequate. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) in the assessment and opinion on L-TTA among physicians and RSPs as well as different medical professions. The evaluated case studies showed diverse answers: depending on the profession, the same patient was ranked as severely injured by 54% and as minorly injured by 46% of the 1550 participants. Members of the German Emergency Medical Service call for a two-tier TTA-protocol. Up to now we cannot fully recommend an automatic reduction of the trauma team when activated due to TM in Germany with the guidelines implemented. The profession might affect the L-TTA-behavior. Criteria for a L-TTA in Germany have to be defined and evaluated. IV, cross-sectional study.

Image-guided Sports Medicine and Musculoskeletal Tumor Interventions: A Patient-Centered Model.

The spectrum of effective musculoskeletal (MSK) interventions is broadening and rapidly evolving. Increasing demands incite a perpetual need to optimize services and interventions by maximizing the diagnostic and therapeutic yield, reducing exposure to ionizing radiation, increasing cost efficiency, as well as identifying and promoting effective procedures to excel in patient satisfaction ratings and outcomes. MSK interventions for the treatment of oncological conditions, and conditions related to sports injury can be performed with different imaging modalities; however, there is usually one optimal image guidance modality for each procedure and individual patient. We describe our patient-centered workflow as a model of care that incorporates state-of-the-art imaging techniques, up-to-date evidence, and value-based practices with the intent of optimizing procedural success and outcomes at a patient-specific level. This model contrasts interventionalist- and imaging modality-centered practices, where procedures are performed based on local preference and selective availability of imaging modality or interventionalists. We discuss rationales, benefits, and limitations of fluoroscopy, ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging procedure guidance for a broad range of image-guided MSK interventions to diagnose and treat sports and tumor-related conditions.

Effects of government regulations and input subsidies on cost efficiency: A decomposition approach

This paper studies the effects of regulations, input subsidies, their interactions and technical efficiency on cost efficiency and shows how a firm's cost efficiency relates to society's cost efficiency. It finds that from societal viewpoint, the average US public transit system is 45% cost efficient, a product of 84.4% technical efficiency and 53.5% allocative efficiency. From a transit system's viewpoint, it is 78.6%, 59.5% and 84.4% cost efficient when it internalizes input subsidies, regulations and both respectively. Additionally, it finds that the incentive tier regulation reduces capital-labor allocative distortion, the federal labor protection regulation increases nonlabor-labor allocative distortion and cost inefficiency, the incentive regulation increases cost efficiency, and the bus useful-life regulation increases cost inefficiency through increasing technical inefficiency. Together, in the sample of transit systems studied the regulations studied counteract the capital-labor allocative distortion from the subsidies and reinforce the nonlabor-labor allocative distortion from subsidies.

The Use of Fiber-Reinforced Polymers in Wildlife Crossing Infrastructure

The proven effectiveness of highway crossing infrastructure to mitigate wildlife-vehicle collisions with large animals has made it a preferred method for increasing motorist and animal safety along road networks around the world. The crossing structures also provide safe passage for small- and medium-sized wildlife. Current methods to build these structures use concrete and steel, which often result in high costs due to the long duration of construction and the heavy machinery required to assemble the materials. Recently, engineers and architects are finding new applications of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites, due to their high strength-to-weight ratio and low life-cycle costs. This material is better suited to withstand environmental elements and the static and dynamic loads required of wildlife infrastructure. Although carbon and glass fibers along with new synthetic resins are most commonly used, current research suggests an increasing incorporation and use of bio-based and recycled materials. Since FRP bridges are corrosion resistant and hold their structural properties over time, owners of the bridge can benefit by reducing costly and time-consuming maintenance over its lifetime. Adapting FRP bridges for use as wildlife crossing structures can contribute to the long-term goals of improving motorist and passenger safety, conserving wildlife and increasing cost efficiency, while at the same time reducing plastics in landfills.

Information Technology and Cost Efficiency in Malaysian Banking Industry

It is argued that information technology can increase cost efficiency of banks by offering opportunities to substitute across inputs into production – for example, to substitute computer technology and information networks for labor. Hence, the transition to a knowledge-based financial sector would lead to banks becoming more competitive, more cost effective and better able in managing risks. As such, those banks that failed to make this transition are less able to compete as they lack the capability to innovate and face higher delivery costs. The main objectives of this paper are to determine the impact of IT on banking efficiency and its economies of scale using a sample of Malaysian banks. To achieve these objectives, stochastic cost frontier method is employed to estimate bank efficiency and panel data approach were used to examine the impact of IT on bank efficiency. The results indicate that the impact of IT on bank efficiency increases with increase in bank size, hence further supporting the process of bank mergers that are currently undertaken in the Malaysian banking industry.

PENERAPAN WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM PADA PT UNIPLASTINDO INTERBUANA BALI

Warehouse Management System is a database-based computer application system, which used to improve warehouse efficiency in maintaining the accuracy of inventory data by recording every transaction in the warehouse. The purpose of this study was to determine efficiency of material handling costs incurred after implementation of warehouse management system. The research was conducted at PT Uniplastindo Interbuana Bali with simulation of implementation warehouse management system. Based on calculations, application of WMS able to increase cost efficiency and time efficiency in material handling because the system is able to provide accurate material placement data. Data during simulation shows a smaller amount of time compared to before simulation, which means less costs are incurred. Existence of system also makes it easy for related admin to collect data on real stock in the field. Data presentation and processing becomes faster and accurate so it can lead to increased performance in company.&#x0D; Keywords: Warehouse Management System (WMS), material handling, cost efficiency &#x0D;

СИНЕРГЕТИКА ТВЭЛА

The fuel element is the complex system consisting of fuel, a sublayer, a cladding, protective coatings on a surface of a cladding and contacting to the cooler and material of a contour in general. The synergetic (self-coherence) of interaction of elements of this system has to be provided both concerning high heat conductivity of fuel element, and concerning corrosion compatibility. Use of a liquid metal sublayer (LMS) instead of gas, allows significantly (by hundreds of degrees) to reduce temperature in the center of fuel that increases safety at UTOP accidents (uncontrollable increase in power) at ULOF (loss of an expense of the cooler). Gap thickness when using LMS (unlike helium) can be significantly increased that will practically not affect thermal characteristics of fuel element, but will allow to distance considerably time of approach of direct contact of fuel with a cladding, having increased thereby depth of burning out of heavy atoms and having increased cost efficiency and competitiveness of fast reactors extension of the fuel elements resource. These principles when using heat-conducting nuclear fuel are especially effective (metal, nitride, carbide) and the lead heat carrier. Synergetic reasonable corrosion compatibility of a cladding of fuel element with LMS is confirmed with numerous settlement pilot studies by means of formation and self-curing of accidental damages of a protective coating of nitride of zirconium on the internal surface of steel in LMS of eutectic structure on the basis of lead with magnesium and zirconium. When using nitride fuel heat-conducting LMS with anticorrosive properties the resource of fuel element is limited not by swelling of fuel any more, and the dose damaging a cladding.

Potential efficiency gains in payment programs from resolving spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the cost of supplying forest carbon

The environmental benefits and costs of conservation policies often vary over space and through time. Accounting for this spatial and temporal heterogeneity has important implications for the potential cost effectiveness of different payment program designs. In this study, we examine the cost efficiency gain from spatial and temporal targeting in payment designs for forest carbon storage in the Central and Southern Appalachian Mountains in the Eastern United States. We run a forest land change model and a carbon simulation model utilizing a panel data on forest land and its competing uses, economic returns, and spatial characteristics for each 1 km2 grid cells in 1992, 2001, 2006 and 2011. A time- and space-specific carbon cost for each individual 1 km2 grid cell is calculated that captures the spatial and temporal heterogeneity in carbon cost efficiency. From there, we compare carbon cost efficiency levels of various payment designs that allow for different degrees of spatial and temporal flexibility. We find that 1) spatial targeting improves carbon cost efficiency, and this efficiency gain is larger as payments become more narrowly targeted, 2) this carbon efficiency gain is present in all market conditions, but is largest in a moderately growing market and smallest in a downturn market, 3) accounting for temporal heterogeneity results in even larger carbon efficiency gains, almost double those from spatial targeting. Just as policies that enable spatial targeting (e.g., auctions) increase cost efficiency savings, so too will policy mechanisms that emphasize budget flexibility through time. These could include utilizing loans or flexible conservation financing, or allowing movement across budgeting categories within a given time period.

160. Increasing cost efficiency in adult spinal deformity surgery: identifying predictors of lower total costs

BACKGROUND CONTEXT Adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery often involves complex deformity correction. It's unknown which baseline (BL) patient factors predict lower total costs in ASD surgery. PURPOSE Identify predictors of lower total surgery costs for ASD patients. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING Retrospective review of a prospective multicenter adult spinal deformity database. PATIENT SAMPLE A total of 311 operative ASD patients ≥18 years old with baseline and 3Y demographic, surgical, and frailty data. OUTCOME MEASURES Schwab sagittal vertebral axis (SVA) modifier grade, Owestry Disability Index (ODI), costs of ASD surgery, predictors of lower costs. METHODS Inclusion criteria included surgical ASD (scoliosis ≥20°, SVA ≥5cm, PT ≥25°, or thoracic kyphosis ≥60°) patients >18 years with available frailty, demographic, and radiographic data at BL and 1 year postop. Descriptive analyses assessed mean age, frailty, and surgical data. Total costs for surgery were calculated using the PearlDiver database. A conditional variable importance table used nonreplacement sampling set of 20,000 conditional inference trees to identify the top factors associated with lower cost surgery for low (LSVA), moderate (MSVA), and high (HSVA) Schwab modifier grades. LSVA were SVA 9.5 cm. Linear and logistic regression assessed the relationship between significant predictors and the odds of lower cost surgery. RESULTS Of the 322 total ASD patients, 322 met inclusion criteria. Descriptive statistics were: age 58.9 ± 14.9, 76% women, BMI 27.8 ± 6.2, 62% osteotomy, 54% decompression, and 11.0 ± 4.1 average levels fused. At 3yrfollow-up, the potential cost of ASD surgery ranged from $57,606.88 to $116,312.54. There were 152 LSVA patients, 53 MSVA patients, and 111 HSVA patients. For all patients, BL ODI 1.5 (2.62 [1.402-4.875], p=0.002], no previous spine surgery (1.77 [1.22-2.58], p=0.003), frailty scores 1.5 (6.76 [1.68-27.18] p=0.007), age 2.38 (3.93 [1.54-10.18] p=0.004), frailty scores CONCLUSIONS For ASD patients, low frailty, no prior spine surgery, no depression, and higher baseline SRS activity scores were predictive of lower total surgery costs. When assessed by baseline deformity, decreased frailty and the lack of comorbidities and risk factors such as cancer, smoking, or high BMI, were associated with lower costs. FDA DEVICE/DRUG STATUS This abstract does not discuss or include any applicable devices or drugs.

Optimization and Security in Information Retrieval, Extraction, Processing, and Presentation on a Cloud Platform

This paper presents the processing steps needed in order to have a fully functional vertical search engine. Four actions are identified (i.e., retrieval, extraction, presentation, and delivery) and are required to crawl websites, get the product information from the retrieved webpages, process that data, and offer the end-user the possibility of looking for various products. The whole application flow is focused on low resource usage, and especially on the delivery action, which consists of a web application that uses cloud resources and is optimized for cost efficiency. Novel methods for representing the crawl and extraction template, for product index optimizations, and for deploying and storing data in the cloud database are identified and explained. In addition, key aspects are discussed regarding ethics and security in the proposed solution. A practical use-case scenario is also presented, where products are extracted from seven online board and card game retailers. Finally, the potential of the proposed solution is discussed in terms of researching new methods for improving various aspects of the proposed solution in order to increase cost efficiency and scalability.

Sustainable Development of Lubricator to Optimization Process of Lubrication in Wire Rope Sling

The main business processes of PT Pupuk Sriwidjaja Palembang is selling of bulk urea fertilizer. In distribution process of bulk urea to ships use the Quadrant Ship Loader (QSL). To maintain quality performance of the QSL have been applied preventive maintenance once in 4 (four) months. There is some work in implementing preventive maintenance, one of them is lubrication wire rope. Lubrication wire rope takes the longest time among other jobs, which is about 90 minutes in each time to do preventive maintenance. In this case by making wire rope lubrication tool. Using this tool, the lubrication work on PU-5858L QSL wire rope can be pressed up to 30 minutes in every preventive maintenance exercise. Another advantage of using the wire rope lubrication tool can minimize the occurrence of grease droplets so as to avoid potential environmental pollution, improved lubrication quality by 29%, increased cost efficiency, time of workmanship by 67%, decrease of potential of environmental pollution by 67%, and decrease in employment injury opportunities by 40%.

Reviewing the Reliability-Centered Maintenance on Cooling Water Pump of LNG Production Company

Maintenance is one of the important things to maintain a company in the industry. A company, such as LNG production company, must be able to produce and meet energy needs independently to support all operations, such as cooling water system that functions to control the temperature and pressure so that the production process runs optimally. If this system is disrupted, there will be excess use of water, waste water, and energy costs needed which result in higher total operational costs. With good and right care, it can reduce all risks posed. One component that plays a role in the cooling water system is a pump. This pump serves to flow the cooling water which is seawater to the LNG industry plant. At present, the amount of Work Order data recorded from the problems obtained from the pump requires maintenance updates. In this study, the method in the maintenance programs are used based on the Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) implementation. RCM will increase cost efficiency, reliability, pump uptime, and propose maintenance tasks. Beside pump, the reviewing also involve supports components that affect pump optimization. In this paper, the functions, causes, and effects are identified and the new scheduled maintenance tasks are shown

A Survey on Automatic Model Generation for Material Flow Simulation in Discrete Manufacturing

Adaptivity of production systems is acknowledged as a key competition factor in the manufacturing industry. In order to decrease reaction time and increase cost efficiency, changes to a production system are often planned and validated using material flow simulation. However, repeated manual synchronization of the simulation model with the real manufacturing environment is time-consuming and error-prone. Automatic simulation model generation (ASMG) could overcome these issues. In contrast to recent surveys on ASMG, we focus on information retrieval. Accordingly, we constitute the state of the art of this problem domain and outline future research directions.

Logistic approach to intellectual property

In the age of economy’s digitalization, the importance of intangible assets in the activity of enterprises increases, which is caused by the content of fundamental trends, according to which the behavior of economic entities and their way of functioning transform into a new operating model of companies, especially in banking and telecommunications sectors, aimed at increasing cost efficiency and identification of new opportunities in the market mainly on the basis of methods of analysis of large amounts of data to generate new knowledge and make effective management decisions. Accordingly, in the conditions of economy’s digitalization, intellectual property starts to play more and more significant role as a backbone asset of enterprises, causing development of the intellectual property market and the need to formalize its operation and create an efficient infrastructure for the market. This article discusses the issue of intellectual property objects’ turnover in the Russian economy in the conditions of digitalization with funds being invested into specific energy project.

Recent Advances in the Disinfection of Water Using Nanoscale Antimicrobial Materials

AbstractThe microbial contamination of water is highlighted as a global problem that threatens human life. Specifically, the lack of clean and safe water has resulted in a high number of deaths annually and thus poses a great challenge to humans. The traditional water purification methods typically consume high amounts of energy, exhibit low disinfection efficiency, and result in the production of toxic by‐products. Therefore, the development of methods for efficient water disinfection is of great significance. Nanomaterials have shown promising prospects in water disinfection due to their unique properties. Recent progress in the use of nanomaterials for water disinfection is summarized herein. The recently developed methods for the synthesis of antibacterial nanomaterials, including metallic nanoparticles, nanosized carbide and nitrides, are depicted, and the structures, morphologies, instincts, and performances of the nanomaterials in bactericidal tests are discussed. In addition, the antibacterial mechanisms and the dominant elements influencing the antimicrobial activities of the nanomaterials are reviewed in detail. Although recent years have shown remarkable progress in water disinfection using nanomaterials, the development of disinfection agents with improved nanoeffects and performance, low toxicity, increased cost efficiency, and easier operation remains urgent.

Analysis of cost efficiency of rainfed maize production in Yola North and Yola South Local Government Areas of Adamawa State, Nigeria

This study analyzed the allocative (cost) efficiency of rainfed maize production in Yola North and Yola South Local Government Areas of Adamawa State, Nigeria. Purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used to select 128 respondents. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and stochastic frontier cost function model. Results revealed that the respondents had a mean age of 39 years and have large household sizes. The sampled farmers are experienced and cultivated an average of about two hectares of land. The respondents had also acquired one form of formal education or the other with primary school as the least. The results of the maximum likelihood estimate parameters of the stochastic frontier cost function revealed that cost of land and cost of seeds, cost of hired labour and cost of agrochemicals were significant at different level of probabilities. The allocative efficiency indices revealed that allocative efficiency of the sampled farmers ranged from 0.44 to 0.98 with a mean of 0.68, implying that an average farmer in the study area has the scope for increasing cost efficiency by 32% given the existing technology. The study recommends provision of adequate farm inputs and essential services at low cost to rainfed maize farmers.Keywords: Cost efficiency, rainfed, maize production, Yola, Adamawa, Nigeria

Increasing cost efficiency through minimizing transformer losses: Design and performance analysis of a 250 kVA off-load tap changing step down transformer

Increasing cost efficiency through minimizing transformer losses: Design and performance analysis of a 250 kVA off-load tap changing step down transformer

REPLACEMENT PERIPHERAL INTRAVENOUS CATHETERS WITH CLINICAL INDICATION FOR PATIENT CONVENIENCE, COST EFFICIENCY AND REDUCING NURSES WORKLOAD

Introduction: PIVCs (Peripheral Intravenous Catheters) have been widely used for clinical medical care which is having risk for phlebitis occurence. IV catheter replacement is performed when there is clinical indication such us phlebitis. The consequence of this action is patient convinence, nurse workload and patient care cost efficiency. Methode: A longitudinal study with experimental results of evidence based practice on replacement of PIVSc with clinical indication as an effort to improve patient convinience, cost efficiency and reduce nurse workload in 41 patients. Result: 41 patients attached PIVCs, 100% wanted IV catheter replacement if there was any clinical indication. 68% of patients said very uncomfortable if IV catheter routinely replaced. 16 nurse (56.25%) said there is no need to replace IV catheter regularly. 43.75% of nurses felt IV catheters rountine replacement increased the working time and 50% of the nurses felt that nurses workload was increased. Conclusions: IV catheter replacement can be performed if there is cinical indication because it can improve patient convenience, increase cost efficiency and reduce nurse workload.

Analisis Value Chain Guna Mencapai Strategi Cost Leadership dalam Meningkatkan Efesiensi Biaya (Studi pada Perusahaan ”X” di Sidoarjo)

This research aim for knowing, how value chain analysis was do in company value chain for achieve cost leadership strategy in increasing cost efficiency. According to value chain analysis explained what activities made company value chain, therefore will be know value addedd activity and non value added activity. In the same way, research in value chain analysis can showing company activity. This activity can devided into primary activity and supporting activity, value added activity and non value added activity and cost trigger, therefore cost efficiency can be achieve which reducing and eliminate wate activity. In conclusion, this research can be a input for company, while taking corporate strategy to increase profit and give value added for costumer. Value chain analysis will achieve cost leadership can increase company competitive adventage because it can increase cost efficiency.

ANALISIS PERENCANAAN KEBUTUHAN BAHAN BAKU DENGAN METODE MRP PADA PT BOGOR MITRADAYA MANDIRI

ABSTRACTRaw material requirements planning is one way to increase cost efficiency. The purpose of this study wasto determine the proper technique for cost efficiency. The Research in Bogor Mitradaya PT Mandirifacing problems of shortage or excess raw materials in the warehouse or stock outs so disrupt the smoothproduction process. Comparative descriptive research with case study method. The analysis wasconducted using MRP (Material Requirement Planning). The Results showed that raw materialrequirements planning at PT Mandiri Bogor Mitradaya pretty good. But in its activities, sometimescompanies have excess or shortage of raw materials warehouse, causing inefficient costs on 17th feb-23feb 2015. The calculation methods Lot For Lot MRP techniques proven to increase cost efficiency. Thus,the authors recommend techniques Lot For Lot to be considered, especially in decision making.Keywords: Raw Material Planning, Cost Efficiency, Total Inventories, Number Booking