Potential Cost Reduction Research Articles

Improving high-pressure water scrubbing through process integration and solvent selection for biogas upgrading

Biogas plays a vital role in many renewable and sustainable energy strategies, where CO2 removal is required to produce biomethane (i.e., biogas upgrading). New ideas and technologies have been proposed to improve the process efficiency of biogas upgrading with liquid absorbents, and ionic liquids have been identified as promising candidates. Meanwhile, there is an urgent need to effectively utilize low-quality waste heat in industry. In this study, two strategies (i.e., waste heat integration and desorption unit modification) were proposed and compared with the original high-pressure water scrubbing; in addition, the effects of the temperatures of the heat source and solvents on the energy usage and cost were further investigated. The results showed that the total cost of the process integrated with waste heat recovery decreased by 6.2% compared with the original high-pressure water scrubbing, and the higher temperature of the waste heat source corresponded to a lower cost. The comparison of different solvents further confirmed that ionic liquid-based solvents were promising, with a potential cost reduction of 24.7%; the properties of the solvent, such as the CO2 absorption capacity, selectivity, and viscosity had significant influences on the total cost, and a new and single index “comparative absorption factor” was proposed to reflect the overall impact of these properties on the cost.

MHealth Apps: Disruptive Innovation, Regulation, and Trust-A Need for Balance.

mHealth, the use of mobile and wireless technologies in healthcare, and mHealth apps, a subgroup of mHealth, are expected to result in more person-focussed healthcare. These technologies are predicted to make patients more motivated in their own healthcare, reducing the need for intensive medical intervention. Thus, mHealth app technology might lead to a redesign of existing healthcare architecture making the system more efficient, sustainable, and less expensive. As a disruptive innovation, it might destabilise the existing healthcare organisation through a changed role for healthcare professionals with patients accessing care remotely or online. This account coincides with the broader narrative of National Health Service policy-makers, which focusses on personalised healthcare and greater patient responsibility with the potential for significant cost reductions. The article proposes that while the concept of mHealth apps as a disruptive technology and the narrative of personalisation and responsibilisation might support a transformation of the healthcare system and a reduction of costs, both are dependent on patient trust in the safety and security of the new technology. Forcing trust in this field may only be achieved with the application of traditional and other regulatory mechanisms and with this comes the risk of reducing the effect of the technology's disruptive potential.

Mixed stress-displacement isogeometric collocation for nearly incompressible elasticity and elastoplasticity

We propose a mixed stress-displacement isogeometric collocation method for nearly incompressible elastic materials and for materials exhibiting von Mises plasticity. The discretization is based on isogeometric analysis (IGA) with non-uniform rational B-Splines (NURBS) as basis functions. As compared to conventional IGA Galerkin formulations, isogeometric collocation methods offer a high potential of computational cost reduction for higher-order discretizations as they eliminate the need for quadrature. In the proposed mixed formulation, both stress and displacement fields are approximated as primary variables with the aim of treating volumetric locking and instability issues, which occur in displacement-based isogeometric collocation for nearly incompressible elasticity and von Mises plasticity. The performance of the proposed approach is demonstrated by several numerical examples.

Fundamental Limits of Erasure-Coded Key-Value Stores With Side Information

The multi-version coding problem is a recently formulated information-theoretic framework to study the storage cost of consistent key-value data stores. Previous work on multi-version coding considered a completely decentralized asynchronous system where the nodes (servers) are not aware of which updates (versions) of the data are received by the other nodes. In this paper, we relax this assumption and study a system where a node acquires side information of the versions propagated to some other nodes based on the network topology. Specifically, we study a storage system with $n$ nodes over a graph that stores $\nu $ totally ordered versions of an object (message). Each node receives a subset of these $\nu $ versions. A node is aware of which versions that were received by its neighbors in the network graph. Our code constructions show that the side information can result in a better storage cost as compared with the case where the nodes do not exchange side information for some regimes at the expense of the additional latency and the negligible communication overhead of exchanging the side information. Through an information-theoretic converse, we identify surprising scenarios where exchanging tremendous amount of side information does not reduce the storage cost. Finally, we present a case study over Amazon web services (AWS) that demonstrates the potential storage cost reductions of our code constructions.

Are Virtual Fracture Clinics During the COVID-19 Pandemic a Potential Alternative for Delivering Fracture Care? A Systematic Review.

Virtual fracture clinics are an alternative to the traditional model of fracture care. Since their introduction in 2011, they have become increasingly used in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) health crisis has driven institutions to examine such innovative solutions to manage patient care. The current controversies include quantifying safety outcomes, such as potential delayed or missed injuries, inadequate treatment, and medicolegal claims. Questions also exist regarding the potential for cost reductions and efficiencies that may be achieved. Physical distancing has limited the number of face-to-face consultations, so this review was conducted to determine if virtual fracture clinics can provide an acceptable alternative in these challenging times. The aim of this systematic review was to describe (1) adverse outcomes, (2) cost reductions, and (3) efficiencies associated with the virtual fracture clinic model. A systematic review of the PubMed, MEDLINE, and Embase databases was conducted from database inception to March 2020. The keywords "virtual" or "telemedicine" or "telehealth" or "remote" or "electronic" AND "fracture" or "trauma" or "triage" AND "clinic" or "consultation" were entered, using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Inclusion criteria included adults and children treated for injuries by a virtual clinic model at the initial review. Eligible injuries included injuries deemed to not need surgical intervention, and those able to be treated remotely using defined protocols. Exclusion criteria consisted of patients reviewed by telemedicine using video links or in person at the initial review. Initially, 1065 articles were identified, with 665 excluded as they did not relate to virtual fracture clinics. In all, 400 articles were screened for eligibility, and 27 full-text reviews were conducted on 18 studies (30,512 virtual fracture clinic encounters). Three subdomains focusing on adverse outcomes, cost reductions, and efficiencies were recorded. The term adverse outcomes was used to describe any complications, further surgeries, re-referrals back to the clinic, or deviations from the protocols. Efficiency described the number of patients reviewed and discharged using the model, savings in clinic slots, reduced waiting times, or a reduction in consumption of resources such as radiographs. All studies were observational and the quality was assessed using Newcastle-Ottawa tool, which demonstrated a median score of 6 ± 1.8, indicating moderate quality. Six studies reported adverse outcomes in detail, with events ranging from inappropriate splinting, deviations from protocols, and one patient underwent an osteotomy for a malunion. Efficiency varied from direct discharge proportions of 18% in early studies to 100% once the virtual fracture clinic model was more established. Cost reductions compared with estimates derived from conventional fracture clinics varied from USD 53 to USD 297 and USD 39,125 to USD 305876 compared with traditional fracture clinic visits. Virtual fracture clinics may provide a means to treat patients remotely, using agreed-upon protocols. They have an important role in the current COVID-19 pandemic, due to the possibility to provide ongoing care in an otherwise challenging setting. More robust studies looking at this model of care will be needed to assess its long-term effects on patients, institutions, and health care systems. Level IV, therapeutic study.

Modelling and performance assessment of a thermally-driven cascade adsorption cycle suitable for cooling applications

Adsorption chillers can provide energy efficient cooling and have large potential for performance increase and cost reduction compared to conventional chillers. Among the different R&D activities currently in progress in the field, the development of advanced cascading adsorption cycles is an effective way to improve the performance of standard adsorption units, making this technology especially interesting in applications where waste heat for driving the adsorption chiller is a widely available, such as many industrial processes, cogeneration plants, I.C. engines, district heating networks. In this paper, a novel modelling tool able to simulate complex adsorption cycles is presented and validated with literature data. The simulation tool is used to investigate numerically the performance of a cascade adsorption cycle consisting of a twin adsorber high-temperature cycle with heat recovery coupled with an intermittent adsorber low-temperature cycle. A parametric analysis is carried out showing the optimization potential in terms of Coefficient Of Performance (COP) and specific cooling power (SCP) with varying cycle periods, step time ratios and adsorbent mass ratios. COP of 0.97 with SCP of 142 W/kg are found for water-zeolite 4A (high-temperature) and water-CaCl2/Silica gel (low-temperature cycle). These results are in line with previous findings reported in literature. Finally, useful recommendations for further performance improvement are provided.

Impact of propulsion system characteristics on the potential for cost reduction of earth observation missions at very low altitudes

Earth observation is one of the most important satellites’ applications. Past earth observation systems have used traditional space technology to achieve the best possible performance, but have been very expensive. Recently, thanks to advancements in technology and modern microelectronics, small satellites have become more and more useful at much lower costs, even if with reduced performance. The resolution of the optical payload improves as the altitude is reduced. Space system mass is proportional to the cube of the linear dimensions. This means that by flying at lower altitudes, satellites can reduce their payload size and therefore the entire mass of the satellite, thus reducing the cost of the system dramatically. However, almost all the earth observation missions fly at the minimum altitude that provides a sufficient orbital life. The addition of a propulsion system capable of providing drag compensation for the entire satellite operative life provides the possibility to fly at very low earth orbit. In this way, the same performance can be obtained with a smaller and cheaper system. To obtain the same coverage more units are needed to replace a larger unit at higher altitude. In this paper it is confirmed that future smallsat observation systems, operating at a lower altitude than traditional systems, have the potential for comparable or better performance, much lower overall mission cost (by a significant factor), lower risk (both implementation and operations), shorter schedules, lower up-front development cost, more sustainable business model, to be more flexible and resilient, more responsive to both new technologies and changing needs, and to mitigate the problem of orbital debris. This paper focus in particular on the effect of the propulsion system parameters (performance and costs) on the cost model as a function of the altitude. It is demonstrated that new affordable chemical propulsion systems provide already significant benefits with limited constraints, allowing a useful reduction of altitude and, consequently, costs. Electric propulsion systems have the potential to allow even lower altitudes or longer lifetimes; however, they have a stronger impact on the satellite design related to their power consumption, generally requiring deployable solar panels, which can limit the flexibility in the orbit selection or the added weight and cost of batteries. The development of electric thrusters that have good performance and limited impact on the satellite architecture (particularly at small scales) is fundamental to exploit their potential for reduced mission costs through very low altitude flight.

An Ant Colony Algorithm for Improving Energy Efficiency of Road Vehicles

The number and interdependency of vehicle CO2 reduction technologies, which can be employed to reduce greenhouse emissions for regulatory compliance in the European Union and other countries, has increasingly grown in the recent years. This paper proposes a method to optimally combine these technologies on cars or other road vehicles to improve their energy efficiency. The methodological difficulty is in the fact that these technologies have incompatibilities between them. Moreover, two conflicting objective functions are considered and have to be optimized to obtain Pareto optimal solutions: the CO2 reduction versus costs. For this NP-complete combinatorial problem, a method based on a metaheuristic with Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) combined with a Local Search (LS) algorithm is proposed and generalized as the Technology Packaging Problem (TPP). It consists in finding, from a given set of technologies (each with a specific cost and CO2 reduction potential), among all their possible combinations, the Pareto front composed by those configurations having the minimal total costs and maximum total CO2 reduction. We compare the performance of the proposed method with a Genetic Algorithm (GA) showing the improvements achieved. Thanks to the increased computational efficiency, this technique has been deployed to solve thousands of optimization instances generated by the availability of these technologies by year, type of powertrain, segment, drive cycle, cost type and scenario (i.e., more or less optimistic technology cost for projected data) and inclusion of off-cycle technologies. The total combinations of all these parameters give rise to thousands of distinct instances to be solved and optimized. Computational tests are also presented to show the effectiveness of this new approach. The outputs have been used as basis to assess the costs of complying with different levels of new vehicle CO2 standards, from the perspective of different manufacturer types as well as vehicle users in Europe.

Further operation of flexible biogas plants – realisable bid prices in the EEG 2017

With the tendering procedure of the Renewable Energy Sources Act (Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz, EEG) 2017, the opportunity was created to transfer existing biogas plants into a 10-year follow-up remuneration through new commissioning. A detailed analysis of possible revenues and costs can be an advantage when placing bids. Thus provide clarity about the economic situation of a biogas plant during the follow-up period. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that there are potential economic options for selected existing biogas plants in Germany in the electricity market. Namely to switch to the tender design under EEG 2017 and to take advantage of the 10-year follow-up remuneration. For now, the tender corridors beyond 2022 are not determined yet. But in the course of an upcoming amendment of the Renewable Energy Sources Act it is likely that there will be a notable corridor volume from 2023 onwards. In addition to the ability to operate flexibly, the decisive factor for the economic operation of a plant beyond the 20-year EEG remuneration period is the levelized costs of electricity (LCOE). Or more precisely the LCOE that can be realized in the follow-up period. If a subsidy charge can be achieved that, combined with market earnings, exceeds the average LCOE in the follow-up period, economic operation is ensured. Otherwise, additional sources of revenue or cost reduction potential must be tapped.

The Baby Bridge program: A sustainable program that can improve therapy service delivery for preterm infants following NICU discharge.

ObjectiveThe aim of this project was to determine revenues and costs over time to assess the sustainability of the Baby Bridge program.MethodsThe Baby Bridge program was developed to promote timely, consistent and high quality early therapy services for high-risk infants following neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge. Key features of the Baby Bridge program were defined as: 1) having the therapist establish rapport with the family while in the NICU, 2) scheduling the first home visit within one week of discharge and continuing weekly visits until other services commence, 3) conducting comprehensive assessments to inform targeted interventions by a skilled, single provider, and 4) using a comprehensive therapeutic approach while collaborating with the NICU medical team and community therapy providers. The Baby Bridge program was implemented with infants hospitalized in an urban Level IV NICU from January 2016 to January 2018. The number of infants enrolled increased gradually over the first several months to reach the case-load capacity associated with one full-time therapist by mid-2017. Costs of the therapists delivering Baby Bridge services, travel, and equipment were tracked and compared with claim records of participants. The operational cost of Baby Bridge programming at capacity was estimated based on the completed and anticipated claims and reimbursement of therapy services as a means to inform possible scale-ups of the program.ResultsIn 2016, the first year of programming, the Baby Bridge program experienced a loss of $26,460, with revenue to the program totaling $11,138 and expenses totaling $37,598. In 2017, the Baby Bridge program experienced a net positive income of $2,969, with revenues to the program totaling $53,989 and expenses totaling $51,020. By Spring 2017, 16 months after initiating Baby Bridge programming, program revenue began to exceed cost. It is projected that cumulative revenue would have exceeded cumulative costs by January 2019, 3 years following implementation. Net annual program income, once scaled up to capacity, would be approximately $16,308.DiscussionThere were initial losses during phase-in of Baby Bridge programming associated with operating far below capacity, yet the program achieved sustainability within 16 months of implementation. These costs related to implementation do not consider the potential cost reduction due to mitigated health burden for the community and families, particularly due to earlier receipt of therapy services, which is an important area for further inquiry.

An inexpensive storage material for molten salt based thermocline concepts: Stability of AlferRock in solar salt

The implementation of inexpensive scalable thermal energy storage will play a crucial role in the successful establishment of dispatchable renewable energy technologies. Storage based on molten nitrate salts is one of the most relevant technologies implemented in the GWh-scale. Yet, there is significant cost reduction potential in replacing the conventional two-tank system by a single-tank thermocline system. The latter involves the use of a single-tank design where a large fraction of the costly salt is replaced by an inexpensive filler material. Industrial waste materials such as AlferRock (red-mud-derived Fe2O3-rich ceramics), have significant potential since they are readily available in the Mt-range and have adequate thermal and mechanical resistance at the intended temperature of use. This study explicitly investigates the corrosion resistance of AlferRock in Solar Salt, 60% NaNO3-40% KNO3 mixture, at 560 °C. By variation of particle sizes classical exposure tests as well as accelerated test methods can be applied to understand the long-term stability of this waste material under relevant conditions. Salt chemistry and compositional changes in the filler are analyzed in terms of ion chromatography, titration, diffraction techniques (XRD) as well as electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with element mapping (EDX).

PCV19 GENERIC SUBSTITUTION AND ITS ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES ASSESSED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN POLAND THANKS TO THE RECENTLY INTRODUCED E-PRESCRIPTION SYSTEM

According to the recent government document ‘National Drug Policy’, generic drugs’ use is encouraged in Poland. Market share of generics in the community pharmacy setting reached 66% of value in 2017. Mechanisms supporting generic drug use include reference pricing and generic substitution, which is further stimulated by mandatory information on generic drugs’ availability provided to patients in community pharmacies. However, lack of reliable data limited the evaluation of the effectiveness of these mechanisms so far. Recent introduction of e-prescription system in Poland allowed to collect suitable data. This study aimed to perform pilot analysis of the extent and economic consequences of generic substitution in Poland. In this retrospective analysis we used the data from the national e-prescription repository. Prescriptions issued between 01.01.2019-31.12.2019 for Quinapril (ATC C09AA06) were analyzed. By comparing prescribing and pharmacy claims data, prescriptions were categorized into ‘never filled in’, ‘filled in without substitution’, and ‘filled in with substitution’. Economic evaluation relied on official prices and co-payment levels of reimbursed Quinapril brands. Market prices of non-reimbursed brands were used. In the studied period, 79,804 packs of Quinapril have been prescribed on e-prescriptions, of which 12.7% have never been filled in, 77.2% were filled in without substitution, and 10.1% filled in with substitution. Substitution resulted in 8.2% and 7.3% savings for the patients and public payer, respectively. However, in as many as 35% of substitution cases, the dispensed drug was more costly than the one prescribed. There was a potential to increase global savings due to generic substitution over tenfold. Pilot analysis allowed due to newly available e-prescription data proved that generic substitution is only infrequently used in Poland. Thus, the full cost-reduction potential of this method is underutilized. Further studies are necessary to investigate best ways to effectively stimulate generic drug use in Poland.

Environmental and Economic Evaluation of Small-Scale Bridge Repair Using Cross-Laminated Timber Floor Slabs

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) has gained popularity worldwide in recent years, and its use in buildings and civil engineering structures has attracted attention in Japan. In this study, the life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) balance and costs associated with CLT floor slabs were evaluated with respect to small-scale bridge repair as the first instance of the use of CLT in civil engineering projects in Japan. Additionally, waterproofing treatment was applied to CLT slabs, and the potential GHG and cost reduction of CLT in comparison with reinforced concrete (RC) slabs were examined. GHG emissions were the smallest for non-waterproofed CLT slabs and the greatest for RC slabs. When replacing RC slabs with CLT slabs without waterproofing, fossil-derived GHG emissions can be reduced by 73 kg-CO2eq/m2 per slab, and fossil/wood-derived GHG emissions can be reduced by 67 kg-CO2eq/m2; however, the use of disposed CLT as fuel is essential. Moreover, a reduction in GHG emissions can be expected if RC slabs are replaced with CLT slabs that are waterproofed only once every 20 years. Further, the cost associated with RC slabs is 20% of that attributable to CLT slabs. Hence, measures need to be taken to reduce the cost of CLT and waterproofing materials.

A Novel Combo-Algorithm Applying Java In Thermal Modelling and Simulation of Energetic Axisymmetric Materials with Combustion Reactions

A Java-based computational tool with a novel algorithm and comparatively low-cost hybrid procedure is described. Energy dissipation from the wall is predicted with considerably high potential for process applications. Thermal spot localization was observed in the geometry with a propensity for thermal stress which can influence the strength of the material. The temperature loss magnitude is indicative of the energy losses that would otherwise have contributed to improving the thermal effectiveness - as opposed to heat dissipation, for instance, in low-temperature combustion reactions employing fuel burners. Wherefore, with low-cost computational tools, the computerization process for thermal FE analysis using an economically judicious methodology, could potentially serve as an alternative to cloud-based tools and costly experimental procedures with potential cost-reduction. Principally, the contribution is in discrete modelling and simulation of the wall section in heat transfer combustion reactions using Java language Object-oriented programming (OOP) approach integrating EES graphics.

Green innovations: The organizational setup of pilot projects and its influence on consumer perceptions

Pilot-, test- and demonstration-projects (PTDs) are a prominent policy tool to promote the adoption of smart, green technologies. However, as technology adoption is heavily dependent on the individual attributes and beliefs of potential adopters, it is important to understand the influence of a PTD's organizational setup on technology perception. By varying the information about a PTD's organizational setup in a survey experiment among a selected sample of potential PTD-participants, we gather first experimental evidence for the effect of different setups on the perception of green technologies. We show that the organizational setup has a significant impact on a product's perceived contribution to the energy transition, its establishment in the market, cost-reduction potential, innovativeness and environmental friendliness. In particular, full organizational cooperation between government, university and industry consistently improves perceptions compared to a partial setup. Regarding the willingness to participate in a PTD, we find that communication and support are the most imperative aspects and even more important than economic benefits. Our findings provide policy-makers with a more ample foundation on how PTDs should be designed to successfully transfer technologies to the market.

Funding and Service Organization to Achieve Universal Health Coverage for Medicines: An Economic Evaluation of the Best Investment and Service Organization for the Brazilian Scenario.

BackgroundThere are many health benefits since 31 years after the foundation of the National Health Service (NHS) in Brazil, especially the increase in life expectancy. However, family-income inequalities, insufficient funding, and suboptimal private sector–public sector collaboration are still areas for improvement. The efforts of Brazil to achieve universal health coverage (UHC) for medicines have resulted in increased public financing of medicines and their availability, reducing avoidable hospitalization and mortality. However, lack of access to medicines still remains. Due to historical reasons, pharmaceutical service organization in developing countries may have important differences from high-income countries. In some cases, developing countries finance and promote medicine access by using the public infrastructure of health care/medical units as dispensing sites and cover all costs of medicines dispensed. In contrast, many high-income countries use private community pharmacies and cover the costs of medicines dispensed plus a fee, which includes all logistic costs. In this study, we will undertake an economic evaluation to understand the funding needs of the Brazilian NHS to reduce inequalities in access to medicines through adopting a pharmaceutical service organization similar to that seen in many high-income countries with hiring/accrediting private pharmacies.MethodsWe performed an economic evaluation of a model to provide access to medicines within public funds based on a decision tree model with two alternative scenarios public pharmacies (NHS, state-owned facilities) versus private pharmacies (NHS, agreements). The analysis assumed the perspective of the NHS. We identified the types of resources consumed, the amount, and costs in both scenarios. We also performed a budget impact forecast to estimate the incremental funding required to reduce inequalities in access to essential medicines in Brazil.FindingsThe model without rebates for medicines estimated an incremental cost of US$3.1 billion in purchasing power parity (PPP) but with an increase in the average availability of medicines from 65% to 90% for citizens across the country irrespective of family income. This amount places the NHS in a very good position to negotiate extensive rebates without the need for external reference pricing for government purchases. Forecast scenarios above 35% rebates place the alternative of hiring private pharmacies as dominant. Higher rebate rates are feasible and may lead to savings of more than US$1.3 billion per year (30%). The impact of incremental funding is related to medicine access improvement of 25% in the second year when paying by dispensing fee. The estimate of the incremental budget in five years would be US$4.8 billion PPP. We have yet to explore the potential reduction in hospital and outpatient costs, as well as in lawsuits, with increased availability with the yearly expenses for these at US$9 billion and US$1.4 billion PPP respectively in 2017.InterpretationThe results of the economic evaluation demonstrate potential savings for the NHS and society. Achieving UHC for medicines reduces household expenses with health costs, health litigation, outpatient care, hospitalization, and mortality. An optimal private sector–public sector collaboration model with private community pharmacy accreditation is economically dominant with a feasible medicine price negotiation. The results show the potential to improve access to medicines by 25% for all income classes. This is most beneficial to the poorest families, whose medicines account for 76% of their total health expenses, with potential savings of lives and public resources.

The Business Efficiency of Agroprocessing of Food Crops Commodities and Horticulture in Increasing Product Competitiveness in Central Sulawesi Indonesia

The agroprocessing subsystem is an important part of the agricultural process after farming, because it should increase the sale value of the second derivative product if it is done efficiently. The potential use of efficient factors could increase the competitiveness of agroprocessing subsystems products. This study aims to analyze the business efficiency of agroprocessing of food crops commodities and horticulture in increasing product competitiveness in Central Sulawesi. The respondents used in this study were 12 companies from the agroindustry business of fried onion and banana chips and 6 companies from the tofu agroindustry. The Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model was used to measure the efficiency of the business. The results showed that the majority of agroindustry businesses’ operations were relatively inefficient, both in terms of technical and allocative efficiency, and so there was potential to increase efficiency. Potential cost reduction ranged from 20.00-28.10%; this could be done by adopting the best technology, ensuring the use of quality raw materials and using a skilled workforce, to increase product competitiveness.

An evolving role for non-governmental organizations dealing with registration backlogs and rising costs: the example of cancer biosimilars in South Africa

Around the world, especially in low- and middle-income countries, national regulatory authorities are struggling with registration backlogs and the affordability of medicines. This paper draws on the example of cancer biosimilars in South Africa to illustrate how non-governmental organizations can help regulatory authorities decide which registration applications to prioritize by providing information on clinical need, cost-benefit analysis and insight into the potential for cost reduction through biosimilar competition.

OPTIMIZATION OF TURNING PARAMETERS USING AN ALGORTIM BASED ON COMBINED LINEAR AND BINARY SEARCH METHODS

Optimization of cutting parameters in machining operations is a complex task requiring extensive knowledge and experience to reach the maximum potential for cost reductions in manufacturing. Through the work presented in this paper a cutting parameters optimization algorithm for roughing and finishing turning has been realized. The proposed optimization algorithm is based on a combination of linear search and binary search methods, heaving as objective criterion the minimization of the machining time. Examples for roughing and finishing turning have been presented to illustrate the application of the proposed algorithm and analyse the results.

Battery Energy Storage Technologies for Sustainable Electric Vehicles and Grid Applications

The energy consumption in worldwide has been increasing rapidly, due to increase in world population. This energy consumption growth is apparently impacting on the environment and the society. This has accelerated the development and deployment of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) harvesting technologies and facilities. The global electricity production by RES by the end of 2016 is accounted to 24.4%. This increase in RES has highlighted the next big challenge, storage of energy when demand is lower than the supply. There are many energy storage technologies existing from decades. Battery technologies have the highest cost reduction potential at the moment. Battery technologies are delivering significant advances in a wide range of industries, from electrical vehicles to renewable power. From the discovery of electrical energy, there is a great need to store the electrical energy generated for use on demand. Energy Storage Systems (ESS) is used to store the excess electricity when a power production is greater than consumption. ESS play very important role for off-grid storage applications to back up Renewable Energy such as Solar and Wind power, used by people who live or work in remote areas. Electrical energy can be stored in different forms including Electrochemical-Batteries, Kinetic Energy-Flywheel, Potential Energy-Pumped Hydro, and Compressed Air (CAES). This paper gives the current state of battery storage technologies, its main challenges, its applications and actions for future.