Potential Production Costs Research Articles

Sales Revenues for New Therapeutic Agents Approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration From 1995 to 2014

ObjectivesThis study aimed to analyze worldwide sales of new therapeutic agents and to estimate the time it takes for product sales to exceed industry-wide average drug development costs. MethodsData obtained from company reports were analyzed to track worldwide sales of new medicines approved by the US Food and Drug Administration from 1995 to 2014. All sales figures were reported in 2019 US dollars. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to evaluate the time it took for discounted product sales to exceed the average costs associated with developing 1 new drug (accounting for the costs of failed trials), using published estimates of these costs. ResultsBased on data for 361 of 558 new therapeutic agents approved over the study period (median follow-up 13.2 years), mean sales revenue per product was $15.2 billion through the end of 2019; the median was $6.7 billion. These products jointly generated global sales of $5.5 trillion since approval. Revenues were highly skewed, with the 25 best selling products (7%, 25 of 361) accounting for 38% of this amount ($2.1 trillion of $5.5 trillion). Approximately 47% of products had discounted sales that exceeded the estimated industry-wide average costs of development within 5 years of approval, and 75% within 10 years. After attributing potential production, marketing, and other costs, these numbers dropped to 21% of products within 5 years of approval, and 46% within 10 years. ConclusionsSales of new medicines approved from 1995 to 2014 were highly skewed, but many products had net discounted sales that exceeded the industry-wide average costs of development within 10 years of approval. An understanding of how sales revenues accrue in the years after initial approval, alongside data on business costs, can inform discussions about how to incentivize private investment in innovation while ensuring affordable prices for patients and the healthcare system.

Formation of Microporous Poly Acrylonitrile-Co-Methyl Acrylate Membrane via Thermally Induced Phase Separation for Immiscible Oil/Water Separation.

An interconnected sponge structure and porous surface poly (acrylonitrile-co-methyl acrylate) (P(AN-MA)) microfiltration membranes (MF) were fabricated via thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) by using caprolactam (CPL), and acetamide (AC) as the mixed diluent. When the ternary system was composed of 15 wt.% P(AN-MA), 90 wt.% CPL, and 10 wt.% AC and formed in a 25 °C air bath, the membrane exhibited the highest water flux of 8107 L/m2·h. The P(AN-MA) membrane contained hydrophobic groups (-COOCH3) and hydrophilic groups (-CN), leading it to exhibit oleophobic properties underwater and hydrophobic properties in oil. The membrane demonstrates efficient separation of immiscible oil/water mixtures. The pure water flux of the petroleum ether/water mixture measured 870 L/m2·h, and the pure oil flux of the petroleum tetrachloride/water mixture measured 1230 L/m2·h under the influence of gravity. Additionally, the recovery efficiency of diluents through recrystallization was 85.3%, significantly reducing potential pollution and production costs.

Multiprocess 3D printing of sodium-ion batteries via vat photopolymerization and direct ink writing

In this work, the ability to print shape-conformable batteries with multi-process additive manufacturing is reported. Vat photopolymerization (VPP) 3D printing process is employed to manufacture gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), while direct ink writing process is used to prepare positive electrodes. The sodium-ion chemistry has proven to be an adequate substitute to lithium-ion due to the availability of resources and their potential lower production cost and enhanced safety. Three-dimensional printing technologies have the potential to revolutionize the production of shape-conformable batteries with intricate geometries that have been demonstrated to increase the specific surface area of the electrode and ion diffusion, thus leading to improved power performances. This study shows the preparation of composite UV-photocurable resins with different polymer matrix-to-liquid electrolyte ratios, designed to act as GPEs once printed via VPP. The impact of the liquid electrolyte ratio within the GPEs is thoroughly examined through a variety of electrochemical techniques. The exposure time printing parameter is optimized to ensure adequate print accuracy of the GPE. Using the optimized resin composition as material feedstock, shape-conformable 3D printed GPE exhibiting an ionic conductivity of 3.3 × 10−3 S·cm−1 at room temperature and a stability window up to 4.8 V vs. Na0/Na+ is obtained. In parallel, a composite ink loaded with Na0.44MnO2 and conductive additives is developed to 3D print via direct ink writing positive electrodes. After demonstrating the functionality of the independent 3D printed components in SIBs, the last part of this work is focused on combining the 3D printed Na0.44MnO2 electrode and the 3D printed GPE into the same battery cell to pave the way towards the manufacturing of a complete 3D printed battery thanks to different additive manufacturing processes.

Future nuclear fission reactors – uncertainties, the effect of parameter choice and an application to small modular reactor concepts

Abstract. Today, steep declines in the generation costs of renewable energy systems, particularly solar photovoltaic and wind, combined with a recent spur in storage and flexible technologies mainly driven by batteries and renewable-energy-generated hydrogen are driving a paradigm shift in energy systems across the world, and renewable energy dominates investments in installed electricity generation systems (Ram et al., 2022). In contrast, in 2022 USD 4.8 billion (ca. 21 %) of the total spending in research and development expenditures by countries within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was still spent on nuclear development alongside the current discussion in recent literature about the role of new nuclear developments in combating the recent energy crisis and climate change (Asuega et al., 2023; Ingersoll et.al., 2020; IEA, 2023). Since predicting future costs of technologies not yet developed is a complex exercise, we start this paper with a comparison of two different approaches from production theory and show that they have a theoretically equal structure (Steigerwald et al., 2023). This we then apply to estimate a range of potential production costs for 15 so-called small modular reactor (SMR) concepts for which sufficient data are available. These include light-water, high-temperature and fast reactors. In a third step, we apply the Monte Carlo method to benchmark the cost projections assumed by the manufacturers by varying production parameters in simulations of the net present value (NPV) and the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). Besides this, we test whether the differences between the manufacturer estimates and ours differ between technology families of SMR concepts and apply a sensitivity analysis. This contributes to an intensifying debate in the literature on the economics and finance of SMR concepts (Steigerwald et al., 2023). In a final step we compared our results with current costs of renewable energy technologies and could conclude that none of the tested concepts is able to compete economically with existing renewable technologies, not even when taking their variability and necessary system integration costs into account. We conclude that any technology foresight has to take the case specifics into account as much as possible, including technological and institutional specifics; this also holds for SMR concepts.

Horticulture producer's willingness to participate in contract-based supply chain coordination: A case study from Queensland (Australia).

Product export provides an option for horticulture producers in Queensland (Australia) to diversify their market and increase returns from production. Vertical supply chain coordination in the form of contract-based marketing agreements between producers and export agents/distributors could facilitate increased export. The aim of this study was to investigate the willingness of horticulture producers to participate in export focused contract-based marketing agreements. To achieve this aim, a survey including a discrete choice experiment was conducted. The results from a mixed logit model and a latent class model suggest that there are three clusters of producers: a) the export interested, b) the likely risk averse, and c) those well established in the domestic markets. Only producers in group a) expressed a preference for contract-based export marketing agreements. These producers appear to be younger, already have some export experience, and have a relatively high level of collaboration in their product supply chains. Producers in groups b) and c) expressed an interest in stronger coordination within the domestic retail sector, potentially in the form of contract farming. Prices of produce and potential higher production costs are determinants identified by all producer groups as important for their decision-making about changes to their supply chain.

Producing deceptive actions in sports: The costs of generating head fakes in basketball

Typically, head fakes in basketball are generated to, and actually do, deteriorate performance on the side of the observer. However, potential costs at the side of the producer of a fake action have only rarely been investigated before. It is thus not clear yet if the benefit (i.e., slowed reactions in the observer) of performing a head fake is overestimated due to concurrently arising fake production costs (i.e., slowed performance in the producer of a head fake). Therefore, we studied potential head-fake production costs with two experiments. Novice participants were asked to generate passes to the left or right side, either with or without head fakes. In Experiment 1, these actions were determined by an auditory stimulus (i.e., a 440 Hz or 1200 Hz sinus or jigsaw wave). After an interstimulus interval (ISI) of either 0 ms, 800 ms, or 1500 ms, which served the preparation of the action, the cued action had to be executed. In Experiment 2, passing to the left or right, either with or without a head fake, was determined by a visual stimulus (i.e., a player with a red or blue jersey defending either the right or left side). After an ISI of either 0 ms, 400 ms, 800 ms, or 1200 ms, the cued action had to be executed. In both experiments, we observed higher reaction times (RTs) for passes with head fakes as compared to passes without head fakes for no and an intermediate preparation interval (from ISI 0 ms to 800 ms), but no difference for a long preparation interval (for an ISI of 1200 ms and 1500 ms). Both experiments show that generating fake actions produces performance costs, however, these costs can be overcome by a longer preparation phase before movement execution.

Process model and techno-economic analysis of natural astaxanthin production from microalgae incorporating geospatial variabilities

Microalgae possess tremendous potential to meet the ever-increasing demand for food, feed, energy and fuels in a sustainable manner. Microalgae-based natural products are poised to compete with synthetic products in the market. A comprehensive theoretical approach was developed to determine economic feasibility of natural astaxanthin production from microalgae at various locations in the United States. A detailed economic analysis was conducted to determine natural astaxanthin production costs considering residual biomass utilization for various locations. Baseline production costs of astaxanthin were found to range from 1400 to 5000 $ kg−1 for the different locations. The results suggest that both microalgae productivity potential and astaxanthin production costs are heavily influenced by geographic location and type of bioreactor used. While production costs of natural astaxanthin are found to be higher than those of synthetic astaxanthin, economic analysis reveals significant opportunity for the economic viability of natural microalgae-based astaxanthin production in commercial scales.

Credit financing and channel encroachment: analysis of distribution choice in a dual-channel supply chain

Supply chain finance plays a significant role in alleviating capital shortage, which optimizes supply chain performance. In this paper, we discuss the interaction of credit financing and channel encroachment in a dual-channel supply chain structure consisting of a supplier and a retailer. Under the Stackelberg structure, we observe the interaction between credit financing and channel encroachment is heavily dependent on the substitution degree, potential online market, and production cost. Intuitively, the supplier is more likely to choose trade credit financing, except in the case where both the potential online market, substitution degree, and production cost are small; under these conditions, bank credit financing may be an equilibrium strategy. As long as the production cost is below a certain threshold, the supplier will choose the trade credit financing strategy.

Energy Consideration in the Microextrusion of Aluminum Alloy 6063

Abstract This paper investigated key factors influencing energy consumption in the microextrusion process. The considered factors were: extrusion ratio (ER), die angle (α), billet length (BL), bearing length (LB), coefficient of friction (COF), and die shift (DS). The finite element simulation was carried out to determine the extrusion energy required to complete one extrusion cycle. The simulation results showed that the increased values of all the considered factors (except the die shift) led to increased extrusion energy. The results also provided percentages of energy variation in steps, which helped evaluate the energy savings with regards to the crucial other production considerations. The percentage increase in energy consumption in the lower ER values was considered higher than those of, the higher ER values. Increasing die angle (α) from 60 to 90 deg barely affected the consumed energy. The highest increase percentage of extrusion energy was found while increasing billet lengths (BL) from 3.00 mm to 4.00 mm. The lower bearing length (LB) values offered lower consumed energy. The consumed extrusion energy linearly increased with COF. The die shift (DS) did not affect the extrusion energy, but the final part geometry (curved pins). The results and analysis from this study could be used to potential energy savings and overall production costs of the microextrusion process.

Low-Temperature Solution-Processed Amorphous Titania Nanowire Thin Films for 1 cm2 Perovskite Solar Cells.

The development of solution-processed inorganic amorphous electron-transporting layers (ETLs) is important for the future commercialization of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The formation of such ETLs using low-temperature processing techniques will lower potential production costs and accommodate diverse substrate materials. Herein, a low-temperature (<150 °C) solution process forms amorphous titania nanowire (Am-TNW) thin films on fluorine-doped tin oxide conducting glass substrates. When applied as an ETL in PSCs, the Am-TNW layer achieves a higher average power conversion efficiency (18.3%) relative to that of a nanocrystalline anatase TNW (ATNW) layer obtained after high-temperature (500 °C) heating (16.7%). Compared to the ATNW counterparts, the Am-TNW-based PSCs exhibit inferior charge extraction across the TNW/CH3NH3PbI3 interface but more effectively suppress interfacial charge recombination. The insertion of a fullerene layer between the Am-TNW and CH3NH3PbI3 improves the charge extraction. The Am-TNW-based bilayer ETL gave optimal power conversion efficiencies of 20.3% and 19.0% for PSCs with 0.16 cm2 and 1.00 cm2 apertures, respectively. This is due to the concurrent advantages of enhanced light absorption, facilitated charge extraction, and reduced charge recombination. The use of the Am-TNW as an ETL in PSCs provides a facile, efficient way to increase the effectiveness of PSCs.

Towards the integration of additively manufactured photopolymer dies in the polymer profile extrusion process chain

In the context of Industry 4.0, the integration of digital technologies in manufacturing process chains is in progress in several industrial sectors. In this study, additive manufactured polymer extrusion dies were fabricated by continuous liquid interface production and tested in an extrusion production line. The possibility to integrate direct soft tooling manufacturing along with a digital twin environment in the process chain was conceived with great potential time and production cost reductions compared to the conventional process. The dies successfully withstood the demanding process conditions, yielding up to 1000 m of products with process conditions comparable to the conventional process.

Superabsorbent food packaging bioactive cellulose-based aerogels from Arundo donax waste biomass

A.donax waste biomass has been valorized for the extraction of cellulosic fractions with different purification degrees, as well as aqueous bioactive extracts, which were then combined to develop superabsorbent bioactive aerogels. All the developed aerogels presented excellent water and oil sorption capacities; however, the presence of hemicelluloses yielded more porous and hydrophilic aerogels, capable of absorbing more water. With regards to the aqueous extracts, the hot water treatment (HW) of A. donax stems promoted the extraction of polysaccharides and polyphenols, producing the extract (S-HW) with the highest antioxidant capacity. This extract was then incorporated into the aerogels produced from the less purified stem fractions (F2A and F3A), which were chosen due to their good water sorption capacity, higher antioxidant potential and lower production costs and environmental impact. The hybrid aerogels showed a great potential to be used as bioactive pads for food packaging. In particular, the F2A + S-HW aerogel would be the most optimum choice since it provides a complete release of the extract in hydrophilic media, as demonstrated by in-vitro release and β-carotene bleaching inhibition studies, and it is able to reduce the colour loss and lipid oxidation in red meat upon refrigerated storage to a greater extent.

Fully textured monolithic perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells with 25.2% power conversion efficiency.

Tandem devices combining perovskite and silicon solar cells are promising candidates to achieve power conversion efficiencies above 30% at reasonable costs. State-of-the-art monolithic two-terminal perovskite/silicon tandem devices have so far featured silicon bottom cells that are polished on their front side to be compatible with the perovskite fabrication process. This concession leads to higher potential production costs, higher reflection losses and non-ideal light trapping. To tackle this issue, we developed a top cell deposition process that achieves the conformal growth of multiple compounds with controlled optoelectronic properties directly on the micrometre-sized pyramids of textured monocrystalline silicon. Tandem devices featuring a silicon heterojunction cell and a nanocrystalline silicon recombination junction demonstrate a certified steady-state efficiency of 25.2%. Our optical design yields a current density of 19.5 mA cm-2 thanks to the silicon pyramidal texture and suggests a path for the realization of 30% monolithic perovskite/silicon tandem devices.

Adapting the French nuclear fleet to integrate variable renewable energies via the production of hydrogen: Towards massive production of low carbon hydrogen?

Producing low-carbon hydrogen at a competitive rate is becoming a new challenge with respect to efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We examine this issue in the French context, which is characterised by a high nuclear share and the target to increase variable renewables by 2050. The goal is to evaluate the extent to which excess nuclear power could contribute to producing low-carbon hydrogen.Our approach involves designing scenarios for nuclear and renewables, modelling and evaluating the potential nuclear hydrogen production volumes and costs, examining the latter through the scope of hydrogen market attractiveness and evaluating the potential of CO2 mitigation.This article shows that as renewable shares increase, along with the hydrogen market expected growth driven by mobility uses, opportunities are created for the nuclear operator. If nuclear capacities are maintained, nuclear hydrogen production could correspond to the demand by 2030. If not, possibilities could still exist by 2050.

Synthesis of Biomass-Derived Mesoporous Carbon with Super Adsorption Performance by an Aqueous Cooperative Assemble Route

Exploring the suitable precursors that interact with the surfactant via hydrogen bonding is an important task for the green synthesis of mesoporous carbons (MCs). Boron-doped mesoporous carbon and its derived super adsorbent are synthesized by a reproducible and low-cost hydrothermal method. β-Cyclodextrins and boric acid were employed as the environmentally friendly carbon precursor and dopant, respectively, which give the mesoporous carbon a certain doping amount and super capture ability. This method not only permits the biomass-derived compounds to participate the self-assembly process but also reduces the potential industrial-scale production cost and avoids the employment of hazardous substances. Textural properties, mesostructured morphology, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic and surface functional groups of products are characterized to describe synthetic mechanism. The obtained B-doped MCs show a developed mesostructure, a finite boron doping (around 2 wt %) and a high specific surface area (∼648...

093 Production specific marketing programs: what do they mean for nutritionists and how do we adapt?

With increasing consumer interest in the origins and production history of meat and the emergence of the “foodie” movement, packers and retailers have begun to implement numerous marketing programs that tout perceived benefits of specific production practices, animal health programs, nutritional strategies, and ingredient exclusions that limit products that are commonly used in conventional pork production. Some of the programs that have been proposed include antibiotic free, organic, non-mammalian, and vegan feeding regimens. These programs are often nebulous in nature, lacking regulatory definitions, and can be subject to changing consumer sentiment. It is imperative for producers to seek clarification of program requirements and evaluate and weigh potential production losses and cost increases against the value generated via niche marketing. Additionally, the value of these programs are often only captured on the higher value cuts of meat while the increased cost is associated with all cuts including offal. To minimize production losses and cost increases begins with an adequate biosecurity and vaccination plan to prevent disease exposure along with the use of nontraditional ingredients to maintain intestinal integrity and positive microbial balance during the critical high stress post-weaning period. Some of these ingredients include prebiotics, probiotics, acidifiers, botanicals, yeast products, enzymes, fermented, isolated, or enzymatically treated soy products, and purified vegetable proteins. With conventional diet matrices and production practices, many of these products game inconsistent and variable responses. However, as we eliminate many of the ingredients that have allowed us to wean younger pigs, the utility of these products may become more necessary. It will also become necessary to understand the situations where these products work and also where they do not work.

A Review on Butanol and Ethanol Fuels in Internal Combustion Engines

A controversial argument about alternative fuels is taking lots of researchers and scientists attention and so far ethanol and butanol, regardless their blending percentage, are the most promising alcohols due to their potential properties and low production cost. Many studies have been conducted to justify the optimum fuel to be implemented. In this work, a review will be conducted on both butanol and ethanol in internal combustion engine as well as their contribution in combustion engine regarding combustion performance, pollutant emission, ignition timing and knocking. According to the previous literature, an attractive advantage for alcohol-gasoline blends is that they don’t require engine modification design and still reduce the pollutant emission effectively. The properties of these fuels seem to prove not only that we can run our engines with a reduction of pollutant gases but with the emission of greenhouse gasses. This work will provide a review on ethanol and butanol as an alternative fuels and their properties and behaviour in the engine will be described individually.

Effect of Ceramic Content on the Compression Properties of TiB2-Ti2AlC/TiAl Composites

In situ synthesized TiB2-reinforced TiAl composites usually possess high strength. However, it is very expensive to use B powder to synthesize TiB2 particles. Moreover, the strength enhancement of TiB2/TiAl composite is generally at the cost of plasticity. In this study, in situ dual reinforcement TiB2-Ti2AlC/TiAl composites were fabricated by using B4C powder as the B and C source, which greatly reduces the potential production cost. The 6 vol. % TiB2-Ti2AlC/TiAl composite fabricated by using the Ti-Al-B4C system shows greatly improved compressive properties, i.e., 316 MPa and 234 MPa higher than those of TiAl alloy and with no sacrifice in plasticity.

‘Up-scaling’ potential for polyelectrolyte multilayer membranes

The layer-by-layer method is an attractive technique for preparing ultrathin nanostructured polyelectrolyte multilayer membranes (PEMMs) with tailored composition and tunable properties. This paper investigates the optimization of the membrane preparation to render it more feasible from a practical view point. PEMMs were prepared with minimal number of bilayers and rinsing steps for two polyion combinations: poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) with poly (vinylsulfonic acid sodium salt) and the same cation with poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate). Three bilayers proved optimal for SRNF applications. The commonly applied rinsing process turned out to be non-essential. In addition, two minutes dipping time per deposition step already proved sufficient for defect-free SRNF membrane preparation. Thus, the build-up protocol for PEMMs was overall reduced to a 6-step coating procedure taking 12min without compromising the SRNF properties, in contrast to the previously reported 20–80 steps which required upto 7h. Therefore, the ‘up-scaling’ potential of this type of membrane is significantly increased and potential production costs reduced.

Performance and carcass characteristics of commercial feedlot cattle from a study of vaccine and direct-fed microbial effects on Escherichia col O157:H7 fecal shedding.

The objective of this study was to quantify cattle performance and carcass characteristics associated with administration of a siderophore receptor and porin proteins-based vaccine (VAC) and a direct-fed microbial (DFM), which were originally evaluated for their impact on O157:H7 fecal shedding in a commercial feedlot population. Cattle (P = 17,148) were randomly allocated into 40 pens grouped by allocation dates into 10 complete blocks; pens within block were randomly allocated to control, VAC, DFM, or VAC + DFM treatment groups in a 2 × 2 factorial design. The DFM (Bovamine) was fed daily at the labeled dose of 10 cfu/animal of Lactobacillus acidophilus for the duration of the intervention period (mean = 86.6 d). The VAC cattle were vaccinated on Days 0 and 21 whereas unvaccinated cattle were not given a placebo or rehandled on Day 21. Data were analyzed using general and generalized linear mixed models that accounted for the study design. Main effects of DFM and VAC are reported as there were no significant treatment interactions for any of the outcomes evaluated. Vaccinated cattle had lower total weight gain (P < 0.01), ADG (P = 0.03), and cumulative DMI during the intervention period (P < 0.01) compared with unvaccinated cattle, whereas the DFM increased total weight gain (P = 0.03) and G:F (P = 0.05) during the intervention period. Daily DMI was decreased (P < 0.01) in vaccinated pens compared with unvaccinated pens during a 5-d period immediately following revaccination. After the intervention period was completed, cattle were sorted following the standard operating procedure for the feedlot and all cattle were fed the DFM from that point until harvest. Each steer was individually identified through harvest. At harvest, vaccinated cattle had more total days on feed (P < 0.01) with a larger HCW (P = 0.01) than nonvaccinated cattle, whereas cattle not fed the DFM during the intervention period had a significantly larger HCW (P < 0.01) than those fed the DFM during the intervention period. We conclude that the use of these DFM and vaccine products have differential and independent effects on cattle performance and carcass characteristics in a commercial feedlot setting. Although the magnitude of these effects may vary among production systems, a more comprehensive understanding of the potential production costs of preharvest food safety pathogen control programs is essential if such programs are to be fully adopted in the industry.