Full-scale testing, production and cost analysis data for the advanced composite stabilizer for Boeing 737 aircraft. Volume 1: Technical summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aniversario, R. B.; Harvey, S. T.; Mccarty, J. E.; Parsons, J. T.; Peterson, D. C.; Pritchett, L. D.; Wilson, D. R.; Wogulis, E. R.

1983-01-01

The full scale ground test, ground vibration test, and flight tests conducted to demonstrate a composite structure stabilizer for the Boeing 737 aircraft and obtain FAA certification are described. Detail tools, assembly tools, and overall production are discussed. Cost analyses aspects covered include production costs, composite material usage factors, and cost comparisons.

Approaches to the Analysis of School Costs, an Introduction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Payzant, Thomas

A review and general discussion of quantitative and qualitative techniques for the analysis of economic problems outside of education is presented to help educators discover new tools for planning, allocating, and evaluating educational resources. The pamphlet covers some major components of cost accounting, cost effectiveness, cost-benefit…

Discovery and New Frontiers Project Budget Analysis Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newhouse, Marilyn E.

2011-01-01

The Discovery and New Frontiers (D&NF) programs are multi-project, uncoupled programs that currently comprise 13 missions in phases A through F. The ability to fly frequent science missions to explore the solar system is the primary measure of program success. The program office uses a Budget Analysis Tool to perform "what-if" analyses and compare mission scenarios to the current program budget, and rapidly forecast the programs ability to meet their launch rate requirements. The tool allows the user to specify the total mission cost (fixed year), mission development and operations profile by phase (percent total mission cost and duration), launch vehicle, and launch date for multiple missions. The tool automatically applies inflation and rolls up the total program costs (in real year dollars) for comparison against available program budget. Thus, the tool allows the user to rapidly and easily explore a variety of launch rates and analyze the effect of changes in future mission or launch vehicle costs, the differing development profiles or operational durations of a future mission, or a replan of a current mission on the overall program budget. Because the tool also reports average monthly costs for the specified mission profile, the development or operations cost profile can easily be validate against program experience for similar missions. While specifically designed for predicting overall program budgets for programs that develop and operate multiple missions concurrently, the basic concept of the tool (rolling up multiple, independently-budget lines) could easily be adapted to other applications.

Introduction of the TEAM-HF Costing Tool: A User-Friendly Spreadsheet Program to Estimate Costs of Providing Patient-Centered Interventions

PubMed Central

Reed, Shelby D.; Li, Yanhong; Kamble, Shital; Polsky, Daniel; Graham, Felicia L.; Bowers, Margaret T.; Samsa, Gregory P.; Paul, Sara; Schulman, Kevin A.; Whellan, David J.; Riegel, Barbara J.

2011-01-01

Background Patient-centered health care interventions, such as heart failure disease management programs, are under increasing pressure to demonstrate good value. Variability in costing methods and assumptions in economic evaluations of such interventions limit the comparability of cost estimates across studies. Valid cost estimation is critical to conducting economic evaluations and for program budgeting and reimbursement negotiations. Methods and Results Using sound economic principles, we developed the Tools for Economic Analysis of Patient Management Interventions in Heart Failure (TEAM-HF) Costing Tool, a spreadsheet program that can be used by researchers or health care managers to systematically generate cost estimates for economic evaluations and to inform budgetary decisions. The tool guides users on data collection and cost assignment for associated personnel, facilities, equipment, supplies, patient incentives, miscellaneous items, and start-up activities. The tool generates estimates of total program costs, cost per patient, and cost per week and presents results using both standardized and customized unit costs for side-by-side comparisons. Results from pilot testing indicated that the tool was well-formatted, easy to use, and followed a logical order. Cost estimates of a 12-week exercise training program in patients with heart failure were generated with the costing tool and were found to be consistent with estimates published in a recent study. Conclusions The TEAM-HF Costing Tool could prove to be a valuable resource for researchers and health care managers to generate comprehensive cost estimates of patient-centered interventions in heart failure or other conditions for conducting high-quality economic evaluations and making well-informed health care management decisions. PMID:22147884

Financing Alternatives Comparison Tool

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

FACT is a financial analysis tool that helps identify the most cost-effective method to fund a wastewater or drinking water management project. It produces a comprehensive analysis that compares various financing options.

An Introduction to Benefit-Cost Analysis for Evaluating Public Expenditure Alternatives. Learning Packages in the Policy Sciences, PS-22.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaPlante, Josephine M.; Durham, Taylor R.

A revised edition of PS-14, "An Introduction to Benefit-Cost Analysis for Evaluating Public Programs," presents concepts and techniques of benefit-cost analysis as tools that can be used to assist in deciding between alternatives. The goals of the new edition include teaching students to think about the possible benefits and costs of each…

Department of the Army Cost Analysis Manual

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-05-01

SECTION I - AUTOMATED COST ESTIMATING INTEGRATED TOOLS ( ACEIT ) ................................................................179 SECTION II - AUTOMATED...Management & Comptroller) endorsed the Automated Cost Estimating Integrated Tools ( ACEIT ) model and since it is widely used to prepare POEs, CCAs and...CRB IPT (in ACEIT ) will be the basis for information contained in the CAB. Any remaining unresolved issues from the IPT process will be raised at the

User Guide for the Financing Alternatives Comparison Tool

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

FACT is a financial analysis tool that helps identify the most cost-effective method to fund a wastewater or drinking water management project. It creates a comprehensive analysis that compares various financing options.

A Cost-Effectiveness/Benefit Analysis Model for Postsecondary Vocational Programs. Technical Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Jin Eun

A cost-effectiveness/benefit analysis is defined as a technique for measuring the outputs of existing and new programs in relation to their specified program objectives, against the costs of those programs. In terms of its specific use, the technique is conceptualized as a systems analysis method, an evaluation method, and a planning tool for…

Buffer$--An Economic Analysis Tool

Treesearch

Gary Bentrup

2007-01-01

Buffer$ is an economic spreadsheet tool for analyzing the cost-benefits of conservation buffers by resource professionals. Conservation buffers are linear strips of vegetation managed for multiple landowner and societal objectives. The Microsoft Excel based spreadsheet can calculate potential income derived from a buffer, including income from cost-share/incentive...

Efforts to Support Consumer Enrollment Decisions Using Total Cost Estimators: Lessons from the Affordable Care Act’s Marketplaces.

PubMed

Giovannelli, Justin; Curran, Emily

2017-02-01

Issue: Policymakers have sought to improve the shopping experience on the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces by offering decision support tools that help consumers better understand and compare their health plan options. Cost estimators are one such tool. They are designed to provide consumers a personalized estimate of the total cost--premium, minus subsidy, plus cost-sharing--of their coverage options. Cost estimators were available in most states by the start of the fourth open enrollment period. Goal: To understand the experiences of marketplaces that offer a total cost estimator and the interests and concerns of policymakers from states that are not using them. Methods: Structured interviews with marketplace officials, consumer enrollment assisters, technology vendors, and subject matter experts; analysis of the total cost estimators available on the marketplaces as of October 2016. Key findings and conclusions: Informants strongly supported marketplace adoption of a total cost estimator. Marketplaces that offer an estimator faced a range of design choices and varied significantly in their approaches to resolving them. Interviews suggested a clear need for additional consumer testing and data analysis of tool usage and for sustained outreach to enrollment assisters to encourage greater use of the estimators.

NREL Suite of Tools for PV and Storage Analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Elgqvist, Emma M; Salasovich, James A

Many different factors such as the solar resource, technology costs and incentives, utility cost and consumption, space available, and financial parameters impact the technical and economic potential of a PV project. NREL has developed techno-economic modeling tools that can be used to evaluate PV projects at a site.

A tool for the economic analysis of mass prophylaxis operations with an application to H1N1 influenza vaccination clinics.

PubMed

Cho, Bo-Hyun; Hicks, Katherine A; Honeycutt, Amanda A; Hupert, Nathaniel; Khavjou, Olga; Messonnier, Mark; Washington, Michael L

2011-01-01

This article uses the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccination program experience to introduce a cost analysis approach that may be relevant for planning mass prophylaxis operations, such as vaccination clinics at public health centers, work sites, schools, or pharmacy-based clinics. These costs are important for planning mass influenza vaccination activities and are relevant for all public health emergency preparedness scenarios requiring countermeasure dispensing. We demonstrate how costs vary depending on accounting perspective, staffing composition, and other factors. We also describe a mass vaccination clinic budgeting tool that clinic managers may use to estimate clinic costs and to examine how costs vary depending on the availability of volunteers or donated supplies and on the number of patients vaccinated per hour. Results from pilot tests with school-based H1N1 influenza vaccination clinic managers are described. The tool can also contribute to planning efforts for universal seasonal influenza vaccination.

Accidents at work and costs analysis: a field study in a large Italian company.

PubMed

Battaglia, Massimo; Frey, Marco; Passetti, Emilio

2014-01-01

Accidents at work are still a heavy burden in social and economic terms, and action to improve health and safety standards at work offers great potential gains not only to employers, but also to individuals and society as a whole. However, companies often are not interested to measure the costs of accidents even if cost information may facilitate preventive occupational health and safety management initiatives. The field study, carried out in a large Italian company, illustrates technical and organisational aspects associated with the implementation of an accident costs analysis tool. The results indicate that the implementation (and the use) of the tool requires a considerable commitment by the company, that accident costs analysis should serve to reinforce the importance of health and safety prevention and that the economic dimension of accidents is substantial. The study also suggests practical ways to facilitate the implementation and the moral acceptance of the accounting technology.

Accidents at Work and Costs Analysis: A Field Study in a Large Italian Company

PubMed Central

BATTAGLIA, Massimo; FREY, Marco; PASSETTI, Emilio

2014-01-01

Accidents at work are still a heavy burden in social and economic terms, and action to improve health and safety standards at work offers great potential gains not only to employers, but also to individuals and society as a whole. However, companies often are not interested to measure the costs of accidents even if cost information may facilitate preventive occupational health and safety management initiatives. The field study, carried out in a large Italian company, illustrates technical and organisational aspects associated with the implementation of an accident costs analysis tool. The results indicate that the implementation (and the use) of the tool requires a considerable commitment by the company, that accident costs analysis should serve to reinforce the importance of health and safety prevention and that the economic dimension of accidents is substantial. The study also suggests practical ways to facilitate the implementation and the moral acceptance of the accounting technology. PMID:24869894

Maternal influenza immunization in Malawi: Piloting a maternal influenza immunization program costing tool by examining a prospective program

PubMed Central

Pecenka, Clint; Munthali, Spy; Chunga, Paul; Levin, Ann; Morgan, Win; Lambach, Philipp; Bhat, Niranjan; Neuzil, Kathleen M.; Ortiz, Justin R.

2017-01-01

Background This costing study in Malawi is a first evaluation of a Maternal Influenza Immunization Program Costing Tool (Costing Tool) for maternal immunization. The tool was designed to help low- and middle-income countries plan for maternal influenza immunization programs that differ from infant vaccination programs because of differences in the target population and potential differences in delivery strategy or venue. Methods This analysis examines the incremental costs of a prospective seasonal maternal influenza immunization program that is added to a successful routine childhood immunization and antenatal care program. The Costing Tool estimates financial and economic costs for different vaccine delivery scenarios for each of the major components of the expanded immunization program. Results In our base scenario, which specifies a donated single dose pre-filled vaccine formulation, the total financial cost of a program that would reach 2.3 million women is approximately $1.2 million over five years. The economic cost of the program, including the donated vaccine, is $10.4 million over the same period. The financial and economic costs per immunized pregnancy are $0.52 and $4.58, respectively. Other scenarios examine lower vaccine uptake, reaching 1.2 million women, and a vaccine purchased at $2.80 per dose with an alternative presentation. Conclusion This study estimates the financial and economic costs associated with a prospective maternal influenza immunization program in a low-income country. In some scenarios, the incremental delivery cost of a maternal influenza immunization program may be as low as some estimates of childhood vaccination programs, assuming the routine childhood immunization and antenatal care systems are capable of serving as the platform for an additional vaccination program. However, purchasing influenza vaccines at the prices assumed in this analysis, instead of having them donated, is likely to be challenging for lower-income countries. This result should be considered as a starting point to understanding the costs of maternal immunization programs in low- and middle-income countries. PMID:29281710

Maternal influenza immunization in Malawi: Piloting a maternal influenza immunization program costing tool by examining a prospective program.

PubMed

Pecenka, Clint; Munthali, Spy; Chunga, Paul; Levin, Ann; Morgan, Win; Lambach, Philipp; Bhat, Niranjan; Neuzil, Kathleen M; Ortiz, Justin R; Hutubessy, Raymond

2017-01-01

This costing study in Malawi is a first evaluation of a Maternal Influenza Immunization Program Costing Tool (Costing Tool) for maternal immunization. The tool was designed to help low- and middle-income countries plan for maternal influenza immunization programs that differ from infant vaccination programs because of differences in the target population and potential differences in delivery strategy or venue. This analysis examines the incremental costs of a prospective seasonal maternal influenza immunization program that is added to a successful routine childhood immunization and antenatal care program. The Costing Tool estimates financial and economic costs for different vaccine delivery scenarios for each of the major components of the expanded immunization program. In our base scenario, which specifies a donated single dose pre-filled vaccine formulation, the total financial cost of a program that would reach 2.3 million women is approximately $1.2 million over five years. The economic cost of the program, including the donated vaccine, is $10.4 million over the same period. The financial and economic costs per immunized pregnancy are $0.52 and $4.58, respectively. Other scenarios examine lower vaccine uptake, reaching 1.2 million women, and a vaccine purchased at $2.80 per dose with an alternative presentation. This study estimates the financial and economic costs associated with a prospective maternal influenza immunization program in a low-income country. In some scenarios, the incremental delivery cost of a maternal influenza immunization program may be as low as some estimates of childhood vaccination programs, assuming the routine childhood immunization and antenatal care systems are capable of serving as the platform for an additional vaccination program. However, purchasing influenza vaccines at the prices assumed in this analysis, instead of having them donated, is likely to be challenging for lower-income countries. This result should be considered as a starting point to understanding the costs of maternal immunization programs in low- and middle-income countries.

System capacity and economic modeling computer tool for satellite mobile communications systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wiedeman, Robert A.; Wen, Doong; Mccracken, Albert G.

1988-01-01

A unique computer modeling tool that combines an engineering tool with a financial analysis program is described. The resulting combination yields a flexible economic model that can predict the cost effectiveness of various mobile systems. Cost modeling is necessary in order to ascertain if a given system with a finite satellite resource is capable of supporting itself financially and to determine what services can be supported. Personal computer techniques using Lotus 123 are used for the model in order to provide as universal an application as possible such that the model can be used and modified to fit many situations and conditions. The output of the engineering portion of the model consists of a channel capacity analysis and link calculations for several qualities of service using up to 16 types of earth terminal configurations. The outputs of the financial model are a revenue analysis, an income statement, and a cost model validation section.

Break-even Analysis: A Practical Tool for Administrators of Continuing Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noel, James

1982-01-01

Explains how break-even analysis can help the continuing education administrator in planning by clarifying the relationship between costs, volume, and surplus revenues. Also explains the concepts of fixed, variable, and semivariable costs. (CT)

Budget impact analysis of trastuzumab in early breast cancer: a hospital district perspective.

PubMed

Purmonen, Timo T; Auvinen, Päivi K; Martikainen, Janne A

2010-04-01

Adjuvant trastuzumab is widely used in HER2-positive (HER2+) early breast cancer, and despite its cost-effectiveness, it causes substantial costs for health care. The purpose of the study was to develop a tool for estimating the budget impact of new cancer treatments. With this tool, we were able to estimate the budget impact of adjuvant trastuzumab, as well as the probability of staying within a given budget constraint. The created model-based evaluation tool was used to explore the budget impact of trastuzumab in early breast cancer in a single Finnish hospital district with 250,000 inhabitants. The used model took into account the number of patients, HER2+ prevalence, length and cost of treatment, and the effectiveness of the therapy. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis and alternative case scenarios were performed to ensure the robustness of the results. Introduction of adjuvant trastuzumab caused substantial costs for a relatively small hospital district. In base-case analysis the 4-year net budget impact was 1.3 million euro. The trastuzumab acquisition costs were partially offset by the reduction in costs associated with the treatment of cancer recurrence and metastatic disease. Budget impact analyses provide important information about the overall economic impact of new treatments, and thus offer complementary information to cost-effectiveness analyses. Inclusion of treatment outcomes and probabilistic sensitivity analysis provides more realistic estimates of the net budget impact. The length of trastuzumab treatment has a strong effect on the budget impact.

Organizational Economics: Notes on the Use of Transaction-Cost Theory in the Study of Organizations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robins, James A.

1987-01-01

Reviews transaction-cost approaches to organizational analysis, examines their use in microeconomic theory, and identifies some important flaws in the study. Advocates transaction-cost theory as a powerful tool for organizational and strategic analysis when set within the famework of more general organizational theory. Includes 61 references. (MLH)

Economics of infection control surveillance technology: cost-effective or just cost?

PubMed

Furuno, Jon P; Schweizer, Marin L; McGregor, Jessina C; Perencevich, Eli N

2008-04-01

Previous studies have suggested that informatics tools, such as automated alert and decision support systems, may increase the efficiency and quality of infection control surveillance. However, little is known about the cost-effectiveness of these tools. We focus on 2 types of economic analyses that have utility in assessing infection control interventions (cost-effectiveness analysis and business-case analysis) and review the available literature on the economics of computerized infection control surveillance systems. Previous studies on the effectiveness of computerized infection control surveillance have been limited to assessments of whether these tools increase the sensitivity and specificity of surveillance over traditional methods. Furthermore, we identified only 2 studies that assessed the costs associated with computerized infection control surveillance. Thus, it remains unknown whether computerized infection control surveillance systems are cost-effective and whether use of these systems improves patient outcomes. The existing data are insufficient to allow for a summary conclusion on the cost-effectiveness of infection control surveillance technology. All future studies of computerized infection control surveillance systems should aim to collect outcomes and economic data to inform decision making and assist hospitals with completing business-cases analyses.

A framework for a cost benefit analysis of the Fairfax County, Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Project.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1973-01-01

Cost-benefit analysis is sometimes a useful tool for evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of alternative courses of action. The first half of this study was an attempt to further the use of such analysis in the evaluation of a highway safety p...

Societal costs in displaced transverse olecranon fractures: using decision analysis tools to find the most cost-effective strategy between tension band wiring and locked plating.

PubMed

Francis, Tittu; Washington, Travis; Srivastava, Karan; Moutzouros, Vasilios; Makhni, Eric C; Hakeos, William

2017-11-01

Tension band wiring (TBW) and locked plating are common treatment options for Mayo IIA olecranon fractures. Clinical trials have shown excellent functional outcomes with both techniques. Although TBW implants are significantly less expensive than a locked olecranon plate, TBW often requires an additional operation for implant removal. To choose the most cost-effective treatment strategy, surgeons must understand how implant costs and return to the operating room influence the most cost-effective strategy. This cost-effective analysis study explored the optimal treatment strategies by using decision analysis tools. An expected-value decision tree was constructed to estimate costs based on the 2 implant choices. Values for critical variables, such as implant removal rate, were obtained from the literature. A Monte Carlo simulation consisting of 100,000 trials was used to incorporate variability in medical costs and implant removal rates. Sensitivity analysis and strategy tables were used to show how different variables influence the most cost-effective strategy. TBW was the most cost-effective strategy, with a cost savings of approximately $1300. TBW was also the dominant strategy by being the most cost-effective solution in 63% of the Monte Carlo trials. Sensitivity analysis identified implant costs for plate fixation and surgical costs for implant removal as the most sensitive parameters influencing the cost-effective strategy. Strategy tables showed the most cost-effective solution as 2 parameters vary simultaneously. TBW is the most cost-effective strategy in treating Mayo IIA olecranon fractures despite a higher rate of return to the operating room. Copyright © 2017 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A managerial accounting analysis of hospital costs.

PubMed Central

Frank, W G

1976-01-01

Variance analysis, an accounting technique, is applied to an eight-component model of hospital costs to determine the contribution each component makes to cost increases. The method is illustrated by application to data on total costs from 1950 to 1973 for all U.S. nongovernmental not-for-profit short-term general hospitals. The costs of a single hospital are analyzed and compared to the group costs. The potential uses and limitations of the method as a planning and research tool are discussed. PMID:965233

A managerial accounting analysis of hospital costs.

PubMed

Frank, W G

1976-01-01

Variance analysis, an accounting technique, is applied to an eight-component model of hospital costs to determine the contribution each component makes to cost increases. The method is illustrated by application to data on total costs from 1950 to 1973 for all U.S. nongovernmental not-for-profit short-term general hospitals. The costs of a single hospital are analyzed and compared to the group costs. The potential uses and limitations of the method as a planning and research tool are discussed.

Computer program to assess impact of fatigue and fracture criteria on weight and cost of transport aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tanner, C. J.; Kruse, G. S.; Oman, B. H.

1975-01-01

A preliminary design analysis tool for rapidly performing trade-off studies involving fatigue, fracture, static strength, weight, and cost is presented. Analysis subprograms were developed for fatigue life, crack growth life, and residual strength; and linked to a structural synthesis module which in turn was integrated into a computer program. The part definition module of a cost and weight analysis program was expanded to be compatible with the upgraded structural synthesis capability. The resultant vehicle design and evaluation program is named VDEP-2. It is an accurate and useful tool for estimating purposes at the preliminary design stage of airframe development. A sample case along with an explanation of program applications and input preparation is presented.

An Application of Break-Even Analysis To Determine the Costs Associated with the Implementation of an Off-Campus Bachelor Degree Completion Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Satterlee, Brian

This paper applies the management science tool of break-even analysis to determine the costs of implementing an off-campus bachelor degree completion program at a four-year private liberal arts college. The first section describes break-even analysis which, in this application, is calculated by dividing the total annual cost for a cohort of…

Energy-Systems Economic Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Doane, J.; Slonski, M. L.; Borden, C. S.

1982-01-01

Energy Systems Economic Analysis (ESEA) program is flexible analytical tool for rank ordering of alternative energy systems. Basic ESEA approach derives an estimate of those costs incurred as result of purchasing, installing and operating an energy system. These costs, suitably aggregated into yearly costs over lifetime of system, are divided by expected yearly energy output to determine busbar energy costs. ESEA, developed in 1979, is written in FORTRAN IV for batch execution.

Validation of the OpCost logging cost model using contractor surveys

Treesearch

Conor K. Bell; Robert F. Keefe; Jeremy S. Fried

2017-01-01

OpCost is a harvest and fuel treatment operations cost model developed to function as both a standalone tool and an integrated component of the Bioregional Inventory Originated Simulation Under Management (BioSum) analytical framework for landscape-level analysis of forest management alternatives. OpCost is an updated implementation of the Fuel Reduction Cost Simulator...

Energetically optimal travel across terrain: visualizations and a new metric of geographic distance with anthropological applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wood, Brian M.; Wood, Zoë J.

2006-01-01

We present a visualization and computation tool for modeling the caloric cost of pedestrian travel across three dimensional terrains. This tool is being used in ongoing archaeological research that analyzes how costs of locomotion affect the spatial distribution of trails and artifacts across archaeological landscapes. Throughout human history, traveling by foot has been the most common form of transportation, and therefore analyses of pedestrian travel costs are important for understanding prehistoric patterns of resource acquisition, migration, trade, and political interaction. Traditionally, archaeologists have measured geographic proximity based on "as the crow flies" distance. We propose new methods for terrain visualization and analysis based on measuring paths of least caloric expense, calculated using well established metabolic equations. Our approach provides a human centered metric of geographic closeness, and overcomes significant limitations of available Geographic Information System (GIS) software. We demonstrate such path computations and visualizations applied to archaeological research questions. Our system includes tools to visualize: energetic cost surfaces, comparisons of the elevation profiles of shortest paths versus least cost paths, and the display of paths of least caloric effort on Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). These analysis tools can be applied to calculate and visualize 1) likely locations of prehistoric trails and 2) expected ratios of raw material types to be recovered at archaeological sites.

Audio signal analysis for tool wear monitoring in sheet metal stamping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ubhayaratne, Indivarie; Pereira, Michael P.; Xiang, Yong; Rolfe, Bernard F.

2017-02-01

Stamping tool wear can significantly degrade product quality, and hence, online tool condition monitoring is a timely need in many manufacturing industries. Even though a large amount of research has been conducted employing different sensor signals, there is still an unmet demand for a low-cost easy to set up condition monitoring system. Audio signal analysis is a simple method that has the potential to meet this demand, but has not been previously used for stamping process monitoring. Hence, this paper studies the existence and the significance of the correlation between emitted sound signals and the wear state of sheet metal stamping tools. The corrupting sources generated by the tooling of the stamping press and surrounding machinery have higher amplitudes compared to that of the sound emitted by the stamping operation itself. Therefore, a newly developed semi-blind signal extraction technique was employed as a pre-processing technique to mitigate the contribution of these corrupting sources. The spectral analysis results of the raw and extracted signals demonstrate a significant qualitative relationship between wear progression and the emitted sound signature. This study lays the basis for employing low-cost audio signal analysis in the development of a real-time industrial tool condition monitoring system.

FIA BioSum: a tool to evaluate financial costs, opportunities and effectiveness of fuel treatments.

Treesearch

Jeremy Fried; Glenn Christensen

2004-01-01

FIA BioSum, a tool developed by the USDA Forest Services Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program, generates reliable cost estimates, identifies opportunities and evaluates the effectiveness of fuel treatments in forested landscapes. BioSum is an analytic framework that integrates a suite of widely used computer models with a foundation of attribute-rich,...

Consequent use of IT tools as a driver for cost reduction and quality improvements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hein, Stefan; Rapp, Roberto; Feustel, Andreas

2013-10-01

The semiconductor industry drives a lot of efforts in the field of cost reductions and quality improvements. The consequent use of IT tools is one possibility to support these goals. With the extensions of its 150mm Fab to 200mm Robert Bosch increased the systematic use of data analysis and Advanced Process Control (APC).

The EPSA Project Finance Mapping Tool

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hadley, Stanton W.; Chinthavali, Supriya

The Energy Policy and Systems Analysis Office of DOE has requested a tool to compare the impact of various Federal policies on the financial viability of generation resources across the country. Policy options could include production tax credits, investment tax credits, solar renewable energy credits, tax abatement, accelerated depreciation, tax-free loans, and others. The tool would model the finances of projects in all fifty states, and possibly other geographic units like utility service territories and RTO/ISO territories. The tool would consider the facility s cost, financing, production, and revenues under different capital and market structures to determine things like levelizedmore » cost of energy, return on equity, and cost impacts on others (e.g., load-serving entities, society.) The tool would compare the cost and value of the facility to the local regional alternatives to determine how and where policy levers may provide sufficient incremental value to motivate investment. The results will be displayed through a purpose-built visualization that maps geographic variations and shows associated figures and tables.« less

Reducing maintenance costs in agreement with CNC machine tools reliability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ungureanu, A. L.; Stan, G.; Butunoi, P. A.

2016-08-01

Aligning maintenance strategy with reliability is a challenge due to the need to find an optimal balance between them. Because the various methods described in the relevant literature involve laborious calculations or use of software that can be costly, this paper proposes a method that is easier to implement on CNC machine tools. The new method, called the Consequence of Failure Analysis (CFA) is based on technical and economic optimization, aimed at obtaining a level of required performance with minimum investment and maintenance costs.

LED street lighting evaluation -- phase II : LED specification and life-cycle cost analysis.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-01-01

Phase II of this study focused on developing a draft specification for LED luminaires to be used by IDOT : and a life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) tool for solid state lighting technologies. The team also researched the : latest developments related to...

Cost analysis of in vitro fertilization.

PubMed

Stern, Z; Laufer, N; Levy, R; Ben-Shushan, D; Mor-Yosef, S

1995-08-01

In vitro fertilization (IVF) has become a routine tool in the arsenal of infertility treatments. Assisted reproductive techniques are expensive, as reflected by the current "take home baby" rate of about 15% per cycle, implying the need for repeated attempts until success is achieved. Israel, today is facing a major change in its health care system, including the necessity to define a national package of health care benefits. The issue of infertility and whether its treatment should be part of the "health basket" is in dispute. Therefore an exact cost analysis of IVF is important. Since the cost of an IVF cycle varies dramatically between countries, we sought an exact breakdown of the different components of the costs involved in an IVF cycle and in achieving an IVF child in Israel. The key question is not how much we spend on IVF cycles but what is the cost of a successful outcome, i.e., a healthy child. This study intends to answer this question, and to give the policy makers, at various levels of the health care system, a crucial tool for their decision-making process. The cost analysis includes direct and indirect costs. The direct costs are divided into fixed costs (labor, equipment, maintenance, depreciation, and overhead) and variable costs (laboratory tests, chemicals, disposable supplies, medications, and loss of working days by the couples). The indirect costs are the costs of premature IVF babies, hospitalization of the IVF pregnant women in a high risk unit, and the cost of complications of the procedure. According to our economic analysis, an IVF cycle in Israel costs $2,560, of which fixed costs are about 50%. The cost of a "take home baby" is $19,267, including direct and indirect costs.

Economic impact of a nationwide interoperable e-Health system using the PENG evaluation tool.

PubMed

Parv, L; Saluse, J; Aaviksoo, A; Tiik, M; Sepper, R; Ross, P

2012-01-01

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the costs and benefits of the Estonian interoperable health information exchange system. In addition, a framework will be built for follow-up monitoring and analysis of a nationwide HIE system. PENG evaluation tool was used to map and quantify the costs and benefits arising from type II diabetic patient management for patients, providers and the society. The analysis concludes with a quantification based on real costs and potential benefits identified by a panel of experts. Setting up a countrywide interoperable eHealth system incurs a large initial investment. However, if the system is working seamlessly, benefits will surpass costs within three years. The results show that while the society stands to benefit the most, the costs will be mainly borne by the healthcare providers. Therefore, new government policies should be devised to encourage providers to invest to ensure society wide benefits.

Development of a web-based application and multicountry analysis framework for assessing interdicted infections and cost-utility of screening donated blood for HIV, HCV and HBV.

PubMed

Custer, B; Janssen, M P; Hubben, G; Vermeulen, M; van Hulst, M

2017-08-01

Most countries test donations for HIV, HCV and HBV using serology with or without nucleic acid testing (NAT). Cost-utility analyses provide information on the relative value of different screening options. The aim of this project was to develop an open access risk assessment and cost-utility analysis web-tool for assessing HIV, HCV and HBV screening options (http://www.isbtweb.org/working-parties/transfusion-transmitted-infectious-diseases/). An analysis for six countries (Brazil, Ghana, the Netherlands, South Africa, Thailand and USA) was conducted. Four strategies; (1) antibody assays (Abs) for HIV and HCV + HBsAg, (2) antibody assays that include antigens for HIV and HCV (Combo) + HBsAg, (3) NAT in minipools of variable size (MP NAT) and (4) individual donation (ID) NAT can be evaluated using the tool. Country-specific data on donors, donation testing results, recipient outcomes and costs are entered using the online interface. Results obtained include the number infections interdicted using each screening options, and the (incremental and average) cost-utility of the options. In each of the six countries evaluated, the use of antibody assays is cost effective or even cost saving. NAT has varying cost-utility depending on the setting, and where adopted, the incremental cost-utility exceeds any previously defined or proposed threshold in each country. The web-tool allows an assessment of infectious units interdicted and value for money of different testing strategies. Regardless of gross national income (GNI) per capita, countries appear willing to dedicate healthcare resources to blood supply safety in excess of that for other sectors of health care. © 2017 International Society of Blood Transfusion.

Rural Health Information Hub

MedlinePlus

... Impact Analysis Tool Rural Health IT Curriculum Resources Sustainability Planning Tools Testing New Approaches RHIhub Publications & Updates ... Urban Adults Source: CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Diabetes and Forgone Medical Care Due to Cost ...

Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)

MedlinePlus

... Toolkits Economic Impact Analysis Tool Community Health Gateway Sustainability Planning Tools Testing New Approaches Rural Health IT ... of the certification process is the RHC Cost Report. Once a clinic has received its Medicare Provider ...

Space system operations and support cost analysis using Markov chains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Unal, Resit; Dean, Edwin B.; Moore, Arlene A.; Fairbairn, Robert E.

1990-01-01

This paper evaluates the use of Markov chain process in probabilistic life cycle cost analysis and suggests further uses of the process as a design aid tool. A methodology is developed for estimating operations and support cost and expected life for reusable space transportation systems. Application of the methodology is demonstrated for the case of a hypothetical space transportation vehicle. A sensitivity analysis is carried out to explore the effects of uncertainty in key model inputs.

Assessment and Educational Policy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Virginia B.

1975-01-01

Because of increased access of postsecondary education in the 1950's and 1960's, higher education cost analysis gained importance. Attempts have been made to develop a standard unit cost, but it is hard to see unit cost accounting by itself as a valuable tool for public accountability or policy making. For these purposes a cost-effectiveness ratio…

Cost/Schedule Control Systems Criteria: A Reference Guide to C/SCSC information

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-09-01

Smith, Larry A. "Mainframe ARTEMIS: More than a Project Management Tool -- Earned Value Analysis ( PEVA )," Project Management Journal, 19:23-28 (April 1988...A. "Mainframe ARTEMIS: More than a Project Management Tool - Earned Value Analysis ( PEVA )," Project Management Journal, 19:23-28 (April 1988). 14...than a Project Management Tool -- Earned Value Analysis ( PEVA )," Project Management Journal, 19:23-28 (April 1988). 17. Trufant, Thomas M. and Robert

Automated array assembly task, phase 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carbajal, B. G.

1977-01-01

An assessment of state-of-the-art technologies that are applicable to silicon solar cell and solar cell module fabrication is provided. The assessment consists of a technical feasibility evaluation and a cost projection for high-volume production of silicon solar cell modules. The cost projection was approached from two directions; a design-to-cost analysis assigned cost goals to each major process element in the fabrication scheme, and a cost analysis built up projected costs for alternate technologies for each process element. A technical evaluation was used in combination with the cost analysis to identify a baseline low cost process. A novel approach to metal pattern design based on minimum power loss was developed. These design equations were used as a tool in the evaluation of metallization technologies.

Guidelines and Metrics for Assessing Space System Cost Estimates

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

analysis time, reuse tooling, models , mechanical ground-support equipment [MGSE]) High mass margin ( simplifying assumptions used to bound solution...engineering environment changes High reuse of architecture, design , tools, code, test scripts, and commercial real- time operating systems Simplified life...Coronal Explorer TWTA traveling wave tube amplifier USAF U.S. Air Force USCM Unmanned Space Vehicle Cost Model USN U.S. Navy UV ultraviolet UVOT UV

Oral Health in Rural Communities

MedlinePlus

... Toolkits Economic Impact Analysis Tool Community Health Gateway Sustainability Planning Tools Testing New Approaches Rural Health IT ... community water supplies than large ones. This paper report that it is six times more costly per ...

Marketing--A Controllable Tool for Education Administrators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Wendell C.

1980-01-01

Educational marketing is now becoming legitimized. Marketing techniques such as cost benefit analysis and the selection of a mix of promotional methods are tools that educational administrators should understand and use. (SK)

Constellation Program Life-cycle Cost Analysis Model (LCAM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prince, Andy; Rose, Heidi; Wood, James

2008-01-01

The Constellation Program (CxP) is NASA's effort to replace the Space Shuttle, return humans to the moon, and prepare for a human mission to Mars. The major elements of the Constellation Lunar sortie design reference mission architecture are shown. Unlike the Apollo Program of the 1960's, affordability is a major concern of United States policy makers and NASA management. To measure Constellation affordability, a total ownership cost life-cycle parametric cost estimating capability is required. This capability is being developed by the Constellation Systems Engineering and Integration (SE&I) Directorate, and is called the Lifecycle Cost Analysis Model (LCAM). The requirements for LCAM are based on the need to have a parametric estimating capability in order to do top-level program analysis, evaluate design alternatives, and explore options for future systems. By estimating the total cost of ownership within the context of the planned Constellation budget, LCAM can provide Program and NASA management with the cost data necessary to identify the most affordable alternatives. LCAM is also a key component of the Integrated Program Model (IPM), an SE&I developed capability that combines parametric sizing tools with cost, schedule, and risk models to perform program analysis. LCAM is used in the generation of cost estimates for system level trades and analyses. It draws upon the legacy of previous architecture level cost models, such as the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) Architecture Cost Model (ARCOM) developed for Simulation Based Acquisition (SBA), and ATLAS. LCAM is used to support requirements and design trade studies by calculating changes in cost relative to a baseline option cost. Estimated costs are generally low fidelity to accommodate available input data and available cost estimating relationships (CERs). LCAM is capable of interfacing with the Integrated Program Model to provide the cost estimating capability for that suite of tools.

Benefit-Cost Analysis as a Teaching Tool.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dowd, Richard F.

1980-01-01

Demonstrates how benefit-cost and present-value analyses can be used to assess the potential social benefits of government projects and to illustrate how interest rates affect decision-making in government and business. (AYC)

Web-based automation of green building rating index and life cycle cost analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahzaib Khan, Jam; Zakaria, Rozana; Aminuddin, Eeydzah; IzieAdiana Abidin, Nur; Sahamir, Shaza Rina; Ahmad, Rosli; Nafis Abas, Darul

2018-04-01

Sudden decline in financial markets and economic meltdown has slow down adaptation and lowered interest of investors towards green certified buildings due to their higher initial costs. Similarly, it is essential to fetch investor’s attention towards more development of green buildings through automated tools for the construction projects. Though, historical dearth is found on the automation of green building rating tools that brings up an essential gap to develop an automated analog computerized programming tool. This paper present a proposed research aim to develop an integrated web-based automated analog computerized programming that applies green building rating assessment tool, green technology and life cycle cost analysis. It also emphasizes to identify variables of MyCrest and LCC to be integrated and developed in a framework then transformed into automated analog computerized programming. A mix methodology of qualitative and quantitative survey and its development portray the planned to carry MyCrest-LCC integration to an automated level. In this study, the preliminary literature review enriches better understanding of Green Building Rating Tools (GBRT) integration to LCC. The outcome of this research is a pave way for future researchers to integrate other efficient tool and parameters that contributes towards green buildings and future agendas.

Hospital pharmacy decisions, cost containment, and the use of cost-effectiveness analysis.

PubMed

Sloan, F A; Whetten-Goldstein, K; Wilson, A

1997-08-01

The key hypothesis of the study was that hospital pharmacies under the pressure of managed care would be more likely to adopt process innovations to assure less costly and more cost-effective provision of care. We conducted a survey of 103 hospitals and analyzed secondary data on cost and staffing. Compared to the size of the reduction in length of stay, changes in the way that a day of care is delivered appear to be minor, even in areas with substantial managed care share. The vast majority of hospitals surveyed had implemented some form of therapeutic interchange and generic substitution. Most hospitals used some drug utilization guidelines, but as of mid 1995 these were not yet important management tools for hospital pharmacies. To our knowledge, ours was the first survey to investigate the link between hospital formularies and use of cost-effectiveness analysis. At most cost-effectiveness was a minor tool in pharmaceutical decision making in hospitals at present. We could determine no differences in use of such analyses by managed care market share in the hospital's market share. One impediment to the use of cost-effectiveness studies was the lack of timeliness of studies. Other stated reasons for not using cost-effectiveness analysis more often were: lack of information on hospitalized patients and hence on the potential cost offsets accruing to the hospital: lack of independent sponsorship, and inadequate expertise in economic evaluation.

Benefit-Cost Analysis of Undergraduate Education Programs: An Example Analysis of the Freshman Research Initiative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walcott, Rebecca L.; Corso, Phaedra S.; Rodenbusch, Stacia E.; Dolan, Erin L.

2018-01-01

Institutions and administrators regularly have to make difficult choices about how best to invest resources to serve students. Yet economic evaluation, or the systematic analysis of the relationship between costs and outcomes of a program or policy, is relatively uncommon in higher education. This type of evaluation can be an important tool for…

Practical thoughts on cost-benefit analysis and health services.

PubMed

Burchell, A; Weeden, R

1982-08-01

Cost-benefit analysis is fast becoming--if it is not already--an essential tool in decision making. It is, however, a complex subject, and one in which few doctors have been trained. This paper offers practical thoughts on the art of cost-benefit analysis, and is written for clinicians and other medical specialists who, though inexpert in the techniques of accountancy, nevertheless wish to carry out their own simple analyses in a manner that will enable them, and others, to take effective decisions.

Development of a task analysis tool to facilitate user interface design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scholtz, Jean C.

1992-01-01

A good user interface is one that facilitates the user in carrying out his task. Such interfaces are difficult and costly to produce. The most important aspect in producing a good interface is the ability to communicate to the software designers what the user's task is. The Task Analysis Tool is a system for cooperative task analysis and specification of the user interface requirements. This tool is intended to serve as a guide to development of initial prototypes for user feedback.

Re-Engineering JPL's Mission Planning Ground System Architecture for Cost Efficient Operations in the 21st Century

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fordyce, Jess

1996-01-01

Work carried out to re-engineer the mission analysis segment of JPL's mission planning ground system architecture is reported on. The aim is to transform the existing software tools, originally developed for specific missions on different support environments, into an integrated, general purpose, multi-mission tool set. The issues considered are: the development of a partnership between software developers and users; the definition of key mission analysis functions; the development of a consensus based architecture; the move towards evolutionary change instead of revolutionary replacement; software reusability, and the minimization of future maintenance costs. The current status and aims of new developments are discussed and specific examples of cost savings and improved productivity are presented.

ResStock Analysis Tool | Buildings | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Energy and Cost Savings for U.S. Homes Contact Eric Wilson to learn how ResStock can benefit your approach to large-scale residential energy analysis by combining: Large public and private data sources uncovered $49 billion in potential annual utility bill savings through cost-effective energy efficiency

New Tool for Benefit-Cost Analysis in Evaluating Transportation Alternatives

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-01

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) emphasizes assessment of multi-modal alternatives and demand management strategies. In 1995, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) developed a corridor sketch planning tool called the S...

Cost-effectiveness analysis and HIV screening: the emergency medicine perspective.

PubMed

Hsu, Heather; Walensky, Rochelle P

2011-07-01

Cost-effectiveness analysis is a useful tool for decisionmakers charged with prioritizing of the myriad medical interventions in the emergency department (ED). This analytic approach may be especially helpful for ranking programs that are competing for scarce resources while attempting to maximize net health benefits. In this article, we review the health economics literature on HIV screening in EDs and introduce the methods of cost-effectiveness analysis for medical interventions. We specifically describe the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio--its calculation, the derivation of ratio components, and the interpretation of these ratios. Copyright © 2011. Published by Mosby, Inc.

Offshore wind farm layout optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elkinton, Christopher Neil

Offshore wind energy technology is maturing in Europe and is poised to make a significant contribution to the U.S. energy production portfolio. Building on the knowledge the wind industry has gained to date, this dissertation investigates the influences of different site conditions on offshore wind farm micrositing---the layout of individual turbines within the boundaries of a wind farm. For offshore wind farms, these conditions include, among others, the wind and wave climates, water depths, and soil conditions at the site. An analysis tool has been developed that is capable of estimating the cost of energy (COE) from offshore wind farms. For this analysis, the COE has been divided into several modeled components: major costs (e.g. turbines, electrical interconnection, maintenance, etc.), energy production, and energy losses. By treating these component models as functions of site-dependent parameters, the analysis tool can investigate the influence of these parameters on the COE. Some parameters result in simultaneous increases of both energy and cost. In these cases, the analysis tool was used to determine the value of the parameter that yielded the lowest COE and, thus, the best balance of cost and energy. The models have been validated and generally compare favorably with existing offshore wind farm data. The analysis technique was then paired with optimization algorithms to form a tool with which to design offshore wind farm layouts for which the COE was minimized. Greedy heuristic and genetic optimization algorithms have been tuned and implemented. The use of these two algorithms in series has been shown to produce the best, most consistent solutions. The influences of site conditions on the COE have been studied further by applying the analysis and optimization tools to the initial design of a small offshore wind farm near the town of Hull, Massachusetts. The results of an initial full-site analysis and optimization were used to constrain the boundaries of the farm. A more thorough optimization highlighted the features of the area that would result in a minimized COE. The results showed reasonable layout designs and COE estimates that are consistent with existing offshore wind farms.

Process Design and Costing of Bioethanol Technology: A Tool for Determining the Status and Direction of Research and Development.

PubMed

Wooley; Ruth; Glassner; Sheehan

1999-10-01

Bioethanol is a fuel-grade ethanol made from trees, grasses, and waste materials. It represents a sustainable substitute for gasoline in today's passenger cars. Modeling and design of processes for making bioethanol are critical tools used in the U.S. Department of Energy's bioethanol research and development program. We use such analysis to guide new directions for research and to help us understand the level at which and the time when bioethanol will achieve commercial success. This paper provides an update on our latest estimates for current and projected costs of bioethanol. These estimates are the result of very sophisticated modeling and costing efforts undertaken in the program over the past few years. Bioethanol could cost anywhere from $1.16 to $1.44 per gallon, depending on the technology and the availability of low cost feedstocks for conversion to ethanol. While this cost range opens the door to fuel blending opportunities, in which ethanol can be used, for example, to improve the octane rating of gasoline, it is not currently competitive with gasoline as a bulk fuel. Research strategies and goals described in this paper have been translated into cost savings for ethanol. Our analysis of these goals shows that the cost of ethanol could drop by 40 cents per gallon over the next ten years by taking advantage of exciting new tools in biotechnology that will improve yield and performance in the conversion process.

Strategic Planning in Population Health and Public Health Practice: A Call to Action for Higher Education.

PubMed

Phelps, Charles; Madhavan, Guruprasad; Rappuoli, Rino; Levin, Scott; Shortliffe, Edward; Colwell, Rita

2016-03-01

Scarce resources, especially in population health and public health practice, underlie the importance of strategic planning. Public health agencies' current planning and priority setting efforts are often narrow, at times opaque, and focused on single metrics such as cost-effectiveness. As demonstrated by SMART Vaccines, a decision support software system developed by the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Engineering, new approaches to strategic planning allow the formal incorporation of multiple stakeholder views and multicriteria decision making that surpass even those sophisticated cost-effectiveness analyses widely recommended and used for public health planning. Institutions of higher education can and should respond by building on modern strategic planning tools as they teach their students how to improve population health and public health practice. Strategic planning in population health and public health practice often uses single indicators of success or, when using multiple indicators, provides no mechanism for coherently combining the assessments. Cost-effectiveness analysis, the most complex strategic planning tool commonly applied in public health, uses only a single metric to evaluate programmatic choices, even though other factors often influence actual decisions. Our work employed a multicriteria systems analysis approach--specifically, multiattribute utility theory--to assist in strategic planning and priority setting in a particular area of health care (vaccines), thereby moving beyond the traditional cost-effectiveness analysis approach. (1) Multicriteria systems analysis provides more flexibility, transparency, and clarity in decision support for public health issues compared with cost-effectiveness analysis. (2) More sophisticated systems-level analyses will become increasingly important to public health as disease burdens increase and the resources to deal with them become scarcer. The teaching of strategic planning in public health must be expanded in order to fill a void in the profession's planning capabilities. Public health training should actively incorporate model building, promote the interactive use of software tools, and explore planning approaches that transcend restrictive assumptions of cost-effectiveness analysis. The Strategic Multi-Attribute Ranking Tool for Vaccines (SMART Vaccines), which was recently developed by the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Engineering to help prioritize new vaccine development, is a working example of systems analysis as a basis for decision support. © 2016 Milbank Memorial Fund.

Cost-Loss Analysis of Ensemble Solar Wind Forecasting: Space Weather Use of Terrestrial Weather Tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henley, E. M.; Pope, E. C. D.

2017-12-01

This commentary concerns recent work on solar wind forecasting by Owens and Riley (2017). The approach taken makes effective use of tools commonly used in terrestrial weather—notably, via use of a simple model—generation of an "ensemble" forecast, and application of a "cost-loss" analysis to the resulting probabilistic information, to explore the benefit of this forecast to users with different risk appetites. This commentary aims to highlight these useful techniques to the wider space weather audience and to briefly discuss the general context of application of terrestrial weather approaches to space weather.

Analysis of Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Healthcare Costs via the Value-Driven Outcomes Tool.

PubMed

Reese, Jared C; Karsy, Michael; Twitchell, Spencer; Bisson, Erica F

2018-04-11

Examining the costs of single- and multilevel anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is important for the identification of cost drivers and potentially reducing patient costs. A novel tool at our institution provides direct costs for the identification of potential drivers. To assess perioperative healthcare costs for patients undergoing an ACDF. Patients who underwent an elective ACDF between July 2011 and January 2017 were identified retrospectively. Factors adding to total cost were placed into subcategories to identify the most significant contributors, and potential drivers of total cost were evaluated using a multivariable linear regression model. A total of 465 patients (mean, age 53 ± 12 yr, 54% male) met the inclusion criteria for this study. The distribution of total cost was broken down into supplies/implants (39%), facility utilization (37%), physician fees (14%), pharmacy (7%), imaging (2%), and laboratory studies (1%). A multivariable linear regression analysis showed that total cost was significantly affected by the number of levels operated on, operating room time, and length of stay. Costs also showed a narrow distribution with few outliers and did not vary significantly over time. These results suggest that facility utilization and supplies/implants are the predominant cost contributors, accounting for 76% of the total cost of ACDF procedures. Efforts at lowering costs within these categories should make the most impact on providing more cost-effective care.

Cost analysis of the development and implementation of a spatial decision support system for malaria elimination in Solomon Islands.

PubMed

Marston, Luke; Kelly, Gerard C; Hale, Erick; Clements, Archie C A; Hodge, Andrew; Jimenez-Soto, Eliana

2014-08-18

The goal of malaria elimination faces numerous challenges. New tools are required to support the scale up of interventions and improve national malaria programme capacity to conduct detailed surveillance. This study investigates the cost factors influencing the development and implementation of a spatial decision support system (SDSS) for malaria elimination in the two elimination provinces of Isabel and Temotu, Solomon Islands. Financial and economic costs to develop and implement a SDSS were estimated using the Solomon Islands programme's financial records. Using an ingredients approach, verified by stakeholders and operational reports, total costs for each province were quantified. A budget impact sensitivity analysis was conducted to investigate the influence of variations in standard budgetary components on the costs and to identify potential cost savings. A total investment of US$ 96,046 (2012 constant dollars) was required to develop and implement the SDSS in two provinces (Temotu Province US$ 49,806 and Isabel Province US$ 46,240). The single largest expense category was for computerized equipment totalling approximately US$ 30,085. Geographical reconnaissance was the most expensive phase of development and implementation, accounting for approximately 62% of total costs. Sensitivity analysis identified different cost factors between the provinces. Reduced equipment costs would deliver a budget saving of approximately 10% in Isabel Province. Combined travel costs represented the greatest influence on the total budget in the more remote Temotu Province. This study provides the first cost analysis of an operational surveillance tool used specifically for malaria elimination in the South-West Pacific. It is demonstrated that the costs of such a decision support system are driven by specialized equipment and travel expenses. Such factors should be closely scrutinized in future programme budgets to ensure maximum efficiencies are gained and available resources are allocated effectively.

Instruction Guide and Macro Analysis Tool for Community-led Air Monitoring

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA has developed two tools for evaluating the performance of low-cost sensors and interpreting the data they collect to help citizen scientists, communities, and professionals interested in learning about local air quality.

Depth of manual dismantling analysis: A cost–benefit approach

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Achillas, Ch., E-mail: c.achillas@ihu.edu.gr; Aidonis, D.; Vlachokostas, Ch.

Highlights: ► A mathematical modeling tool for OEMs. ► The tool can be used by OEMs, recyclers of electr(on)ic equipment or WEEE management systems’ regulators. ► The tool makes use of cost–benefit analysis in order to determine the optimal depth of product disassembly. ► The reusable materials and the quantity of metals and plastics recycled can be quantified in an easy-to-comprehend manner. - Abstract: This paper presents a decision support tool for manufacturers and recyclers towards end-of-life strategies for waste electrical and electronic equipment. A mathematical formulation based on the cost benefit analysis concept is herein analytically described in ordermore » to determine the parts and/or components of an obsolete product that should be either non-destructively recovered for reuse or be recycled. The framework optimally determines the depth of disassembly for a given product, taking into account economic considerations. On this basis, it embeds all relevant cost elements to be included in the decision-making process, such as recovered materials and (depreciated) parts/components, labor costs, energy consumption, equipment depreciation, quality control and warehousing. This tool can be part of the strategic decision-making process in order to maximize profitability or minimize end-of-life management costs. A case study to demonstrate the models’ applicability is presented for a typical electronic product in terms of structure and material composition. Taking into account the market values of the pilot product’s components, the manual disassembly is proven profitable with the marginal revenues from recovered reusable materials to be estimated at 2.93–23.06 €, depending on the level of disassembly.« less

Laboratory cost control and financial management software.

PubMed

Mayer, M

1998-02-09

Economical constraints within the health care system advocate the introduction of tighter control of costs in clinical laboratories. Detailed cost information forms the basis for cost control and financial management. Based on the cost information, proper decisions regarding priorities, procedure choices, personnel policies and investments can be made. This presentation outlines some principles of cost analysis, describes common limitations of cost analysis, and exemplifies use of software to achieve optimized cost control. One commercially available cost analysis software, LabCost, is described in some detail. In addition to provision of cost information, LabCost also serves as a general management tool for resource handling, accounting, inventory management and billing. The application of LabCost in the selection process of a new high throughput analyzer for a large clinical chemistry service is taken as an example for decisions that can be assisted by cost evaluation. It is concluded that laboratory management that wisely utilizes cost analysis to support the decision-making process will undoubtedly have a clear advantage over those laboratories that fail to employ cost considerations to guide their actions.

The Correlation of a Corporate Culture of Health Assessment Score and Health Care Cost Trend.

PubMed

Fabius, Raymond; Frazee, Sharon Glave; Thayer, Dixon; Kirshenbaum, David; Reynolds, Jim

2018-06-01

Employers that strive to create a corporate environment that fosters a culture of health often face challenges when trying to determine the impact of improvements on health care cost trends. This study aims to test the stability of the correlation between health care cost trend and corporate health assessment scores (CHAS) using a culture of health measurement tool. Correlation analysis of annual health care cost trend and CHAS on a small group of employers using a proprietary CHAS tool. Higher CHAS scores are generally correlated with lower health care cost trend. For employers with several years of CHAS measurements, this correlation remains, although imperfectly. As culture of health scores improve, health care costs trends moderate. These findings provide further evidence of the inverse relationship between organizational CHAS performance and health care cost trend.

Life cycle costing as a decision making tool for technology acquisition in radio-diagnosis

PubMed Central

Chakravarty, Abhijit; Debnath, Jyotindu

2014-01-01

Background Life cycle costing analysis is an emerging conceptual tool to validate capital investment in healthcare. Methods A preliminary study was done to analyze the long-term cost impact of acquiring a new 3 T MRI system when compared to technological upgradation of the existing 1.5 T MRI system with a view to evolve a decision matrix for correct investment planning and technology management. Operating costing method was utilized to estimate cost per unit MRI scan, costing inputs were considered for the existing 1.5 T and the proposed 3 T machine. Cost for each expected year in the life span of both 1.5 T and 3 T MRI scan options were then discounted to its Net Present Value. Net Present Value thus calculated for both the alternative options of 1.5 T and 3 T MRI machine was charted along with various intangible but critical Figures of Merit (FOM) to create a decision matrix for capital investment planning. Result Considering all fixed and variable costs contributing towards assumed operation, unit cost per MRI procedure was found to be Rs. 4244.58 for the 1.5 T upgrade and Rs. 6059.37 for the new 3 T MRI machine. Life Cycle Cost Analysis of the proposed 1.5 T upgrade and new 3 T machine showed a Net Present Value of Rs. 42,148,587.80 and Rs. 27,587,842.38 respectively. Conclusion The utility of life cycle costing as a strategic decision making tool towards evaluating alternative options for capital investment planning in health care environment is reiterated. PMID:25609862

OpCost: an open-source system for estimating costs of stand-level forest operations

Treesearch

Conor K. Bell; Robert F. Keefe; Jeremy S. Fried

2017-01-01

This report describes and documents the OpCost forest operations cost model, a key component of the BioSum analysis framework. OpCost is available in two editions: as a callable module for use with BioSum, and in a stand-alone edition that can be run directly from R. OpCost model logic and assumptions for this open-source tool are explained, references to the...

Building bridges with clinicians.

PubMed

Brady, Timothy S; Hankins, Robert W

2003-06-01

Clinical and ancillary staff need and welcome the opportunity to be involved in healthcare financial management. To provide them with the financial tools they need, a group of clinical and nonclinical professionals identified the key components of a curriculum that addressed financial, managerial, and cost accounting, along with training objectives that include understanding cost allocation, trend analysis, and variance analysis.

Strategic Analysis Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cirillo, William M.; Earle, Kevin D.; Goodliff, Kandyce E.; Reeves, J. D.; Stromgren, Chel; Andraschko, Mark R.; Merrill, R. Gabe

2008-01-01

NASA s Constellation Program employs a strategic analysis methodology in providing an integrated analysis capability of Lunar exploration scenarios and to support strategic decision-making regarding those scenarios. The strategic analysis methodology integrates the assessment of the major contributors to strategic objective satisfaction performance, affordability, and risk and captures the linkages and feedbacks between all three components. Strategic analysis supports strategic decision making by senior management through comparable analysis of alternative strategies, provision of a consistent set of high level value metrics, and the enabling of cost-benefit analysis. The tools developed to implement the strategic analysis methodology are not element design and sizing tools. Rather, these models evaluate strategic performance using predefined elements, imported into a library from expert-driven design/sizing tools or expert analysis. Specific components of the strategic analysis tool set include scenario definition, requirements generation, mission manifesting, scenario lifecycle costing, crew time analysis, objective satisfaction benefit, risk analysis, and probabilistic evaluation. Results from all components of strategic analysis are evaluated a set of pre-defined figures of merit (FOMs). These FOMs capture the high-level strategic characteristics of all scenarios and facilitate direct comparison of options. The strategic analysis methodology that is described in this paper has previously been applied to the Space Shuttle and International Space Station Programs and is now being used to support the development of the baseline Constellation Program lunar architecture. This paper will present an overview of the strategic analysis methodology and will present sample results from the application of the strategic analysis methodology to the Constellation Program lunar architecture.

[Experience of a Break-Even Point Analysis for Make-or-Buy Decision.].

PubMed

Kim, Yunhee

2006-12-01

Cost containment through continuous quality improvement of medical service is required in an age of a keen competition of the medical market. Laboratory managers should examine the matters on make-or-buy decision periodically. On this occasion, a break-even point analysis can be useful as an analyzing tool. In this study, cost accounting and break-even point (BEP) analysis were performed in case that the immunoassay items showing a recent increase in order volume were to be in-house made. Fixed and variable costs were calculated in case that alpha fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), prostate-specific antigen (PSA), ferritin, free thyroxine (fT4), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), CA 125, CA 19-9, and hepatitis B envelope antibody (HBeAb) were to be tested with Abbott AxSYM instrument. Break-even volume was calculated as fixed cost per year divided by purchasing cost per test minus variable cost per test and BEP ratio as total purchasing costs at break-even volume divided by total purchasing costs at actual annual volume. The average fixed cost per year of AFP, CEA, PSA, ferritin, fT4, T3, TSH, CA 125, CA 19-9, and HBeAb was 8,279,187 won and average variable cost per test, 3,786 won. Average break-even volume was 1,599 and average BEP ratio was 852%. Average BEP ratio without including quality costs such as calibration and quality control was 74%. Because the quality assurance of clinical tests cannot be waived, outsourcing all of 10 items was more adequate than in-house make at the present volume in financial aspect. BEP analysis was useful as a financial tool for make-or-buy decision, the common matter which laboratory managers meet with.

Validity of electronic diet recording nutrient estimates compared to dietitian analysis of diet records: A randomized controlled trial

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Background: Dietary intake assessment with diet records (DR) is a standard research and practice tool in nutrition. Manual entry and analysis of DR is time-consuming and expensive. New electronic tools for diet entry by clients and research participants may reduce the cost and effort of nutrient int...

A decision framework for identifying models to estimate forest ecosystem services gains from restoration

USGS Publications Warehouse

Christin, Zachary; Bagstad, Kenneth J.; Verdone, Michael

2016-01-01

Restoring degraded forests and agricultural lands has become a global conservation priority. A growing number of tools can quantify ecosystem service tradeoffs associated with forest restoration. This evolving “tools landscape” presents a dilemma: more tools are available, but selecting appropriate tools has become more challenging. We present a Restoration Ecosystem Service Tool Selector (RESTS) framework that describes key characteristics of 13 ecosystem service assessment tools. Analysts enter information about their decision context, services to be analyzed, and desired outputs. Tools are filtered and presented based on five evaluative criteria: scalability, cost, time requirements, handling of uncertainty, and applicability to benefit-cost analysis. RESTS uses a spreadsheet interface but a web-based interface is planned. Given the rapid evolution of ecosystem services science, RESTS provides an adaptable framework to guide forest restoration decision makers toward tools that can help quantify ecosystem services in support of restoration.

Cost estimation: An expert-opinion approach. [cost analysis of research projects using the Delphi method (forecasting)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buffalano, C.; Fogleman, S.; Gielecki, M.

1976-01-01

A methodology is outlined which can be used to estimate the costs of research and development projects. The approach uses the Delphi technique a method developed by the Rand Corporation for systematically eliciting and evaluating group judgments in an objective manner. The use of the Delphi allows for the integration of expert opinion into the cost-estimating process in a consistent and rigorous fashion. This approach can also signal potential cost-problem areas. This result can be a useful tool in planning additional cost analysis or in estimating contingency funds. A Monte Carlo approach is also examined.

A generally applicable lightweight method for calculating a value structure for tools and services in bioinformatics infrastructure projects.

PubMed

Mayer, Gerhard; Quast, Christian; Felden, Janine; Lange, Matthias; Prinz, Manuel; Pühler, Alfred; Lawerenz, Chris; Scholz, Uwe; Glöckner, Frank Oliver; Müller, Wolfgang; Marcus, Katrin; Eisenacher, Martin

2017-10-30

Sustainable noncommercial bioinformatics infrastructures are a prerequisite to use and take advantage of the potential of big data analysis for research and economy. Consequently, funders, universities and institutes as well as users ask for a transparent value model for the tools and services offered. In this article, a generally applicable lightweight method is described by which bioinformatics infrastructure projects can estimate the value of tools and services offered without determining exactly the total costs of ownership. Five representative scenarios for value estimation from a rough estimation to a detailed breakdown of costs are presented. To account for the diversity in bioinformatics applications and services, the notion of service-specific 'service provision units' is introduced together with the factors influencing them and the main underlying assumptions for these 'value influencing factors'. Special attention is given on how to handle personnel costs and indirect costs such as electricity. Four examples are presented for the calculation of the value of tools and services provided by the German Network for Bioinformatics Infrastructure (de.NBI): one for tool usage, one for (Web-based) database analyses, one for consulting services and one for bioinformatics training events. Finally, from the discussed values, the costs of direct funding and the costs of payment of services by funded projects are calculated and compared. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

The economic cost of traffic congestion in Florida.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-08-01

Traffic congestion in the U.S. is bad and getting worse, and it is expensive. Appropriate solutions to this problem require appropriate information. A comprehensive and accurate analysis of congestion costs is a critical tool for planning and impleme...

Use of Cost-Utility Decision Models in Business Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Darrell R.

1989-01-01

Explains how cost-utility analysis can be applied to the selection of curriculum and instructional methods. Describes the use of multiattribute utility models of decision making as a tool for more informed judgment in educational administration. (SK)

Inspection planning development: An evolutionary approach using reliability engineering as a tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Graf, David A.; Huang, Zhaofeng

1994-01-01

This paper proposes an evolutionary approach for inspection planning which introduces various reliability engineering tools into the process and assess system trade-offs among reliability, engineering requirement, manufacturing capability and inspection cost to establish an optimal inspection plan. The examples presented in the paper illustrate some advantages and benefits of the new approach. Through the analysis, reliability and engineering impacts due to manufacturing process capability and inspection uncertainty are clearly understood; the most cost effective and efficient inspection plan can be established and associated risks are well controlled; some inspection reductions and relaxations are well justified; and design feedbacks and changes may be initiated from the analysis conclusion to further enhance reliability and reduce cost. The approach is particularly promising as global competitions and customer quality improvement expectations are rapidly increasing.

Low-cost composite blades for the Mod-0A wind turbines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weingart, O.

1982-01-01

Low cost approaches to the design and fabrication of blades for a two-bladed 200 kW wind turbine were identified and the applicability of the techniques to larger and smaller blades was assessed. Blade tooling was designed and fabricated. Two complete blades and a partial blade for tool tryout were built. The patented TFT process was used to wind the entire blade. This process allows rapid winding of an axially oriented composite onto a tapered mandrel, with tapered wall thickness. The blade consists of a TFT glass-epoxy airfoil structure filament wound onto a steel root end fitting. The fitting is, in turn, bolted to a conical steel adapter section to provide for mounting attachment to the hub. Structural analysis, blade properties, and cost and weight analysis are described.

Integrating Cost as an Independent Variable Analysis with Evolutionary Acquisition - A Multiattribute Design Evaluation Approach

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-03-01

within the Automated Cost Estimating Integrated Tools ( ACEIT ) software suite (version 5.x). With this capability, one can set cost targets or time...not allow the user to vary more than one decision variable. This limitation of the ACEIT approach thus hinders a holistic view when attempting to

Development of efficient and cost-effective distributed hydrological modeling tool MWEasyDHM based on open-source MapWindow GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lei, Xiaohui; Wang, Yuhui; Liao, Weihong; Jiang, Yunzhong; Tian, Yu; Wang, Hao

2011-09-01

Many regions are still threatened with frequent floods and water resource shortage problems in China. Consequently, the task of reproducing and predicting the hydrological process in watersheds is hard and unavoidable for reducing the risks of damage and loss. Thus, it is necessary to develop an efficient and cost-effective hydrological tool in China as many areas should be modeled. Currently, developed hydrological tools such as Mike SHE and ArcSWAT (soil and water assessment tool based on ArcGIS) show significant power in improving the precision of hydrological modeling in China by considering spatial variability both in land cover and in soil type. However, adopting developed commercial tools in such a large developing country comes at a high cost. Commercial modeling tools usually contain large numbers of formulas, complicated data formats, and many preprocessing or postprocessing steps that may make it difficult for the user to carry out simulation, thus lowering the efficiency of the modeling process. Besides, commercial hydrological models usually cannot be modified or improved to be suitable for some special hydrological conditions in China. Some other hydrological models are open source, but integrated into commercial GIS systems. Therefore, by integrating hydrological simulation code EasyDHM, a hydrological simulation tool named MWEasyDHM was developed based on open-source MapWindow GIS, the purpose of which is to establish the first open-source GIS-based distributed hydrological model tool in China by integrating modules of preprocessing, model computation, parameter estimation, result display, and analysis. MWEasyDHM provides users with a friendly manipulating MapWindow GIS interface, selectable multifunctional hydrological processing modules, and, more importantly, an efficient and cost-effective hydrological simulation tool. The general construction of MWEasyDHM consists of four major parts: (1) a general GIS module for hydrological analysis, (2) a preprocessing module for modeling inputs, (3) a model calibration module, and (4) a postprocessing module. The general GIS module for hydrological analysis is developed on the basis of totally open-source GIS software, MapWindow, which contains basic GIS functions. The preprocessing module is made up of three submodules including a DEM-based submodule for hydrological analysis, a submodule for default parameter calculation, and a submodule for the spatial interpolation of meteorological data. The calibration module contains parallel computation, real-time computation, and visualization. The postprocessing module includes model calibration and model results spatial visualization using tabular form and spatial grids. MWEasyDHM makes it possible for efficient modeling and calibration of EasyDHM, and promises further development of cost-effective applications in various watersheds.

Low Cost Electroencephalographic Acquisition Amplifier to serve as Teaching and Research Tool

PubMed Central

Jain, Ankit; Kim, Insoo; Gluckman, Bruce J.

2012-01-01

We describe the development and testing of a low cost, easily constructed electroencephalographic acquisition amplifier for noninvasive Brain Computer Interface (BCI) education and research. The acquisition amplifier is constructed from newly available off-the-shelf integrated circuit components, and readily sends a 24-bit data stream via USB bus to a computer platform. We demonstrate here the hardware’s use in the analysis of a visually evoked P300 paradigm for a choose one-of-eight task. This clearly shows the applicability of this system as a low cost teaching and research tool. PMID:22254699

Retention payoff-based cost per day open regression equations: Application in a user-friendly decision support tool for investment analysis of automated estrus detection technologies.

PubMed

Dolecheck, K A; Heersche, G; Bewley, J M

2016-12-01

Assessing the economic implications of investing in automated estrus detection (AED) technologies can be overwhelming for dairy producers. The objectives of this study were to develop new regression equations for estimating the cost per day open (DO) and to apply the results to create a user-friendly, partial budget, decision support tool for investment analysis of AED technologies. In the resulting decision support tool, the end user can adjust herd-specific inputs regarding general management, current reproductive management strategies, and the proposed AED system. Outputs include expected DO, reproductive cull rate, net present value, and payback period for the proposed AED system. Utility of the decision support tool was demonstrated with an example dairy herd created using data from DairyMetrics (Dairy Records Management Systems, Raleigh, NC), Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (Columbia, MO), and published literature. Resulting herd size, rolling herd average milk production, milk price, and feed cost were 323 cows, 10,758kg, $0.41/kg, and $0.20/kg of dry matter, respectively. Automated estrus detection technologies with 2 levels of initial system cost (low: $5,000 vs. high: $10,000), tag price (low: $50 vs. high: $100), and estrus detection rate (low: 60% vs. high: 80%) were compared over a 7-yr investment period. Four scenarios were considered in a demonstration of the investment analysis tool: (1) a herd using 100% visual observation for estrus detection before adopting 100% AED, (2) a herd using 100% visual observation before adopting 75% AED and 25% visual observation, (3) a herd using 100% timed artificial insemination (TAI) before adopting 100% AED, and (4) a herd using 100% TAI before adopting 75% AED and 25% TAI. Net present value in scenarios 1 and 2 was always positive, indicating a positive investment situation. Net present value in scenarios 3 and 4 was always positive in combinations using a $50 tag price, and in scenario 4, the $5,000, $100, and 80% combination. Overall, the payback period ranged from 1.6 yr to greater than 10 yr. Investment analysis demonstration results were highly dependent on assumptions, especially AED system initial investment and labor costs. Dairy producers can use herd-specific inputs with the cost per day open regression equations and the decision support tool to estimate individual herd results. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Full cost accounting in the analysis of separated waste collection efficiency: A methodological proposal.

PubMed

D'Onza, Giuseppe; Greco, Giulio; Allegrini, Marco

2016-02-01

Recycling implies additional costs for separated municipal solid waste (MSW) collection. The aim of the present study is to propose and implement a management tool - the full cost accounting (FCA) method - to calculate the full collection costs of different types of waste. Our analysis aims for a better understanding of the difficulties of putting FCA into practice in the MSW sector. We propose a FCA methodology that uses standard cost and actual quantities to calculate the collection costs of separate and undifferentiated waste. Our methodology allows cost efficiency analysis and benchmarking, overcoming problems related to firm-specific accounting choices, earnings management policies and purchase policies. Our methodology allows benchmarking and variance analysis that can be used to identify the causes of off-standards performance and guide managers to deploy resources more efficiently. Our methodology can be implemented by companies lacking a sophisticated management accounting system. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A videoconferencing tool acting as a home-based healthcare monitoring robot for elderly patients.

PubMed

Mapundu, Zamikhaya; Simonnet, Thierry; van der Walt, J S

2012-01-01

Currently, healthcare costs associated with aging at home can be prohibitive if individuals require continual/periodical supervision and assistance because of Alzheimer's disease. Open-source tools and videoconferencing tools are attracting more significant organizations; it has been observed that another way to reduce medical care costs is to reduce the length of the patient's hospitalization and reinforce home sanitary support by medical professionals with family care givers. Videoconferencing has been around for a while and presently this technology is the leading way in reducing healthcare costs, thus making medical care more available and convenient for both doctors and patients. This article portrays how the videoconferencing tool can be utilized to improve communication practices for patient monitoring using a Robot Companion. SWOT analysis method is also presented in a form of a summary and was utilized to evaluate the user's point of view.

How to interpret a healthcare economic analysis.

PubMed

Brown, Melissa M; Brown, Gary C

2005-06-01

The purpose of the review is to present guidelines to help the clinician to interpret healthcare economic analyses and review pertinent recent analysis in the ophthalmic literature. There are four variants of healthcare economic analyses: (1) cost-minimization analysis; (2) cost-benefit analysis; (3) cost-effectiveness analysis and (4) cost-utility analysis. Cost-utility utility analysis has assumed an increasingly important role in healthcare, with increasing number of analyses occurring in the peer-reviewed ophthalmic literature. These include cost-utility analyses of cataract surgery in the first and second eyes, amblyopia treatment, and cost-utility analyses encompassing the vitreoretinal interventions of the following: (1) laser photocoagulation for exudative macular degeneration; (2) laser treatment for diabetic retinopathy; (3) laser photocoagulation for branch retinal vein obstruction; (4) diabetic vitrectomy; (5) treatment of proliferative retinopathy of prematurity and (6) treatment of retinal detachment associated with proliferative vitreoretinopathy. As an increasing number of cost-utility analyses become available they will provide the information system for the practice of value-based medicine, or medicine based upon the patient-perceived value conferred by interventions. Increasing numbers of cost-utility analysis in the ophthalmic literature suggest that ophthalmic interventions, including vitreoretinal interventions, are cost effective. Cost-utility analysis is a major tool in value-based medicine, the practice of medicine based upon the patient-perceived value conferred by healthcare interventions.

Modeling Tools for Propulsion Analysis and Computational Fluid Dynamics on the Internet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Muss, J. A.; Johnson, C. W.; Gotchy, M. B.

2000-01-01

The existing RocketWeb(TradeMark) Internet Analysis System (httr)://www.iohnsonrockets.com/rocketweb) provides an integrated set of advanced analysis tools that can be securely accessed over the Internet. Since these tools consist of both batch and interactive analysis codes, the system includes convenient methods for creating input files and evaluating the resulting data. The RocketWeb(TradeMark) system also contains many features that permit data sharing which, when further developed, will facilitate real-time, geographically diverse, collaborative engineering within a designated work group. Adding work group management functionality while simultaneously extending and integrating the system's set of design and analysis tools will create a system providing rigorous, controlled design development, reducing design cycle time and cost.

Software Development Cost Estimation Executive Summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hihn, Jairus M.; Menzies, Tim

2006-01-01

Identify simple fully validated cost models that provide estimation uncertainty with cost estimate. Based on COCOMO variable set. Use machine learning techniques to determine: a) Minimum number of cost drivers required for NASA domain based cost models; b) Minimum number of data records required and c) Estimation Uncertainty. Build a repository of software cost estimation information. Coordinating tool development and data collection with: a) Tasks funded by PA&E Cost Analysis; b) IV&V Effort Estimation Task and c) NASA SEPG activities.

System Risk Assessment and Allocation in Conceptual Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mahadevan, Sankaran; Smith, Natasha L.; Zang, Thomas A. (Technical Monitor)

2003-01-01

As aerospace systems continue to evolve in addressing newer challenges in air and space transportation, there exists a heightened priority for significant improvement in system performance, cost effectiveness, reliability, and safety. Tools, which synthesize multidisciplinary integration, probabilistic analysis, and optimization, are needed to facilitate design decisions allowing trade-offs between cost and reliability. This study investigates tools for probabilistic analysis and probabilistic optimization in the multidisciplinary design of aerospace systems. A probabilistic optimization methodology is demonstrated for the low-fidelity design of a reusable launch vehicle at two levels, a global geometry design and a local tank design. Probabilistic analysis is performed on a high fidelity analysis of a Navy missile system. Furthermore, decoupling strategies are introduced to reduce the computational effort required for multidisciplinary systems with feedback coupling.

Second NASA Technical Interchange Meeting (TIM): Advanced Technology Lifecycle Analysis System (ATLAS) Technology Tool Box (TTB)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

ONeil, D. A.; Mankins, J. C.; Christensen, C. B.; Gresham, E. C.

2005-01-01

The Advanced Technology Lifecycle Analysis System (ATLAS), a spreadsheet analysis tool suite, applies parametric equations for sizing and lifecycle cost estimation. Performance, operation, and programmatic data used by the equations come from a Technology Tool Box (TTB) database. In this second TTB Technical Interchange Meeting (TIM), technologists, system model developers, and architecture analysts discussed methods for modeling technology decisions in spreadsheet models, identified specific technology parameters, and defined detailed development requirements. This Conference Publication captures the consensus of the discussions and provides narrative explanations of the tool suite, the database, and applications of ATLAS within NASA s changing environment.

Tool for analyzing the vulnerability of buildings to flooding: the case of Switzerland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choffet, Marc; Bianchi, Renzo; Jaboyedoff, Michel; Kölz, Ehrfried; Lateltin, Olivier; Leroi, Eric; Mayis, Arnaud

2010-05-01

Whatever the way used to protect property exposed to flood, there exists a residual risk. That is what feedbacks of past flooding show. This residual risk is on one hand linked with the possibility that the protection measures may fail or may not work as intended. The residual risk is on the other hand linked with the possibility that the flood exceeds the chosen level of protection.In many European countries, governments and insurance companies are thinking in terms of vulnerability reduction. This publication will present a new tool to evaluate the vulnerability of buildings in a context of flooding. This tool is developed by the project "Analysis of the vulnerability of buildings to flooding" which is funded by the Foundation for Prevention of Cantonal insurances, Switzerland. It is composed by three modules and it aims to provide a method for reducing the vulnerability of buildings to flooding. The first two modules allow identifying all the elements composing the building and listing it. The third module is dedicated to the choice of efficient risk reducing measures on the basis of cost-benefit analyses. The diagnostic tool for different parts of the building is being developed to allow real estate appraisers, insurance companies and homeowners rapidly assess the vulnerability of buildings in flood prone areas. The tool works with by several databases that have been selected from the collection and analysis of data, information, standards and feedback from risk management, hydrology, architecture, construction, materials engineering, insurance, or economy of construction. A method for determining the local hazard is also proposed, to determine the height of potential floods threatening a building, based on a back analysis of Swiss hazard maps. To calibrate the model, seven cantonal insurance institutions participate in the study by providing data, such as the the amount of damage in flooded areas. The poster will present some results from the development of the tool, such as the amount of damages to buildings and the possibility of analysis offered by the tool. Furthermore, analysis of data from the insurance company led to the emergence of trends in costs of damage due to flooding. Some graphics will be presented in the poster to illustrate the tool design. It will be shown that the tool allow for a census of buildings and the awareness of its vulnerability to flooding. A database development explanation concerning the remediation cost measures and the damage costs are also proposed. Simple and innovative remedial measures could be shown in the poster. By the help of some examples it is shown that the tool allows for an investigation of some interesting perspectives in the development of insurance strategies for building stocks in flood prone areas.

Multi-criteria analysis for PM10 planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pisoni, Enrico; Carnevale, Claudio; Volta, Marialuisa

To implement sound air quality policies, Regulatory Agencies require tools to evaluate outcomes and costs associated to different emission reduction strategies. These tools are even more useful when considering atmospheric PM10 concentrations due to the complex nonlinear processes that affect production and accumulation of the secondary fraction of this pollutant. The approaches presented in the literature (Integrated Assessment Modeling) are mainly cost-benefit and cost-effective analysis. In this work, the formulation of a multi-objective problem to control particulate matter is proposed. The methodology defines: (a) the control objectives (the air quality indicator and the emission reduction cost functions); (b) the decision variables (precursor emission reductions); (c) the problem constraints (maximum feasible technology reductions). The cause-effect relations between air quality indicators and decision variables are identified tuning nonlinear source-receptor models. The multi-objective problem solution provides to the decision maker a set of not-dominated scenarios representing the efficient trade-off between the air quality benefit and the internal costs (emission reduction technology costs). The methodology has been implemented for Northern Italy, often affected by high long-term exposure to PM10. The source-receptor models used in the multi-objective analysis are identified processing long-term simulations of GAMES multiphase modeling system, performed in the framework of CAFE-Citydelta project.

Community-led Air Sensor Evaluation: New Tools for Citizen Scientists Fact Sheet

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA has developed a guide and analysis tool for citizen scientists to evaluate the performance of low-cost sensors and interpret the data they collect to help citizen scientists interested in learning about local air quality.

A business case evaluation of workplace engineering noise control: a net-cost model.

PubMed

Lahiri, Supriya; Low, Colleen; Barry, Michael

2011-03-01

This article provides a convenient tool for companies to determine the costs and benefits of alternative interventions to prevent noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Contextualized for Singapore and in collaboration with Singapore's Ministry of Manpower, the Net-Cost model evaluates costs of intervention for equipment and labor, avoided costs of productivity losses and medical care, and productivity gains from the employer's economic perspective. To pilot this approach, four case studies are presented, with varying degrees of economic benefits to the employer, including one in which multifactor productivity is the main driver. Although compliance agencies may not require economic analysis of NIHL, given scarce resources in a market-driven economy, this tool enables stakeholders to understand and compare the costs and benefits of NIHL interventions comprehensively and helps in determining risk management strategies.

The Correlation of a Corporate Culture of Health Assessment Score and Health Care Cost Trend

PubMed Central

Fabius, Raymond; Frazee, Sharon Glave; Thayer, Dixon; Kirshenbaum, David; Reynolds, Jim

2018-01-01

Objective: Employers that strive to create a corporate environment that fosters a culture of health often face challenges when trying to determine the impact of improvements on health care cost trends. This study aims to test the stability of the correlation between health care cost trend and corporate health assessment scores (CHAS) using a culture of health measurement tool. Methods: Correlation analysis of annual health care cost trend and CHAS on a small group of employers using a proprietary CHAS tool. Results: Higher CHAS scores are generally correlated with lower health care cost trend. For employers with several years of CHAS measurements, this correlation remains, although imperfectly. Conclusion: As culture of health scores improve, health care costs trends moderate. These findings provide further evidence of the inverse relationship between organizational CHAS performance and health care cost trend. PMID:29465516

System-of-Systems Technology-Portfolio-Analysis Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Neil, Daniel; Mankins, John; Feingold, Harvey; Johnson, Wayne

2012-01-01

Advanced Technology Life-cycle Analysis System (ATLAS) is a system-of-systems technology-portfolio-analysis software tool. ATLAS affords capabilities to (1) compare estimates of the mass and cost of an engineering system based on competing technological concepts; (2) estimate life-cycle costs of an outer-space-exploration architecture for a specified technology portfolio; (3) collect data on state-of-the-art and forecasted technology performance, and on operations and programs; and (4) calculate an index of the relative programmatic value of a technology portfolio. ATLAS facilitates analysis by providing a library of analytical spreadsheet models for a variety of systems. A single analyst can assemble a representation of a system of systems from the models and build a technology portfolio. Each system model estimates mass, and life-cycle costs are estimated by a common set of cost models. Other components of ATLAS include graphical-user-interface (GUI) software, algorithms for calculating the aforementioned index, a technology database, a report generator, and a form generator for creating the GUI for the system models. At the time of this reporting, ATLAS is a prototype, embodied in Microsoft Excel and several thousand lines of Visual Basic for Applications that run on both Windows and Macintosh computers.

Managing design excellence tools during the development of new orthopaedic implants.

PubMed

Défossez, Henri J P; Serhan, Hassan

2013-11-01

Design excellence (DEX) tools have been widely used for years in some industries for their potential to facilitate new product development. The medical sector, targeted by cost pressures, has therefore started adopting them. Numerous tools are available; however only appropriate deployment during the new product development stages can optimize the overall process. The primary study objectives were to describe generic tools and illustrate their implementation and management during the development of new orthopaedic implants, and compile a reference package. Secondary objectives were to present the DEX tool investment costs and savings, since the method can require significant resources for which companies must carefully plan. The publicly available DEX method "Define Measure Analyze Design Verify Validate" was adopted and implemented during the development of a new spinal implant. Several tools proved most successful at developing the correct product, addressing clinical needs, and increasing market penetration potential, while reducing design iterations and manufacturing validations. Cost analysis and Pugh Matrix coupled with multi generation planning enabled developing a strong rationale to activate the project, set the vision and goals. improved risk management and product map established a robust technical verification-validation program. Design of experiments and process quantification facilitated design for manufacturing of critical features, as early as the concept phase. Biomechanical testing with analysis of variance provided a validation model with a recognized statistical performance baseline. Within those tools, only certain ones required minimum resources (i.e., business case, multi generational plan, project value proposition, Pugh Matrix, critical To quality process validation techniques), while others required significant investments (i.e., voice of customer, product usage map, improved risk management, design of experiments, biomechanical testing techniques). All used techniques provided savings exceeding investment costs. Some other tools were considered and found less relevant. A matrix summarized the investment costs and generated estimated savings. Globally, all companies can benefit from using DEX by smartly selecting and estimating those tools with best return on investment at the start of the project. For this, a good understanding of the available company resources, background and development strategy are needed. In conclusion, it was possible to illustrate that appropriate management of design excellence tools can greatly facilitate the development of new orthopaedic implant systems.

Lifecycle Cost Analysis of Green Infrastructure. U.S. EPA National Stormwater Calculator: Low Impact Development Stormwater Control Cost Estimation Module & Future Enhancements

EPA Science Inventory

This presentation will cover the new cost estimation module of the US EPA National Stormwater Calculator and future enhancements, including a new mobile web app version of the tool. The presentation mainly focuses on how the calculator may be used to provide planning level capita...

Economic analysis of cancer treatment costs: another tool for oncology managers.

PubMed

Chirikos, T N; Ruckdeschel, J C; Krischer, J P

2001-01-01

Oncology managers increasingly need more information about how much and why treatment costs vary across cancer patients. In response to this need, our Center is building an analytic capacity for investigating economic aspects of cancer treatment. Economic analysis is characterized by a simultaneous consideration of treatment costs and outcomes; it focuses on how treatment cost/outcome ratios vary across patient populations with similar diseases. In this paper, we present an overview of our work, with special emphasis on the measurement of outcomes and the inputs or costs of treatment, the variability of cost/outcome ratios, and the analysis of the factors that predict or explain this observed variation. We illustrate how the analysis is conducted, set out selected results relating to lung and breast cancer patients, and assess some of the advantages and disadvantages of the approach. Among other things, we conclude that economic analysis of cancer treatment costs is feasible and that it can provide useful data for managerial decision making.

"Black Magic" and "Gold Dust": The Epistemic and Political Uses of Evidence Tools in Public Health Policy Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Ellen; Smith, Katherine E.

2015-01-01

Concerns about the limited influence of research on decision making have prompted the development of tools intended to mediate evidence for policy audiences. This article focuses on three examples, prominent in public health: impact assessments; systematic reviews; and economic decision-making tools (cost-benefit analysis and scenario modelling).…

Thoracoabdominal Computed Tomography in Trauma Patients: A Cost-Consequences Analysis

PubMed Central

van Vugt, Raoul; Kool, Digna R.; Brink, Monique; Dekker, Helena M.; Deunk, Jaap; Edwards, Michael J.

2014-01-01

Background: CT is increasingly used during the initial evaluation of blunt trauma patients. In this era of increasing cost-awareness, the pros and cons of CT have to be assessed. Objectives: This study was performed to evaluate cost-consequences of different diagnostic algorithms that use thoracoabdominal CT in primary evaluation of adult patients with high-energy blunt trauma. Materials and Methods: We compared three different algorithms in which CT was applied as an immediate diagnostic tool (rush CT), a diagnostic tool after limited conventional work-up (routine CT), and a selective tool (selective CT). Probabilities of detecting and missing clinically relevant injuries were retrospectively derived. We collected data on radiation exposure and performed a micro-cost analysis on a reference case-based approach. Results: Both rush and routine CT detected all thoracoabdominal injuries in 99.1% of the patients during primary evaluation (n = 1040). Selective CT missed one or more diagnoses in 11% of the patients in which a change of treatment was necessary in 4.8%. Rush CT algorithm costed € 2676 (US$ 3660) per patient with a mean radiation dose of 26.40 mSv per patient. Routine CT costed € 2815 (US$ 3850) and resulted in the same radiation exposure. Selective CT resulted in less radiation dose (23.23 mSv) and costed € 2771 (US$ 3790). Conclusions: Rush CT seems to result in the least costs and is comparable in terms of radiation dose exposure and diagnostic certainty with routine CT after a limited conventional work-up. However, selective CT results in less radiation dose exposure but a slightly higher cost and less certainty. PMID:25337521

Deficient Contractor Business Systems: Applying the Value at Risk (VaR) Model to Earned Value Management Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-30

QUANTITATIVE RISK ANALYSIS The use of quantitative cost risk analysis tools can be valuable in measuring numerical risk to the government ( Galway , 2004...assessment of the EVMS itself. Galway (2004) practically linked project quantitative risk assessment to EVM by focusing on cost, schedule, and...www.amazon.com Galway , L. (2004, February). Quantitative risk analysis for project management: A critical review (RAND Working Paper WR-112-RC

Clinical process analysis and activity-based costing at a heart center.

PubMed

Ridderstolpe, Lisa; Johansson, Andreas; Skau, Tommy; Rutberg, Hans; Ahlfeldt, Hans

2002-08-01

Cost studies, productivity, efficiency, and quality of care measures, the links between resources and patient outcomes, are fundamental issues for hospital management today. This paper describes the implementation of a model for process analysis and activity-based costing (ABC)/management at a Heart Center in Sweden as a tool for administrative cost information, strategic decision-making, quality improvement, and cost reduction. A commercial software package (QPR) containing two interrelated parts, "ProcessGuide and CostControl," was used. All processes at the Heart Center were mapped and graphically outlined. Processes and activities such as health care procedures, research, and education were identified together with their causal relationship to costs and products/services. The construction of the ABC model in CostControl was time-consuming. However, after the ABC/management system was created, it opened the way for new possibilities including process and activity analysis, simulation, and price calculations. Cost analysis showed large variations in the cost obtained for individual patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. We conclude that a process-based costing system is applicable and has the potential to be useful in hospital management.

Early diagnosis of osteoporosis using radiogrammetry and texture analysis from hand and wrist radiographs in Indian population.

PubMed

Areeckal, A S; Jayasheelan, N; Kamath, J; Zawadynski, S; Kocher, M; David S, S

2018-03-01

We propose an automated low cost tool for early diagnosis of onset of osteoporosis using cortical radiogrammetry and cancellous texture analysis from hand and wrist radiographs. The trained classifier model gives a good performance accuracy in classifying between healthy and low bone mass subjects. We propose a low cost automated diagnostic tool for early diagnosis of reduction in bone mass using cortical radiogrammetry and cancellous texture analysis of hand and wrist radiographs. Reduction in bone mass could lead to osteoporosis, a disease observed to be increasingly occurring at a younger age in recent times. Dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), currently used in clinical practice, is expensive and available only in urban areas in India. Therefore, there is a need to develop a low cost diagnostic tool in order to facilitate large-scale screening of people for early diagnosis of osteoporosis at primary health centers. Cortical radiogrammetry from third metacarpal bone shaft and cancellous texture analysis from distal radius are used to detect low bone mass. Cortical bone indices and cancellous features using Gray Level Run Length Matrices and Laws' masks are extracted. A neural network classifier is trained using these features to classify healthy subjects and subjects having low bone mass. In our pilot study, the proposed segmentation method shows 89.9 and 93.5% accuracy in detecting third metacarpal bone shaft and distal radius ROI, respectively. The trained classifier shows training accuracy of 94.3% and test accuracy of 88.5%. An automated diagnostic technique for early diagnosis of onset of osteoporosis is developed using cortical radiogrammetric measurements and cancellous texture analysis of hand and wrist radiographs. The work shows that a combination of cortical and cancellous features improves the diagnostic ability and is a promising low cost tool for early diagnosis of increased risk of osteoporosis.

Electric/Hybrid Vehicle Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slusser, R. A.; Chapman, C. P.; Brennand, J. P.

1985-01-01

ELVEC computer program provides vehicle designer with simulation tool for detailed studies of electric and hybrid vehicle performance and cost. ELVEC simulates performance of user-specified electric or hybrid vehicle under user specified driving schedule profile or operating schedule. ELVEC performs vehicle design and life cycle cost analysis.

Probabilistic cost-benefit analysis of disaster risk management in a development context.

PubMed

Kull, Daniel; Mechler, Reinhard; Hochrainer-Stigler, Stefan

2013-07-01

Limited studies have shown that disaster risk management (DRM) can be cost-efficient in a development context. Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is an evaluation tool to analyse economic efficiency. This research introduces quantitative, stochastic CBA frameworks and applies them in case studies of flood and drought risk reduction in India and Pakistan, while also incorporating projected climate change impacts. DRM interventions are shown to be economically efficient, with integrated approaches more cost-effective and robust than singular interventions. The paper highlights that CBA can be a useful tool if certain issues are considered properly, including: complexities in estimating risk; data dependency of results; negative effects of interventions; and distributional aspects. The design and process of CBA must take into account specific objectives, available information, resources, and the perceptions and needs of stakeholders as transparently as possible. Intervention design and uncertainties should be qualified through dialogue, indicating that process is as important as numerical results. © 2013 The Author(s). Journal compilation © Overseas Development Institute, 2013.

CellProfiler and KNIME: open source tools for high content screening.

PubMed

Stöter, Martin; Niederlein, Antje; Barsacchi, Rico; Meyenhofer, Felix; Brandl, Holger; Bickle, Marc

2013-01-01

High content screening (HCS) has established itself in the world of the pharmaceutical industry as an essential tool for drug discovery and drug development. HCS is currently starting to enter the academic world and might become a widely used technology. Given the diversity of problems tackled in academic research, HCS could experience some profound changes in the future, mainly with more imaging modalities and smart microscopes being developed. One of the limitations in the establishment of HCS in academia is flexibility and cost. Flexibility is important to be able to adapt the HCS setup to accommodate the multiple different assays typical of academia. Many cost factors cannot be avoided, but the costs of the software packages necessary to analyze large datasets can be reduced by using Open Source software. We present and discuss the Open Source software CellProfiler for image analysis and KNIME for data analysis and data mining that provide software solutions which increase flexibility and keep costs low.

A Suite of Tools for Technology Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

Saden, Povinelli & Rosen, 1989). • This was a significant change in emphasis on the part of NASA, where technology had previously viewed as merely...Cost Analysis Symposium, April 13, 2005. A Suite of Tools for Technology Assessment 24 Bibliography - continued: • Sadin, Stanley T.; Povinelli

Turning up the heat on aircraft structures. [design and analysis for high-temperature conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dobyns, Alan; Saff, Charles; Johns, Robert

1992-01-01

An overview is presented of the current effort in design and development of aircraft structures to achieve the lowest cost for best performance. Enhancements in this area are focused on integrated design, improved design analysis tools, low-cost fabrication techniques, and more sophisticated test methods. 3D CAD/CAM data are becoming the method through which design, manufacturing, and engineering communicate.

Financial analysis of community-based forest enterprises with the Green Value tool

Treesearch

S. Humphries; Tom Holmes

2016-01-01

The Green Value tool was developed in response to the need for simplified procedures that could be used in the field to conduct financial analysis for community-based forest enterprises (CFEs). Initially our efforts focused on a set of worksheets that could be used by both researchers and CFEs to monitor and analyze costs and income for one production period. The...

What linear programming contributes: world food programme experience with the "cost of the diet" tool.

PubMed

Frega, Romeo; Lanfranco, Jose Guerra; De Greve, Sam; Bernardini, Sara; Geniez, Perrine; Grede, Nils; Bloem, Martin; de Pee, Saskia

2012-09-01

Linear programming has been used for analyzing children's complementary feeding diets, for optimizing nutrient adequacy of dietary recommendations for a population, and for estimating the economic value of fortified foods. To describe and apply a linear programming tool ("Cost of the Diet") with data from Mozambique to determine what could be cost-effective fortification strategies. Based on locally assessed average household dietary needs, seasonal market prices of available food products, and food composition data, the tool estimates the lowest-cost diet that meets almost all nutrient needs. The results were compared with expenditure data from Mozambique to establish the affordability of this diet by quintiles of the population. Three different applications were illustrated: identifying likely "limiting nutrients," comparing cost effectiveness of different fortification interventions at the household level, and assessing economic access to nutritious foods. The analysis identified iron, vitamin B2, and pantothenic acid as "limiting nutrients." Under the Mozambique conditions, vegetable oil was estimated as a more cost-efficient vehicle for vitamin A fortification than sugar; maize flour may also be an effective vehicle to provide other constraining micronutrients. Multiple micronutrient fortification of maize flour could reduce the cost of the "lowest-cost nutritious diet" by 18%, but even this diet can be afforded by only 20% of the Mozambican population. Within the context of fortification, linear programming can be a useful tool for identifying likely nutrient inadequacies, for comparing fortification options in terms of cost effectiveness, and for illustrating the potential benefit of fortification for improving household access to a nutritious diet.

Trade-Space Analysis Tool for Constellations (TAT-C)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Le Moigne, Jacqueline; Dabney, Philip; de Weck, Olivier; Foreman, Veronica; Grogan, Paul; Holland, Matthew; Hughes, Steven; Nag, Sreeja

2016-01-01

Traditionally, space missions have relied on relatively large and monolithic satellites, but in the past few years, under a changing technological and economic environment, including instrument and spacecraft miniaturization, scalable launchers, secondary launches as well as hosted payloads, there is growing interest in implementing future NASA missions as Distributed Spacecraft Missions (DSM). The objective of our project is to provide a framework that facilitates DSM Pre-Phase A investigations and optimizes DSM designs with respect to a-priori Science goals. In this first version of our Trade-space Analysis Tool for Constellations (TAT-C), we are investigating questions such as: How many spacecraft should be included in the constellation? Which design has the best costrisk value? The main goals of TAT-C are to: Handle multiple spacecraft sharing a mission objective, from SmallSats up through flagships, Explore the variables trade space for pre-defined science, cost and risk goals, and pre-defined metrics Optimize cost and performance across multiple instruments and platforms vs. one at a time.This paper describes the overall architecture of TAT-C including: a User Interface (UI) interacting with multiple users - scientists, missions designers or program managers; an Executive Driver gathering requirements from UI, then formulating Trade-space Search Requests for the Trade-space Search Iterator first with inputs from the Knowledge Base, then, in collaboration with the Orbit Coverage, Reduction Metrics, and Cost Risk modules, generating multiple potential architectures and their associated characteristics. TAT-C leverages the use of the Goddard Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT) to compute coverage and ancillary data, streamlining the computations by modeling orbits in a way that balances accuracy and performance.TAT-C current version includes uniform Walker constellations as well as Ad-Hoc constellations, and its cost model represents an aggregate model consisting of Cost Estimating Relationships (CERs) from widely accepted models. The Knowledge Base supports both analysis and exploration, and the current GUI prototype automatically generates graphics representing metrics such as average revisit time or coverage as a function of cost.

Methodology for conceptual remote sensing spacecraft technology: insertion analysis balancing performance, cost, and risk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bearden, David A.; Duclos, Donald P.; Barrera, Mark J.; Mosher, Todd J.; Lao, Norman Y.

1997-12-01

Emerging technologies and micro-instrumentation are changing the way remote sensing spacecraft missions are developed and implemented. Government agencies responsible for procuring space systems are increasingly requesting analyses to estimate cost, performance and design impacts of advanced technology insertion for both state-of-the-art systems as well as systems to be built 5 to 10 years in the future. Numerous spacecraft technology development programs are being sponsored by Department of Defense (DoD) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) agencies with the goal of enhancing spacecraft performance, reducing mass, and reducing cost. However, it is often the case that technology studies, in the interest of maximizing subsystem-level performance and/or mass reduction, do not anticipate synergistic system-level effects. Furthermore, even though technical risks are often identified as one of the largest cost drivers for space systems, many cost/design processes and models ignore effects of cost risk in the interest of quick estimates. To address these issues, the Aerospace Corporation developed a concept analysis methodology and associated software tools. These tools, collectively referred to as the concept analysis and design evaluation toolkit (CADET), facilitate system architecture studies and space system conceptual designs focusing on design heritage, technology selection, and associated effects on cost, risk and performance at the system and subsystem level. CADET allows: (1) quick response to technical design and cost questions; (2) assessment of the cost and performance impacts of existing and new designs/technologies; and (3) estimation of cost uncertainties and risks. These capabilities aid mission designers in determining the configuration of remote sensing missions that meet essential requirements in a cost- effective manner. This paper discuses the development of CADET modules and their application to several remote sensing satellite mission concepts.

Microgrid Analysis Tools Summary

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jimenez, Antonio; Haase, Scott G; Mathur, Shivani

2018-03-05

The over-arching goal of the Alaska Microgrid Partnership is to reduce the use of total imported fuel into communities to secure all energy services by at least 50% in Alaska's remote microgrids without increasing system life cycle costs while also improving overall system reliability, security, and resilience. One goal of the Alaska Microgrid Partnership is to investigate whether a combination of energy efficiency and high-contribution (from renewable energy) power systems can reduce total imported energy usage by 50% while reducing life cycle costs and improving reliability and resiliency. This presentation provides an overview of the following four renewable energy optimizationmore » tools. Information is from respective tool websites, tool developers, and author experience. Distributed Energy Resources Customer Adoption Model (DER-CAM) Microgrid Design Toolkit (MDT) Renewable Energy Optimization (REopt) Tool Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER).« less

A systematic review of the cost and cost-effectiveness of electronic discharge communications

PubMed Central

Sevick, Laura K; Esmail, Rosmin; Tang, Karen; Lorenzetti, Diane L; Ronksley, Paul; James, Matthew; Santana, Maria; Ghali, William A; Clement, Fiona

2017-01-01

Background The transition between acute care and community care can be a vulnerable period in a patients’ treatment due to the potential for postdischarge adverse events. The vulnerability of this period has been attributed to factors related to the miscommunication between hospital-based and community-based physicians. Electronic discharge communication has been proposed as one solution to bridge this communication gap. Prior to widespread implementation of these tools, the costs and benefits should be considered. Objective To establish the cost and cost-effectiveness of electronic discharge communications compared with traditional discharge systems for individuals who have completed care with one provider and are transitioning care to a new provider. Methods We conducted a systematic review of the published literature, using best practices, to identify economic evaluations/cost analyses of electronic discharge communication tools. Inclusion criteria were: (1) economic analysis and (2) electronic discharge communication tool as the intervention. Quality of each article was assessed, and data were summarised using a component-based analysis. Results One thousand unique abstracts were identified, and 57 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. Four studies met final inclusion criteria. These studies varied in their primary objectives, methodology, costs reported and outcomes. All of the studies were of low to good quality. Three of the studies reported a cost-effectiveness measure ranging from an incremental daily cost of decreasing average discharge note completion by 1 day of $0.331 (2003 Canadian), a cost per page per discharge letter of €9.51 and a dynamic net present value of €31.1 million for a 5-year implementation of the intervention. None of the identified studies considered clinically meaningful patient or quality outcomes. Discussion Economic analyses of electronic discharge communications are scarcely reported, and with inconsistent methodology and outcomes. Further studies are needed to understand the cost-effectiveness and value for patient care. PMID:28674136

Evaluating a Computerized Aid for Conducting a Cognitive Task Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-01-01

in conducting a cognitive task analysis . The conduct of a cognitive task analysis is costly and labor intensive. As a result, a few computerized aids...evaluation of a computerized aid, specifically CAT-HCI (Cognitive Analysis Tool - Human Computer Interface), for the conduct of a detailed cognitive task analysis . A

78 FR 69839 - Building Technologies Office Prioritization Tool

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-21

... innovative and cost-effective energy saving solutions: Supporting research and development of high impact... Description The tool was designed to inform programmatic decision-making and facilitate the setting of... quantitative analysis to assure only the highest impact measures are the focus of further effort. The approach...

HUMAN HEALTH METRICS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION SUPPORT TOOLS: LESSONS FROM HEALTH ECONOMICS AND DECISION ANALYSIS

EPA Science Inventory

Decision makers using environmental decision support tools are often confronted with information that predicts a multitude of different human health effects due to environmental stressors. If these health effects need to be contrasted with costs or compared with alternative scena...

Overview of SDCM - The Spacecraft Design and Cost Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferebee, Melvin J.; Farmer, Jeffery T.; Andersen, Gregory C.; Flamm, Jeffery D.; Badi, Deborah M.

1988-01-01

The Spacecraft Design and Cost Model (SDCM) is a computer-aided design and analysis tool for synthesizing spacecraft configurations, integrating their subsystems, and generating information concerning on-orbit servicing and costs. SDCM uses a bottom-up method in which the cost and performance parameters for subsystem components are first calculated; the model then sums the contributions from individual components in order to obtain an estimate of sizes and costs for each candidate configuration within a selected spacecraft system. An optimum spacraft configuration can then be selected.

What Are the Costs of Trauma Center Readiness? Defining and Standardizing Readiness Costs for Trauma Centers Statewide.

PubMed

Ashley, Dennis W; Mullins, Robert F; Dente, Christopher J; Garlow, Laura; Medeiros, Regina S; Atkins, Elizabeth V; Solomon, Gina; Abston, Dena; Ferdinand, Colville H

2017-09-01

Trauma center readiness costs are incurred to maintain essential infrastructure and capacity to provide emergent services on a 24/7 basis. These costs are not captured by traditional hospital cost accounting, and no national consensus exists on appropriate definitions for each cost. Therefore, in 2010, stakeholders from all Level I and II trauma centers developed a survey tool standardizing and defining trauma center readiness costs. The survey tool underwent minor revisions to provide further clarity, and the survey was repeated in 2013. The purpose of this study was to provide a follow-up analysis of readiness costs for Georgia's Level I and Level II trauma centers. Using the American College of Surgeons Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient guidelines, four readiness cost categories were identified: Administrative, Clinical Medical Staff, Operating Room, and Education/Outreach. Through conference calls, webinars and face-to-face meetings with financial officers, trauma medical directors, and program managers from all trauma centers, standardized definitions for reporting readiness costs within each category were developed. This resulted in a survey tool for centers to report their individual readiness costs for one year. The total readiness cost for all Level I trauma centers was $34,105,318 (avg $6,821,064) and all Level II trauma centers was $20,998,019 (avg $2,333,113). Methodology to standardize and define readiness costs for all trauma centers within the state was developed. Average costs for Level I and Level II trauma centers were identified. This model may be used to help other states define and standardize their trauma readiness costs.

How do we evaluate the cost of healthcare technology?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nobel, Joel J.

1994-12-01

Five critical questions apply when evaluating the cost of healthcare technology: Who is asking the question (of how to evaluate healthcare costs)? For what purpose? What is the nature of the decision that must be made? At what state of a technology's development and diffusion are the questions being posed? What type of technology is stimulating the questions? A large number of organizations, both national and international, are engaged in technology assessment, and constructive disagreement improves the overall quality of those assessments. Current cost measurements tools such as cost-utility analysis, cost-benefit analysis, cost- effectiveness analysis, and outcomes research are weak and ineffective. Recently, pharmaceutical manufacturers have adopted more global cost-effectiveness studies. Technology assessments will ultimately focus on examining the relative cost-effectiveness of alternative technologies for a specific pathology or examining the relative cost-effectiveness of alternative technologies for a specific pathology or DRG. In addition to the traditional healthcare facility--hospital, outpatient facility, or group practice, group purchasing organizations are also asking about cost-effectiveness of healthcare. ECRI's SELECTTM process, unlike less effective technology assessments, takes into account real-world user experience data and life-cycle cost analysis in addition to detailed comparisons of technical features and performance.

Systems Engineering and Integration (SE and I)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chevers, ED; Haley, Sam

1990-01-01

The issue of technology advancement and future space transportation vehicles is addressed. The challenge is to develop systems which can be evolved and improved in small incremental steps where each increment reduces present cost, improves, reliability, or does neither but sets the stage for a second incremental upgrade that does. Future requirements are interface standards for commercial off the shelf products to aid in the development of integrated facilities; enhanced automated code generation system slightly coupled to specification and design documentation; modeling tools that support data flow analysis; and shared project data bases consisting of technical characteristics cast information, measurement parameters, and reusable software programs. Topics addressed include: advanced avionics development strategy; risk analysis and management; tool quality management; low cost avionics; cost estimation and benefits; computer aided software engineering; computer systems and software safety; system testability; and advanced avionics laboratories - and rapid prototyping. This presentation is represented by viewgraphs only.

Cost-effectiveness analysis: adding value to assessment of animal health welfare and production.

PubMed

Babo Martins, S; Rushton, J

2014-12-01

Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) has been extensively used in economic assessments in fields related to animal health, namely in human health where it provides a decision-making framework for choices about the allocation of healthcare resources. Conversely, in animal health, cost-benefit analysis has been the preferred tool for economic analysis. In this paper, the use of CEA in related areas and the role of this technique in assessments of animal health, welfare and production are reviewed. Cost-effectiveness analysis can add further value to these assessments, particularly in programmes targeting animal welfare or animal diseases with an impact on human health, where outcomes are best valued in natural effects rather than in monetary units. Importantly, CEA can be performed during programme implementation stages to assess alternative courses of action in real time.

2015 Cost of Wind Energy Review

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mone, Christopher; Hand, Maureen; Bolinger, Mark

This report uses representative commercial projects to estimate the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for both land-based and offshore wind plants in the United States for 2015. Scheduled to be published on an annual basis, the analysis relies on both market and modeled data to maintain an up-to-date understanding of wind generation cost trends and drivers. It is intended to provide insight into current component-level costs and a basis for understanding variability in the LCOE across the industry. Data and tools developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are used in this analysis to inform wind technology cost projections,more » goals, and improvement opportunities.« less

2014 Cost of Wind Energy Review

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mone, Christopher; Stehly, Tyler; Maples, Ben

2015-10-01

This report uses representative commercial projects to estimate the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for both land-based and offshore wind plants in the United States for 2014. Scheduled to be published on an annual basis, the analysis relies on both market and modeled data to maintain an up-to-date understanding of wind generation cost trends and drivers. It is intended to provide insight into current component-level costs and a basis for understanding variability in the LCOE across the industry. Data and tools developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are used in this analysis to inform wind technology cost projections,more » goals, and improvement opportunities.« less

DORCA computer program. Volume 1: User's guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wray, S. T., Jr.

1971-01-01

The Dynamic Operational Requirements and Cost Analysis Program (DORCA) was written to provide a top level analysis tool for NASA. DORCA relies on a man-machine interaction to optimize results based on external criteria. DORCA relies heavily on outside sources to provide cost information and vehicle performance parameters as the program does not determine these quantities but rather uses them. Given data describing missions, vehicles, payloads, containers, space facilities, schedules, cost values and costing procedures, the program computes flight schedules, cargo manifests, vehicle fleet requirements, acquisition schedules and cost summaries. The program is designed to consider the Earth Orbit, Lunar, Interplanetary and Automated Satellite Programs. A general outline of the capabilities of the program are provided.

Animated-simulation modeling facilitates clinical-process costing.

PubMed

Zelman, W N; Glick, N D; Blackmore, C C

2001-09-01

Traditionally, the finance department has assumed responsibility for assessing process costs in healthcare organizations. To enhance process-improvement efforts, however, many healthcare providers need to include clinical staff in process cost analysis. Although clinical staff often use electronic spreadsheets to model the cost of specific processes, PC-based animated-simulation tools offer two major advantages over spreadsheets: they allow clinicians to interact more easily with the costing model so that it more closely represents the process being modeled, and they represent cost output as a cost range rather than as a single cost estimate, thereby providing more useful information for decision making.

Latest NASA Instrument Cost Model (NICM): Version VI

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mrozinski, Joe; Habib-Agahi, Hamid; Fox, George; Ball, Gary

2014-01-01

The NASA Instrument Cost Model, NICM, is a suite of tools which allow for probabilistic cost estimation of NASA's space-flight instruments at both the system and subsystem level. NICM also includes the ability to perform cost by analogy as well as joint confidence level (JCL) analysis. The latest version of NICM, Version VI, was released in Spring 2014. This paper will focus on the new features released with NICM VI, which include: 1) The NICM-E cost estimating relationship, which is applicable for instruments flying on Explorer-like class missions; 2) The new cluster analysis ability which, alongside the results of the parametric cost estimation for the user's instrument, also provides a visualization of the user's instrument's similarity to previously flown instruments; and 3) includes new cost estimating relationships for in-situ instruments.

A digital flight control system verification laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

De Feo, P.; Saib, S.

1982-01-01

A NASA/FAA program has been established for the verification and validation of digital flight control systems (DFCS), with the primary objective being the development and analysis of automated verification tools. In order to enhance the capabilities, effectiveness, and ease of using the test environment, software verification tools can be applied. Tool design includes a static analyzer, an assertion generator, a symbolic executor, a dynamic analysis instrument, and an automated documentation generator. Static and dynamic tools are integrated with error detection capabilities, resulting in a facility which analyzes a representative testbed of DFCS software. Future investigations will ensue particularly in the areas of increase in the number of software test tools, and a cost effectiveness assessment.

Visual Decision Support Tool for Supporting Asset Management Performance, Risk, and Cost Analysis (WERF Report INFR5R12)

EPA Science Inventory

Abstract:Managing urban water infrastructures faces the challenge of jointly dealing with assets of diverse types, useful life, cost, ages and condition. Service quality and sustainability require sound long-term planning, well aligned with tactical and operational planning and m...

Sizing and Lifecycle Cost Analysis of an Ares V Composite Interstage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mann, Troy; Smeltzer, Stan; Grenoble, Ray; Mason, Brian; Rosario, Sev; Fairbairn, Bob

2012-01-01

The Interstage Element of the Ares V launch vehicle was sized using a commercially available structural sizing software tool. Two different concepts were considered, a metallic design and a composite design. Both concepts were sized using similar levels of analysis fidelity and included the influence of design details on each concept. Additionally, the impact of the different manufacturing techniques and failure mechanisms for composite and metallic construction were considered. Significant details were included in analysis models of each concept, including penetrations for human access, joint connections, as well as secondary loading effects. The designs and results of the analysis were used to determine lifecycle cost estimates for the two Interstage designs. Lifecycle cost estimates were based on industry provided cost data for similar launch vehicle components. The results indicated that significant mass as well as cost savings are attainable for the chosen composite concept as compared with a metallic option.

Integrating Transportation Modeling and Desktop GIS: A Practical and Affordable Analysis Tool for Small and Medium Sized Communities

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-09-16

This paper and presentation discuss some of the benefits of integrating travel : demand models and desktop GIS (ArchInfo and ArcView for PCs) as a : cost-effective and staff saving tool, as well as specific improvements to : transportation planning m...

A Cost Analysis of a Community Health Worker Program in Rural Vermont

PubMed Central

Wang, Guijing; Ruggles, Laural; Dunet, Diane O.

2015-01-01

Studies have shown that community health workers (CHWs) can improve the effectiveness of health care systems; however, little has been reported about CHW program costs. We examined the costs of a program staffed by three CHWs associated with a small, rural hospital in Vermont. We used a standardized data collection tool to compile cost information from administrative data and personal interviews. We analyzed personnel and operational costs from October 2010 to September 2011. The estimated total program cost was $420,348, a figure comprised of $281,063 (67 %) for personnel and $139,285 (33 %) for operations. CHW salaries and office space were the major cost components. Our cost analysis approach may be adapted by others to conduct cost analyses of their CHW program. Our cost estimates can help inform future economic studies of CHW programs and resource allocation decisions. PMID:23794072

Cost-effectiveness acceptability curves revisited.

PubMed

Al, Maiwenn J

2013-02-01

Since the introduction of the cost-effectiveness acceptability curve (CEAC) in 1994, its use as a method to describe uncertainty around incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) has steadily increased. In this paper, first the construction and interpretation of the CEAC is explained, both in the context of modelling studies and in the context of cost-effectiveness (CE) studies alongside clinical trials. Additionally, this paper reviews the advantages and limitations of the CEAC. Many of the perceived limitations can be attributed to the practice of interpreting the CEAC as a decision rule while it was not developed as such. It is argued that the CEAC is still a useful tool in describing and quantifying uncertainty around the ICER, especially in combination with other tools such as plots on the CE plane and value-of-information analysis.

Value engineering on the designed operator work tools for brick and rings wells production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayu Bidiawati J., R.; Muchtiar, Yesmizarti; Wariza, Ragil Okta

2017-06-01

Operator working tools in making brick and ring wells were designed and made, and the value engineering was calculated to identify and develop the function of these tools in obtaining the balance between cost, reliability and appearance. This study focused on the value of functional components of the tools and attempted to increase the difference between the costs incurred by the generated values. The purpose of this study was to determine the alternatives of tools design and to determine the performance of each alternative. The technique was developed using FAST method that consisted of five stages: information, creative, analytical, development and presentation stage. The results of the analysis concluded that the designed tools have higher value and better function description. There were four alternative draft improvements for operator working tools. The best alternative was determined based on the rank by using matrix evaluation. Best performance was obtained by the alternative II, amounting to 98.92 with a value of 0.77.

Data analysis of the benefits of an electronic registry of information in a neonatal intensive care unit in Greece.

PubMed

Skouroliakou, Maria; Soloupis, George; Gounaris, Antonis; Charitou, Antonia; Papasarantopoulos, Petros; Markantonis, Sophia L; Golna, Christina; Souliotis, Kyriakos

2008-07-28

This study assesses the results of implementation of a software program that allows for input of admission/discharge summary data (including cost) in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Greece, based on the establishment of a baseline statistical database for infants treated in a NICU and the statistical analysis of epidemiological and resource utilization data thus collected. A software tool was designed, developed, and implemented between April 2004 and March 2005 in the NICU of the LITO private maternity hospital in Athens, Greece, to allow for the first time for step-by-step collection and management of summary treatment data. Data collected over this period were subsequently analyzed using defined indicators as a basis to extract results related to treatment options, treatment duration, and relative resource utilization. Data for 499 babies were entered in the tool and processed. Information on medical costs (e.g., mean total cost +/- SD of treatment was euro310.44 +/- 249.17 and euro6704.27 +/- 4079.53 for babies weighing more than 2500 g and 1000-1500 g respectively), incidence of complications or disease (e.g., 4.3 percent and 14.3 percent of study babies weighing 1,000 to 1,500 g suffered from cerebral bleeding [grade I] and bronchopulmonary dysplasia, respectively, while overall 6.0 percent had microbial infections), and medical statistics (e.g., perinatal mortality was 6.8 percent) was obtained in a quick and robust manner. The software tool allowed for collection and analysis of data traditionally maintained in paper medical records in the NICU with greater ease and accuracy. Data codification and analysis led to significant findings at the epidemiological, medical resource utilization, and respective hospital cost levels that allowed comparisons with literature findings for the first time in Greece. The tool thus contributed to a clearer understanding of treatment practices in the NICU and set the baseline for the assessment of the impact of future interventions at the policy or hospital level.

Low-cost Tools for Aerial Video Geolocation and Air Traffic Analysis for Delay Reduction Using Google Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zetterlind, V.; Pledgie, S.

2009-12-01

Low-cost, low-latency, robust geolocation and display of aerial video is a common need for a wide range of earth observing as well as emergency response and security applications. While hardware costs for aerial video collection systems, GPS, and inertial sensors have been decreasing, software costs for geolocation algorithms and reference imagery/DTED remain expensive and highly proprietary. As part of a Federal Small Business Innovative Research project, MosaicATM and EarthNC, Inc have developed a simple geolocation system based on the Google Earth API and Google's 'built-in' DTED and reference imagery libraries. This system geolocates aerial video based on platform and camera position, attitude, and field-of-view metadata using geometric photogrammetric principles of ray-intersection with DTED. Geolocated video can be directly rectified and viewed in the Google Earth API during processing. Work is underway to extend our geolocation code to NASA World Wind for additional flexibility and a fully open-source platform. In addition to our airborne remote sensing work, MosaicATM has developed the Surface Operations Data Analysis and Adaptation (SODAA) tool, funded by NASA Ames, which supports analysis of airport surface operations to optimize aircraft movements and reduce fuel burn and delays. As part of SODAA, MosaicATM and EarthNC, Inc have developed powerful tools to display national airspace data and time-animated 3D flight tracks in Google Earth for 4D analysis. The SODAA tool can convert raw format flight track data, FAA National Flight Data (NFD), and FAA 'Adaptation' airport surface data to a spatial database representation and then to Google Earth KML. The SODAA client provides users with a simple graphical interface through which to generate queries with a wide range of predefined and custom filters, plot results, and export for playback in Google Earth in conjunction with NFD and Adaptation overlays.

Automotive manufacturing assessment system. Volume IV: engine manufacturing analysis. Final report Jun 77-Aug 78

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Taylor, T. Jr

Volume IV represents the results of one of four major study areas under the Automotive Manufacturing Assessment System (AMAS) sponsored by the DOT/Transportation Systems Center. AMAS was designed to assist in the evaluation of industry's capability to produce fuel efficient vehicles. An analysis of automotive engine manufacturing was conducted in order to determine the impact of regulatory changes on tooling costs and the production process. The 351W CID V-8 engine at Ford's Windsor No. 1 Plant was the subject of the analysis. A review of plant history and its product is presented along with an analysis of manufacturing operations, includingmore » material and production flow, plant layout, machining and assembly processes, tooling, supporting facilities, inspection, service and repair. Four levels of product change intensity showing the impact on manufacturing methods and cost is also presented.« less

Analysis of Illumina Microbial Assemblies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Clum, Alicia; Foster, Brian; Froula, Jeff

2010-05-28

Since the emerging of second generation sequencing technologies, the evaluation of different sequencing approaches and their assembly strategies for different types of genomes has become an important undertaken. Next generation sequencing technologies dramatically increase sequence throughput while decreasing cost, making them an attractive tool for whole genome shotgun sequencing. To compare different approaches for de-novo whole genome assembly, appropriate tools and a solid understanding of both quantity and quality of the underlying sequence data are crucial. Here, we performed an in-depth analysis of short-read Illumina sequence assembly strategies for bacterial and archaeal genomes. Different types of Illumina libraries as wellmore » as different trim parameters and assemblers were evaluated. Results of the comparative analysis and sequencing platforms will be presented. The goal of this analysis is to develop a cost-effective approach for the increased throughput of the generation of high quality microbial genomes.« less

Reviewing the economic efficiency of disaster risk management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mechler, Reinhard

2013-04-01

There is a lot of rhetoric suggesting that disaster risk management (DRM) pays, yet surprisingly little in the way of hard facts. Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is one major tool that can provide quantitative information about the prioritization of disaster risk management (DRM) (and climate adaptation) based on economic principles. Yet, on a global scale, there has been surprisingly little robust evidence on the economic efficiency and benefits of risk management measures. This review shows that for the limited evidence reported the economic case for DRM across a range of hazards is strong and that the benefits of investing in DRM outweigh the costs of doing so, on average, by about four times the cost in terms of avoided and reduced losses. Most studies using a CBA approach focus on structural DRM and most information has been made available on physical flood prevention. There have been some limited studies on preparedness and risk financing. The global evidence base is limited and estimates appear not very solid, and overall, in line with the conclusion of the recent IPCC SREX report, there is limited evidence and medium agreement across the literature. Some of the factors behind the limited robustness are inherent to CBA more widely: these challenges comprise the inability to price intangibles, evaluating strategies rather than single projects, difficulties in assessing softer rather than infrastructure-related options, choices regarding a proper discount rate, lack of accounting for the distribution of benefits and costs and difficulties with assessing nonmarket values such as those related to health, the environment, or public goods. Although techniques exist to address some of these challenges, they are not very likely to easily go away. Other challenges associated specifically with DRM, such as the need and difficulty to undertake risk -based analysis can be overcome, and there have been manuals and reports providing a way forward. In an age of austerity, cost-benefit analysis continues to be an important tool for prioritising efficient DRM measures, yet with a shifting emphasis from infrastructure-based options (hard resilience) to preparedness and systemic interventions (soft resilience), other tools such as cost-effectiveness analysis, multi-criteria analysis and robust decision-making approaches deserve more attention.

Allogeneic cell therapy bioprocess economics and optimization: downstream processing decisions.

PubMed

Hassan, Sally; Simaria, Ana S; Varadaraju, Hemanthram; Gupta, Siddharth; Warren, Kim; Farid, Suzanne S

2015-01-01

To develop a decisional tool to identify the most cost effective process flowsheets for allogeneic cell therapies across a range of production scales. A bioprocess economics and optimization tool was built to assess competing cell expansion and downstream processing (DSP) technologies. Tangential flow filtration was generally more cost-effective for the lower cells/lot achieved in planar technologies and fluidized bed centrifugation became the only feasible option for handling large bioreactor outputs. DSP bottlenecks were observed at large commercial lot sizes requiring multiple large bioreactors. The DSP contribution to the cost of goods/dose ranged between 20-55%, and 50-80% for planar and bioreactor flowsheets, respectively. This analysis can facilitate early decision-making during process development.

Application of modern tools and techniques to maximize engineering productivity in the development of orbital operations plans for the space station progrm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manford, J. S.; Bennett, G. R.

1985-01-01

The Space Station Program will incorporate analysis of operations constraints and considerations in the early design phases to avoid the need for later modifications to the Space Station for operations. The application of modern tools and administrative techniques to minimize the cost of performing effective orbital operations planning and design analysis in the preliminary design phase of the Space Station Program is discussed. Tools and techniques discussed include: approach for rigorous analysis of operations functions, use of the resources of a large computer network, and providing for efficient research and access to information.

The Launch Systems Operations Cost Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prince, Frank A.; Hamaker, Joseph W. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

One of NASA's primary missions is to reduce the cost of access to space while simultaneously increasing safety. A key component, and one of the least understood, is the recurring operations and support cost for reusable launch systems. In order to predict these costs, NASA, under the leadership of the Independent Program Assessment Office (IPAO), has commissioned the development of a Launch Systems Operations Cost Model (LSOCM). LSOCM is a tool to predict the operations & support (O&S) cost of new and modified reusable (and partially reusable) launch systems. The requirements are to predict the non-recurring cost for the ground infrastructure and the recurring cost of maintaining that infrastructure, performing vehicle logistics, and performing the O&S actions to return the vehicle to flight. In addition, the model must estimate the time required to cycle the vehicle through all of the ground processing activities. The current version of LSOCM is an amalgamation of existing tools, leveraging our understanding of shuttle operations cost with a means of predicting how the maintenance burden will change as the vehicle becomes more aircraft like. The use of the Conceptual Operations Manpower Estimating Tool/Operations Cost Model (COMET/OCM) provides a solid point of departure based on shuttle and expendable launch vehicle (ELV) experience. The incorporation of the Reliability and Maintainability Analysis Tool (RMAT) as expressed by a set of response surface model equations gives a method for estimating how changing launch system characteristics affects cost and cycle time as compared to today's shuttle system. Plans are being made to improve the model. The development team will be spending the next few months devising a structured methodology that will enable verified and validated algorithms to give accurate cost estimates. To assist in this endeavor the LSOCM team is part of an Agency wide effort to combine resources with other cost and operations professionals to support models, databases, and operations assessments.

Feasibility study tool for semi-rigid joints design of high-rise buildings steel structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bagautdinov, Ruslan; Monastireva, Daria; Bodak, Irina; Potapova, Irina

2018-03-01

There are many ways to consider the final cost of the high-rise building structures and to define, which of their different variations are the most effective from different points of view. The research of Jaakko Haapio is conducted in Tampere University of Technology, which aims to develop a method that allows determining the manufacturing and installation costs of steel structures already at the tender phase while taking into account their details. This paper is aimed to make the analysis of the Feature-Based Costing Method for skeletal steel structures proposed by Jaakko Haapio. The most appropriate ways to improve the tool and to implement it in the Russian circumstances for high-rise building design are derived. Presented tool can be useful not only for the designers but, also, for the steel structures manufacturing organizations, which can help to utilize BIM technologies in the organization process and controlling on the factory.

Smart roadside initiative macro benefit analysis project report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-03-31

Through the Smart Roadside Initiative (SRI), a Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) tool was developed for the evaluation of various new transportation technologies at a State level and to provide results that could support technology adoption by a State Depa...

The Cost-Effectiveness of Real-Time Continuous Glucose Monitoring (RT-CGM) in Type 2 Diabetes.

PubMed

Fonda, Stephanie J; Graham, Claudia; Munakata, Julie; Powers, Julia M; Price, David; Vigersky, Robert A

2016-07-01

This analysis models the cost-effectiveness of real-time continuous glucose monitoring (RT-CGM) using evidence from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) that demonstrated RT-CGM reduced A1C, for up to 9 months after using the technology, among patients with type 2 diabetes not on prandial insulin. RT-CGM was offered short-term and intermittently as a self-care tool to inform patients' behavior. The analyses projected lifetime clinical and economic outcomes for RT-CGM versus self-monitoring of blood glucose by fingerstick only. The base-case analysis was consistent with the RCT (RT-CGM for 2 weeks on/1 week off over 3 months). A scenario analysis simulated outcomes of an RT-CGM "refresher" after the active intervention of the RCT. Analyses used the IMS CORE Diabetes Model and were conducted from a US third-party payer perspective, including direct costs obtained from published sources and inflated to 2011 US dollars. Costs and health outcomes were discounted at 3% per annum. Life expectancy (LE) and quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE) from RT-CGM were 0.10 and 0.07, with a cost of $653/patient over a lifetime. Incremental LE and QALE from a "refresher" were 0.14 and 0.10, with a cost of $1312/patient over a lifetime, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were $9319 and $13 030 per LY and QALY gained. RT-CGM, as a self-care tool, is a cost-effective disease management option in the US for people with type 2 diabetes not on prandial insulin. Repeated use of RT-CGM may result in additional cost-effectiveness. © 2016 Diabetes Technology Society.

Development of hybrid lifecycle cost estimating tool (HLCET) for manufacturing influenced design tradeoff

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sirirojvisuth, Apinut

In complex aerospace system design, making an effective design decision requires multidisciplinary knowledge from both product and process perspectives. Integrating manufacturing considerations into the design process is most valuable during the early design stages since designers have more freedom to integrate new ideas when changes are relatively inexpensive in terms of time and effort. Several metrics related to manufacturability are cost, time, and manufacturing readiness level (MRL). Yet, there is a lack of structured methodology that quantifies how changes in the design decisions impact these metrics. As a result, a new set of integrated cost analysis tools are proposed in this study to quantify the impacts. Equally important is the capability to integrate this new cost tool into the existing design methodologies without sacrificing agility and flexibility required during the early design phases. To demonstrate the applicability of this concept, a ModelCenter environment is used to develop software architecture that represents Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD) methodology used in several aerospace systems designs. The environment seamlessly integrates product and process analysis tools and makes effective transition from one design phase to the other while retaining knowledge gained a priori. Then, an advanced cost estimating tool called Hybrid Lifecycle Cost Estimating Tool (HLCET), a hybrid combination of weight-, process-, and activity-based estimating techniques, is integrated with the design framework. A new weight-based lifecycle cost model is created based on Tailored Cost Model (TCM) equations [3]. This lifecycle cost tool estimates the program cost based on vehicle component weights and programmatic assumptions. Additional high fidelity cost tools like process-based and activity-based cost analysis methods can be used to modify the baseline TCM result as more knowledge is accumulated over design iterations. Therefore, with this concept, the additional manufacturing knowledge can be used to identify a more accurate lifecycle cost and facilitate higher fidelity tradeoffs during conceptual and preliminary design. Advanced Composite Cost Estimating Model (ACCEM) is employed as a process-based cost component to replace the original TCM result of the composite part production cost. The reason for the replacement is that TCM estimates production costs from part weights as a result of subtractive manufacturing of metallic origin such as casting, forging, and machining processes. A complexity factor can sometimes be adjusted to reflect different types of metal and machine settings. The TCM assumption, however, gives erroneous results when applied to additive processes like those of composite manufacturing. Another innovative aspect of this research is the introduction of a work measurement technique called Maynard Operation Sequence Technique (MOST) to be used, similarly to Activity-Based Costing (ABC) approach, to estimate manufacturing time of a part by virtue of breaking down the operations occurred during its production. ABC allows a realistic determination of cost incurred in each activity, as opposed to using a traditional method of time estimation by analogy or using response surface equations from historical process data. The MOST concept provides a tailored study of an individual process typically required for a new, innovative design. Nevertheless, the MOST idea has some challenges, one of which is its requirement to build a new process from ground up. The process development requires a Subject Matter Expertise (SME) in manufacturing method of the particular design. The SME must have also a comprehensive understanding of the MOST system so that the correct parameters are chosen. In practice, these knowledge requirements may demand people from outside of the design discipline and a priori training of MOST. To relieve the constraint, this study includes an entirely new sub-system architecture that comprises 1) a knowledge-based system to provide the required knowledge during the process selection; and 2) a new user-interface to guide the parameter selection when building the process using MOST. Also included in this study is the demonstration of how the HLCET and its constituents can be integrated with a Georgia Tech' Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD) methodology. The applicability of this work will be shown through a complex aerospace design example to gain insights into how manufacturing knowledge helps make better design decisions during the early stages. The setup process is explained with an example of its utility demonstrated in a hypothetical fighter aircraft wing redesign. The evaluation of the system effectiveness against existing methodologies is illustrated to conclude the thesis.

Depth of manual dismantling analysis: a cost-benefit approach.

PubMed

Achillas, Ch; Aidonis, D; Vlachokostas, Ch; Karagiannidis, A; Moussiopoulos, N; Loulos, V

2013-04-01

This paper presents a decision support tool for manufacturers and recyclers towards end-of-life strategies for waste electrical and electronic equipment. A mathematical formulation based on the cost benefit analysis concept is herein analytically described in order to determine the parts and/or components of an obsolete product that should be either non-destructively recovered for reuse or be recycled. The framework optimally determines the depth of disassembly for a given product, taking into account economic considerations. On this basis, it embeds all relevant cost elements to be included in the decision-making process, such as recovered materials and (depreciated) parts/components, labor costs, energy consumption, equipment depreciation, quality control and warehousing. This tool can be part of the strategic decision-making process in order to maximize profitability or minimize end-of-life management costs. A case study to demonstrate the models' applicability is presented for a typical electronic product in terms of structure and material composition. Taking into account the market values of the pilot product's components, the manual disassembly is proven profitable with the marginal revenues from recovered reusable materials to be estimated at 2.93-23.06 €, depending on the level of disassembly. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Review of hardware cost estimation methods, models and tools applied to early phases of space mission planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trivailo, O.; Sippel, M.; Şekercioğlu, Y. A.

2012-08-01

The primary purpose of this paper is to review currently existing cost estimation methods, models, tools and resources applicable to the space sector. While key space sector methods are outlined, a specific focus is placed on hardware cost estimation on a system level, particularly for early mission phases during which specifications and requirements are not yet crystallised, and information is limited. For the space industry, cost engineering within the systems engineering framework is an integral discipline. The cost of any space program now constitutes a stringent design criterion, which must be considered and carefully controlled during the entire program life cycle. A first step to any program budget is a representative cost estimate which usually hinges on a particular estimation approach, or methodology. Therefore appropriate selection of specific cost models, methods and tools is paramount, a difficult task given the highly variable nature, scope as well as scientific and technical requirements applicable to each program. Numerous methods, models and tools exist. However new ways are needed to address very early, pre-Phase 0 cost estimation during the initial program research and establishment phase when system specifications are limited, but the available research budget needs to be established and defined. Due to their specificity, for vehicles such as reusable launchers with a manned capability, a lack of historical data implies that using either the classic heuristic approach such as parametric cost estimation based on underlying CERs, or the analogy approach, is therefore, by definition, limited. This review identifies prominent cost estimation models applied to the space sector, and their underlying cost driving parameters and factors. Strengths, weaknesses, and suitability to specific mission types and classes are also highlighted. Current approaches which strategically amalgamate various cost estimation strategies both for formulation and validation of an estimate, and techniques and/or methods to attain representative and justifiable cost estimates are consequently discussed. Ultimately, the aim of the paper is to establish a baseline for development of a non-commercial, low cost, transparent cost estimation methodology to be applied during very early program research phases at a complete vehicle system level, for largely unprecedented manned launch vehicles in the future. This paper takes the first step to achieving this through the identification, analysis and understanding of established, existing techniques, models, tools and resources relevant within the space sector.

Incorporating psychological influences in probabilistic cost analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kujawski, Edouard; Alvaro, Mariana; Edwards, William

2004-01-08

Today's typical probabilistic cost analysis assumes an ''ideal'' project that is devoid of the human and organizational considerations that heavily influence the success and cost of real-world projects. In the real world ''Money Allocated Is Money Spent'' (MAIMS principle); cost underruns are rarely available to protect against cost overruns while task overruns are passed on to the total project cost. Realistic cost estimates therefore require a modified probabilistic cost analysis that simultaneously models the cost management strategy including budget allocation. Psychological influences such as overconfidence in assessing uncertainties and dependencies among cost elements and risks are other important considerations thatmore » are generally not addressed. It should then be no surprise that actual project costs often exceed the initial estimates and are delivered late and/or with a reduced scope. This paper presents a practical probabilistic cost analysis model that incorporates recent findings in human behavior and judgment under uncertainty, dependencies among cost elements, the MAIMS principle, and project management practices. Uncertain cost elements are elicited from experts using the direct fractile assessment method and fitted with three-parameter Weibull distributions. The full correlation matrix is specified in terms of two parameters that characterize correlations among cost elements in the same and in different subsystems. The analysis is readily implemented using standard Monte Carlo simulation tools such as {at}Risk and Crystal Ball{reg_sign}. The analysis of a representative design and engineering project substantiates that today's typical probabilistic cost analysis is likely to severely underestimate project cost for probability of success values of importance to contractors and procuring activities. The proposed approach provides a framework for developing a viable cost management strategy for allocating baseline budgets and contingencies. Given the scope and magnitude of the cost-overrun problem, the benefits are likely to be significant.« less

Infrastructure Analysis Tools: A Focus on Cash Flow Analysis (Presentation)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Melaina, M.; Penev, M.

2012-09-01

NREL has developed and maintains a variety of infrastructure analysis models for the U.S. Department of Energy. Business case analysis has recently been added to this tool set. This presentation focuses on cash flow analysis. Cash flows depend upon infrastructure costs, optimized spatially and temporally, and assumptions about financing and revenue. NREL has incorporated detailed metrics on financing and incentives into the models. Next steps in modeling include continuing to collect feedback on regional/local infrastructure development activities and 'roadmap' dynamics, and incorporating consumer preference assumptions on infrastructure to provide direct feedback between vehicles and station rollout.

Full 3D visualization tool-kit for Monte Carlo and deterministic transport codes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Frambati, S.; Frignani, M.

2012-07-01

We propose a package of tools capable of translating the geometric inputs and outputs of many Monte Carlo and deterministic radiation transport codes into open source file formats. These tools are aimed at bridging the gap between trusted, widely-used radiation analysis codes and very powerful, more recent and commonly used visualization software, thus supporting the design process and helping with shielding optimization. Three main lines of development were followed: mesh-based analysis of Monte Carlo codes, mesh-based analysis of deterministic codes and Monte Carlo surface meshing. The developed kit is considered a powerful and cost-effective tool in the computer-aided design formore » radiation transport code users of the nuclear world, and in particular in the fields of core design and radiation analysis. (authors)« less

Extension of an Object-Oriented Optimization Tool: User's Reference Manual

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pak, Chan-Gi; Truong, Samson S.

2015-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Armstrong Flight Research Center has developed a cost-effective and flexible object-oriented optimization (O (sup 3)) tool that leverages existing tools and practices and allows easy integration and adoption of new state-of-the-art software. This object-oriented framework can integrate the analysis codes for multiple disciplines, as opposed to relying on one code to perform analysis for all disciplines. Optimization can thus take place within each discipline module, or in a loop between the O (sup 3) tool and the discipline modules, or both. Six different sample mathematical problems are presented to demonstrate the performance of the O (sup 3) tool. Instructions for preparing input data for the O (sup 3) tool are detailed in this user's manual.

Pavement, bridge, and safety cost evaluation tool for overweight truck corridors serving coastal port regions and border ports of entry

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-08-01

To address the need for a rational but fast method to determine costs and a proposed permit fee, the research team developed the Stage 1 Expedient Analysis Method. The method was used to evaluate potential oversize/overweight (OS/OW) freight corridor...

Answering the Call for Accountability: An Activity and Cost Analysis Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carducci, Rozana; Kisker, Carrie B.; Chang, June; Schirmer, James

2007-01-01

This article summarizes the findings of a case study on the creation and application of an activity-based cost accounting model that links community college salary expenditures to mission-critical practices within academic divisions of a southern California community college. Although initially applied as a financial management tool in private…

Medical cost analysis: application to colorectal cancer data from the SEER Medicare database.

PubMed

Bang, Heejung

2005-10-01

Incompleteness is a key feature of most survival data. Numerous well established statistical methodologies and algorithms exist for analyzing life or failure time data. However, induced censorship invalidates the use of those standard analytic tools for some survival-type data such as medical costs. In this paper, some valid methods currently available for analyzing censored medical cost data are reviewed. Some cautionary findings under different assumptions are envisioned through application to medical costs from colorectal cancer patients. Cost analysis should be suitably planned and carefully interpreted under various meaningful scenarios even with judiciously selected statistical methods. This approach would be greatly helpful to policy makers who seek to prioritize health care expenditures and to assess the elements of resource use.

A Cost Analysis Model for Army Sponsored Graduate Dental Education Programs.

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-04-01

characteristics of a good measurement tool ? Cooper and Emory in their textbook, Business Research Methods, state there are three major criteria for evaluating...a measurement tool : validity, reliability, and practicality (Cooper and Emory 1995). Validity can be compartmentalized into internal and external...tremendous expense? The AEGD-1 year program is used extensively as a recruiting tool to encourage senior dental students to join the Army Dental Corps. The

Proposing a Mathematical Software Tool in Physics Secondary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baltzis, Konstantinos B.

2009-01-01

MathCad® is a very popular software tool for mathematical and statistical analysis in science and engineering. Its low cost, ease of use, extensive function library, and worksheet-like user interface distinguish it among other commercial packages. Its features are also well suited to educational process. The use of natural mathematical notation…

Multidisciplinary Analysis of a Hypersonic Engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Suresh, Ambady; Stewart, Mark

2003-01-01

The objective is to develop high fidelity tools that can influence ISTAR design In particular, tools for coupling Fluid-Thermal-Structural simulations RBCC/TBCC designers carefully balance aerodynamic, thermal, weight, & structural considerations; consistent multidisciplinary solutions reveal details (at modest cost) At Scram mode design point, simulations give details of inlet & combustor performance, thermal loads, structural deflections.

Airport GSE Model Directions

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

User manual for the GSEModel which is a spreadsheet analysis tool for quantifying emission benefits and calculating the cost-effectiveness of converting to cleaner-burning fuels and engine technologies.

Manufacturing cost analysis of a parabolic dish concentrator (General Electric design) for solar thermal electric power systems in selected production volumes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

The manufacturing cost of a General Electric 12 meter diameter concentrator was estimated. This parabolic dish concentrator for solar thermal system was costed in annual production volumes of 100 - 1,000 - 5,000 - 10,000 - 50,000 100,000 - 400,000 and 1,000,000 units. Presented for each volume are the costs of direct labor, material, burden, tooling, capital equipment and buildings. Also presented is the direct labor personnel and factory space requirements. All costs are based on early 1981 economics.

Impact of a Cost Visibility Tool in the Electronic Medical Record on Antibiotic Prescribing in an Academic Medical Center

PubMed Central

Fargo, Kelly L.; Johnston, Jessica; Stevenson, Kurt B.; Deutscher, Meredith

2015-01-01

Background: Studies evaluating the impact of passive cost visibility tools on antibiotic prescribing are lacking. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the implementation of a passive antibiotic cost visibility tool would impact antibiotic prescribing and decrease antibiotic spending. Methods: An efficiency and effectiveness initiative (EEI) was implemented in October 2012. To support the EEI, an antibiotic cost visibility tool was created in June 2013 displaying the relative cost of antibiotics. Using an observational study of interrupted time series design, 3 time frames were studied: pre EEI, post EEI, and post cost visibility tool implementation. The primary outcome was antibiotic cost per 1,000 patient days. Secondary outcomes included case mix index (CMI)–adjusted antibiotic cost per 1,000 patient days and utilization of the cost visibility tool. Results: Initiation of the EEI was associated with a $4,675 decrease in antibiotic cost per 1,000 patient days (P = .003), and costs continued to decrease in the months following EEI (P = .009). After implementation of the cost visibility tool, costs remained stable (P = .844). Despite CMI increasing over time, adjustment for CMI had no impact on the directionality or statistical significance of the results. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated a significant and sustained decrease in antibiotic cost per 1,000 patient days when focused medication cost reduction efforts were implemented, but passive cost visibility tool implementation was not associated with additional cost reduction. Antibiotic cost visibility tools may be of most benefit when prior medication cost reduction efforts are lacking or when an active intervention is incorporated. PMID:26405341

Implementation of a cost-accounting model in a biobank: practical implications.

PubMed

Gonzalez-Sanchez, Maria Beatriz; Lopez-Valeiras, Ernesto; García-Montero, Andres C

2014-01-01

Given the state of global economy, cost measurement and control have become increasingly relevant over the past years. The scarcity of resources and the need to use these resources more efficiently is making cost information essential in management, even in non-profit public institutions. Biobanks are no exception. However, no empirical experiences on the implementation of cost accounting in biobanks have been published to date. The aim of this paper is to present a step-by-step implementation of a cost-accounting tool for the main production and distribution activities of a real/active biobank, including a comprehensive explanation on how to perform the calculations carried out in this model. Two mathematical models for the analysis of (1) production costs and (2) request costs (order management and sample distribution) have stemmed from the analysis of the results of this implementation, and different theoretical scenarios have been prepared. Global analysis and discussion provides valuable information for internal biobank management and even for strategic decisions at the research and development governmental policies level.

I-394 Minneapolis, Minnesota, analysis plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-02-01

This AMS Analysis Plan for the Interstate 394 (I-394) Pioneer Corridor outlines the various tasks associated with the application of the ICM AMS tools to the corridor in support of a benefit/cost assessment of the proposed strategies. The report prov...

2013 Cost of Wind Energy Review

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mone, C.; Smith, A.; Maples, B.

2015-02-01

This report uses representative project types to estimate the levelized cost of wind energy (LCOE) in the United States for 2013. Scheduled to be published on an annual basis, it relies on both market and modeled data to maintain a current understanding of wind generation cost trends and drivers. It is intended to provide insight into current component-level costs and a basis for understanding current component-level costs and a basis for understanding variability in the LCOE across the industry. Data and tools developed from this analysis are used to inform wind technology cost projections, goals, and improvement opportunities.

Application of Bayesian and cost benefit risk analysis in water resources management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varouchakis, E. A.; Palogos, I.; Karatzas, G. P.

2016-03-01

Decision making is a significant tool in water resources management applications. This technical note approaches a decision dilemma that has not yet been considered for the water resources management of a watershed. A common cost-benefit analysis approach, which is novel in the risk analysis of hydrologic/hydraulic applications, and a Bayesian decision analysis are applied to aid the decision making on whether or not to construct a water reservoir for irrigation purposes. The alternative option examined is a scaled parabolic fine variation in terms of over-pumping violations in contrast to common practices that usually consider short-term fines. The methodological steps are analytically presented associated with originally developed code. Such an application, and in such detail, represents new feedback. The results indicate that the probability uncertainty is the driving issue that determines the optimal decision with each methodology, and depending on the unknown probability handling, each methodology may lead to a different optimal decision. Thus, the proposed tool can help decision makers to examine and compare different scenarios using two different approaches before making a decision considering the cost of a hydrologic/hydraulic project and the varied economic charges that water table limit violations can cause inside an audit interval. In contrast to practices that assess the effect of each proposed action separately considering only current knowledge of the examined issue, this tool aids decision making by considering prior information and the sampling distribution of future successful audits.

From Physical Process to Economic Cost - Integrated Approaches of Landslide Risk Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klose, M.; Damm, B.

2014-12-01

The nature of landslides is complex in many respects, with landslide hazard and impact being dependent on a variety of factors. This obviously requires an integrated assessment for fundamental understanding of landslide risk. Integrated risk assessment, according to the approach presented in this contribution, implies combining prediction of future landslide occurrence with analysis of landslide impact in the past. A critical step for assessing landslide risk in integrated perspective is to analyze what types of landslide damage affected people and property in which way and how people contributed and responded to these damage types. In integrated risk assessment, the focus is on systematic identification and monetization of landslide damage, and analytical tools that allow deriving economic costs from physical landslide processes are at the heart of this approach. The broad spectrum of landslide types and process mechanisms as well as nonlinearity between landslide magnitude, damage intensity, and direct costs are some main factors explaining recent challenges in risk assessment. The two prevailing approaches for assessing the impact of landslides in economic terms are cost survey (ex-post) and risk analysis (ex-ante). Both approaches are able to complement each other, but yet a combination of them has not been realized so far. It is common practice today to derive landslide risk without considering landslide process-based cause-effect relationships, since integrated concepts or new modeling tools expanding conventional methods are still widely missing. The approach introduced in this contribution is based on a systematic framework that combines cost survey and GIS-based tools for hazard or cost modeling with methods to assess interactions between land use practices and landslides in historical perspective. Fundamental understanding of landslide risk also requires knowledge about the economic and fiscal relevance of landslide losses, wherefore analysis of their impact on public budgets is a further component of this approach. In integrated risk assessment, combination of methods plays an important role, with the objective of collecting and integrating complex data sets on landslide risk.

TEAM-HF Cost-Effectiveness Model: A Web-Based Program Designed to Evaluate the Cost-Effectiveness of Disease Management Programs in Heart Failure

PubMed Central

Reed, Shelby D.; Neilson, Matthew P.; Gardner, Matthew; Li, Yanhong; Briggs, Andrew H.; Polsky, Daniel E.; Graham, Felicia L.; Bowers, Margaret T.; Paul, Sara C.; Granger, Bradi B.; Schulman, Kevin A.; Whellan, David J.; Riegel, Barbara; Levy, Wayne C.

2015-01-01

Background Heart failure disease management programs can influence medical resource use and quality-adjusted survival. Because projecting long-term costs and survival is challenging, a consistent and valid approach to extrapolating short-term outcomes would be valuable. Methods We developed the Tools for Economic Analysis of Patient Management Interventions in Heart Failure (TEAM-HF) Cost-Effectiveness Model, a Web-based simulation tool designed to integrate data on demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics, use of evidence-based medications, and costs to generate predicted outcomes. Survival projections are based on a modified Seattle Heart Failure Model (SHFM). Projections of resource use and quality of life are modeled using relationships with time-varying SHFM scores. The model can be used to evaluate parallel-group and single-cohort designs and hypothetical programs. Simulations consist of 10,000 pairs of virtual cohorts used to generate estimates of resource use, costs, survival, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios from user inputs. Results The model demonstrated acceptable internal and external validity in replicating resource use, costs, and survival estimates from 3 clinical trials. Simulations to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of heart failure disease management programs across 3 scenarios demonstrate how the model can be used to design a program in which short-term improvements in functioning and use of evidence-based treatments are sufficient to demonstrate good long-term value to the health care system. Conclusion The TEAM-HF Cost-Effectiveness Model provides researchers and providers with a tool for conducting long-term cost-effectiveness analyses of disease management programs in heart failure. PMID:26542504

Tools for developing a quality management program: proactive tools (process mapping, value stream mapping, fault tree analysis, and failure mode and effects analysis).

PubMed

Rath, Frank

2008-01-01

This article examines the concepts of quality management (QM) and quality assurance (QA), as well as the current state of QM and QA practices in radiotherapy. A systematic approach incorporating a series of industrial engineering-based tools is proposed, which can be applied in health care organizations proactively to improve process outcomes, reduce risk and/or improve patient safety, improve through-put, and reduce cost. This tool set includes process mapping and process flowcharting, failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), value stream mapping, and fault tree analysis (FTA). Many health care organizations do not have experience in applying these tools and therefore do not understand how and when to use them. As a result there are many misconceptions about how to use these tools, and they are often incorrectly applied. This article describes these industrial engineering-based tools and also how to use them, when they should be used (and not used), and the intended purposes for their use. In addition the strengths and weaknesses of each of these tools are described, and examples are given to demonstrate the application of these tools in health care settings.

Control Strategy Tool (CoST)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The EPA Control Strategy Tool (CoST) is a software tool for projecting potential future control scenarios, their effects on emissions and estimated costs. This tool uses the NEI and the Control Measures Dataset as key inputs. CoST outputs are projections of future control scenarios.

Cost-Effectiveness of Wisconsin TEAM Model for Improving Adherence and Hypertension Control in Black Patients

PubMed Central

Shireman, Theresa I.; Svarstad, Bonnie L.

2016-01-01

Objective To assess the cost-effectiveness of the 6-month Team Education and Adherence Monitoring (TEAM) intervention for black patients with hypertension in community pharmacies using prospectively collected cost data. Design Cost-effectiveness analysis of a cluster-randomized trial. Setting 28 chain pharmacies in five Wisconsin cities from December 2006 to February 2009. Participants 576 black patients with uncontrolled hypertension Intervention Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians using novel tools for improving adherence and feedback to patients and physicians as compared to information only control group. Main outcome measure(s) Incremental cost analysis of variable costs from the pharmacy perspective captured prospectively at the participant level. Outcomes (effect measures) were 6-month refill adherence, changes in SBP and DBP, and proportion of patients achieving BP control. Results Mean cost of intervention personnel time and tools was $104.8± 45.2. Incremental variable costs per mmHg decrease in SBP and DBP were $22.2 ± 16.3 and $66.0 ± 228.4, respectively. The cost of helping one more person achieve the BP goal (< 140/90) was $665.2 ± 265.2; the cost of helping one more person achieve good refill adherence was $463.3 ± 110.7. Prescription drug costs were higher for the TEAM group ($392.8, SD = 396.3 versus $307.0, SD = 295.2, p = 0.02). The start-up cost for pharmacy furniture, equipment, and privacy screen was $168 per pharmacy. Conclusions Our randomized, practice based intervention demonstrated that community pharmacists can implement a cost-effective intervention to improve hypertension control in blacks. This approach imposes a nominal expense at the pharmacy level, can be integrated into the ongoing pharmacist-patient relationship, and can enhance clinical and behavioral outcomes. PMID:27184784

Health economics in public health.

PubMed

Ammerman, Alice S; Farrelly, Matthew A; Cavallo, David N; Ickes, Scott B; Hoerger, Thomas J

2009-03-01

Economic analysis is an important tool in deciding how to allocate scarce public health resources; however, there is currently a dearth of such analysis by public health researchers. Public health researchers and practitioners were surveyed to determine their current use of health economics and to identify barriers to use as well as potential strategies to decrease those barriers in order to allow them to more effectively incorporate economic analyses into their work. Data collected from five focus groups informed survey development. The survey included a demographic section and 14 multi-part questions. Participants were recruited in 2006 from three national public health organizations through e-mail; 294 academicians, practitioners, and community representatives answered the survey. Survey data were analyzed in 2007. Despite an expressed belief in the importance of health economics, more than half of the respondents reported very little or no current use of health economics in their work. Of those using health economics, cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis and determination of public health costs were cited as the measures used most frequently. The most important barriers were lack of expertise, funding, time, tools, and data, as well as discomfort with economic theory. The resource deemed most important to using health economics was collaboration with economists or those with economic training. Respondents indicated a desire to learn more about health economics and tools for performing economic analysis. Given the importance of incorporating economic analysis into public health interventions, and the desire of survey respondents for more collaboration with health economists, opportunities for such collaborations should be increased.

Do We Really Know how Much it Costs to Construct High Performance Buildings?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Livingston, Olga V.; Dillon, Heather E.; Halverson, Mark A.

2012-08-31

Understanding the cost of energy efficient construction is critical to decision makers in building design, code development, and energy analysis. How much does it cost to upgrade from R-13 to R-19 in a building wall? How much do low-e windows really cost? Can we put a dollar figure on commissioning? Answers to these questions have a fuzzy nature, based on educated guesses and industry lore. The response depends on location, perspective, bulk buying, and hand waving. This paper explores the development of a web tool intended to serve as a publicly available repository of building component costs. In 2011 themore » U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funded the launch of a web tool called the Building Component Cost Community (BC3), dedicated to publishing building component costs from documented sources, actively gathering verifiable cost data from the users, and collecting feedback from a wide range of participants on the quality of the posted cost data. The updated BC3 database, available at http://bc3.pnnl.gov, went live on April 30, 2012. BC3 serves as the ultimate source of the energy-related component costs for DOE’s residential code development activities, including cost-effectiveness analyses. The paper discusses BC3 objectives, structure, functionality and the current content of the database. It aims to facilitate a dialog about the lack of verifiable transparent cost data, as well as introduce a web tool that helps to address the problem. The questions posed above will also be addressed by this paper, but they have to be resolved by the user community by providing feedback and cost data to the BC3 database, thus increasing transparency and removing information asymmetry.« less

NECAP: NASA's Energy-Cost Analysis Program. Part 1: User's manual

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henninger, R. H. (Editor)

1975-01-01

The NECAP is a sophisticated building design and energy analysis tool which has embodied within it all of the latest ASHRAE state-of-the-art techniques for performing thermal load calculation and energy usage predictions. It is a set of six individual computer programs which include: response factor program, data verification program, thermal load analysis program, variable temperature program, system and equipment simulation program, and owning and operating cost program. Each segment of NECAP is described, and instructions are set forth for preparing the required input data and for interpreting the resulting reports.

U.S. 75 Dallas, Texas, analysis plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-02-01

This AMS Analysis Plan for the U.S. 75 Pioneer Corridor outlines the various tasks associated with the application of the ICM AMS tools and strategies to the corridor, in support of a benefit-cost assessment of the proposed strategies. The report pro...

Integrated modeling approach for optimal management of water, energy and food security nexus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiaodong; Vesselinov, Velimir V.

2017-03-01

Water, energy and food (WEF) are inextricably interrelated. Effective planning and management of limited WEF resources to meet current and future socioeconomic demands for sustainable development is challenging. WEF production/delivery may also produce environmental impacts; as a result, green-house-gas emission control will impact WEF nexus management as well. Nexus management for WEF security necessitates integrated tools for predictive analysis that are capable of identifying the tradeoffs among various sectors, generating cost-effective planning and management strategies and policies. To address these needs, we have developed an integrated model analysis framework and tool called WEFO. WEFO provides a multi-period socioeconomic model for predicting how to satisfy WEF demands based on model inputs representing productions costs, socioeconomic demands, and environmental controls. WEFO is applied to quantitatively analyze the interrelationships and trade-offs among system components including energy supply, electricity generation, water supply-demand, food production as well as mitigation of environmental impacts. WEFO is demonstrated to solve a hypothetical nexus management problem consistent with real-world management scenarios. Model parameters are analyzed using global sensitivity analysis and their effects on total system cost are quantified. The obtained results demonstrate how these types of analyses can be helpful for decision-makers and stakeholders to make cost-effective decisions for optimal WEF management.

Predictive Engineering Tools for Injection-Molded Long-Carbon-Thermoplastic Composites: Weight and Cost Analyses

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nguyen, Ba Nghiep; Fifield, Leonard S.; Gandhi, Umesh N.

This project proposed to integrate, optimize and validate the fiber orientation and length distribution models previously developed and implemented in the Autodesk Simulation Moldflow Insight (ASMI) package for injection-molded long-carbon-fiber thermoplastic composites into a cohesive prediction capability. The current effort focused on rendering the developed models more robust and efficient for automotive industry part design to enable weight savings and cost reduction. The project goal has been achieved by optimizing the developed models, improving and integrating their implementations in ASMI, and validating them for a complex 3D LCF thermoplastic automotive part (Figure 1). Both PP and PA66 were used asmore » resin matrices. After validating ASMI predictions for fiber orientation and fiber length for this complex part against the corresponding measured data, in collaborations with Toyota and Magna PNNL developed a method using the predictive engineering tool to assess LCF/PA66 complex part design in terms of stiffness performance. Structural three-point bending analyses of the complex part and similar parts in steel were then performed for this purpose, and the team has then demonstrated the use of stiffness-based complex part design assessment to evaluate weight savings relative to the body system target (≥ 35%) set in Table 2 of DE-FOA-0000648 (AOI #1). In addition, starting from the part-to-part analysis, the PE tools enabled an estimated weight reduction for the vehicle body system using 50 wt% LCF/PA66 parts relative to the current steel system. Also, from this analysis an estimate of the manufacturing cost including the material cost for making the equivalent part in steel has been determined and compared to the costs for making the LCF/PA66 part to determine the cost per “saved” pound.« less

A systematic review of the cost and cost-effectiveness of electronic discharge communications.

PubMed

Sevick, Laura K; Esmail, Rosmin; Tang, Karen; Lorenzetti, Diane L; Ronksley, Paul; James, Matthew; Santana, Maria; Ghali, William A; Clement, Fiona

2017-07-02

The transition between acute care and community care can be a vulnerable period in a patients' treatment due to the potential for postdischarge adverse events. The vulnerability of this period has been attributed to factors related to the miscommunication between hospital-based and community-based physicians. Electronic discharge communication has been proposed as one solution to bridge this communication gap. Prior to widespread implementation of these tools, the costs and benefits should be considered. To establish the cost and cost-effectiveness of electronic discharge communications compared with traditional discharge systems for individuals who have completed care with one provider and are transitioning care to a new provider. We conducted a systematic review of the published literature, using best practices, to identify economic evaluations/cost analyses of electronic discharge communication tools. Inclusion criteria were: (1) economic analysis and (2) electronic discharge communication tool as the intervention. Quality of each article was assessed, and data were summarised using a component-based analysis. One thousand unique abstracts were identified, and 57 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. Four studies met final inclusion criteria. These studies varied in their primary objectives, methodology, costs reported and outcomes. All of the studies were of low to good quality. Three of the studies reported a cost-effectiveness measure ranging from an incremental daily cost of decreasing average discharge note completion by 1 day of $0.331 (2003 Canadian), a cost per page per discharge letter of €9.51 and a dynamic net present value of €31.1 million for a 5-year implementation of the intervention. None of the identified studies considered clinically meaningful patient or quality outcomes. Economic analyses of electronic discharge communications are scarcely reported, and with inconsistent methodology and outcomes. Further studies are needed to understand the cost-effectiveness and value for patient care. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

[Costs analysis system; its location within a program for food, nutrition and metabolic intervention].

PubMed

Fernández Hernández, Ileana Sonia; Santana Porbén, Sergio

2015-06-01

Every medical surgical action implies costs. Costs of medical provisions should be translated into tangible, and thus, measurable, benefits for the health status of the patient. Nutritional support therapies might increase the costs of medical provisions, but it is expected their implementation to result in lower morbidity and mortality rates as well as shortening of hospital stay, all of them leading to important savings. It is then required the assimilation of tools for costs analysis for a better management of nutritional support therapies. A proposal for the design of a hospital system (regarded anywhere in this text as SHACOST) for the analysis of the costs of interventions conducted in a patient in accordance with the guidelines included in the Metabolic, Nutrient and Food Intervention Program (referred everywhere for its Spanish acronym PRINUMA) is presented in this article. Hence, strategies are described to estimate the costs of a specified intervention. In addition, a primer on cost-effectiveness (ACE) and incremental cost-effectiveness (ACEI) analyses is shown relying on examples taken from the authors's experience in the provision of nutritional care to patients electively operated for a colorectal cancer. Finally, costs of surgical treatment of a mandibular tumor are described, followed by a discussion on how a better impact of the adopted surgical action could be achieved without considerable increases in total costs should a perioperatory nutritional support program be included. Implementation of SHACOST can provide the medical care teams with accounting tools required to assess the effectiveness of hospital nutritional support schemes, decide whether to acquire and introduce new technologies, and measure the impact of the performance of hospital forms for provision of nutritional care upon health management and perceived quality of life of the patient and their relatives. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in heart failure--a model to assess the economic value of this new medical technology.

PubMed

Banz, Kurt

2005-01-01

This article describes the framework of a comprehensive European model developed to assess clinical and economic outcomes of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) versus optimal pharmacological therapy (OPT) alone in patients with heart failure. The model structure is based on information obtained from the literature, expert opinion, and a European CRT Steering Committee. The decision-analysis tool allows a consideration of direct medical and indirect costs, and computes outcomes for distinctive periods of time up to 5 years. Qualitative data can also be entered for cost-utility analysis. Model input data for a preliminary economic appraisal of the economic value of CRT in Germany were obtained from clinical trials, experts, health statistics, and medical tariff lists. The model offers comprehensive analysis capabilities and high flexibility so that it can easily be adapted to any European country or special setting. The illustrative analysis for Germany indicates that CRT is a cost-effective intervention. Although CRT is associated with average direct medical net costs of Euro 5880 per patient, this finding means that 22% of its upfront implantation cost is recouped already within 1 year because of significantly decreased hospitalizations. With 36,600 Euros the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained is below the euro equivalent (41,300 Euros, 1 Euro = US1.21 dollars) of the commonly used threshold level of US50,000 dollars considered to represent cost-effectiveness. The sensitivity analysis showed these preliminary results to be fairly robust towards changes in key assumptions. The European CRT model is an important tool to assess the economic value of CRT in patients with moderate to severe heart failure. In the light of the planned introduction of Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) based reimbursement in various European countries, the economic data generated by the model can play an important role in the decision-making process.

Cost-benefit and effectiveness analysis of rapid testing for MRSA carriage in a hospital setting.

PubMed

Henson, Gay; Ghonim, Elham; Swiatlo, Andrea; King, Shelia; Moore, Kimberly S; King, S Travis; Sullivan, Donna

2014-01-01

A cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted comparing the polymerase chain reaction assay and traditional microbiological culture as screening tools for the identification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in patients admitted to the pediatric and surgical intensive care units (PICU and SICU) at a 722 bed academic medical center. In addition, the cost benefits of identification of colonized MRSA patients were determined. The cost-effectiveness analysis employed actual hospital and laboratory costs, not patient costs. The actual cost of the PCR assay was higher than the microbiological culture identification of MRSA ($602.95 versus $364.30 per positive carrier identified). However, this did not include the decreased turn-around time of PCR assays compared to traditional culture techniques. Patient costs were determined indirectly in the cost-benefit analysis of clinical outcome. There was a reduction in MRSA hospital-acquired infection (3.5 MRSA HAI/month without screening versus 0.6/month with screening by PCR). A cost-benefit analysis based on differences in length of stay suggests an associated savings in hospitalization costs: MRSA HAI with 29.5 day median LOS at $63,810 versus MRSA identified on admission with 6 day median LOS at $14,561, a difference of $49,249 per hospitalization. Although this pilot study was small and it is not possible to directly relate the cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analysis due to confounding factors such as patient underlying morbidity and mortality, a reduction of 2.9 MRSA HAI/month associated with PCR screening suggests potential savings in hospitalization costs of $142,822 per month.

A novel methodology for estimating upper limits of major cost drivers for profitable conceptual launch system architectures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rhodes, Russel E.; Byrd, Raymond J.

1998-01-01

This paper presents a ``back of the envelope'' technique for fast, timely, on-the-spot, assessment of affordability (profitability) of commercial space transportation architectural concepts. The tool presented here is not intended to replace conventional, detailed costing methodology. The process described enables ``quick look'' estimations and assumptions to effectively determine whether an initial concept (with its attendant cost estimating line items) provides focus for major leapfrog improvement. The Cost Charts Users Guide provides a generic sample tutorial, building an approximate understanding of the basic launch system cost factors and their representative magnitudes. This process will enable the user to develop a net ``cost (and price) per payload-mass unit to orbit'' incorporating a variety of significant cost drivers, supplemental to basic vehicle cost estimates. If acquisition cost and recurring cost factors (as a function of cost per payload-mass unit to orbit) do not meet the predetermined system-profitability goal, the concept in question will be clearly seen as non-competitive. Multiple analytical approaches, and applications of a variety of interrelated assumptions, can be examined in a quick, (on-the-spot) cost approximation analysis as this tool has inherent flexibility. The technique will allow determination of concept conformance to system objectives.

Comparative analysis for various redox flow batteries chemistries using a cost performance model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crawford, Alasdair; Viswanathan, Vilayanur; Stephenson, David; Wang, Wei; Thomsen, Edwin; Reed, David; Li, Bin; Balducci, Patrick; Kintner-Meyer, Michael; Sprenkle, Vincent

2015-10-01

The total energy storage system cost is determined by means of a robust performance-based cost model for multiple flow battery chemistries. Systems aspects such as shunt current losses, pumping losses and various flow patterns through electrodes are accounted for. The system cost minimizing objective function determines stack design by optimizing the state of charge operating range, along with current density and current-normalized flow. The model cost estimates are validated using 2-kW stack performance data for the same size electrodes and operating conditions. Using our validated tool, it has been demonstrated that an optimized all-vanadium system has an estimated system cost of < 350 kWh-1 for 4-h application. With an anticipated decrease in component costs facilitated by economies of scale from larger production volumes, coupled with performance improvements enabled by technology development, the system cost is expected to decrease to 160 kWh-1 for a 4-h application, and to 100 kWh-1 for a 10-h application. This tool has been shared with the redox flow battery community to enable cost estimation using their stack data and guide future direction.

Managing Technical and Cost Uncertainties During Product Development in a Simulation-Based Design Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karandikar, Harsh M.

1997-01-01

An approach for objective and quantitative technical and cost risk analysis during product development, which is applicable from the earliest stages, is discussed. The approach is supported by a software tool called the Analytical System for Uncertainty and Risk Estimation (ASURE). Details of ASURE, the underlying concepts and its application history, are provided.

Interpreting cost of ownership for mix-and-match lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levine, Alan L.; Bergendahl, Albert S.

1994-05-01

Cost of ownership modeling is a critical and emerging tool that provides significant insight into the ways to optimize device manufacturing costs. The development of a model to deal with a particular application, mix-and-match lithography, was performed in order to determine the level of cost savings and the optimum ways to create these savings. The use of sensitivity analysis with cost of ownership allows the user to make accurate trade-offs between technology and cost. The use and interpretation of the model results are described in this paper. Parameters analyzed include several manufacturing considerations -- depreciation, maintenance, engineering and operator labor, floorspace, resist, consumables and reticles. Inherent in this study is the ability to customize this analysis for a particular operating environment. Results demonstrate the clear advantages of a mix-and-match approach for three different operating environments. These case studies also demonstrate various methods to efficiently optimize cost savings strategies.

Cost Analysis of an Air Brayton Receiver for a Solar Thermal Electric Power System in Selected Annual Production Volumes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

Pioneer Engineering and Manufacturing Company estimated the cost of manufacturing and Air Brayton Receiver for a Solar Thermal Electric Power System as designed by the AiResearch Division of the Garrett Corporation. Production costs were estimated at annual volumes of 100; 1,000; 5,000; 10,000; 50,000; 100,000 and 1,000,000 units. These costs included direct labor, direct material and manufacturing burden. A make or buy analysis was made of each part of each volume. At high volumes special fabrication concepts were used to reduce operation cycle times. All costs were estimated at an assumed 100% plant capacity. Economic feasibility determined the level of production at which special concepts were to be introduced. Estimated costs were based on the economics of the last half of 1980. Tooling and capital equipment costs were estimated for ach volume. Infrastructure and personnel requirements were also estimated.

The Future of Sustainable Transportation | Transportation Research | NREL

Science.gov Websites

lithium-ion batteries need to be dramatically cut for electric vehicles (EVs) to reach a wider audience pledge to provide workplace charging. New Tool Helps Optimize Battery Lifespan While upfront costs of . NREL's new Battery Lifetime Analysis and Simulation Tool (BLAST) suite makes it possible to predict long

A Cost-Effectiveness Tool to Guide the Prioritization of Interventions for Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease Control in African Nations.

PubMed

Watkins, David; Lubinga, Solomon J; Mayosi, Bongani; Babigumira, Joseph B

2016-08-01

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) prevalence and mortality rates remain especially high in many parts of Africa. While effective prevention and treatment exist, coverage rates of the various interventions are low. Little is known about the comparative cost-effectiveness of different RHD interventions in limited resource settings. We developed an economic evaluation tool to assist ministries of health in allocating resources and planning RHD control programs. We constructed a Markov model of the natural history of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and RHD, taking transition probabilities and intervention effectiveness data from previously published studies and expert opinion. Our model estimates the incremental cost-effectiveness of scaling up coverage of primary prevention (PP), secondary prevention (SP) and heart valve surgery (VS) interventions for RHD. We take a healthcare system perspective on costs and measure outcomes as disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), discounting both at 3%. Univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analyses are also built into the modeling tool. We illustrate the use of this model in a hypothetical low-income African country, drawing on available disease burden and cost data. We found that, in our hypothetical country, PP would be cost saving and SP would be very cost-effective. International referral for VS (e.g., to a country like India that has existing surgical capacity) would be cost-effective, but building in-country VS services would not be cost-effective at typical low-income country thresholds. Our cost-effectiveness analysis tool is designed to inform priorities for ARF/RHD control programs in Africa at the national or subnational level. In contrast to previous literature, our preliminary findings suggest PP could be the most efficient and cheapest approach in poor countries. We provide our model for public use in the form of a Supplementary File. Our research has immediate policy relevance and calls for renewed efforts to scale up RHD prevention.

Experiences of operational costs of HPV vaccine delivery strategies in Gavi-supported demonstration projects.

PubMed

Botwright, Siobhan; Holroyd, Taylor; Nanda, Shreya; Bloem, Paul; Griffiths, Ulla K; Sidibe, Anissa; Hutubessy, Raymond C W

2017-01-01

From 2012 to 2016, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, provided support for countries to conduct small-scale demonstration projects for the introduction of the human papillomavirus vaccine, with the aim of determining which human papillomavirus vaccine delivery strategies might be effective and sustainable upon national scale-up. This study reports on the operational costs and cost determinants of different vaccination delivery strategies within these projects across twelve countries using a standardized micro-costing tool. The World Health Organization Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control Costing Tool was used to collect costing data, which were then aggregated and analyzed to assess the costs and cost determinants of vaccination. Across the one-year demonstration projects, the average economic and financial costs per dose amounted to US$19.98 (standard deviation ±12.5) and US$8.74 (standard deviation ±5.8), respectively. The greatest activities representing the greatest share of financial costs were social mobilization at approximately 30% (range, 6-67%) and service delivery at about 25% (range, 3-46%). Districts implemented varying combinations of school-based, facility-based, or outreach delivery strategies and experienced wide variation in vaccine coverage, drop-out rates, and service delivery costs, including transportation costs and per diems. Size of target population, number of students per school, and average length of time to reach an outreach post influenced cost per dose. Although the operational costs from demonstration projects are much higher than those of other routine vaccine immunization programs, findings from our analysis suggest that HPV vaccination operational costs will decrease substantially for national introduction. Vaccination costs may be decreased further by annual vaccination, high initial investment in social mobilization, or introducing/strengthening school health programs. Our analysis shows that drivers of cost are dependent on country and district characteristics. We therefore recommend that countries carry out detailed planning at the national and district levels to define a sustainable strategy for national HPV vaccine roll-out, in order to achieve the optimal balance between coverage and cost.

Integrated corridor management I-15 San Diego, California : analysis plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-02-01

This AMS Analysis Plan for the I-15 Corridor outlines the various tasks associated with the application of the ICM AMS tools and strategies to this corridor in order to support benefit-cost assessment for the successful implementation of ICM. The rep...

Idea Notebook: Wilderness Food Planning in the Computer Age.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drury, Jack K.

1986-01-01

Explains the use of a computer as a planning and teaching tool in wilderness trip food planning. Details use of master food list and spreadsheet software such as VisiCalc to provide shopping lists for food purchasing, cost analysis, and diet analysis. (NEC)

Teleradiology from the provider's perspective-cost analysis for a mid-size university hospital.

PubMed

Rosenberg, Christian; Kroos, Kristin; Rosenberg, Britta; Hosten, Norbert; Flessa, Steffen

2013-08-01

Real costs of teleradiology services have not been systematically calculated. Pricing policies are not evidence-based. This study aims to prove the feasibility of performing an original cost analysis for teleradiology services and show break-even points to perform cost-effective practice. Based on the teleradiology services provided by the Greifswald University Hospital in northeastern Germany, a detailed process analysis and an activity-based costing model revealed costs per service unit according to eight examination categories. The Monte Carlo method was used to simulate the cost amplitude and identify pricing thresholds. Twenty-two sub-processes and four staff categories were identified. The average working time for one unit was 55 (x-ray) to 72 min (whole-body CT). Personnel costs were dominant (up to 68 %), representing lower limit costs. The Monte Carlo method showed the cost distribution per category according to the deficiency risk. Avoiding deficient pricing by a likelihood of 90 % increased the cost of a cranial CT almost twofold as compared with the lower limit cost. Original cost analysis is possible when providing teleradiology services with complex statutory requirements in place. Methodology and results provide useful data to help enhance efficiency in hospital management as well as implement realistic reimbursement fees. • Analysis of original costs of teleradiology is possible for a providing hospital • Results discriminate pricing thresholds and lower limit costs to perform cost-effective practice • The study methods represent a managing tool to enhance efficiency in providing facilities • The data are useful to help represent telemedicine services in regular medical fee schedules.

Kathleen Krah | NREL

Science.gov Websites

tool validation. Previous to joining NREL, her Masters thesis focused on a spatial analysis of strategies. Her undergraduate thesis focused on techno-economic and logistical cost modeling of offshore wind

NASA's X-Plane Database and Parametric Cost Model v 2.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sterk, Steve; Ogluin, Anthony; Greenberg, Marc

2016-01-01

The NASA Armstrong Cost Engineering Team with technical assistance from NASA HQ (SID)has gone through the full process in developing new CERs from Version #1 to Version #2 CERs. We took a step backward and reexamined all of the data collected, such as dependent and independent variables, cost, dry weight, length, wingspan, manned versus unmanned, altitude, Mach number, thrust, and skin. We used a well- known statistical analysis tool called CO$TAT instead of using "R" multiple linear or the "Regression" tool found in Microsoft Excel(TradeMark). We setup an "array of data" by adding 21" dummy variables;" we analyzed the standard error (SE) and then determined the "best fit." We have parametrically priced-out several future X-planes and compared our results to those of other resources. More work needs to be done in getting "accurate and traceable cost data" from historical X-plane records!

Development of cost estimation tools for total occupational safety and health activities and occupational health services: cost estimation from a corporate perspective.

PubMed

Nagata, Tomohisa; Mori, Koji; Aratake, Yutaka; Ide, Hiroshi; Ishida, Hiromi; Nobori, Junichiro; Kojima, Reiko; Odagami, Kiminori; Kato, Anna; Tsutsumi, Akizumi; Matsuda, Shinya

2014-01-01

The aim of the present study was to develop standardized cost estimation tools that provide information to employers about occupational safety and health (OSH) activities for effective and efficient decision making in Japanese companies. We interviewed OSH staff members including full-time professional occupational physicians to list all OSH activities. Using activity-based costing, cost data were obtained from retrospective analyses of occupational safety and health costs over a 1-year period in three manufacturing workplaces and were obtained from retrospective analyses of occupational health services costs in four manufacturing workplaces. We verified the tools additionally in four workplaces including service businesses. We created the OSH and occupational health standardized cost estimation tools. OSH costs consisted of personnel costs, expenses, outsourcing costs and investments for 15 OSH activities. The tools provided accurate, relevant information on OSH activities and occupational health services. The standardized information obtained from our OSH and occupational health cost estimation tools can be used to manage OSH costs, make comparisons of OSH costs between companies and organizations and help occupational health physicians and employers to determine the best course of action.

Knowledge representation for commonality

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yeager, Dorian P.

1990-01-01

Domain-specific knowledge necessary for commonality analysis falls into two general classes: commonality constraints and costing information. Notations for encoding such knowledge should be powerful and flexible and should appeal to the domain expert. The notations employed by the Commonality Analysis Problem Solver (CAPS) analysis tool are described. Examples are given to illustrate the main concepts.

Task Analysis Strategies and Practices. Practice Application Brief.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Bettina Lankard

Worker-oriented, job-oriented, and cognitive task analyses have all been used as tools for closing the gap between what curriculum teaches and what workers do. Although they share a commonality of purpose, the focus, cost, and practicality of task analysis techniques vary. Worker-oriented task analysis focuses on general human behaviors required…

Shuttle's 160 hour ground turnaround - A design driver

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Widick, F.

1977-01-01

Turnaround analysis added a new dimension to the Space Program with the advent of the Space Shuttle. The requirement to turn the flight hardware around in 160 working hours from landing to launch was a significant design driver and a useful tool in forcing the integration of flight and ground systems design to permit an efficient ground operation. Although there was concern that time constraints might increase program costs, the result of the analysis was to minimize facility requirements and simplify operations with resultant cost savings.

Engine dynamic analysis with general nonlinear finite element codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adams, M. L.; Padovan, J.; Fertis, D. G.

1991-01-01

A general engine dynamic analysis as a standard design study computational tool is described for the prediction and understanding of complex engine dynamic behavior. Improved definition of engine dynamic response provides valuable information and insights leading to reduced maintenance and overhaul costs on existing engine configurations. Application of advanced engine dynamic simulation methods provides a considerable cost reduction in the development of new engine designs by eliminating some of the trial and error process done with engine hardware development.

Internal Logistics System Selection with Total Cost of Ownership Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Araújo, Inês; Pimentel, Carina; Godina, Radu; Matias, João C. O.

2017-06-01

In this paper a methodology was followed in order to support the decision-making of one industrial unit regarding its internal logistics system. The addressed factory was facing issues with their internal logistics approach. Some alternatives were pointed out and a proper total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis was developed. This analysis was taken in order to demonstrate the more cost-effective solution for the internal logistics system. This tool is more and more valued by the companies, due to their willing to reduce the costs that are associated with the way of doing business. Despite the proposal of the best choice for the internal logistics system of the enterprise, this study also intends to present some conclusions about the match between the nature of the industrial unit and the logistics systems that best fit the requirements of those.

Putting tools in the toolbox: Development of a free, open-source toolbox for quantitative image analysis of porous media.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iltis, G.; Caswell, T. A.; Dill, E.; Wilkins, S.; Lee, W. K.

2014-12-01

X-ray tomographic imaging of porous media has proven to be a valuable tool for investigating and characterizing the physical structure and state of both natural and synthetic porous materials, including glass bead packs, ceramics, soil and rock. Given that most synchrotron facilities have user programs which grant academic researchers access to facilities and x-ray imaging equipment free of charge, a key limitation or hindrance for small research groups interested in conducting x-ray imaging experiments is the financial cost associated with post-experiment data analysis. While the cost of high performance computing hardware continues to decrease, expenses associated with licensing commercial software packages for quantitative image analysis continue to increase, with current prices being as high as $24,000 USD, for a single user license. As construction of the Nation's newest synchrotron accelerator nears completion, a significant effort is being made here at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), to provide an open-source, experiment-to-publication toolbox that reduces the financial and technical 'activation energy' required for performing sophisticated quantitative analysis of multidimensional porous media data sets, collected using cutting-edge x-ray imaging techniques. Implementation focuses on leveraging existing open-source projects and developing additional tools for quantitative analysis. We will present an overview of the software suite that is in development here at BNL including major design decisions, a demonstration of several test cases illustrating currently available quantitative tools for analysis and characterization of multidimensional porous media image data sets and plans for their future development.

A Survey of Cost Estimating Methodologies for Distributed Spacecraft Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foreman, Veronica L.; Le Moigne, Jacqueline; de Weck, Oliver L.

2016-01-01

Satellite constellations and Distributed Spacecraft Mission (DSM) architectures offer unique benefits to Earth observation scientists and unique challenges to cost estimators. The Cost and Risk (CR) module of the Tradespace Analysis Tool for Constellations (TAT-C) being developed by NASA Goddard seeks to address some of these challenges by providing a new approach to cost modeling, which aggregates existing Cost Estimating Relationships (CER) from respected sources, cost estimating best practices, and data from existing and proposed satellite designs. Cost estimation through this tool is approached from two perspectives: parametric cost estimating relationships and analogous cost estimation techniques. The dual approach utilized within the TAT-C CR module is intended to address prevailing concerns regarding early design stage cost estimates, and offer increased transparency and fidelity by offering two preliminary perspectives on mission cost. This work outlines the existing cost model, details assumptions built into the model, and explains what measures have been taken to address the particular challenges of constellation cost estimating. The risk estimation portion of the TAT-C CR module is still in development and will be presented in future work. The cost estimate produced by the CR module is not intended to be an exact mission valuation, but rather a comparative tool to assist in the exploration of the constellation design tradespace. Previous work has noted that estimating the cost of satellite constellations is difficult given that no comprehensive model for constellation cost estimation has yet been developed, and as such, quantitative assessment of multiple spacecraft missions has many remaining areas of uncertainty. By incorporating well-established CERs with preliminary approaches to approaching these uncertainties, the CR module offers more complete approach to constellation costing than has previously been available to mission architects or Earth scientists seeking to leverage the capabilities of multiple spacecraft working in support of a common goal.

Compensation of the impact of low-cost manufacturing techniques in the design of E-plane multiport waveguide junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

San-Blas, A. A.; Roca, J. M.; Cogollos, S.; Morro, J. V.; Boria, V. E.; Gimeno, B.

2016-06-01

In this work, a full-wave tool for the accurate analysis and design of compensated E-plane multiport junctions is proposed. The implemented tool is capable of evaluating the undesired effects related to the use of low-cost manufacturing techniques, which are mostly due to the introduction of rounded corners in the cross section of the rectangular waveguides of the device. The obtained results show that, although stringent mechanical effects are imposed, it is possible to compensate for the impact of the cited low-cost manufacturing techniques by redesigning the matching elements considered in the original device. Several new designs concerning a great variety of E-plane components (such as right-angled bends, T-junctions and magic-Ts) are presented, and useful design guidelines are provided. The implemented tool, which is mainly based on the boundary integral-resonant mode expansion technique, has been successfully validated by comparing the obtained results to simulated data provided by a commercial software based on the finite element method.

Critical analysis of economic tools and economic measurement applied to rheumatoid arthritis.

PubMed

Her, Minyoung; Kavanaugh, Arthur

2012-01-01

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is chronic, progressive systemic inflammatory disease that if uncontrolled may lead to significant joint damage, dysfunction, work disability and other sequelae that result in large economic losses. A rich literature estimating the economic burden of RA, has been intensified recently, driven by costly biologic agents that have had a notable effect improving the outcomes of patients with RA. In order to optimally assess the value of therapies, it is best to take a comprehensive approach, considering all related costs of illness. This includes direct costs (e.g. the costs of the medications themselves and the monitoring required), indirect costs (e.g. loss of productivity, such as employment due to uncontrolled disease) and intangible cost (e.g. effects on pain and quality of life). Indirect costs constitute a substantial part of total cost in the patient with RA. In order to help assess the impact of RA on productivity, various tools for measuring productive loss like absenteeism and presenteeism have been introduced. No single tool reflects the entire spectrum of the productive loss clearly, as other factors such as use of a human capital approach or friction cost approach affect the valuation of productive loss monetarily. Although favourable outcomes are achieved with the use of biologic agents, their higher acquisition costs, as compared to traditional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) remain a barrier to their use. Assessments of the cost effectiveness of novel therapies are critically important, but published results have been contradictory, in some measure due to the heterogeneity of instruments utilised. While the various instruments appear to be valid and reliable, correlations between instruments has been modest, driven by factors such as differences in recall times, attribution and other confounders.

10 CFR 434.601 - General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... a conventional simulation tool, of the Proposed Design. A life cycle cost analysis shall be used to select the fuel source for the HVAC systems, service hot water, and process loads from available...

Design of the VISITOR Tool: A Versatile ImpulSive Interplanetary Trajectory OptimizeR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Corpaccioli, Luca; Linskens, Harry; Komar, David R.

2014-01-01

The design of trajectories for interplanetary missions represents one of the most complex and important problems to solve during conceptual space mission design. To facilitate conceptual mission sizing activities, it is essential to obtain sufficiently accurate trajectories in a fast and repeatable manner. To this end, the VISITOR tool was developed. This tool modularly augments a patched conic MGA-1DSM model with a mass model, launch window analysis, and the ability to simulate more realistic arrival and departure operations. This was implemented in MATLAB, exploiting the built-in optimization tools and vector analysis routines. The chosen optimization strategy uses a grid search and pattern search, an iterative variable grid method. A genetic algorithm can be selectively used to improve search space pruning, at the cost of losing the repeatability of the results and increased computation time. The tool was validated against seven flown missions: the average total mission (Delta)V offset from the nominal trajectory was 9.1%, which was reduced to 7.3% when using the genetic algorithm at the cost of an increase in computation time by a factor 5.7. It was found that VISITOR was well-suited for the conceptual design of interplanetary trajectories, while also facilitating future improvements due to its modular structure.

Advanced transportation system studies technical area 2 (TA-2): Heavy lift launch vehicle development. volume 3; Program Cost estimates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McCurry, J. B.

1995-01-01

The purpose of the TA-2 contract was to provide advanced launch vehicle concept definition and analysis to assist NASA in the identification of future launch vehicle requirements. Contracted analysis activities included vehicle sizing and performance analysis, subsystem concept definition, propulsion subsystem definition (foreign and domestic), ground operations and facilities analysis, and life cycle cost estimation. The basic period of performance of the TA-2 contract was from May 1992 through May 1993. No-cost extensions were exercised on the contract from June 1993 through July 1995. This document is part of the final report for the TA-2 contract. The final report consists of three volumes: Volume 1 is the Executive Summary, Volume 2 is Technical Results, and Volume 3 is Program Cost Estimates. The document-at-hand, Volume 3, provides a work breakdown structure dictionary, user's guide for the parametric life cycle cost estimation tool, and final report developed by ECON, Inc., under subcontract to Lockheed Martin on TA-2 for the analysis of heavy lift launch vehicle concepts.

Streamlining the Design Tradespace for Earth Imaging Constellations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nag, Sreeja; Hughes, Steven P.; Le Moigne, Jacqueline J.

2016-01-01

Satellite constellations and Distributed Spacecraft Mission (DSM) architectures offer unique benefits to Earth observation scientists and unique challenges to cost estimators. The Cost and Risk (CR) module of the Tradespace Analysis Tool for Constellations (TAT-C) being developed by NASA Goddard seeks to address some of these challenges by providing a new approach to cost modeling, which aggregates existing Cost Estimating Relationships (CER) from respected sources, cost estimating best practices, and data from existing and proposed satellite designs. Cost estimation through this tool is approached from two perspectives: parametric cost estimating relationships and analogous cost estimation techniques. The dual approach utilized within the TAT-C CR module is intended to address prevailing concerns regarding early design stage cost estimates, and offer increased transparency and fidelity by offering two preliminary perspectives on mission cost. This work outlines the existing cost model, details assumptions built into the model, and explains what measures have been taken to address the particular challenges of constellation cost estimating. The risk estimation portion of the TAT-C CR module is still in development and will be presented in future work. The cost estimate produced by the CR module is not intended to be an exact mission valuation, but rather a comparative tool to assist in the exploration of the constellation design tradespace. Previous work has noted that estimating the cost of satellite constellations is difficult given that no comprehensive model for constellation cost estimation has yet been developed, and as such, quantitative assessment of multiple spacecraft missions has many remaining areas of uncertainty. By incorporating well-established CERs with preliminary approaches to approaching these uncertainties, the CR module offers more complete approach to constellation costing than has previously been available to mission architects or Earth scientists seeking to leverage the capabilities of multiple spacecraft working in support of a common goal.

Minimising post-operative risk using a Post-Anaesthetic Care Tool (PACT): protocol for a prospective observational study and cost-effectiveness analysis

PubMed Central

Phillips, Nicole M; Kent, Bridie; Colgan, Stephen; Mohebbi, Mohammadreza

2015-01-01

Introduction While the risk of adverse events following surgery has been identified, the impact of nursing care on early detection of these events is not well established. A systematic review of the evidence and an expert consensus study in post-anaesthetic care identified essential criteria for nursing assessment of patient readiness for discharge from the post-anaesthetic care unit (PACU). These criteria were included in a new nursing assessment tool, the Post-Anaesthetic Care Tool (PACT), and incorporated into the post-anaesthetic documentation at a large health service. The aim of this study is to test the clinical reliability of the PACT and evaluate whether the use of PACT will (1) enhance the recognition and response to patients at risk of deterioration in PACU; (2) improve documentation for handover from PACU nurse to ward nurse; (3) result in improved patient outcomes and (4) reduce healthcare costs. Methods and analysis A prospective, non-randomised, pre-implementation and post-implementation design comparing: (1) patients (n=750) who have surgery prior to the implementation of the PACT and (2) patients (n=750) who have surgery after PACT. The study will examine the use of the tool through the observation of patient care and nursing handover. Patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness will be determined from health service data and medical record audit. Descriptive statistics will be used to describe the sample and compare the two patient groups (pre-intervention and post-intervention). Differences in patient outcomes between the two groups will be compared using the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test and regression analyses and reported as ORs with the corresponding 95% CIs. Conclusions This study will test the clinical reliability and cost-effectiveness of the PACT. It is hypothesised that the PACT will enable nurses to recognise and respond to patients at risk of deterioration, improve handover to ward nurses, improve patient outcomes, and reduce healthcare costs. PMID:26033942

Benefit-cost analysis of fishery rehabilitation projects: A Great Lakes case study. Spec. issue: Responses to marine resource change/social sciences perspective

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bishop, R.C.; Milliman, S.R.; Boyle, K.J.; Johnson, B.L.

1990-01-01

Tools of benefit-cost analysis are used to evaluate a project to rehabilitate the yellow perch (Perca flavescens ) fishery of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Both sport and commercial fishers harvest from this stock, which has been suffering from much reduced productivity since the early 1960s. The project is composed of commercial quotas and other regulations. Measures of benefits and costs were used that explicitly incorporate uncertainly about the potential level of success of the project. The analysis shows that commercial fish producers will more or less break even compared to where they would have been without the project, but that substantial recreational benefits can be expected.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Deshmukh, Ranjit; Wu, Grace

The MapRE (Multi-criteria Analysis for Planning Renewable Energy) GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Tools are a set of ArcGIS tools to a) conduct site suitability analysis for wind and solar resources using inclusion and exclusion criteria, and create resource maps, b) create project opportunity areas and compute various attributes such as cost, distances to existing and planned infrastructure. and environmental impact factors; and c) calculate and update various attributes for already processed renewable energy zones. In addition, MapRE data sets are geospatial data of renewable energy project opportunity areas and zones with pre-calculated attributes for several countries. These tools and datamore » are available at mapre.lbl.gov.« less

Advanced Technology Lifecycle Analysis System (ATLAS) Technology Tool Box (TTB)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Doyle, Monica; ONeil, Daniel A.; Christensen, Carissa B.

2005-01-01

The Advanced Technology Lifecycle Analysis System (ATLAS) is a decision support tool designed to aid program managers and strategic planners in determining how to invest technology research and development dollars. It is an Excel-based modeling package that allows a user to build complex space architectures and evaluate the impact of various technology choices. ATLAS contains system models, cost and operations models, a campaign timeline and a centralized technology database. Technology data for all system models is drawn from a common database, the ATLAS Technology Tool Box (TTB). The TTB provides a comprehensive, architecture-independent technology database that is keyed to current and future timeframes.

Beyond Utility: The Liberal Arts and the Ends of Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidt, Christopher D.

2017-01-01

The humanities must be foundational to all our discussions of curriculum. They are not tools for success in the global economy; they offer no return on investment; and they will not fit into a cost-benefit analysis. Rather, they are our only means of knowing what success is, or what we mean by "cost" or "benefit." We must treat…

Rapid Modeling and Analysis Tools: Evolution, Status, Needs and Directions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knight, Norman F., Jr.; Stone, Thomas J.; Ransom, Jonathan B. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Advanced aerospace systems are becoming increasingly more complex, and customers are demanding lower cost, higher performance, and high reliability. Increased demands are placed on the design engineers to collaborate and integrate design needs and objectives early in the design process to minimize risks that may occur later in the design development stage. High performance systems require better understanding of system sensitivities much earlier in the design process to meet these goals. The knowledge, skills, intuition, and experience of an individual design engineer will need to be extended significantly for the next generation of aerospace system designs. Then a collaborative effort involving the designer, rapid and reliable analysis tools and virtual experts will result in advanced aerospace systems that are safe, reliable, and efficient. This paper discusses the evolution, status, needs and directions for rapid modeling and analysis tools for structural analysis. First, the evolution of computerized design and analysis tools is briefly described. Next, the status of representative design and analysis tools is described along with a brief statement on their functionality. Then technology advancements to achieve rapid modeling and analysis are identified. Finally, potential future directions including possible prototype configurations are proposed.

Data Use Disclaimer Agreement | Energy Analysis | NREL

Science.gov Websites

;). Access to and use of this Tool shall impose the following obligations on the user, as set forth in this Agreement. The user is granted the right, without any fee or cost, to use, copy, modify, alter, enhance and the use of this Tool. The names DOE/NREL/ALLIANCE, however, may not be used in any advertising or

Developing an Ecosystem Services online Decision Support Tool to Assess the Impacts of Climate Change and Urban Growth in the Santa Cruz Watershed; Where We Live, Work, and Play

EPA Science Inventory

Processes through which ecosystems provide goods or benefit people can be referred to as "ecosystems services”, which may be quantified to clarify decision-making, with techniques including cost-benefit analysis. We are developing an online decision support tool, the Santa Cruz W...

SAVANT: Solar Array Verification and Analysis Tool Demonstrated

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chock, Ricaurte

2000-01-01

The photovoltaics (PV) industry is now being held to strict specifications, such as end-oflife power requirements, that force them to overengineer their products to avoid contractual penalties. Such overengineering has been the only reliable way to meet such specifications. Unfortunately, it also results in a more costly process than is probably necessary. In our conversations with the PV industry, the issue of cost has been raised again and again. Consequently, the Photovoltaics and Space Environment Effects branch at the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field has been developing a software tool to address this problem. SAVANT, Glenn's tool for solar array verification and analysis is in the technology demonstration phase. Ongoing work has proven that more efficient and less costly PV designs should be possible by using SAVANT to predict the on-orbit life-cycle performance. The ultimate goal of the SAVANT project is to provide a user-friendly computer tool to predict PV on-orbit life-cycle performance. This should greatly simplify the tasks of scaling and designing the PV power component of any given flight or mission. By being able to predict how a particular PV article will perform, designers will be able to balance mission power requirements (both beginning-of-life and end-of-life) with survivability concerns such as power degradation due to radiation and/or contamination. Recent comparisons with actual flight data from the Photovoltaic Array Space Power Plus Diagnostics (PASP Plus) mission validate this approach.

Decision-support tool for assessing biomanufacturing strategies under uncertainty: stainless steel versus disposable equipment for clinical trial material preparation.

PubMed

Farid, Suzanne S; Washbrook, John; Titchener-Hooker, Nigel J

2005-01-01

This paper presents the application of a decision-support tool, SIMBIOPHARMA, for assessing different manufacturing strategies under uncertainty for the production of biopharmaceuticals. SIMBIOPHARMA captures both the technical and business aspects of biopharmaceutical manufacture within a single tool that permits manufacturing alternatives to be evaluated in terms of cost, time, yield, project throughput, resource utilization, and risk. Its use for risk analysis is demonstrated through a hypothetical case study that uses the Monte Carlo simulation technique to imitate the randomness inherent in manufacturing subject to technical and market uncertainties. The case study addresses whether start-up companies should invest in a stainless steel pilot plant or use disposable equipment for the production of early phase clinical trial material. The effects of fluctuating product demands and titers on the performance of a biopharmaceutical company manufacturing clinical trial material are analyzed. The analysis highlights the impact of different manufacturing options on the range in possible outcomes for the project throughput and cost of goods and the likelihood that these metrics exceed a critical threshold. The simulation studies highlight the benefits of incorporating uncertainties when evaluating manufacturing strategies. Methods of presenting and analyzing information generated by the simulations are suggested. These are used to help determine the ranking of alternatives under different scenarios. The example illustrates the benefits to companies of using such a tool to improve management of their R&D portfolios so as to control the cost of goods.

Evaluating biomarkers for prognostic enrichment of clinical trials.

PubMed

Kerr, Kathleen F; Roth, Jeremy; Zhu, Kehao; Thiessen-Philbrook, Heather; Meisner, Allison; Wilson, Francis Perry; Coca, Steven; Parikh, Chirag R

2017-12-01

A potential use of biomarkers is to assist in prognostic enrichment of clinical trials, where only patients at relatively higher risk for an outcome of interest are eligible for the trial. We investigated methods for evaluating biomarkers for prognostic enrichment. We identified five key considerations when considering a biomarker and a screening threshold for prognostic enrichment: (1) clinical trial sample size, (2) calendar time to enroll the trial, (3) total patient screening costs and the total per-patient trial costs, (4) generalizability of trial results, and (5) ethical evaluation of trial eligibility criteria. Items (1)-(3) are amenable to quantitative analysis. We developed the Biomarker Prognostic Enrichment Tool for evaluating biomarkers for prognostic enrichment at varying levels of screening stringency. We demonstrate that both modestly prognostic and strongly prognostic biomarkers can improve trial metrics using Biomarker Prognostic Enrichment Tool. Biomarker Prognostic Enrichment Tool is available as a webtool at http://prognosticenrichment.com and as a package for the R statistical computing platform. In some clinical settings, even biomarkers with modest prognostic performance can be useful for prognostic enrichment. In addition to the quantitative analysis provided by Biomarker Prognostic Enrichment Tool, investigators must consider the generalizability of trial results and evaluate the ethics of trial eligibility criteria.

Guidelines for appropriate care: the importance of empirical normative analysis.

PubMed

Berg, M; Meulen, R T; van den Burg, M

2001-01-01

The Royal Dutch Medical Association recently completed a research project aimed at investigating how guidelines for 'appropriate medical care' should be construed. The project took as a starting point that explicit attention should be given to ethical and political considerations in addition to data about costs and effectiveness. In the project, two research groups set out to design guidelines and cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs) for two circumscribed medical areas (angina pectoris and major depression). Our third group was responsible for the normative analysis. We undertook an explorative, qualitative pilot study of the normative considerations that played a role in constructing the guidelines and CEAs, and simultaneously interviewed specialists about the normative considerations that guided their diagnostic and treatment decisions. Explicating normative considerations, we argue, is important democratically: the issues at stake should not be left to decision analysts and guideline developers to decide. Moreover, it is a necessary condition for a successful implementation of such tools: those who draw upon these tools will only accept them when they can recognize themselves in the considerations implied. Empirical normative analysis, we argue, is a crucial tool in developing guidelines for appropriate medical care.

Application of risk analysis in water resourses management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varouchakis, Emmanouil; Palogos, Ioannis

2017-04-01

A common cost-benefit analysis approach, which is novel in the risk analysis of hydrologic/hydraulic applications, and a Bayesian decision analysis are applied to aid the decision making on whether or not to construct a water reservoir for irrigation purposes. The alternative option examined is a scaled parabolic fine variation in terms of over-pumping violations in contrast to common practices that usually consider short-term fines. Such an application, and in such detail, represents new feedback. The results indicate that the probability uncertainty is the driving issue that determines the optimal decision with each methodology, and depending on the unknown probability handling, each methodology may lead to a different optimal decision. Thus, the proposed tool can help decision makers (stakeholders) to examine and compare different scenarios using two different approaches before making a decision considering the cost of a hydrologic/hydraulic project and the varied economic charges that water table limit violations can cause inside an audit interval. In contrast to practices that assess the effect of each proposed action separately considering only current knowledge of the examined issue, this tool aids decision making by considering prior information and the sampling distribution of future successful audits. This tool is developed in a web service for the easier stakeholders' access.

Analysis of laparoscopy in trauma.

PubMed

Villavicencio, R T; Aucar, J A

1999-07-01

The optimum roles for laparoscopy in trauma have yet to be established. To date, reviews of laparoscopy in trauma have been primarily descriptive rather than analytic. This article analyzes the results of laparoscopy in trauma. Outcome analysis was done by reviewing 37 studies with more than 1,900 trauma patients, and laparoscopy was analyzed as a screening, diagnostic, or therapeutic tool. Laparoscopy was regarded as a screening tool if it was used to detect or exclude a positive finding (eg, hemoperitoneum, organ injury, gastrointestinal spillage, peritoneal penetration) that required operative exploration or repair. Laparoscopy was regarded as a diagnostic tool when it was used to identify all injuries, rather than as a screening tool to identify the first indication for a laparotomy. It was regarded as a diagnostic tool only in studies that mandated a laparotomy (gold standard) after laparoscopy to confirm the diagnostic accuracy of laparoscopic findings. Costs and charges for using laparoscopy in trauma were analyzed when feasible. As a screening tool, laparoscopy missed 1% of injuries and helped prevent 63% of patients from having a trauma laparotomy. When used as a diagnostic tool, laparoscopy had a 41% to 77% missed injury rate per patient. Overall, laparoscopy carried a 1% procedure-related complication rate. Cost-effectiveness has not been uniformly proved in studies comparing laparoscopy and laparotomy. Laparoscopy has been applied safely and effectively as a screening tool in stable patients with acute trauma. Because of the large number of missed injuries when used as a diagnostic tool, its value in this context is limited. Laparoscopy has been reported infrequently as a therapeutic tool in selected patients, and its use in this context requires further study.

EconoMe-Develop - a calculation tool for multi-risk assessment and benefit-cost-analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bründl, M.

2012-04-01

Public money is used to finance the protection of human life, material assets and the environment against natural hazards. This limited resource should be used in a way that it achieves the maximum possible effect by minimizing as many risks as possible. Hence, decision-makers are facing the question which mitigation measures should be prioritised. Benefit-Cost-Analysis (BCA) is a recognized method for determining the economic efficiency of investments in mitigation measures. In Switzerland, the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) judges the benefit-cost-ratio of mitigation projects on the base of the results of the calculation tool "EconoMe" [1]. The check of the economic efficiency of mitigation projects with an investment of more than 1 million CHF (800,000 EUR) by using "EconoMe" is mandatory since 2008 in Switzerland. Within "EconoMe", most calculation parameters cannot be changed by the user allowing for comparable results. Based on the risk guideline "RIKO" [2] an extended version of the operational version of "EconoMe", called "EconoMe-Develop" was developed. "EconoMe-Develop" is able to deal with various natural hazard processes and thus allows multi-risk assessments, since all restrictions of the operational version of "EconoMe" like e.g. the number of scenarios and expositions, vulnerability, spatial probability of processes and probability of presence of objects, are not existing. Additionally, the influences of uncertainty of calculation factors, like e.g. vulnerability, on the final results can be determined. "EconoMe-Develop" offers import and export of data, e.g. results of GIS-analysis. The possibility for adapting the tool to user specific requirements makes EconoMe-Develop an easy-to-use tool for risk assessment and assessment of economic efficiency of mitigation projects for risk experts. In the paper we will present the most important features of the tool and we will illustrate the application by a practical example.

Present-value analysis: A systems approach to public decisionmaking for cost effectiveness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herbert, T. T.

1971-01-01

Decision makers within Governmental agencies and Congress must evaluate competing (and sometimes conflicting) proposals which seek funding and implementation. Present value analysis can be an effective decision making tool by enabling the formal evaluation of the effects of competing proposals on efficient national resource utilization. A project's costs are not only its direct disbursements, but its social costs as well. How much does it cost to have those funds diverted from their use and economic benefit by the private sector to the public project? Comparisons of competing projects' social costs allow decision makers to expand their decision bases by quantifying the projects' impacts upon the economy and the efficient utilization of the country's limited national resources. A conceptual model is established for the choosing of the appropriate discount rate to be used in evaluation decisions through the technique.

On a Formal Tool for Reasoning About Flight Software Cost Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spagnuolo, John N., Jr.; Stukes, Sherry A.

2013-01-01

A report focuses on the development of flight software (FSW) cost estimates for 16 Discovery-class missions at JPL. The techniques and procedures developed enabled streamlining of the FSW analysis process, and provided instantaneous confirmation that the data and processes used for these estimates were consistent across all missions. The research provides direction as to how to build a prototype rule-based system for FSW cost estimation that would provide (1) FSW cost estimates, (2) explanation of how the estimates were arrived at, (3) mapping of costs, (4) mathematical trend charts with explanations of why the trends are what they are, (5) tables with ancillary FSW data of interest to analysts, (6) a facility for expert modification/enhancement of the rules, and (7) a basis for conceptually convenient expansion into more complex, useful, and general rule-based systems.

Trade-space Analysis for Constellations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Moigne, J.; Dabney, P.; de Weck, O. L.; Foreman, V.; Grogan, P.; Holland, M. P.; Hughes, S. P.; Nag, S.

2016-12-01

Traditionally, space missions have relied on relatively large and monolithic satellites, but in the past few years, under a changing technological and economic environment, including instrument and spacecraft miniaturization, scalable launchers, secondary launches as well as hosted payloads, there is growing interest in implementing future NASA missions as Distributed Spacecraft Missions (DSM). The objective of our project is to provide a framework that facilitates DSM Pre-Phase A investigations and optimizes DSM designs with respect to a-priori Science goals. In this first version of our Trade-space Analysis Tool for Constellations (TAT-C), we are investigating questions such as: "How many spacecraft should be included in the constellation? Which design has the best cost/risk value?" The main goals of TAT-C are to: Handle multiple spacecraft sharing a mission objective, from SmallSats up through flagships, Explore the variables trade space for pre-defined science, cost and risk goals, and pre-defined metrics Optimize cost and performance across multiple instruments and platforms vs. one at a time. This paper describes the overall architecture of TAT-C including: a User Interface (UI) interacting with multiple users - scientists, missions designers or program managers; an Executive Driver gathering requirements from UI, then formulating Trade-space Search Requests for the Trade-space Search Iterator first with inputs from the Knowledge Base, then, in collaboration with the Orbit & Coverage, Reduction & Metrics, and Cost& Risk modules, generating multiple potential architectures and their associated characteristics. TAT-C leverages the use of the Goddard Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT) to compute coverage and ancillary data, streamlining the computations by modeling orbits in a way that balances accuracy and performance. TAT-C current version includes uniform Walker constellations as well as Ad-Hoc constellations, and its cost model represents an aggregate model consisting of Cost Estimating Relationships (CERs) from widely accepted models. The Knowledge Base supports both analysis and exploration, and the current GUI prototype automatically generates graphics representing metrics such as average revisit time or coverage as a function of cost.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of sandhill crane habitat management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kessler, Andrew C.; Merchant, James W.; Shultz, Steven D.; Allen, Craig R.

2013-01-01

Invasive species often threaten native wildlife populations and strain the budgets of agencies charged with wildlife management. We demonstrate the potential of cost-effectiveness analysis to improve the efficiency and value of efforts to enhance sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) roosting habitat. We focus on the central Platte River in Nebraska (USA), a region of international ecological importance for migrating avian species including sandhill cranes. Cost-effectiveness analysis is a valuation process designed to compare alternative actions based on the cost of achieving a pre-determined objective. We estimated costs for removal of invasive vegetation using geographic information system simulations and calculated benefits as the increase in area of sandhill crane roosting habitat. We generated cost effectiveness values for removing invasive vegetation on 7 land parcels and for the entire central Platte River to compare the cost-effectiveness of management at specific sites and for the central Platte River landscape. Median cost effectiveness values for the 7 land parcels evaluated suggest that costs for creating 1 additional hectare of sandhill crane roosting habitat totaled US $1,595. By contrast, we found that creating an additional hectare of sandhill crane roosting habitat could cost as much as US $12,010 for some areas in the central Platte River, indicating substantial cost savings can be achieved by using a cost effectiveness analysis to target specific land parcels for management. Cost-effectiveness analysis, used in conjunction with geographic information systems, can provide decision-makers with a new tool for identifying the most economically efficient allocation of resources to achieve habitat management goals.

Treating technology as a luxury? 10 necessary tools.

PubMed

Berger, Steven H

2007-02-01

Technology and techniques that every hospital should acquire and use for effective financial management include: Daily dashboards. Balanced scorecards. Benchmarking. Flexible budgeting and monitoring. Labor management systems. Nonlabor management analysis. Service, line, physician, and patient-level reporting and analysis. Cost accounting technology. Contract management technology. Denials management software.

Progressive Damage and Failure Analysis of Composite Laminates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joseph, Ashith P. K.

Composite materials are widely used in various industries for making structural parts due to higher strength to weight ratio, better fatigue life, corrosion resistance and material property tailorability. To fully exploit the capability of composites, it is required to know the load carrying capacity of the parts made of them. Unlike metals, composites are orthotropic in nature and fails in a complex manner under various loading conditions which makes it a hard problem to analyze. Lack of reliable and efficient failure analysis tools for composites have led industries to rely more on coupon and component level testing to estimate the design space. Due to the complex failure mechanisms, composite materials require a very large number of coupon level tests to fully characterize the behavior. This makes the entire testing process very time consuming and costly. The alternative is to use virtual testing tools which can predict the complex failure mechanisms accurately. This reduces the cost only to it's associated computational expenses making significant savings. Some of the most desired features in a virtual testing tool are - (1) Accurate representation of failure mechanism: Failure progression predicted by the virtual tool must be same as those observed in experiments. A tool has to be assessed based on the mechanisms it can capture. (2) Computational efficiency: The greatest advantages of a virtual tools are the savings in time and money and hence computational efficiency is one of the most needed features. (3) Applicability to a wide range of problems: Structural parts are subjected to a variety of loading conditions including static, dynamic and fatigue conditions. A good virtual testing tool should be able to make good predictions for all these different loading conditions. The aim of this PhD thesis is to develop a computational tool which can model the progressive failure of composite laminates under different quasi-static loading conditions. The analysis tool is validated by comparing the simulations against experiments for a selected number of quasi-static loading cases.

Design and evaluation of low-cost stainless steel fiberglass foam blades for large wind driven generating systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eggert, W. S.

1982-01-01

A low cost wind turbine blade based on a stainless steel fiberglass foam Budd blade design concept, was evaluated for its principle characteristics, low cost features, and its advantages and disadvantages. A blade structure was designed and construction methods and materials were selected. A complete blade tooling concepts, various technical and economic analysis, and evaluations of the blade design were performed. A comprehensive fatigue test program is conducted to provide data to verify the design stress allowables.

Design and evaluation of low-cost stainless steel fiberglass foam blades for large wind driven generating systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eggert, W. S.

1982-10-01

A low cost wind turbine blade based on a stainless steel fiberglass foam Budd blade design concept, was evaluated for its principle characteristics, low cost features, and its advantages and disadvantages. A blade structure was designed and construction methods and materials were selected. A complete blade tooling concepts, various technical and economic analysis, and evaluations of the blade design were performed. A comprehensive fatigue test program is conducted to provide data to verify the design stress allowables.

Can incentives make a difference? Assessing the effects of policy tools for encouraging tree-planting on private lands.

PubMed

Ruseva, Tatyana B; Evans, Tom P; Fischer, Burnell C

2015-05-15

This study uses a mail survey of private landowners in the Midwest United States to understand the characteristics of owners who have planted trees or intend to plant trees in the future. The analysis examines what policy tools encourage owners to plant trees, and how policy tools operate across different ownership attributes to promote tree-planting on private lands. Logistic regression results suggest that cost-subsidizing policy tools, such as low-cost and free seedlings, significantly increase the odds of actual and planned reforestation when landowners consider them important for increasing forest cover. Individuals most likely to plant trees, when low-cost seedlings are available and important, are fairly recent (<5 years), college-educated owners who own small parcels (<4 ha) and use the land for recreation. Motivations to reforest were also shaped by owners' planning horizons, connection to the land, previous tree-planting experience, and peer influence. The study has relevance for the design of policy approaches that can encourage private forestation through provision of economic incentives and capacity to private landowners. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Cost-effectiveness analysis and diet quality index applied to the WHO Global Strategy].

PubMed

Machado, Flávia Mori Sarti; Simões, Arlete Naresse

2008-02-01

To test the use of cost-effectiveness analysis as a decision making tool in the production of meals for the inclusion of the recommendations published in the World Health Organization's Global Strategy. Five alternative options for breakfast menu were assessed previously to their adoption in a food service at a university in the state of Sao Paulo, Southeastern Brazil, in 2006. Costs of the different options were based on market prices of food items (direct cost). Health benefits were estimated based on adaptation of the Diet Quality Index (DQI). Cost-effectiveness ratios were estimated by dividing benefits by costs and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were estimated as cost differential per unit of additional benefit. The meal choice was based on health benefit units associated to direct production cost as well as incremental effectiveness per unit of differential cost. The analysis showed the most simple option with the addition of a fruit (DQI = 64 / cost = R$ 1.58) as the best alternative. Higher effectiveness was seen in the options with a fruit portion (DQI1=64 / DQI3=58 / DQI5=72) compared to the others (DQI2=48 / DQI4=58). The estimate of cost-effectiveness ratio allowed to identifying the best breakfast option based on cost-effectiveness analysis and Diet Quality Index. These instruments allow easy application easiness and objective evaluation which are key to the process of inclusion of public or private institutions under the Global Strategy directives.

Development of materials for the rapid manufacture of die cast tooling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hardro, Peter Jason

The focus of this research is to develop a material composition that can be processed by rapid prototyping (RP) in order to produce tooling for the die casting process. Where these rapidly produced tools will be superior to traditional tooling production methods by offering one or more of the following advantages: reduced tooling cost, shortened tooling creation time, reduced man-hours for tool creation, increased tool life, and shortened die casting cycle time. By utilizing RP's additive build process and vast material selection, there was a prospect that die cast tooling may be produced quicker and with superior material properties. To this end, the material properties that influence die life and cycle time were determined, and a list of materials that fulfill these "optimal" properties were highlighted. Physical testing was conducted in order to grade the processability of each of the material systems and to optimize the manufacturing process for the downselected material system. Sample specimens were produced and microscopy techniques were utilized to determine a number of physical properties of the material system. Additionally, a benchmark geometry was selected and die casting dies were produced from traditional tool materials (H13 steel) and techniques (machining) and from the newly developed materials and RP techniques (selective laser sintering (SLS) and laser engineered net shaping (LENS)). Once the tools were created, a die cast alloy was selected and a preset number of parts were shot into each tool. During tool creation, the manufacturing time and cost was closely monitored and an economic model was developed to compare traditional tooling to RP tooling. This model allows one to determine, in the early design stages, when it is advantageous to implement RP tooling and when traditional tooling would be best. The results of the physical testing and economic analysis has shown that RP tooling is able to achieve a number of the research objectives, namely, reduce tooling cost, shorten tooling creation time, and reduce the man-hours needed for tool creation. Though identifying the appropriate time to use RP tooling appears to be the most important aspect in achieving successful implementation.

Integrated Modeling Approach for Optimal Management of Water, Energy and Food Security Nexus

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Xiaodong; Vesselinov, Velimir Valentinov

We report that water, energy and food (WEF) are inextricably interrelated. Effective planning and management of limited WEF resources to meet current and future socioeconomic demands for sustainable development is challenging. WEF production/delivery may also produce environmental impacts; as a result, green-house-gas emission control will impact WEF nexus management as well. Nexus management for WEF security necessitates integrated tools for predictive analysis that are capable of identifying the tradeoffs among various sectors, generating cost-effective planning and management strategies and policies. To address these needs, we have developed an integrated model analysis framework and tool called WEFO. WEFO provides a multi-periodmore » socioeconomic model for predicting how to satisfy WEF demands based on model inputs representing productions costs, socioeconomic demands, and environmental controls. WEFO is applied to quantitatively analyze the interrelationships and trade-offs among system components including energy supply, electricity generation, water supply-demand, food production as well as mitigation of environmental impacts. WEFO is demonstrated to solve a hypothetical nexus management problem consistent with real-world management scenarios. Model parameters are analyzed using global sensitivity analysis and their effects on total system cost are quantified. Lastly, the obtained results demonstrate how these types of analyses can be helpful for decision-makers and stakeholders to make cost-effective decisions for optimal WEF management.« less

Integrated Modeling Approach for Optimal Management of Water, Energy and Food Security Nexus

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Xiaodong; Vesselinov, Velimir Valentinov

2016-12-28

We report that water, energy and food (WEF) are inextricably interrelated. Effective planning and management of limited WEF resources to meet current and future socioeconomic demands for sustainable development is challenging. WEF production/delivery may also produce environmental impacts; as a result, green-house-gas emission control will impact WEF nexus management as well. Nexus management for WEF security necessitates integrated tools for predictive analysis that are capable of identifying the tradeoffs among various sectors, generating cost-effective planning and management strategies and policies. To address these needs, we have developed an integrated model analysis framework and tool called WEFO. WEFO provides a multi-periodmore » socioeconomic model for predicting how to satisfy WEF demands based on model inputs representing productions costs, socioeconomic demands, and environmental controls. WEFO is applied to quantitatively analyze the interrelationships and trade-offs among system components including energy supply, electricity generation, water supply-demand, food production as well as mitigation of environmental impacts. WEFO is demonstrated to solve a hypothetical nexus management problem consistent with real-world management scenarios. Model parameters are analyzed using global sensitivity analysis and their effects on total system cost are quantified. Lastly, the obtained results demonstrate how these types of analyses can be helpful for decision-makers and stakeholders to make cost-effective decisions for optimal WEF management.« less

Damage Simulation in Composite Materials: Why It Matters and What Is Happening Currently at NASA in This Area

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McElroy, Mack; de Carvalho, Nelson; Estes, Ashley; Lin, Shih-yung

2017-01-01

Use of lightweight composite materials in space and aircraft structure designs is often challenging due to high costs associated with structural certification. Of primary concern in the use of composite structures is durability and damage tolerance. This concern is due to the inherent susceptibility of composite materials to both fabrication and service induced flaws. Due to a lack of general industry accepted analysis tools applicable to composites damage simulation, a certification procedure relies almost entirely on testing. It is this reliance on testing, especially compared to structures comprised of legacy metallic materials where damage simulation tools are available, that can drive costs for using composite materials in aerospace structures. The observation that use of composites can be expensive due to testing requirements is not new and as such, research on analysis tools for simulating damage in composite structures has been occurring for several decades. A convenient approach many researchers/model-developers in this area have taken is to select a specific problem relevant to aerospace structural certification and develop a model that is accurate within that scope. Some examples are open hole tension tests, compression after impact tests, low-velocity impact, damage tolerance of an embedded flaw, and fatigue crack growth to name a few. Based on the premise that running analyses is cheaper than running tests, one motivation that many researchers in this area have is that if generally applicable and reliable damage simulation tools were available the dependence on certification testing could be lessened thereby reducing overall design cost. It is generally accepted that simulation tools if applied in this manner would still need to be thoroughly validated and that composite testing will never be completely replaced by analysis. Research and development is currently occurring at NASA to create numerical damage simulation tools applicable to damage in composites. The Advanced Composites Project (ACP) at NASA Langley has supported the development of composites damage simulation tools in a consortium of aerospace companies with a goal of reducing the certification time of a commercial aircraft by 30%. And while the scope of ACP does not include spacecraft, much of the methodology and simulation capabilities can apply to spacecraft certification in the Space Launch System and Orion programs as well. Some specific applications of composite damage simulation models in a certification program are (1) evaluation of damage during service when maintenance may be difficult or impossible, (2) a tool for early design iterations, (3) gaining insight into a particular damage process and applying this insight towards a test coupon or structural design, and (4) analysis of damage scenarios that are difficult or impossible to recreate in a test. As analysis capabilities improve, these applications and more will become realized resulting in a reduction in cost for use of composites in aerospace vehicles. NASA is engaged in this process from both research and application perspectives. In addition to the background information discussed previously, this presentation covers a look at recent research at NASA in this area and some current/potential applications in the Orion program.

A simplified economic filter for open-pit mining and heap-leach recovery of copper in the United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Long, Keith R.; Singer, Donald A.

2001-01-01

Determining the economic viability of mineral deposits of various sizes and grades is a critical task in all phases of mineral supply, from land-use management to mine development. This study evaluates two simple tools for estimating the economic viability of porphyry copper deposits mined by open-pit, heap-leach methods when only limited information on these deposits is available. These two methods are useful for evaluating deposits that either (1) are undiscovered deposits predicted by a mineral resource assessment, or (2) have been discovered but for which little data has been collected or released. The first tool uses ordinary least-squared regression analysis of cost and operating data from selected deposits to estimate a predictive relationship between mining rate, itself estimated from deposit size, and capital and operating costs. The second method uses cost models developed by the U.S. Bureau of Mines (Camm, 1991) updated using appropriate cost indices. We find that the cost model method works best for estimating capital costs and the empirical model works best for estimating operating costs for mines to be developed in the United States.

A cost-benefit analysis for materials management information systems.

PubMed

Slapak-Iacobelli, L; Wilde, A H

1993-02-01

The cost-benefit analysis provided the system planners with valuable information that served many purposes. It answered the following questions: Why was the CCF undertaking this project? What were the alternatives? How much was it going to cost? And what was the expected outcome? The process of developing cost-benefit the document kept the project team focused. It also motivated them to involve additional individuals from materials management and accounts payable in its development. A byproduct of this involvement was buy-in and commitment to the project by everyone in these areas. Consequently, the project became a team effort championed by many and not just one. We were also able to introduce two new information system processes: 1) a management review process with goals and anticipated results, and 2) a quality assurance process that ensured the CCF had a better product in the end. The cost-benefit analysis provided a planning tool that assisted in successful implementation of an integrated materials management information system.

Soak Up the Rain New England Webinar Series: National ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Presenters will provide an introduction to the most recent EPA green infrastructure tools to R1 stakeholders; and their use in making decisions about implementing green infrastructure. We will discuss structuring your green infrastructure decision, finding appropriate information and tools, evaluating options and selecting the right Best Management Practices mix for your needs.WMOST (Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool)- for screening a wide range of practices for cost-effectiveness in achieving watershed or water utilities management goals.GIWiz (Green Infrastructure Wizard)- a web application connecting communities to EPA Green Infrastructure tools and resources.Opti-Tool-designed to assist in developing technically sound and optimized cost-effective Stormwater management plans. National Stormwater Calculator- a desktop application for estimating the impact of land cover change and green infrastructure controls on stormwater runoff. DASEES-GI (Decision Analysis for a Sustainable Environment, Economy, and Society) – a framework for linking objectives and measures with green infrastructure methods. Presenters will provide an introduction to the most recent EPA green infrastructure tools to R1 stakeholders; and their use in making decisions about implementing green infrastructure. We will discuss structuring your green infrastructure decision, finding appropriate information and tools, evaluating options and selecting the right Best Management Pr

System Evaluation and Life-Cycle Cost Analysis of a Commercial-Scale High-Temperature Electrolysis Hydrogen Production Plant

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Edwin A. Harvego; James E. O'Brien; Michael G. McKellar

2012-11-01

Results of a system evaluation and lifecycle cost analysis are presented for a commercial-scale high-temperature electrolysis (HTE) central hydrogen production plant. The plant design relies on grid electricity to power the electrolysis process and system components, and industrial natural gas to provide process heat. The HYSYS process analysis software was used to evaluate the reference central plant design capable of producing 50,000 kg/day of hydrogen. The HYSYS software performs mass and energy balances across all components to allow optimization of the design using a detailed process flow sheet and realistic operating conditions specified by the analyst. The lifecycle cost analysismore » was performed using the H2A analysis methodology developed by the Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Program. This methodology utilizes Microsoft Excel spreadsheet analysis tools that require detailed plant performance information (obtained from HYSYS), along with financial and cost information to calculate lifecycle costs. The results of the lifecycle analyses indicate that for a 10% internal rate of return, a large central commercial-scale hydrogen production plant can produce 50,000 kg/day of hydrogen at an average cost of $2.68/kg. When the cost of carbon sequestration is taken into account, the average cost of hydrogen production increases by $0.40/kg to $3.08/kg.« less

GT-WGS: an efficient and economic tool for large-scale WGS analyses based on the AWS cloud service.

PubMed

Wang, Yiqi; Li, Gen; Ma, Mark; He, Fazhong; Song, Zhuo; Zhang, Wei; Wu, Chengkun

2018-01-19

Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) plays an increasingly important role in clinical practice and public health. Due to the big data size, WGS data analysis is usually compute-intensive and IO-intensive. Currently it usually takes 30 to 40 h to finish a 50× WGS analysis task, which is far from the ideal speed required by the industry. Furthermore, the high-end infrastructure required by WGS computing is costly in terms of time and money. In this paper, we aim to improve the time efficiency of WGS analysis and minimize the cost by elastic cloud computing. We developed a distributed system, GT-WGS, for large-scale WGS analyses utilizing the Amazon Web Services (AWS). Our system won the first prize on the Wind and Cloud challenge held by Genomics and Cloud Technology Alliance conference (GCTA) committee. The system makes full use of the dynamic pricing mechanism of AWS. We evaluate the performance of GT-WGS with a 55× WGS dataset (400GB fastq) provided by the GCTA 2017 competition. In the best case, it only took 18.4 min to finish the analysis and the AWS cost of the whole process is only 16.5 US dollars. The accuracy of GT-WGS is 99.9% consistent with that of the Genome Analysis Toolkit (GATK) best practice. We also evaluated the performance of GT-WGS performance on a real-world dataset provided by the XiangYa hospital, which consists of 5× whole-genome dataset with 500 samples, and on average GT-WGS managed to finish one 5× WGS analysis task in 2.4 min at a cost of $3.6. WGS is already playing an important role in guiding therapeutic intervention. However, its application is limited by the time cost and computing cost. GT-WGS excelled as an efficient and affordable WGS analyses tool to address this problem. The demo video and supplementary materials of GT-WGS can be accessed at https://github.com/Genetalks/wgs_analysis_demo .

Meta-tools for software development and knowledge acquisition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eriksson, Henrik; Musen, Mark A.

1992-01-01

The effectiveness of tools that provide support for software development is highly dependent on the match between the tools and their task. Knowledge-acquisition (KA) tools constitute a class of development tools targeted at knowledge-based systems. Generally, KA tools that are custom-tailored for particular application domains are more effective than are general KA tools that cover a large class of domains. The high cost of custom-tailoring KA tools manually has encouraged researchers to develop meta-tools for KA tools. Current research issues in meta-tools for knowledge acquisition are the specification styles, or meta-views, for target KA tools used, and the relationships between the specification entered in the meta-tool and other specifications for the target program under development. We examine different types of meta-views and meta-tools. Our current project is to provide meta-tools that produce KA tools from multiple specification sources--for instance, from a task analysis of the target application.

Improving a web-based employability intervention for work-disabled employees: results of a pilot economic evaluation.

PubMed

Noben, Cindy; Evers, Silvia; Genabeek, Joost van; Nijhuis, Frans; de Rijk, Angelique

2017-04-01

Purpose The purpose of this study is to improve web-based employability interventions for employees with work-related health problems for both intervention content and study design by means of a pilot economic evaluation. Methods Uptake rate analysis for the intervention elements, cost effectiveness, cost utility and subgroup analyses were conducted to identify potential content-related intervention improvements. Differences in work ability and quality-adjusted life years and overall contribution of resource items to the total costs were assessed. These were used to guide study design improvements. Results Sixty-three participants were a-select allocated to either the intervention (n = 29) or the control (n = 34) group. Uptake regarding the intervention elements ranged between 3% and 70%. Cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses resulted in negative effects although higher total costs. Incremental effects were marginal (work ability -0.51; QALY -0.01). Conclusions The web-based tool to enhance employability among work disabled employees requires improvements regarding targeting and intensity; outcome measures selected and collection of cost data. With respect to the studies of disability and rehabilitation, the findings and methods presented in this pilot economic evaluation could guide the assessment of future assistive "e-health" technologies. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION The methods presented in this pilot economic evaluation have large potentials to guide the assessment of future assistive e-health technologies addressing work-disabilities. The findings show that the web-based tool requires content related improvements with respect to targeting and intensity to enhance employability among work disabled employees. The findings show that the web-based tool would benefit from improvements related to the study design by more adequately selecting and collecting both outcome measures and cost data. The burden attributable to large-scale studies and implementation issues were prevented as the outcomes of the pilot economic evaluation did not support the implementation of the web-based tool.

Analytical Tools for Affordability Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-30

flunk this basic test from their inception. —Honorable Ashton B. Carter (2010), Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics... Testing , and Evaluation] funding has been lost to cancelled programs. (Decker & Wagner, 2011) The Army is scarcely unique in this regard. All... econometric model of how schedule affects cost should take advantage of these different cost categories and treat them separately when they are known

Nano-Launcher Technologies, Approaches, and Life Cycle Assessment. Phase II

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zapata, Edgar

2014-01-01

Assist in understanding NASA technology and investment approaches, and other driving factors, necessary for enabling dedicated nano-launchers by industry at a cost and flight rate that (1) could support and be supported by an emerging nano-satellite market and (2) would benefit NASAs needs. Develop life-cycle cost, performance and other NASA analysis tools or models required to understand issues, drivers and challenges.

Time series analysis of tool wear in sheet metal stamping using acoustic emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vignesh Shanbhag, V.; Pereira, P. Michael; Rolfe, F. Bernard; Arunachalam, N.

2017-09-01

Galling is an adhesive wear mode that often affects the lifespan of stamping tools. Since stamping tools represent significant economic cost, even a slight improvement in maintenance cost is of high importance for the stamping industry. In other manufacturing industries, online tool condition monitoring has been used to prevent tool wear-related failure. However, monitoring the acoustic emission signal from a stamping process is a non-trivial task since the acoustic emission signal is non-stationary and non-transient. There have been numerous studies examining acoustic emissions in sheet metal stamping. However, very few have focused in detail on how the signals change as wear on the tool surface progresses prior to failure. In this study, time domain analysis was applied to the acoustic emission signals to extract features related to tool wear. To understand the wear progression, accelerated stamping tests were performed using a semi-industrial stamping setup which can perform clamping, piercing, stamping in a single cycle. The time domain features related to stamping were computed for the acoustic emissions signal of each part. The sidewalls of the stamped parts were scanned using an optical profilometer to obtain profiles of the worn part, and they were qualitatively correlated to that of the acoustic emissions signal. Based on the wear behaviour, the wear data can be divided into three stages: - In the first stage, no wear is observed, in the second stage, adhesive wear is likely to occur, and in the third stage severe abrasive plus adhesive wear is likely to occur. Scanning electron microscopy showed the formation of lumps on the stamping tool, which represents galling behavior. Correlation between the time domain features of the acoustic emissions signal and the wear progression identified in this study lays the basis for tool diagnostics in stamping industry.

Image analysis of corrosion pit initiation on ASTM type A240 stainless steel and ASTM type A 1008 carbon steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nine, H. M. Zulker

The adversity of metallic corrosion is of growing concern to industrial engineers and scientists. Corrosion attacks metal surface and causes structural as well as direct and indirect economic losses. Multiple corrosion monitoring tools are available although those are time-consuming and costly. Due to the availability of image capturing devices in today's world, image based corrosion control technique is a unique innovation. By setting up stainless steel SS 304 and low carbon steel QD 1008 panels in distilled water, half-saturated sodium chloride and saturated sodium chloride solutions and subsequent RGB image analysis in Matlab, in this research, a simple and cost-effective corrosion measurement tool has identified and investigated. Additionally, the open circuit potential and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results have been compared with RGB analysis to gratify the corrosion. Additionally, to understand the importance of ambiguity in crisis communication, the communication process between Union Carbide and Indian Government regarding the Bhopal incident in 1984 was analyzed.

Toward a Responsibility-Catering Prioritarian Ethical Theory of Risk.

PubMed

Wikman-Svahn, Per; Lindblom, Lars

2018-03-05

Standard tools used in societal risk management such as probabilistic risk analysis or cost-benefit analysis typically define risks in terms of only probabilities and consequences and assume a utilitarian approach to ethics that aims to maximize expected utility. The philosopher Carl F. Cranor has argued against this view by devising a list of plausible aspects of the acceptability of risks that points towards a non-consequentialist ethical theory of societal risk management. This paper revisits Cranor's list to argue that the alternative ethical theory responsibility-catering prioritarianism can accommodate the aspects identified by Cranor and that the elements in the list can be used to inform the details of how to view risks within this theory. An approach towards operationalizing the theory is proposed based on a prioritarian social welfare function that operates on responsibility-adjusted utilities. A responsibility-catering prioritarian ethical approach towards managing risks is a promising alternative to standard tools such as cost-benefit analysis.

The cost of biomedical equipment repair and maintenance: results of a survey.

PubMed

Cohen, T

1982-01-01

The survey presented in this paper shows that for 19 large hospitals the average ratio of equipment repair costs to acquisition cost was 7.4%. In addition, this survey shows that costs such as rent for building space, utilities, and test equipment are not included in many clinical engineering department budgets. This is one reason for the divergent cost data reported by the various hospitals. These costs should be considered particularly for comparisons between in-house service costs and other sources of service. It seems that, of the indicators observed in this survey, equipment acquisition cost provides the best indicator for equipment maintenance costs. All hospital finance officers should have acquisition value information, because this information is used in calculating capital equipment depreciation. This information should also be available to clinical engineers. In addition, procedures need to be set up so that the total annual repair and maintenance costs can be easily obtained from hospital finance departments. Providing the clinical engineer with this type of data will allow further analysis of repair cost and will aid in long-term planning for the hospital. The ratio of equipment repair cost to acquisition value may be useful as a tool to predict future costs of a given hospital's medical equipment maintenance. This tool may also be useful as a measurement of the effectiveness of a change in a hospital's approach to biomedical equipment maintenance. Further work must be done to standardize equipment maintenance cost reporting so that more detailed comparisons can be made.

Handling value added tax (VAT) in economic evaluations: should prices include VAT?

PubMed

Bech, Mickael; Christiansen, Terkel; Gyrd-Hansen, Dorte

2006-01-01

In health economic evaluations, value added tax is commonly treated as a transfer payment. Following this argument, resources are valued equal to their net-of-tax prices in economic evaluations applying a societal perspective. In this article we argue that if there is the possibility that a new healthcare intervention may expand the healthcare budget, the social cost of input factors should be the gross-of-tax prices and not the net-of-tax prices. The rising interest in cost-benefit analysis and the use of absolute thresholds, net benefit estimates and acceptability curves in cost-effectiveness analysis makes this argument highly relevant for an appropriate use of these tools in prioritisation.

Multifidelity Analysis and Optimization for Supersonic Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kroo, Ilan; Willcox, Karen; March, Andrew; Haas, Alex; Rajnarayan, Dev; Kays, Cory

2010-01-01

Supersonic aircraft design is a computationally expensive optimization problem and multifidelity approaches over a significant opportunity to reduce design time and computational cost. This report presents tools developed to improve supersonic aircraft design capabilities including: aerodynamic tools for supersonic aircraft configurations; a systematic way to manage model uncertainty; and multifidelity model management concepts that incorporate uncertainty. The aerodynamic analysis tools developed are appropriate for use in a multifidelity optimization framework, and include four analysis routines to estimate the lift and drag of a supersonic airfoil, a multifidelity supersonic drag code that estimates the drag of aircraft configurations with three different methods: an area rule method, a panel method, and an Euler solver. In addition, five multifidelity optimization methods are developed, which include local and global methods as well as gradient-based and gradient-free techniques.

The Biobank Economic Modeling Tool (BEMT): Online Financial Planning to Facilitate Biobank Sustainability

PubMed Central

Odeh, Hana; Miranda, Lisa; Rao, Abhi; Vaught, Jim; Greenman, Howard; McLean, Jeffrey; Reed, Daniel; Memon, Sarfraz; Fombonne, Benjamin; Guan, Ping

2015-01-01

Background: Biospecimens are essential resources for advancing basic and translational research. However, there are little data available regarding the costs associated with operating a biobank, and few resources to enable their long-term sustainability. To support the research community in this effort, the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute's Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch has developed the Biobank Economic Modeling Tool (BEMT). The tool is accessible at http://biospecimens.cancer.gov/resources/bemt.asp. Methods: To obtain market-based cost information and to inform the development of the tool, a survey was designed and sent to 423 biobank managers and directors across the world. The survey contained questions regarding infrastructure investments, salary costs, funding options, types of biospecimen resources and services offered, as well as biospecimen pricing and service-related costs. Results: A total of 106 responses were received. The data were anonymized, aggregated, and used to create a comprehensive database of cost and pricing information that was integrated into the web-based tool, the BEMT. The BEMT was built to allow the user to input cost and pricing data through a seven-step process to build a cost profile for their biobank, define direct and indirect costs, determine cost recovery fees, perform financial forecasting, and query the anonymized survey data from comparable biobanks. Conclusion: A survey was conducted to obtain a greater understanding of the costs involved in operating a biobank. The anonymized survey data was then used to develop the BEMT, a cost modeling tool for biobanks. Users of the tool will be able to create a cost profile for their biobanks' specimens, products and services, establish pricing, and allocate costs for biospecimens based on percent cost recovered, and perform project-specific cost analyses and financial forecasting. PMID:26697911

The Biobank Economic Modeling Tool (BEMT): Online Financial Planning to Facilitate Biobank Sustainability.

PubMed

Odeh, Hana; Miranda, Lisa; Rao, Abhi; Vaught, Jim; Greenman, Howard; McLean, Jeffrey; Reed, Daniel; Memon, Sarfraz; Fombonne, Benjamin; Guan, Ping; Moore, Helen M

2015-12-01

Biospecimens are essential resources for advancing basic and translational research. However, there are little data available regarding the costs associated with operating a biobank, and few resources to enable their long-term sustainability. To support the research community in this effort, the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute's Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch has developed the Biobank Economic Modeling Tool (BEMT). The tool is accessible at http://biospecimens.cancer.gov/resources/bemt.asp. To obtain market-based cost information and to inform the development of the tool, a survey was designed and sent to 423 biobank managers and directors across the world. The survey contained questions regarding infrastructure investments, salary costs, funding options, types of biospecimen resources and services offered, as well as biospecimen pricing and service-related costs. A total of 106 responses were received. The data were anonymized, aggregated, and used to create a comprehensive database of cost and pricing information that was integrated into the web-based tool, the BEMT. The BEMT was built to allow the user to input cost and pricing data through a seven-step process to build a cost profile for their biobank, define direct and indirect costs, determine cost recovery fees, perform financial forecasting, and query the anonymized survey data from comparable biobanks. A survey was conducted to obtain a greater understanding of the costs involved in operating a biobank. The anonymized survey data was then used to develop the BEMT, a cost modeling tool for biobanks. Users of the tool will be able to create a cost profile for their biobanks' specimens, products and services, establish pricing, and allocate costs for biospecimens based on percent cost recovered, and perform project-specific cost analyses and financial forecasting.

Cost-effectiveness of lung cancer screening and treatment methods: a systematic review of systematic reviews.

PubMed

Azar, Farbod Ebadifard; Azami-Aghdash, Saber; Pournaghi-Azar, Fatemeh; Mazdaki, Alireza; Rezapour, Aziz; Ebrahimi, Parvin; Yousefzadeh, Negar

2017-06-19

Due to extensive literature in the field of lung cancer and their heterogeneous results, the aim of this study was to systematically review of systematic reviews studies which reviewed the cost-effectiveness of various lung cancer screening and treatment methods. In this systematic review of systematic reviews study, required data were collected searching the following key words which selected from Mesh: "lung cancer", "lung oncology", "lung Carcinoma", "lung neoplasm", "lung tumors", "cost- effectiveness", "systematic review" and "Meta-analysis". The following databases were searched: PubMed, Cochrane Library electronic databases, Google Scholar, and Scopus. Two reviewers (RA and A-AS) evaluated the articles according to the checklist of "assessment of multiple systematic reviews" (AMSTAR) tool. Overall, information of 110 papers was discussed in eight systematic reviews. Authors focused on cost-effectiveness of lung cancer treatments in five systematic reviews. Targeted therapy options (bevacizumab, Erlotinib and Crizotinib) show an acceptable cost-effectiveness. Results of three studies failed to show cost-effectiveness of screening methods. None of the studies had used the meta-analysis method. The Quality of Health Economic Studies (QHES) tool and Drummond checklist were mostly used in assessing the quality of articles. Most perspective was related to the Payer (64 times) and the lowest was related to Social (11times). Most cases referred to Incremental analysis (82%) and also the lowest point of referral was related to Discounting (in 49% of the cases). The average quality score of included studies was calculated 9.2% from 11. Targeted therapy can be an option for the treatment of lung cancer. Evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of computerized tomographic colonography (CTC) in lung cancer screening is recommended. The perspective of the community should be more taken into consideration in studies of cost-effectiveness. Paying more attention to the topic of Discounting will be necessary in the studies.

Development of a metrics dashboard for monitoring involvement in the 340B Drug Pricing Program.

PubMed

Karralli, Rusol; Tipton, Joyce; Dumitru, Doina; Scholz, Lisa; Masilamani, Santhi

2015-09-01

An electronic tool to support hospital organizations in monitoring and addressing financial and compliance challenges related to participation in the 340B Drug Pricing Program is described. In recent years there has been heightened congressional and regulatory scrutiny of the federal 340B program, which provides discounted drug prices on Medicaid-covered drugs to safety net hospitals and other 340B-eligible healthcare organizations, or "covered entities." Historically, the 340B program has lacked a metrics-driven reporting framework to help covered entities capture the value of 340B program involvement, community benefits provided to underserved populations, and costs associated with compliance with 340B eligibility requirements. As part of an initiative by a large health system to optimize its 340B program utilization and regulatory compliance efforts, a team of pharmacists led the development of an electronic dashboard tool to help monitor 340B program activities at the system's 340B-eligible facilities. After soliciting input from an array of internal and external 340B program stakeholders, the team designed the dashboard and associated data-entry tools to facilitate the capture and analysis of 340B program-related data in four domains: cost savings and revenue, program maintenance costs, community benefits, and compliance. A large health system enhanced its ability to evaluate and monitor 340B program-related activities through the use of a dashboard tool capturing key metrics on cost savings achieved, maintenance costs, and other aspects of program involvement. Copyright © 2015 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

OpenPrescribing: normalised data and software tool to research trends in English NHS primary care prescribing 1998-2016.

PubMed

Curtis, Helen J; Goldacre, Ben

2018-02-23

We aimed to compile and normalise England's national prescribing data for 1998-2016 to facilitate research on long-term time trends and create an open-data exploration tool for wider use. We compiled data from each individual year's national statistical publications and normalised them by mapping each drug to its current classification within the national formulary where possible. We created a freely accessible, interactive web tool to allow anyone to interact with the processed data. We downloaded all available annual prescription cost analysis datasets, which include cost and quantity for all prescription items dispensed in the community in England. Medical devices and appliances were excluded. We measured the extent of normalisation of data and aimed to produce a functioning accessible analysis tool. All data were imported successfully. 87.5% of drugs were matched exactly on name to the current formulary and a further 6.5% to similar drug names. All drugs in core clinical chapters were reconciled to their current location in the data schema, with only 1.26% of drugs not assigned a current chemical code. We created an openly accessible interactive tool to facilitate wider use of these data. Publicly available data can be made accessible through interactive online tools to help researchers and policy-makers explore time trends in prescribing. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Closing the gap between socioeconomic and financial implications of residential and community level hydrogen-based energy systems: Incentives needed for a bridge to the future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verduzco, Laura E.

The use of hydrogen as an energy carrier has the potential to decrease the amount of pollutants emitted to the atmosphere, significantly reduce our dependence on imported oil and resolve geopolitical issues related to energy consumption. The current status of hydrogen technology makes it prohibitive and financially risky for most investors to commit the money required for large-scale hydrogen production. Therefore, alternative strategies such as small and medium-scale hydrogen applications should be implemented during the early stages of the transition to the hydrogen economy in order to test potential markets and technology readiness. While many analysis tools have been built to estimate the requirements of the transition to a hydrogen economy, few have focused on small and medium-scale hydrogen production and none has paired financial with socioeconomic costs at the residential level. The computer-based tool (H2POWER) presented in this study calculates the capacity, cost and socioeconomic impact of the systems needed to meet the energy demands of a home or a community using home and neighborhood refueling units, which are systems that can provide electricity and heat to meet the energy demands of either (1) a home and automobile or (2) a cluster of homes and a number of automobiles. The financial costs of the production, processing and delivery sub-systems that conform the refueling units are calculated using cost data of existing technology and normalizing them to calculate capital and net present cost. The monetary value of the externalities (socioeconomic analysis) caused by each system is calculated by H2POWER through a statistical analysis of the cost associated to various externalities. Additionally, H2POWER calculates the financial impact of different penalties and incentives (such as net metering, low interest loans, fuel taxes, and emission penalties) on the cost of the system from the point of view of a developer and a homeowner. In order to assess the benefits and costs of hydrogen-based alternatives, H2POWER compares the financial and socioeconomic costs of home and neighborhood refueling units to a baseline of "conventional" sources of residential electricity, space heat, water heat, and vehicle fuel. The model can also calculate the "gap" between the financial cost of the technology and the environmental cost of the externalities that are generated using conventional energy sources. H2POWER is a flexible, user-friendly tool that allows the user to specify different production pathways, supplemental power sources (renewable and non-renewable), component characteristics, electricity mixes, and other analysis parameters in order to customize the results to specific projects. The model has also built-in default values for each of the input fields based on national averages, standard technology specifications and input from experts.

The predictive validity of the HERO Scorecard in determining future health care cost and risk trends.

PubMed

Goetzel, Ron Z; Henke, Rachel Mosher; Benevent, Richele; Tabrizi, Maryam J; Kent, Karen B; Smith, Kristyn J; Roemer, Enid Chung; Grossmeier, Jessica; Mason, Shawn T; Gold, Daniel B; Noeldner, Steven P; Anderson, David R

2014-02-01

To determine the ability of the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) Scorecard to predict changes in health care expenditures. Individual employee health care insurance claims data for 33 organizations completing the HERO Scorecard from 2009 to 2011 were linked to employer responses to the Scorecard. Organizations were dichotomized into "high" versus "low" scoring groups and health care cost trends were compared. A secondary analysis examined the tool's ability to predict health risk trends. "High" scorers experienced significant reductions in inflation-adjusted health care costs (averaging an annual trend of -1.6% over 3 years) compared with "low" scorers whose cost trend remained stable. The risk analysis was inconclusive because of the small number of employers scoring "low." The HERO Scorecard predicts health care cost trends among employers. More research is needed to determine how well it predicts health risk trends for employees.

Economic Analysis of Education: A Conceptual Framework. Theoretical Paper No. 68.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rossmiller, Richard A.; Geske, Terry G.

This paper discusses several concepts and techniques from the areas of systems theory and economic analysis that can be used as tools in an effort to improve the productivity of the educational enterprise. Several studies investigating productivity in education are reviewed, and the analytical problems in conducting cost-effectiveness studies are…

Elastic Plastic Fracture Analysis of an Aluminum COPV Liner

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Forth, Scott; Gregg, Bradley; Bailey, Nathaniel

2012-01-01

Onboard any space-launch vehicle, composite over-wrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) may be utilized by propulsion or environmental control systems. The failure of a COPV has the potential to be catastrophic, resulting in the loss of vehicle, crew or mission. The latest COPV designs have reduced the wall-thickness of the metallic liner to the point where the material strains plastically during operation. At this time, the only method to determine the damage tolerance lifetime (safe-life) of a plastically responding metallic liner is through full-scale COPV testing. Conducting tests costs substantially more and can be far more time consuming than performing an analysis. As a result of this cost, there is a need to establish a qualifying process through the use of a crack growth analysis tool. This paper will discuss fracture analyses of plastically responding metallic liners in COPVs. Uni-axial strain tests have been completed on laboratory specimens to collect elastic-plastic crack growth data. This data has been modeled with the crack growth analysis tool, NASGRO 6.20 to predict the response of laboratory specimens and subsequently the complexity of a COPV.

Costing the scaling-up of human resources for health: lessons from Mozambique and Guinea Bissau

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Introduction In the context of the current human resources for health (HRH) crisis, the need for comprehensive Human Resources Development Plans (HRDP) is acute, especially in resource-scarce sub-Saharan African countries. However, the financial implications of such plans rarely receive due consideration, despite the availability of much advice and examples in the literature on how to conduct HRDP costing. Global initiatives have also been launched recently to standardise costing methodologies and respective tools. Methods This paper reports on two separate experiences of HRDP costing in Mozambique and Guinea Bissau, with the objective to provide an insight into the practice of costing exercises in information-poor settings, as well as to contribute to the existing debate on HRH costing methodologies. The study adopts a case-study approach to analyse the methodologies developed in the two countries, their contexts, policy processes and actors involved. Results From the analysis of the two cases, it emerged that the costing exercises represented an important driver of the HRDP elaboration, which lent credibility to the process, and provided a financial framework within which HRH policies could be discussed. In both cases, bottom-up and country-specific methods were designed to overcome the countries' lack of cost and financing data, as well as to interpret their financial systems. Such an approach also allowed the costing exercises to feed directly into the national planning and budgeting process. Conclusions The authors conclude that bottom-up and country-specific costing methodologies have the potential to serve adequately the multi-faceted purpose of the exercise. It is recognised that standardised tools and methodologies may help reduce local governments' dependency on foreign expertise to conduct the HRDP costing and facilitate regional and international comparisons. However, adopting pre-defined and insufficiently flexible tools may undermine the credibility of the costing exercise, and reduce the space for policy negotiation opportunities within the HRDP elaboration process. PMID:20579341

Costing the scaling-up of human resources for health: lessons from Mozambique and Guinea Bissau.

PubMed

Tyrrell, Amanda K; Russo, Giuliano; Dussault, Gilles; Ferrinho, Paulo

2010-06-25

In the context of the current human resources for health (HRH) crisis, the need for comprehensive Human Resources Development Plans (HRDP) is acute, especially in resource-scarce sub-Saharan African countries. However, the financial implications of such plans rarely receive due consideration, despite the availability of much advice and examples in the literature on how to conduct HRDP costing. Global initiatives have also been launched recently to standardise costing methodologies and respective tools. This paper reports on two separate experiences of HRDP costing in Mozambique and Guinea Bissau, with the objective to provide an insight into the practice of costing exercises in information-poor settings, as well as to contribute to the existing debate on HRH costing methodologies. The study adopts a case-study approach to analyse the methodologies developed in the two countries, their contexts, policy processes and actors involved. From the analysis of the two cases, it emerged that the costing exercises represented an important driver of the HRDP elaboration, which lent credibility to the process, and provided a financial framework within which HRH policies could be discussed. In both cases, bottom-up and country-specific methods were designed to overcome the countries' lack of cost and financing data, as well as to interpret their financial systems. Such an approach also allowed the costing exercises to feed directly into the national planning and budgeting process. The authors conclude that bottom-up and country-specific costing methodologies have the potential to serve adequately the multi-faceted purpose of the exercise. It is recognised that standardised tools and methodologies may help reduce local governments' dependency on foreign expertise to conduct the HRDP costing and facilitate regional and international comparisons. However, adopting pre-defined and insufficiently flexible tools may undermine the credibility of the costing exercise, and reduce the space for policy negotiation opportunities within the HRDP elaboration process.

Assessing value-for-money in maternal and newborn health

PubMed Central

Madaj, Barbara; Kumar, Shubha

2017-01-01

Responding to increasing demands to demonstrate value-for-money (VfM) for maternal and newborn health interventions, and in the absence of VfM analysis in peer-reviewed literature, this paper reviews VfM components and methods, critiques their applicability, strengths and weakness and proposes how VfM assessments can be improved. VfM comprises four components: economy, efficiency, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Both ‘economy’ and ‘efficiency’ can be assessed with detailed cost analysis utilising costs obtained from programme accounting data or generic cost databases. Before-and-after studies, case–control studies or randomised controlled trials can be used to assess ‘effectiveness’. To assess ‘cost-effectiveness’, cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA), cost-utility analysis (CUA), cost-benefit analysis (CBA) or social return on investment (SROI) analysis are applicable. Generally, costs can be obtained from programme accounting data or existing generic cost databases. As such ‘economy’ and ‘efficiency’ are relatively easy to assess. However, ‘effectiveness’ and ‘cost-effectiveness’ which require establishment of the counterfactual are more difficult to ascertain. Either a combination of CEA or CUA with tools for assessing other VfM components, or the independent use of CBA or SROI are alternative approaches proposed to strengthen VfM assessments. Cross-cutting themes such as equity, sustainability, scalability and cultural acceptability should also be assessed, as they provide critical contextual information for interpreting VfM assessments. To select an assessment approach, consideration should be given to the purpose, data availability, stakeholders requiring the findings and perspectives of programme beneficiaries. Implementers and researchers should work together to improve the quality of assessments. Standardisation around definitions, methodology and effectiveness measures to be assessed would help. PMID:29081998

Assessing value-for-money in maternal and newborn health.

PubMed

Banke-Thomas, Aduragbemi; Madaj, Barbara; Kumar, Shubha; Ameh, Charles; van den Broek, Nynke

2017-01-01

Responding to increasing demands to demonstrate value-for-money (VfM) for maternal and newborn health interventions, and in the absence of VfM analysis in peer-reviewed literature, this paper reviews VfM components and methods, critiques their applicability, strengths and weakness and proposes how VfM assessments can be improved. VfM comprises four components: economy, efficiency, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Both 'economy' and 'efficiency' can be assessed with detailed cost analysis utilising costs obtained from programme accounting data or generic cost databases. Before-and-after studies, case-control studies or randomised controlled trials can be used to assess 'effectiveness'. To assess 'cost-effectiveness', cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA), cost-utility analysis (CUA), cost-benefit analysis (CBA) or social return on investment (SROI) analysis are applicable. Generally, costs can be obtained from programme accounting data or existing generic cost databases. As such 'economy' and 'efficiency' are relatively easy to assess. However, 'effectiveness' and 'cost-effectiveness' which require establishment of the counterfactual are more difficult to ascertain. Either a combination of CEA or CUA with tools for assessing other VfM components, or the independent use of CBA or SROI are alternative approaches proposed to strengthen VfM assessments. Cross-cutting themes such as equity, sustainability, scalability and cultural acceptability should also be assessed, as they provide critical contextual information for interpreting VfM assessments. To select an assessment approach, consideration should be given to the purpose, data availability, stakeholders requiring the findings and perspectives of programme beneficiaries. Implementers and researchers should work together to improve the quality of assessments. Standardisation around definitions, methodology and effectiveness measures to be assessed would help.

Experiences of operational costs of HPV vaccine delivery strategies in Gavi-supported demonstration projects

PubMed Central

Holroyd, Taylor; Nanda, Shreya; Bloem, Paul; Griffiths, Ulla K.; Sidibe, Anissa; Hutubessy, Raymond C. W.

2017-01-01

From 2012 to 2016, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, provided support for countries to conduct small-scale demonstration projects for the introduction of the human papillomavirus vaccine, with the aim of determining which human papillomavirus vaccine delivery strategies might be effective and sustainable upon national scale-up. This study reports on the operational costs and cost determinants of different vaccination delivery strategies within these projects across twelve countries using a standardized micro-costing tool. The World Health Organization Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control Costing Tool was used to collect costing data, which were then aggregated and analyzed to assess the costs and cost determinants of vaccination. Across the one-year demonstration projects, the average economic and financial costs per dose amounted to US$19.98 (standard deviation ±12.5) and US$8.74 (standard deviation ±5.8), respectively. The greatest activities representing the greatest share of financial costs were social mobilization at approximately 30% (range, 6–67%) and service delivery at about 25% (range, 3–46%). Districts implemented varying combinations of school-based, facility-based, or outreach delivery strategies and experienced wide variation in vaccine coverage, drop-out rates, and service delivery costs, including transportation costs and per diems. Size of target population, number of students per school, and average length of time to reach an outreach post influenced cost per dose. Although the operational costs from demonstration projects are much higher than those of other routine vaccine immunization programs, findings from our analysis suggest that HPV vaccination operational costs will decrease substantially for national introduction. Vaccination costs may be decreased further by annual vaccination, high initial investment in social mobilization, or introducing/strengthening school health programs. Our analysis shows that drivers of cost are dependent on country and district characteristics. We therefore recommend that countries carry out detailed planning at the national and district levels to define a sustainable strategy for national HPV vaccine roll-out, in order to achieve the optimal balance between coverage and cost. PMID:29016596

Final Report: Hydrogen Production Pathways Cost Analysis (2013 – 2016)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

James, Brian David; DeSantis, Daniel Allan; Saur, Genevieve

This report summarizes work conducted under a three year Department of Energy (DOE) funded project to Strategic Analysis, Inc. (SA) to analyze multiple hydrogen (H 2) production technologies and project their corresponding levelized production cost of H 2. The analysis was conducted using the H2A Hydrogen Analysis Tool developed by the DOE and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The project was led by SA but conducted in close collaboration with the NREL and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). In-depth techno-economic analysis (TEA) of five different H 2 production methods was conducted. These TEAs developed projections for capital costs, fuel/feedstock usage, energymore » usage, indirect capital costs, land usage, labor requirements, and other parameters, for each H 2 production pathway, and use the resulting cost and system parameters as inputs into the H2A discounted cash flow model to project the production cost of H 2 ($/kgH 2). Five technologies were analyzed as part of the project and are summarized in this report: Proton Exchange Membrane technology (PEM), High temperature solid oxide electrolysis cell technology (SOEC), Dark fermentation of biomass for H 2 production, H 2 production via Monolithic Piston-Type Reactors with rapid swing reforming and regeneration reactions, and Reformer-Electrolyzer-Purifier (REP) technology developed by Fuel Cell Energy, Inc. (FCE).« less

Cardiovascular Disease Screening By Community Health Workers Can Be Cost-Effective In Low-Resource Countries

PubMed Central

Gaziano, Thomas; Abrahams-Gessel, Shafika; Surka, Sam; Sy, Stephen; Pandya, Ankur; Denman, Catalina A.; Mendoza, Carlos; Puoane, Thandi; Levitt, Naomi S.

2016-01-01

In low-resource settings, a physician is not always available. We recently demonstrated that community health workers—instead of physicians or nurses—can efficiently screen adults for cardiovascular disease in South Africa, Mexico, and Guatemala. In this analysis we sought to determine the health and economic impacts of shifting this screening to community health workers equipped with either a paper-based or a mobile phone–based screening tool. We found that screening by community health workers was very cost-effective or even cost-saving in all three countries, compared to the usual clinic-based screening. The mobile application emerged as the most cost-effective strategy because it could save more lives than the paper tool at minimal extra cost. Our modeling indicated that screening by community health workers, combined with improved treatment rates, would increase the number of deaths averted from 15,000 to 110,000, compared to standard care. Policy makers should promote greater acceptance of community health workers by both national populations and health professionals and should increase their commitment to treating cardiovascular disease and making medications available. PMID:26355056

Using the simplified case mix tool (sCMT) to identify cost in special care dental services to support commissioning.

PubMed

Duane, B G; Freeman, R; Richards, D; Crosbie, S; Patel, P; White, S; Humphris, G

2017-03-01

To commission dental services for vulnerable (special care) patient groups effectively, consistently and fairly an evidence base is needed of the costs involved. The simplified Case Mixed Tool (sCMT) can assess treatment mode complexity for these patient groups. To determine if the sCMT can be used to identify costs of service provision. Patients (n=495) attending the Sussex Community NHS Trust Special Care Dental Service for care were assessed using the sCMT. sCMT score and costs (staffing, laboratory fees, etc.) besides patient age, whether a new patient and use of general anaesthetic/intravenous sedation. Statistical analysis (adjusted linear regression modelling) compared sCMT score and costs then sensitivity analyses of the costings to age, being a new patient and sedation use were undertaken. Regression tables were produced to present estimates of service costs. Costs increased with sCMT total scale and single item values in a predictable manner in all analyses except for 'cooperation'. Costs increased with the use of IV sedation; with each rising level of the sCMT, and with complexity in every sCMT category, except cooperation. Costs increased with increase in complexity of treatment mode as measured by sCMT scores. Measures such as the sCMT can provide predictions of the resource allocations required when commissioning special care dental services. Copyright© 2017 Dennis Barber Ltd.

[Cost-effectiveness of female sex worker interventions by using SEX 2.0 Tool in Dehong prefecture, Yunnan province].

PubMed

Guo, Hao-yan; Duan, Song; Xiang, Li-fen; Ye, Run-hua; Yang, Yue-cheng; Zhang, Hua; Yuan, Jian-hua; Cao, Wei-hua; Xing, Yan; Sun, Jiang-ping

2010-08-01

To perform cost-effectiveness analysis of interventions in female sex workers in Dehong prefecture in China, with an aim of providing evidence for rational resource allocation in female sex worker interventions in the future. The data of expenses for female sex worker interventions in Dehong from 2005 - 2007 were obtained through questionnaire survey. Meanwhile, the data from baseline survey in 2004, from surveillance of female sex workers from 2005 through 2007 as well as from the special survey on sexual transmission in 2007 were collected. Intervention effectiveness was estimated by using SEX 2.0 Tool recommended by UNAIDS. The cost-effectiveness ratio is calculated as the total cost divided by the number of estimated non-HIV patients due to these interventions. The total cost for female sex worker interventions is 916 400 RMB from 2005 through 2007, and a total of 3297 female sex workers were effectively intervened in these three years. Thus, the actual intervention cost for each female sex worker (unit cost) is 277.9 RMB. If all the intervention work is performed as required, the predicted unit cost for female sex worker intervention would be 500.5 RMB. During the period of 2005 through 2007, 69 female sex workers had been successfully prevented from HIV infection; therefore, the cost-effectiveness ratio is 13 282 RMB. Intervention among female sex workers is highly cost-effective.

A precise goniometer/tensiometer using a low cost single-board computer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Favier, Benoit; Chamakos, Nikolaos T.; Papathanasiou, Athanasios G.

2017-12-01

Measuring the surface tension and the Young contact angle of a droplet is extremely important for many industrial applications. Here, considering the booming interest for small and cheap but precise experimental instruments, we have constructed a low-cost contact angle goniometer/tensiometer, based on a single-board computer (Raspberry Pi). The device runs an axisymmetric drop shape analysis (ADSA) algorithm written in Python. The code, here named DropToolKit, was developed in-house. We initially present the mathematical framework of our algorithm and then we validate our software tool against other well-established ADSA packages, including the commercial ramé-hart DROPimage Advanced as well as the DropAnalysis plugin in ImageJ. After successfully testing for various combinations of liquids and solid surfaces, we concluded that our prototype device would be highly beneficial for industrial applications as well as for scientific research in wetting phenomena compared to the commercial solutions.

Using Habitat Equivalency Analysis to Assess the Cost Effectiveness of Restoration Outcomes in Four Institutional Contexts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scemama, Pierre; Levrel, Harold

2016-01-01

At the national level, with a fixed amount of resources available for public investment in the restoration of biodiversity, it is difficult to prioritize alternative restoration projects. One way to do this is to assess the level of ecosystem services delivered by these projects and to compare them with their costs. The challenge is to derive a common unit of measurement for ecosystem services in order to compare projects which are carried out in different institutional contexts having different goals (application of environmental laws, management of natural reserves, etc.). This paper assesses the use of habitat equivalency analysis (HEA) as a tool to evaluate ecosystem services provided by restoration projects developed in different institutional contexts. This tool was initially developed to quantify the level of ecosystem services required to compensate for non-market impacts coming from accidental pollution in the US. In this paper, HEA is used to assess the cost effectiveness of several restoration projects in relation to different environmental policies, using case studies based in France. Four case studies were used: the creation of a market for wetlands, public acceptance of a port development project, the rehabilitation of marshes to mitigate nitrate loading to the sea, and the restoration of streams in a protected area. Our main conclusion is that HEA can provide a simple tool to clarify the objectives of restoration projects, to compare the cost and effectiveness of these projects, and to carry out trade-offs, without requiring significant amounts of human or technical resources.

Using Habitat Equivalency Analysis to Assess the Cost Effectiveness of Restoration Outcomes in Four Institutional Contexts.

PubMed

Scemama, Pierre; Levrel, Harold

2016-01-01

At the national level, with a fixed amount of resources available for public investment in the restoration of biodiversity, it is difficult to prioritize alternative restoration projects. One way to do this is to assess the level of ecosystem services delivered by these projects and to compare them with their costs. The challenge is to derive a common unit of measurement for ecosystem services in order to compare projects which are carried out in different institutional contexts having different goals (application of environmental laws, management of natural reserves, etc.). This paper assesses the use of habitat equivalency analysis (HEA) as a tool to evaluate ecosystem services provided by restoration projects developed in different institutional contexts. This tool was initially developed to quantify the level of ecosystem services required to compensate for non-market impacts coming from accidental pollution in the US. In this paper, HEA is used to assess the cost effectiveness of several restoration projects in relation to different environmental policies, using case studies based in France. Four case studies were used: the creation of a market for wetlands, public acceptance of a port development project, the rehabilitation of marshes to mitigate nitrate loading to the sea, and the restoration of streams in a protected area. Our main conclusion is that HEA can provide a simple tool to clarify the objectives of restoration projects, to compare the cost and effectiveness of these projects, and to carry out trade-offs, without requiring significant amounts of human or technical resources.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Morcellation Hysterectomy for Myomas.

PubMed

Bortoletto, Pietro; Einerson, Brett D; Miller, Emily S; Milad, Magdy P

2015-01-01

To estimate the cost-effectiveness of eliminating morcellation in the surgical treatment of leiomyomas from a societal perspective. Cost-effectiveness analysis. Not applicable. A theoretical cohort of women undergoing hysterectomy for myoma disease large enough to require morcellation. None. None. A decision analysis model was constructed using probabilities, costs, and utility data from published sources. A cost-effectiveness analysis analyzing both quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and cases of disseminated cancer was performed to determine the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of eliminating morcellation as a tool in the surgical treatment of leiomyomas. Costs and utilities were discounted using standard methodology. The base case included health care system costs and costs incurred by the patient for surgery-related disability. One-way sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the effect of various assumptions. The cost to prevent 1 case of disseminated cancer was $10 540 832. A strategy of nonmorcellation hysterectomy via laparotomy costed more ($30 359.92 vs $20 853.15) and yielded more QALYs (21.284 vs 21.280) relative to morcellation hysterectomy. The ICER for nonmorcellation hysterectomy compared with morcellation hysterectomy was $2 184 172 per QALY. Health care costs (prolonged hospitalizations) and costs to patients of prolonged time away from work were the primary drivers of cost differential between the 2 strategies. Even when the incidence of occult sarcoma in leiomyoma surgery was ranged to twice that reported in the literature (.98%), the ICER for nonmorcellation hysterectomy was $644 393.30. Eliminating morcellation hysterectomy as a treatment for myomas is not cost-effective under a wide variety of probability and cost assumptions. Performing laparotomy for all patients who might otherwise be candidates for morcellation hysterectomy is a costly policy from a societal perspective. Copyright © 2015 AAGL. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of a prototype commonality analysis tool for use in space programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yeager, Dorian P.

1988-01-01

A software tool to aid in performing commonality analyses, called Commonality Analysis Problem Solver (CAPS), was designed, and a prototype version (CAPS 1.0) was implemented and tested. The CAPS 1.0 runs in an MS-DOS or IBM PC-DOS environment. The CAPS is designed around a simple input language which provides a natural syntax for the description of feasibility constraints. It provides its users with the ability to load a database representing a set of design items, describe the feasibility constraints on items in that database, and do a comprehensive cost analysis to find the most economical substitution pattern.

Improving The Discipline of Cost Estimation and Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Piland, William M.; Pine, David J.; Wilson, Delano M.

2000-01-01

The need to improve the quality and accuracy of cost estimates of proposed new aerospace systems has been widely recognized. The industry has done the best job of maintaining related capability with improvements in estimation methods and giving appropriate priority to the hiring and training of qualified analysts. Some parts of Government, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in particular, continue to need major improvements in this area. Recently, NASA recognized that its cost estimation and analysis capabilities had eroded to the point that the ability to provide timely, reliable estimates was impacting the confidence in planning many program activities. As a result, this year the Agency established a lead role for cost estimation and analysis. The Independent Program Assessment Office located at the Langley Research Center was given this responsibility. This paper presents the plans for the newly established role. Described is how the Independent Program Assessment Office, working with all NASA Centers, NASA Headquarters, other Government agencies, and industry, is focused on creating cost estimation and analysis as a professional discipline that will be recognized equally with the technical disciplines needed to design new space and aeronautics activities. Investments in selected, new analysis tools, creating advanced training opportunities for analysts, and developing career paths for future analysts engaged in the discipline are all elements of the plan. Plans also include increasing the human resources available to conduct independent cost analysis of Agency programs during their formulation, to improve near-term capability to conduct economic cost-benefit assessments, to support NASA management's decision process, and to provide cost analysis results emphasizing "full-cost" and "full-life cycle" considerations. The Agency cost analysis improvement plan has been approved for implementation starting this calendar year. Adequate financial and human resources are being made available to accomplish the goals of this important effort, and all indications are that NASA's cost estimation and analysis core competencies will be substantially improved within the foreseeable future.

Target prioritization and strategy selection for active case-finding of pulmonary tuberculosis: a tool to support country-level project planning.

PubMed

Nishikiori, Nobuyuki; Van Weezenbeek, Catharina

2013-02-02

Despite the progress made in the past decade, tuberculosis (TB) control still faces significant challenges. In many countries with declining TB incidence, the disease tends to concentrate in vulnerable populations that often have limited access to health care. In light of the limitations of the current case-finding approach and the global urgency to improve case detection, active case-finding (ACF) has been suggested as an important complementary strategy to accelerate tuberculosis control especially among high-risk populations. The present exercise aims to develop a model that can be used for county-level project planning. A simple deterministic model was developed to calculate the number of estimated TB cases diagnosed and the associated costs of diagnosis. The model was designed to compare cost-effectiveness parameters, such as the cost per case detected, for different diagnostic algorithms when they are applied to different risk populations. The model was transformed into a web-based tool that can support national TB programmes and civil society partners in designing ACF activities. According to the model output, tuberculosis active case-finding can be a costly endeavor, depending on the target population and the diagnostic strategy. The analysis suggests the following: (1) Active case-finding activities are cost-effective only if the tuberculosis prevalence among the target population is high. (2) Extensive diagnostic methods (e.g. X-ray screening for the entire group, use of sputum culture or molecular diagnostics) can be applied only to very high-risk groups such as TB contacts, prisoners or people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. (3) Basic diagnostic approaches such as TB symptom screening are always applicable although the diagnostic yield is very limited. The cost-effectiveness parameter was sensitive to local diagnostic costs and the tuberculosis prevalence of target populations. The prioritization of appropriate target populations and careful selection of cost-effective diagnostic strategies are critical prerequisites for rational active case-finding activities. A decision to conduct such activities should be based on the setting-specific cost-effectiveness analysis and programmatic assessment. A web-based tool was developed and is available to support national tuberculosis programmes and partners in the formulation of cost-effective active case-finding activities at the national and subnational levels.

Cost-effective management alternatives for Snake River Chinook salmon: a biological-economic synthesis.

PubMed

Halsing, David L; Moore, Michael R

2008-04-01

The mandate to increase endangered salmon populations in the Columbia River Basin of North America has created a complex, controversial resource-management issue. We constructed an integrated assessment model as a tool for analyzing biological-economic trade-offs in recovery of Snake River spring- and summer-run chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). We merged 3 frameworks: a salmon-passage model to predict migration and survival of smolts; an age-structured matrix model to predict long-term population growth rates of salmon stocks; and a cost-effectiveness analysis to determine a set of least-cost management alternatives for achieving particular population growth rates. We assessed 6 individual salmon-management measures and 76 management alternatives composed of one or more measures. To reflect uncertainty, results were derived for different assumptions of effectiveness of smolt transport around dams. Removal of an estuarine predator, the Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia), was cost-effective and generally increased long-term population growth rates regardless of transport effectiveness. Elimination of adult salmon harvest had a similar effect over a range of its cost estimates. The specific management alternatives in the cost-effective set depended on assumptions about transport effectiveness. On the basis of recent estimates of smolt transport effectiveness, alternatives that discontinued transportation or breached dams were prevalent in the cost-effective set, whereas alternatives that maximized transportation dominated if transport effectiveness was relatively high. More generally, the analysis eliminated 80-90% of management alternatives from the cost-effective set. Application of our results to salmon management is limited by data availability and model assumptions, but these limitations can help guide research that addresses critical uncertainties and information. Our results thus demonstrate that linking biology and economics through integrated models can provide valuable tools for science-based policy and management.

Cost-effective management alternatives for Snake river chinook salmon: A biological-economic synthesis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Halsing, D.L.; Moore, M.R.

2008-01-01

The mandate to increase endangered salmon populations in the Columbia River Basin of North America has created a complex, controversial resource-management issue. We constructed an integrated assessment model as a tool for analyzing biological-economic trade-offs in recovery of Snake River spring- and summer-run chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). We merged 3 frameworks: a salmon-passage model to predict migration and survival of smolts; an age-structured matrix model to predict long-term population growth rates of salmon stocks; and a cost-effectiveness analysis to determine a set of least-cost management alternatives for achieving particular population growth rates. We assessed 6 individual salmon-management measures and 76 management alternatives composed of one or more measures. To reflect uncertainty, results were derived for different assumptions of effectiveness of smolt transport around dams. Removal of an estuarine predator, the Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia), was cost-effective and generally increased long-term population growth rates regardless of transport effectiveness. Elimination of adult salmon harvest had a similar effect over a range of its cost estimates. The specific management alternatives in the cost-effective set depended on assumptions about transport effectiveness. On the basis of recent estimates of smolt transport effectiveness, alternatives that discontinued transportation or breached dams were prevalent in the cost-effective set, whereas alternatives that maximized transportation dominated if transport effectiveness was relatively high. More generally, the analysis eliminated 80-90% of management alternatives from the cost-effective set. Application of our results to salmon management is limited by data availability and model assumptions, but these limitations can help guide research that addresses critical uncertainties and information. Our results thus demonstrate that linking biology and economics through integrated models can provide valuable tools for science-based policy and management.

The Mission Planning Lab: A Visualization and Analysis Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daugherty, Sarah C.; Cervantes, Benjamin W.

2009-01-01

Simulation and visualization are powerful decision making tools that are time-saving and cost-effective. Space missions pose testing and e valuation challenges that can be overcome through modeling, simulatio n, and visualization of mission parameters. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration?s (NASA) Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) capi talizes on the benefits of modeling, simulation, and visualization to ols through a project initiative called The Mission Planning Lab (MPL ).

Next-Generation Sequencing in the Mycology Lab.

PubMed

Zoll, Jan; Snelders, Eveline; Verweij, Paul E; Melchers, Willem J G

New state-of-the-art techniques in sequencing offer valuable tools in both detection of mycobiota and in understanding of the molecular mechanisms of resistance against antifungal compounds and virulence. Introduction of new sequencing platform with enhanced capacity and a reduction in costs for sequence analysis provides a potential powerful tool in mycological diagnosis and research. In this review, we summarize the applications of next-generation sequencing techniques in mycology.

Object classification and outliers analysis in the forthcoming Gaia mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ordóñez-Blanco, D.; Arcay, B.; Dafonte, C.; Manteiga, M.; Ulla, A.

2010-12-01

Astrophysics is evolving towards the rational optimization of costly observational material by the intelligent exploitation of large astronomical databases from both terrestrial telescopes and spatial mission archives. However, there has been relatively little advance in the development of highly scalable data exploitation and analysis tools needed to generate the scientific returns from these large and expensively obtained datasets. Among the upcoming projects of astronomical instrumentation, Gaia is the next cornerstone ESA mission. The Gaia survey foresees the creation of a data archive and its future exploitation with automated or semi-automated analysis tools. This work reviews some of the work that is being developed by the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium for the object classification and analysis of outliers in the forthcoming mission.

Decision and cost analysis of empirical antibiotic therapy of acute sinusitis in the era of increasing antimicrobial resistance: do we have an additional tool for antibiotic policy decisions?

PubMed

Babela, Robert; Jarcuska, Pavol; Uraz, Vladimir; Krčméry, Vladimír; Jadud, Branislav; Stevlik, Jan; Gould, Ian M

2017-11-01

No previous analyses have attempted to determine optimal therapy for upper respiratory tract infections on the basis of cost-minimization models and the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance among respiratory pathogens in Slovakia. This investigation compares macrolides and cephalosporines for empirical therapy and look at this new tool from the aspect of potential antibiotic policy decision-making process. We employed a decision tree model to determine the threshold level of macrolides and cephalosporines resistance among community respiratory pathogens that would make cephalosporines or macrolides cost-minimising. To obtain information on clinical outcomes and cost of URTIs, a systematic review of the literature was performed. The cost-minimization model of upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) treatment was derived from the review of literature and published models. We found that the mean cost of empirical treatment with macrolides for an URTIs was €93.27 when the percentage of resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae in the community was 0%; at 5%, the mean cost was €96.45; at 10%, €99.63; at 20%, €105.99, and at 30%, €112.36. Our model demonstrated that when the percentage of macrolide resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae exceeds 13.8%, use of empirical cephalosporines rather than macrolides minimizes the treatment cost of URTIs. Empirical macrolide therapy is less expensive than cephalosporines therapy for URTIs unless macrolide resistance exceeds 13.8% in the community. Results have important antibiotic policy implications, since presented model can be use as an additional decision-making tool for new guidelines and reimbursement processes by local authorities in the era of continual increase in antibiotic resistance.

Analysis of the production and transaction costs of forest carbon offset projects in the USA.

PubMed

Galik, Christopher S; Cooley, David M; Baker, Justin S

2012-12-15

Forest carbon offset project implementation costs, comprised of both production and transaction costs, could present an important barrier to private landowner participation in carbon offset markets. These costs likewise represent a largely undocumented component of forest carbon offset potential. Using a custom spreadsheet model and accounting tool, this study examines the implementation costs of different forest offset project types operating in different forest types under different accounting and sampling methodologies. Sensitivity results are summarized concisely through response surface regression analysis to illustrate the relative effect of project-specific variables on total implementation costs. Results suggest that transaction costs may represent a relatively small percentage of total project implementation costs - generally less than 25% of the total. Results also show that carbon accounting methods, specifically the method used to establish project baseline, may be among the most important factors in driving implementation costs on a per-ton-of-carbon-sequestered basis, dramatically increasing variability in both transaction and production costs. This suggests that accounting could be a large driver in the financial viability of forest offset projects, with transaction costs likely being of largest concern to those projects at the margin. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Developments in label-free microfluidic methods for single-cell analysis and sorting.

PubMed

Carey, Thomas R; Cotner, Kristen L; Li, Brian; Sohn, Lydia L

2018-04-24

Advancements in microfluidic technologies have led to the development of many new tools for both the characterization and sorting of single cells without the need for exogenous labels. Label-free microfluidics reduce the preparation time, reagents needed, and cost of conventional methods based on fluorescent or magnetic labels. Furthermore, these devices enable analysis of cell properties such as mechanical phenotype and dielectric parameters that cannot be characterized with traditional labels. Some of the most promising technologies for current and future development toward label-free, single-cell analysis and sorting include electronic sensors such as Coulter counters and electrical impedance cytometry; deformation analysis using optical traps and deformation cytometry; hydrodynamic sorting such as deterministic lateral displacement, inertial focusing, and microvortex trapping; and acoustic sorting using traveling or standing surface acoustic waves. These label-free microfluidic methods have been used to screen, sort, and analyze cells for a wide range of biomedical and clinical applications, including cell cycle monitoring, rapid complete blood counts, cancer diagnosis, metastatic progression monitoring, HIV and parasite detection, circulating tumor cell isolation, and point-of-care diagnostics. Because of the versatility of label-free methods for characterization and sorting, the low-cost nature of microfluidics, and the rapid prototyping capabilities of modern microfabrication, we expect this class of technology to continue to be an area of high research interest going forward. New developments in this field will contribute to the ongoing paradigm shift in cell analysis and sorting technologies toward label-free microfluidic devices, enabling new capabilities in biomedical research tools as well as clinical diagnostics. This article is categorized under: Diagnostic Tools > Biosensing Diagnostic Tools > Diagnostic Nanodevices. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Aerospace Toolbox--a flight vehicle design, analysis, simulation, and software development environment II: an in-depth overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christian, Paul M.

2002-07-01

This paper presents a demonstrated approach to significantly reduce the cost and schedule of non real-time modeling and simulation, real-time HWIL simulation, and embedded code development. The tool and the methodology presented capitalize on a paradigm that has become a standard operating procedure in the automotive industry. The tool described is known as the Aerospace Toolbox, and it is based on the MathWorks Matlab/Simulink framework, which is a COTS application. Extrapolation of automotive industry data and initial applications in the aerospace industry show that the use of the Aerospace Toolbox can make significant contributions in the quest by NASA and other government agencies to meet aggressive cost reduction goals in development programs. The part I of this paper provided a detailed description of the GUI based Aerospace Toolbox and how it is used in every step of a development program; from quick prototyping of concept developments that leverage built-in point of departure simulations through to detailed design, analysis, and testing. Some of the attributes addressed included its versatility in modeling 3 to 6 degrees of freedom, its library of flight test validated library of models (including physics, environments, hardware, and error sources), and its built-in Monte Carlo capability. Other topics that were covered in part I included flight vehicle models and algorithms, and the covariance analysis package, Navigation System Covariance Analysis Tools (NavSCAT). Part II of this series will cover a more in-depth look at the analysis and simulation capability and provide an update on the toolbox enhancements. It will also address how the Toolbox can be used as a design hub for Internet based collaborative engineering tools such as NASA's Intelligent Synthesis Environment (ISE) and Lockheed Martin's Interactive Missile Design Environment (IMD).

Cost Validation Using PRICE H

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jack, John; Kwan, Eric; Wood, Milana

2011-01-01

PRICE H was introduced into the JPL cost estimation tool set circa 2003. It became more available at JPL when IPAO funded the NASA-wide site license for all NASA centers. PRICE H was mainly used as one of the cost tools to validate proposal grassroots cost estimates. Program offices at JPL view PRICE H as an additional crosscheck to Team X (JPL Concurrent Engineering Design Center) estimates. PRICE H became widely accepted ca, 2007 at JPL when the program offices moved away from grassroots cost estimation for Step 1 proposals. PRICE H is now one of the key cost tools used for cost validation, cost trades, and independent cost estimates.

Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) Quarterly Report Third Quarter FY-08

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bauman, William; Crawford, Winifred; Barrett, Joe; Watson, Leela; Dreher, Joseph

2008-01-01

This report summarizes the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) activities for the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2008 (April - June 2008). Tasks reported on are: Peak Wind Tool for User Launch Commit Criteria (LCC), Anvil Forecast Tool in AWIPS Phase II, Completion of the Edward Air Force Base (EAFB) Statistical Guidance Wind Tool, Volume Averaged Height Integ rated Radar Reflectivity (VAHIRR), Impact of Local Sensors, Radar Scan Strategies for the PAFB WSR-74C Replacement, VAHIRR Cost Benefit Analysis, and WRF Wind Sensitivity Study at Edwards Air Force Base

High Thermal Conductivity and High Wear Resistance Tool Steels for cost-effective Hot Stamping Tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valls, I.; Hamasaiid, A.; Padré, A.

2017-09-01

In hot stamping/press hardening, in addition to its shaping function, the tool controls the cycle time, the quality of the stamped components through determining the cooling rate of the stamped blank, the production costs and the feasibility frontier for stamping a given component. During the stamping, heat is extracted from the stamped blank and transported through the tool to the cooling medium in the cooling lines. Hence, the tools’ thermal properties determine the cooling rate of the blank, the heat transport mechanism, stamping times and temperature distribution. The tool’s surface resistance to adhesive and abrasive wear is also an important cost factor, as it determines the tool durability and maintenance costs. Wear is influenced by many tool material parameters, such as the microstructure, composition, hardness level and distribution of strengthening phases, as well as the tool’s working temperature. A decade ago, Rovalma developed a hot work tool steel for hot stamping that features a thermal conductivity of more than double that of any conventional hot work tool steel. Since that time, many complimentary grades have been developed in order to provide tailored material solutions as a function of the production volume, degree of blank cooling and wear resistance requirements, tool geometries, tool manufacturing method, type and thickness of the blank material, etc. Recently, Rovalma has developed a new generation of high thermal conductivity, high wear resistance tool steel grades that enable the manufacture of cost effective tools for hot stamping to increase process productivity and reduce tool manufacturing costs and lead times. Both of these novel grades feature high wear resistance and high thermal conductivity to enhance tool durability and cut cycle times in the production process of hot stamped components. Furthermore, one of these new grades reduces tool manufacturing costs through low tool material cost and hardening through readily available gas-quenching, whereas the other new grade enables a faster manufacturing of the tool at reduced cost by eliminating the time and money consuming high temperature hardening altogether. The latter newly developed grade can be hardened from a soft delivery state for easy machining to 52 HRc by way of a simple low temperature precipitation hardening. In this work, these new grades and the role of the tool material’s thermal, mechanical and tribological properties as well as their processing features will be discussed in light of enabling the manufacture of intelligent hot stamping tools.

DIDEM - An integrated model for comparative health damage costs calculation of air pollution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ravina, Marco; Panepinto, Deborah; Zanetti, Maria Chiara

2018-01-01

Air pollution represents a continuous hazard to human health. Administration, companies and population need efficient indicators of the possible effects given by a change in decision, strategy or habit. The monetary quantification of health effects of air pollution through the definition of external costs is increasingly recognized as a useful indicator to support decision and information at all levels. The development of modelling tools for the calculation of external costs can provide support to analysts in the development of consistent and comparable assessments. In this paper, the DIATI Dispersion and Externalities Model (DIDEM) is presented. The DIDEM model calculates the delta-external costs of air pollution comparing two alternative emission scenarios. This tool integrates CALPUFF's advanced dispersion modelling with the latest WHO recommendations on concentration-response functions. The model is based on the impact pathway method. It was designed to work with a fine spatial resolution and a local or national geographic scope. The modular structure allows users to input their own data sets. The DIDEM model was tested on a real case study, represented by a comparative analysis of the district heating system in Turin, Italy. Additional advantages and drawbacks of the tool are discussed in the paper. A comparison with other existing models worldwide is reported.

Application and Development of Appropriate Tools and Technologies for Cost-Effective Carbon Sequestration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bill Stanley; Sandra Brown; Patrick Gonzalez

2004-07-10

The Nature Conservancy is participating in a Cooperative Agreement with the Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) to explore the compatibility of carbon sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems and the conservation of biodiversity. The title of the research project is ''Application and Development of Appropriate Tools and Technologies for Cost-Effective Carbon Sequestration''. The objectives of the project are to: (1) improve carbon offset estimates produced in both the planning and implementation phases of projects; (2) build valid and standardized approaches to estimate project carbon benefits at a reasonable cost; and (3) lay the groundwork for implementing cost-effective projects,more » providing new testing ground for biodiversity protection and restoration projects that store additional atmospheric carbon. This Technical Progress Report discusses preliminary results of the six specific tasks that The Nature Conservancy is undertaking to answer research needs while facilitating the development of real projects with measurable greenhouse gas impacts. The research described in this report occurred between July 1, 2002 and June 30, 2003. The specific tasks discussed include: Task 1: carbon inventory advancements; Task 2: remote sensing for carbon analysis; Task 3: baseline method development; Task 4: third-party technical advisory panel meetings; Task 5: new project feasibility studies; and Task 6: development of new project software screening tool.« less

A Methodology for Developing Army Acquisition Strategies for an Uncertain Future

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

manuscript for publication. Acronyms ABP Assumption-Based Planning ACEIT Automated Cost Estimating Integrated Tool ACR Armored Cavalry Regiment ACTD...decisions. For example, they employ the Automated Cost Estimating Integrated Tools ( ACEIT ) to simplify life cycle cost estimates; other tools are

Gene Scanning of an Internalin B Gene Fragment Using High-Resolution Melting Curve Analysis as a Tool for Rapid Typing of Listeria monocytogenes

PubMed Central

Pietzka, Ariane T.; Stöger, Anna; Huhulescu, Steliana; Allerberger, Franz; Ruppitsch, Werner

2011-01-01

The ability to accurately track Listeria monocytogenes strains involved in outbreaks is essential for control and prevention of listeriosis. Because current typing techniques are time-consuming, cost-intensive, technically demanding, and difficult to standardize, we developed a rapid and cost-effective method for typing of L. monocytogenes. In all, 172 clinical L. monocytogenes isolates and 20 isolates from culture collections were typed by high-resolution melting (HRM) curve analysis of a specific locus of the internalin B gene (inlB). All obtained HRM curve profiles were verified by sequence analysis. The 192 tested L. monocytogenes isolates yielded 15 specific HRM curve profiles. Sequence analysis revealed that these 15 HRM curve profiles correspond to 18 distinct inlB sequence types. The HRM curve profiles obtained correlated with the five phylogenetic groups I.1, I.2, II.1, II.2, and III. Thus, HRM curve analysis constitutes an inexpensive assay and represents an improvement in typing relative to classical serotyping or multiplex PCR typing protocols. This method provides a rapid and powerful screening tool for simultaneous preliminary typing of up to 384 samples in approximately 2 hours. PMID:21227395

Extending simulation modeling to activity-based costing for clinical procedures.

PubMed

Glick, N D; Blackmore, C C; Zelman, W N

2000-04-01

A simulation model was developed to measure costs in an Emergency Department setting for patients presenting with possible cervical-spine injury who needed radiological imaging. Simulation, a tool widely used to account for process variability but typically focused on utilization and throughput analysis, is being introduced here as a realistic means to perform an activity-based-costing (ABC) analysis, because traditional ABC methods have difficulty coping with process variation in healthcare. Though the study model has a very specific application, it can be generalized to other settings simply by changing the input parameters. In essence, simulation was found to be an accurate and viable means to conduct an ABC analysis; in fact, the output provides more complete information than could be achieved through other conventional analyses, which gives management more leverage with which to negotiate contractual reimbursements.

Analysis of Different Cost Functions in the Geosect Airspace Partitioning Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wong, Gregory L.

2010-01-01

A new cost function representing air traffic controller workload is implemented in the Geosect airspace partitioning tool. Geosect currently uses a combination of aircraft count and dwell time to select optimal airspace partitions that balance controller workload. This is referred to as the aircraft count/dwell time hybrid cost function. The new cost function is based on Simplified Dynamic Density, a measure of different aspects of air traffic controller workload. Three sectorizations are compared. These are the current sectorization, Geosect's sectorization based on the aircraft count/dwell time hybrid cost function, and Geosect s sectorization based on the Simplified Dynamic Density cost function. Each sectorization is evaluated for maximum and average workload along with workload balance using the Simplified Dynamic Density as the workload measure. In addition, the Airspace Concept Evaluation System, a nationwide air traffic simulator, is used to determine the capacity and delay incurred by each sectorization. The sectorization resulting from the Simplified Dynamic Density cost function had a lower maximum workload measure than the other sectorizations, and the sectorization based on the combination of aircraft count and dwell time did a better job of balancing workload and balancing capacity. However, the current sectorization had the lowest average workload, highest sector capacity, and the least system delay.

PICASSO: an end-to-end image simulation tool for space and airborne imaging systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cota, Steve A.; Bell, Jabin T.; Boucher, Richard H.; Dutton, Tracy E.; Florio, Chris J.; Franz, Geoffrey A.; Grycewicz, Thomas J.; Kalman, Linda S.; Keller, Robert A.; Lomheim, Terrence S.; Paulson, Diane B.; Willkinson, Timothy S.

2008-08-01

The design of any modern imaging system is the end result of many trade studies, each seeking to optimize image quality within real world constraints such as cost, schedule and overall risk. Image chain analysis - the prediction of image quality from fundamental design parameters - is an important part of this design process. At The Aerospace Corporation we have been using a variety of image chain analysis tools for many years, the Parameterized Image Chain Analysis & Simulation SOftware (PICASSO) among them. In this paper we describe our PICASSO tool, showing how, starting with a high quality input image and hypothetical design descriptions representative of the current state of the art in commercial imaging satellites, PICASSO can generate standard metrics of image quality in support of the decision processes of designers and program managers alike.

PICASSO: an end-to-end image simulation tool for space and airborne imaging systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cota, Stephen A.; Bell, Jabin T.; Boucher, Richard H.; Dutton, Tracy E.; Florio, Christopher J.; Franz, Geoffrey A.; Grycewicz, Thomas J.; Kalman, Linda S.; Keller, Robert A.; Lomheim, Terrence S.; Paulson, Diane B.; Wilkinson, Timothy S.

2010-06-01

The design of any modern imaging system is the end result of many trade studies, each seeking to optimize image quality within real world constraints such as cost, schedule and overall risk. Image chain analysis - the prediction of image quality from fundamental design parameters - is an important part of this design process. At The Aerospace Corporation we have been using a variety of image chain analysis tools for many years, the Parameterized Image Chain Analysis & Simulation SOftware (PICASSO) among them. In this paper we describe our PICASSO tool, showing how, starting with a high quality input image and hypothetical design descriptions representative of the current state of the art in commercial imaging satellites, PICASSO can generate standard metrics of image quality in support of the decision processes of designers and program managers alike.

An Overview of SAL

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bensalem, Saddek; Ganesh, Vijay; Lakhnech, Yassine; Munoz, Cesar; Owre, Sam; Ruess, Harald; Rushby, John; Rusu, Vlad; Saiedi, Hassen; Shankar, N.

2000-01-01

To become practical for assurance, automated formal methods must be made more scalable, automatic, and cost-effective. Such an increase in scope, scale, automation, and utility can be derived from an emphasis on a systematic separation of concerns during verification. SAL (Symbolic Analysis Laboratory) attempts to address these issues. It is a framework for combining different tools to calculate properties of concurrent systems. The heart of SAL is a language, developed in collaboration with Stanford, Berkeley, and Verimag for specifying concurrent systems in a compositional way. Our instantiation of the SAL framework augments PVS with tools for abstraction, invariant generation, program analysis (such as slicing), theorem proving, and model checking to separate concerns as well as calculate properties (i.e., perform, symbolic analysis) of concurrent systems. We. describe the motivation, the language, the tools, their integration in SAL/PAS, and some preliminary experience of their use.

Simultaneous Aerodynamic and Structural Design Optimization (SASDO) for a 3-D Wing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gumbert, Clyde R.; Hou, Gene J.-W.; Newman, Perry A.

2001-01-01

The formulation and implementation of an optimization method called Simultaneous Aerodynamic and Structural Design Optimization (SASDO) is shown as an extension of the Simultaneous Aerodynamic Analysis and Design Optimization (SAADO) method. It is extended by the inclusion of structure element sizing parameters as design variables and Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis responses as constraints. The method aims to reduce the computational expense. incurred in performing shape and sizing optimization using state-of-the-art Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) flow analysis, FEM structural analysis and sensitivity analysis tools. SASDO is applied to a simple. isolated, 3-D wing in inviscid flow. Results show that the method finds the saine local optimum as a conventional optimization method with some reduction in the computational cost and without significant modifications; to the analysis tools.

Optimising the design and operation of semi-continuous affinity chromatography for clinical and commercial manufacture.

PubMed

Pollock, James; Bolton, Glen; Coffman, Jon; Ho, Sa V; Bracewell, Daniel G; Farid, Suzanne S

2013-04-05

This paper presents an integrated experimental and modelling approach to evaluate the potential of semi-continuous chromatography for the capture of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) in clinical and commercial manufacture. Small-scale single-column experimental breakthrough studies were used to derive design equations for the semi-continuous affinity chromatography system. Verification runs with the semi-continuous 3-column and 4-column periodic counter current (PCC) chromatography system indicated the robustness of the design approach. The product quality profiles and step yields (after wash step optimisation) achieved were comparable to the standard batch process. The experimentally-derived design equations were incorporated into a decisional tool comprising dynamic simulation, process economics and sizing optimisation. The decisional tool was used to evaluate the economic and operational feasibility of whole mAb bioprocesses employing PCC affinity capture chromatography versus standard batch chromatography across a product's lifecycle from clinical to commercial manufacture. The tool predicted that PCC capture chromatography would offer more significant savings in direct costs for early-stage clinical manufacture (proof-of-concept) (∼30%) than for late-stage clinical (∼10-15%) or commercial (∼5%) manufacture. The evaluation also highlighted the potential facility fit issues that could arise with a capture resin (MabSelect) that experiences losses in binding capacity when operated in continuous mode over lengthy commercial campaigns. Consequently, the analysis explored the scenario of adopting the PCC system for clinical manufacture and switching to the standard batch process following product launch. The tool determined the PCC system design required to operate at commercial scale without facility fit issues and with similar costs to the standard batch process whilst pursuing a process change application. A retrofitting analysis established that the direct cost savings obtained by 8 proof-of-concept batches would be sufficient to pay back the investment cost of the pilot-scale semi-continuous chromatography system. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Operations management tools to be applied for textile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maralcan, A.; Ilhan, I.

2017-10-01

In this paper, basic concepts of process analysis such as flow time, inventory, bottleneck, labour cost and utilization are illustrated first. The effect of bottleneck on the results of a business are especially emphasized. In the next section, tools on productivity measurement; KPI (Key Performance Indicators) Tree, OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) and Takt Time are introduced and exemplified. KPI tree is a diagram on which we can visualize all the variables of an operation which are driving financial results through cost and profit. OEE is a tool to measure a potential extra capacity of an equipment or an employee. Takt time is a tool to determine the process flow rate according to the customer demand. KPI tree is studied through the whole process while OEE is exemplified for a stenter frame machine which is the most important machine (and usually the bottleneck) and the most expensive investment in a finishing plant. Takt time is exemplified for the quality control department. Finally quality tools, six sigma, control charts and jidoka are introduced. Six sigma is a tool to measure process capability and by the way probability of a defect. Control chart is a powerful tool to monitor the process. The idea of jidoka (detect, stop and alert) is about alerting the people that there is a problem in the process.

The evaluation of cost-of-illness due to use of cost-of-illness-based chemicals.

PubMed

Hong, Jiyeon; Lee, Yongjin; Lee, Geonwoo; Lee, Hanseul; Yang, Jiyeon

2015-01-01

This study is conducted to estimate the cost paid by the public suffering from disease possibly caused by chemical and to examine the effect on public health. Cost-benefit analysis is an important factor in analysis and decision-making and is an important policy decision tool in many countries. Cost-of-illness (COI), a kind of scale-based analysis method, estimates the potential value lost as a result of illness as a monetary unit and calculates the cost in terms of direct, indirect and psychological costs. This study estimates direct medical costs, transportation fees for hospitalization and outpatient treatment, and nursing fees through a number of patients suffering from disease caused by chemicals in order to analyze COI, taking into account the cost of productivity loss as an indirect cost. The total yearly cost of the diseases studied in 2012 is calculated as 77 million Korean won (KRW) per person. The direct and indirect costs being 52 million KRW and 23 million KRW, respectively. Within the total cost of illness, mental and behavioral disability costs amounted to 16 million KRW, relevant blood immunological parameters costs were 7.4 million KRW, and disease of the nervous system costs were 6.7 million KRW. This study reports on a survey conducted by experts regarding diseases possibly caused by chemicals and estimates the cost for the general public. The results can be used to formulate a basic report for a social-economic evaluation of the permitted use of chemicals and limits of usage.

Elements of Designing for Cost

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dean, Edwin B.; Unal, Resit

1992-01-01

During recent history in the United States, government systems development has been performance driven. As a result, systems within a class have experienced exponentially increasing cost over time in fixed year dollars. Moreover, little emphasis has been placed on reducing cost. This paper defines designing for cost and presents several tools which, if used in the engineering process, offer the promise of reducing cost. Although other potential tools exist for designing for cost, this paper focuses on rules of thumb, quality function deployment, Taguchi methods, concurrent engineering, and activity based costing. Each of these tools has been demonstrated to reduce cost if used within the engineering process.

Elements of designing for cost

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dean, Edwin B.; Unal, Resit

1992-01-01

During recent history in the United States, government systems development has been performance driven. As a result, systems within a class have experienced exponentially increasing cost over time in fixed year dollars. Moreover, little emphasis has been placed on reducing cost. This paper defines designing for cost and presents several tools which, if used in the engineering process, offer the promise of reducing cost. Although other potential tools exist for designing for cost, this paper focuses on rules of thumb, quality function deployment, Taguchi methods, concurrent engineering, and activity-based costing. Each of these tools has been demonstrated to reduce cost if used within the engineering process.

Measuring the costs and benefits of conservation programs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Einhorn, M.A.

1985-07-25

A step-by-step analysis of the effects of utility-sponsored conservation promoting programs begins by identifying several factors which will reduce a program's effectiveness. The framework for measuring cost savings and designing a conservation program needs to consider the size of appliance subsidies, what form incentives should take, and how will customer behavior change as a result of incentives. Continual reevaluation is necessary to determine whether to change the size of rebates or whether to continue the program. Analytical tools for making these determinations are improving as conceptual breakthroughs in econometrics permit more rigorous analysis. 5 figures.

In Favor of Clear Thinking: Incorporating Moral Rules Into a Wise Cost-Benefit Analysis-Commentary on Bennis, Medin, & Bartels (2010).

PubMed

Bazerman, Max H; D Greene, Joshua

2010-03-01

Bennis, Medin, and Bartels (2010, this issue) have contributed an interesting article on the comparative benefit of moral rules versus cost-benefit analysis (CBA). Many of their specific comments are accurate, useful, and insightful. At the same time, we believe they have misrepresented CBA and have reached a set of conclusions that are misguided and, if adopted wholesale, potentially dangerous. Overall, they offer wise suggestions for making CBA more effective, rather than eliminating CBA as a decision-making tool. © The Author(s) 2010.

Cost Minimization Using an Artificial Neural Network Sleep Apnea Prediction Tool for Sleep Studies

PubMed Central

Teferra, Rahel A.; Grant, Brydon J. B.; Mindel, Jesse W.; Siddiqi, Tauseef A.; Iftikhar, Imran H.; Ajaz, Fatima; Aliling, Jose P.; Khan, Meena S.; Hoffmann, Stephen P.

2014-01-01

Rationale: More than a million polysomnograms (PSGs) are performed annually in the United States to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Third-party payers now advocate a home sleep test (HST), rather than an in-laboratory PSG, as the diagnostic study for OSA regardless of clinical probability, but the economic benefit of this approach is not known. Objectives: We determined the diagnostic performance of OSA prediction tools including the newly developed OSUNet, based on an artificial neural network, and performed a cost-minimization analysis when the prediction tools are used to identify patients who should undergo HST. Methods: The OSUNet was trained to predict the presence of OSA in a derivation group of patients who underwent an in-laboratory PSG (n = 383). Validation group 1 consisted of in-laboratory PSG patients (n = 149). The network was trained further in 33 patients who underwent HST and then was validated in a separate group of 100 HST patients (validation group 2). Likelihood ratios (LRs) were compared with two previously published prediction tools. The total costs from the use of the three prediction tools and the third-party approach within a clinical algorithm were compared. Measurements and Main Results: The OSUNet had a higher +LR in all groups compared with the STOP-BANG and the modified neck circumference (MNC) prediction tools. The +LRs for STOP-BANG, MNC, and OSUNet in validation group 1 were 1.1 (1.0–1.2), 1.3 (1.1–1.5), and 2.1 (1.4–3.1); and in validation group 2 they were 1.4 (1.1–1.7), 1.7 (1.3–2.2), and 3.4 (1.8–6.1), respectively. With an OSA prevalence less than 52%, the use of all three clinical prediction tools resulted in cost savings compared with the third-party approach. Conclusions: The routine requirement of an HST to diagnose OSA regardless of clinical probability is more costly compared with the use of OSA clinical prediction tools that identify patients who should undergo this procedure when OSA is expected to be present in less than half of the population. With OSA prevalence less than 40%, the OSUNet offers the greatest savings, which are substantial when the number of sleep studies done annually is considered. PMID:25068704

Clinical and cost-effectiveness analysis of early detection of patients at nutrition risk during their hospital stay through the new screening method CIPA: a study protocol.

PubMed

Suárez-Llanos, José Pablo; Benítez-Brito, Néstor; Vallejo-Torres, Laura; Delgado-Brito, Irina; Rosat-Rodrigo, Adriá; Hernández-Carballo, Carolina; Ramallo-Fariña, Yolanda; Pereyra-García-Castro, Francisca; Carlos-Romero, Juan; Felipe-Pérez, Nieves; García-Niebla, Jennifer; Calderón-Ledezma, Eduardo Mauricio; González-Melián, Teresa de Jesús; Llorente-Gómez de Segura, Ignacio; Barrera-Gómez, Manuel Ángel

2017-04-20

Malnutrition is highly prevalent in hospitalized patients and results in a worsened clinical course as well as an increased length of stay, mortality, and costs. Therefore, simple nutrition screening systems, such as CIPA (control of food intake, protein, anthropometry), may be implemented to facilitate the patient's recovery process. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of implementing such screening tool in a tertiary hospital, consistent with the lack of similar, published studies on any hospital nutrition screening system. The present study is carried out as an open, controlled, randomized study on patients that were admitted to the Internal Medicine and the General and Digestive Surgery ward; the patients were randomized to either a control or an intervention group (n = 824, thereof 412 patients in each of the two study arms). The control group underwent usual inpatient clinical care, while the intervention group was evaluated with the CIPA screening tool for early detection of malnutrition and treated accordingly. CIPA nutrition screening was performed upon hospital admission and classified positive when at least one of the following parameters was met: 72 h food intake control < 50%, serum albumin < 3 g/dL, body mass index < 18.5 kg/m 2 (or mid-upper arm circumference ≤ 22.5 cm). In this case, the doctor decided on whether or not providing nutrition support. The following variables will be evaluated: hospital length of stay (primary endpoint), mortality, 3-month readmission, and in-hospital complications. Likewise, the quality of life questionnaires EQ-5D-5 L are being collected for all patients at hospital admission, discharge, and 3 months post-discharge. Analysis of cost-effectiveness will be performed by measuring effectiveness in terms of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). The cost per patient will be established by identifying health care resource utilization; cost-effectiveness will be determined through the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). We will calculate the incremental cost per QALY gained with respect to the intervention. This ongoing trial aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of implementing the malnutrition screening tool CIPA in a tertiary hospital. Clinical Trial.gov ( NCT02721706 ). First receivevd: March 1, 2016 Last updated: April 8, 2017 Last verified: April 2017.

NASA Technical Interchange Meeting (TIM): Advanced Technology Lifecycle Analysis System (ATLAS) Technology Tool Box

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

ONeil, D. A.; Craig, D. A.; Christensen, C. B.; Gresham, E. C.

2005-01-01

The objective of this Technical Interchange Meeting was to increase the quantity and quality of technical, cost, and programmatic data used to model the impact of investing in different technologies. The focus of this meeting was the Technology Tool Box (TTB), a database of performance, operations, and programmatic parameters provided by technologists and used by systems engineers. The TTB is the data repository used by a system of models known as the Advanced Technology Lifecycle Analysis System (ATLAS). This report describes the result of the November meeting, and also provides background information on ATLAS and the TTB.

CFD Methods and Tools for Multi-Element Airfoil Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, Stuart E.; George, Michael W. (Technical Monitor)

1995-01-01

This lecture will discuss the computational tools currently available for high-lift multi-element airfoil analysis. It will present an overview of a number of different numerical approaches, their current capabilities, short-comings, and computational costs. The lecture will be limited to viscous methods, including inviscid/boundary layer coupling methods, and incompressible and compressible Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes methods. Both structured and unstructured grid generation approaches will be presented. Two different structured grid procedures are outlined, one which uses multi-block patched grids, the other uses overset chimera grids. Turbulence and transition modeling will be discussed.

Advanced Concepts for Composite Structure Joints and Attachment Fittings. Volume I. Design and Evaluation.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-11-01

interlaminar tension). The analysis is also influenced by other factors such as bolt location, washer/bolt size, fastener pattern, laminate thickness, corner...to reduce the cost of tooling were also studied. These include: * Pultrusion dies for under $5, 000 * Stable, accurate, low-cost chopped-fiber phenolic ...fittings were state-of- the-art methods developed for laminated composite plates, shells, beams, and columns as used in analyses of discontinuities, edge

The use of COSMIC NASTRAN in an integrated conceptual design environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, Gil

1989-01-01

Changes in both software and hardware are rapidly bringing conceptual engineering tools like finite element analysis into mainstream mechanical design. Systems that integrate all phases of the manufacturing process provide the most cost benefits. The application of programming concepts like object oriented programming allow for the encapsulation of intelligent data within the design geometry. This combined with declining cost in per seat hardware bring new alternatives to the user.

Using an ecosystem service decision support tool to support ridge to reef management: An example of sediment reduction in west Maui, Hawaii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falinski, K. A.; Oleson, K.; Htun, H.; Kappel, C.; Lecky, J.; Rowe, C.; Selkoe, K.; White, C.

2016-12-01

Faced with anthropogenic stressors and declining coral reef states, managers concerned with restoration and resilience of coral reefs are increasingly recognizing the need to take a ridge-to-reef, ecosystem-based approach. An ecosystem services framing can help managers move towards these goals, helping to illustrate trade-offs and opportunities of management actions in terms of their impacts on society. We describe a research program building a spatial ecosystem services-based decision-support tool, and being applied to guide ridge-to-reef management in a NOAA priority site in West Maui. We use multiple modeling methods to link biophysical processes to ecosystem services and their spatial flows and social values in an integrating platform. Modeled services include water availability, sediment retention, nutrient retention and carbon sequestration on land. A coral reef ecosystem service model is under development to capture the linkages between terrestrial and coastal ecosystem services. Valuation studies are underway to quantify the implications for human well-being. The tool integrates techniques from decision science to facilitate decision making. We use the sediment retention model to illustrate the types of analyses the tool can support. The case study explores the tradeoffs between road rehabilitation costs and sediment export avoided. We couple the sediment and cost models with trade-off analysis to identify optimal distributed solutions that are most cost-effective in reducing erosion, and then use those models to estimate sediment exposure to coral reefs. We find that cooperation between land owners reveals opportunities for maximizing the benefits of fixing roads and minimizes costs. This research forms the building blocks of an ecosystem service decision support tool that we intend to continue to test and apply in other Pacific Island settings.

A tool for cost-effectiveness analysis of field scale sediment-bound phosphorus mitigation measures and application to analysis of spatial and temporal targeting in the Lunan Water catchment, Scotland.

PubMed

Vinten, Andy; Sample, James; Ibiyemi, Adekunle; Abdul-Salam, Yakubu; Stutter, Marc

2017-05-15

The cost-effectiveness of six edge-of-field measures for mitigating diffuse pollution from sediment bound phosphorus (P) runoff from temperate arable farmland is analysed at catchment/field scales. These measures were: buffer strips, permanent grassland in the lowest 7% of arable fields, dry detention bunds, wetlands, and temporary barriers such as sediment fences. Baseline field P export was estimated using export coefficients (low risk crops) or a modified Universal Soil Loss Equation (high risk crops). The impact of measures was estimated using simple equations. Costs were estimated from gross margin losses or local data on grants. We used a net cost:benefit (NCB) factor to normalise the costs and impacts of each measure over time. Costs minimisation for target impact was done using PuLP, a linear programming module for Python, across 1634 riparian and non-riparian fields in the Lunan Water, a mixed arable catchment in Eastern Scotland. With all measures in place, average cost-effectiveness increases from £9 to £48/kg P as target P mitigation increases from 500 to 2500kg P across the catchment. Costs increase significantly when the measures available are restricted only to those currently eligible for government grants (buffers, bunds and wetlands). The assumed orientation of the average field slope makes a strong difference to the potential for storage of water by bunds and overall cost-effectiveness, but the non-funded measures can substitute for the extra expense incurred by bunds, where the slope orientation is not suitable. Economic discounting over time of impacts and costs of measures favours those measures, such as sediment fences, which are strongly targeted both spatially and temporally. This tool could be a useful guide for dialogue with land users about the potential fields to target for mitigation to achieve catchment targets. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Locus of Tool-Transformation Costs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kunde, Wilfried; Pfister, Roland; Janczyk, Markus

2012-01-01

Transformations of hand movements by tools such as levers or electronic input devices can invoke performance costs compared to untransformed movements. This study investigated by means of the Psychological Refractory Period (PRP) paradigm at which stage of information processing such tool-transformation costs arise. We used an inversion…

Laser Cladding of CPM Tool Steels on Hardened H13 Hot-Work Steel for Low-Cost High-Performance Automotive Tooling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, J.; Xue, L.

2012-06-01

This paper summarizes our research on laser cladding of high-vanadium CPM® tool steels (3V, 9V, and 15V) onto the surfaces of low-cost hardened H13 hot-work tool steel to substantially enhance resistance against abrasive wear. The results provide great potential for fabricating high-performance automotive tooling (including molds and dies) at affordable cost. The microstructure and hardness development of the laser-clad tool steels so obtained are presented as well.

Ship Maintenance Processes with Collaborative Product Lifecycle Management and 3D Terrestrial Laser Scanning Tools: Reducing Costs and Increasing Productivity

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-20

optimal portfolio point on the efficient frontier, for example, Portfolio B on the chart in Figure A1. Then, by subsequently changing some of the ... optimized portfolio controlling for risk using the IRM methodology and tool suite. Results indicate that both rapid and incremental implementation...Results of the KVA and SD scenario analysis provided the financial information required to forecast an optimized

The Intelligent Program Editor: A Knowledge Based System for Supporting Program and Documentation Maintenance.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-03-01

As an illustration of this fact, the collection of tools designed to alleviate these maintenance costs for large systems typically our- problems, all...provide bnowledge which other or modifies code; and a collection of semantic systems (such as the IP) can employ, analysis and manipulation tools that...TPleetl and sumations. > (index *loops syntea-database) In the second approach, the user identifies a -> LOOPsetl:[lengtb 2) collection of items

Process development and exergy cost sensitivity analysis of a hybrid molten carbonate fuel cell power plant and carbon dioxide capturing process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehrpooya, Mehdi; Ansarinasab, Hojat; Moftakhari Sharifzadeh, Mohammad Mehdi; Rosen, Marc A.

2017-10-01

An integrated power plant with a net electrical power output of 3.71 × 105 kW is developed and investigated. The electrical efficiency of the process is found to be 60.1%. The process includes three main sub-systems: molten carbonate fuel cell system, heat recovery section and cryogenic carbon dioxide capturing process. Conventional and advanced exergoeconomic methods are used for analyzing the process. Advanced exergoeconomic analysis is a comprehensive evaluation tool which combines an exergetic approach with economic analysis procedures. With this method, investment and exergy destruction costs of the process components are divided into endogenous/exogenous and avoidable/unavoidable parts. Results of the conventional exergoeconomic analyses demonstrate that the combustion chamber has the largest exergy destruction rate (182 MW) and cost rate (13,100 /h). Also, the total process cost rate can be decreased by reducing the cost rate of the fuel cell and improving the efficiency of the combustion chamber and heat recovery steam generator. Based on the total avoidable endogenous cost rate, the priority for modification is the heat recovery steam generator, a compressor and a turbine of the power plant, in rank order. A sensitivity analysis is done to investigate the exergoeconomic factor parameters through changing the effective parameter variations.

Advanced Vibration Analysis Tool Developed for Robust Engine Rotor Designs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Min, James B.

2005-01-01

The primary objective of this research program is to develop vibration analysis tools, design tools, and design strategies to significantly improve the safety and robustness of turbine engine rotors. Bladed disks in turbine engines always feature small, random blade-to-blade differences, or mistuning. Mistuning can lead to a dramatic increase in blade forced-response amplitudes and stresses. Ultimately, this results in high-cycle fatigue, which is a major safety and cost concern. In this research program, the necessary steps will be taken to transform a state-of-the-art vibration analysis tool, the Turbo- Reduce forced-response prediction code, into an effective design tool by enhancing and extending the underlying modeling and analysis methods. Furthermore, novel techniques will be developed to assess the safety of a given design. In particular, a procedure will be established for using natural-frequency curve veerings to identify ranges of operating conditions (rotational speeds and engine orders) in which there is a great risk that the rotor blades will suffer high stresses. This work also will aid statistical studies of the forced response by reducing the necessary number of simulations. Finally, new strategies for improving the design of rotors will be pursued.

WebArray: an online platform for microarray data analysis

PubMed Central

Xia, Xiaoqin; McClelland, Michael; Wang, Yipeng

2005-01-01

Background Many cutting-edge microarray analysis tools and algorithms, including commonly used limma and affy packages in Bioconductor, need sophisticated knowledge of mathematics, statistics and computer skills for implementation. Commercially available software can provide a user-friendly interface at considerable cost. To facilitate the use of these tools for microarray data analysis on an open platform we developed an online microarray data analysis platform, WebArray, for bench biologists to utilize these tools to explore data from single/dual color microarray experiments. Results The currently implemented functions were based on limma and affy package from Bioconductor, the spacings LOESS histogram (SPLOSH) method, PCA-assisted normalization method and genome mapping method. WebArray incorporates these packages and provides a user-friendly interface for accessing a wide range of key functions of limma and others, such as spot quality weight, background correction, graphical plotting, normalization, linear modeling, empirical bayes statistical analysis, false discovery rate (FDR) estimation, chromosomal mapping for genome comparison. Conclusion WebArray offers a convenient platform for bench biologists to access several cutting-edge microarray data analysis tools. The website is freely available at . It runs on a Linux server with Apache and MySQL. PMID:16371165

Using a formal requirements management tool for system engineering: first results at ESO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zamparelli, Michele

2006-06-01

The attention to proper requirement analysis and maintenance is growing in modern astronomical undertakings. The increasing degree of complexity that current and future generations of projects have reached requires substantial system engineering efforts and the usage of all available technology to keep project development under control. One such technology is a tool which helps managing relationships between deliverables at various development stages, and across functional subsystems and disciplines as different as software, mechanics, optics and electronics. The immediate benefits are traceability and the possibility to do impact analysis. An industrially proven tool for requirements management is presented together with the first results across some projects at ESO and a cost/benefit analysis of its usage. Experience gathered so far shows that the extensibility and configurability of the tool from one hand, and integration with common documentation formats and standards on the other, make it appear as a promising solution for even small scale system development.

An expanded portfolio of survival metrics for assessing anticancer agents.

PubMed

Karweit, Jennifer; Kotapati, Srividya; Wagner, Samuel; Shaw, James W; Wolfe, Steffan W; Abernethy, Amy P

2017-01-01

With the introduction of more effective anticancer agents that prolong survival, there is a need for new methods to define the clinical value of treatments. The objective of this preliminary qualitative and quantitative analysis was to assess the utility of an expanded portfolio of survival metrics to differentiate the value of anticancer agents. A literature review was conducted of phase 3 trial data, reported in regulatory submissions within the last 10 years of agents for 6 metastatic cancers (breast cancer, colorectal cancer [CRC], melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer [NSCLC], prostate cancer [PC], and renal cell cancer [RCC]). A new, simplified cost-value analysis tool was applied using survival outcomes and total drug costs. Metrics included median overall survival (OS), mean OS, 1-year survival rate, and number needed to treat (NNT) to avoid 1 death at 1 year. Survival results were compiled and compared both within and across trials by tumor type. Total drug costs were calculated by multiplying each agent's cost per month (from October/November 2013, based on the database Price Rx/Medi-Span) by duration of therapy. Relative clinical value for each agent was not consistent across survival outcomes. In 3 tumor types, both the highest improvement in median OS and the highest improvement in mean OS occurred with the same anticancer agent (ipilimumab with melanoma, pemetrexed with NSCLC, and sunitinib with RCC); the highest improvement in the 1-year survival rate and the lowest NNT occurred together with the same anticancer agent in 5 tumor types (bevacizumab with CRC, ipilimumab with melanoma, erlotinib with NSCLC, abiraterone with PC, and temsirolimus with RCC). In the cost-value analysis, agents were inconsistent and achieved a high relative value with some survival outcomes, but not others. This analysis suggests that any 1 metric may not completely characterize the expected survival benefit of all patients. The cost-value analysis tool may be applied to trial data and may be useful in helping to make treatment decisions, regardless of the agent's effectiveness. A combined metric will be needed, as well as further research that includes more mature data, other tumor types, and emerging treatments.

EQUIPT: protocol of a comparative effectiveness research study evaluating cross-context transferability of economic evidence on tobacco control

PubMed Central

Pokhrel, Subhash; Evers, Silvia; Leidl, Reiner; Trapero-Bertran, Marta; Kalo, Zoltan; de Vries, Hein; Crossfield, Andrea; Andrews, Fiona; Rutter, Ailsa; Coyle, Kathryn; Lester-George, Adam; West, Robert; Owen, Lesley; Jones, Teresa; Vogl, Matthias; Radu-Loghin, Cornel; Voko, Zoltan; Huic, Mirjana; Coyle, Doug

2014-01-01

Introduction Tobacco smoking claims 700 000 lives every year in Europe and the cost of tobacco smoking in the EU is estimated between €98 and €130 billion annually; direct medical care costs and indirect costs such as workday losses each represent half of this amount. Policymakers all across Europe are in need of bespoke information on the economic and wider returns of investing in evidence-based tobacco control, including smoking cessation agendas. EQUIPT is designed to test the transferability of one such economic evidence base—the English Tobacco Return on Investment (ROI) tool—to other EU member states. Methods and analysis EQUIPT is a multicentre, interdisciplinary comparative effectiveness research study in public health. The Tobacco ROI tool already developed in England by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will be adapted to meet the needs of European decision-makers, following transferability criteria. Stakeholders' needs and intention to use ROI tools in sample countries (Germany, Hungary, Spain and the Netherlands) will be analysed through interviews and surveys and complemented by secondary analysis of the contextual and other factors. Informed by this contextual analysis, the next phase will develop country-specific ROI tools in sample countries using a mix of economic modelling and Visual Basic programming. The results from the country-specific ROI models will then be compared to derive policy proposals that are transferable to other EU states, from which a centralised web tool will be developed. This will then be made available to stakeholders to cater for different decision-making contexts across Europe. Ethics and dissemination The Brunel University Ethics Committee and relevant authorities in each of the participating countries approved the protocol. EQUIPT has a dedicated work package on dissemination, focusing on stakeholders’ communication needs. Results will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications, e-learning resources and policy briefs. PMID:25421342

Closha: bioinformatics workflow system for the analysis of massive sequencing data.

PubMed

Ko, GunHwan; Kim, Pan-Gyu; Yoon, Jongcheol; Han, Gukhee; Park, Seong-Jin; Song, Wangho; Lee, Byungwook

2018-02-19

While next-generation sequencing (NGS) costs have fallen in recent years, the cost and complexity of computation remain substantial obstacles to the use of NGS in bio-medical care and genomic research. The rapidly increasing amounts of data available from the new high-throughput methods have made data processing infeasible without automated pipelines. The integration of data and analytic resources into workflow systems provides a solution to the problem by simplifying the task of data analysis. To address this challenge, we developed a cloud-based workflow management system, Closha, to provide fast and cost-effective analysis of massive genomic data. We implemented complex workflows making optimal use of high-performance computing clusters. Closha allows users to create multi-step analyses using drag and drop functionality and to modify the parameters of pipeline tools. Users can also import the Galaxy pipelines into Closha. Closha is a hybrid system that enables users to use both analysis programs providing traditional tools and MapReduce-based big data analysis programs simultaneously in a single pipeline. Thus, the execution of analytics algorithms can be parallelized, speeding up the whole process. We also developed a high-speed data transmission solution, KoDS, to transmit a large amount of data at a fast rate. KoDS has a file transfer speed of up to 10 times that of normal FTP and HTTP. The computer hardware for Closha is 660 CPU cores and 800 TB of disk storage, enabling 500 jobs to run at the same time. Closha is a scalable, cost-effective, and publicly available web service for large-scale genomic data analysis. Closha supports the reliable and highly scalable execution of sequencing analysis workflows in a fully automated manner. Closha provides a user-friendly interface to all genomic scientists to try to derive accurate results from NGS platform data. The Closha cloud server is freely available for use from http://closha.kobic.re.kr/ .

BMP analysis system for watershed-based stormwater management.

PubMed

Zhen, Jenny; Shoemaker, Leslie; Riverson, John; Alvi, Khalid; Cheng, Mow-Soung

2006-01-01

Best Management Practices (BMPs) are measures for mitigating nonpoint source (NPS) pollution caused mainly by stormwater runoff. Established urban and newly developing areas must develop cost effective means for restoring or minimizing impacts, and planning future growth. Prince George's County in Maryland, USA, a fast-growing region in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, has developed a number of tools to support analysis and decision making for stormwater management planning and design at the watershed level. These tools support watershed analysis, innovative BMPs, and optimization. Application of these tools can help achieve environmental goals and lead to significant cost savings. This project includes software development that utilizes GIS information and technology, integrates BMP processes simulation models, and applies system optimization techniques for BMP planning and selection. The system employs the ESRI ArcGIS as the platform, and provides GIS-based visualization and support for developing networks including sequences of land uses, BMPs, and stream reaches. The system also provides interfaces for BMP placement, BMP attribute data input, and decision optimization management. The system includes a stand-alone BMP simulation and evaluation module, which complements both research and regulatory nonpoint source control assessment efforts, and allows flexibility in the examining various BMP design alternatives. Process based simulation of BMPs provides a technique that is sensitive to local climate and rainfall patterns. The system incorporates a meta-heuristic optimization technique to find the most cost-effective BMP placement and implementation plan given a control target, or a fixed cost. A case study is presented to demonstrate the application of the Prince George's County system. The case study involves a highly urbanized area in the Anacostia River (a tributary to Potomac River) watershed southeast of Washington, DC. An innovative system of management practices is proposed to minimize runoff, improve water quality, and provide water reuse opportunities. Proposed management techniques include bioretention, green roof, and rooftop runoff collection (rain barrel) systems. The modeling system was used to identify the most cost-effective combinations of management practices to help minimize frequency and size of runoff events and resulting combined sewer overflows to the Anacostia River.

Climate targets and cost-effective climate stabilization pathways

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Held, H.

2015-08-01

Climate economics has developed two main tools to derive an economically adequate response to the climate problem. Cost benefit analysis weighs in any available information on mitigation costs and benefits and thereby derives an "optimal" global mean temperature. Quite the contrary, cost effectiveness analysis allows deriving costs of potential policy targets and the corresponding cost- minimizing investment paths. The article highlights pros and cons of both approaches and then focusses on the implications of a policy that strives at limiting global warming to 2 °C compared to pre-industrial values. The related mitigation costs and changes in the energy sector are summarized according to the IPCC report of 2014. The article then points to conceptual difficulties when internalizing uncertainty in these types of analyses and suggests pragmatic solutions. Key statements on mitigation economics remain valid under uncertainty when being given the adequate interpretation. Furthermore, the expected economic value of perfect climate information is found to be on the order of hundreds of billions of Euro per year if a 2°-policy were requested. Finally, the prospects of climate policy are sketched.

Aerospace Systems Design in NASA's Collaborative Engineering Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Monell, Donald W.; Piland, William M.

1999-01-01

Past designs of complex aerospace systems involved an environment consisting of collocated design teams with project managers, technical discipline experts, and other experts (e.g. manufacturing and systems operations). These experts were generally qualified only on the basis of past design experience and typically had access to a limited set of integrated analysis tools. These environments provided less than desirable design fidelity, often lead to the inability of assessing critical programmatic and technical issues (e.g., cost risk, technical impacts), and generally derived a design that was not necessarily optimized across the entire system. The continually changing, modern aerospace industry demands systems design processes that involve the best talent available (no matter where it resides) and access to the best design and analysis tools. A solution to these demands involves a design environment referred to as collaborative engineering. The collaborative engineering environment evolving within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is a capability that enables the Agency's engineering infrastructure to interact and use the best state-of-the-art tools and data across organizational boundaries. Using collaborative engineering, the collocated team is replaced with an interactive team structure where the team members are geographically distributed and the best engineering talent can be applied to the design effort regardless of physical location. In addition, a more efficient, higher quality design product is delivered by bringing together the best engineering talent with more up-to-date design and analysis tools. These tools are focused on interactive, multidisciplinary design and analysis with emphasis on the complete life cycle of the system, and they include nontraditional, integrated tools for life cycle cost estimation and risk assessment. NASA has made substantial progress during the last two years in developing a collaborative engineering environment. NASA is planning to use this collaborative engineering infrastructure to provide better aerospace systems life cycle design and analysis, which includes analytical assessment of the technical and programmatic aspects of a system from "cradle to grave." This paper describes the recent NASA developments in the area of collaborative engineering, the benefits (realized and anticipated) of using the developed capability, and the long-term plans for implementing this capability across the Agency.

Aerospace Systems Design in NASA's Collaborative Engineering Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Monell, Donald W.; Piland, William M.

2000-01-01

Past designs of complex aerospace systems involved an environment consisting of collocated design teams with project managers, technical discipline experts, and other experts (e.g., manufacturing and systems operation). These experts were generally qualified only on the basis of past design experience and typically had access to a limited set of integrated analysis tools. These environments provided less than desirable design fidelity, often lead to the inability of assessing critical programmatic and technical issues (e.g., cost, risk, technical impacts), and generally derived a design that was not necessarily optimized across the entire system. The continually changing, modern aerospace industry demands systems design processes that involve the best talent available (no matter where it resides) and access to the the best design and analysis tools. A solution to these demands involves a design environment referred to as collaborative engineering. The collaborative engineering environment evolving within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is a capability that enables the Agency's engineering infrastructure to interact and use the best state-of-the-art tools and data across organizational boundaries. Using collaborative engineering, the collocated team is replaced with an interactive team structure where the team members are geographical distributed and the best engineering talent can be applied to the design effort regardless of physical location. In addition, a more efficient, higher quality design product is delivered by bringing together the best engineering talent with more up-to-date design and analysis tools. These tools are focused on interactive, multidisciplinary design and analysis with emphasis on the complete life cycle of the system, and they include nontraditional, integrated tools for life cycle cost estimation and risk assessment. NASA has made substantial progress during the last two years in developing a collaborative engineering environment. NASA is planning to use this collaborative engineering engineering infrastructure to provide better aerospace systems life cycle design and analysis, which includes analytical assessment of the technical and programmatic aspects of a system from "cradle to grave." This paper describes the recent NASA developments in the area of collaborative engineering, the benefits (realized and anticipated) of using the developed capability, and the long-term plans for implementing this capability across Agency.

Aerospace Systems Design in NASA's Collaborative Engineering Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monell, Donald W.; Piland, William M.

2000-07-01

Past designs of complex aerospace systems involved an environment consisting of collocated design teams with project managers, technical discipline experts, and other experts (e.g., manufacturing and systems operations). These experts were generally qualified only on the basis of past design experience and typically had access to a limited set of integrated analysis tools. These environments provided less than desirable design fidelity, often led to the inability of assessing critical programmatic and technical issues (e.g., cost, risk, technical impacts), and generally derived a design that was not necessarily optimized across the entire system. The continually changing, modern aerospace industry demands systems design processes that involve the best talent available (no matter where it resides) and access to the best design and analysis tools. A solution to these demands involves a design environment referred to as collaborative engineering. The collaborative engineering environment evolving within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is a capability that enables the Agency's engineering infrastructure to interact and use the best state-of-the-art tools and data across organizational boundaries. Using collaborative engineering, the collocated team is replaced with an interactive team structure where the team members are geographically distributed and the best engineering talent can be applied to the design effort regardless of physical location. In addition, a more efficient, higher quality design product is delivered by bringing together the best engineering talent with more up-to-date design and analysis tools. These tools are focused on interactive, multidisciplinary design and analysis with emphasis on the complete life cycle of the system, and they include nontraditional, integrated tools for life cycle cost estimation and risk assessment. NASA has made substantial progress during the last two years in developing a collaborative engineering environment. NASA is planning to use this collaborative engineering infrastructure to provide better aerospace systems life cycle design and analysis, which includes analytical assessment of the technical and programmatic aspects of a system from "cradle to grave." This paper describes the recent NASA developments in the area of collaborative engineering, the benefits (realized and anticipated) of using the developed capability, and the long-term plans for implementing this capability across the Agency.

``Low-cost Electronic nose evaluated on Thai-herb of Northern-Thailand samples using multivariate analysis methods''

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

na ayudhaya, Paisarn Daungjak; Klinbumrung, Arrak; Jaroensutasinee, Krisanadej; Pratontep, Sirapat; Kerdcharoen, Teerakiat

2009-05-01

In case of species of natural and aromatic plant originated from the northern Thailand, sensory characteristics, especially odours, have unique identifiers of herbs. The instruments sensory analysis have performed by several of differential of sensing, so call `electronic nose', to be a significantly and rapidly for chemometrics. The signal responses of the low cost electronic nose were evaluated by principal component analysis (PCA). The aims of this paper evaluated various of Thai-herbs grown in Northern of Thailand as data preprocessing tools of the Low-cost electronic nose (enNU-PYO1). The essential oil groups of Thai herbs such as Garlic, Lemongrass, Shallot (potato onion), Onion, Zanthoxylum limonella (Dennst.) Alston (Thai name is Makaen), and Kaffir lime leaf were compared volatilized from selected fresh herbs. Principal component analysis of the original sensor responses did clearly distinguish either all samples. In all cases more than 97% for cross-validated group were classified correctly. The results demonstrated that it was possible to develop in a model to construct a low-cost electronic nose to provide measurement of odoriferous herbs.

Identifying inaccuracy of MS Project using system analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fachrurrazi; Husin, Saiful; Malahayati, Nurul; Irzaidi

2018-05-01

The problem encountered in project owner’s financial accounting report is the difference in total project costs of MS Project to the Indonesian Standard (Standard Indonesia Standard / Cost Estimating Standard Book of Indonesia). It is one of the MS Project problems concerning to its cost accuracy, so cost data cannot be used in an integrated way for all project components. This study focuses on finding the causes of inaccuracy of the MS Projects. The aim of this study, which is operationally, are: (i) identifying cost analysis procedures for both current methods (SNI) and MS Project; (ii) identifying cost bias in each element of the cost analysis procedure; and (iii) analysing the cost differences (cost bias) in each element to identify what the cause of inaccuracies in MS Project toward SNI is. The method in this study is comparing for both the system analysis of MS Project and SNI. The results are: (i) MS Project system in Work of Resources element has limitation for two decimal digits only, have led to its inaccuracy. Where the Work of Resources (referred to as effort) in MS Project represents multiplication between the Quantities of Activities and Requirements of resources in SNI; (ii) MS Project and SNI have differences in the costing methods (the cost estimation methods), in which the SNI uses the Quantity-Based Costing (QBC), meanwhile MS Project uses the Time-Based Costing (TBC). Based on this research, we recommend to the contractors who use SNI should make an adjustment for Work of Resources in MS Project (with correction index) so that it can be used in an integrated way to the project owner’s financial accounting system. Further research will conduct for improvement the MS Project as an integrated tool toward all part of the project participant.

User's manual for The TIM benefit-cost (TIM-BC) Tool (Version: 1.0.0)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-07-04

This document serves as a users manual for the Traffic Incident Management Benefit-Cost Tool (TIM-BC) Version 1.0.0 - Safety Service Patrol Benefit-Cost (SSP-BC) Tool, which is used to assist State and local engineers and decisionmakers with evalu...

Space Station needs, attributes and architectural options, volume 2, book 3: Cost and programmatics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

The cost and programmatic considerations which integrate mission requirements and architectural options into a cohesive system for exploitation of space opportunities within affordable limits are discussed. The mission requirements, baseline architecture, a top level baseline schedule, and acquisition costs are summarized. The work breakdown structure (WBS) used to structure the program, and the WBS dictionary are included. The costing approach used, including the operation of the primary costing tool, the SPACE cost model are described. The rationale for the choice of cost estimating relationships is given and costs at the module level are shown. Detailed costs at the subsystem level are shown. The baseline schedule and annual funding profiles are provided. Alternate schedules are developed to provide different funding profiles. Alternate funding sources are discussed and foreign and contractor participation is outlined. The results of the benefit analysis are given and the accrued benefits deriving from an implemented space station program are outlined.

A streamlined sustainability assessment tool for improved decision making in the urban water industry.

PubMed

Schulz, Matthias; Short, Michael D; Peters, Gregory M

2012-01-01

Water supply is a key consideration in sustainable urban planning. Ideally, detailed quantitative sustainability assessments are undertaken during the planning stage to inform the decision-making process. In reality, however, the significant time and cost associated with undertaking such detailed environmental and economic assessments is often cited as a barrier to wider implementation of these key decision support tools, particularly for decisions made at the local or regional government level. In an attempt to overcome this barrier of complexity, 4 water service providers in Melbourne, Australia, funded the development of a publicly available streamlined Environmental Sustainability Assessment Tool, which is aimed at a wide range of decision makers to assist them in broadening the type and number of water servicing options that can be considered for greenfield or backlog developments. The Environmental Sustainability Assessment Tool consists of a simple user interface and draws on life cycle inventory data to allow for rapid estimation of the environmental and economic performance of different water servicing scenarios. Scenario options can then be further prioritized by means of an interactive multicriteria analysis. The intent of this article is to identify the key issues to be considered in a streamlined sustainability assessment tool for the urban water industry, and to demonstrate the feasibility of generating accurate life cycle assessments and life cycle costings, using such a tool. We use a real-life case study example consisting of 3 separate scenarios for a planned urban development to show that this kind of tool can emulate life cycle assessments and life cycle costings outcomes obtained through more detailed studies. This simplified approach is aimed at supporting "sustainability thinking" early in the decision-making process, thereby encouraging more sustainable water and sewerage infrastructure solutions. Copyright © 2011 SETAC.

Systematic review of incremental non-vaccine cost estimates used in cost-effectiveness analysis on the introduction of rotavirus and pneumococcal vaccines.

PubMed

De la Hoz-Restrepo, Fernando; Castañeda-Orjuela, Carlos; Paternina, Angel; Alvis-Guzman, Nelson

2013-07-02

To review the approaches used in the cost-effectiveness analysis (CEAs) literature to estimate the cost of expanded program on immunization (EPI) activities, other than vaccine purchase, for rotavirus and pneumococcal vaccines. A systematic review in PubMed and NHS EED databases of rotavirus and pneumococcal vaccines CEAs was done. Selected articles were read and information on how EPI costs were calculated was extracted. EPI costing approaches were classified according to the method or assumption used for estimation. Seventy-nine studies that evaluated cost effectiveness of rotavirus (n=43) or pneumococcal (n=36) vaccines were identified. In general, there are few details on how EPI costs other than vaccine procurement were estimated. While 30 studies used some measurement of that cost, only one study on pneumococcal vaccine used a primary cost evaluation (bottom-up costing analysis) and one study used a costing tool. Twenty-seven studies (17 on rotavirus and 10 on pneumococcal vaccine) assumed the non-vaccine costs. Five studies made no reference to additional costs. Fourteen studies (9 rotavirus and 5 pneumococcal) did not consider any additional EPI cost beyond vaccine procurement. For rotavirus studies, the median for non-vaccine cost per dose was US$0.74 in developing countries and US$6.39 in developed countries. For pneumococcal vaccines, the median for non-vaccine cost per dose was US$1.27 in developing countries and US$8.71 in developed countries. Many pneumococcal (52.8%) and rotavirus (60.4%) cost-effectiveness analyses did not consider additional EPI costs or used poorly supported assumptions. Ignoring EPI costs in addition to those for vaccine procurement in CEA analysis of new vaccines may lead to significant errors in the estimations of ICERs since several factors like personnel, cold chain, or social mobilization can be substantially affected by the introduction of new vaccines. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

simuwatt - A Tablet Based Electronic Auditing Tool

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Macumber, Daniel; Parker, Andrew; Lisell, Lars

2014-05-08

'simuwatt Energy Auditor' (TM) is a new tablet-based electronic auditing tool that is designed to dramatically reduce the time and cost to perform investment-grade audits and improve quality and consistency. The tool uses the U.S. Department of Energy's OpenStudio modeling platform and integrated Building Component Library to automate modeling and analysis. simuwatt's software-guided workflow helps users gather required data, and provides the data in a standard electronic format that is automatically converted to a baseline OpenStudio model for energy analysis. The baseline energy model is calibrated against actual monthly energy use to ASHRAE Standard 14 guidelines. Energy conservation measures frommore » the Building Component Library are then evaluated using OpenStudio's parametric analysis capability. Automated reporting creates audit documents that describe recommended packages of energy conservation measures. The development of this tool was partially funded by the U.S. Department of Defense's Environmental Security Technology Certification Program. As part of this program, the tool is being tested at 13 buildings on 5 Department of Defense sites across the United States. Results of the first simuwatt audit tool demonstration are presented in this paper.« less

Program management aid for redundancy selection and operational guidelines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hodge, P. W.; Davis, W. L.; Frumkin, B.

1972-01-01

Although this criterion was developed specifically for use on the shuttle program, it has application to many other multi-missions programs (i.e. aircraft or mechanisms). The methodology employed is directly applicable even if the tools (nomographs and equations) are for mission peculiar cases. The redundancy selection criterion was developed to insure that both the design and operational cost impacts (life cycle costs) were considered in the selection of the quantity of operational redundancy. These tools were developed as aids in expediting the decision process and not intended as the automatic decision maker. This approach to redundancy selection is unique in that it enables a pseudo systems analysis to be performed on an equipment basis without waiting for all designs to be hardened.

Stormbow: A Cloud-Based Tool for Reads Mapping and Expression Quantification in Large-Scale RNA-Seq Studies

PubMed Central

Zhao, Shanrong; Prenger, Kurt; Smith, Lance

2013-01-01

RNA-Seq is becoming a promising replacement to microarrays in transcriptome profiling and differential gene expression study. Technical improvements have decreased sequencing costs and, as a result, the size and number of RNA-Seq datasets have increased rapidly. However, the increasing volume of data from large-scale RNA-Seq studies poses a practical challenge for data analysis in a local environment. To meet this challenge, we developed Stormbow, a cloud-based software package, to process large volumes of RNA-Seq data in parallel. The performance of Stormbow has been tested by practically applying it to analyse 178 RNA-Seq samples in the cloud. In our test, it took 6 to 8 hours to process an RNA-Seq sample with 100 million reads, and the average cost was $3.50 per sample. Utilizing Amazon Web Services as the infrastructure for Stormbow allows us to easily scale up to handle large datasets with on-demand computational resources. Stormbow is a scalable, cost effective, and open-source based tool for large-scale RNA-Seq data analysis. Stormbow can be freely downloaded and can be used out of box to process Illumina RNA-Seq datasets. PMID:25937948

CoMET: Cost and Mass Evaluation Tool for Spacecraft and Mission Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bieber, Ben S.

2005-01-01

New technology in space exploration is often developed without a complete knowledge of its impact. While the immediate benefits of a new technology are obvious, it is harder to understand its indirect consequences, which ripple through the entire system. COMET is a technology evaluation tool designed to illuminate how specific technology choices affect a mission at each system level. COMET uses simplified models for mass, power, and cost to analyze performance parameters of technologies of interest. The sensitivity analysis that CoMET provides shows whether developing a certain technology will greatly benefit the project or not. CoMET is an ongoing project approaching a web-based implementation phase. This year, development focused on the models for planetary daughter craft, such as atmospheric probes, blimps and balloons, and landers. These models are developed through research into historical data, well established rules of thumb, and engineering judgment of experts at JPL. The model is validated by corroboration with JpL advanced mission studies. Other enhancements to COMET include adding launch vehicle analysis and integrating an updated cost model. When completed, COMET will allow technological development to be focused on areas that will most drastically improve spacecraft performance.

Stormbow: A Cloud-Based Tool for Reads Mapping and Expression Quantification in Large-Scale RNA-Seq Studies.

PubMed

Zhao, Shanrong; Prenger, Kurt; Smith, Lance

2013-01-01

RNA-Seq is becoming a promising replacement to microarrays in transcriptome profiling and differential gene expression study. Technical improvements have decreased sequencing costs and, as a result, the size and number of RNA-Seq datasets have increased rapidly. However, the increasing volume of data from large-scale RNA-Seq studies poses a practical challenge for data analysis in a local environment. To meet this challenge, we developed Stormbow, a cloud-based software package, to process large volumes of RNA-Seq data in parallel. The performance of Stormbow has been tested by practically applying it to analyse 178 RNA-Seq samples in the cloud. In our test, it took 6 to 8 hours to process an RNA-Seq sample with 100 million reads, and the average cost was $3.50 per sample. Utilizing Amazon Web Services as the infrastructure for Stormbow allows us to easily scale up to handle large datasets with on-demand computational resources. Stormbow is a scalable, cost effective, and open-source based tool for large-scale RNA-Seq data analysis. Stormbow can be freely downloaded and can be used out of box to process Illumina RNA-Seq datasets.

A Near-Term, High-Confidence Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rothschild, William J.; Talay, Theodore A.

2009-01-01

The use of well understood, legacy elements of the Space Shuttle system could yield a near-term, high-confidence Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle that offers significant performance, reliability, schedule, risk, cost, and work force transition benefits. A side-mount Shuttle-Derived Vehicle (SDV) concept has been defined that has major improvements over previous Shuttle-C concepts. This SDV is shown to carry crew plus large logistics payloads to the ISS, support an operationally efficient and cost effective program of lunar exploration, and offer the potential to support commercial launch operations. This paper provides the latest data and estimates on the configurations, performance, concept of operations, reliability and safety, development schedule, risks, costs, and work force transition opportunities for this optimized side-mount SDV concept. The results presented in this paper have been based on established models and fully validated analysis tools used by the Space Shuttle Program, and are consistent with similar analysis tools commonly used throughout the aerospace industry. While these results serve as a factual basis for comparisons with other launch system architectures, no such comparisons are presented in this paper. The authors welcome comparisons between this optimized SDV and other Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle concepts.

Reliability and Productivity Modeling for the Optimization of Separated Spacecraft Interferometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kenny, Sean (Technical Monitor); Wertz, Julie

2002-01-01

As technological systems grow in capability, they also grow in complexity. Due to this complexity, it is no longer possible for a designer to use engineering judgement to identify the components that have the largest impact on system life cycle metrics, such as reliability, productivity, cost, and cost effectiveness. One way of identifying these key components is to build quantitative models and analysis tools that can be used to aid the designer in making high level architecture decisions. Once these key components have been identified, two main approaches to improving a system using these components exist: add redundancy or improve the reliability of the component. In reality, the most effective approach to almost any system will be some combination of these two approaches, in varying orders of magnitude for each component. Therefore, this research tries to answer the question of how to divide funds, between adding redundancy and improving the reliability of components, to most cost effectively improve the life cycle metrics of a system. While this question is relevant to any complex system, this research focuses on one type of system in particular: Separate Spacecraft Interferometers (SSI). Quantitative models are developed to analyze the key life cycle metrics of different SSI system architectures. Next, tools are developed to compare a given set of architectures in terms of total performance, by coupling different life cycle metrics together into one performance metric. Optimization tools, such as simulated annealing and genetic algorithms, are then used to search the entire design space to find the "optimal" architecture design. Sensitivity analysis tools have been developed to determine how sensitive the results of these analyses are to uncertain user defined parameters. Finally, several possibilities for the future work that could be done in this area of research are presented.

Development of a User Interface for a Regression Analysis Software Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ulbrich, Norbert Manfred; Volden, Thomas R.

2010-01-01

An easy-to -use user interface was implemented in a highly automated regression analysis tool. The user interface was developed from the start to run on computers that use the Windows, Macintosh, Linux, or UNIX operating system. Many user interface features were specifically designed such that a novice or inexperienced user can apply the regression analysis tool with confidence. Therefore, the user interface s design minimizes interactive input from the user. In addition, reasonable default combinations are assigned to those analysis settings that influence the outcome of the regression analysis. These default combinations will lead to a successful regression analysis result for most experimental data sets. The user interface comes in two versions. The text user interface version is used for the ongoing development of the regression analysis tool. The official release of the regression analysis tool, on the other hand, has a graphical user interface that is more efficient to use. This graphical user interface displays all input file names, output file names, and analysis settings for a specific software application mode on a single screen which makes it easier to generate reliable analysis results and to perform input parameter studies. An object-oriented approach was used for the development of the graphical user interface. This choice keeps future software maintenance costs to a reasonable limit. Examples of both the text user interface and graphical user interface are discussed in order to illustrate the user interface s overall design approach.

Can we replace curation with information extraction software?

PubMed

Karp, Peter D

2016-01-01

Can we use programs for automated or semi-automated information extraction from scientific texts as practical alternatives to professional curation? I show that error rates of current information extraction programs are too high to replace professional curation today. Furthermore, current IEP programs extract single narrow slivers of information, such as individual protein interactions; they cannot extract the large breadth of information extracted by professional curators for databases such as EcoCyc. They also cannot arbitrate among conflicting statements in the literature as curators can. Therefore, funding agencies should not hobble the curation efforts of existing databases on the assumption that a problem that has stymied Artificial Intelligence researchers for more than 60 years will be solved tomorrow. Semi-automated extraction techniques appear to have significantly more potential based on a review of recent tools that enhance curator productivity. But a full cost-benefit analysis for these tools is lacking. Without such analysis it is possible to expend significant effort developing information-extraction tools that automate small parts of the overall curation workflow without achieving a significant decrease in curation costs.Database URL. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

CORSSTOL: Cylinder Optimization of Rings, Skin, and Stringers with Tolerance sensitivity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Finckenor, J.; Bevill, M.

1995-01-01

Cylinder Optimization of Rings, Skin, and Stringers with Tolerance (CORSSTOL) sensitivity is a design optimization program incorporating a method to examine the effects of user-provided manufacturing tolerances on weight and failure. CORSSTOL gives designers a tool to determine tolerances based on need. This is a decisive way to choose the best design among several manufacturing methods with differing capabilities and costs. CORSSTOL initially optimizes a stringer-stiffened cylinder for weight without tolerances. The skin and stringer geometry are varied, subject to stress and buckling constraints. Then the same analysis and optimization routines are used to minimize the maximum material condition weight subject to the least favorable combination of tolerances. The adjusted optimum dimensions are provided with the weight and constraint sensitivities of each design variable. The designer can immediately identify critical tolerances. The safety of parts made out of tolerance can also be determined. During design and development of weight-critical systems, design/analysis tools that provide product-oriented results are of vital significance. The development of this program and methodology provides designers with an effective cost- and weight-saving design tool. The tolerance sensitivity method can be applied to any system defined by a set of deterministic equations.

Can delivery systems use cost-effectiveness analysis to reduce healthcare costs and improve value?

PubMed

Savitz, Lucy A; Savitz, Samuel T

2016-01-01

Understanding costs and ensuring that we demonstrate value in healthcare is a foundational presumption as we transform the way we deliver and pay for healthcare in the U.S. With a focus on population health and payment reforms underway, there is increased pressure to examine cost-effectiveness in healthcare delivery. Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is a type of economic analysis comparing the costs and effects (i.e. health outcomes) of two or more treatment options. The result is expressed as a ratio where the denominator is the gain in health from a measure (e.g. years of life or quality-adjusted years of life) and the numerator is the incremental cost associated with that health gain. For higher cost interventions, the lower the ratio of costs to effects, the higher the value. While CEA is not new, the approach continues to be refined with enhanced statistical techniques and standardized methods. This article describes the CEA approach and also contrasts it to optional approaches, in order for readers to fully appreciate caveats and concerns. CEA as an economic evaluation tool can be easily misused owing to inappropriate assumptions, over reliance, and misapplication. Twelve issues to be considered in using CEA results to drive healthcare delivery decision-making are summarized. Appropriately recognizing both the strengths and the limitations of CEA is necessary for informed resource allocation in achieving the maximum value for healthcare services provided.

Portfolio Analysis Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barth, Tim; Zapata, Edgar; Benjamin, Perakath; Graul, Mike; Jones, Doug

2005-01-01

Portfolio Analysis Tool (PAT) is a Web-based, client/server computer program that helps managers of multiple projects funded by different customers to make decisions regarding investments in those projects. PAT facilitates analysis on a macroscopic level, without distraction by parochial concerns or tactical details of individual projects, so that managers decisions can reflect the broad strategy of their organization. PAT is accessible via almost any Web-browser software. Experts in specific projects can contribute to a broad database that managers can use in analyzing the costs and benefits of all projects, but do not have access for modifying criteria for analyzing projects: access for modifying criteria is limited to managers according to levels of administrative privilege. PAT affords flexibility for modifying criteria for particular "focus areas" so as to enable standardization of criteria among similar projects, thereby making it possible to improve assessments without need to rewrite computer code or to rehire experts, and thereby further reducing the cost of maintaining and upgrading computer code. Information in the PAT database and results of PAT analyses can be incorporated into a variety of ready-made or customizable tabular or graphical displays.

The ABCs of Activity-Based Costing: A Cost Containment and Reallocation Tool.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turk, Frederick J.

1992-01-01

This article describes activity-based costing (ABC) and how this tool may help management understand the costs of major activities and identify possible alternatives. Also discussed are the traditional costing systems used by higher education and ways of applying ABC to higher education. (GLR)

A benefit-cost analysis tool for assessing guardrail needs for two-lane rural roads in Virginia.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-10-01

Guardrail is installed along the roadside to shield hazards such as steep slopes and bridge piers from vehicles. Although : the Virginia Department of Transportations Road Design Manual provides guidance for determining where to install guardrail ...

GREEN CHEMISTRY AND POLLUTION PREVENTION TOOLS

EPA Science Inventory

Green Chemistry and Design for the Environment bring benefits as they can be a relatively low societal cost way to avoid pollution before it occurs. EPA supports these fields from the early stages of research and knowledge development through to assessment, economic analysis, edu...

Costing maternal health services in South Tanzania: a case study from Mtwara Urban District.

PubMed

von Both, Claudia; Jahn, Albrecht; Fleba, Steffen

2008-05-01

The following paper presents the methodology and results of a costing exercise of maternal health services in Tanzania. The main objective of this study was to determine the actual costs of antenatal and obstetric care in different health institutions in a district in Tanzania as a basis of more efficient resource allocation. A costing tool was developed that allows the calculation of costs of service units, such as deliveries and antenatal care, and separates these costs from the costs of other services. Time consumed by each activity was used as an allocation key. For that purpose, we recorded the personnel consumption with different time-study methodologies. This approach was tested and implemented in Mtwara Urban District, South Tanzania. The results were analyzed by a spreadsheet program. The paper presents average costs for different costing units of maternal care. Among other findings, we found that the cost of a normal vaginal delivery is US $12.30 in a dispensary and US $6.30 in the hospital--a result that needs explanation, as usually one would expect that hospitals are more cost-intensive than first-line facilities. However, dispensaries are grossly underutilized so that the costs per service unit are rather high. The cost for surgical delivery (only in hospitals) was found to be US $69.26 and the average cost per antenatal care consultation (only at dispensaries) was US $2.50. We conclude that improved planning of elective services is a prerequisite for more effective and efficient use of personnel resources. In addition, the definition of medically and economically sound standards, in particular staffing standards, is critical to make cost analysis an effective management tool to guide rational resource allocation.

Operations and support cost modeling using Markov chains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Unal, Resit

1989-01-01

Systems for future missions will be selected with life cycle costs (LCC) as a primary evaluation criterion. This reflects the current realization that only systems which are considered affordable will be built in the future due to the national budget constaints. Such an environment calls for innovative cost modeling techniques which address all of the phases a space system goes through during its life cycle, namely: design and development, fabrication, operations and support; and retirement. A significant portion of the LCC for reusable systems are generated during the operations and support phase (OS). Typically, OS costs can account for 60 to 80 percent of the total LCC. Clearly, OS costs are wholly determined or at least strongly influenced by decisions made during the design and development phases of the project. As a result OS costs need to be considered and estimated early in the conceptual phase. To be effective, an OS cost estimating model needs to account for actual instead of ideal processes by associating cost elements with probabilities. One approach that may be suitable for OS cost modeling is the use of the Markov Chain Process. Markov chains are an important method of probabilistic analysis for operations research analysts but they are rarely used for life cycle cost analysis. This research effort evaluates the use of Markov Chains in LCC analysis by developing OS cost model for a hypothetical reusable space transportation vehicle (HSTV) and suggests further uses of the Markov Chain process as a design-aid tool.

Understanding Preferences for Treatment After Hypothetical First-Time Anterior Shoulder Dislocation: Surveying an Online Panel Utilizing a Novel Shared Decision-Making Tool.

PubMed

Streufert, Ben; Reed, Shelby D; Orlando, Lori A; Taylor, Dean C; Huber, Joel C; Mather, Richard C

2017-03-01

Although surgical management of a first-time anterior shoulder dislocation (FTASD) can reduce the risk of recurrent dislocation, other treatment characteristics, costs, and outcomes are important to patients considering treatment options. While patient preferences, such as those elicited by conjoint analysis, have been shown to be important in medical decision-making, the magnitudes or effects of patient preferences in treating an FTASD are unknown. To test a novel shared decision-making tool after sustained FTASD. Specifically measured were the following: (1) importance of aspects of operative versus nonoperative treatment, (2) respondents' agreement with results generated by the tool, (3) willingness to share these results with physicians, and (4) association of results with choice of treatment after FTASD. Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. A tool was designed and tested using members of Amazon Mechanical Turk, an online panel. The tool included an adaptive conjoint analysis exercise, a method to understand individuals' perceived importance of the following attributes of treatment: (1) chance of recurrent dislocation, (2) cost, (3) short-term limits on shoulder motion, (4) limits on participation in high-risk activities, and (5) duration of physical therapy. Respondents then chose between operative and nonoperative treatment for hypothetical shoulder dislocation. Overall, 374 of 501 (75%) respondents met the inclusion criteria, of which most were young, active males; one-third reported prior dislocation. From the conjoint analysis, the importance of recurrent dislocation and cost of treatment were the most important attributes. A substantial majority agreed with the tool's ability to generate representative preferences and indicated that they would share these preferences with their physician. Importance of recurrence proved significantly predictive of respondents' treatment choices, independent of sex or age; however, activity level was important to previous dislocators. A total of 125 (55%) males and 33 (23%) females chose surgery after FTASD, as did 37% of previous dislocators compared with 45% of nondislocators. When given thorough information about the risks and benefits, respondents had strong preferences for operative treatment after an FTASD. Respondents agreed with the survey results and wanted to share the information with providers. Recurrence was the most important attribute and played a role in decisions about treatment.

Cardiovascular Disease Screening By Community Health Workers Can Be Cost-Effective In Low-Resource Countries.

PubMed

Gaziano, Thomas; Abrahams-Gessel, Shafika; Surka, Sam; Sy, Stephen; Pandya, Ankur; Denman, Catalina A; Mendoza, Carlos; Puoane, Thandi; Levitt, Naomi S

2015-09-01

In low-resource settings, a physician is not always available. We recently demonstrated that community health workers-instead of physicians or nurses-can efficiently screen adults for cardiovascular disease in South Africa, Mexico, and Guatemala. In this analysis we sought to determine the health and economic impacts of shifting this screening to community health workers equipped with either a paper-based or a mobile phone-based screening tool. We found that screening by community health workers was very cost-effective or even cost-saving in all three countries, compared to the usual clinic-based screening. The mobile application emerged as the most cost-effective strategy because it could save more lives than the paper tool at minimal extra cost. Our modeling indicated that screening by community health workers, combined with improved treatment rates, would increase the number of deaths averted from 15,000 to 110,000, compared to standard care. Policy makers should promote greater acceptance of community health workers by both national populations and health professionals and should increase their commitment to treating cardiovascular disease and making medications available. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Financial and risk considerations for successful disease management programs.

PubMed

Baldwin, A L

1999-11-01

Results for disease management [DM] programs have not been as positive as hoped because of clinical issues, lack of access to capital, and administrative issues. The financial experience of DM programs can be quite volatile. Financial projections that are protocol-based, rather than experience-based, may understate the revenue required and the range of possible costs for a DM program by understating the impact of complicating conditions and comorbidities. Actuarial tools (risk analysis and risk projection models) support better understanding of DM contracts. In particular, these models can provide the ability to quantify the impact of the factors that drive costs of a contract and the volatility of those costs. This analysis can assist DM companies in setting appropriate revenue and capital targets. Similar analysis by health plans can identify diseases that are good candidates for DM programs and can provide the basis for performance targets.

Economic Analysis in the Pacific Northwest Land Resources Project: Theoretical Considerations and Preliminary Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morse, D. R. A.; Sahlberg, J. T.

1977-01-01

The Pacific Northwest Land Resources Inventory Demonstration Project i s an a ttempt to combine a whole spectrum of heterogeneous geographic, institutional and applications elements in a synergistic approach to the evaluation of remote sensing techniques. This diversity is the prime motivating factor behind a theoretical investigation of alternative economic analysis procedures. For a multitude of reasons--simplicity, ease of understanding, financial constraints and credibility, among others--cost-effectiveness emerges as the most practical tool for conducting such evaluation determinatIons in the Pacific Northwest. Preliminary findings in two water resource application areas suggest, in conformity with most published studies, that Lands at-aided data collection methods enjoy substantial cost advantages over alternative techniques. The pntential for sensitivity analysis based on cost/accuracy tradeoffs is considered on a theoretical plane in the absence of current accuracy figures concerning the Landsat-aided approach.

Systems Engineering Models and Tools | Wind | NREL

Science.gov Websites

(tm)) that provides wind turbine and plant engineering and cost models for holistic system analysis turbine/component models and wind plant analysis models that the systems engineering team produces. If you integrated modeling of wind turbines and plants. It provides guidance for overall wind turbine and plant

Investigating the Magnetic Interaction with Geomag and Tracker Video Analysis: Static Equilibrium and Anharmonic Dynamics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Onorato, P.; Mascheretti, P.; DeAmbrosis, A.

2012-01-01

In this paper, we describe how simple experiments realizable by using easily found and low-cost materials allow students to explore quantitatively the magnetic interaction thanks to the help of an Open Source Physics tool, the Tracker Video Analysis software. The static equilibrium of a "column" of permanents magnets is carefully investigated by…

Exploring the Potential for Using Inexpensive Natural Reagents Extracted from Plants to Teach Chemical Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartwell, Supaporn Kradtap

2012-01-01

A number of scientific articles report on the use of natural extracts from plants as chemical reagents, where the main objective is to present the scientific applications of those natural plant extracts. The author suggests that natural reagents extracted from plants can be used as alternative low cost tools in teaching chemical analysis,…

Modeling and Simulation Tools for Heavy Lift Airships

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hochstetler, Ron; Chachad, Girish; Hardy, Gordon; Blanken, Matthew; Melton, John

2016-01-01

For conventional fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft a variety of modeling and simulation tools have been developed to provide designers the means to thoroughly investigate proposed designs and operational concepts. However, lighter-than-air (LTA) airships, hybrid air vehicles, and aerostats have some important aspects that are different from heavier-than-air (HTA) vehicles. In order to account for these differences, modifications are required to the standard design tools to fully characterize the LTA vehicle design and performance parameters.. To address these LTA design and operational factors, LTA development organizations have created unique proprietary modeling tools, often at their own expense. An expansion of this limited LTA tool set could be accomplished by leveraging existing modeling and simulation capabilities available in the National laboratories and public research centers. Development of an expanded set of publicly available LTA modeling and simulation tools for LTA developers would mitigate the reliance on proprietary LTA design tools in use today. A set of well researched, open source, high fidelity LTA design modeling and simulation tools would advance LTA vehicle development and also provide the analytical basis for accurate LTA operational cost assessments. This paper will present the modeling and analysis tool capabilities required for LTA vehicle design, analysis of operations, and full life-cycle support. A survey of the tools currently available will be assessed to identify the gaps between their capabilities and the LTA industry's needs. Options for development of new modeling and analysis capabilities to supplement contemporary tools will also be presented.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hunsberger, Randolph; Tomberlin, Gregg; Gaul, Chris

As part of the Army Net-Zero Energy Installation program, the Fort Carson Army Base requested that NREL evaluate the feasibility of adding a biomass boiler to the district heating system served by Building 1860. We have also developed an Excel-spreadsheet-based decision support tool--specific to the historic loads served by Building 1860--with which users can perform what-if analysis on gas costs, biomass costs, and other parameters. For economic reasons, we do not recommend adding a biomass system at this time.

Metal Matrix Composite LOX Turbopump Housing via Novel Tool-less Net-Shape Pressure Infiltration Casting Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shah, Sandeep; Lee, Jonathan; Bhat, Biliyar; Wells, Doug; Gregg, Wayne; Marsh, Matthew; Genge, Gary; Forbes, John; Salvi, Alex; Cornie, James A.

2003-01-01

Metal matrix composites for propulsion components offer high performance and affordability, resulting in low weight and cost. The following sections in this viewgraph presentation describe the pressure infiltration casting of a metal matrix composite LOX turbopump housing: 1) Baseline Pump Design and Stress Analysis; 2) Tool-less Advanced Pressure Infiltration Casting Process; 3) Preform Splicing and Joining for Large Components such as Pump Housing; 4) Fullscale Pump Housing Redesign.

Acquisition Strategies for Aging Aircraft: Modernizing the Marine Corps’ CH-53E Super Stallion Helicopter

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-12-01

of lightweight aluminum alloy, steel , and titanium. The skin of the aircraft is fashioned primarily from fiberglass and Kevlar. The landing gear...endurance has made it one of the most flexible tools available to MAGTF Commanders. However, by compensating for the performance deficiencies of the CH...without jeopardizing both. Using cost effectiveness analysis as a tool to ascertain how that balance might be struck, will be the focus of the

Landfill Gas Energy Cost Model Version 3.0 (LFGcost-Web V3 ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

To help stakeholders estimate the costs of a landfill gas (LFG) energy project, in 2002, LMOP developed a cost tool (LFGcost). Since then, LMOP has routinely updated the tool to reflect changes in the LFG energy industry. Initially the model was designed for EPA to assist landfills in evaluating the economic and financial feasibility of LFG energy project development. In 2014, LMOP developed a public version of the model, LFGcost-Web (Version 3.0), to allow landfill and industry stakeholders to evaluate project feasibility on their own. LFGcost-Web can analyze costs for 12 energy recovery project types. These project costs can be estimated with or without the costs of a gas collection and control system (GCCS). The EPA used select equations from LFGcost-Web to estimate costs of the regulatory options in the 2015 proposed revisions to the MSW Landfills Standards of Performance (also known as New Source Performance Standards) and the Emission Guidelines (herein thereafter referred to collectively as the Landfill Rules). More specifically, equations derived from LFGcost-Web were applied to each landfill expected to be impacted by the Landfill Rules to estimate annualized installed capital costs and annual O&M costs of a gas collection and control system. In addition, after applying the LFGcost-Web equations to the list of landfills expected to require a GCCS in year 2025 as a result of the proposed Landfill Rules, the regulatory analysis evaluated whether electr

CALIPSO: an interactive image analysis software package for desktop PACS workstations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ratib, Osman M.; Huang, H. K.

1990-07-01

The purpose of this project is to develop a low cost workstation for quantitative analysis of multimodality images using a Macintosh II personal computer. In the current configuration the Macintosh operates as a stand alone workstation where images are imported either from a central PACS server through a standard Ethernet network or recorded through video digitizer board. The CALIPSO software developed contains a large variety ofbasic image display and manipulation tools. We focused our effort however on the design and implementation ofquantitative analysis methods that can be applied to images from different imaging modalities. Analysis modules currently implemented include geometric and densitometric volumes and ejection fraction calculation from radionuclide and cine-angiograms Fourier analysis ofcardiac wall motion vascular stenosis measurement color coded parametric display of regional flow distribution from dynamic coronary angiograms automatic analysis ofmyocardial distribution ofradiolabelled tracers from tomoscintigraphic images. Several of these analysis tools were selected because they use similar color coded andparametric display methods to communicate quantitative data extracted from the images. 1. Rationale and objectives of the project Developments of Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) in clinical environment allow physicians and radiologists to assess radiographic images directly through imaging workstations (''). This convenient access to the images is often limited by the number of workstations available due in part to their high cost. There is also an increasing need for quantitative analysis ofthe images. During thepast decade

Improving Balance in TBI Using a Low-Cost Customized Virtual Reality Rehabilitation Tool

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-01

AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-14-2-0150 TITLE: Improving Balance in TBI Using a Low-Cost Customized Virtual Reality Rehabilitation Tool PRINCIPAL...AND SUBTITLE Improving Balance in TBI Using a Low-Cost Customized Virtual Reality Rehabilitation Tool 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER W81XWH...Distribution Unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT The proposed study will implement and evaluate a novel, low-cost, Virtual Reality (VR

Toxic release consequence analysis tool (TORCAT) for inherently safer design plant.

PubMed

Shariff, Azmi Mohd; Zaini, Dzulkarnain

2010-10-15

Many major accidents due to toxic release in the past have caused many fatalities such as the tragedy of MIC release in Bhopal, India (1984). One of the approaches is to use inherently safer design technique that utilizes inherent safety principle to eliminate or minimize accidents rather than to control the hazard. This technique is best implemented in preliminary design stage where the consequence of toxic release can be evaluated and necessary design improvements can be implemented to eliminate or minimize the accidents to as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP) without resorting to costly protective system. However, currently there is no commercial tool available that has such capability. This paper reports on the preliminary findings on the development of a prototype tool for consequence analysis and design improvement via inherent safety principle by utilizing an integrated process design simulator with toxic release consequence analysis model. The consequence analysis based on the worst-case scenarios during process flowsheeting stage were conducted as case studies. The preliminary finding shows that toxic release consequences analysis tool (TORCAT) has capability to eliminate or minimize the potential toxic release accidents by adopting the inherent safety principle early in preliminary design stage. 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Crash Attenuator Data Collection and Life Cycle Tool Development

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-06-14

This research study was aimed at data collection and development of a decision support tool for life cycle cost assessment of crash attenuators. Assessing arrenuator life cycle costs based on in-place expected costs and not just the initial cost enha...

Economic Evaluation Plan (EEP) for A Very Early Rehabilitation Trial (AVERT): An international trial to compare the costs and cost-effectiveness of commencing out of bed standing and walking training (very early mobilization) within 24 h of stroke onset with usual stroke unit care.

PubMed

Sheppard, Lauren; Dewey, Helen; Bernhardt, Julie; Collier, Janice M; Ellery, Fiona; Churilov, Leonid; Tay-Teo, Kiu; Wu, Olivia; Moodie, Marj

2016-06-01

A key objective of A Very Early Rehabilitation Trial is to determine if the intervention, very early mobilisation following stroke, is cost-effective. Resource use data were collected to enable an economic evaluation to be undertaken and a plan for the main economic analyses was written prior to the completion of follow up data collection. To report methods used to collect resource use data, pre-specify the main economic evaluation analyses and report other intended exploratory analyses of resource use data. Recruitment to the trial has been completed. A total of 2,104 participants from 56 stroke units across three geographic regions participated in the trial. Resource use data were collected prospectively alongside the trial using standardised tools. The primary economic evaluation method is a cost-effectiveness analysis to compare resource use over 12 months with health outcomes of the intervention measured against a usual care comparator. A cost-utility analysis is also intended. The primary outcome in the cost-effectiveness analysis will be favourable outcome (modified Rankin Scale score 0-2) at 12 months. Cost-utility analysis will use health-related quality of life, reported as quality-adjusted life years gained over a 12 month period, as measured by the modified Rankin Scale and the Assessment of Quality of Life. Outcomes of the economic evaluation analysis will inform the cost-effectiveness of very early mobilisation following stroke when compared to usual care. The exploratory analysis will report patterns of resource use in the first year following stroke. © 2016 World Stroke Organization.

Cost/Effort Drivers and Decision Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seidel, Jonathan

2010-01-01

Engineering trade study analyses demand consideration of performance, cost and schedule impacts across the spectrum of alternative concepts and in direct reference to product requirements. Prior to detailed design, requirements are too often ill-defined (only goals ) and prone to creep, extending well beyond the Systems Requirements Review. Though lack of engineering design and definitive requirements inhibit the ability to perform detailed cost analyses, affordability trades still comprise the foundation of these future product decisions and must evolve in concert. This presentation excerpts results of the recent NASA subsonic Engine Concept Study for an Advanced Single Aisle Transport to demonstrate an affordability evaluation of performance characteristics and the subsequent impacts on engine architecture decisions. Applying the Process Based Economic Analysis Tool (PBEAT), development cost, production cost, as well as operation and support costs were considered in a traditional weighted ranking of the following system-level figures of merit: mission fuel burn, take-off noise, NOx emissions, and cruise speed. Weighting factors were varied to ascertain the architecture ranking sensitivities to these performance figures of merit with companion cost considerations. A more detailed examination of supersonic variable cycle engine cost is also briefly presented, with observations and recommendations for further refinements.

Aerospace Toolbox---a flight vehicle design, analysis, simulation ,and software development environment: I. An introduction and tutorial

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christian, Paul M.; Wells, Randy

2001-09-01

This paper presents a demonstrated approach to significantly reduce the cost and schedule of non real-time modeling and simulation, real-time HWIL simulation, and embedded code development. The tool and the methodology presented capitalize on a paradigm that has become a standard operating procedure in the automotive industry. The tool described is known as the Aerospace Toolbox, and it is based on the MathWorks Matlab/Simulink framework, which is a COTS application. Extrapolation of automotive industry data and initial applications in the aerospace industry show that the use of the Aerospace Toolbox can make significant contributions in the quest by NASA and other government agencies to meet aggressive cost reduction goals in development programs. The part I of this paper provides a detailed description of the GUI based Aerospace Toolbox and how it is used in every step of a development program; from quick prototyping of concept developments that leverage built-in point of departure simulations through to detailed design, analysis, and testing. Some of the attributes addressed include its versatility in modeling 3 to 6 degrees of freedom, its library of flight test validated library of models (including physics, environments, hardware, and error sources), and its built-in Monte Carlo capability. Other topics to be covered in this part include flight vehicle models and algorithms, and the covariance analysis package, Navigation System Covariance Analysis Tools (NavSCAT). Part II of this paper, to be published at a later date, will conclude with a description of how the Aerospace Toolbox is an integral part of developing embedded code directly from the simulation models by using the Mathworks Real Time Workshop and optimization tools. It will also address how the Toolbox can be used as a design hub for Internet based collaborative engineering tools such as NASA's Intelligent Synthesis Environment (ISE) and Lockheed Martin's Interactive Missile Design Environment (IMD).

Assessing and interpreting the benefits derived from implementing and using asset management systems.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-06-23

Interest in asset management has grown over the last two decades but agencies continue to be : concerned about the cost to develop and implement asset management processes. While originally : introduced as a tool for policy analysis, HERS-ST is free ...

Soil texture and organic carbon fractions predicted from near-infrared spectroscopy and geostatistics

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Field-specific management could help achieve agricultural sustainability by increasing production and decreasing environmental impacts. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and geostatistics are relatively unexplored tools that could reduce time, labor, and costs of soil analysis. Our objective was to ...

Thermal energy and economic analysis of a PCM-enhanced household envelope considering different climate zones in Morocco

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kharbouch, Yassine; Mimet, Abdelaziz; El Ganaoui, Mohammed; Ouhsaine, Lahoucine

2018-07-01

This study investigates the thermal energy potentials and economic feasibility of an air-conditioned family household-integrated phase change material (PCM) considering different climate zones in Morocco. A simulation-based optimisation was carried out in order to define the optimal design of a PCM-enhanced household envelope for thermal energy effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of predefined candidate solutions. The optimisation methodology is based on coupling Energyplus® as a dynamic simulation tool and GenOpt® as an optimisation tool. Considering the obtained optimum design strategies, a thermal energy and economic analysis are carried out to investigate PCMs' integration feasibility in the Moroccan constructions. The results show that the PCM-integrated household envelope allows minimising the cooling/heating thermal energy demand vs. a reference household without PCM. While for the cost-effectiveness optimisation, it has been deduced that the economic feasibility is stilling insufficient under the actual PCM market conditions. The optimal design parameters results are also analysed.

Carbon footprint analysis as a tool for energy and environmental management in small and medium-sized enterprises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giama, E.; Papadopoulos, A. M.

2018-01-01

The reduction of carbon emissions has become a top priority in the decision-making process for governments and companies, the strict European legislation framework being a major driving force behind this effort. On the other hand, many companies face difficulties in estimating their footprint and in linking the results derived from environmental evaluation processes with an integrated energy management strategy, which will eventually lead to energy-efficient and cost-effective solutions. The paper highlights the need of companies to establish integrated environmental management practices, with tools such as carbon footprint analysis to monitor the energy performance of production processes. Concepts and methods are analysed, and selected indicators are presented by means of benchmarking, monitoring and reporting the results in order to be used effectively from the companies. The study is based on data from more than 90 Greek small and medium enterprises, followed by a comprehensive discussion of cost-effective and realistic energy-saving measures.

Technical and Economic Assessment of the Implementation of Measures for Reducing Energy Losses in Distribution Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aguila, Alexander; Wilson, Jorge

2017-07-01

This paper develops a methodology to assess a group of measures of electrical improvements in distribution systems, starting from the complementation of technical and economic criteria. In order to solve the problem of energy losses in distribution systems, technical and economic analysis was performed based on a mathematical model to establish a direct relationship between the energy saved by way of minimized losses and the costs of implementing the proposed measures. This paper aims at analysing the feasibility of reducing energy losses in distribution systems, by changing existing network conductors by larger crosssection conductors and distribution voltage change at higher levels. The impact of this methodology provides a highly efficient mathematical tool for analysing the feasibility of implementing improvement projects based on their costs which is a very useful tool for the distribution companies that will serve as a starting point to the analysis for this type of projects in distribution systems.

Improvements to Integrated Tradespace Analysis of Communications Architectures (ITACA) Network Loading Analysis Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Nathaniel; Welch, Bryan W.

2018-01-01

NASA's SCENIC project aims to simplify and reduce the cost of space mission planning by replicating the analysis capabilities of commercially licensed software which are integrated with relevant analysis parameters specific to SCaN assets and SCaN supported user missions. SCENIC differs from current tools that perform similar analyses in that it 1) does not require any licensing fees, 2) will provide an all-in-one package for various analysis capabilities that normally requires add-ons or multiple tools to complete. As part of SCENIC's capabilities, the ITACA network loading analysis tool will be responsible for assessing the loading on a given network architecture and generating a network service schedule. ITACA will allow users to evaluate the quality of service of a given network architecture and determine whether or not the architecture will satisfy the mission's requirements. ITACA is currently under development, and the following improvements were made during the fall of 2017: optimization of runtime, augmentation of network asset pre-service configuration time, augmentation of Brent's method of root finding, augmentation of network asset FOV restrictions, augmentation of mission lifetimes, and the integration of a SCaN link budget calculation tool. The improvements resulted in (a) 25% reduction in runtime, (b) more accurate contact window predictions when compared to STK(Registered Trademark) contact window predictions, and (c) increased fidelity through the use of specific SCaN asset parameters.

Using predictive uncertainty analysis to optimise tracer test design and data acquisition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallis, Ilka; Moore, Catherine; Post, Vincent; Wolf, Leif; Martens, Evelien; Prommer, Henning

2014-07-01

Tracer injection tests are regularly-used tools to identify and characterise flow and transport mechanisms in aquifers. Examples of practical applications are manifold and include, among others, managed aquifer recharge schemes, aquifer thermal energy storage systems and, increasingly important, the disposal of produced water from oil and shale gas wells. The hydrogeological and geochemical data collected during the injection tests are often employed to assess the potential impacts of injection on receptors such as drinking water wells and regularly serve as a basis for the development of conceptual and numerical models that underpin the prediction of potential impacts. As all field tracer injection tests impose substantial logistical and financial efforts, it is crucial to develop a solid a-priori understanding of the value of the various monitoring data to select monitoring strategies which provide the greatest return on investment. In this study, we demonstrate the ability of linear predictive uncertainty analysis (i.e. “data worth analysis”) to quantify the usefulness of different tracer types (bromide, temperature, methane and chloride as examples) and head measurements in the context of a field-scale aquifer injection trial of coal seam gas (CSG) co-produced water. Data worth was evaluated in terms of tracer type, in terms of tracer test design (e.g., injection rate, duration of test and the applied measurement frequency) and monitoring disposition to increase the reliability of injection impact assessments. This was followed by an uncertainty targeted Pareto analysis, which allowed the interdependencies of cost and predictive reliability for alternative monitoring campaigns to be compared directly. For the evaluated injection test, the data worth analysis assessed bromide as superior to head data and all other tracers during early sampling times. However, with time, chloride became a more suitable tracer to constrain simulations of physical transport processes, followed by methane. Temperature data was assessed as the least informative of the solute tracers. However, taking costs of data acquisition into account, it could be shown that temperature data when used in conjunction with other tracers was a valuable and cost-effective marker species due to temperatures low cost to worth ratio. In contrast, the high costs of acquisition of methane data compared to its muted worth, highlighted methanes unfavourable return on investment. Areas of optimal monitoring bore position as well as optimal numbers of bores for the investigated injection site were also established. The proposed tracer test optimisation is done through the application of common use groundwater flow and transport models in conjunction with publicly available tools for predictive uncertainty analysis to provide modelers and practitioners with a powerful yet efficient and cost effective tool which is generally applicable and easily transferrable from the present study to many applications beyond the case study of injection of treated CSG produced water.

A quality-based cost model for new electronic systems and products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shina, Sammy G.; Saigal, Anil

1998-04-01

This article outlines a method for developing a quality-based cost model for the design of new electronic systems and products. The model incorporates a methodology for determining a cost-effective design margin allocation for electronic products and systems and its impact on manufacturing quality and cost. A spreadsheet-based cost estimating tool was developed to help implement this methodology in order for the system design engineers to quickly estimate the effect of design decisions and tradeoffs on the quality and cost of new products. The tool was developed with automatic spreadsheet connectivity to current process capability and with provisions to consider the impact of capital equipment and tooling purchases to reduce the product cost.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Biodiesel Vehicle Emissions

Science.gov Websites

Petroleum Reduction Planning Tool AFLEET Tool All Tools Vehicle Cost Calculator Choose a vehicle to compare fuel cost and emissions with a conventional vehicle. Select Fuel/Technology Electric Hybrid Electric Cost Calculator Vehicle 0 City 0 Hwy (mi/gal) 0 City 0 Hwy (kWh/100m) Gasoline Vehicle 0 City 0 Hwy (mi

75 FR 13289 - Agency Information Collection Request, 60-Day Public Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-19

... Tool Program Director 45 4 3 540 CPPW Cost Study Tool Business Manager 45 4 3 540 CPPW Cost Study Tool... performance of the agency's functions; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) ways to enhance the... Prevention to Work Cost Study Instrument--OMB No. 0990-NEW- Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning...

An opportunity cost approach to sample size calculation in cost-effectiveness analysis.

PubMed

Gafni, A; Walter, S D; Birch, S; Sendi, P

2008-01-01

The inclusion of economic evaluations as part of clinical trials has led to concerns about the adequacy of trial sample size to support such analysis. The analytical tool of cost-effectiveness analysis is the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), which is compared with a threshold value (lambda) as a method to determine the efficiency of a health-care intervention. Accordingly, many of the methods suggested to calculating the sample size requirements for the economic component of clinical trials are based on the properties of the ICER. However, use of the ICER and a threshold value as a basis for determining efficiency has been shown to be inconsistent with the economic concept of opportunity cost. As a result, the validity of the ICER-based approaches to sample size calculations can be challenged. Alternative methods for determining improvements in efficiency have been presented in the literature that does not depend upon ICER values. In this paper, we develop an opportunity cost approach to calculating sample size for economic evaluations alongside clinical trials, and illustrate the approach using a numerical example. We compare the sample size requirement of the opportunity cost method with the ICER threshold method. In general, either method may yield the larger required sample size. However, the opportunity cost approach, although simple to use, has additional data requirements. We believe that the additional data requirements represent a small price to pay for being able to perform an analysis consistent with both concept of opportunity cost and the problem faced by decision makers. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Environmental Cost Analysis System (ECAS) Status and Compliance Requirements for EM Consolidated Business Center Contracts - 13204

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sanford, P.C.; Moe, M.A.; Hombach, W.G.

2013-07-01

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) has developed a web-accessible database to collect actual cost data from completed EM projects to support cost estimating and analysis. This Environmental Cost Analysis System (ECAS) database was initially deployed in early 2009 containing the cost and parametric data from 77 decommissioning, restoration, and waste management projects completed under the Rocky Flats Closure Project. In subsequent years we have added many more projects to ECAS and now have a total of 280 projects from 8 major DOE sites. This data is now accessible to DOE users through a web-based reportingmore » tool that allows users to tailor report outputs to meet their specific needs. We are using it as a principal resource supporting the EM Consolidated Business Center (EMCBC) and the EM Applied Cost Engineering (ACE) team cost estimating and analysis efforts across the country. The database has received Government Accountability Office review as supporting its recommended improvements in DOE's cost estimating process, as well as review from the DOE Office of Acquisition and Project Management (APM). Moving forward, the EMCBC has developed a Special Contract Requirement clause or 'H-Clause' to be included in all current and future EMCBC procurements identifying the process that contractors will follow to provide DOE their historical project data in a format compatible with ECAS. Changes to DOE O 413.3B implementation are also in progress to capture historical costs as part of the Critical Decision project closeout process. (authors)« less

Analysis of post-mining excavations as places for municipal waste

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Górniak-Zimroz, Justyna

2018-01-01

Waste management planning is an interdisciplinary task covering a wide range of issues including costs, legal requirements, spatial planning, environmental protection, geography, demographics, and techniques used in collecting, transporting, processing and disposing of waste. Designing and analyzing this issue is difficult and requires the use of advanced analysis methods and tools available in GIS geographic information systems containing readily available graphical and descriptive databases, data analysis tools providing expert decision support while selecting the best-designed alternative, and simulation models that allow the user to simulate many variants of waste management together with graphical visualization of the results of performed analyzes. As part of the research study, there have been works undertaken concerning the use of multi-criteria data analysis in waste management in areas located in southwestern Poland. These works have proposed the inclusion in waste management of post-mining excavations as places for the final or temporary collection of waste assessed in terms of their suitability with the tools available in GIS systems.

Development Roadmap of an Evolvable and Extensible Multi-Mission Telecom Planning and Analysis Framework

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheung, Kar-Ming; Tung, Ramona H.; Lee, Charles H.

2003-01-01

In this paper, we describe the development roadmap and discuss the various challenges of an evolvable and extensible multi-mission telecom planning and analysis framework. Our long-term goal is to develop a set of powerful flexible telecommunications analysis tools that can be easily adapted to different missions while maintain the common Deep Space Communication requirements. The ability of re-using the DSN ground models and the common software utilities in our adaptations has contributed significantly to our development efforts measured in terms of consistency, accuracy, and minimal effort redundancy, which can translate into shorter development time and major cost savings for the individual missions. In our roadmap, we will address the design principles, technical achievements and the associated challenges for following telecom analysis tools (i) Telecom Forecaster Predictor - TFP (ii) Unified Telecom Predictor - UTP (iii) Generalized Telecom Predictor - GTP (iv) Generic TFP (v) Web-based TFP (vi) Application Program Interface - API (vii) Mars Relay Network Planning Tool - MRNPT.

Human performance cognitive-behavioral modeling: a benefit for occupational safety.

PubMed

Gore, Brian F

2002-01-01

Human Performance Modeling (HPM) is a computer-aided job analysis software methodology used to generate predictions of complex human-automation integration and system flow patterns with the goal of improving operator and system safety. The use of HPM tools has recently been increasing due to reductions in computational cost, augmentations in the tools' fidelity, and usefulness in the generated output. An examination of an Air Man-machine Integration Design and Analysis System (Air MIDAS) model evaluating complex human-automation integration currently underway at NASA Ames Research Center will highlight the importance to occupational safety of considering both cognitive and physical aspects of performance when researching human error.

Cluster analysis as a tool for evaluating the exploration potential of Known Geothermal Resource Areas

DOE PAGES

Lindsey, Cary R.; Neupane, Ghanashym; Spycher, Nicolas; ...

2018-01-03

Although many Known Geothermal Resource Areas in Oregon and Idaho were identified during the 1970s and 1980s, few were subsequently developed commercially. Because of advances in power plant design and energy conversion efficiency since the 1980s, some previously identified KGRAs may now be economically viable prospects. Unfortunately, available characterization data vary widely in accuracy, precision, and granularity, making assessments problematic. In this paper, we suggest a procedure for comparing test areas against proven resources using Principal Component Analysis and cluster identification. The result is a low-cost tool for evaluating potential exploration targets using uncertain or incomplete data.

Cluster analysis as a tool for evaluating the exploration potential of Known Geothermal Resource Areas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lindsey, Cary R.; Neupane, Ghanashym; Spycher, Nicolas

Although many Known Geothermal Resource Areas in Oregon and Idaho were identified during the 1970s and 1980s, few were subsequently developed commercially. Because of advances in power plant design and energy conversion efficiency since the 1980s, some previously identified KGRAs may now be economically viable prospects. Unfortunately, available characterization data vary widely in accuracy, precision, and granularity, making assessments problematic. In this paper, we suggest a procedure for comparing test areas against proven resources using Principal Component Analysis and cluster identification. The result is a low-cost tool for evaluating potential exploration targets using uncertain or incomplete data.

Human performance cognitive-behavioral modeling: a benefit for occupational safety

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gore, Brian F.

2002-01-01

Human Performance Modeling (HPM) is a computer-aided job analysis software methodology used to generate predictions of complex human-automation integration and system flow patterns with the goal of improving operator and system safety. The use of HPM tools has recently been increasing due to reductions in computational cost, augmentations in the tools' fidelity, and usefulness in the generated output. An examination of an Air Man-machine Integration Design and Analysis System (Air MIDAS) model evaluating complex human-automation integration currently underway at NASA Ames Research Center will highlight the importance to occupational safety of considering both cognitive and physical aspects of performance when researching human error.

A web-based nutrition program reduces health care costs in employees with cardiac risk factors: before and after cost analysis.

PubMed

Sacks, Naomi; Cabral, Howard; Kazis, Lewis E; Jarrett, Kelli M; Vetter, Delia; Richmond, Russell; Moore, Thomas J

2009-10-23

Rising health insurance premiums represent a rapidly increasing burden on employer-sponsors of health insurance and their employees. Some employers have become proactive in managing health care costs by providing tools to encourage employees to directly manage their health and prevent disease. One example of such a tool is DASH for Health, an Internet-based nutrition and exercise behavior modification program. This program was offered as a free, opt-in benefit to US-based employees of the EMC Corporation. The aim was to determine whether an employer-sponsored, Internet-based diet and exercise program has an effect on health care costs. There were 15,237 total employees and spouses who were included in our analyses, of whom 1967 enrolled in the DASH for Health program (DASH participants). Using a retrospective, quasi-experimental design, study year health care costs among DASH participants and non-participants were compared, controlling for baseline year costs, risk, and demographic variables. The relationship between how often a subject visited the DASH website and health care costs also was examined. These relationships were examined among all study subjects and among a subgroup of 735 subjects with cardiovascular conditions (diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia). Multiple linear regression analysis examined the relationship of program use to health care costs, comparing study year costs among DASH participants and non-participants and then examining the effects of increased website use on health care costs. Analyses were repeated among the cardiovascular condition subgroups. Overall, program use was not associated with changes in health care costs. However, among the cardiovascular risk study subjects, health care costs were US$827 lower, on average, during the study year (P= .05; t(729) = 1.95). Among 1028 program users, increased website use was significantly associated with lower health care costs among those who visited the website at least nine times during the study year (US$14 decrease per visit; P = .04; t(1022) = 2.05), with annual savings highest among 80 program users with targeted conditions (US$55 decrease per visit; P < .001; t(74) = 2.71). An employer-sponsored, Internet-based diet and exercise program shows promise as a low-cost benefit that contributes to lower health care costs among persons at higher risk for above-average health care costs and utilization.

A Web-Based Nutrition Program Reduces Health Care Costs in Employees With Cardiac Risk Factors: Before and After Cost Analysis

PubMed Central

Cabral, Howard; Kazis, Lewis E; Jarrett, Kelli M; Vetter, Delia; Richmond, Russell; Moore, Thomas J

2009-01-01

Background Rising health insurance premiums represent a rapidly increasing burden on employer-sponsors of health insurance and their employees. Some employers have become proactive in managing health care costs by providing tools to encourage employees to directly manage their health and prevent disease. One example of such a tool is DASH for Health, an Internet-based nutrition and exercise behavior modification program. This program was offered as a free, opt-in benefit to US-based employees of the EMC Corporation. Objective The aim was to determine whether an employer-sponsored, Internet-based diet and exercise program has an effect on health care costs. Methods There were 15,237 total employees and spouses who were included in our analyses, of whom 1967 enrolled in the DASH for Health program (DASH participants). Using a retrospective, quasi-experimental design, study year health care costs among DASH participants and non-participants were compared, controlling for baseline year costs, risk, and demographic variables. The relationship between how often a subject visited the DASH website and health care costs also was examined. These relationships were examined among all study subjects and among a subgroup of 735 subjects with cardiovascular conditions (diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia). Multiple linear regression analysis examined the relationship of program use to health care costs, comparing study year costs among DASH participants and non-participants and then examining the effects of increased website use on health care costs. Analyses were repeated among the cardiovascular condition subgroups. Results Overall, program use was not associated with changes in health care costs. However, among the cardiovascular risk study subjects, health care costs were US$827 lower, on average, during the study year (P = .05; t 729 = 1.95). Among 1028 program users, increased website use was significantly associated with lower health care costs among those who visited the website at least nine times during the study year (US$14 decrease per visit; P = .04; t 1022 = 2.05), with annual savings highest among 80 program users with targeted conditions (US$55 decrease per visit; P < .001; t 74 = 2.71). Conclusions An employer-sponsored, Internet-based diet and exercise program shows promise as a low-cost benefit that contributes to lower health care costs among persons at higher risk for above-average health care costs and utilization. PMID:19861297

PyHLA: tests for the association between HLA alleles and diseases.

PubMed

Fan, Yanhui; Song, You-Qiang

2017-02-06

Recently, several tools have been designed for human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array and next-generation sequencing (NGS) data. These tools provide high-throughput and cost-effective approaches for identifying HLA types. Therefore, tools for downstream association analysis are highly desirable. Although several tools have been designed for multi-allelic marker association analysis, they were designed only for microsatellite markers and do not scale well with increasing data volumes, or they were designed for large-scale data but provided a limited number of tests. We have developed a Python package called PyHLA, which implements several methods for HLA association analysis, to fill the gap. PyHLA is a tailor-made, easy to use, and flexible tool designed specifically for the association analysis of the HLA types imputed from genome-wide genotyping and NGS data. PyHLA provides functions for association analysis, zygosity tests, and interaction tests between HLA alleles and diseases. Monte Carlo permutation and several methods for multiple testing corrections have also been implemented. PyHLA provides a convenient and powerful tool for HLA analysis. Existing methods have been integrated and desired methods have been added in PyHLA. Furthermore, PyHLA is applicable to small and large sample sizes and can finish the analysis in a timely manner on a personal computer with different platforms. PyHLA is implemented in Python. PyHLA is a free, open source software distributed under the GPLv2 license. The source code, tutorial, and examples are available at https://github.com/felixfan/PyHLA.

Cost analysis in a clinical microbiology laboratory.

PubMed

Brezmes, M F; Ochoa, C; Eiros, J M

2002-08-01

The use of models for business management and cost control in public hospitals has led to a need for microbiology laboratories to know the real cost of the different products they offer. For this reason, a catalogue of microbiological products was prepared, and the costs (direct and indirect) for each product were analysed, along with estimated profitability. All tests performed in the microbiology laboratory of the "Virgen de la Concha" Hospital in Zamora over a 2-year period (73192 tests) were studied. The microbiological product catalogue was designed using homogeneity criteria with respect to procedures used, workloads and costs. For each product, the direct personnel costs (estimated from workloads following the method of the College of American Pathologists, 1992 version), the indirect personnel costs, the direct and indirect material costs and the portion of costs corresponding to the remaining laboratory costs (capital and structural costs) were calculated. The average product cost was 16.05 euros. The average cost of a urine culture (considered, for purposes of this study, as a relative value unit) reached 13.59 euros, with a significant difference observed between positive and negative cultures (negative urine culture, 10.72 euros; positive culture, 29.65 euros). Significant heterogeneity exists, both in the costs of different products and especially in the cost per positive test. The application of a detailed methodology of cost analysis facilitates the calculation of the real cost of microbiological products. This information provides a basic tool for establishing clinical management strategies.

Context-dependent ‘safekeeping’ of foraging tools in New Caledonian crows

PubMed Central

Klump, Barbara C.; van der Wal, Jessica E. M.; St Clair, James J. H.; Rutz, Christian

2015-01-01

Several animal species use tools for foraging, such as sticks to extract embedded arthropods and honey, or stones to crack open nuts and eggs. While providing access to nutritious foods, these behaviours may incur significant costs, such as the time and energy spent searching for, manufacturing and transporting tools. These costs can be reduced by re-using tools, keeping them safe when not needed. We experimentally investigated what New Caledonian crows do with their tools between successive prey extractions, and whether they express tool ‘safekeeping’ behaviours more often when the costs (foraging at height), or likelihood (handling of demanding prey), of tool loss are high. Birds generally took care of their tools (84% of 176 prey extractions, nine subjects), either trapping them underfoot (74%) or storing them in holes (26%)—behaviours we also observed in the wild (19 cases, four subjects). Moreover, tool-handling behaviour was context-dependent, with subjects: keeping their tools safe significantly more often when foraging at height; and storing tools significantly more often in holes when extracting more demanding prey (under these conditions, foot-trapping proved challenging). In arboreal environments, safekeeping can prevent costly tool losses, removing a potentially important constraint on the evolution of habitual and complex tool behaviour. PMID:25994674

Design of Scalable and Effective Earth Science Collaboration Tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maskey, M.; Ramachandran, R.; Kuo, K. S.; Lynnes, C.; Niamsuwan, N.; Chidambaram, C.

2014-12-01

Collaborative research is growing rapidly. Many tools including IDEs are now beginning to incorporate new collaborative features. Software engineering research has shown the effectiveness of collaborative programming and analysis. In particular, drastic reduction in software development time resulting in reduced cost has been highlighted. Recently, we have witnessed the rise of applications that allow users to share their content. Most of these applications scale such collaboration using cloud technologies. Earth science research needs to adopt collaboration technologies to reduce redundancy, cut cost, expand knowledgebase, and scale research experiments. To address these needs, we developed the Earth science collaboration workbench (CWB). CWB provides researchers with various collaboration features by augmenting their existing analysis tools to minimize learning curve. During the development of the CWB, we understood that Earth science collaboration tasks are varied and we concluded that it is not possible to design a tool that serves all collaboration purposes. We adopted a mix of synchronous and asynchronous sharing methods that can be used to perform collaboration across time and location dimensions. We have used cloud technology for scaling the collaboration. Cloud has been highly utilized and valuable tool for Earth science researchers. Among other usages, cloud is used for sharing research results, Earth science data, and virtual machine images; allowing CWB to create and maintain research environments and networks to enhance collaboration between researchers. Furthermore, collaborative versioning tool, Git, is integrated into CWB for versioning of science artifacts. In this paper, we present our experience in designing and implementing the CWB. We will also discuss the integration of collaborative code development use cases for data search and discovery using NASA DAAC and simulation of satellite observations using NASA Earth Observing System Simulation Suite (NEOS3).

NECAP 4.1: NASA's Energy-Cost Analysis Program input manual

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jensen, R. N.

1982-01-01

The computer program NECAP (NASA's Energy Cost Analysis Program) is described. The program is a versatile building design and energy analysis tool which has embodied within it state of the art techniques for performing thermal load calculations and energy use predictions. With the program, comparisons of building designs and operational alternatives for new or existing buildings can be made. The major feature of the program is the response factor technique for calculating the heat transfer through the building surfaces which accounts for the building's mass. The program expands the response factor technique into a space response factor to account for internal building temperature swings; this is extremely important in determining true building loads and energy consumption when internal temperatures are allowed to swing.

Information transfer satellite concept study. Volume 4: computer manual

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bergin, P.; Kincade, C.; Kurpiewski, D.; Leinhaupel, F.; Millican, F.; Onstad, R.

1971-01-01

The Satellite Telecommunications Analysis and Modeling Program (STAMP) provides the user with a flexible and comprehensive tool for the analysis of ITS system requirements. While obtaining minimum cost design points, the program enables the user to perform studies over a wide range of user requirements and parametric demands. The program utilizes a total system approach wherein the ground uplink and downlink, the spacecraft, and the launch vehicle are simultaneously synthesized. A steepest descent algorithm is employed to determine the minimum total system cost design subject to the fixed user requirements and imposed constraints. In the process of converging to the solution, the pertinent subsystem tradeoffs are resolved. This report documents STAMP through a technical analysis and a description of the principal techniques employed in the program.

Evaluation of Pictorial Dietary Assessment Tool for Hospitalized Patients with Diabetes: Cost, Accuracy, and User Satisfaction Analysis

PubMed Central

Shahar, Suzana; Abdul Manaf, Zahara; Mohd Nordin, Nor Azlin; Susetyowati, Susetyowati

2017-01-01

Although nutritional screening and dietary monitoring in clinical settings are important, studies on related user satisfaction and cost benefit are still lacking. This study aimed to: (1) elucidate the cost of implementing a newly developed dietary monitoring tool, the Pictorial Dietary Assessment Tool (PDAT); and (2) investigate the accuracy of estimation and satisfaction of healthcare staff after the use of the PDAT. A cross-over intervention study was conducted among 132 hospitalized patients with diabetes. Cost and time for the implementation of PDAT in comparison to modified Comstock was estimated using the activity-based costing approach. Accuracy was expressed as the percentages of energy and protein obtained by both methods, which were within 15% and 30%, respectively, of those obtained by the food weighing. Satisfaction of healthcare staff was measured using a standardized questionnaire. Time to complete the food intake recording of patients using PDAT (2.31 ± 0.70 min) was shorter than when modified Comstock (3.53 ± 1.27 min) was used (p < 0.001). Overall cost per patient was slightly higher for PDAT (United States Dollar 0.27 ± 0.02) than for modified Comstock (USD 0.26 ± 0.04 (p < 0.05)). The accuracy of energy intake estimated by modified Comstock was 10% lower than that of PDAT. There was poorer accuracy of protein intake estimated by modified Comstock (<40%) compared to that estimated by the PDAT (>71%) (p < 0.05). Mean user satisfaction of healthcare staff was significantly higher for PDAT than that for modified Comstock (p < 0.05). PDAT requires a shorter time to be completed and was rated better than modified Comstock. PMID:29283401

Integrated Campaign Probabilistic Cost, Schedule, Performance, and Value for Program Office Support

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cornelius, David; Sasamoto, Washito; Daugherty, Kevin; Deacon, Shaun

2012-01-01

This paper describes an integrated assessment tool developed at NASA Langley Research Center that incorporates probabilistic analysis of life cycle cost, schedule, launch performance, on-orbit performance, and value across a series of planned space-based missions, or campaign. Originally designed as an aid in planning the execution of missions to accomplish the National Research Council 2007 Earth Science Decadal Survey, it utilizes Monte Carlo simulation of a series of space missions for assessment of resource requirements and expected return on investment. Interactions between simulated missions are incorporated, such as competition for launch site manifest, to capture unexpected and non-linear system behaviors. A novel value model is utilized to provide an assessment of the probabilistic return on investment. A demonstration case is discussed to illustrate the tool utility.

Fault management for the Space Station Freedom control center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, Colin; Jowers, Steven; Mcnenny, Robert; Culbert, Chris; Kirby, Sarah; Lauritsen, Janet

1992-01-01

This paper describes model based reasoning fault isolation in complex systems using automated digraph analysis. It discusses the use of the digraph representation as the paradigm for modeling physical systems and a method for executing these failure models to provide real-time failure analysis. It also discusses the generality, ease of development and maintenance, complexity management, and susceptibility to verification and validation of digraph failure models. It specifically describes how a NASA-developed digraph evaluation tool and an automated process working with that tool can identify failures in a monitored system when supplied with one or more fault indications. This approach is well suited to commercial applications of real-time failure analysis in complex systems because it is both powerful and cost effective.

Developing Cost Accounting and Decision Support Software for Comprehensive Community-Based Support Systems: An Analysis of Needs, Interest, and Readiness in the Field.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrington, Robert; Jenkins, Peter; Marzke, Carolyn; Cohen, Carol

Prominent among the new models of social service delivery are organizations providing comprehensive, community-based supports and services (CCBSS) to children and their families. A needs analysis explored CCBSS sites' interest in and readiness to use a software tool designed to help them make more effective internal resource allocation decisions…

Pathfinder 2: In Situ Design Cost Trades (IDCT) Tool

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-05-01

collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. 1. REPORT...Cost Analysis box in the center of the figure is represented as an ICOM box where input, controls , output, and mechanisms are denoted on each of the...characteristics (e.g. mission profile, maintenance plan). All of these are received in some form from domain experts. Controls are denoted at the top of the

An Investigation of Human Performance Model Validation

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-03-01

of design decisions, what the costs and benefits are for each of the stages of analysis options. On the ’benefits’ side, the manager needs to know...confidence. But we also want to know that we are not expending any more effort (and other costs ) than necessary to ensure that the right decision is...supported at each stage. Ultimately, we want to enable SBA managers to have confidence that they are selecting the right HPM tools and using them correctly in

Generalizability of cost-utility analyses across countries and settings.

PubMed

Ginsberg, Gary M

2013-12-01

All societies have limited resources, so decisions have to be made about which public health interventions should be provided. A major tool used for prioritisation is cost-utility analysis (CUA) where the outcomes are measured in terms of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) prevented. Collecting data and building models to calculate the ratio of net costs (i.e.: intervention costs less treatment costs averted due to decreases in morbidity and mortality) to outcomes (CUR) is complex and time consuming. Therefore, there is a great appeal in using CUA calculations that have already been published in other countries. This paper points out the many limitations and inaccuracies caused by generalizing results from CUAs across different countries. However, if time constraints are pressing then first-order estimates of results could be presented after adjustments for the major drivers of the CUR, such as incidence rates, intervention costs and averted treatment costs. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Car Assembly Line Efficiency Improvement by Lean Principle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sawassalung, Suwalee; Chutima, Parames

2017-06-01

This research aimed to increase the efficiency of actual working time to compare to design standard time ratio (DSTR) as per analysing process of Lean System of the assembly line in a car manufacturer in Thailand. Currently, the case study factory and its group of factories, which have many branches all over the world, have competed with each other on quality, delivered time and production cost. The production cost which can reduce without affecting quality and acceptable by clients is the manpower cost. The index of competition is DSTR. The factory now has DSTR of 6.13 and DSTR of the assembly department is 4.24 which is very high comparing to other departments. The low DSTR indicates that the factory has good quality. The ways to solve the problem are to apply the following tools, i.e. Lean principle, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), Waste Analysis and ECRS. After implementing the above tools, the results showed that DSTR decreased from 4.24 to 4.06 or 4.25%.

Automation life-cycle cost model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gathmann, Thomas P.; Reeves, Arlinda J.; Cline, Rick; Henrion, Max; Ruokangas, Corinne

1992-01-01

The problem domain being addressed by this contractual effort can be summarized by the following list: Automation and Robotics (A&R) technologies appear to be viable alternatives to current, manual operations; Life-cycle cost models are typically judged with suspicion due to implicit assumptions and little associated documentation; and Uncertainty is a reality for increasingly complex problems and few models explicitly account for its affect on the solution space. The objectives for this effort range from the near-term (1-2 years) to far-term (3-5 years). In the near-term, the envisioned capabilities of the modeling tool are annotated. In addition, a framework is defined and developed in the Decision Modelling System (DEMOS) environment. Our approach is summarized as follows: Assess desirable capabilities (structure into near- and far-term); Identify useful existing models/data; Identify parameters for utility analysis; Define tool framework; Encode scenario thread for model validation; and Provide transition path for tool development. This report contains all relevant, technical progress made on this contractual effort.

Cutting costs: the impact of price lists on the cost development at the emergency department.

PubMed

Schilling, Ulf Martin

2010-12-01

It was shown that physicians working at the Swedish emergency department (ED) are unaware of the costs for investigations performed. This study evaluated the possible impact of price lists on the overall laboratory and radiology costs at the ED of a Swedish university hospital. Price lists including the most common laboratory analyses and radiological investigations at the ED were created. The lists were distributed to all internal medicine physicians by e-mail and exposed above their working stations continually. No lists were provided for the orthopaedic control group. The average costs for laboratory and radiological investigations during the months of June and July 2007 and 2008 were calculated. Neither clinical nor admission procedures were changed. The physicians were blinded towards the study. Statistical analysis was performed using the Student's t-test. A total of 1442 orthopaedic and 1585 medical patients were attended to in 2007. In 2008, 1467 orthopaedic and 1637 medical patients required emergency service. The average costs per patient were 980.27 SKR (98€)/999.41 SKR (100€, +1.95%) for orthopaedic and 1081.36 SKR (108€)/877.3 SKR (88€, -18.8%) for medical patients. Laboratory costs decreased by 9% in orthopaedic and 21.4% in medical patients. Radiology costs changed +5.4% in orthopaedic and -20.59% in medical patients. The distribution and promotion of price lists as a tool at the ED to heighten cost awareness resulted in a major decrease in the investigation costs. A significant decrease in radiological costs could be observed. It can be concluded that price lists are an effective tool to cut costs in public healthcare.

Navigating financial and supply reliability tradeoffs in regional drought management portfolios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeff, Harrison B.; Kasprzyk, Joseph R.; Herman, Jonathan D.; Reed, Patrick M.; Characklis, Gregory W.

2014-06-01

Rising development costs and growing concerns over environmental impacts have led many communities to explore more diversified water management strategies. These "portfolio"-style approaches integrate existing supply infrastructure with other options such as conservation measures or water transfers. Diversified water supply portfolios have been shown to reduce the capacity and costs required to meet demand, while also providing greater adaptability to changing hydrologic conditions. However, this additional flexibility can also cause unexpected reductions in revenue (from conservation) or increased costs (from transfers). The resulting financial instability can act as a substantial disincentive to utilities seeking to implement more innovative water management techniques. This study seeks to design portfolios that employ financial tools (e.g., contingency funds and index insurance) to reduce fluctuations in revenues and costs, allowing these strategies to achieve improved performance without sacrificing financial stability. This analysis is applied to the development of coordinated regional supply portfolios in the "Research Triangle" region of North Carolina, an area comprising four rapidly growing municipalities. The actions of each independent utility become interconnected when shared infrastructure is utilized to enable interutility transfers, requiring the evaluation of regional tradeoffs in up to five performance and financial objectives. Diversified strategies introduce significant tradeoffs between achieving reliability goals and introducing burdensome variability in annual revenues and/or costs. Financial mitigation tools can mitigate the impacts of this variability, allowing for an alternative suite of improved solutions. This analysis provides a general template for utilities seeking to navigate the tradeoffs associated with more flexible, portfolio-style management approaches.

Cost-effectiveness analysis: role and implications.

PubMed

Marsden, G; Wonderling, D

2013-03-01

Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is often misperceived to be a cost-cutting exercise. The intention of CEA is not to identify and implement cheap technologies, but rather those which offer maximum health gain, subject to available funds. Such analysis is crucial for decision making in health care, as tight budget constraints mean spending in one area of healthcare displaces spending elsewhere. Therefore in order to achieve the greatest health gain for the overall population, treatments must be selected which provide the greatest health gain within the available funds. The relevance of CEA in health care systems is explained, using varicose vein treatment in the UK NHS as an example. Treatment for varicose veins is often not commissioned to at a local level, most likely because it is misperceived to be a cosmetic problem. However, this view does not take into account the impact of quality of life. CEA balances costs against a quantitative measure of health related quality of life, and could therefore be used to determine whether it is cost-effective to provide varicose vein treatment. The current literature on the cost-effectiveness of varicose vein treatment is reviewed, and an overview of cost-effectiveness principles is provided. Concepts such as economic modelling, incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs), net monetary benefit (NMB) and sensitivity analysis are explained, using examples relevant to varicose veins where appropriate. This article explains how, far from cutting costs and sacrificing patient health, CEA provides a useful tool to maximise the health of the population in the face of ever tightening budget constraints. CEA could be used to compare the cost-effectiveness of the various treatment options for varicose veins, and efficiencies realised.

A cost-utility analysis of the use of preoperative computed tomographic angiography in abdomen-based perforator flap breast reconstruction.

PubMed

Offodile, Anaeze C; Chatterjee, Abhishek; Vallejo, Sergio; Fisher, Carla S; Tchou, Julia C; Guo, Lifei

2015-04-01

Computed tomographic angiography is a diagnostic tool increasingly used for preoperative vascular mapping in abdomen-based perforator flap breast reconstruction. This study compared the use of computed tomographic angiography and the conventional practice of Doppler ultrasonography only in postmastectomy reconstruction using a cost-utility model. Following a comprehensive literature review, a decision analytic model was created using the three most clinically relevant health outcomes in free autologous breast reconstruction with computed tomographic angiography versus Doppler ultrasonography only. Cost and utility estimates for each health outcome were used to derive the quality-adjusted life-years and incremental cost-utility ratio. One-way sensitivity analysis was performed to scrutinize the robustness of the authors' results. Six studies and 782 patients were identified. Cost-utility analysis revealed a baseline cost savings of $3179, a gain in quality-adjusted life-years of 0.25. This yielded an incremental cost-utility ratio of -$12,716, implying a dominant choice favoring preoperative computed tomographic angiography. Sensitivity analysis revealed that computed tomographic angiography was costlier when the operative time difference between the two techniques was less than 21.3 minutes. However, the clinical advantage of computed tomographic angiography over Doppler ultrasonography only showed that computed tomographic angiography would still remain the cost-effective option even if it offered no additional operating time advantage. The authors' results show that computed tomographic angiography is a cost-effective technology for identifying lower abdominal perforators for autologous breast reconstruction. Although the perfect study would be a randomized controlled trial of the two approaches with true cost accrual, the authors' results represent the best available evidence.

Sighten Final Technical Report DEEE0006690 Deploying an integrated and comprehensive solar financing software platform

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

O'Leary, Conlan

Over the project, Sighten built a comprehensive software-as-a-service (Saas) platform to automate and streamline the residential solar financing workflow. Before the project period, significant time and money was spent by companies on front-end tools related to system design and proposal creation, but comparatively few resources were available to support the many back-end calculations and data management processes that underpin third party financing. Without a tool like Sighten, the solar financing processes involved passing information from the homeowner prospect into separate tools for system design, financing, and then later to reporting tools including Microsoft Excel, CRM software, in-house software, outside software,more » and offline, manual processes. Passing data between tools and attempting to connect disparate systems results in inefficiency and inaccuracy for the industry. Sighten was built to consolidate all financial and solar-related calculations in a single software platform. It significantly improves upon the accuracy of these calculations and exposes sophisticated new analysis tools resulting in a rigorous, efficient and cost-effective toolset for scaling residential solar. Widely deploying a platform like Sighten’s significantly and immediately impacts the residential solar space in several important ways: 1) standardizing and improving the quality of all quantitative calculations involved in the residential financing process, most notably project finance, system production and reporting calculations; 2) representing a true step change in terms of reporting and analysis capabilities by maintaining more accurate data and exposing sophisticated tools around simulation, tranching, and financial reporting, among others, to all stakeholders in the space; 3) allowing a broader group of developers/installers/finance companies to access the capital markets by providing an out-of-the-box toolset that handles the execution of running investor capital through a rooftop solar financing program. Standardizing and improving all calculations, improving data quality, and exposing new analysis tools previously unavailable affects investment in the residential space in several important ways: 1) lowering the cost of capital for existing capital providers by mitigating uncertainty and de-risking the solar asset class; 2) attracting new, lower cost investors to the solar asset class as reporting and data quality resemble standards of more mature asset classes; 3) increasing the prevalence of liquidity options for investors through back leverage, securitization, or secondary sale by providing the tools necessary for lenders, ratings agencies, etc. to properly understand a portfolio of residential solar assets. During the project period, Sighten successfully built and scaled a commercially ready tool for the residential solar market. The software solution built by Sighten has been deployed with key target customer segments identified in the award deliverables: solar installers, solar developers/channel managers, and solar financiers, including lenders. Each of these segments greatly benefits from the availability of the Sighten toolset.« less

Artificial intelligence applications in the intensive care unit.

PubMed

Hanson, C W; Marshall, B E

2001-02-01

To review the history and current applications of artificial intelligence in the intensive care unit. The MEDLINE database, bibliographies of selected articles, and current texts on the subject. The studies that were selected for review used artificial intelligence tools for a variety of intensive care applications, including direct patient care and retrospective database analysis. All literature relevant to the topic was reviewed. Although some of the earliest artificial intelligence (AI) applications were medically oriented, AI has not been widely accepted in medicine. Despite this, patient demographic, clinical, and billing data are increasingly available in an electronic format and therefore susceptible to analysis by intelligent software. Individual AI tools are specifically suited to different tasks, such as waveform analysis or device control. The intensive care environment is particularly suited to the implementation of AI tools because of the wealth of available data and the inherent opportunities for increased efficiency in inpatient care. A variety of new AI tools have become available in recent years that can function as intelligent assistants to clinicians, constantly monitoring electronic data streams for important trends, or adjusting the settings of bedside devices. The integration of these tools into the intensive care unit can be expected to reduce costs and improve patient outcomes.

Integrating automated structured analysis and design with Ada programming support environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hecht, Alan; Simmons, Andy

1986-01-01

Ada Programming Support Environments (APSE) include many powerful tools that address the implementation of Ada code. These tools do not address the entire software development process. Structured analysis is a methodology that addresses the creation of complete and accurate system specifications. Structured design takes a specification and derives a plan to decompose the system subcomponents, and provides heuristics to optimize the software design to minimize errors and maintenance. It can also produce the creation of useable modules. Studies have shown that most software errors result from poor system specifications, and that these errors also become more expensive to fix as the development process continues. Structured analysis and design help to uncover error in the early stages of development. The APSE tools help to insure that the code produced is correct, and aid in finding obscure coding errors. However, they do not have the capability to detect errors in specifications or to detect poor designs. An automated system for structured analysis and design TEAMWORK, which can be integrated with an APSE to support software systems development from specification through implementation is described. These tools completement each other to help developers improve quality and productivity, as well as to reduce development and maintenance costs. Complete system documentation and reusable code also resultss from the use of these tools. Integrating an APSE with automated tools for structured analysis and design provide capabilities and advantages beyond those realized with any of these systems used by themselves.

A study with ESI PAM-STAMP® on the influence of tool deformation on final part quality during a forming process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vrolijk, Mark; Ogawa, Takayuki; Camanho, Arthur; Biasutti, Manfredi; Lorenz, David

2018-05-01

As a result from the ever increasing demand to produce lighter vehicles, more and more advanced high-strength materials are used in automotive industry. Focusing on sheet metal cold forming processes, these materials require high pressing forces and exhibit large springback after forming. Due to the high pressing forces deformations occur in the tooling geometry, introducing dimensional inaccuracies in the blank and potentially impact the final springback behavior. As a result the tool deformations can have an impact on the final assembly or introduce cosmetic defects. Often several iterations are required in try-out to obtain the required tolerances, with costs going up to as much as 30% of the entire product development cost. To investigate the sheet metal part feasibility and quality, in automotive industry CAE tools are widely used. However, in current practice the influence of the tool deformations on the final part quality is generally neglected and simulations are carried out with rigid tools to avoid drastically increased calculation times. If the tool deformation is analyzed through simulation it is normally done at the end of the drawing prosses, when contact conditions are mapped on the die structure and a static analysis is performed to check the deflections of the tool. But this method does not predict the influence of these deflections on the final quality of the part. In order to take tool deformations into account during drawing simulations, ESI has developed the ability to couple solvers efficiently in a way the tool deformations can be real-time included in the drawing simulation without high increase in simulation time compared to simulations with rigid tools. In this paper a study will be presented which demonstrates the effect of tool deformations on the final part quality.

Cost-effectiveness Analysis with Influence Diagrams.

PubMed

Arias, M; Díez, F J

2015-01-01

Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is used increasingly in medicine to determine whether the health benefit of an intervention is worth the economic cost. Decision trees, the standard decision modeling technique for non-temporal domains, can only perform CEA for very small problems. To develop a method for CEA in problems involving several dozen variables. We explain how to build influence diagrams (IDs) that explicitly represent cost and effectiveness. We propose an algorithm for evaluating cost-effectiveness IDs directly, i.e., without expanding an equivalent decision tree. The evaluation of an ID returns a set of intervals for the willingness to pay - separated by cost-effectiveness thresholds - and, for each interval, the cost, the effectiveness, and the optimal intervention. The algorithm that evaluates the ID directly is in general much more efficient than the brute-force method, which is in turn more efficient than the expansion of an equivalent decision tree. Using OpenMarkov, an open-source software tool that implements this algorithm, we have been able to perform CEAs on several IDs whose equivalent decision trees contain millions of branches. IDs can perform CEA on large problems that cannot be analyzed with decision trees.

Application of the Tool for Turbine Engine Closed-loop Transient Analysis (TTECTrA) for Dynamic Systems Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Csank, Jeffrey; Zinnecker, Alicia

2014-01-01

Systems analysis involves steady-state simulations of combined components to evaluate the steady-state performance, weight, and cost of a system; dynamic considerations are not included until later in the design process. The Dynamic Systems Analysis task, under NASAs Fixed Wing project, is developing the capability for assessing dynamic issues at earlier stages during systems analysis. To provide this capability the Tool for Turbine Engine Closed-loop Transient Analysis (TTECTrA) has been developed to design a single flight condition controller (defined as altitude and Mach number) and, ultimately, provide an estimate of the closed-loop performance of the engine model. This tool has been integrated with the Commercial Modular Aero-Propulsion System Simulation 40,000(CMAPSS40k) engine model to demonstrate the additional information TTECTrA makes available for dynamic systems analysis. This dynamic data can be used to evaluate the trade-off between performance and safety, which could not be done with steady-state systems analysis data. TTECTrA has been designed to integrate with any turbine engine model that is compatible with the MATLABSimulink (The MathWorks, Inc.) environment.

Application of the Tool for Turbine Engine Closed-loop Transient Analysis (TTECTrA) for Dynamic Systems Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Csank, Jeffrey Thomas; Zinnecker, Alicia Mae

2014-01-01

Systems analysis involves steady-state simulations of combined components to evaluate the steady-state performance, weight, and cost of a system; dynamic considerations are not included until later in the design process. The Dynamic Systems Analysis task, under NASAs Fixed Wing project, is developing the capability for assessing dynamic issues at earlier stages during systems analysis. To provide this capability the Tool for Turbine Engine Closed-loop Transient Analysis (TTECTrA) has been developed to design a single flight condition controller (defined as altitude and Mach number) and, ultimately, provide an estimate of the closed-loop performance of the engine model. This tool has been integrated with the Commercial Modular Aero-Propulsion System Simulation 40,000 (CMAPSS 40k) engine model to demonstrate the additional information TTECTrA makes available for dynamic systems analysis. This dynamic data can be used to evaluate the trade-off between performance and safety, which could not be done with steady-state systems analysis data. TTECTrA has been designed to integrate with any turbine engine model that is compatible with the MATLAB Simulink (The MathWorks, Inc.) environment.

A survey of tools for variant analysis of next-generation genome sequencing data

PubMed Central

Pabinger, Stephan; Dander, Andreas; Fischer, Maria; Snajder, Rene; Sperk, Michael; Efremova, Mirjana; Krabichler, Birgit; Speicher, Michael R.; Zschocke, Johannes

2014-01-01

Recent advances in genome sequencing technologies provide unprecedented opportunities to characterize individual genomic landscapes and identify mutations relevant for diagnosis and therapy. Specifically, whole-exome sequencing using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies is gaining popularity in the human genetics community due to the moderate costs, manageable data amounts and straightforward interpretation of analysis results. While whole-exome and, in the near future, whole-genome sequencing are becoming commodities, data analysis still poses significant challenges and led to the development of a plethora of tools supporting specific parts of the analysis workflow or providing a complete solution. Here, we surveyed 205 tools for whole-genome/whole-exome sequencing data analysis supporting five distinct analytical steps: quality assessment, alignment, variant identification, variant annotation and visualization. We report an overview of the functionality, features and specific requirements of the individual tools. We then selected 32 programs for variant identification, variant annotation and visualization, which were subjected to hands-on evaluation using four data sets: one set of exome data from two patients with a rare disease for testing identification of germline mutations, two cancer data sets for testing variant callers for somatic mutations, copy number variations and structural variations, and one semi-synthetic data set for testing identification of copy number variations. Our comprehensive survey and evaluation of NGS tools provides a valuable guideline for human geneticists working on Mendelian disorders, complex diseases and cancers. PMID:23341494

Stability and Bifurcation Analysis of a Three-Species Food Chain Model with Fear

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panday, Pijush; Pal, Nikhil; Samanta, Sudip; Chattopadhyay, Joydev

In the present paper, we investigate the impact of fear in a tri-trophic food chain model. We propose a three-species food chain model, where the growth rate of middle predator is reduced due to the cost of fear of top predator, and the growth rate of prey is suppressed due to the cost of fear of middle predator. Mathematical properties such as equilibrium analysis, stability analysis, bifurcation analysis and persistence have been investigated. We also describe the global stability analysis of the equilibrium points. Our numerical simulations reveal that cost of fear in basal prey may exhibit bistability by producing unstable limit cycles, however, fear in middle predator can replace unstable limit cycles by a stable limit cycle or a stable interior equilibrium. We observe that fear can stabilize the system from chaos to stable focus through the period-halving phenomenon. We conclude that chaotic dynamics can be controlled by the fear factors. We apply basic tools of nonlinear dynamics such as Poincaré section and maximum Lyapunov exponent to identify the chaotic behavior of the system.

Harnessing the power of emerging petascale platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mellor-Crummey, John

2007-07-01

As part of the US Department of Energy's Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC-2) program, science teams are tackling problems that require computational simulation and modeling at the petascale. A grand challenge for computer science is to develop software technology that makes it easier to harness the power of these systems to aid scientific discovery. As part of its activities, the SciDAC-2 Center for Scalable Application Development Software (CScADS) is building open source software tools to support efficient scientific computing on the emerging leadership-class platforms. In this paper, we describe two tools for performance analysis and tuning that are being developed as part of CScADS: a tool for analyzing scalability and performance, and a tool for optimizing loop nests for better node performance. We motivate these tools by showing how they apply to S3D, a turbulent combustion code under development at Sandia National Laboratory. For S3D, our node performance analysis tool helped uncover several performance bottlenecks. Using our loop nest optimization tool, we transformed S3D's most costly loop nest to reduce execution time by a factor of 2.94 for a processor working on a 503 domain.

Development and Implications of a Predictive Cost Methodology for Modular Pumped Storage Hydropower (m-PSH) Projects in the United States

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Witt, Adam; Chalise, Dol Raj; Hadjerioua, Boualem

The slow pace of Pumped Storage Hydropower development in the US over the past twenty years has led to widespread interest in the feasibility and viability of alternative PSH designs, development schemes, and technologies. Since 2011, Oak Ridge National Lab has been exploring the economic viability of modular Pumped Storage Hydropower (m-PSH) development through targeted case studies, revenue simulations, and analysis of innovative configurations and designs. This paper outlines the development and supporting analysis of a scalable, comprehensive cost modeling tool designed to simulate the initial capital costs for a variety of potential m-PSH projects and deployment scenarios. The toolmore » is used to explore and determine innovative research strategies that can improve the economic viability of m-PSH in US markets.« less

Analysis and assessment of STES technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, D. R.; Blahnik, D. E.; Huber, H. D.

1982-12-01

Technical and economic assessments completed in FY 1982 in support of the Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage (STES) segment of the Underground Energy Storage Program included: (1) a detailed economic investigation of the cost of heat storage in aquifers, (2) documentation for AQUASTOR, a computer model for analyzing aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) coupled with district heating or cooling, and (3) a technical and economic evaluation of several ice storage concepts. This paper summarizes the research efforts and main results of each of these three activities. In addition, a detailed economic investigation of the cost of chill storage in aquifers is currently in progress. The work parallels that done for ATES heat storage with technical and economic assumptions being varied in a parametric analysis of the cost of ATES delivered chill. The computer model AQUASTOR is the principal analytical tool being employed.

Analytic Methods for Benchmarking Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies; NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Melaina, Marc; Saur, Genevieve; Ramsden, Todd

2015-05-28

This presentation summarizes NREL's hydrogen and fuel cell analysis work in three areas: resource potential, greenhouse gas emissions and cost of delivered energy, and influence of auxiliary revenue streams. NREL's hydrogen and fuel cell analysis projects focus on low-­carbon and economic transportation and stationary fuel cell applications. Analysis tools developed by the lab provide insight into the degree to which bridging markets can strengthen the business case for fuel cell applications.

Using eDNA to estimate distribution of fish species in a complex river system (presentation)

EPA Science Inventory

Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis of biological material shed by aquatic organisms is a noninvasive genetic tool that can improve efficiency and reduce costs associated with species detection in aquatic systems. eDNA methods are widely used to assess presence/absence of a target ...

Demonstrating Success: Web Analytics and Continuous Improvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loftus, Wayne

2012-01-01

As free and low-cost Web analytics tools become more sophisticated, libraries' approach to user analysis can become more nuanced and precise. Tracking appropriate metrics with a well-formulated analytics program can inform design decisions, demonstrate the degree to which those decisions have succeeded, and thereby inform the next iteration in the…

Organizational Constraints and Goal Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Putney, Frederick B.; Wotman, Stephen

1978-01-01

Management modeling techniques are applied to setting operational and capital goals using cost analysis techniques in this case study at the Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery. The model was created as a planning tool used in developing a financially feasible operating plan and a 100 percent physical renewal plan. (LBH)

Integrating Social Media Technologies in Higher Education: Costs-Benefits Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okoro, Ephraim

2012-01-01

Social networking and electronic channels of communication are effective tools in the process of teaching and learning and have increasingly improved the quality of students' learning outcomes in higher education in recent years. The process encourages students' active engagement, collaboration, and participation in class activities and group…

Using eDNA to estimate distribution of fish species in the St. Louis River

EPA Science Inventory

Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis of extracellular material shed by aquatic organisms is a noninvasive genetic tool that can improve efficiency and reduce costs associated with species detection in aquatic systems. eDNA methods are widely used to assess presence/absence of a targ...

NASA Tech Briefs, November/December 1986, Special Edition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

Topics: Computing: The View from NASA Headquarters; Earth Resources Laboratory Applications Software: Versatile Tool for Data Analysis; The Hypercube: Cost-Effective Supercomputing; Artificial Intelligence: Rendezvous with NASA; NASA's Ada Connection; COSMIC: NASA's Software Treasurehouse; Golden Oldies: Tried and True NASA Software; Computer Technical Briefs; NASA TU Services; Digital Fly-by-Wire.

DASEES: A decision analysis tool with Bayesian networks from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Program

EPA Science Inventory

Tackling environmental, economic, and social sustainability issues with community stakeholders will often lead to choices that are costly, complex and uncertain. A formal process with proper guidance is needed to understand the issues, identify sources of disagreement, consider t...

High Renewable Generation | Energy Analysis | NREL

Science.gov Websites

and water use. Featured Studies Eastern Renewable Generation Integration Study Renewable Electricity Futures Study North American Renewable Integration Study Data and Tools Find out more about NREL's Grid are documented in Transparent Cost Database/Open Energy Information. Publications SunShot Vision Study

Multi-locus mixed model analysis of stem rust resistance in a worldwide collection of winter wheat

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Genome-wide association mapping is a powerful tool for dissecting the relationship between phenotypes and genetic variants in diverse populations. With improved cost efficiency of high-throughput genotyping platforms, association mapping is a desirable method to mine populations for favorable allele...

Determinants of routine immunization costing in Benin and Ghana in 2011.

PubMed

Ahanhanzo, Césaire Damien; Huang, Xiao Xian; Le Gargasson, Jean-Bernard; Sossou, Justin; Nyonator, Frank; Colombini, Anais; Gessner, Bradford D

2015-05-07

Existing tools to evaluate costs do not always capture the heterogeneity of costs at the facility level. This study seeks to address this issue through an analysis of determinants of health facility immunization costs. A statistical analysis on facility routine delivery and vaccine costs was conducted using ordinary least squares regression. Explanatory variables included the number of doses administered; proportion of time spent by facility staff on immunization; average staff wage; whether the health facility had enough staff; presence of cold chain equipment; distance to a vaccine collection point; and, facility ownership. Data were drawn from representative samples of primary care facilities in Benin and Ghana (46 and 50 facilities, respectively) collected as part of the EPIC studies. Weighted average RI immunization facility cost was US$ 16,459 in Ghana and US$ 14,994 in Benin. The regression found total doses administered to be positively and significantly associated with facility cost in both countries. A 10% increase in doses resulted in a 4% increase in cost in Ghana, and a 7.5% increase in Benin. In Ghana, the proportion of immunization time, presence of cold chain, and sufficiency of staff were positively and significantly associated with total cost. In Benin, facility cost was negatively and significantly related to distance to the vaccine collection point. In the pooled sample, facilities in capital cities were associated with significantly higher costs. This study provides evidence on the importance of the level of scale in determining facility immunization cost, as well as the role of availability of health workers and time they spend on immunization in Ghana and Benin. This type of analysis can provide insights into the costs of scaling up immunization services, and can assist with development of more efficient immunization strategies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of the Economic Growth and Acquisition of Land to the Construction Cost Index in North Sumatra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarmizi, H. B.; Daulay, M.; Muda, I.

2017-03-01

This study aims to test the aggregation of the economic growth of North Sumatra and the influence of the Tax on Acquisition of Land and Building to the Construction Cost Index in North Sumatra. This type of research is explanatory survey with quantitative methods. The population and the sample district in North Sumatra with the observation time series and cross sectional. The analysis tool used is multiple regression. The results showed that there was economic growth aggregation of North Sumatra and the influence of the Tax on Acquisition of Land and Building affect the Construction Cost Index.

Integrated Glass Coating Manufacturing Line

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brophy, Brenor

2015-09-30

This project aims to enable US module manufacturers to coat glass with Enki’s state of the art tunable functionalized AR coatings at the lowest possible cost and highest possible performance by encapsulating Enki’s coating process in an integrated tool that facilitates effective process improvement through metrology and data analysis for greater quality and performance while reducing footprint, operating and capital costs. The Phase 1 objective was a fully designed manufacturing line, including fully specified equipment ready for issue of purchase requisitions; a detailed economic justification based on market prices at the end of Phase 1 and projected manufacturing costs andmore » a detailed deployment plan for the equipment.« less

Sequential Tool Use in Great Apes

PubMed Central

Martin-Ordas, Gema; Schumacher, Lena; Call, Josep

2012-01-01

Sequential tool use is defined as using a tool to obtain another non-food object which subsequently itself will serve as a tool to act upon a further (sub)goal. Previous studies have shown that birds and great apes succeed in such tasks. However, the inclusion of a training phase for each of the sequential steps and the low cost associated with retrieving the longest tools limits the scope of the conclusions. The goal of the experiments presented here was, first to replicate a previous study on sequential tool use conducted on New Caledonian crows and, second, extend this work by increasing the cost of retrieving a tool in order to test tool selectivity of apes. In Experiment 1, we presented chimpanzees, orangutans and bonobos with an out-of-reach reward, two tools that were available but too short to reach the food and four out-of-reach tools differing in functionality. Similar to crows, apes spontaneously used up to 3 tools in sequence to get the reward and also showed a strong preference for the longest out-of reach tool independently of the distance of the food. In Experiment 2, we increased the cost of reaching for the longest out-of reach tool. Now apes used up to 5 tools in sequence to get the reward and became more selective in their choice of the longest tool as the costs of its retrieval increased. The findings of the studies presented here contribute to the growing body of comparative research on tool use. PMID:23300592

CFD - Mature Technology?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kwak, Dochan

2005-01-01

Over the past 30 years, numerical methods and simulation tools for fluid dynamic problems have advanced as a new discipline, namely, computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Although a wide spectrum of flow regimes are encountered in many areas of science and engineering, simulation of compressible flow has been the major driver for developing computational algorithms and tools. This is probably due to a large demand for predicting the aerodynamic performance characteristics of flight vehicles, such as commercial, military, and space vehicles. As flow analysis is required to be more accurate and computationally efficient for both commercial and mission-oriented applications (such as those encountered in meteorology, aerospace vehicle development, general fluid engineering and biofluid analysis) CFD tools for engineering become increasingly important for predicting safety, performance and cost. This paper presents the author's perspective on the maturity of CFD, especially from an aerospace engineering point of view.

Cost Benefit Analysis Modeling Tool for Electric vs. ICE Airport Ground Support Equipment – Development and Results

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

James Francfort; Kevin Morrow; Dimitri Hochard

2007-02-01

This report documents efforts to develop a computer tool for modeling the economic payback for comparative airport ground support equipment (GSE) that are propelled by either electric motors or gasoline and diesel engines. The types of GSE modeled are pushback tractors, baggage tractors, and belt loaders. The GSE modeling tool includes an emissions module that estimates the amount of tailpipe emissions saved by replacing internal combustion engine GSE with electric GSE. This report contains modeling assumptions, methodology, a user’s manual, and modeling results. The model was developed based on the operations of two airlines at four United States airports.

A systematic review of cost-effectiveness analyses of complex wound interventions reveals optimal treatments for specific wound types.

PubMed

Tricco, Andrea C; Cogo, Elise; Isaranuwatchai, Wanrudee; Khan, Paul A; Sanmugalingham, Geetha; Antony, Jesmin; Hoch, Jeffrey S; Straus, Sharon E

2015-04-22

Complex wounds present a substantial economic burden on healthcare systems, costing billions of dollars annually in North America alone. The prevalence of complex wounds is a significant patient and societal healthcare concern and cost-effective wound care management remains unclear. This article summarizes the cost-effectiveness of interventions for complex wound care through a systematic review of the evidence base. We searched multiple databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library) for cost-effectiveness studies that examined adults treated for complex wounds. Two reviewers independently screened the literature, abstracted data from full-text articles, and assessed methodological quality using the Drummond 10-item methodological quality tool. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were reported, or, if not reported, calculated and converted to United States Dollars for the year 2013. Overall, 59 cost-effectiveness analyses were included; 71% (42 out of 59) of the included studies scored 8 or more points on the Drummond 10-item checklist tool. Based on these, 22 interventions were found to be more effective and less costly (i.e., dominant) compared to the study comparators: 9 for diabetic ulcers, 8 for venous ulcers, 3 for pressure ulcers, 1 for mixed venous and venous/arterial ulcers, and 1 for mixed complex wound types. Our results can be used by decision-makers in maximizing the deployment of clinically effective and resource efficient wound care interventions. Our analysis also highlights specific treatments that are not cost-effective, thereby indicating areas of resource savings. Please see related article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12916-015-0288-5.

Design and analysis of tactile optical sensor for endovascular surgery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qasaimeh, M. A.; Dargahi, J.; Kahrizi, M.; Packirisamy, M.

2007-06-01

In this paper, design and Finite Element analysis of a new tactile optical sensor for the measurement of contact-pressure and tissue compliance in endovascular surgeries are presented. Using Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) technology, this sensor can be fabricated and integrated with the medical tools for endovascular surgeries such as Catheter tool. The designed sensor is capable of detecting the magnitude of the applied forces, the pressure distribution on contact objects, and also estimating the compliance of the contact tissue. The designed sensor is made of three layers, the upper layer is fabricated from monocrystalline silicon to form silicon membranes, the middle layer which is the supporting element is fabricated from both silicon and silicone rubber as a soft material and the lower layer is a supporting Plexiglas substrate to connect the designed sensor to the optical fibers. Simulation results show that for the given contact forces, the magnitude and the distribution of contacting tissues pressure along with tissue compliance can be determined. This sensor as proposed is a good candidate for batch micromachining, which is yet another commercial advantage for this design. Because of its less expensive cost, the surgeon can use it as a disposal part of the endovascular tools, requiring no re-sterilization and reducing the cost of surgery.

A New Approach in Applying Systems Engineering Tools and Analysis to Determine Hepatocyte Toxicogenomics Risk Levels to Human Health.

PubMed

Gigrich, James; Sarkani, Shahryar; Holzer, Thomas

2017-03-01

There is an increasing backlog of potentially toxic compounds that cannot be evaluated with current animal-based approaches in a cost-effective and expeditious manner, thus putting human health at risk. Extrapolation of animal-based test results for human risk assessment often leads to different physiological outcomes. This article introduces the use of quantitative tools and methods from systems engineering to evaluate the risk of toxic compounds by the analysis of the amount of stress that human hepatocytes undergo in vitro when metabolizing GW7647 1 over extended times and concentrations. Hepatocytes are exceedingly connected systems that make it challenging to understand the highly varied dimensional genomics data to determine risk of exposure. Gene expression data of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα) 2 binding was measured over multiple concentrations and varied times of GW7647 exposure and leveraging mahalanombis distance to establish toxicity threshold risk levels. The application of these novel systems engineering tools provides new insight into the intricate workings of human hepatocytes to determine risk threshold levels from exposure. This approach is beneficial to decision makers and scientists, and it can help reduce the backlog of untested chemical compounds due to the high cost and inefficiency of animal-based models.

Contract management using cause-effect clues in service worksheets.

PubMed

Chen, J H

1996-01-01

Sophisticated equipment often needs intensive technical resources to maintain its system availability. Service contracts can be an easy channel to outside technical resources. Usually, a service contract purchaser only sees its cost instead of its maintenance quality. A system's needs, however, depend on the trade-off between the cost paid and the quality received. If a clinical engineer can actively interpret and integrate the cause-effect consequences on the compiled service worksheets, those clues can serve as a criterion to justify the quality and the cost-effectiveness of a service contract. Through the analysis of the service labor consumed, the justification of the parts replaced, and the assessment of the "fit" to system availability, this paper provides a cost-effective tool for equipment management.

Software analysis handbook: Software complexity analysis and software reliability estimation and prediction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Alice T.; Gunn, Todd; Pham, Tuan; Ricaldi, Ron

1994-01-01

This handbook documents the three software analysis processes the Space Station Software Analysis team uses to assess space station software, including their backgrounds, theories, tools, and analysis procedures. Potential applications of these analysis results are also presented. The first section describes how software complexity analysis provides quantitative information on code, such as code structure and risk areas, throughout the software life cycle. Software complexity analysis allows an analyst to understand the software structure, identify critical software components, assess risk areas within a software system, identify testing deficiencies, and recommend program improvements. Performing this type of analysis during the early design phases of software development can positively affect the process, and may prevent later, much larger, difficulties. The second section describes how software reliability estimation and prediction analysis, or software reliability, provides a quantitative means to measure the probability of failure-free operation of a computer program, and describes the two tools used by JSC to determine failure rates and design tradeoffs between reliability, costs, performance, and schedule.

Concept design theory and model for multi-use space facilities: Analysis of key system design parameters through variance of mission requirements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reynerson, Charles Martin

This research has been performed to create concept design and economic feasibility data for space business parks. A space business park is a commercially run multi-use space station facility designed for use by a wide variety of customers. Both space hardware and crew are considered as revenue producing payloads. Examples of commercial markets may include biological and materials research, processing, and production, space tourism habitats, and satellite maintenance and resupply depots. This research develops a design methodology and an analytical tool to create feasible preliminary design information for space business parks. The design tool is validated against a number of real facility designs. Appropriate model variables are adjusted to ensure that statistical approximations are valid for subsequent analyses. The tool is used to analyze the effect of various payload requirements on the size, weight and power of the facility. The approach for the analytical tool was to input potential payloads as simple requirements, such as volume, weight, power, crew size, and endurance. In creating the theory, basic principles are used and combined with parametric estimation of data when necessary. Key system parameters are identified for overall system design. Typical ranges for these key parameters are identified based on real human spaceflight systems. To connect the economics to design, a life-cycle cost model is created based upon facility mass. This rough cost model estimates potential return on investments, initial investment requirements and number of years to return on the initial investment. Example cases are analyzed for both performance and cost driven requirements for space hotels, microgravity processing facilities, and multi-use facilities. In combining both engineering and economic models, a design-to-cost methodology is created for more accurately estimating the commercial viability for multiple space business park markets.

Quantifying Energy and Water Savings in the U.S. Residential Sector.

PubMed

Chini, Christopher M; Schreiber, Kelsey L; Barker, Zachary A; Stillwell, Ashlynn S

2016-09-06

Stress on water and energy utilities, including natural resource depletion, infrastructure deterioration, and growing populations, threatens the ability to provide reliable and sustainable service. This study presents a demand-side management decision-making tool to evaluate energy and water efficiency opportunities at the residential level, including both direct and indirect consumption. The energy-water nexus accounts for indirect resource consumption, including water-for-energy and energy-for-water. We examine the relationship between water and energy in common household appliances and fixtures, comparing baseline appliances to ENERGY STAR or WaterSense appliances, using a cost abatement analysis for the average U.S. household, yielding a potential annual per household savings of 7600 kWh and 39 600 gallons, with most upgrades having negative abatement cost. We refine the national average cost abatement curves to understand regional relationships, specifically for the urban environments of Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. Cost abatement curves display per unit cost savings related to overall direct and indirect energy and water efficiency, allowing utilities, policy makers, and homeowners to consider the relationship between energy and water when making decisions. Our research fills an important gap of the energy-water nexus in a residential unit and provides a decision making tool for policy initiatives.

Efficient monitoring of CRAB jobs at CMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, J. M. D.; Balcas, J.; Belforte, S.; Ciangottini, D.; Mascheroni, M.; Rupeika, E. A.; Ivanov, T. T.; Hernandez, J. M.; Vaandering, E.

2017-10-01

CRAB is a tool used for distributed analysis of CMS data. Users can submit sets of jobs with similar requirements (tasks) with a single request. CRAB uses a client-server architecture, where a lightweight client, a server, and ancillary services work together and are maintained by CMS operators at CERN. As with most complex software, good monitoring tools are crucial for efficient use and longterm maintainability. This work gives an overview of the monitoring tools developed to ensure the CRAB server and infrastructure are functional, help operators debug user problems, and minimize overhead and operating cost. This work also illustrates the design choices and gives a report on our experience with the tools we developed and the external ones we used.

Efficient Monitoring of CRAB Jobs at CMS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Silva, J. M.D.; Balcas, J.; Belforte, S.

CRAB is a tool used for distributed analysis of CMS data. Users can submit sets of jobs with similar requirements (tasks) with a single request. CRAB uses a client-server architecture, where a lightweight client, a server, and ancillary services work together and are maintained by CMS operators at CERN. As with most complex software, good monitoring tools are crucial for efficient use and longterm maintainability. This work gives an overview of the monitoring tools developed to ensure the CRAB server and infrastructure are functional, help operators debug user problems, and minimize overhead and operating cost. This work also illustrates themore » design choices and gives a report on our experience with the tools we developed and the external ones we used.« less

Varietal discrimination of hop pellets by near and mid infrared spectroscopy.

PubMed

Machado, Julio C; Faria, Miguel A; Ferreira, Isabel M P L V O; Páscoa, Ricardo N M J; Lopes, João A

2018-04-01

Hop is one of the most important ingredients of beer production and several varieties are commercialized. Therefore, it is important to find an eco-real-time-friendly-low-cost technique to distinguish and discriminate hop varieties. This paper describes the development of a method based on vibrational spectroscopy techniques, namely near- and mid-infrared spectroscopy, for the discrimination of 33 commercial hop varieties. A total of 165 samples (five for each hop variety) were analysed by both techniques. Principal component analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis and partial least squares discrimination analysis were the chemometric tools used to discriminate positively the hop varieties. After optimizing the spectral regions and pre-processing methods a total of 94.2% and 96.6% correct hop varieties discrimination were obtained for near- and mid-infrared spectroscopy, respectively. The results obtained demonstrate the suitability of these vibrational spectroscopy techniques to discriminate different hop varieties and consequently their potential to be used as an authenticity tool. Compared with the reference procedures normally used for hops variety discrimination these techniques are quicker, cost-effective, non-destructive and eco-friendly. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cost and Budget Impact Analysis of an Accurate Intraoperative Sentinel Lymph Node Diagnosis for Breast Cancer Metastasis.

PubMed

Saruta, Yuko; Puig-Junoy, Jaume

2016-06-01

Conventional intraoperative sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in breast cancer (BC) has limitations in establishing a definitive diagnosis of metastasis intraoperatively, leading to an unnecessary second operation. The one-step nucleic amplification assay (OSNA) provides accurate intraoperative diagnosis and avoids further testing. Only five articles have researched the cost and cost effectiveness of this diagnostic tool, although many hospitals have adopted it, and economic evaluation is needed for budget holders. We aimed to measure the budget impact in Japanese BC patients after the introduction of OSNA, and assess the certainty of the results. Budget impact analysis of OSNA on Japanese healthcare expenditure from 2015 to 2020. Local governments, society-managed health insurers, and Japan health insurance associations were the budget holders. In order to assess the cost gap between the gold standard (GS) and OSNA in intraoperative SLNB, a two-scenario comparative model that was structured using the clinical pathway of a BC patient group who received SLNB was applied. Clinical practice guidelines for BC were cited for cost estimation. The total estimated cost of all BC patients diagnosed by GS was US$1,023,313,850. The budget impact of OSNA in total health expenditure was -US$24,413,153 (-US$346 per patient). Two-way sensitivity analysis between survival rate (SR) of the GS and OSNA was performed by illustrating a cost-saving threshold: y ≅ 1.14x - 0.16 in positive patients, and y ≅ 0.96x + 0.029 in negative patients (x = SR-GS, y = SR-OSNA). Base inputs of the variables in these formulas demonstrated a cost saving. OSNA reduces healthcare costs, as confirmed by sensitivity analysis.

Cost analysis of PET and comprehensive lifestyle modification for the reversal of atherosclerosis.

PubMed

Delgado, Rigoberto I; Swint, J Michael; Lairson, David R; Johnson, Nils P; Gould, K Lance; Sdringola, Stefano

2014-01-01

We present a preliminary cost analysis of a combination intervention using PET and comprehensive lifestyle modification to reverse atherosclerosis. With a sensitivity of 92%-95% and specificity of 85%-95%, PET is an essential tool for high-precision diagnosis of coronary artery disease, accurately guiding optimal treatment for both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. PET imaging provides a powerful visual and educational aid for helping patients identify and adopt appropriate treatments. However, little is known about the operational cost of using the technology for this purpose. The analysis was done in the context of the Century Health Study for Cardiovascular Medicine (Century Trial), a 1,300-patient, randomized study combining PET imaging with lifestyle changes. Our methodology included a microcosting and time study focusing on estimating average direct and indirect costs. The total cost of the Century Trial in present-value terms is $9.2 million, which is equal to $7,058 per patient. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the present value of total costs is likely to range between $8.8 and $9.7 million, which is equivalent to $6,655-$7,606 per patient. The clinical relevance of the Century Trial is significant since it is, to our knowledge, the first randomized controlled trial to combine high-precision imaging with lifestyle strategies. The Century Trial is in its second year of a 5-y protocol, and we present preliminary findings. The results of this cost study, however, provide policy makers with an early estimate of the costs of implementing, at large scale, a combined intervention such as the Century Trial. Further, we believe that imaging-guided lifestyle management may have considerable potential for improving outcomes and reducing health-care costs by eliminating unnecessary invasive procedures.

The Value of Information in Decision-Analytic Modeling for Malaria Vector Control in East Africa.

PubMed

Kim, Dohyeong; Brown, Zachary; Anderson, Richard; Mutero, Clifford; Miranda, Marie Lynn; Wiener, Jonathan; Kramer, Randall

2017-02-01

Decision analysis tools and mathematical modeling are increasingly emphasized in malaria control programs worldwide to improve resource allocation and address ongoing challenges with sustainability. However, such tools require substantial scientific evidence, which is costly to acquire. The value of information (VOI) has been proposed as a metric for gauging the value of reduced model uncertainty. We apply this concept to an evidenced-based Malaria Decision Analysis Support Tool (MDAST) designed for application in East Africa. In developing MDAST, substantial gaps in the scientific evidence base were identified regarding insecticide resistance in malaria vector control and the effectiveness of alternative mosquito control approaches, including larviciding. We identify four entomological parameters in the model (two for insecticide resistance and two for larviciding) that involve high levels of uncertainty and to which outputs in MDAST are sensitive. We estimate and compare a VOI for combinations of these parameters in evaluating three policy alternatives relative to a status quo policy. We find having perfect information on the uncertain parameters could improve program net benefits by up to 5-21%, with the highest VOI associated with jointly eliminating uncertainty about reproductive speed of malaria-transmitting mosquitoes and initial efficacy of larviciding at reducing the emergence of new adult mosquitoes. Future research on parameter uncertainty in decision analysis of malaria control policy should investigate the VOI with respect to other aspects of malaria transmission (such as antimalarial resistance), the costs of reducing uncertainty in these parameters, and the extent to which imperfect information about these parameters can improve payoffs. © 2016 Society for Risk Analysis.

Tools to improve planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of complementary feeding programmes.

PubMed

Untoro, Juliawati; Childs, Rachel; Bose, Indira; Winichagoon, Pattanee; Rudert, Christiane; Hall, Andrew; de Pee, Saskia

2017-10-01

Adequate nutrient intake is a prerequisite for achieving good nutrition status. Suboptimal complementary feeding practices are a main risk factor for stunting. The need for systematic and user-friendly tools to guide the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of dietary interventions for children aged 6-23 months has been recognized. This paper describes five tools, namely, ProPAN, Optifood, Cost of the Diet, Fill the Nutrient Gap, and Monitoring Results for Equity System that can be used in different combinations to improve situation analysis, planning, implementation, monitoring, or evaluation approaches for complementary feeding in a particular context. ProPAN helps with development of strategies and activities designed to change the behaviours of the target population. Optifood provides guidance for developing food-based recommendations. The Cost of the Diet can provide insight on economic barriers to accessing a nutritious and balanced diet. The Fill the Nutrient Gap facilitates formulation of context-specific policies and programmatic approaches to improve nutrient intake, through a multistakeholder process that uses insights from linear programming and secondary data. The Monitoring Results for Equity System helps with analysis of gaps, constraints, and determinants of complementary feeding interventions and adoption of recommended practices especially in the most vulnerable and deprived populations. These tools, and support for their use, are readily available and can be used either alone and/or complementarily throughout the programme cycle to improve infant and young child-feeding programmes at subnational and national levels. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Acquisition Management for Systems-of-Systems: Analysis of Alternatives via Computational Exploratory Model

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-02-03

node to the analysis of eigenmodes (connected trees /networks) of disruption sequences. The identification of disruption eigenmodes is particularly...investment portfolio approach enables the identification of optimal SoS network topologies and provides a tool for acquisition professionals to...a program based on its ability to provide a new capability for a given cost, and not on its ability to meet specific performance requirements ( Spacy

NREL's System Advisor Model Simplifies Complex Energy Analysis (Fact Sheet)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

2015-01-01

NREL has developed a tool -- the System Advisor Model (SAM) -- that can help decision makers analyze cost, performance, and financing of any size grid-connected solar, wind, or geothermal power project. Manufacturers, engineering and consulting firms, research and development firms, utilities, developers, venture capital firms, and international organizations use SAM for end-to-end analysis that helps determine whether and how to make investments in renewable energy projects.

An introduction to Item Response Theory and Rasch Analysis of the Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10).

PubMed

Kean, Jacob; Brodke, Darrel S; Biber, Joshua; Gross, Paul

2018-03-01

Item response theory has its origins in educational measurement and is now commonly applied in health-related measurement of latent traits, such as function and symptoms. This application is due in large part to gains in the precision of measurement attributable to item response theory and corresponding decreases in response burden, study costs, and study duration. The purpose of this paper is twofold: introduce basic concepts of item response theory and demonstrate this analytic approach in a worked example, a Rasch model (1PL) analysis of the Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10), a commonly used measure for oropharyngeal dysphagia. The results of the analysis were largely concordant with previous studies of the EAT-10 and illustrate for brain impairment clinicians and researchers how IRT analysis can yield greater precision of measurement.

A generic, cost-effective, and scalable cell lineage analysis platform

PubMed Central

Biezuner, Tamir; Spiro, Adam; Raz, Ofir; Amir, Shiran; Milo, Lilach; Adar, Rivka; Chapal-Ilani, Noa; Berman, Veronika; Fried, Yael; Ainbinder, Elena; Cohen, Galit; Barr, Haim M.; Halaban, Ruth; Shapiro, Ehud

2016-01-01

Advances in single-cell genomics enable commensurate improvements in methods for uncovering lineage relations among individual cells. Current sequencing-based methods for cell lineage analysis depend on low-resolution bulk analysis or rely on extensive single-cell sequencing, which is not scalable and could be biased by functional dependencies. Here we show an integrated biochemical-computational platform for generic single-cell lineage analysis that is retrospective, cost-effective, and scalable. It consists of a biochemical-computational pipeline that inputs individual cells, produces targeted single-cell sequencing data, and uses it to generate a lineage tree of the input cells. We validated the platform by applying it to cells sampled from an ex vivo grown tree and analyzed its feasibility landscape by computer simulations. We conclude that the platform may serve as a generic tool for lineage analysis and thus pave the way toward large-scale human cell lineage discovery. PMID:27558250

Decision science and cervical cancer.

PubMed

Cantor, Scott B; Fahs, Marianne C; Mandelblatt, Jeanne S; Myers, Evan R; Sanders, Gillian D

2003-11-01

Mathematical modeling is an effective tool for guiding cervical cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment decisions for patients and policymakers. This article describes the use of mathematical modeling as outlined in five presentations from the Decision Science and Cervical Cancer session of the Second International Conference on Cervical Cancer held at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, April 11-14, 2002. The authors provide an overview of mathematical modeling, especially decision analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis, and examples of how it can be used for clinical decision making regarding the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cervical cancer. Included are applications as well as theory regarding decision science and cervical cancer. Mathematical modeling can answer such questions as the optimal frequency for screening, the optimal age to stop screening, and the optimal way to diagnose cervical cancer. Results from one mathematical model demonstrated that a vaccine against high-risk strains of human papillomavirus was a cost-effective use of resources, and discussion of another model demonstrated the importance of collecting direct non-health care costs and time costs for cost-effectiveness analysis. Research presented indicated that care must be taken when applying the results of population-wide, cost-effectiveness analyses to reduce health disparities. Mathematical modeling can encompass a variety of theoretical and applied issues regarding decision science and cervical cancer. The ultimate objective of using decision-analytic and cost-effectiveness models is to identify ways to improve women's health at an economically reasonable cost. Copyright 2003 American Cancer Society.

Perceptions of disease risk: from social construction of subjective judgments to rational decision making.

PubMed

McRoberts, N; Hall, C; Madden, L V; Hughes, G

2011-06-01

Many factors influence how people form risk perceptions. Farmers' perceptions of risk and levels of risk aversion impact on decision-making about such things as technology adoption and disease management practices. Irrespective of the underlying factors that affect risk perceptions, those perceptions can be summarized by variables capturing impact and uncertainty components of risk. We discuss a new framework that has the subjective probability of disease and the cost of decision errors as its central features, which might allow a better integration of social science and epidemiology, to the benefit of plant disease management. By focusing on the probability and cost (or impact) dimensions of risk, the framework integrates research from the social sciences, economics, decision theory, and epidemiology. In particular, we review some useful properties of expected regret and skill value, two measures of expected cost that are particularly useful in the evaluation of decision tools. We highlight decision-theoretic constraints on the usefulness of decision tools that may partly explain cases of failure of adoption. We extend this analysis by considering information-theoretic criteria that link model complexity and relative performance and which might explain why users reject forecasters that impose even moderate increases in the complexity of decision making despite improvements in performance or accept very simple decision tools that have relatively poor performance.

Intelligent Controls for Net-Zero Energy Buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Haorong; Cho, Yong; Peng, Dongming

2011-10-30

The goal of this project is to develop and demonstrate enabling technologies that can empower homeowners to convert their homes into net-zero energy buildings in a cost-effective manner. The project objectives and expected outcomes are as follows: • To develop rapid and scalable building information collection and modeling technologies that can obtain and process “as-built” building information in an automated or semiautomated manner. • To identify low-cost measurements and develop low-cost virtual sensors that can monitor building operations in a plug-n-play and low-cost manner. • To integrate and demonstrate low-cost building information modeling (BIM) technologies. • To develop decision supportmore » tools which can empower building owners to perform energy auditing and retrofit analysis. • To develop and demonstrate low-cost automated diagnostics and optimal control technologies which can improve building energy efficiency in a continual manner.« less

Flight Operations Analysis Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Easter, Robert; Herrell, Linda; Pomphrey, Richard; Chase, James; Wertz Chen, Julie; Smith, Jeffrey; Carter, Rebecca

2006-01-01

Flight Operations Analysis Tool (FLOAT) is a computer program that partly automates the process of assessing the benefits of planning spacecraft missions to incorporate various combinations of launch vehicles and payloads. Designed primarily for use by an experienced systems engineer, FLOAT makes it possible to perform a preliminary analysis of trade-offs and costs of a proposed mission in days, whereas previously, such an analysis typically lasted months. FLOAT surveys a variety of prior missions by querying data from authoritative NASA sources pertaining to 20 to 30 mission and interface parameters that define space missions. FLOAT provides automated, flexible means for comparing the parameters to determine compatibility or the lack thereof among payloads, spacecraft, and launch vehicles, and for displaying the results of such comparisons. Sparseness, typical of the data available for analysis, does not confound this software. FLOAT effects an iterative process that identifies modifications of parameters that could render compatible an otherwise incompatible mission set.

Advanced Usage of Vehicle Sketch Pad for CFD-Based Conceptual Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ordaz, Irian; Li, Wu

2013-01-01

Conceptual design is the most fluid phase of aircraft design. It is important to be able to perform large scale design space exploration of candidate concepts that can achieve the design intent to avoid more costly configuration changes in later stages of design. This also means that conceptual design is highly dependent on the disciplinary analysis tools to capture the underlying physics accurately. The required level of analysis fidelity can vary greatly depending on the application. Vehicle Sketch Pad (VSP) allows the designer to easily construct aircraft concepts and make changes as the design matures. More recent development efforts have enabled VSP to bridge the gap to high-fidelity analysis disciplines such as computational fluid dynamics and structural modeling for finite element analysis. This paper focuses on the current state-of-the-art geometry modeling for the automated process of analysis and design of low-boom supersonic concepts using VSP and several capability-enhancing design tools.

The use of activity-based cost estimation as a management tool for cultural change

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mandell, Humboldt; Bilby, Curt

1991-01-01

It will be shown that the greatest barrier to American exploration of the planet Mars is not the development of the technology needed to deliver humans and return them safely to earth. Neither is it the cost of such an undertaking, as has been previously suggested, although certainly, such a venture may not be inexpensive by some measures. The predicted costs of exploration have discouraged serious political dialog on the subject. And, in fact, even optimistic projections of the NASA budget do not contain the resources required, under the existing development and management paradigm, for human space exploration programs. It will be demonstrated that the perception of the costs of such a venture, and the cultural responses to the perceptions are factors inhibiting American exploration of the moon and the planet Mars. Cost models employed in the aerospace industry today correctly mirror the history of past space programs, and as such, are representative of the existing management and development paradigms. However, if, under this current paradigm no major exploration programs are feasible, then cost analysis methods based in the past may not have great utility in exploring the needed cultural changes. This paper explores the use of a new type of model, the activity based cost model, which will treat management style as an input variable, in a sense providing a tool whereby a complete, affordable program might be designed, including both the technological and management aspects.

Cost-effectiveness on a local level: whether and when to adopt a new technology.

PubMed

Woertman, Willem H; Van De Wetering, Gijs; Adang, Eddy M M

2014-04-01

Cost-effectiveness analysis has become a widely accepted tool for decision making in health care. The standard textbook cost-effectiveness analysis focuses on whether to make the switch from an old or common practice technology to an innovative technology, and in doing so, it takes a global perspective. In this article, we are interested in a local perspective, and we look at the questions of whether and when the switch from old to new should be made. A new approach to cost-effectiveness from a local (e.g., a hospital) perspective, by means of a mathematical model for cost-effectiveness that explicitly incorporates time, is proposed. A decision rule is derived for establishing whether a new technology should be adopted, as well as a general rule for establishing when it pays to postpone adoption by 1 more period, and a set of decision rules that can be used to determine the optimal timing of adoption. Finally, a simple example is presented to illustrate our model and how it leads to optimal decision making in a number of cases.

A cost-function approach to rival penalized competitive learning (RPCL).

PubMed

Ma, Jinwen; Wang, Taijun

2006-08-01

Rival penalized competitive learning (RPCL) has been shown to be a useful tool for clustering on a set of sample data in which the number of clusters is unknown. However, the RPCL algorithm was proposed heuristically and is still in lack of a mathematical theory to describe its convergence behavior. In order to solve the convergence problem, we investigate it via a cost-function approach. By theoretical analysis, we prove that a general form of RPCL, called distance-sensitive RPCL (DSRPCL), is associated with the minimization of a cost function on the weight vectors of a competitive learning network. As a DSRPCL process decreases the cost to a local minimum, a number of weight vectors eventually fall into a hypersphere surrounding the sample data, while the other weight vectors diverge to infinity. Moreover, it is shown by the theoretical analysis and simulation experiments that if the cost reduces into the global minimum, a correct number of weight vectors is automatically selected and located around the centers of the actual clusters, respectively. Finally, we apply the DSRPCL algorithms to unsupervised color image segmentation and classification of the wine data.

Life Cycle Cost Analysis of Ready Mix Concrete Plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Topkar, V. M.; Duggar, A. R.; Kumar, A.; Bonde, P. P.; Girwalkar, R. S.; Gade, S. B.

2013-11-01

India, being a developing nation is experiencing major growth in its infrastructural sector. Concrete is the major component in construction. The requirement of good quality of concrete in large quantities can be fulfilled by ready mix concrete batching and mixing plants. The paper presents a technique of applying the value engineering tool life cycle cost analysis to a ready mix concrete plant. This will help an investor or an organization to take investment decisions regarding a ready mix concrete facility. No economic alternatives are compared in this study. A cost breakdown structure is prepared for the ready mix concrete plant. A market survey has been conducted to collect realistic costs for the ready mix concrete facility. The study establishes the cash flow for the ready mix concrete facility helpful in investment and capital generation related decisions. Transit mixers form an important component of the facility and are included in the calculations. A fleet size for transit mixers has been assumed for this purpose. The life cycle cost has been calculated for the system of the ready mix concrete plant and transit mixers.

Aeroelastic Stability Investigations for Large-scale Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Owens, B. C.; Griffith, D. T.

2014-06-01

The availability of offshore wind resources in coastal regions, along with a high concentration of load centers in these areas, makes offshore wind energy an attractive opportunity for clean renewable electricity production. High infrastructure costs such as the offshore support structure and operation and maintenance costs for offshore wind technology, however, are significant obstacles that need to be overcome to make offshore wind a more cost-effective option. A vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) rotor configuration offers a potential transformative technology solution that significantly lowers cost of energy for offshore wind due to its inherent advantages for the offshore market. However, several potential challenges exist for VAWTs and this paper addresses one of them with an initial investigation of dynamic aeroelastic stability for large-scale, multi-megawatt VAWTs. The aeroelastic formulation and solution method from the BLade Aeroelastic STability Tool (BLAST) for HAWT blades was employed to extend the analysis capability of a newly developed structural dynamics design tool for VAWTs. This investigation considers the effect of configuration geometry, material system choice, and number of blades on the aeroelastic stability of a VAWT, and provides an initial scoping for potential aeroelastic instabilities in large-scale VAWT designs.

A Cost Simulation Tool for Estimating the Cost of Operating Government Owned and Operated Ships

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-09-01

Horngren , C.T., Foster, G., Datar, S.M., Cost Accounting : A Management Emphasis, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1994 IBM Corporation, A Graphical...4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE A COST SIMULATION TOOL FOR 5. FUNDING NUMBERS ESTIMATING THE COST OF OPERATING GOVERNMENT OWNED AND OPERATED SHIPS 6. AUTHOR( S ...normally does not present a problem to the accounting department. The final category, the cost of operating the government owned and operated ships is

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Natural Gas Vehicles

Science.gov Websites

Publications | All Publications Tools Vehicle Cost Calculator Vehicle Search All Tools Vehicle Cost Calculator Choose a vehicle to compare fuel cost and emissions with a conventional vehicle. Select Fuel/Technology (LPG) Next Vehicle Cost Calculator Vehicle 0 City 0 Hwy (mi/gal) 0 City 0 Hwy (kWh/100m) Gasoline

Engineering Design Handbook. Breech Mechanism Design

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-02-01

4-22 4-11.2 Tool and Gage Requirements ...................................... 4-22 R eferences...16 4-5 Total Cost per Piece---Sum of Tool Costs, Machining Cost, and Nonproductive Cost ....................................................... 4-20 4...practical design limits are end of the gun tube from which the projectile numerous as well as stringent Today, the multi- emerges and the breecb end is that

Risk Costs for New Dams: Economic Analysis and Effects of Monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paté-Cornell, M. Elisabeth; Tagaras, George

1986-01-01

This paper presents new developments and illustrations of the introduction of risk and costs in cost-benefit analysis for new dams. The emphasis is on a method of evaluation of the risk costs based on the structure of the local economy. Costs to agricultural property as well as residential, commercial, industrial, and public property are studied in detail. Of particular interest is the case of sequential dam failure and the evaluation of the risk costs attributable to a new dam upstream from an existing one. Three real cases are presented as illustrations of the method: the Auburn Dam, the Dickey-Lincoln School Project, and the Teton Dam, which failed in 1976. This last case provides a calibration tool for the estimation of loss ratios. For these three projects, the risk-modified benefit-cost ratios are computed to assess the effect of the risk on the economic performance of the project. The role of a warning system provided by systematic monitoring of the dam is analyzed: by reducing the risk costs, the warning system attenuates their effect on the benefit-cost ratio. The precursors, however, can be missed or misinterpreted: monitoring does not guarantee that the risks to human life can be reduced to zero. This study shows, in particular, that it is critical to consider the risk costs in the decision to build a new dam when the flood area is large and densely populated.

Low Thrust Orbital Maneuvers Using Ion Propulsion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramesh, Eric

2011-10-01

Low-thrust maneuver options, such as electric propulsion, offer specific challenges within mission-level Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis (MS&A) tools. This project seeks to transition techniques for simulating low-thrust maneuvers from detailed engineering level simulations such as AGI's Satellite ToolKit (STK) Astrogator to mission level simulations such as the System Effectiveness Analysis Simulation (SEAS). Our project goals are as follows: A) Assess different low-thrust options to achieve various orbital changes; B) Compare such approaches to more conventional, high-thrust profiles; C) Compare computational cost and accuracy of various approaches to calculate and simulate low-thrust maneuvers; D) Recommend methods for implementing low-thrust maneuvers in high-level mission simulations; E) prototype recommended solutions.

Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool (WMOST) v2: Theoretical Documentation

EPA Science Inventory

The Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool (WMOST) is a decision support tool that evaluates the relative cost-effectiveness of management practices at the local or watershed scale. WMOST models the environmental effects and costs of management decisions in a watershed c...

Biomechanical ToolKit: Open-source framework to visualize and process biomechanical data.

PubMed

Barre, Arnaud; Armand, Stéphane

2014-04-01

C3D file format is widely used in the biomechanical field by companies and laboratories to store motion capture systems data. However, few software packages can visualize and modify the integrality of the data in the C3D file. Our objective was to develop an open-source and multi-platform framework to read, write, modify and visualize data from any motion analysis systems using standard (C3D) and proprietary file formats (used by many companies producing motion capture systems). The Biomechanical ToolKit (BTK) was developed to provide cost-effective and efficient tools for the biomechanical community to easily deal with motion analysis data. A large panel of operations is available to read, modify and process data through C++ API, bindings for high-level languages (Matlab, Octave, and Python), and standalone application (Mokka). All these tools are open-source and cross-platform and run on all major operating systems (Windows, Linux, MacOS X). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multi-Disciplinary Analysis for Future Launch Systems Using NASA's Advanced Engineering Environment (AEE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Monell, D.; Mathias, D.; Reuther, J.; Garn, M.

2003-01-01

A new engineering environment constructed for the purposes of analyzing and designing Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLVs) is presented. The new environment has been developed to allow NASA to perform independent analysis and design of emerging RLV architectures and technologies. The new Advanced Engineering Environment (AEE) is both collaborative and distributed. It facilitates integration of the analyses by both vehicle performance disciplines and life-cycle disciplines. Current performance disciplines supported include: weights and sizing, aerodynamics, trajectories, propulsion, structural loads, and CAD-based geometries. Current life-cycle disciplines supported include: DDT&E cost, production costs, operations costs, flight rates, safety and reliability, and system economics. Involving six NASA centers (ARC, LaRC, MSFC, KSC, GRC and JSC), AEE has been tailored to serve as a web-accessed agency-wide source for all of NASA's future launch vehicle systems engineering functions. Thus, it is configured to facilitate (a) data management, (b) automated tool/process integration and execution, and (c) data visualization and presentation. The core components of the integrated framework are a customized PTC Windchill product data management server, a set of RLV analysis and design tools integrated using Phoenix Integration's Model Center, and an XML-based data capture and transfer protocol. The AEE system has seen production use during the Initial Architecture and Technology Review for the NASA 2nd Generation RLV program, and it continues to undergo development and enhancements in support of its current main customer, the NASA Next Generation Launch Technology (NGLT) program.

Comparative abilities of Microsoft Kinect and Vicon 3D motion capture for gait analysis.

PubMed

Pfister, Alexandra; West, Alexandre M; Bronner, Shaw; Noah, Jack Adam

2014-07-01

Biomechanical analysis is a powerful tool in the evaluation of movement dysfunction in orthopaedic and neurologic populations. Three-dimensional (3D) motion capture systems are widely used, accurate systems, but are costly and not available in many clinical settings. The Microsoft Kinect™ has the potential to be used as an alternative low-cost motion analysis tool. The purpose of this study was to assess concurrent validity of the Kinect™ with Brekel Kinect software in comparison to Vicon Nexus during sagittal plane gait kinematics. Twenty healthy adults (nine male, 11 female) were tracked while walking and jogging at three velocities on a treadmill. Concurrent hip and knee peak flexion and extension and stride timing measurements were compared between Vicon and Kinect™. Although Kinect measurements were representative of normal gait, the Kinect™ generally under-estimated joint flexion and over-estimated extension. Kinect™ and Vicon hip angular displacement correlation was very low and error was large. Kinect™ knee measurements were somewhat better than hip, but were not consistent enough for clinical assessment. Correlation between Kinect™ and Vicon stride timing was high and error was fairly small. Variability in Kinect™ measurements was smallest at the slowest velocity. The Kinect™ has basic motion capture capabilities and with some minor adjustments will be an acceptable tool to measure stride timing, but sophisticated advances in software and hardware are necessary to improve Kinect™ sensitivity before it can be implemented for clinical use.