Spring 2004 Industry Study Final Report: Strategic Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-01-01

decreasing processing costs. Processing costs can be reduced by using powder metallurgy technology to reduce waste and by seeking new markets to... market share is likely to remain fierce until the arrival of the next miniaturization technology , nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS). Smart...the transportation, medical, energy, information technology , and environmental industries will create the strongest economic pull for the

Standardizing adult tracheostomy tube styles: what is the clinical and cost-effective impact?

PubMed

Crimlisk, Janet T; O'Donnell, Charles; Grillone, Gregory A

2006-01-01

Tracheostomy tubes are made of a variety of materials, components, and styles. In a recent merger of our hospitals, we noted a large assortment of tubes available for clinicians. The different tubes resulted in complaints from staff, which included confusion, delays in obtaining preferred tubes, and inconsistent shelf stock. A multidisciplinary task force was formed to recommend standardizing the styles of tracheostomy tubes. A comparison of tracheotomy procedures, tracheostomy tube usage, and tube costs were done 6 months before and 6 months after the standardization. The number of tube styles decreased from 9 to 4; specialty extra-long tubes decreased from 3 to 2. There were no cost savings in standardizing the tracheostomy tubes.

Opportunities to overcome the current limitations and challenges for efficient microbial production of optically pure lactic acid.

PubMed

Abdel-Rahman, Mohamed Ali; Sonomoto, Kenji

2016-10-20

There has been growing interest in the microbial production of optically pure lactic acid due to the increased demand for lactic acid-derived environmentally friendly products, for example biodegradable plastic (poly-lactic acid), as an alternative to petroleum-derived materials. To maximize the market uptake of these products, their cost should be competitive and this could be achieved by decreasing the production cost of the raw material, that is, lactic acid. It is of great importance to isolate and develop robust and highly efficient microbial lactic acid producers. Alongside the fermentative substrate and concentration, the yield and productivity of lactic acid are key parameters and major factors in determining the final production cost of lactic acid. In this review, we will discuss the current limitations and challenges for cost-efficient microbial production of optically pure lactic acid. The main obstacles to effective fermentation are the use of food resources, indirect utilization of polymeric sugars, sensitivity to inhibitory compounds released during biomass treatments, substrate inhibition, decreased lactic acid yield and productivity, inefficient utilization of mixed sugars, end product inhibition, increased use of neutralizing agents, contamination problems, and decreased optical purity of lactic acid. Furthermore, opportunities to address and overcome these limitations, either by fermentation technology or metabolic engineering approaches, will be introduced and discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A membrane-integrated fermentation reactor system: its effects in reducing the amount of sub-raw materials for D-lactic acid continuous fermentation by Sporolactobacillus laevolacticus.

PubMed

Mimitsuka, Takashi; Na, Kyungsu; Morita, Ken; Sawai, Hideki; Minegishi, Shinichi; Henmi, Masahiro; Yamada, Katsushige; Shimizu, Sakayu; Yonehara, Tetsu

2012-01-01

Continuous fermentation by retaining cells with a membrane-integrated fermentation reactor (MFR) system was found to reduce the amount of supplied sub-raw material. If the amount of sub-raw material can be reduced, continuous fermentation with the MFR system should become a more attractive process for industrialization, due to decreased material costs and loads during the refinement process. Our findings indicate that the production rate decreased when the amount of the sub-raw material was reduced in batch fermentation, but did not decrease during continuous fermentation with Sporolactobacillus laevolacticus. Moreover, continuous fermentation with a reduced amount of sub-raw material resulted in a productivity of 11.2 g/L/h over 800 h. In addition, the index of industrial process applicability used in the MFR system increased by 6.3-fold as compared with the conventional membrane-based fermentation reactor previously reported, suggesting a potential for the industrialization of this D-lactic acid continuous fermentation process.

Infrastructure: Roadways in a rut

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daniel, Jo Sias

2017-10-01

Higher air temperatures cause roadway surfaces to deteriorate more rapidly. Now research suggests that adapting design and material selection procedures to use future climate information can dramatically decrease the damage and ensuing repair cost.

Microstructural Properties of Cement Paste and Mortar Modified by Low Cost Nanoplatelets Sourced from Natural Materials.

PubMed

Huang, Piao; Lv, Liming; Liao, Wei; Lu, Chunhua; Xu, Zhongzi

2018-05-11

Nanomaterials have been widely used in cement-based materials. Graphene has excellent properties for improving the durability of cement-based materials. Given its high production budget, it has limited its wide potential for application in the field of engineering. Hence, it is very meaningful to obtain low cost nanoplatelets from natural materials that can replace graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) The purpose of this paper is to improve the resistance to chloride ion penetration by optimizing the pore structure of cement-based materials, and another point is to reduce investment costs. The results illustrated that low cost CaCO₃ nanoplatelets (CCNPs) were successfully obtained under alkali treatment of seashell powder, and the chloride ion permeability of cement-based materials significantly decreased by 15.7% compared to that of the control samples when CCNPs were incorporated. Furthermore, the compressive strength of cement pastes at the age of 28 days increased by 37.9% than that of the plain sample. Improvement of performance of cement-based materials can be partly attributed to the refinement of the pore structure. In addition, AFM was employed to characterize the nanoplatelet thickness of CCNPs and the pore structures of the cement-based composites were analyzed by MIP, respectively. CCNPs composite cement best performance could lay the foundation for further study of the durability of cement-based materials and the application of decontaminated seashells.

Microstructural Properties of Cement Paste and Mortar Modified by Low Cost Nanoplatelets Sourced from Natural Materials

PubMed Central

Lv, Liming; Liao, Wei; Lu, Chunhua; Xu, Zhongzi

2018-01-01

Nanomaterials have been widely used in cement-based materials. Graphene has excellent properties for improving the durability of cement-based materials. Given its high production budget, it has limited its wide potential for application in the field of engineering. Hence, it is very meaningful to obtain low cost nanoplatelets from natural materials that can replace graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) The purpose of this paper is to improve the resistance to chloride ion penetration by optimizing the pore structure of cement-based materials, and another point is to reduce investment costs. The results illustrated that low cost CaCO3 nanoplatelets (CCNPs) were successfully obtained under alkali treatment of seashell powder, and the chloride ion permeability of cement-based materials significantly decreased by 15.7% compared to that of the control samples when CCNPs were incorporated. Furthermore, the compressive strength of cement pastes at the age of 28 days increased by 37.9% than that of the plain sample. Improvement of performance of cement-based materials can be partly attributed to the refinement of the pore structure. In addition, AFM was employed to characterize the nanoplatelet thickness of CCNPs and the pore structures of the cement-based composites were analyzed by MIP, respectively. CCNPs composite cement best performance could lay the foundation for further study of the durability of cement-based materials and the application of decontaminated seashells. PMID:29751666

Flat-plate solar array project. Volume 7: Module encapsulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cuddihy, E.; Coulbert, C.; Gupta, A.; Liang, R.

1986-10-01

The objective of the Encapsulation Task was to develop, demonstrate, and qualify photovoltaic (PV) module encapsulation systems that would provide 20 year (later decreased to 30 year) life expectancies in terrestrial environments, and which would be compatible with the cost and performance goals of the Flat-Plate Solar Array (FSA) Project. The scope of the Encapsulation Task included the identification, development, and evaluation of material systems and configurations required to support and protect the optically and electrically active solar cell circuit components in the PV module operating environment. Encapsulation material technologies summarized include the development of low cost ultraviolet protection techniques, stable low cost pottants, soiling resistant coatings, electrical isolation criteria, processes for optimum interface bonding, and analytical and experimental tools for evaluating the long term durability and structural adequacy of encapsulated modules. Field testing, accelerated stress testing, and design studies have demonstrated that encapsulation materials, processes, and configurations are available that meet the FSA cost and performance goals.

Flat-plate solar array project. Volume 7: Module encapsulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cuddihy, E.; Coulbert, C.; Gupta, A.; Liang, R.

1986-01-01

The objective of the Encapsulation Task was to develop, demonstrate, and qualify photovoltaic (PV) module encapsulation systems that would provide 20 year (later decreased to 30 year) life expectancies in terrestrial environments, and which would be compatible with the cost and performance goals of the Flat-Plate Solar Array (FSA) Project. The scope of the Encapsulation Task included the identification, development, and evaluation of material systems and configurations required to support and protect the optically and electrically active solar cell circuit components in the PV module operating environment. Encapsulation material technologies summarized include the development of low cost ultraviolet protection techniques, stable low cost pottants, soiling resistant coatings, electrical isolation criteria, processes for optimum interface bonding, and analytical and experimental tools for evaluating the long term durability and structural adequacy of encapsulated modules. Field testing, accelerated stress testing, and design studies have demonstrated that encapsulation materials, processes, and configurations are available that meet the FSA cost and performance goals.

Does recyclable separation reduce the cost of municipal waste management in Japan?

PubMed

Chifari, Rosaria; Lo Piano, Samuele; Matsumoto, Shigeru; Tasaki, Tomohiro

2017-02-01

Municipal solid waste (MSW) management is a system involving multiple sub-systems that typically require demanding inputs, materials and resources to properly process generated waste throughput. For this reason, MSW management is generally one of the most expensive services provided by municipalities. In this paper, we analyze the Japanese MSW management system and estimate the cost elasticity with respect to the waste volumes at three treatment stages: collection, processing, and disposal. Although we observe economies of scale at all three stages, the collection cost is less elastic than the disposal cost. We also examine whether source separation at home affects the cost of MSW management. The empirical results show that the separate collection of the recyclable fraction leads to reduced processing costs at intermediate treatment facilities, but does not change the overall waste management cost. Our analysis also reveals that the cost of waste management systems decreases when the service is provided by private companies through a public tender. The cost decreases even more when the service is performed under the coordination of adjacent municipalities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

From Stochastic Foam to Designed Structure: Balancing Cost and Performance of Cellular Metals

PubMed Central

Lehmhus, Dirk; Vesenjak, Matej

2017-01-01

Over the past two decades, a large number of metallic foams have been developed. In recent years research on this multi-functional material class has further intensified. However, despite their unique properties only a limited number of large-scale applications have emerged. One important reason for this sluggish uptake is their high cost. Many cellular metals require expensive raw materials, complex manufacturing procedures, or a combination thereof. Some attempts have been made to decrease costs by introducing novel foams based on cheaper components and new manufacturing procedures. However, this has often yielded materials with unreliable properties that inhibit utilization of their full potential. The resulting balance between cost and performance of cellular metals is probed in this editorial, which attempts to consider cost not in absolute figures, but in relation to performance. To approach such a distinction, an alternative classification of cellular metals is suggested which centers on structural aspects and the effort of realizing them. The range thus covered extends from fully stochastic foams to cellular structures designed-to-purpose. PMID:28786935

Modification of lignocellulosic materials by laccase

Treesearch

William Kenealy; John Klungness; Mandla Tshabalala; Roland Gleisner; Eric Horn; Masood Akhtar; Hilda Zulaica-Villagomez; Gisela Buschle-Diller

2003-01-01

Altering the surface properties of pulp can enhance binding, increase paper strength, and decrease the cost of fiber. In this study, we modified lignocellulosic materials (bark and pulp) with laccase and selected substrates to change the nature of the pulp surface. Modified pulps were evaluated by the amount of methylene blue (a cationic dye) that would bind to the...

[Opened vs. laparoscopic radical nephrectomy in renal adenocarcinoma cost comparison].

PubMed

Herranz Amo, F; Subirá Ríos, D; Hernández Fernández, C; Martínez Salamanca, J I; Monzó, J I; Cabello Benavente, R

2006-10-01

To undertake a cost comparison (cost minimization) between transperitoneal laparoscopic and opened nephrectomy in renal adenocarcinoma treatment. Retrospective study on the first 26 patients submitted to LN without intra or postoperative complications in the period 2002-2003, using as control 22 patients treated with ON with the same characteristics and in the same period. Demographic variables were evaluated (age, sex, tumor size, etc.), intraoperative (operative time and fungible material used) and postoperative (length of stay in Postanaesthesic Care Unit, Acute Pain Unit needs and hospital stay). Our Hospital costs plus those imputed during year 2003 to the Urology Service, as well as the cost of fungible material for the same year were applied, carrying out a comparison of costs between both groups. There were no differences between the demographic variables between both groups except in the tumor, bigger size in the opened nephrectomy (p=0,001). Transperitoneal laparoscopic was 29,4% globally more expensive than opened nephrectomy. The transperitoneal laparoscopic intraoperative cost (operating room, anesthesia and fungibles) the exceeded in 151,6% to that of the opened nephrectomy, whereas in the opened nephrectomy the postoperative cost was a 63 % higher than in the transperitoneal laparoscopic cases. Transperitoneal laparoscopic in our Center is more expensive than opened nephrectomy due to a major occupation of operating room and that the specific fungible material used at the surgical act has a very high cost. It would be necessary to drastically reduce surgical time and decrease fungible material expenses, thus transperitoneal laparoscopic procedure could be competitive in our Hospital.

ESTABLISHING SUSTAINABLE US HEV/PHEV MANUFACTURING BASE: STABILIZED LITHIUM METAL POWDER, ENABLING MATERIAL AND REVOLUTIONARY TECHNOLOGY FOR HIGH ENERGY LI-ION BATTERIES

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

Yakovleva, Marina

2012-12-31

FMC Lithium Division has successfully completed the project “Establishing Sustainable US PHEV/EV Manufacturing Base: Stabilized Lithium Metal Powder, Enabling Material and Revolutionary Technology for High Energy Li-ion Batteries”. The project included design, acquisition and process development for the production scale units to 1) produce stabilized lithium dispersions in oil medium, 2) to produce dry stabilized lithium metal powders, 3) to evaluate, design and acquire pilot-scale unit for alternative production technology to further decrease the cost, and 4) to demonstrate concepts for integrating SLMP technology into the Li- ion batteries to increase energy density. It is very difficult to satisfy safety,more » cost and performance requirements for the PHEV and EV applications. As the initial step in SLMP Technology introduction, industry can use commercially available LiMn2O4 or LiFePO4, for example, that are the only proven safer and cheaper lithium providing cathodes available on the market. Unfortunately, these cathodes alone are inferior to the energy density of the conventional LiCoO2 cathode and, even when paired with the advanced anode materials, such as silicon composite material, the resulting cell will still not meet the energy density requirements. We have demonstrated, however, if SLMP Technology is used to compensate for the irreversible capacity in the anode, the efficiency of the cathode utilization will be improved and the cost of the cell, based on the materials, will decrease.« less

Lagrange multiplier for perishable inventory model considering warehouse capacity planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amran, Tiena Gustina; Fatima, Zenny

2017-06-01

This paper presented Lagrange Muktiplier approach for solving perishable raw material inventory planning considering warehouse capacity. A food company faced an issue of managing perishable raw materials and marinades which have limited shelf life. Another constraint to be considered was the capacity of the warehouse. Therefore, an inventory model considering shelf life and raw material warehouse capacity are needed in order to minimize the company's inventory cost. The inventory model implemented in this study was the adapted economic order quantity (EOQ) model which is optimized using Lagrange multiplier. The model and solution approach were applied to solve a case industry in a food manufacturer. The result showed that the total inventory cost decreased 2.42% after applying the proposed approach.

Pretraining on Southwestern stations decreases training time and cost for proficiency-based fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery training.

PubMed

Rosenthal, Madelyn E; Castellvi, Antonio O; Goova, Mouza T; Hollett, Lisa A; Dale, Jarrod; Scott, Daniel J

2009-11-01

We previously reported a proficiency-based Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) curriculum that uniformly resulted in passing the technical skills certification criteria. We hypothesized that pretraining using the Southwestern (SW) videotrainer stations would decrease costs and training time and maintain benefits. Group I (2nd-year medical student, n = 10) underwent FLS pretesting (Pretest 1), SW station proficiency-based training, repeat FLS testing (Pretest 2), FLS proficiency-based training, and final FLS testing (Posttest). These data were compared with a historic control, group II (2nd-year medical student, n = 10), which underwent FLS pretesting (Pretest 1), proficiency-based training, and final FLS testing (Posttest). During training, group I achieved proficiency (85.4 + or - 26.2 repetitions) for all SW tasks. For both groups, proficiency was achieved for 96% of the FLS tasks, with substantial differences detected for group I and group II repetitions (100.5 + or - 15.9 versus 114 + or - 25.5) and training time (6.0 + or - 1.5 versus 9.2 + or - 2.2 hours), respectively. Per-person material costs were considerably different for groups I and II ($827 + or - 116 versus $1,108 + or - 393). Group I demonstrated significant improvement from Pretest 1 (149 + or - 39; 0% FLS pass rate) to Pretest 2 (293 + or - 83; p < 0.001; 60% FLS pass rate), and to Posttest (444 + or - 60; p < 0.001; 100% FLS pass rate). Group II demonstrated significant improvement from Pretest 1 (158 + or - 78; 0% FLS pass rate) to Posttest (469.7 + or - 12.0; p < 0.001; 100% FLS pass rate). Pretraining on SW stations decreases training time for FLS skill acquisition and maintains educational benefits. This strategy decreases costs associated with using consumable materials for training.

Pros, Cons, and Alternatives to Weight Based Cost Estimating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joyner, Claude R.; Lauriem, Jonathan R.; Levack, Daniel H.; Zapata, Edgar

2011-01-01

Many cost estimating tools use weight as a major parameter in projecting the cost. This is often combined with modifying factors such as complexity, technical maturity of design, environment of operation, etc. to increase the fidelity of the estimate. For a set of conceptual designs, all meeting the same requirements, increased weight can be a major driver in increased cost. However, once a design is fixed, increased weight generally decreases cost, while decreased weight generally increases cost - and the relationship is not linear. Alternative approaches to estimating cost without using weight (except perhaps for materials costs) have been attempted to try to produce a tool usable throughout the design process - from concept studies through development. This paper will address the pros and cons of using weight based models for cost estimating, using liquid rocket engines as the example. It will then examine approaches that minimize the impct of weight based cost estimating. The Rocket Engine- Cost Model (RECM) is an attribute based model developed internally by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne for NASA. RECM will be presented primarily to show a successful method to use design and programmatic parameters instead of weight to estimate both design and development costs and production costs. An operations model developed by KSC, the Launch and Landing Effects Ground Operations model (LLEGO), will also be discussed.

Cost-effectiveness of a pressure ulcer quality collaborative.

PubMed

Makai, Peter; Koopmanschap, Marc; Bal, Roland; Nieboer, Anna P

2010-06-01

A quality improvement collaborative (QIC) in the Dutch long-term care sector (nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home care) used evidence-based prevention methods to reduce the incidence and prevalence of pressure ulcers (PUs). The collaborative consisted of a core team of experts and 25 organizational project teams. Our aim was to determine its cost-effectiveness from a healthcare perspective. We used a non-controlled pre-post design to establish the change in incidence and prevalence of PUs in 88 patients over the course of a year. Staff indexed data and prevention methods (activities, materials). Quality of life (Qol) weights were assigned to the PU states. We assessed the costs of activities and materials in the project. A Markov model was built based on effectiveness and cost data, complemented with a probabilistic sensitivity analysis. To illustrate the results of longer term, three scenarios were created in which change in incidence and prevalence measures were (1) not sustained, (2) partially sustained, and (3) completely sustained. Incidence of PUs decreased from 15% to 4.5% for the 88 patients. Prevalence decreased from 38.6% to 22.7%. Average Quality of Life (Qol) of patients increased by 0.02 Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALY)s in two years; healthcare costs increased by euro2000 per patient; the Incremental Cost-effectiveness Ratio (ICER) was between 78,500 and 131,000 depending on whether the changes in incidence and prevalence of PU were sustained. During the QIC PU incidence and prevalence significantly declined. When compared to standard PU care, the QIC was probably more costly and more effective in the short run, but its long-term cost-effectiveness is questionable. The QIC can only be cost-effective if the changes in incidence and prevalence of PU are sustained.

Enhancing efficiency of production cost on seafood process with activity based management method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarigan, U.; Tarigan, U. P. P.

2018-02-01

The efficiency of production costs has an important impact maintaining company presence in the business world, as well as in the face of increasingly sharp global competition. It was done by identifying and reducing non-value-added activities to decrease production costs and increase profits. The study was conducted at a company engaged in the production of squid (seafood). It has a higher product price than the market as Rp 50,000 per kg while the market price of squid is only Rp 35,000 per kg. The price of the product to be more expensive compared with market price, and thereby a lot more consumers choose the lower market price. Based on the discussions conducted, the implementation of Activity Based Management was seen in the reduction of activities that are not added value in the production process. Since each activities consumers cost, the reduction of nonvalue-added activities has effects on the decline of production cost. The production’s decline costs mainly occur in the reduction of material transfer costs. The results showed that there was an increase after the improvement of 2.60%. Increased production cost efficiency causes decreased production costs and increased profits.

[Improvement in the efficiency of a rehabilitation service using Lean Healthcare methodology].

PubMed

Pineda Dávila, S; Tinoco González, J

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the reduction in costs and the increase in time devoted to the patient, by applying Lean Healthcare methodology. A multidisciplinary team was formed, setting up three potential areas for improvement by performing a diagnostic process, including the storage and standardization of materials, and professional tasks in the therapeutic areas, by implementing three Lean tools: kanban, 5S and 2P. Stored material costs decreased by 43%, the cost of consumables per patient treated by 19%, and time dedicated to patient treatment increased by 7%. The processes were standardized and "muda" (wastefulness) was eliminated, thus reducing costs and increasing the value to the patient. All this demonstrates that it is possible to apply tools of industrial origin to the health sector, with the aim of improving the quality of care and achieve maximum efficiency. Copyright © 2014 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

New families of carbon gels based on natural resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szczurek, Andrzej; Amaral-Labat, Gisele; Fierro, Vanessa; Pizzi, Antonio; Celzard, Alain

2013-03-01

Carbon gels are versatile materials which can be used for many applications. They are extremely expensive, because generally prepared from resorcinol - formaldehyde (RF) resins first gelled and next dried with supercritical carbon dioxide. In the present work, resorcinol has been substituted partly or completely by tannins, a family of molecules extracted from mimosa tree barks. Tannins are natural, non-toxic products, typically thirty times cheaper than resorcinol. Their chemical resemblance with the latter makes them be often called natural resorcinol. Using tannins not only substantially decreases the cost but also allows preparing materials in a much wider range of pHs than that usually employed for RF gels. Consequently the main pore size and the fraction of given families of pores, controlling the carbon gels' properties, are tuned in an easier way, and a much wider range of pore structures is obtained. Finally, two alternative ways of drying are suggested for further decreasing the cost: freeze-drying and supercritical drying in acetone. Both are shown to lead, in some conditions described below, to materials having similar characteristics to those of expensive RF carbon aerogels previously dried in supercritical CO2.

Alkaline "Permanent" Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pacey, Antony

1991-01-01

Discussion of paper manufacturing processes and their effects on library materials focuses on the promotion of alkaline "permanent" paper, with less acid, by Canadian library preservation specialists. Standards for paper acidity are explained; advantages of alkaline paper are described, including decreased manufacturing costs; and…

Clinical Laboratory Automation: A Case Study

PubMed Central

Archetti, Claudia; Montanelli, Alessandro; Finazzi, Dario; Caimi, Luigi; Garrafa, Emirena

2017-01-01

Background This paper presents a case study of an automated clinical laboratory in a large urban academic teaching hospital in the North of Italy, the Spedali Civili in Brescia, where four laboratories were merged in a unique laboratory through the introduction of laboratory automation. Materials and Methods The analysis compares the preautomation situation and the new setting from a cost perspective, by considering direct and indirect costs. It also presents an analysis of the turnaround time (TAT). The study considers equipment, staff and indirect costs. Results The introduction of automation led to a slight increase in equipment costs which is highly compensated by a remarkable decrease in staff costs. Consequently, total costs decreased by 12.55%. The analysis of the TAT shows an improvement of nonemergency exams while emergency exams are still validated within the maximum time imposed by the hospital. Conclusions The strategy adopted by the management, which was based on re-using the available equipment and staff when merging the pre-existing laboratories, has reached its goal: introducing automation while minimizing the costs. Significance for public health Automation is an emerging trend in modern clinical laboratories with a positive impact on service level to patients and on staff safety as shown by different studies. In fact, it allows process standardization which, in turn, decreases the frequency of outliers and errors. In addition, it induces faster processing times, thus improving the service level. On the other side, automation decreases the staff exposition to accidents strongly improving staff safety. In this study, we analyse a further potential benefit of automation, that is economic convenience. We study the case of the automated laboratory of one of the biggest hospital in Italy and compare the cost related to the pre and post automation situation. Introducing automation lead to a cost decrease without affecting the service level to patients. This was a key goal of the hospital which, as public health entities in general, is constantly struggling with budget constraints. PMID:28660178

Polypyrrole/sargassum activated carbon modified stainless-steel sponge as high-performance and low-cost bioanode for microbial fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Gaoming; Bao, Han; Xia, Zheng; Yang, Bin; Lei, Lecheng; Li, Zhongjian; Liu, Chunxian

2018-04-01

Anode materials, as the core component of microbial fuel cells (MFCs), have huge impacts on power generation performance and overall cost. Stainless-steel sponge (SS) can be a promising material for MFC anodes, due to its open continuous three-dimensional structure, high conductivity and low cost. However, poor biocompatibility limits its application. In this paper, a polypyrrole/sargassum activated carbon modified SS anode (Ppy/SAC/SS) is developed by electrochemical polymerization of pyrrole on the SS with the SAC as a dopant. The maximum power density achieved with the Ppy/SAC/SS anode is 45.2 W/m3, which is increased by 2 orders of magnitude and 2.9 times compared with an unmodified SS anode and a solely Ppy modified SS anode (Ppy/SS), respectively. In addition, the Ppy/SAC layer effectively eliminates electrochemical corrosion of the SS substrate. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy reveals that Ppy/SAC modification decreases electron transfer resistance between the bacteria and the electrode. Furthermore, in vivo fluorescence imaging indicates that a more uniform biofilm is formed on the Ppy/SAC/SS compared to the unmodified SS and Ppy/SS. Due to the low cost of the materials, easy fabrication process and relatively high performance, our developed Ppy/SAC/SS can be a cost efficient anode material for MFCs in practical applications.

Techno-economical study of biogas production improved by steam explosion pretreatment.

PubMed

Shafiei, Marzieh; Kabir, Maryam M; Zilouei, Hamid; Sárvári Horváth, Ilona; Karimi, Keikhosro

2013-11-01

Economic feasibility of steam explosion pretreatment for improvement of biogas production from wheat straw and paper tube residuals was investigated. The process was simulated by Aspen plus ®, and the economical feasibility of five different plant capacities was studied by Aspen Process Economic Analyzer. Total project investment of a plant using paper tube residuals or wheat straw was 63.9 or 61.8 million Euros, respectively. The manufacturing cost of raw biogas for these two feedstocks was calculated to 0.36 or 0.48 €/m(3) of methane, respectively. Applying steam explosion pretreatment resulted in 13% higher total capital investment while significantly improved the economy of the biogas plant and decreased the manufacturing cost of methane by 36%. The sensitivity analysis showed that 5% improvement in the methane yield and 20% decrease in the raw material price resulted in 5.5% and 8% decrease in the manufacturing cost of methane, respectively. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cuprous Oxide as a Potential Low-Cost Hole-Transport Material for Stable Perovskite Solar Cells.

PubMed

Nejand, Bahram Abdollahi; Ahmadi, Vahid; Gharibzadeh, Saba; Shahverdi, Hamid Reza

2016-02-08

Inorganic hole-transport materials are commercially desired to decrease the fabrication cost of perovskite solar cells. Here, Cu2O is introduced as a potential hole-transport material for stable, low-cost devices. Considering that Cu2O formation is highly sensitive to the underlying mixture of perovskite precursors and their solvents, we proposed and engineered a technique for reactive magnetron sputtering. The rotational angular deposition of Cu2O yields high surface coverage of the perovskite layer for high rate of charge extraction. Deposition of this Cu2O layer on the pinhole-free perovskite layer produces devices with power conversion efficiency values of up to 8.93%. The engineered Cu2O layers showed uniform, compact, and crack-free surfaces on the perovskite layer without affecting the perovskite structure, which is desired for deposition of the top metal contact and for surface shielding against moisture and mechanical damages. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Effects of silage additives on ruminal and intestinal microbiology

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Ensiling is the preservation of forage for livestock through microbial fermentation. Although ensiling of plant material by its associated surface microbial community alone is possible, the cost of an uncontrolled fermentation can include dry matter loss, decreased quality, and spoilage. While prope...

Conversion of bioprocess ethanol to industrial chemical products - Applications of process models for energy-economic assessments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rohatgi, Naresh K.; Ingham, John D.

1992-01-01

An assessment approach for accurate evaluation of bioprocesses for large-scale production of industrial chemicals is presented. Detailed energy-economic assessments of a potential esterification process were performed, where ethanol vapor in the presence of water from a bioreactor is catalytically converted to ethyl acetate. Results show that such processes are likely to become more competitive as the cost of substrates decreases relative to petrolium costs. A commercial ASPEN process simulation provided a reasonably consistent comparison with energy economics calculated using JPL developed software. Detailed evaluations of the sensitivity of production cost to material costs and annual production rates are discussed.

Development of refractories and related products for steel melting, finishing, and casting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smirnov, A. N.

2013-06-01

The transformation of the consumption of refractories for the production, out-of-furnace treatment, and casting of steel is considered. The main trends in developing the refractory market are shown to be a significant decrease in the specific consumption of refractories per 1 t liquid steel and the predominant application of refractories based on magnesia raw materials and fused corundum for the working layers of melting units, ladles, and tundishes. The main trend in decreasing the specific costs of refractories is the development of refractories based on alternative sources of raw materials, which are cheaper and more available for refractory manufacturers.

Utilizing Technology in Manual Material Handling and Safe Lifting.

PubMed

Snyder, Mick

2016-02-01

There is great potential to decrease injuries with the use of these new technologies, especially musculoskeletal disorders and repetitive task-related injuries. Initial costs can be considerable for some of these units, but they are much cheaper than a back surgery. As with all technology, the first designs cost a small fortune, but as we are seeing even now, the pricing is decreasing and the quality is increasing for these devices. In 30 years, we might all have flying cars like "Back to the Future II" predicted we would in 2015 or be able to figure out a tricorder like on "Star Trek"! For more information on exoskeletons, exoskeletonreport.com is a great resource.

Characterization of HMA mixtures containing high reclaimed asphalt pavement content with crumb rubber additives : [technical summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-03-01

With the increase in hot mix asphalt (HMA) mixtures prices continuously climbing, highway agencies and owners are continually : searching for methods to decrease material costs and maximize their benefi ts with no compromise in performance. One su...

Performance Analysis of Abrasive Waterjet Machining Process at Low Pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murugan, M.; Gebremariam, MA; Hamedon, Z.; Azhari, A.

2018-03-01

Normally, a commercial waterjet cutting machine can generate water pressure up to 600 MPa. This range of pressure is used to machine a wide variety of materials. Hence, the price of waterjet cutting machine is expensive. Therefore, there is a need to develop a low cost waterjet machine in order to make the technology more accessible for the masses. Due to its low cost, such machines may only be able to generate water pressure at a much reduced rate. The present study attempts to investigate the performance of abrasive water jet machining process at low cutting pressure using self-developed low cost waterjet machine. It aims to study the feasibility of machining various materials at low pressure which later can aid in further development of an effective low cost water jet machine. A total of three different materials were machined at a low pressure of 34 MPa. The materials are mild steel, aluminium alloy 6061 and plastics Delrin®. Furthermore, a traverse rate was varied between 1 to 3 mm/min. The study on cutting performance at low pressure for different materials was conducted in terms of depth penetration, kerf taper ratio and surface roughness. It was found that all samples were able to be machined at low cutting pressure with varied qualities. Also, the depth of penetration decreases with an increase in the traverse rate. Meanwhile, the surface roughness and kerf taper ratio increase with an increase in the traverse rate. It can be concluded that a low cost waterjet machine with a much reduced rate of water pressure can be successfully used for machining certain materials with acceptable qualities.

Tensions between materials and environmental quality.

PubMed

Carpenter, R A

1976-02-20

The tensions between availability of materials and quality of the environment will increase with economic growth and the appreciation of environmental values. These tensions can be relieved to an extent by internalizing the costs of environmental protection so that they are reflected in the price of materials. Economic incentives and disincentives, such as effluent fees, are receiving renewed attention (5, pp. 49-51). In addition, government regulation to protect the environment will, perhaps arbitrarily, affect the availability and use of materials. The report, Man, Materials, and Environment (5, p. 25), concluded that: A national materials policy should be based upon the principle that calculations of benefits and costs associated with the extraction, transport, processing, use, and disposal of materials should take full account of the value of common property resources and of any change in the value of common properties resulting from the impact of materials on the environment; and should support the principle that those responsible for impairment of the environment should bear the costs of damage or repair. These principles should become a commonplace element of property rights, legislation, and administrative practice at all levels of government. The difficulty of measuring benefits and costs should not delay adoption of these principles but suggests the need for continuous observation and experimentation. Environmental protection regulations will result in: (i) increased costs for many materials; (ii) disruptive changes in use of materials, due to environmental characteristics and revised cost effectiveness calculations; (iii) restrictions on the siting of processing and manufacturing installations; (iv) preemption of access and surface rights to some mineral bearing lands, particularly those that are federally controlled; (v) diversion of capital from new production facilities; and (vi) frustrating delays in decisions, such as those affecting leasing and plant siting. In return for these generally undesirable disruptions in the continued development and supply of materials, society will obtain: (i) improved quality of air and water; (ii) long-term protection of the natural ecosystems of which man is a part; (iii) more efficient allocation of natural resources on the basis of more accurate and complete accounting of costs; (iv) improved human health through decreased contamination of the environment with toxic substances; and (v) conservation of materials through a closing of the production, use, and disposal cycle. Ingenuity and a more complete understanding of the parts and interactions of the energy, materials, and environment system can do much to reduce the tensions in these conflicts and bring about equitable trade-offs among societal goals.

Union Carbide's PECOP cops $500,000 fuel cut

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

Crawford, E.

1979-10-29

Union Carbide's Plant Energy Cost Optimization Program (POCOP) is saving $500,000 a year at a Taft, Louisiana chemical complex. Day-to-day decisions affecting fuel costs and plant operations are based on a system of computerized data-gathering and processing. Although Carbide's system is not unique, it is more extensive and more comprehensive than the systems used by other chemical companies. The plant has decreased its energy consumption 12% below the 1972 level while increasing production by 30%. The system was initiated in response to the shift from raw materials to energy as the major production cost.

A comparison of human and machine translation of health promotion materials for public health practice: time, costs, and quality.

PubMed

Turner, Anne M; Bergman, Margo; Brownstein, Megumu; Cole, Kate; Kirchhoff, Katrin

2014-01-01

Most local public health departments serve limited English proficiency groups but lack sufficient resources to translate the health promotion materials that they produce into different languages. Machine translation (MT) with human postediting could fill this gap and work toward decreasing health disparities among non-English speakers. (1) To identify the time and costs associated with human translation (HT) of public health documents, (2) determine the time necessary for human postediting of MT, and (3) compare the quality of postedited MT and HT. A quality comparison of 25 MT and HT documents was performed with public health translators. The public health professionals involved were queried about the workflow, costs, and time for HT of 11 English public health documents over a 20-month period. Three recently translated documents of similar size and topic were then machine translated, the time for human postediting was recorded, and a blind quality analysis was performed. Seattle/King County, Washington. Public health professionals. (1) Estimated times for various HT tasks; (2) observed postediting times for MT documents; (3) actual costs for HT; and (4) comparison of quality ratings for HT and MT. Human translation via local health department methods took 17 hours to 6 days. While HT postediting words per minute ranged from 1.58 to 5.88, MT plus human postediting words per minute ranged from 10 to 30. The cost of HT ranged from $130 to $1220; MT required no additional costs. A quality comparison by bilingual public health professionals showed that MT and HT were equivalently preferred. MT with human postediting can reduce the time and costs of translating public health materials while maintaining quality similar to HT. In conjunction with postediting, MT could greatly improve the availability of multilingual public health materials.

Sonar Transducer Reliability Improvement Program (STRIP) FY81.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-10-01

that must be considered when selecting a material for the design of a sonar transducer. In the past decade, plastics have decreased in cost and...required in a sonar transducer system. A recent example of this type of failure has been with a neoprene .tfer formulation which was designed to meet...subject of the first design specification for transducer elastomers. Previous work on this material under the aegis of the Sonar Transduction

Cost of intervention delivery in a lifestyle weight loss trial in type 2 diabetes: results from the Look AHEAD clinical trial

PubMed Central

Wing, R.; Wadden, T. A.; Knowler, W. C.; Lawlor, M.; Evans, M.; Killean, T.; Montez, M.; Espeland, M. A.; Zhang, P.

2017-01-01

Summary Objective The Action for Health in Diabetes (Look AHEAD) trial was a randomized controlled clinical trial to compare the effects of 10 years of intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) with a control condition of diabetes support and education (DSE) on health outcomes in over 5,000 participants with type 2 diabetes. The ILI had significantly greater weight losses than DSE throughout the trial. The goal of this analysis is to describe the cost of delivering the intervention. Methods The ILI was designed to promote weight loss and increase physical activity. It involved a combination of group plus individual intervention sessions, with decreasing frequency of contact over the 10 years. The intervention incorporated a variety of strategies, including meal replacement products, to improve weight loss outcomes. The costs of intervention delivery were derived from staff surveys of effort and from records of intervention materials from the 16 US academic clinical trial sites. Costs were calculated from the payer perspective and presented in 2012 dollars. Results During the first year, when intervention delivery was most intensive, the annual cost of intervention delivery, averaged (standard deviation) across clinical sites, was $2,864.6 ($513.3) per ILI participant compared with $202.4 ($76.6) per DSE participant. As intervention intensity declined, costs decreased, such that from years 5 to 9 of the trial, the annual cost of intervention was $1,119.8 ($227.7) per ILI participant and $102.9 ($33.0) per DSE participant. Staffing accounted for the majority of costs throughout the trial, with meal replacements and materials to promote adherence accounting for smaller shares. Conclusions The sustained weight losses produced by the Look AHEAD intervention were supported by intervention costs that were within the range of other weight loss programmes. Future work will include an evaluation of the cost‐effectiveness of the ILI and will contain additional follow‐up data. PMID:28392928

Evaluating the causes of photovoltaics cost reduction: Why is PV different?

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

Trancik, Jessika; McNerney, James; Kavlak, Goksin

The goals of this project were to quantify sources of cost reduction in photovoltaics (PV), improve theories of technological evolution, develop new analytical methods, and formu- late guidelines for continued cost reduction in photovoltaics. A number of explanations have been suggested for why photovoltaics have come down in cost rapidly over time, including increased production rates, significant R&D expenditures, heavy patenting ac- tivity, decreasing material and input costs, scale economies, reduced plant construction costs, and higher conversion efficiencies. We classified these proposed causes into low- level factors and high-level drivers. Low-level factors include technical characteristics, such as module efficiency ormore » wafer area, which are easily posed in terms of variables of a cost equation. High-level factors include scale economies, research and development (R&D), and learning-by-doing.« less

Short-term results of the efficacy of percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation on urinary symptoms and its financial cost

PubMed Central

Kurdoğlu, Zehra; Carr, Danielle; Harmouche, Jihad; Ünlü, Serdar; Kılıç, Gökhan S.

2018-01-01

Objective: Overactive bladder (OAB) affects 16.9% of women in the United States. Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) is a third-line treatment for patients who are refractory to behavioral and pharmacologic therapies. We aimed to evaluate the effects of PTNS on urinary symptoms in patients diagnosed as having refractory OAB and investigate the cost of medications and clinical visits before and after PTNS treatment. Material and Methods: We reviewed 60 women with refractory OAB treated with PTNS. Episodes of urinary frequency, leakage, urgency, and nocturia; number of follow-up visits; and medications were recorded. The mean quarterly drug, physician, nurse, and provider costs were calculated. The episodes of urinary symptoms, numbers of follow-up visits, and costs of medications and visits before and after PTNS were compared. Results: Of the 60 patients with refractory OAB, 24 patients who completed 12 weekly sessions of initial PTNS were evaluated. The number of urinary symptoms and follow-up visits significantly decreased after PTNS (p<0.05). The average quarterly medication cost decreased from $656.36±292.45 to $375.51±331.79 after PTNS (p=0.001). After PTNS, quarterly physician and nurse visit costs decreased from $81.73±70.39 to $25.89±54.40 and from $55.23±38.32 to $15.53±19.58, respectively (p<0.05). The quarterly total provider cost was similar before and after PTNS. Conclusion: PTNS treatment significantly improved urinary symptoms of patients with refractory OAB and reduced the costs of medications and physician and nurse visits. PMID:29503256

Impact of Integrated Care Model (ICM) on Direct Medical Costs in Management of Advanced Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

PubMed

Bandurska, Ewa; Damps-Konstańska, Iwona; Popowski, Piotr; Jędrzejczyk, Tadeusz; Janowiak, Piotr; Świętnicka, Katarzyna; Zarzeczna-Baran, Marzena; Jassem, Ewa

2017-06-12

BACKGROUND Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a commonly diagnosed condition in people older than 50 years of age. In advanced stage of this disease, integrated care (IC) is recommended as an optimal approach. IC allows for holistic and patient-focused care carried out at the patient's home. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of IC on costs of care and on demand for medical services among patients included in IC. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study included 154 patients diagnosed with advanced COPD. Costs of care (general, COPD, and exacerbations-related) were evaluated for 1 year, including 6-months before and after implementing IC. The analysis included assessment of the number of medical procedures of various types before and after entering IC and changes in medical services providers. RESULTS Direct medical costs of standard care in advanced COPD were 886.78 EUR per 6 months. Costs of care of all types decreased after introducing IC. Changes in COPD and exacerbation-related costs were statistically significant (p=0.012492 and p=0.017023, respectively). Patients less frequently used medical services for respiratory system and cardiovascular diseases. Similarly, the number of hospitalizations and visits to emergency medicine departments decreased (by 40.24% and 8.5%, respectively). The number of GP visits increased after introducing IC (by 7.14%). CONCLUSIONS The high costs of care in advanced COPD indicate the need for new forms of effective care. IC caused a decrease in costs and in the number of hospitalization, with a simultaneous increase in the number of GP visits.

Reduction of water losses by rehabilitation of water distribution network.

PubMed

Güngör, Mahmud; Yarar, Ufuk; Firat, Mahmut

2017-09-11

Physical or real losses may be indicated as the most important component of the water losses occurring in a water distribution network (WDN). The objective of this study is to examine the effects of piping material management and network rehabilitation on the physical water losses and water losses management in a WDN. For this aim, the Denizli WDN consisting of very old pipes that have exhausted their economic life is selected as the study area. The fact that the current network is old results in the decrease of pressure strength, increase of failure intensity, and inefficient use of water resources thus leading to the application of the rehabilitation program. In Denizli, network renewal works have been carried out since the year 2009 under the rehabilitation program. It was determined that the failure rate at regions where network renewal constructions have been completed decreased down to zero level. Renewal of piping material enables the minimization of leakage losses as well as the failure rate. On the other hand, the system rehabilitation has the potential to amortize itself in a very short amount of time if the initial investment cost of network renewal is considered along with the operating costs of the old and new systems, as well as water loss costs. As a result, it can be stated that renewal of piping material in water distribution systems, enhancement of the physical properties of the system, provide significant contributions such as increase of water and energy efficiency and more effective use of resources.

Investment Primer for Green Revolving Funds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weisbord, Dano

2012-01-01

Developing return-oriented green revolving funds (GRFs) is a rapidly growing trend at colleges and universities. A green revolving fund (GRF) is a special account designated for investment in on-campus projects that improve energy efficiency or decrease material use. GRFs invest in a variety of cost-saving initiatives, resulting in significant…

High-Purity Composite Briquette for Direct UMG-Si Production in Arc Furnaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perruchoud, Raymond; Fischer, Jean-Claude

2013-12-01

In metallurgical grade Si (MG-Si), the coal (B) and charcoal (P) contents are on average above 30 ppm as the carbon reduction materials used in the arc furnace are either rich in B or in P. A decrease of both impurities by a factor of 3 using purer raw materials would allow for the direct production of the upgraded metallurgical grade (UMG).This would significantly improve the efficiency of the resulting photovoltaic (PV) cells made with the refined solar grade silicon (SoG-Si) or massively decrease the costs of Si purification by shortening the number of steps needed for reaching B and P contents below 1 ppm requested for the SoG-Si used for the PV cells. A composite C/SiO2 briquette fulfilling the purity targets for the direct production of UMG-Si in the arc furnace was developed. The composite contains several carbon materials with different levels of reactivities and quartz sand. The raw materials aspects, the paste and briquette preparation, as well as the final carbonization step are discussed. The finished briquettes are free of volatiles and are mechanically and thermally very stable, thus, ensuring stable arc furnace charges with minimum losses of dust and SiO gas. Semi-industrial trials including the downstream purification steps for the production of SoG-Si by a metallurgical low-cost route are contemplated.

Detector Dewar cooler assemblies trade-off with equipment needs: a key issue for cost reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatard, Jean-Pierre

1996-06-01

Low cost equipment is the universal motto with the decrease in military budgets. A large panoply exists to solve partially this problem, such as simplification of the process, industrialization and the use of a collective manufacturing concept; but this is not enough. In the field of IRFPA using Mercury Cadmium Telluride (MCT), Sofradir has spent a lot of time in order to develop a very simple process to ensure producibility which has been totally demonstrated today. The production of more than 25 complex IRFPA per month has also allowed us to industrialize the process. A key factor is quantities. Today the only solution to increase quantities is to standardize detectors but in the field of IRFPA it is not so easy because each imaging system is specific. One solution to decrease the cost is to obtain the best trade-off between the application and the technology. As an example, people focus on indium antimonide staring array detectors today as they consider them as less expensive than other cooled infrared detector technologies. This is just because people focus on the FPA only, not on the global cost of the equipment. It will be demonstrated in this paper that MCT is a material so flexible that it is possible to obtain InSb detector performance at a higher temperature which allows decreased cost, volume and weight of the infrared equipment.

Evidence for Opportunity Cost Neglect in the Poor.

PubMed

Plantinga, Arnoud; Krijnen, Job M T; Zeelenberg, Marcel; Breugelmans, Seger M

2018-01-01

People often neglect opportunity costs: They do not fully take into account forgone alternatives outside of a particular choice set. Several scholars have suggested that poor people should be more likely to spontaneously consider opportunity costs, because budget constraints should lead to an increased focus on trade-offs. We did not find support for this hypothesis in five high-powered experiments (total N = 2325). The experiments used different products (both material and experiential) with both high and low prices (from $8.50 to $249.99) and different methods of reminding participants of opportunity costs. High-income and low-income participants showed an equally strong decrease in willingness to buy when reminded of opportunity costs, implying that both the rich and the poor neglect opportunity costs. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Behavioral Decision Making Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Thin EFG octagons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalejs, J. P.

1994-06-01

This report describes the impact of the technical achievements made in the first 18 months of the three year PVMaT program at Mobil Solar on lowering the manufacturing costs of its photovoltaic polycrystalline silicon-based modules. Manufacturing cost decreases are being achieved through a reduction of silicon material utilization, increases in productivity and yield in crystal growth, and through improvements in the laser cutting process for EFG wafers. The yield, productivity, and throughput advances made possible by these technical achievements are shown to be able to enhance future market share growth for Mobil Solar products as a consequence of significant reductions in a number of direct manufacturing cost elements in EFG wafer and module production.

The Langley turbo-prop commuter design: A complete project description

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buttram, Greg; Horton, Keith; Keeter, Tim; Millhouse, Paul; Newberry, Kelli; Obyrne, Brian

1991-01-01

The primary objective of this project was to propose and prove the possibility of a new, advanced technology commuter aircraft design. Among the specifications were short to medium range capabilities, low seat per mile cost, fuel efficiency, and passenger comfort. Based on market evaluation, we found that the optimum size for new regional aircraft is around 50 passengers; we have designed our aircraft for this capacity. Turboprop engines provide substantial reductions in operating costs due to lower fuel consumption. We have therefore chosen an advanced turboprop engine. Composite materials, while more expensive to purchase and manufacture, result in decreased costs later through weight savings and ease of replacement.

Advantages offered by high average power picosecond lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moorhouse, C.

2011-03-01

As electronic devices shrink in size to reduce material costs, device size and weight, thinner material thicknesses are also utilized. Feature sizes are also decreasing, which is pushing manufacturers towards single step laser direct write process as an attractive alternative to conventional, multiple step photolithography processes by eliminating process steps and the cost of chemicals. The fragile nature of these thin materials makes them difficult to machine either mechanically or with conventional nanosecond pulsewidth, Diode Pumped Solids State (DPSS) lasers. Picosecond laser pulses can cut materials with reduced damage regions and selectively remove thin films due to the reduced thermal effects of the shorter pulsewidth. Also, the high repetition rate allows high speed processing for industrial applications. Selective removal of thin films for OLED patterning, silicon solar cells and flat panel displays is discussed, as well as laser cutting of transparent materials with low melting point such as Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). For many of these thin film applications, where low pulse energy and high repetition rate are required, throughput can be increased by the use of a novel technique to using multiple beams from a single laser source is outlined.

Impact of Integrated Care Model (ICM) on Direct Medical Costs in Management of Advanced Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

PubMed Central

Bandurska, Ewa; Damps-Konstańska, Iwona; Popowski, Piotr; Jędrzejczyk, Tadeusz; Janowiak, Piotr; Świętnicka, Katarzyna; Zarzeczna-Baran, Marzena; Jassem, Ewa

2017-01-01

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a commonly diagnosed condition in people older than 50 years of age. In advanced stage of this disease, integrated care (IC) is recommended as an optimal approach. IC allows for holistic and patient-focused care carried out at the patient’s home. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of IC on costs of care and on demand for medical services among patients included in IC. Material/Methods The study included 154 patients diagnosed with advanced COPD. Costs of care (general, COPD, and exacerbations-related) were evaluated for 1 year, including 6-months before and after implementing IC. The analysis included assessment of the number of medical procedures of various types before and after entering IC and changes in medical services providers. Results Direct medical costs of standard care in advanced COPD were 886.78 EUR per 6 months. Costs of care of all types decreased after introducing IC. Changes in COPD and exacerbation-related costs were statistically significant (p=0.012492 and p=0.017023, respectively). Patients less frequently used medical services for respiratory system and cardiovascular diseases. Similarly, the number of hospitalizations and visits to emergency medicine departments decreased (by 40.24% and 8.5%, respectively). The number of GP visits increased after introducing IC (by 7.14%). Conclusions The high costs of care in advanced COPD indicate the need for new forms of effective care. IC caused a decrease in costs and in the number of hospitalization, with a simultaneous increase in the number of GP visits. PMID:28603270

The Iowa Model for Pediatric Low Vision Services.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkinson, Mark E.; Stewart, Ian; Trantham, Carole S.

2000-01-01

This article describes the evolution of Iowa's model of low vision care for students with visual impairments. It reviews the benefits of a transdisciplinary team approach to providing low vision services for children with visual impairments, including a decrease in the number of students requiring large-print materials and related costs. (Contains…

Process engineering economics of bioethanol production.

PubMed

Galbe, Mats; Sassner, Per; Wingren, Anders; Zacchi, Guido

2007-01-01

This work presents a review of studies on the process economics of ethanol production from lignocellulosic materials published since 1996. Our objective was to identify the most costly process steps and the impact of various parameters on the final production cost, e.g. plant capacity, raw material cost, and overall product yield, as well as process configuration. The variation in estimated ethanol production cost is considerable, ranging from about 0.13 to 0.81 US$ per liter ethanol. This can be explained to a large extent by actual process differences and variations in the assumptions underlying the techno-economic evaluations. The most important parameters for the economic outcome are the feedstock cost, which varied between 30 and 90 US$ per metric ton in the papers studied, and the plant capacity, which influences the capital cost. To reduce the ethanol production cost it is necessary to reach high ethanol yields, as well as a high ethanol concentration during fermentation, to be able to decrease the energy required for distillation and other downstream process steps. Improved pretreatment methods, enhanced enzymatic hydrolysis with cheaper and more effective enzymes, as well as improved fermentation systems present major research challenges if we are to make lignocellulose-based ethanol production competitive with sugar- and starch-based ethanol. Process integration, either internally or externally with other types of plants, e.g. heat and power plants, also offers a way of reducing the final ethanol production cost.

Low-cost electrodes for stable perovskite solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bastos, João P.; Manghooli, Sara; Jaysankar, Manoj; Tait, Jeffrey G.; Qiu, Weiming; Gehlhaar, Robert; De Volder, Michael; Uytterhoeven, Griet; Poortmans, Jef; Paetzold, Ulrich W.

2017-06-01

Cost-effective production of perovskite solar cells on an industrial scale requires the utilization of exclusively inexpensive materials. However, to date, highly efficient and stable perovskite solar cells rely on expensive gold electrodes since other metal electrodes are known to cause degradation of the devices. Finding a low-cost electrode that can replace gold and ensure both efficiency and long-term stability is essential for the success of the perovskite-based solar cell technology. In this work, we systematically compare three types of electrode materials: multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), alternative metals (silver, aluminum, and copper), and transparent oxides [indium tin oxide (ITO)] in terms of efficiency, stability, and cost. We show that multi-walled carbon nanotubes are the only electrode that is both more cost-effective and stable than gold. Devices with multi-walled carbon nanotube electrodes present remarkable shelf-life stability, with no decrease in the efficiency even after 180 h of storage in 77% relative humidity (RH). Furthermore, we demonstrate the potential of devices with multi-walled carbon nanotube electrodes to achieve high efficiencies. These developments are an important step forward to mass produce perovskite photovoltaics in a commercially viable way.

Porosity characteristics of ultra-low dielectric insulator films directly patterned by nano-imprint lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ro, Hyun Wook; Jones, Ronald L.; Peng, Huagen; Lee, Hae-Jeong; Lin, Eric K.; Karim, Alamgir; Yoon, Do Y.; Gidley, David W.; Soles, Christopher L.

2008-03-01

Direct patterning of low-dielectric constant (low-k) materials via nanoimprint lithography (NIL) has the potential to simplify fabrication processes and significantly reduce the manufacturing costs for semiconductor devices. We report direct imprinting of sub-100 nm features into a high modulus methylsilsesquioxane-based organosilicate glass (OSG) material. An excellent fidelity of the pattern transfer process is quantified with nm precision using critical dimension small angle X-ray scattering (CD-SAXS) and specular X-ray reflectivity (SXR). X-ray porosimetry (XRP) and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) measurements indicate that imprinting increases the inherent microporosity of the methylsilsequioxane-based OSG material. When a porogen (pore generating material) is added, imprinting decreases the population of mesopores associated with the porogen while retaining the enhanced microporosity. The net effect is a decrease the pore interconnectivity. There is also evidence for a sealing effect that is interpreted as an imprint induced dense skin at the surface of the porous pattern.

Evidence for Opportunity Cost Neglect in the Poor

PubMed Central

Krijnen, Job M.T.; Zeelenberg, Marcel; Breugelmans, Seger M.

2017-01-01

Abstract People often neglect opportunity costs: They do not fully take into account forgone alternatives outside of a particular choice set. Several scholars have suggested that poor people should be more likely to spontaneously consider opportunity costs, because budget constraints should lead to an increased focus on trade‐offs. We did not find support for this hypothesis in five high‐powered experiments (total N = 2325). The experiments used different products (both material and experiential) with both high and low prices (from $8.50 to $249.99) and different methods of reminding participants of opportunity costs. High‐income and low‐income participants showed an equally strong decrease in willingness to buy when reminded of opportunity costs, implying that both the rich and the poor neglect opportunity costs. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Behavioral Decision Making Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. PMID:29353963

A Comparison of Human and Machine Translation of Health Promotion Materials for Public Health Practice: Time, Costs, and Quality

PubMed Central

Turner, Anne M.; Bergman, Margo; Brownstein, Megumu; Cole, Kate; Kirchhoff, Katrin

2017-01-01

Context Most local public health departments serve limited English proficiency groups but lack sufficient resources to translate the health promotion materials that they produce into different languages. Machine translation (MT) with human postediting could fill this gap and work toward decreasing health disparities among non–English speakers. Objectives (1) To identify the time and costs associated with human translation (HT) of public health documents, (2) determine the time necessary for human postediting of MT, and (3) compare the quality of postedited MT and HT. Design A quality comparison of 25 MT and HT documents was performed with public health translators. The public health professionals involved were queried about the workflow, costs, and time for HT of 11 English public health documents over a 20-month period. Three recently translated documents of similar size and topic were then machine translated, the time for human postediting was recorded, and a blind quality analysis was performed. Setting Seattle/King County, Washington. Participants Public health professionals. Main Outcome Measures (1) Estimated times for various HT tasks; (2) observed postediting times for MT documents; (3) actual costs for HT; and (4) comparison of quality ratings for HT and MT. Results Human translation via local health department methods took 17 hours to 6 days. While HT postediting words per minute ranged from 1.58 to 5.88, MT plus human postediting words per minute ranged from 10 to 30. The cost of HT ranged from $130 to $1220; MT required no additional costs. A quality comparison by bilingual public health professionals showed that MT and HT were equivalently preferred. Conclusions MT with human postediting can reduce the time and costs of translating public health materials while maintaining quality similar to HT. In conjunction with postediting, MT could greatly improve the availability of multilingual public health materials. PMID:24084391

Finite-Element Modeling of a Damaged Pipeline Repaired Using the Wrap of a Composite Material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyapin, A. A.; Chebakov, M. I.; Dumitrescu, A.; Zecheru, G.

2015-07-01

The nonlinear static problem of FEM modeling of a damaged pipeline repaired by a composite material and subjected to internal pressure is considered. The calculation is carried out using plasticity theory for the pipeline material and considering the polymeric filler and the composite wrap. The level of stresses in various zones of the structure is analyzed. The most widespread alloy used for oil pipelines is selected as pipe material. The contribution of each component of the pipeline-filler-wrap system to the level of stresses is investigated. The effect of the number of composite wrap layers is estimated. The results obtained allow one to decrease the costs needed for producing test specimens.

Determination of Optimal Subsidy for Materials Saving Investment through Recycle/Recovery at Industrial Level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batzias, Dimitris F.

2009-08-01

This work deals with a methodological framework under the form of a simple/short algorithmic procedure (including 11 activity steps and 3 decision nodes) designed/developed for the determination of optimal subsidy for materials saving investment through recycle/recovery (RR) at industrial level. Two case examples are presented, covering both aspects, without and with recycling. The expected Relative Cost Decrease (RCD) because of recycling, which forms a critical index for decision making on subsidizing, is estimated. The developed procedure can be extended outside the industrial unit to include collection/transportation/processing of recyclable wasted products. Since, in such a case, transportation cost and processing cost are conflict depended variables (when the quantity collected/processed Q is the independent/explanatory variable), the determination of Qopt is examined under energy crises conditions, when corresponding subsidies might be granted to re-set the original equilibrium and avoid putting the recycling enterprise in jeopardize due to dangerous lowering of the first break-even point.

Process integration possibilities for biodiesel production from palm oil using ethanol obtained from lignocellulosic residues of oil palm industry.

PubMed

Gutiérrez, Luis F; Sánchez, Oscar J; Cardona, Carlos A

2009-02-01

In this paper, integration possibilities for production of biodiesel and bioethanol using a single source of biomass as a feedstock (oil palm) were explored through process simulation. The oil extracted from Fresh Fruit Bunches was considered as the feedstock for biodiesel production. An extractive reaction process is proposed for transesterification reaction using in situ produced ethanol, which is obtained from two types of lignocellulosic residues of palm industry (Empty Fruit Bunches and Palm Press Fiber). Several ways of integration were analyzed. The integration of material flows between ethanol and biodiesel production lines allowed a reduction in unit energy costs down to 3.4%, whereas the material and energy integration leaded to 39.8% decrease of those costs. The proposed integrated configuration is an important option when the technology for ethanol production from biomass reaches such a degree of maturity that its production costs be comparable with those of grain or cane ethanol.

Thai clinical laboratory responsible to economic crisis.

PubMed

Sirisali, K; Vattanaviboon, P; Manochiopinij, S; Ananskulwat, W

1999-01-01

Nowadays, Thailand encounters a serious economic crisis. A clear consensus has been made that a cost-saving system must be the important tool. Both private and government organizations are engaged in this situation. We studied the cost-saving in the clinical laboratory. A questionnaire was distributed to 45 hospital laboratories located in Bangkok. Results showed that efforts to control the cost are the essential policy. There was a variety of factors contributing to the cost-saving process. The usage of public utility, non-recycle material and unnecessary utility were reconsidered. Besides, capital cost (wages and salary) personnel incentive are assessed. Forty three of the 45 respondents had attempted to reduce the cost via curtailing the unnecessary electricity. Eliminating the needless usage of telephone-call. water and unnecessary material was also an effective strategy. A reduction of 86.9%, 80 % and 80.0% of the mentioned factors respectively, was reported. An inventory system of the reagent, chemical and supplies was focused. Most of the laboratories have a policy on cost-saving by decreased the storage. Twenty eight of the 45 laboratories considered to purchase the cheaper with similar quality reagents instead. And some one would purchase a bulky pack when it is the best bargain. A specific system "contact reagent with a free rent instrument" has been used widely (33.3%). Finally, a new personnel management system has been chosen. Workload has rearranged and unnecessary extra-hour work was abandoned.

48 CFR 31.205-26 - Material costs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Material costs. 31.205-26....205-26 Material costs. (a) Material costs include the costs of such items as raw materials, parts... material costs, the contractor shall consider reasonable overruns, spoilage, or defective work (unless...

48 CFR 31.205-26 - Material costs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Material costs. 31.205-26....205-26 Material costs. (a) Material costs include the costs of such items as raw materials, parts... material costs, the contractor shall consider reasonable overruns, spoilage, or defective work (unless...

Industrial waste utilization in the panels production for high buildings facade and socle facing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vitkalova, Irina; Torlova, Anastasiya; Pikalov, Evgeniy; Selivanov, Oleg

2018-03-01

The research presents comprehensive utilization of such industrial waste as galvanic sludge, broken window glass as functional additives for producing ceramics for facade and socle paneling in high-rise construction. The basic charge component is low-plasticity clay, which does not allow producing high-quality products if used without any functional additives. The application of the mentioned above components broadens the resource base, reduces production cost and the mass of the products in comparison with the currently used facing ceramics. The decrease of product mass helps to reduce the load on the basement and to use ceramic material in high-rise construction more effectively. Additional advantage of the developed composition is the reducing of production energy intensity due to comparatively low pressing pressure and firing temperature thus reducing the overall production cost. The research demonstrates the experimental results of determining density, compressive strength, water absorption, porosity and frost resistance of the produced ceramic material. These characteristics prove that the material can be applied for high buildings outdoor paneling. Additional research results prove ecologic safety of the produced ceramic material.

The Economics of Big Area Addtiive Manufacturing

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

Post, Brian; Lloyd, Peter D; Lindahl, John

Case studies on the economics of Additive Manufacturing (AM) suggest that processing time is the dominant cost in manufacturing. Most additive processes have similar performance metrics: small part sizes, low production rates and expensive feedstocks. Big Area Additive Manufacturing is based on transitioning polymer extrusion technology from a wire to a pellet feedstock. Utilizing pellets significantly increases deposition speed and lowers material cost by utilizing low cost injection molding feedstock. The use of carbon fiber reinforced polymers eliminates the need for a heated chamber, significantly reducing machine power requirements and size constraints. We hypothesize that the increase in productivity coupledmore » with decrease in feedstock and energy costs will enable AM to become more competitive with conventional manufacturing processes for many applications. As a test case, we compare the cost of using traditional fused deposition modeling (FDM) with BAAM for additively manufacturing composite tooling.« less

Integrating remediation and resource recovery: On the economic conditions of landfill mining

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

Frändegård, Per, E-mail: per.frandegard@liu.se; Krook, Joakim; Svensson, Niclas

Highlights: • We compare two remediation scenarios; one with resource recovery and one without. • Economic analysis includes relevant direct costs and revenues for the landfill owner. • High degrees of metal and/or combustible contents are important economic factors. • Landfill tax and the access to a CHP can have a large impact on the result. • Combining landfill mining and remediation may decrease the project cost. - Abstract: This article analyzes the economic potential of integrating material separation and resource recovery into a landfill remediation project, and discusses the result and the largest impact factors. The analysis is donemore » using a direct costs/revenues approach and the stochastic uncertainties are handled using Monte Carlo simulation. Two remediation scenarios are applied to a hypothetical landfill. One scenario includes only remediation, while the second scenario adds resource recovery to the remediation project. Moreover, the second scenario is divided into two cases, case A and B. In case A, the landfill tax needs to be paid for re-deposited material and the landfill holder does not own a combined heat and power plant (CHP), which leads to disposal costs in the form of gate fees. In case B, the landfill tax is waived on the re-deposited material and the landfill holder owns its own CHP. Results show that the remediation project in the first scenario costs about €23/ton. Adding resource recovery as in case A worsens the result to −€36/ton, while for case B the result improves to −€14/ton. This shows the importance of landfill tax and the access to a CHP. Other important factors for the result are the material composition in the landfill, the efficiency of the separation technology used, and the price of the saleable material.« less

Alternatives to lifting concrete masonry blocks onto rebar: biomechanical and perceptual evaluations.

PubMed

Hess, J A; Mizner, R L; Kincl, L; Anton, D

2012-01-01

This study examined the use of and barriers to H-block and high lift grouting, two alternatives to lifting concrete masonry blocks onto vertical rebar. Peak and cumulative shoulder motions were evaluated, as well as adoption barriers: H-block cost and stakeholder perceptions. Results indicated that using the alternatives significantly decreased peak shoulder flexion (p < 0.001). A case study indicated that building cost was higher with H-block, but the difference was less than 2% of the total cost. Contractors and specifiers reported important differences in perceptions, work norms, and material use and practices. For example, 48% of specifiers reported that use of high lift grouting was the contractor's choice, while 28% of contractors thought it must be specified. Use of H-block or high-lift grouting should be considered as methods to reduce awkward upper extremity postures. Cost and stakeholders' other perceptions present barriers that are important considerations when developing diffusion strategies for these alternatives. This study provides information from several perspectives about ergonomic controls for a high risk bricklaying task, which will benefit occupational safety experts, health professionals and ergonomists. It adds to the understanding of shoulder stresses, material cost and stakeholder perceptions that will contribute to developing effective diffusion strategies.

Southern Regional Center for Lightweight Innovative Design

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

Wang, Paul T.

The Southern Regional Center for Lightweight Innovative Design (SRCLID) has developed an experimentally validated cradle-to-grave modeling and simulation effort to optimize automotive components in order to decrease weight and cost, yet increase performance and safety in crash scenarios. In summary, the three major objectives of this project are accomplished: To develop experimentally validated cradle-to-grave modeling and simulation tools to optimize automotive and truck components for lightweighting materials (aluminum, steel, and Mg alloys and polymer-based composites) with consideration of uncertainty to decrease weight and cost, yet increase the performance and safety in impact scenarios; To develop multiscale computational models that quantifymore » microstructure-property relations by evaluating various length scales, from the atomic through component levels, for each step of the manufacturing process for vehicles; and To develop an integrated K-12 educational program to educate students on lightweighting designs and impact scenarios. In this final report, we divided the content into two parts: the first part contains the development of building blocks for the project, including materials and process models, process-structure-property (PSP) relationship, and experimental validation capabilities; the second part presents the demonstration task for Mg front-end work associated with USAMP projects.« less

Physician Impact on the Total Cost of Care

PubMed Central

Taheri, Paul A.; Butz, David; Griffes, Louisa C.; Morlock, David R.; Greenfield, Lazar J.

2000-01-01

Background and Objectives Physicians’ efforts at cost containment focus on decreased resource utilization and reduced length of stay. Although these efforts appear to be appropriate, little data exist to gauge their success. As such, the goal of this study is to determine trauma service cost allocations and how this information can help physicians to contain costs. Materials and Methods The authors analyzed the costs for 696 trauma admissions at a level I trauma center for fiscal year 1997. Data were obtained from the hospital costing system. Costs analyzed were variable direct, fixed direct, and Indirect costs. Together, the fixed and indirect costs are referred to as “hospital overhead.” Total Cost equals variable direct plus fixed direct plus indirect costs. Results The mean variable, fixed, and indirect costs per patient were $7,998, $3,534, and $11,086, respectively. Mean total cost per patient was $22,618. Conclusion The 35% variable direct cost represents the percentage of total cost that is typically under the immediate influence of physicians, in contrast to the 65% of total cost over which physicians have little control. Physicians must gain a better understanding of cost drivers and must participate in the operations and allocations of institutional fixed direct and indirect costs if the overall cost of care is to be reduced. PMID:10714637

Can solar power deliver?

PubMed

Nelson, Jenny; Emmott, Christopher J M

2013-08-13

Solar power represents a vast resource which could, in principle, meet the world's needs for clean power generation. Recent growth in the use of photovoltaic (PV) technology has demonstrated the potential of solar power to deliver on a large scale. Whilst the dominant PV technology is based on crystalline silicon, a wide variety of alternative PV materials and device concepts have been explored in an attempt to decrease the cost of the photovoltaic electricity. This article explores the potential for such emerging technologies to deliver cost reductions, scalability of manufacture, rapid carbon mitigation and new science in order to accelerate the uptake of solar power technologies.

Actual and estimated costs of disposable materials used during surgical procedures.

PubMed

Toyabe, Shin-Ichi; Cao, Pengyu; Kurashima, Sachiko; Nakayama, Yukiko; Ishii, Yuko; Hosoyama, Noriko; Akazawa, Kouhei

2005-07-01

It is difficult to estimate precisely the costs of disposable materials used during surgical operations. To evaluate the actual costs of disposable materials, we calculated the actual costs of disposable materials used in 59 operations by taking account of costs of all disposable materials used for each operation. The costs of the disposable materials varied significantly from operation to operation (US$ 38-4230 per operation), and the median [25-percentile and 75-percentile] of the sum total of disposable material costs of a single operation was found to be US$ 686 [205 and 993]. Multiple regression analysis with a stepwise regression method showed that costs of disposable materials significantly correlated only with operation time (p<0.001). Based on the results, we propose a simple method for estimating costs of disposable materials by measuring operation time, and we found that the method gives reliable results. Since costs of disposable materials used during surgical operations are considerable, precise estimation of the costs is essential for hospital cost accounting. Our method should be useful for planning hospital administration strategies.

Lead sulphide: Low cost, abundant thermoelectrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, Sajid; Singh, Ajay; Bhattacharya, Shovit; Basu, Ranita; Bhatt, Ranu; Bohra, Anil; Muthe, K. P.; Gadkari, S. C.

2018-04-01

Lead and sulphur are the most abundant and low cost materials on the earth's crust, lead chalcogenide (S, Se and Te) materials have got best applications in thermoelectric power generations. Among the chalcogenides, selenium and tellurium are costlier and are more toxic material than sulphur. [1][2] Decreasing the thermal conductivity has been proven to be the easiest approach to improve the thermoelectric performance of a material. In the present work, the lead sulphide (PbS) and SrxPb(1-x)S composite materials were synthesized and investigated. Addition of 0.4 and 0.8 moles of Sr atoms into the PbS lattice has appreciably reduced the thermal conductivity from 2.2 W/mK to 0.43 W/mK for Sr0.4Pb0.6S composition. Temperature (T) dependence of thermoelectric (TE) properties PbS and and SrxPb(1-x)S nanocomposite material has been studied with in the temperature range of 300 K to 700 K. It is observed that there is reduction in the thermal conductivity of PbS alloy on addition of Sr that is mainly attributed to the scattering centres of Sr in the PbS matrix also the presence of the Sr also plays a role in the refinement of the PbS matrix.

Utilization of SRS pond ash in controlled low strength material. Technical report

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

Langton, C.A.; Rajendran, N.

1995-12-01

Design mixes for Controlled Low Strength Material (CLSM) were developed which incorporate pond ashes (fly ashes) from the A-Area Ash Pile, the old F-Area Ash Basin and the D-Area Ash Basin. CLSM is a pumpable, flowable, excavatable backfill used in a variety of construction applications at SRS. Results indicate that CLSM which meets all of the SRS design specifications for backfill, can be made with the A-, D-, and F-Area pond ashes. Formulations for the design mixes are provided in this report. Use of the pond ashes may result in a cost savings for CLSM used at SRS and willmore » utilize a by-product waste material, thereby decreasing the amount of material requiring disposal.« less

Performance analysis of a new radial-axial flux machine with SMC cores and ferrite magnets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chengcheng; Wang, Youhua; Lei, Gang; Guo, Youguang; Zhu, Jianguo

2017-05-01

Soft magnetic composite (SMC) is a popular material in designing of new 3D flux electrical machines nowadays for it has the merits of isotropic magnetic characteristic, low eddy current loss and high design flexibility over the electric steel. The axial flux machine (AFM) with the extended stator tooth tip both in the radial and circumferential direction is a good example, which has been investigated in the last years. Based on the 3D flux AFM and radial flux machine, this paper proposes a new radial-axial flux machine (RAFM) with SMC cores and ferrite magnets, which has very high torque density though the low cost low magnetic energy ferrite magnet is utilized. Moreover, the cost of RAFM is quite low since the manufacturing cost can be reduced by using the SMC cores and the material cost will be decreased due to the adoption of the ferrite magnets. The 3D finite element method (FEM) is used to calculate the magnetic flux density distribution and electromagnetic parameters. For the core loss calculation, the rotational core loss computation method is used based on the experiment results from previous 3D magnetic tester.

Spatial and temporal modeling of sub- and supercritical thermal energy storage

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

Tse, LA; Ganapathi, GB; Wirz, RE

2014-05-01

This paper describes a thermodynamic model that simulates the discharge cycle of a single-tank thermal energy storage (TES) system that can operate from the two-phase (liquid-vapor) to supercritical regimes for storage fluid temperatures typical of concentrating solar power plants. State-of-the-art TES design utilizes a two-tank system with molten nitrate salts; one major problem is the high capital cost of the salts (International Renewable Energy Agency, 2012). The alternate approach explored here opens up the use of low-cost fluids by considering operation at higher pressures associated with the two-phase and supercritical regimes. The main challenge to such a system is itsmore » high pressures and temperatures which necessitate a relatively high-cost containment vessel that represents a large fraction of the system capital cost. To mitigate this cost, the proposed design utilizes a single-tank TES system, effectively halving the required wall material. A single-tank approach also significantly reduces the complexity of the system in comparison to the two-tank systems, which require expensive pumps and external heat exchangers. A thermodynamic model is used to evaluate system performance; in particular it predicts the volume of tank wall material needed to encapsulate the storage fluid. The transient temperature of the tank is observed to remain hottest at the storage tank exit, which is beneficial to system operation. It is also shown that there is an optimum storage fluid loading that generates a given turbine energy output while minimizing the required tank wall material. Overall, this study explores opportunities to further improve current solar thermal technologies. The proposed single-tank system shows promise for decreasing the cost of thermal energy storage. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.« less

[Direct cost of primary care of mild traumatic brain injury in adults by GRD in third level of care].

PubMed

Barragán-Hervella, Rodolfo; Montiel-Jarquín, Álvaro; Limón-Serrano, Iván; Escobedo-Sosa, Víctor; Loría-Castellanos, Jorge

To describe the direct cost of primary health care for patients with mild traumatic head injury in a third level medical facility. Cross-sectional study in 219 patients with mild traumatic brain injury (GRD 090 S06.0 ICD-10 including uncomplicated concussion without complication and increased comorbidity). A medical unit of tertiary care in the State of Puebla, Mexico. Direct costs were taken from ACDO.AS3.HCT.280115 / 7.P.DF Agreement and its annexes in Mexican pesos, the variables analyzed were age, gender, shift attention, laboratory, radiographic and tomographic studies, length of stay, specialist consultations, emergency care, medicines, and treatment materials. Descriptive statistics on SPSS program IBM v22. 53.4% male, 46.6% female; average age 31.9 years; morning shift attention 58.4%, evening 23.3%, and nightly 18.3%. The cost: $ 1,755 laboratory, plain radiographs $ 202,794, tomographic studies $ 26,720, consultation with neurosurgeon $ 279,174, emergency care $ 501,510; curing material: single steri drape $8,326.38, Micropore $1,307.43, infusion equipment $790.59, venipuncture needle $7,408.77; drugs: diclofenac $946.08, Ketorolac $724.89, 1000 ml. intravenous solution $1,561.47, total cost $ 1,032,293.72, average/patient: 4,713.66 Mexican pesos. The direct cost of primary health care of patients with mild traumatic head injury is high; sticking to the correct handling decreases the cost of attention.

Solar Power Satellites: Reconsideration as Renewable Energy Source Based on Novel Approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ellery, Alex

2017-04-01

Solar power satellites (SPS) are a solar energy generation mechanism that captures solar energy in space and converts this energy into microwave for transmission to Earth-based rectenna arrays. They offer a constant, high integrated energy density of 200 W/m2 compared to <10 W/m2 for other renewable energy sources. Despite this promise as a clean energy source, SPS have been relegated out of consideration due to their enormous cost and technological challenge. It has been suggested that for solar power satellites to become economically feasible, launch costs must decrease from their current 20,000/kg to <200/kg. Even with the advent of single-stage-to-orbit launchers which propose launch costs dropping to 2,000/kg, this will not be realized. Yet, the advantages of solar power satellites are many including the provision of stable baseload power. Here, I present a novel approach to reduce the specific cost of solar power satellites to 1/kg by leveraging two enabling technologies - in-situ resource utilization of lunar material and 3D printing of this material. Specifically, we demonstrate that electric motors may be constructed from lunar material through 3D printing representing a major step towards the development of self-replicating machines. Such machines have the capacity to build solar power satellites on the Moon, thereby bypassing the launch cost problem. The productive capacity of self-replicating machines favours the adoption of large constellations of small solar power satellites. This opens up additional clean energy options for combating climate change by meeting the demands for future global energy.

On the radiation damage characterization of candidate first wall materials in a fusion reactor using various molten salts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Übeyli, Mustafa

2006-12-01

Evaluating radiation damage characteristics of structural materials considered to be used in fusion reactors is very crucial. In fusion reactors, the highest material damage occurs in the first wall because it will be exposed to the highest neutron, gamma ray and charged particle currents produced in the fusion chamber. This damage reduces the lifetime of the first wall material and leads to frequent replacement of this material during the reactor operation period. In order to decrease operational cost of a fusion reactor, lifetime of the first wall material should be extended to reactor's lifetime. Using a protective flowing liquid wall between the plasma and first wall can decrease the radiation damage on first wall and extend its lifetime to the reactor's lifetime. In this study, radiation damage characterization of various low activation materials used as first wall material in a magnetic fusion reactor blanket using a liquid wall was made. Various coolants (Flibe, Flibe + 4% mol ThF 4, Flibe + 8% mol ThF 4, Li 20Sn 80) were used to investigate their effect on the radiation damage of first wall materials. Calculations were carried out by using the code Scale4.3 to solve Boltzmann neutron transport equation. Numerical results brought out that the ferritic steel with Flibe based coolants showed the best performance with respect to radiation damage.

Rapid reductions in prices for generic sofosbuvir and daclatasvir to treat hepatitis C.

PubMed

Hill, Andrew; Simmons, Bryony; Gotham, Dzintars; Fortunak, Joseph

2016-01-01

Novel treatments for hepatitis C demonstrate high cure rates, but current high prices can be a barrier to rapid global treatment scale-up. Generic competition can rapidly lower drug prices. Using data on exports of raw materials in 2015, we calculated currently feasible generic prices of sofosbuvir and daclatasvir. Data on per-kilogram prices of sofosbuvir and daclatasvir active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) exported from India were extracted from an online database. To the cost of the amount of API needed for a 12-week treatment course, we added cost estimates for formulation (40%), packaging (US$0.35/month), and a mark-up (50%). Between 1 January and 15 October 2015, over 5 tons of sofosbuvir were exported, with prices decreasing by US$702/kg/month, and observed prices of US$2501/kg in early September. Over the same period, 84 kg of daclatasvir were exported, with prices decreasing by US$1664/kg/month to US$1897/kg. Using the price estimation algorithm, we estimated the price of a generic sofosbuvir-daclatasvir combination regimen at US$200 per patient for a 12-week treatment course. The costs of generic production of sofosbuvir and daclatasvir are rapidly decreasing. Sofosbuvir-daclatasvir combination treatment could be produced for US$200 per patient per 12-week course.

Fabrication and Testing of Ceramic Matrix Composite Rocket Propulsion Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Effinger, M. R.; Clinton, R. C., Jr.; Dennis, J.; Elam, S.; Genge, G.; Eckel, A.; Jaskowiak, M. H.; Kiser, J. D.; Lang, J.

2001-01-01

NASA has established goals for Second and Third Generation Reusable Launch Vehicles. Emphasis has been placed on significantly improving safety and decreasing the cost of transporting payloads to orbit. Ceramic matrix composites (CMC) components are being developed by NASA to enable significant increases in safety and engineer performance, while reducing costs. The development of the following CMC components are being pursued by NASA: (1) Simplex CMC Blisk; (2) Cooled CMC Nozzle Ramps; (3) Cooled CMC Thrust Chambers; and (4) CMC Gas Generator. These development efforts are application oriented, but have a strong underpinning of fundamental understanding of processing-microstructure-property relationships relative to structural analyses, nondestructive characterization, and material behavior analysis at the coupon and component and system operation levels. As each effort matures, emphasis will be placed on optimizing and demonstrating material/component durability, ideally using a combined Building Block Approach and Build and Bust Approach.

Dye Sensitized Solar Cells for Economically Viable Photovoltaic Systems.

PubMed

Jung, Hyun Suk; Lee, Jung-Kun

2013-05-16

TiO2 nanoparticle-based dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have attracted a significant level of scientific and technological interest for their potential as economically viable photovoltaic devices. While DSSCs have multiple benefits such as material abundance, a short energy payback period, constant power output, and compatibility with flexible applications, there are still several challenges that hold back large scale commercialization. Critical factors determining the future of DSSCs involve energy conversion efficiency, long-term stability, and production cost. Continuous advancement of their long-term stability suggests that state-of-the-art DSSCs will operate for over 20 years without a significant decrease in performance. Nevertheless, key questions remain in regards to energy conversion efficiency improvements and material cost reduction. In this Perspective, the present state of the field and the ongoing efforts to address the requirements of DSSCs are summarized with views on the future of DSSCs.

Dechlorination of small quantities of mixed waste from a DOE site

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

Hoeffner, S.L.

1994-12-31

Sludge from tank bottoms containing PCB`s, radioactivity and hazardous constituents are present in several tanks at one of the National Laboratories. Disposal of the material can proceed if the material is removed from TSCA regulations by decreasing the concentration of the PCB`s to {le}2 ppm. ON the bench scale, this sludge was treated by the DECHLOR/KGME{sup {trademark}} chemical dechlorination process. The levels of PCB`s were reduced to below 2 ppm, allowing the material to be managed outside the TSCA regulations. RUST believes that this is the first successful chemical dechlorination of a radioactive, RCRA listed, PCB bearing waste. A pilotmore » scale unit is available to provide on-site treatment of the remaining waste. Because of the small amounts of waste, treatment costs are high on a per unit volume. As a result of these high costs and other concerns the client is investigating potential non-treatment options of delisting the waste of obtaining a waiver. In the event that this particular waste cannot be delisted or a waiver is not granted, then dechlorination of the waste to remove it from TSCA regulations remains a viable option to allow the material to be disposed.« less

Nanostructured materials for water desalination.

PubMed

Humplik, T; Lee, J; O'Hern, S C; Fellman, B A; Baig, M A; Hassan, S F; Atieh, M A; Rahman, F; Laoui, T; Karnik, R; Wang, E N

2011-07-22

Desalination of seawater and brackish water is becoming an increasingly important means to address the scarcity of fresh water resources in the world. Decreasing the energy requirements and infrastructure costs of existing desalination technologies remains a challenge. By enabling the manipulation of matter and control of transport at nanometer length scales, the emergence of nanotechnology offers new opportunities to advance water desalination technologies. This review focuses on nanostructured materials that are directly involved in the separation of water from salt as opposed to mitigating issues such as fouling. We discuss separation mechanisms and novel transport phenomena in materials including zeolites, carbon nanotubes, and graphene with potential applications to reverse osmosis, capacitive deionization, and multi-stage flash, among others. Such nanostructured materials can potentially enable the development of next-generation desalination systems with increased efficiency and capacity.

Nanostructured materials for water desalination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Humplik, T.; Lee, J.; O'Hern, S. C.; Fellman, B. A.; Baig, M. A.; Hassan, S. F.; Atieh, M. A.; Rahman, F.; Laoui, T.; Karnik, R.; Wang, E. N.

2011-07-01

Desalination of seawater and brackish water is becoming an increasingly important means to address the scarcity of fresh water resources in the world. Decreasing the energy requirements and infrastructure costs of existing desalination technologies remains a challenge. By enabling the manipulation of matter and control of transport at nanometer length scales, the emergence of nanotechnology offers new opportunities to advance water desalination technologies. This review focuses on nanostructured materials that are directly involved in the separation of water from salt as opposed to mitigating issues such as fouling. We discuss separation mechanisms and novel transport phenomena in materials including zeolites, carbon nanotubes, and graphene with potential applications to reverse osmosis, capacitive deionization, and multi-stage flash, among others. Such nanostructured materials can potentially enable the development of next-generation desalination systems with increased efficiency and capacity.

Performance of Hydrophobisation Techniques in Case of Reinforced Concrete Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Błaszczyński, Tomasz; Osesek, Mateusz; Gwozdowski, Błażej; Ilski, Mirosław

2017-10-01

Concrete is, unchangeably, one of the most frequently applied building materials, also in the case of bridges, overpasses or viaducts. Along with the aging of such structures, the degradation of concrete, which may accelerate the corrosion of reinforcing steel and drastically decrease the load-bearing capacity of the structure, becomes an important issue. The paper analyzes the possibilities of using deep hydrophobisation in repairing reinforced concrete engineering structures. The benefits of properly securing reinforced concrete structures from the damaging effects of UV radiation, the influence of harmful gases, or progression of chlorine induced corrosion have been presented, especially in regards to bridge structures. The need to calculate the costs of carrying out investments along with the expected costs of maintaining such structures, as well as the high share of costs connected with logistics, has also been indicated in the total costs of repair works.

Implementing Lean Six Sigma to achieve inventory control in supply chain management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Chen

2017-11-01

The inventory cost has important impact on the production cost. In order to get the maximum circulation of funds of enterprise with minimum inventory cost, the inventory control with Lean Six Sigma is presented in supply chain management. The inventory includes both the raw material and the semi-finished parts in manufacturing process. Though the inventory is often studied, the inventory control in manufacturing process is seldom mentioned. This paper reports the inventory control from the perspective of manufacturing process by using statistical techniques including DMAIC, Control Chart, and Statistical Process Control. The process stability is evaluated and the process capability is verified with Lean Six Sigma philosophy. The demonstration in power meter production shows the inventory is decreased from 25% to 0.4%, which indicates the inventory control can be achieved with Lean Six Sigma philosophy and the inventory cost in production can be saved for future sustainable development in supply chain management.

A cost-effective approach to establishing a surgical skills laboratory.

PubMed

Berg, David A; Milner, Richard E; Fisher, Carol A; Goldberg, Amy J; Dempsey, Daniel T; Grewal, Harsh

2007-11-01

Recent studies comparing inexpensive low-fidelity box trainers to expensive computer-based virtual reality systems demonstrate similar acquisition of surgical skills and transferability to the clinical setting. With new mandates emerging that all surgical residency programs have access to a surgical skills laboratory, we describe our cost-effective approach to teaching basic and advanced open and laparoscopic skills utilizing inexpensive bench models, box trainers, and animate models. Open models (basic skills, bowel anastomosis, vascular anastomosis, trauma skills) and laparoscopic models (basic skills, cholecystectomy, Nissen fundoplication, suturing and knot tying, advanced in vivo skills) are constructed using a combination of materials found in our surgical research laboratories, retail stores, or donated by industry. Expired surgical materials are obtained from our hospital operating room and animal organs from food-processing plants. In vivo models are performed in an approved research facility. Operation, maintenance, and administration of the surgical skills laboratory are coordinated by a salaried manager, and instruction is the responsibility of all surgical faculty from our institution. Overall, the cost analyses of our initial startup costs and operational expenditures over a 3-year period revealed a progressive decrease in yearly cost per resident (2002-2003, $1,151; 2003-2004, $1,049; and 2004-2005, $982). Our approach to surgical skills education can serve as a template for any surgery program with limited financial resources.

Routing of radioactive shipments in networks with time-varying costs and curfews

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

Bowler, L.A.; Mahmassani, H.S.

This research examines routing of radioactive shipments in highway networks with time-dependent travel times and population densities. A time-dependent least-cost path (TDLCP) algorithm that uses a label-correcting approach is adapted to include curfews and waiting at nodes. A method is developed to estimate time-dependent population densities, which are required to estimate risk associated with the use of a particular highway link at a particular time. The TDLCP algorithm is implemented for example networks and used to examine policy questions related to radioactive shipments. It is observed that when only Interstate highway facilities are used to transport these materials, a shipmentmore » must go through many cities and has difficulty avoiding all of them during their rush hour periods. Decreases in risk, increased departure time flexibility, and modest increases in travel times are observed when primary and/or secondary roads are included in the network. Based on the results of the example implementation, the suitability of the TDLCP algorithm for strategic nuclear material and general radioactive material shipments is demonstrated.« less

Low-cost electromagnetic shielding using drywall composites: results of RFI (radio-frequency interference) testing of a shielding effectiveness. Final technical report

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

Williams, P.F.; Heyen, K.K.; McCormack, R.G.

1987-10-01

Because of developments in electronics technology, the need for electromagnetic shielding has increased. To reduce the cost of this shielding, new materials are needed. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District (FWD), and the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (USA-CERL) have developed composite materials that use standard, construction-grade, aluminum foil-backed gypsum board in combination with either a metal mesh or lead foil. Special seams for these composites were designed by U.S. Gypsum Company. USA-CERL evaluated the adequacy of each material and seam design by using radio-frequency antennas and receivers to measure its shielding effectiveness when mounted inmore » the wall of a shielded room. These evaluations showed that the composite panels met the specified requirement of 60 decibels (dB) of shielding. The composites were also shown to be adequate for most communications security applications. However, the addition of a seam decreased shielding by as much as 10 dB.« less

Nonepitaxial Thin-Film InP for Scalable and Efficient Photocathodes.

PubMed

Hettick, Mark; Zheng, Maxwell; Lin, Yongjing; Sutter-Fella, Carolin M; Ager, Joel W; Javey, Ali

2015-06-18

To date, some of the highest performance photocathodes of a photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell have been shown with single-crystalline p-type InP wafers, exhibiting half-cell solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiencies of over 14%. However, the high cost of single-crystalline InP wafers may present a challenge for future large-scale industrial deployment. Analogous to solar cells, a thin-film approach could address the cost challenges by utilizing the benefits of the InP material while decreasing the use of expensive materials and processes. Here, we demonstrate this approach, using the newly developed thin-film vapor-liquid-solid (TF-VLS) nonepitaxial growth method combined with an atomic-layer deposition protection process to create thin-film InP photocathodes with large grain size and high performance, in the first reported solar device configuration generated by materials grown with this technique. Current-voltage measurements show a photocurrent (29.4 mA/cm(2)) and onset potential (630 mV) approaching single-crystalline wafers and an overall power conversion efficiency of 11.6%, making TF-VLS InP a promising photocathode for scalable and efficient solar hydrogen generation.

COSTS AND COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF A TELE-ICU PROGRAM IN SIX INTENSIVE CARE UNITS IN A LARGE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

PubMed Central

Franzini, Luisa; Sail, Kavita R.; Thomas, Eric J; Wueste, Laura

2011-01-01

Purpose To estimate the costs and cost-effectiveness of a tele-ICU program. Materials and methods We used an observational study with ICU patients cared for during the pre-tele-ICU period and ICU patients cared for during the post-tele-ICU period in 6 ICUs at 5 hospitals, part of a large non-profit health care system in the Gulf Coast region. We obtained data on a sample of 4142 ICU patients: 2,034 in the pre-tele-ICU period and 2,108 in the post-tele-ICU period. Economic outcomes were hospital costs, ICU costs and floor costs, measured for average daily costs, costs per case, and costs per patient. Results After the implementation of the tele-ICU, the hospital daily cost increased from $4,302 to $5,340 (24%), the hospital cost per case from $21,967 to $31,318 (43%), and the cost per patient from $20,231 to $25,846 (28%). While the tele-ICU intervention was not cost effective in patients with SAPS II ≤ 50, it was cost effective in the sickest patients with SAPS II > 50 (17% of patients) as it decreased hospital mortality without increasing costs significantly. Conclusions Hospital administrators may conclude that a tele-ICU program aimed at the sickest patients is cost effective. PMID:21376515

Recycling Strategy for Fabricating Low-Cost and High-Performance Carbon Nanotube TFT Devices.

PubMed

Yu, Xiaoqin; Liu, Dan; Kang, Lixing; Yang, Yi; Zhang, Xiaopin; Lv, Qianjin; Qiu, Song; Jin, Hehua; Song, Qijun; Zhang, Jin; Li, Qingwen

2017-05-10

High-purity semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (s-SWNTs) can be obtained by conjugated polymer wrapping. However, further purification of sorted s-SWNTs and high costs of raw materials are still challenges to practical applications. It is inevitable that a lot of polymers still cover the surface of s-SWNTs after separation, and the cost of the polymer is relatively higher than that of SWNTs. Here, we demonstrated a facile isolated process to improve the quality of s-SWNT solutions and films significantly. Compared with the untreated s-SWNTs, the contact resistance between the s-SWNT and the electrode is reduced by 20 times, and the thin-film transistors show 300% enhancement of current density. In this process, most of the polymers can be recycled and reused directly without any purification, which can greatly decrease the cost for s-SWNT separation. The results presented herein demonstrate a new scalable and low-cost approach for large-scale application of s-SWNTs in the electronics industry.

Cellular Manufacturing System with Dynamic Lot Size Material Handling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khannan, M. S. A.; Maruf, A.; Wangsaputra, R.; Sutrisno, S.; Wibawa, T.

2016-02-01

Material Handling take as important role in Cellular Manufacturing System (CMS) design. In several study at CMS design material handling was assumed per pieces or with constant lot size. In real industrial practice, lot size may change during rolling period to cope with demand changes. This study develops CMS Model with Dynamic Lot Size Material Handling. Integer Linear Programming is used to solve the problem. Objective function of this model is minimizing total expected cost consisting machinery depreciation cost, operating costs, inter-cell material handling cost, intra-cell material handling cost, machine relocation costs, setup costs, and production planning cost. This model determines optimum cell formation and optimum lot size. Numerical examples are elaborated in the paper to ilustrate the characterictic of the model.

Investigating the Relationship between Customer Wait Time and Operational Availability through Simulation Modeling

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

STATEMENT Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE A 13. ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words) Customer Wait Time ( CWT ...inventory level, thereby increasing the material readiness of the operating forces. Intuitively, decreasing CWT increases operational availability (Ao...and CWT has led to arbitrary stock policies that do not account for the cost and benefit they provide. This project centers on monetizing the

Technology to Facilitate the Use of Impaired Waters in Cooling Towers

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

Colborn, Robert

The project goal was to develop an effective silica removal technology and couple that with existing electro-dialysis reversal (EDR) technology to achieve a cost effective treatment for impaired waters to allow for their use in the cooling towers of coal fired power plants. A quantitative target of the program was a 50% reduction in the fresh water withdrawal at a levelized cost of water of $3.90/Kgal. Over the course of the program, a new molybdenum-modified alumina was developed that significantly outperforms existing alumina materials in silica removal both kinetically and thermodynamically. The Langmuir capacity is 0.11g silica/g adsorbent. Moreover, amore » low cost recycle/regeneration process was discovered to allow for multiple recycles with minimal loss in activity. On the lab scale, five runs were carried out with no drop in performance between the second and fifth run in ability to absorb the silica from water. The Mo-modified alumina was successfully prepared on a multiple kilogram scale and a bench scale model column was used to remove 100 ppm of silica from 400 liters of simulated impaired water. Significant water savings would result from such a process and the regeneration process could be further optimized to reduce water requirements. Current barriers to implementation are the base cost of the adsorbent material and the fine powder form that would lead to back pressure on a large column. If mesoporous materials become more commonly used in other areas and the price drops from volume and process improvements, then our material would also lower in price because the amount of molybdenum needed is low and no additional processing is required. There may well be engineering solutions to the fine powder issue; in a simple concept experiment, we were able to pelletize our material with Boehmite, but lost performance due to a dramatic decrease in surface area.« less

Computational Process Modeling for Additive Manufacturing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bagg, Stacey; Zhang, Wei

2014-01-01

Computational Process and Material Modeling of Powder Bed additive manufacturing of IN 718. Optimize material build parameters with reduced time and cost through modeling. Increase understanding of build properties. Increase reliability of builds. Decrease time to adoption of process for critical hardware. Potential to decrease post-build heat treatments. Conduct single-track and coupon builds at various build parameters. Record build parameter information and QM Meltpool data. Refine Applied Optimization powder bed AM process model using data. Report thermal modeling results. Conduct metallography of build samples. Calibrate STK models using metallography findings. Run STK models using AO thermal profiles and report STK modeling results. Validate modeling with additional build. Photodiode Intensity measurements highly linear with power input. Melt Pool Intensity highly correlated to Melt Pool Size. Melt Pool size and intensity increase with power. Applied Optimization will use data to develop powder bed additive manufacturing process model.

Additive manufacture (3d printing) of plasma diagnostic components and assemblies for fusion experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sieck, Paul; Woodruff, Simon; Stuber, James; Romero-Talamas, Carlos; Rivera, William; You, Setthivoine; Card, Alexander

2015-11-01

Additive manufacturing (or 3D printing) is now becoming sufficiently accurate with a large range of materials for use in printing sensors needed universally in fusion energy research. Decreasing production cost and significantly lowering design time of energy subsystems would realize significant cost reduction for standard diagnostics commonly obtained through research grants. There is now a well-established set of plasma diagnostics, but these expensive since they are often highly complex and require customization, sometimes pace the project. Additive manufacturing (3D printing) is developing rapidly, including open source designs. Basic components can be printed for (in some cases) less than 1/100th costs of conventional manufacturing. We have examined the impact that AM can have on plasma diagnostic cost by taking 15 separate diagnostics through an engineering design using Conventional Manufacturing (CM) techniques to determine costs of components and labor costs associated with getting the diagnostic to work as intended. With that information in hand, we set about optimizing the design to exploit the benefits of AM. Work performed under DOE Contract DE-SC0011858.

Erythrocytapheresis compared with whole blood phlebotomy for the treatment of hereditary haemochromatosis

PubMed Central

Sundic, Tatjana; Hervig, Tor; Hannisdal, Signe; Assmus, Jörg; Ulvik, Rune J.; Olaussen, Richard W.; Berentsen, Sigbjørn

2014-01-01

Background Hereditary haemochromatosis may result in severe organ damage which can be prevented by therapy. We studied the possible advantages and disadvantages of erythrocytapheresis as compared with phlebotomy in patients with hereditary haemochromatosis. Materials and methods In a prospective, randomised, open-label study, patients with hereditary haemochromatosis were randomised to bi-weekly apheresis or weekly whole blood phlebotomy. Primary end-points were decrease in ferritin levels and transferrin saturation. Secondary endpoints were decrease in haemoglobin levels, discomfort during the therapeutic procedure, costs and technicians’ working time. Results Sixty-two patients were included. Thirty patients were randomised to apheresis and 32 to whole blood phlebotomy. Initially, ferritin levels declined more rapidly in the apheresis group, and the difference became statistically highly significant at 11 weeks; however, time to normalisation of ferritin level was equal in the two groups. We observed no significant differences in decline of transferrin saturation, haemoglobin levels or discomfort. The mean cumulative technician time consumption until the ferritin level reached 50 μg/L was longer in the apheresis group, but the difference was not statistically significant. The cumulative costs for materials until achievement of the desired ferritin levels were three-fold higher in the apheresis group. Conclusion Treatment of hereditary haemochromatosis with erythrocytapheresis instead of whole blood phlebotomy results in a more rapid initial decline in ferritin levels and a reduced number of procedures per patient, but not in earlier achievement of target ferritin level. The frequency of discomfort was equally low with the two methods. The costs and, probably, technician time consumption were higher in the apheresis group. PMID:24333062

Recent advances in 2D thermoelectric materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Jiabing; Sun, Qiang; Jena, Puru

2016-12-01

The waste heat generated by car engines, power plants, home furnaces and other fossil fuel-burning machinery play an adverse role in the climate. Development of efficient, light-weight, cost-effective, and environmentally-benign thermoelectric materials can help in converting wasted heat into useable energy, thus helping the environment. In this brief review we discuss theoretical methods that can complement experimental search for efficient thermoelectric materials. Using Boltzmann transport theory with a constant relaxation time approximation and non-equilibrium Green's function approach we study thermoelectric parameters by focusing on two dimensional materials ranging from graphene and graphdiyne to phosphorene, transition metal dichalogenides and metal carbides. In some circumstances, the reduced dimension is found to increase the Seebeck coefficient and decrease the thermal conductivity, necessary for improving thermoelectric conversion performance. We also suggest some future studies in this topic.

Materials Development: Pitfalls, Successes, and Lessons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Sylvia M.

2010-01-01

The incorporation of new or improved materials in aerospace systems, or indeed any systems, can yield tremendous payoffs in the system performance or cost, and in many cases can be enabling for a mission or concept. However, the availability of new materials requires advance development, and too often this is neglected or postponed, leaving a project or mission with little choice. In too many cases, the immediate reaction is to use what was used before; this usually turns out not to be possible and results in large sums of money, and amounts of time, being expended on reinvention rather than development of a material with extended capabilities. Material innovation and development is time consuming, with some common wisdom claiming that the timeline is at least 20 years. This time expands considerably when development is stopped and restarted, or knowledge is lost. Down selection of materials is necessary, especially as the Technical Readiness Level (TRL) increases. However, the costs must be considered and approaches should be taken to retain knowledge and allow for restarting the development process. Regardless of the exact time required, it is clear that it is necessary to have materials, at all stages of development, in a research and development pipeline and available for maturation as required. This talk will discuss some of theses issues, including some of the elements for a development path for materials. Some history of materials developments will be included. The usefulness of computational materials science, as a route to decreasing material development time, will be an important element of this discussion. Collaboration with outside institutions and nations is also critical for innovation, but raises the issues of intellectual property and protections, and national security (ITAR rules, for example).

Solar Weather Ice Monitoring Station (SWIMS). A low cost, extreme/harsh environment, solar powered, autonomous sensor data gathering and transmission system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chetty, S.; Field, L. A.

2013-12-01

The Arctic ocean's continuing decrease of summer-time ice is related to rapidly diminishing multi-year ice due to the effects of climate change. Ice911 Research aims to develop environmentally respectful materials that when deployed will increase the albedo, enhancing the formation and/preservation of multi-year ice. Small scale deployments using various materials have been done in Canada, California's Sierra Nevada Mountains and a pond in Minnesota to test the albedo performance and environmental characteristics of these materials. SWIMS is a sophisticated autonomous sensor system being developed to measure the albedo, weather, water temperature and other environmental parameters. The system (SWIMS) employs low cost, high accuracy/precision sensors, high resolution cameras, and an extreme environment command and data handling computer system using satellite and terrestrial wireless communication. The entire system is solar powered with redundant battery backup on a floating buoy platform engineered for low temperature (-40C) and high wind conditions. The system also incorporates tilt sensors, sonar based ice thickness sensors and a weather station. To keep the costs low, each SWIMS unit measures incoming and reflected radiation from the four quadrants around the buoy. This allows data from four sets of sensors, cameras, weather station, water temperature probe to be collected and transmitted by a single on-board solar powered computer. This presentation covers the technical, logistical and cost challenges in designing, developing and deploying these stations in remote, extreme environments. Image captured by camera #3 of setting sun on the SWIMS station One of the images captured by SWIMS Camera #4

Computational materials chemistry for carbon capture using porous materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Abhishek; Huang, Runhong; Malani, Ateeque; Babarao, Ravichandar

2017-11-01

Control over carbon dioxide (CO2) release is extremely important to decrease its hazardous effects on the environment such as global warming, ocean acidification, etc. For CO2 capture and storage at industrial point sources, nanoporous materials offer an energetically viable and economically feasible approach compared to chemisorption in amines. There is a growing need to design and synthesize new nanoporous materials with enhanced capability for carbon capture. Computational materials chemistry offers tools to screen and design cost-effective materials for CO2 separation and storage, and it is less time consuming compared to trial and error experimental synthesis. It also provides a guide to synthesize new materials with better properties for real world applications. In this review, we briefly highlight the various carbon capture technologies and the need of computational materials design for carbon capture. This review discusses the commonly used computational chemistry-based simulation methods for structural characterization and prediction of thermodynamic properties of adsorbed gases in porous materials. Finally, simulation studies reported on various potential porous materials, such as zeolites, porous carbon, metal organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs), for CO2 capture are discussed.

Development and evaluation of low-cost walker with trunk support for senior citizen.

PubMed

Poier, Paloma Hohmann; Godke, Francisco; Foggiatto, José Aguiomar; Ulbricht, Leandra

2017-10-09

Develop and evaluate a low-cost walker with trunk support for senior citizens. Two-stage descriptive study: development of a walker with trunk support and evaluation with fourth age senior citizens. Twenty-three fourth age senior citizens were selected. The evaluated criteria were the immediate influence of the walker on the static stabilometry with baropodometer and the evaluation of gait with accelerometers monitoring time and amplitude of the hip movement. There was a significant decrease in the body oscillation of senior citizens with the use of the developed walker, and there were changes in the joint amplitudes of the hip, but they were not significant. Using low-cost materials, it was possible to develop and equipment that met resistance and effectiveness requirements. The walker interfered in the balance of the senior citizens, reducing significantly the static body oscillation.

Acetate enhances startup of a H₂-producing microbial biocathode.

PubMed

Jeremiasse, Adriaan W; Hamelers, Hubertus V M; Croese, Elsemiek; Buisman, Cees J N

2012-03-01

H(2) can be produced from organic matter with a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC). To decrease MEC capital costs, a cathode is needed that is made of low-cost material and produces H(2) at high rate. A microbial biocathode is a low-cost candidate, but suffers from a long startup and a low H(2) production rate. In this study, the effects of cathode potential and carbon source on microbial biocathode startup were investigated. Application of a more negative cathode potential did not decrease the startup time of the biocathode. If acetate instead of bicarbonate was used as carbon source, the biocathode started up more than two times faster. The faster startup was likely caused by a higher biomass yield for acetate than for bicarbonate, which was supported by thermodynamic calculations. To increase the H(2) production rate, a flow through biocathode fed with acetate was investigated. This biocathode produced 2.2 m(3) H(2) m(-3)  reactor day(-1) at a cathode potential of -0.7 V versus NHE, which was seven times that of a parallel flow biocathode of a previous study. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

EDF's studies and first choices regarding the design of electrical equipment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paris, Michel; Metzger, Gisele; Pays, Michel; Pasdeloup, Maurice

1988-01-01

In the performance of its studies and in its first choices, Electricite de France has taken into account the three parameters that have been judged essential for its electrical installations: flammability and flame propagation; smoke opacity; and corrosiveness and toxicity of emitted gases. In this research, materials tests have been widely developed in order to insure simple manufacturing controls, and to decrease the costly testing of near to full size models.

Active materials for automotive adaptive forward lighting Part 1: system requirements vs. material properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keefe, Andrew C.; Browne, Alan L.; Johnson, Nancy L.

2011-04-01

Adaptive Frontlighting Systems (AFS in GM usage) improve visibility by automatically optimizing the beam pattern to accommodate road, driving and environmental conditions. By moving, modifying, and/or adding light during nighttime, inclement weather, or in sharp turns, the driver is presented with dynamic illumination not possible with static lighting systems The objective of this GM-HRL collaborative research project was to assess the potential of active materials to decrease the cost, mass, and packaging volume of current electric stepper-motor AFS designs. Solid-state active material actuators, if proved suitable for this application, could be less expensive than electric motors and have lower part count, reduced size and weight, and lower acoustic and EMF noise1. This paper documents Part 1 of the collaborative study, assessing technically mature, commercially available active materials for use as actuators. Candidate materials should reduce cost and improve AFS capabilities, such as increased angular velocity on swivel. Additional benefits to AFS resulting from active materials actuators were to be identified as well such as lower part count. In addition, several notional approaches to AFS were documented to illustrate the potential function, which is developed more fully in Part 2. Part 1 was successful in verifying the feasibility of using two active materials for AFS: shape memory alloys, and piezoelectrics. In particular, this demonstration showed that all application requirements including those on actuation speed, force, and cyclic stability to effect manipulation of the filament assembly and/or the reflector could be met by piezoelectrics (as ultrasonic motors) and SMA wire actuators.

Influence of die geometry and material selection on the behavior of protective die covers in closed-die forging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Yingyan; Rosenstock, Dirk; Wolfgarten, Martin; Hirt, Gerhard

2016-10-01

Due to the fact that tooling costs make up to 30% of total costs of the final forged part, the tool life is always one main research topic in closed-die forging [1]. To improve the wear resistance of forging dies, many methods like nitriding and deposition of ceramic layers have been used. However, all these methods will lose its effect after a certain time, then tool repair or exchange is needed, which requires additional time and costs. A new method, which applies an inexpensive and changeable sheet metal on the forging die to protect it from abrasive wear, was firstly proposed in [2]. According to the first investigation, the die cover is effective for decreasing thermal and mechanical loads, but there are still several challenges to overcome in this concept, like wrinkling and thinning of the die cover. Therefore, an experimental study using different geometries and die cover materials is presented within this work. The results indicate the existence of feasible application cases of this concept, since conditions are found under which a die cover made of 22MnB5 still keeps its original shape even after 7 forging cycles.

Byproduct metals and rare-earth elements used in the production of light-emitting diodes—Overview of principal sources of supply and material requirements for selected markets

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilburn, David R.

2012-01-01

The use of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is expanding because of environmental issues and the efficiency and cost savings achieved compared with use of traditional incandescent lighting. The longer life and reduced power consumption of some LEDs have led to annual energy savings, reduced maintenance costs, and lower emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides from powerplants because of the resulting decrease in energy consumption required for lighting applications when LEDs are used to replace less-energy-efficient sources. Metals such as arsenic, gallium, indium, and the rare-earth elements (REEs) cerium, europium, gadolinium, lanthanum, terbium, and yttrium are important mineral materials used in LED semiconductor technology. Most of the world's supply of these materials is produced as byproducts from the production of aluminum, copper, lead, and zinc. Most of the rare earths required for LED production in 2011 came from China, and most LED production facilities were located in Asia. The LED manufacturing process is complex and is undergoing much change with the growth of the industry and the changes in demand patterns of associated commodities. In many respects, the continued growth of the LED industry, particularly in the general lighting sector, is tied to its ability to increase LED efficiency and color uniformity while decreasing the costs of producing, purchasing, and operating LEDs. Research is supported by governments of China, the European Union, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States. Because of the volume of ongoing research in this sector, it is likely that the material requirements of future LEDs may be quite different than LEDs currently (2011) in use as industry attempts to cut costs by reducing material requirements of expensive heavy rare-earth phosphors and increasing the sizes of wafers for economies of scale. Improved LED performance will allow customers to reduce the number of LEDs in automotive, electronic, and lighting applications, which could reduce the overall demand for material components. Non-Chinese sources for rare earths are being developed, and some of these new sources are likely to be operational in time to meet increasing demand for rare earths from the LED sector. Because most LED component production and manufacturing occurs in Asia and many LED producers have established supply contracts with Chinese producers of rare earths, a significant amount of the metallic gallium, indium, and the rare earths used for LED production will likely continue to come from Chinese sources at least for the next 5 years; however, a greater amount of these materials are now being processed in Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Taiwan. As non-Chinese sources of rare earths come into production, these new mines are likely to be sources of light REEs, but China will likely remain the leading source of supply for the heavy REEs suitable for use as LED dopants and phosphors at least for the next few years. Increased research in the development of phosphors that use smaller amounts of or different REEs is intended to reduce dependence on rare earths from China. Supply disruption of rare earths and other specialty metals could take place if China's specialty metal exports are redirected to domestic markets. The cost of recovery is high and the lifespan for LEDs is comparatively long; thus, the LED waste volume was low in 2010, and few LEDs were recycled. The minute metal content of LEDs leads to a high cost for recovery, so recycling of LEDs outside of electronic waste is unlikely in the near term, although some LED producers are evaluating recycling options. Recycling of metals from LEDs in electronic waste is possible if the costs of recovering metals are justified by demand and metal prices.

Analysis of the Effect of Module Thickness Reduction on Thermoelectric Generator Output

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brito, F. P.; Figueiredo, L.; Rocha, L. A.; Cruz, A. P.; Goncalves, L. M.; Martins, J.; Hall, M. J.

2016-03-01

Conventional thermoelectric generators (TEGs) used in applications such as exhaust heat recovery are typically limited in terms of power density due to their low efficiency. Additionally, they are generally costly due to the bulk use of rare-earth elements such as tellurium. If less material could be used for the same output, then the power density and the overall cost per kilowatt (kW) of electricity produced could drop significantly, making TEGs a more attractive solution for energy harvesting of waste heat. The present work assesses the effect of reducing the amount of thermoelectric (TE) material used (namely by reducing the module thickness) on the electrical output of conventional bismuth telluride TEGs. Commercial simulation packages (ANSYS CFX and thermal-electric) and bespoke models were used to simulate the TEGs at various degrees of detail. Effects such as variation of the thermal and electrical contact resistance and the component thickness and the effect of using an element supporting matrix (e.g., eggcrate) instead of having air conduction in void areas have been assessed. It was found that indeed it is possible to reduce the use of bulk TE material while retaining power output levels equivalent to thicker modules. However, effects such as thermal contact resistance were found to become increasingly important as the active TE material thickness was decreased.

An Innovative Porous Nanocomposite Material for the Removal of Phenolic Compounds from Aqueous Solutions.

PubMed

Turco, Antonio; Monteduro, Anna Grazia; Mazzotta, Elisabetta; Maruccio, Giuseppe; Malitesta, Cosimino

2018-05-16

Energy efficient, low-cost, user-friendly, and green methods for the removal of toxic phenolic compounds from aqueous solution are necessary for waste treatment in industrial applications. Herein we present an interesting approach for the utilization of oxidized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the removal of phenolic compounds from aqueous solution. Dried pristine CNTs were stably incorporated in a solid porous support of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) facilitating the handling during both oxidation process of the nanomaterial and uptake of phenolic compounds, and enabling their safe disposal, avoiding expensive post-treatment processes. The adsorption studies indicated that the materials can efficiently remove phenolic compounds from water with different affinities towards different phenolic compounds. Furthermore, the adsorption kinetics and isotherms were studied in detail. The experimental data of adsorption fitted well with Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, and pseudo-second-order kinetics, and the results indicated that the adsorption process was controlled by a two-step intraparticle diffusion model. The incorporation of CNTs in polymeric matrices did not affect their functionality in phenol uptake. The material was also successfully used for the removal of phenolic compounds from agricultural waste, suggesting its possible application in the treatment of wastewater. Moreover, the surface of the material could be regenerated, decreasing treatment costs.

Impact of Robotic Antineoplastic Preparation on Safety, Workflow, and Costs

PubMed Central

Seger, Andrew C.; Churchill, William W.; Keohane, Carol A.; Belisle, Caryn D.; Wong, Stephanie T.; Sylvester, Katelyn W.; Chesnick, Megan A.; Burdick, Elisabeth; Wien, Matt F.; Cotugno, Michael C.; Bates, David W.; Rothschild, Jeffrey M.

2012-01-01

Purpose: Antineoplastic preparation presents unique safety concerns and consumes significant pharmacy staff time and costs. Robotic antineoplastic and adjuvant medication compounding may provide incremental safety and efficiency advantages compared with standard pharmacy practices. Methods: We conducted a direct observation trial in an academic medical center pharmacy to compare the effects of usual/manual antineoplastic and adjuvant drug preparation (baseline period) with robotic preparation (intervention period). The primary outcomes were serious medication errors and staff safety events with the potential for harm of patients and staff, respectively. Secondary outcomes included medication accuracy determined by gravimetric techniques, medication preparation time, and the costs of both ancillary materials used during drug preparation and personnel time. Results: Among 1,421 and 972 observed medication preparations, we found nine (0.7%) and seven (0.7%) serious medication errors (P = .8) and 73 (5.1%) and 28 (2.9%) staff safety events (P = .007) in the baseline and intervention periods, respectively. Drugs failed accuracy measurements in 12.5% (23 of 184) and 0.9% (one of 110) of preparations in the baseline and intervention periods, respectively (P < .001). Mean drug preparation time increased by 47% when using the robot (P = .009). Labor costs were similar in both study periods, although the ancillary material costs decreased by 56% in the intervention period (P < .001). Conclusion: Although robotically prepared antineoplastic and adjuvant medications did not reduce serious medication errors, both staff safety and accuracy of medication preparation were improved significantly. Future studies are necessary to address the overall cost effectiveness of these robotic implementations. PMID:23598843

North of the 46° parallel: Obstacles and challenges to recycling in Ontario's rural and northern communities.

PubMed

Lakhan, Calvin

2015-10-01

This study examines the economic challenges of recycling in Ontario's rural and northern areas. Specifically, this study quantifies the economic and diversion impact of operating recycling programs in these regions. Using a systems based cost model, focus is placed on analyzing: (1) What would happen to provincial recycling costs and diversion levels if recycling programs were eliminated in "high cost" northern and rural communities? (2) Is it possible to increase the provincial recycling rate by focusing investments in low cost, high performance regions (while simultaneously eliminating recycling programs in rural and northern areas)? (3) How would the mix of material recovered change if recycling programs were eliminated in rural and northern areas? The results of this analysis show that eliminating recycling programs in high cost regions significantly decreased system costs without negatively impacting overall recycling rates. This study also found that it was possible to increase the provincial recycling rate while simultaneously reducing program costs by targeting specific regions for recovery. The findings of this study suggest that Ontario reevaluate whether rural and northern municipalities be legislatively required to operate household recycling programs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Method for sequestering CO.sub.2 and SO.sub.2 utilizing a plurality of waste streams

DOEpatents

Soong, Yee [Monroeville, PA; Allen, Douglas E [Salem, MA; Zhu, Chen [Monroe County, IN

2011-04-12

A neutralization/sequestration process is provided for concomitantly addressing capture and sequestration of both CO.sub.2 and SO.sub.2 from industrial gas byproduct streams. The invented process concomitantly treats and minimizes bauxite residues from aluminum production processes and brine wastewater from oil/gas production processes. The benefits of this integrated approach to coincidental treatment of multiple industrial waste byproduct streams include neutralization of caustic byproduct such as bauxite residue, thereby decreasing the risk associated with the long-term storage and potential environmental of storing caustic materials, decreasing or obviating the need for costly treatment of byproduct brines, thereby eliminating the need to purchase CaO or similar scrubber reagents typically required for SO.sub.2 treatment of such gasses, and directly using CO.sub.2 from flue gas to neutralize bauxite residue/brine mixtures, without the need for costly separation of CO.sub.2 from the industrial byproduct gas stream by processes such as liquid amine-based scrubbers.

Innovative Concept for the Recovery of Silver and Indium by a Combined Treatment of Jarosite and Electric Arc Furnace Dust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wegscheider, S.; Steinlechner, S.; Leuchtenmüller, M.

2017-02-01

Industrial wastes such as slags, dust, or precipitation residues contain significant amounts of valuable metals like zinc, lead, and copper as well as precious metals like silver and indium. Nevertheless, a lot of these waste materials are not recycled, and therefore, many valuable metals end up being sent to landfills. Because of harmful components in the waste, it is often necessary to send it to specialized landfills for hazardous wastes, which leads to environmental problems as well as additional costs. Consequently, the recovery of the valuable metals from the residues represents a sensible task to decrease the negative impact on the environment and to reduce costs for maintaining a landfill. In addition, recycling helps to decrease the dependency from primary resources. The present study deals with the behavior of different metals in a pyro-metallurgical treatment for a mixture of jarosite and electric arc furnace dust with a special focus on indium and silver.

Comprehensive investigation into historical pipeline construction costs and engineering economic analysis of Alaska in-state gas pipeline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rui, Zhenhua

This study analyzes historical cost data of 412 pipelines and 220 compressor stations. On the basis of this analysis, the study also evaluates the feasibility of an Alaska in-state gas pipeline using Monte Carlo simulation techniques. Analysis of pipeline construction costs shows that component costs, shares of cost components, and learning rates for material and labor costs vary by diameter, length, volume, year, and location. Overall average learning rates for pipeline material and labor costs are 6.1% and 12.4%, respectively. Overall average cost shares for pipeline material, labor, miscellaneous, and right of way (ROW) are 31%, 40%, 23%, and 7%, respectively. Regression models are developed to estimate pipeline component costs for different lengths, cross-sectional areas, and locations. An analysis of inaccuracy in pipeline cost estimation demonstrates that the cost estimation of pipeline cost components is biased except for in the case of total costs. Overall overrun rates for pipeline material, labor, miscellaneous, ROW, and total costs are 4.9%, 22.4%, -0.9%, 9.1%, and 6.5%, respectively, and project size, capacity, diameter, location, and year of completion have different degrees of impacts on cost overruns of pipeline cost components. Analysis of compressor station costs shows that component costs, shares of cost components, and learning rates for material and labor costs vary in terms of capacity, year, and location. Average learning rates for compressor station material and labor costs are 12.1% and 7.48%, respectively. Overall average cost shares of material, labor, miscellaneous, and ROW are 50.6%, 27.2%, 21.5%, and 0.8%, respectively. Regression models are developed to estimate compressor station component costs in different capacities and locations. An investigation into inaccuracies in compressor station cost estimation demonstrates that the cost estimation for compressor stations is biased except for in the case of material costs. Overall average overrun rates for compressor station material, labor, miscellaneous, land, and total costs are 3%, 60%, 2%, -14%, and 11%, respectively, and cost overruns for cost components are influenced by location and year of completion to different degrees. Monte Carlo models are developed and simulated to evaluate the feasibility of an Alaska in-state gas pipeline by assigning triangular distribution of the values of economic parameters. Simulated results show that the construction of an Alaska in-state natural gas pipeline is feasible at three scenarios: 500 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd), 750 mmcfd, and 1000 mmcfd.

Low-Cost Composite Materials and Structures for Aircraft Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deo, Ravi B.; Starnes, James H., Jr.; Holzwarth, Richard C.

2003-01-01

A survey of current applications of composite materials and structures in military, transport and General Aviation aircraft is presented to assess the maturity of composites technology, and the payoffs realized. The results of the survey show that performance requirements and the potential to reduce life cycle costs for military aircraft and direct operating costs for transport aircraft are the main reasons for the selection of composite materials for current aircraft applications. Initial acquisition costs of composite airframe components are affected by high material costs and complex certification tests which appear to discourage the widespread use of composite materials for aircraft applications. Material suppliers have performed very well to date in developing resin matrix and fiber systems for improved mechanical, durability and damage tolerance performance. The next challenge for material suppliers is to reduce material costs and to develop materials that are suitable for simplified and inexpensive manufacturing processes. The focus of airframe manufacturers should be on the development of structural designs that reduce assembly costs by the use of large-scale integration of airframe components with unitized structures and manufacturing processes that minimize excessive manual labor.

Analysis of the influence of advanced materials for aerospace products R&D and manufacturing cost

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, A. W.; Guo, J. L.; Wang, Z. J.

2015-12-01

In this paper, we pointed out the deficiency of traditional cost estimation model about aerospace products Research & Development (R&D) and manufacturing based on analyzing the widely use of advanced materials in aviation products. Then we put up with the estimating formulas of cost factor, which representing the influences of advanced materials on the labor cost rate and manufacturing materials cost rate. The values ranges of the common advanced materials such as composite materials, titanium alloy are present in the labor and materials two aspects. Finally, we estimate the R&D and manufacturing cost of F/A-18, F/A- 22, B-1B and B-2 aircraft based on the common DAPCA IV model and the modified model proposed by this paper. The calculation results show that the calculation precision improved greatly by the proposed method which considering advanced materials. So we can know the proposed method is scientific and reasonable.

Costs, Benefits, and Adoption of Additive Manufacturing: A Supply Chain Perspective

PubMed Central

Thomas, Douglas

2017-01-01

There are three primary aspects to the economics of additive manufacturing: measuring the value of goods produced, measuring the costs and benefits of using the technology, and estimating the adoption and diffusion of the technology. This paper provides an updated estimate of the value of goods produced. It then reviews the literature on additive manufacturing costs and identifies those instances in the literature where this technology is cost effective. The paper then goes on to propose an approach for examining and understanding the societal costs and benefits of this technology both from a monetary viewpoint and a resource consumption viewpoint. The final section discusses the trends in the adoption of additive manufacturing. Globally, there is an estimated $667 million in value added produced using additive manufacturing, which equates to 0.01 % of total global manufacturing value added. US value added is estimated as $241 million. Current research on additive manufacturing costs reveals that it is cost effective for manufacturing small batches with continued centralized production; however, with increased automation distributed production may become cost effective. Due to the complexities of measuring additive manufacturing costs and data limitations, current studies are limited in their scope. Many of the current studies examine the production of single parts and those that examine assemblies tend not to examine supply chain effects such as inventory and transportation costs along with decreased risk to supply disruption. The additive manufacturing system and the material costs constitute a significant portion of an additive manufactured product; however, these costs are declining over time. The current trends in costs and benefits have resulted in this technology representing 0.02 % of the relevant manufacturing industries in the US; however, as the costs of additive manufacturing systems decrease, this technology may become widely adopted and change the supplier, manufacturer, and consumer interactions. An examination in the adoption of additive manufacturing reveals that for this technology to exceed $4.4 billion in 2020, $16.0 billion in 2025, and $196.8 billion in 2035 it would need to deviate from its current trends of adoption. PMID:28747809

Costs, Benefits, and Adoption of Additive Manufacturing: A Supply Chain Perspective.

PubMed

Thomas, Douglas

2016-07-01

There are three primary aspects to the economics of additive manufacturing: measuring the value of goods produced, measuring the costs and benefits of using the technology, and estimating the adoption and diffusion of the technology. This paper provides an updated estimate of the value of goods produced. It then reviews the literature on additive manufacturing costs and identifies those instances in the literature where this technology is cost effective. The paper then goes on to propose an approach for examining and understanding the societal costs and benefits of this technology both from a monetary viewpoint and a resource consumption viewpoint. The final section discusses the trends in the adoption of additive manufacturing. Globally, there is an estimated $667 million in value added produced using additive manufacturing, which equates to 0.01 % of total global manufacturing value added. US value added is estimated as $241 million. Current research on additive manufacturing costs reveals that it is cost effective for manufacturing small batches with continued centralized production; however, with increased automation distributed production may become cost effective. Due to the complexities of measuring additive manufacturing costs and data limitations, current studies are limited in their scope. Many of the current studies examine the production of single parts and those that examine assemblies tend not to examine supply chain effects such as inventory and transportation costs along with decreased risk to supply disruption. The additive manufacturing system and the material costs constitute a significant portion of an additive manufactured product; however, these costs are declining over time. The current trends in costs and benefits have resulted in this technology representing 0.02 % of the relevant manufacturing industries in the US; however, as the costs of additive manufacturing systems decrease, this technology may become widely adopted and change the supplier, manufacturer, and consumer interactions. An examination in the adoption of additive manufacturing reveals that for this technology to exceed $4.4 billion in 2020, $16.0 billion in 2025, and $196.8 billion in 2035 it would need to deviate from its current trends of adoption.

Porphyrin Based Near Infrared-Absorbing Materials for Organic Photovoltaics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Qiwen

The conservation and transformation of energy is essential to the survival of mankind, and thus concerns every modern society. Solar energy, as an everlasting source of energy, holds one of the key solutions to some of the most urgent problems the world now faces, such as global warming and the oil crisis. Advances in technologies utilizing clean, abundant solar energy, could be the steering wheel of our societies. Solar cells, one of the major advances in converting solar energy into electricity, are now capturing people's interest all over the globe. While solar cells have been commercially available for many years, the manufacturing of solar cells is quite expensive, limiting their broad based implementation. The cost of solar cell based electricity is 15-50 cents per kilowatt hour (¢/kwh), depending on the type of solar cell, compared to 0.7 ¢/kwh for fossil fuel based electricity. Clearly, decreasing the cost of electricity from solar cells is critical for their wide spread deployment. This will require a decrease in the cost of light absorbing materials and material processing used in fabricating the cells. Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) utilize organic materials such as polymers and small molecules. These devices have the advantage of being flexible and lower cost than conventional solar cells built from inorganic semiconductors (e.g. silicon). The low cost of OPVs is tied to lower materials and fabrication costs of organic cells. However, the current power conversion efficiencies of OPVs are still below 15%, while convention crystalline Si cells have efficiencies of 20-25%. A key limitation in OPVs today is their inability to utilize the near infrared (NIR) portion of the solar spectrum. This part of the spectrum comprises nearly half of the energy in sunlight that could be used to make electricity. The first and foremost step in conversion solar energy conversion is the absorption of light, which nature has provided us optimal model of, which is photosynthesis. Photosynthesis uses light from the sun to drive a series of chemical reactions. Most natural photosynthetic systems utilize chlorophylls to absorb light energy and carry out photochemical charge separation that stores energy in the form of chemical bonds. The sun produces a broad spectrum of light output that ranges from gamma rays to radio waves. The entire visible range of light (400-700 nm) and some wavelengths in the NIR (700-1000 nm), are highly active in driving photosynthesis. Although the most familiar chlorophyll-containing organisms, such as plants, algae and cyanobacteria, cannot use light longer than 700 nm, anoxygenic bacterium containing bacteriochlorophylls can use the NIR part of the solar spectrum. No organism is known to utilize light of wavelength longer than about 1000 nm for photosynthesis. NIR light has a very low-energy content in each photon, so that large numbers of these low-energy photons would have to be used to drive the chemical reactions of photosynthesis. This is thermodynamically possible but would require a fundamentally different molecular mechanism that is more akin to a heat engine than to photochemistry. Early work on developing light absorbing materials for OPVs was inspired by photosynthesis in which light is absorbed by chlorophyll. Structurally related to chlorophyll is the porphyrin family, which has accordingly drawn much interest as the potential light absorbing component in OPV applications. In this dissertation, the design and detail studies of several porphyrin-based NIR absorbing materials, including pi--extended perylenyl porphryins and pyrazole-containing carbaporphyrins, as well as porphyrin modified single-walled carbon nanotube hybrids, will be presented, dedicating efforts to develop novel and application-oriented materials for efficient utilization of sustainable solar energy.

Eco-efficiency Analysis of Furniture Product Using Life Cycle Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rinawati, Dyah Ika; Sriyanto; Sari, Diana Puspita; Prayodha, Andana Cantya

2018-02-01

Furniture is one of Indonesia's main commodities strategically role in economic growth and employment in Indonesia. In their production process there many wastes resulted, such as such as sawdust, cuttings - pieces of wood, components that do not conform to specifications and the edges of wood from a log. Contrast with requirement of timber for furniture industries, availability of raw material sources decrease because of limited forest areas. Beside that, using electricity and chemical material in furniture production process have impact to environment. This study aim to assess the eco-cost and eco-efficiency ratio of the product so strategic recommendations to improve the eco-efficiency of products can be designed. The results of data processing showed the environmental costs of the furniture production process amount Rp 30.887.84. Eco-efficiency index of furniture products studied was 4,79 with the eco-efficiency ratio of 79,12%. This result means that the measured furniture products already profitable and sustainable, as well as its production process is already fairly efficient. However, improved performance of the production process can still be done to improve the eco-efficiency by minimizing the use of raw materials.

Materials and structural aspects of advanced gas-turbine helicopter engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Freche, J. C.; Acurio, J.

1979-01-01

The key to improved helicopter gas turbine engine performance lies in the development of advanced materials and advanced structural and design concepts. The modification of the low temperature components of helicopter engines (such as the inlet particle separator), the introduction of composites for use in the engine front frame, the development of advanced materials with increased use-temperature capability for the engine hot section, can result in improved performance and/or decreased engine maintenance cost. A major emphasis in helicopter engine design is the ability to design to meet a required lifetime. This, in turn, requires that the interrelated aspects of higher operating temperatures and pressures, cooling concepts, and environmental protection schemes be integrated into component design. The major material advances, coatings, and design life-prediction techniques pertinent to helicopter engines are reviewed; the current state-of-the-art is identified; and when appropriate, progress, problems, and future directions are assessed.

Corrosion-resistant catalyst supports for phosphoric acid fuel cells

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

Kosek, J.A.; Cropley, C.C.; LaConti, A.B.

High-surface-area carbon blacks such as Vulcan XC-72 (Cabot Corp.) and graphitized carbon blacks such as 2700{degree}C heat-treated Black Pearls 2000 (HTBP) (Cabot Corp.) have found widespread applications as catalyst supports in phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFCs). However, due to the operating temperatures and pressures being utilized in PAFCs currently under development, the carbon-based cathode catalyst supports suffer from corrosion, which decreases the performance and life span of a PAFC stack. The feasibility of using alternative, low-cost, corrosion-resistant catalyst support (CRCS) materials as replacements for the cathode carbon support materials was investigated. The objectives of the program were to prepare high-surface-areamore » alternative supports and to evaluate the physical characteristics and the electrochemical stability of these materials. The O{sub 2} reduction activity of the platinized CRCS materials was also evaluated. 2 refs., 3 figs.« less

Technoeconomic analysis of large scale production of pre-emergent Pseudomonas fluorescens microbial bioherbicide in Canada.

PubMed

Mupondwa, Edmund; Li, Xue; Boyetchko, Susan; Hynes, Russell; Geissler, Jon

2015-01-01

The study presents an ex ante technoeconomic analysis of commercial production of Pseudomonas fluorescens BRG100 bioherbicide in Canada. An engineering economic model is designed in SuperPro Designer® to investigate capital investment scaling and profitability. Total capital investment for a stand-alone BRG100 fermentation plant at baseline capacity (two 33,000L fermenters; 3602tonnesannum(-1)) is $17.55million. Total annual operating cost is $14.76million. Raw materials account for 50% of operating cost. The fermentation plant is profitable over wide operating scale, evaluated over a range of BRG100 prices and costs of capital. Smaller plants require higher NPV breakeven prices. However, larger plants are more sensitive to changes in the cost of capital. Unit production costs decrease as plant capacity increases, indicating scale economies. A plant operating for less than one year approaches positive NPV for periods as low as 2months. These findings can support bioherbicide R&D investment and commercialization strategies. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Encapsulant selection and durability testing experience

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cuddihy, E. F.

1985-01-01

The Flat Plate Solar Array Project (FSA) has established technically challenging cost and service life goals for photovoltaic modules. These goals are a cost of $70 sq m and an expected 30 years of service life in an outdoor weathering environment. out of the cost goal, $14 sq m is allocated for encapsulation materials, which includes the cost of a structural panel. At FSA's inception in 1975, the cumulative cost of encapsulation materials in popular use, such as room temperature vulcanized (RTV) silicones, aluminum panels, etc., greatly exceeded $14/sq m. Accordingly, it became necessary to identify and/or develop new materials and new material technologies to achieve the goals. Many of these new materials are low cost polymers that satisfy module engineering and encapsulation processing requirements but unfortunately are not intrinsically weather stable. This necessitates identifying lifetime and/or weathering deficiencies inherent in these low cost materials and developing specific approaches to enhancing weather stability.

The Effects of Surfactants on the Desorption of Organic Contaminants from Aquifer Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-08-01

costs for remediating a contaminated aquifer can be reduced by 50-80 percent using this system. A preflush of 0.1-1.0 percent concentration potassium ...use of polymers such as polyacrylic acid and polyacrylamide as sacrificial adsorbates to decrease the adsorption of a mixed nonionic and anionic...cribed by Chapman (1965) in Methods of Soils Analysis was used to determine the masses of extractable sodium, potassium , calcium and mag- nesium

A low cost, high precision extreme/harsh cold environment, autonomous sensor data gathering and transmission platform.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chetty, S.; Field, L. A.

2014-12-01

SWIMS III, is a low cost, autonomous sensor data gathering platform developed specifically for extreme/harsh cold environments. Arctic ocean's continuing decrease of summer-time ice is related to rapidly diminishing multi-year ice due to the effects of climate change. Ice911 Research aims to develop environmentally inert materials that when deployed will increase the albedo, enabling the formation and/preservation of multi-year ice. SWIMS III's sophisticated autonomous sensors are designed to measure the albedo, weather, water temperature and other environmental parameters. This platform uses low cost, high accuracy/precision sensors, extreme environment command and data handling computer system using satellite and terrestrial wireless solution. The system also incorporates tilt sensors and sonar based ice thickness sensors. The system is light weight and can be deployed by hand by a single person. This presentation covers the technical, and design challenges in developing and deploying these platforms.

The Impact of Implementing a Demand Forecasting System into a Low-Income Country’s Supply Chain

PubMed Central

Mueller, Leslie E.; Haidari, Leila A.; Wateska, Angela R.; Phillips, Roslyn J.; Schmitz, Michelle M.; Connor, Diana L.; Norman, Bryan A.; Brown, Shawn T.; Welling, Joel S.; Lee, Bruce Y.

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the potential impact and value of applications (e.g., ordering levels, storage capacity, transportation capacity, distribution frequency) of data from demand forecasting systems implemented in a lower-income country’s vaccine supply chain with different levels of population change to urban areas. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using our software, HERMES, we generated a detailed discrete event simulation model of Niger’s entire vaccine supply chain, including every refrigerator, freezer, transport, personnel, vaccine, cost, and location. We represented the introduction of a demand forecasting system to adjust vaccine ordering that could be implemented with increasing delivery frequencies and/or additions of cold chain equipment (storage and/or transportation) across the supply chain during varying degrees of population movement. RESULTS Implementing demand forecasting system with increased storage and transport frequency increased the number of successfully administered vaccine doses and lowered the logistics cost per dose up to 34%. Implementing demand forecasting system without storage/transport increases actually decreased vaccine availability in certain circumstances. DISCUSSION The potential maximum gains of a demand forecasting system may only be realized if the system is implemented to both augment the supply chain cold storage and transportation. Implementation may have some impact but, in certain circumstances, may hurt delivery. Therefore, implementation of demand forecasting systems with additional storage and transport may be the better approach. Significant decreases in the logistics cost per dose with more administered vaccines support investment in these forecasting systems. CONCLUSION Demand forecasting systems have the potential to greatly improve vaccine demand fulfillment, and decrease logistics cost/dose when implemented with storage and transportation increases direct vaccines. Simulation modeling can demonstrate the potential health and economic benefits of supply chain improvements. PMID:27219341

Ureteral Stents and Foley Catheters-Associated Urinary Tract Infections: The Role of Coatings and Materials in Infection Prevention.

PubMed

Lo, Joey; Lange, Dirk; Chew, Ben H

2014-03-10

Urinary tract infections affect many patients, especially those who are admitted to hospital and receive a bladder catheter for drainage. Catheter associated urinary tract infections are some of the most common hospital infections and cost the health care system billions of dollars. Early removal is one of the mainstays of prevention as 100% of catheters become colonized. Patients with ureteral stents are also affected by infection and antibiotic therapy alone may not be the answer. We will review the current evidence on how to prevent infections of urinary biomaterials by using different coatings, new materials, and drug eluting technologies to decrease infection rates of ureteral stents and catheters.

Dairy farm cost efficiency.

PubMed

Tauer, L W; Mishra, A K

2006-12-01

A stochastic cost equation was estimated for US dairy farms using national data from the production year 2000 to determine how farmers might reduce their cost of production. Cost of producing a unit of milk was estimated into separate frontier (efficient) and inefficiency components, with both components estimated as a function of management and causation variables. Variables were entered as impacting the frontier component as well as the efficiency component of the stochastic curve because a priori both components could be impacted. A factor that has an impact on the cost frontier was the number of hours per day the milking facility is used. Using the milking facility for more hours per day decreased frontier costs; however, inefficiency increased with increased hours of milking facility use. Thus, farmers can decrease costs with increased utilization of the milking facility, but only if they are efficient in this strategy. Parlors compared with stanchions used for milking did not decrease frontier costs, but decreased costs because of increased efficiency, as did the use of a nutritionist. Use of rotational grazing decreased frontier costs but also increased inefficiency. Older farmers were less efficient.

FE-Analysis of Stretch-Blow Moulded Bottles Using an Integrative Process Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hopmann, C.; Michaeli, W.; Rasche, S.

2011-05-01

The two-stage stretch-blow moulding process has been established for the large scale production of high quality PET containers with excellent mechanical and optical properties. The total production costs of a bottle are significantly caused by the material costs. Due to this dominant share of the bottle material, the PET industry is interested in reducing the total production costs by an optimised material efficiency. However, a reduced material inventory means decreasing wall thicknesses and therewith a reduction of the bottle properties (e.g. mechanical properties, barrier properties). Therefore, there is often a trade-off between a minimal bottle weight and adequate properties of the bottle. In order to achieve the objectives Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) techniques can assist the designer of new stretch-blow moulded containers. Hence, tools such as the process simulation and the structural analysis have become important in the blow moulding sector. The Institute of Plastics Processing (IKV) at RWTH Aachen University, Germany, has developed an integrative three-dimensional process simulation which models the complete path of a preform through a stretch-blow moulding machine. At first, the reheating of the preform is calculated by a thermal simulation. Afterwards, the inflation of the preform to a bottle is calculated by finite element analysis (FEA). The results of this step are e.g. the local wall thickness distribution and the local biaxial stretch ratios. Not only the material distribution but also the material properties that result from the deformation history of the polymer have significant influence on the bottle properties. Therefore, a correlation between the material properties and stretch ratios is considered in an integrative simulation approach developed at IKV. The results of the process simulation (wall thickness, stretch ratios) are transferred to a further simulation program and mapped on the bottles FE mesh. This approach allows a local determination of the material properties and thus a more accurate prediction of the bottle properties. The approach was applied both for a mechanical structural analysis and for a barrier analysis. First results point out that the approach can improve the FE analysis and might be a helpful tool for designing new stretch-blow moulded bottles.

Low-Cost Bio-Based Carbon Fibers for High Temperature Processing

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

Paul, Ryan Michael; Naskar, Amit

GrafTech International Holdings Inc. (GTI), under Award No. DE-EE0005779, worked with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) under CRADA No. NFE-15-05807 to develop lignin-based carbon fiber (LBCF) technology and to demonstrate LBCF performance in high-temperature products and applications. This work was unique and different from other reported LBCF work in that this study was application-focused and scalability-focused. Accordingly, the executed work was based on meeting criteria based on technology development, cost, and application suitability. High-temperature carbon fiber based insulation is used in energy intensive industries, such as metal heat treating and ceramic and semiconductor material production. Insulation plays a critical rolemore » in achieving high thermal and process efficiency, which is directly related to energy usage, cost, and product competitiveness. Current high temperature insulation is made with petroleum based carbon fibers, and one goal of this protect was to develop and demonstrate an alternative lignin (biomass) based carbon fiber that would achieve lower cost, CO2 emissions, and energy consumption and result in insulation that met or exceeded the thermal efficiency of current commercial insulation. In addition, other products were targeted to be evaluated with LBCF. As the project was designed to proceed in stages, the initial focus of this work was to demonstrate lab-scale LBCF from at least 4 different lignin precursor feedstock sources that could meet the estimated production cost of $5.00/pound and have ash level of less than 500 ppm in the carbonized insulation-grade fiber. Accordingly, a preliminary cost model was developed based on publicly available information. The team demonstrated that 4 lignin samples met the cost criteria. In addition, the ash level for the 4 carbonized lignin samples was below 500 ppm. Processing as-received lignin to produce a high purity lignin fiber was a significant accomplishment in that most industrial lignin, prior to purification, had greater than 4X the ash level needed for this project, and prior to this work there was not a clear path of how to achieve the purity target. The lab scale development of LBCF was performed with a specific functional application in mind, specifically for high temperature rigid insulation. GTI is a consumer of foreign-sourced pitch and rayon based carbon fibers for use in its high temperature insulation products, and the motivation was that LBCF had potential to decrease costs and increase product competitiveness in the marketplace through lowered raw material costs, lowered energy costs, and decreased environmental footprint. At the end of this project, the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) remained at 5 for LBCF in high temperature insulation.« less

Combining conventional and thermal drilling in order to increase speed and reduce costs of drilling operations to access deep geothermal resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossi, Edoardo; Kant, Michael A.; von Rohr, Philipp Rudolf; Saar, Martin O.

2017-04-01

The exploitation of deep geothermal resources for energy production relies on finding cost effective solutions to increase the drilling performance in hard rocks. Conventional rotary drilling techniques, based on mechanical rock exportation, result in high rates of drilling tool wearing, causing significant costs. Additionally, rotary drilling results in low drilling speeds in the typically hard crystalline basement rocks targeted for enhanced geothermal energy utilization technologies. Furthermore, even lower overall drilling rates result, when considering tripping times required to exchange worn drill tools. Therefore, alternative drilling techniques, such as hammering, thermal drilling, plasma drilling, and jetting processes are widely investigated in order to provide cost-effective alternatives to conventional drilling methods. A promising approach, that combines conventional rotary and thermal drilling techniques, is investigated in the present work. Here, the rock material is thermally weakened before being exported by conventional cutters. Heat is locally provided by a flame, which moves over the rock surface, heat-treating the material. Besides reducing the rock strength, an in-depth smoothening effect of the mechanical rock properties is observed due to the thermal treatment. This results in reduced rates of drill bit wearing and higher rates of penetration, which in turn decreases drilling costs significantly, particularly for deep-drilling projects. Due to the high heating rates, rock-hardening, commonly observed at moderate temperatures, can be avoided. The flame action can be modelled as a localized, high heat transfer coefficient flame treatment, which results in orders of magnitude higher heating rates than conventional oven treatments. Therefore, we analyse rock strength variations after different maximum temperatures, flame-based heating rates, and rock confinement pressures. The results show that flame treatments lead to a monotonous decrease of rock strength with temperature. This is different from oven treatments, where an initial increase of strength is typically observed, followed by a steep decrease upon further (slow) oven-heating. Thus, the weakening of sandstone and granite samples due to flame treatments indicates the feasibility of a combined mechanical-thermal drilling system. These results suggest that the new combined method enables improved rates of penetration in hard rocks while reducing the rate of drill tool wear. We also present possible implementations of this combined drilling system in the field. From field test results, advantages and limitations of the proposed new technology are presented, with an emphasis on accessing geothermal energy resources in crystalline basement rocks.

NASA LaRC Hazardous Material Pharmacy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Esquenet, Remy

1995-01-01

In 1993-1994 the Office of Environmental Engineering contracted SAIC to develop NASA Langley's Pollution Prevention (P2) Program. One of the priority projects identified in this contract was the development of a hazardous waste minimization (HAZMIN)/hazardous materials reutilization (HAZMART) program in the form of a Hazardous Materials Pharmacy. A hazardous materials pharmacy is designed to reduce hazardous material procurement costs and hazardous waste disposal costs. This is accomplished through the collection and reissue of excess hazardous material. Currently, a rarely used hazardous material may be stored in a shop area, unused, until it passes its expiration date. The material is then usually disposed of as a hazardous waste, often at a greater expense than the original cost of the material. While this material was on the shelf expiring, other shop areas may have ordered new supplies of the same material. The hazardous material pharmacy would act as a clearinghouse for such materials. Material that is not going to be used would be turned in to the pharmacy. Other users could then be issued this material free of charge, thereby reducing procurement costs. The use of this material by another shop prevents it from expiring, thereby reducing hazardous waste disposal costs.

Comparison of low-cost and engineered materials for phosphorus removal from organic-rich surface water.

PubMed

Boyer, Treavor H; Persaud, Amar; Banerjee, Poulomi; Palomino, Pedro

2011-10-15

Excess phosphorus (P) in lakes and rivers remains a major water quality problem on a global scale. As a result, new materials and innovative approaches to P remediation are required. Natural materials and waste byproduct materials from industrial processes have the potential to be effective materials for P removal from surface water. Advantages of natural and waste byproduct materials include their low-cost, abundant supply, and minimal preparation, especially compared with engineered materials, such as ion exchange resins and polymeric adsorbents. As a result, natural and waste byproduct materials are commonly referred to as low-cost materials. Despite the potential advantages of low-cost materials, there are critical gaps in knowledge that are preventing their effective use. In particular, there are limited data on the performance of low-cost materials in surface waters that have high concentrations of natural organic matter (NOM), and there are no systematic studies that track the changes in water chemistry following treatment with low-cost materials or compare their performance with engineered materials. Accordingly, the goal of this work was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of low-cost and engineered materials for P removal from NOM-rich surface water. Seven low-cost materials and three engineered materials were evaluated using jar tests and mini-column experiments. The test water was a surface water that had a total P concentration of 132-250 μg P/L and a total organic carbon concentration of 15-32 mg C/L. Alum sludge, a byproduct of drinking water treatment, and a hybrid anion exchange resin loaded with nanosize iron oxide were the best performing materials in terms of selective P removal in the presence of NOM and minimum undesirable secondary changes to the water chemistry. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using the intranet to deliver patient-education materials.

PubMed

Sorrentino, Catherine; Berger, Ann M; Wardian, Sue; Pattrin, Lynnee M

2002-01-01

Patient education is a critical part of healthcare delivery. Many factors reduce the amount of time nurses can devote to patient teaching. One mode of patient teaching, the use of printed materials, is an efficient and effective way to deliver and reinforce patient education. However, several barriers are associated with the method, including outdated or exhausted supplies of stock materials, expenses related to developing and printing materials, limited storage space, and the inability to locate materials when needed. The authors identified the intranet, an internal network that operates within a larger World Wide Web site, as a potential solution to these barriers. The Outpatient Oncology Clinic and Treatment Center of the Nebraska Health System, a fast-paced care setting in Omaha, agreed to serve as the project pilot area to evaluate using the intranet to generate patient-education materials. Teaching sheets about medication and symptom management, created by the oncology staff, were the first patient-education materials to be made available on the intranet. Advantages of using the intranet for patient education include online storage, decreased costs, easy access, real-time updates and distribution, and unlimited supply availability.

State-of-the-art low-cost solar reflector materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kennedy, C.; Jorgensen, G.

1994-11-01

Solar thermal technologies generate power by concentrating sunlight with large mirrors. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is working with industrial partners to develop the optical reflector materials needed for the successful deployment of this technology. The reflector materials must be low in cost and maintain high specular reflectance for extended lifetimes in severe outdoor environments. Currently, the best candidate materials for solar mirrors are silver-coated low-iron glass and silvered polymer films. Polymer reflectors are lighter in weight, offer greater flexibility in system design, and have the potential for lower cost than glass mirrors. In parallel with collaborative activities, several innovative candidate reflector-material constructions were investigated at NREL. The low-cost material requirement necessitates manufacturing compatible with mass-production techniques. Future cooperative efforts with the web-coating industry offers the promise of exciting new alternative materials and the potential for dramatic cost savings in developing advanced solar reflector materials.

High-Efficiency, Multijunction Solar Cells for Large-Scale Solar Electricity Generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurtz, Sarah

2006-03-01

A solar cell with an infinite number of materials (matched to the solar spectrum) has a theoretical efficiency limit of 68%. If sunlight is concentrated, this limit increases to about 87%. These theoretical limits are calculated using basic physics and are independent of the details of the materials. In practice, the challenge of achieving high efficiency depends on identifying materials that can effectively use the solar spectrum. Impressive progress has been made with the current efficiency record being 39%. Today's solar market is also showing impressive progress, but is still hindered by high prices. One strategy for reducing cost is to use lenses or mirrors to focus the light on small solar cells. In this case, the system cost is dominated by the cost of the relatively inexpensive optics. The value of the optics increases with the efficiency of the solar cell. Thus, a concentrator system made with 35%- 40%-efficient solar cells is expected to deliver 50% more power at a similar cost when compare with a system using 25%-efficient cells. Today's markets are showing an opportunity for large concentrator systems that didn't exist 5-10 years ago. Efficiencies may soon pass 40% and ultimately may reach 50%, providing a pathway to improved performance and decreased cost. Many companies are currently investigating this technology for large-scale electricity generation. The presentation will cover the basic physics and more practical considerations to achieving high efficiency as well as describing the current status of the concentrator industry. This work has been authored by an employee of the Midwest Research Institute under Contract No. DE- AC36-99GO10337 with the U.S. Department of Energy. The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this work, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes.

Costs of Videocartridges as Self-Instructional Materials in the Library.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, N. D. C.; Kirkhope, S.

1978-01-01

Costs for the use of videocartridges as self-instructional materials in the library are analyzed. A realistic cost per-student-use is detailed for internal productions, BBC, and Open University off-air productions, and other university productions. Previous studies of video usage are presented in considering television material costs. (RAO)

Decrease in Urinary Incontinence Management Costs in Women Enrolled in a Clinical Trial of Weight Loss to Treat Urinary Incontinence

PubMed Central

Subak, Leslee L.; Pinto, Angela Marinilli; Wing, Rena R.; Nakagawa, Sanae; Kusek, John W.; Herman, William H.; Kuppermann, Miriam

2012-01-01

Objective To estimate the effect of a decrease in urinary incontinence frequency on urinary incontinence management costs among women enrolled in a clinical trial of a weight loss intervention and to identify factors that predict change in cost. Methods This is a secondary cohort analysis of 338 obese and overweight women with ≥ 10 weekly episodes of urinary incontinence enrolled in an 18-month randomized clinical trial of a weight loss intervention compared to a structured education program to treat urinary incontinence. Quantities of resources used for incontinence management, including pads, additional laundry, and dry cleaning were reported by participants. Direct costs for urinary incontinence management (“cost”) were calculated by multiplying resources used by national resource costs (in 2006 U.S. dollars). Randomized groups were combined to examine the effects of change in incontinence frequency on cost. Possible predictors of change in cost were examined using generalized estimating equations controlling for factors associated with change in cost in univariable analyses. Results Mean (±SD) age was 53±10 years and baseline weight was 97+17 kg. Mean weekly urinary incontinence frequency was 24+18 at baseline and decreased by 37% at 6 months and 60% at 18 months follow-up (both P<0.001). At baseline, adjusted mean cost was $7.76±$14 per week, with costs increasing significantly with greater incontinence frequency. Mean cost decreased by 54% at 6 months and 81% at 18 months (both P<0.001). In multivariable analyses, cost independently decreased by 23% for each decrease of seven urinary incontinence episodes per week and 21% for each 5 kg of weight lost (P<0.001 for both). Conclusion In obese and overweight women enrolled in a clinical trial of weight loss for urinary incontinence, incontinence management cost decreased by 81% at 18 months ($327 per woman per year) and was strongly and independently associated with decreasing incontinence frequency. PMID:22825085

Review of coal bottom ash and coconut shell in the production of concrete

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faisal, S. K.; Mazenan, P. N.; Shahidan, S.; Irwan, J. M.

2018-04-01

Concrete is the main construction material in the worldwide construction industry. High demand of sand in the concrete production have been increased which become the problems in industry. Natural sand is the most common material used in the construction industry as natural fine aggregate and it caused the availability of good quality of natural sand keep decreasing. The need for a sustainable and green construction building material is required in the construction industry. Hence, this paper presents utilization of coal bottom ash and coconut shell as partial sand replacement in production of concrete. It is able to save cost and energy other than protecting the environment. In summary, 30% usage of coal bottom ash and 25% replacement of coconut shell as aggregate replacement show the acceptable and satisfactory strength of concrete.

Low–Cost Bio-Based Carbon Fiber for High-Temperature Processing

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

Naskar, Amit K.; Akato, Kokouvi M.; Tran, Chau D.

GrafTech International Holdings Inc. (GTI), worked with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) under CRADA No. NFE-15-05807 to develop lignin-based carbon fiber (LBCF) technology and to demonstrate LBCF performance in high-temperature products and applications. This work was unique and different from other reported LBCF work in that this study was application-focused and scalability-focused. Accordingly, the executed work was based on meeting criteria based on technology development, cost, and application suitability. The focus of this work was to demonstrate lab-scale LBCF from at least 4 different precursor feedstock sources that could meet the estimated production cost of $5.00/pound and have ash levelmore » of less than 500 ppm in the carbonized insulation-grade fiber. Accordingly, a preliminary cost model was developed based on publicly available information. The team demonstrated that 4 lignin samples met the cost criteria, as highlighted in Table 1. In addition, the ash level for the 4 carbonized lignin samples were below 500 ppm. Processing asreceived lignin to produce a high purity lignin fiber was a significant accomplishment in that most industrial lignin, prior to purification, had greater than 4X the ash level needed for this project, and prior to this work there was not a clear path of how to achieve the purity target. The lab scale development of LBCF was performed with a specific functional application in mind, specifically for high temperature rigid insulation. GTI is currently a consumer of foreignsourced pitch and rayon based carbon fibers for use in its high temperature insulation products, and the motivation was that LBCF had potential to decrease costs and increase product competitiveness in the marketplace through lowered raw material costs, lowered energy costs, and decreased environmental footprint. At the end of this project, the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) remained at 5 for LBCF in high temperature insulation.« less

Refractory Materials for Flame Deflector Protection System Corrosion Control: Flame Deflector Protection System Life Cycle Cost Analysis Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Calle, Luz Marina; Hintze, Paul E.; Parlier, Christopher R.; Coffman, Brekke E.; Kolody, Mark R.; Curran, Jerome P.; Trejo, David; Reinschmidt, Ken; Kim, Hyung-Jin

2009-01-01

A 20-year life cycle cost analysis was performed to compare the operational life cycle cost, processing/turnaround timelines, and operations manpower inspection/repair/refurbishment requirements for corrosion protection of the Kennedy Space Center launch pad flame deflector associated with the existing cast-in-place materials and a newer advanced refractory ceramic material. The analysis compared the estimated costs of(1) continuing to use of the current refractory material without any changes; (2) completely reconstructing the flame trench using the current refractory material; and (3) completely reconstructing the flame trench with a new high-performance refractory material. Cost estimates were based on an analysis of the amount of damage that occurs after each launch and an estimate of the average repair cost. Alternative 3 was found to save $32M compared to alternative 1 and $17M compared to alternative 2 over a 20-year life cycle.

Comparative Evaluation of Flexural Strength of Provisional Crown and Bridge Materials-An Invitro Study

PubMed Central

Garg, Sandeep

2016-01-01

Introduction Provisional restorations serve a key role as a functional and esthetic try-in for the design of the final prosthesis. During selection of materials for this restoration, clinicians must consider physical properties, ease of handling, cost and patient satisfaction and approval. Aim To evaluate and compare the flexural strength of provisional crown and bridge materials available commercially. Materials and Methods This in-vitro study was done to compare the flexural strength of six temporary crown and bridge materials available commercially at 24 hours, 8 days and after repair. Three poly methyl methacrylate based materials (DPI, SC10 and Trulon) and three bis-acrylic based composite resins (Protemp, Cooltemp and Luxatemp) were selected. A total of 72 specimens of dimensions 64mm×10mm×2.5mm were prepared from these materials (12 from each material) and divided into two groups (n=36). Specimens were stored in artificial saliva and were fractured after 24 hours and 8 days using Universal Testing Machine. The fractured samples from the 8 days study were then subjected to repair. A uniform space of 2mm and a 450 bevel was maintained for all the repaired samples for better distribution of forces. Flexural strength of these repaired samples was recorded using the same machine. Results were recorded and statistically analysed by one-way Anova and Post hoc tests. Result: Results revealed that there was decrease in flexural strength for all the materials tested from 24 hours to 8 days, though flexural strength between poly methyl methacrylate and bis-acrylic resins was similar at 24 hours and 8 days time interval. A substantial decrease was noticed in the strength of bis-acrylic composite resins after repair. Conclusion From the current study it can be suggested that though there is decrease in flexural strength for all the materials from 24 hours to 8 days, both can be used to fabricate the provisional restorations. However, in the event of a fracture of a bis-acrylic provisional restoration, it may be more advantageous to make a new provisional restoration than to repair the fractured one. PMID:27656568

2015 Summer Series - Kevin Reynolds - Affordable Airplanes: Modular Design and Additive Manufacturing

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-02

At NASA Ames, a project called FrankenEye combines salvaged, unmanned air systems parts with 3D printed materials to resurrect old aircraft. In the field of unmanned aerial vehicles for science, researchers are looking for longer flight times and increased payload capability. Benefits of the additive manufacturing approach include a decrease in development time and project costs and an increase in survivability, efficiency, capability, and endurance. Kevin Reynolds describes a technology hybrid that serves as a unique approach for optimizing flight parameters.

Cell Growth Enhancement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

Exogene Corporation uses advanced technologies to enhance production of bio-processed substances like proteins, antibiotics and amino acids. Among them are genetic modification and a genetic switch. They originated in research for Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Extensive experiments in cell growth through production of hemoglobin to improve oxygen supply to cells were performed. By improving efficiency of oxygen use by cells, major operational expenses can be reduced. Greater product yields result in decreased raw material costs and more efficient use of equipment. A broad range of applications is cited.

Loudspeaker Performance Aid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

Many manufacturers of loudspeakers are now using a magnetic liquid cooling agent known as ferrofluid. Commercialized by Ferrofluids Corporation, ferrofluid is a liquid material in which sub-microscopic particles of iron oxide are permanently suspended. Injected into the voice coil segment of speaker system, magnetic liquid serves as superior heat transfer medium for cooling the voice coil, thus substantially increasing the system's ability to handle higher power levels and decreasing chance of speaker failure. Ferrofluid offers several additional advantages which add up to improved speaker performance, lower manufacturing costs and fewer rejects.

National Variation in Urethroplasty Cost and Predictors of Extreme Cost: A Cost Analysis with Policy Implications

PubMed Central

Harris, Catherine R.; Osterberg, E. Charles; Sanford, Thomas; Alwaal, Amjad; Gaither, Thomas W.; McAninch, Jack W.; McCulloch, Charles E.; Breyer, Benjamin N.

2016-01-01

Objective To determine which factors are associated with higher urethroplasty procedural costs and whether they have been increasing or decreasing over time. Identification of determinants of extreme costs may help reduce cost while maintaining quality. Materials and Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis using the 2001–2010 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project - Nationwide Inpatient Sample (HCUP-NIS). The HCUP-NIS captures hospital charges which we converted to cost using the HCUP Cost-to-Charge Ratio. Log cost linear regression with sensitivity analysis was used to determine variables associated with increased costs. Extreme cost was defined as the top 20th percentile of expenditure, analyzed with logistic regression and expressed as Odds Ratios (OR). Results A total of 2298 urethroplasties were recorded in NIS over the study period. The median (interquartile range) calculated costs was $7321 ($5677–$10000). Patients with multiple comorbid conditions were associated with extreme costs (OR 1.56 95% CI 1.19–2.04, p=0.02) compared to patients with no comorbid disease. Inpatient complications raised the odds of extreme costs OR 3.2 CI 2.14–4.75, p<0.001). Graft urethroplasties were associated with extreme costs (OR 1.78 95% CI 1.2–2.64, p=0.005). Variation in patient age, race, hospital region, bed size, teaching status, payer type, and volume of urethroplasty cases were not associated with extremes of cost. Conclusion Cost variation for perioperative inpatient urethroplasty procedures is dependent on preoperative patient comorbidities, postoperative complications and surgical complexity related to graft usage. Procedural cost and cost variation are critical for understanding which aspects of care have the greatest impact on cost. PMID:27107626

Long-term impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy on HIV-related health care costs.

PubMed

Keiser, P; Nassar, N; Kvanli, M B; Turner, D; Smith, J W; Skiest, D

2001-05-01

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is associated with decreased opportunistic infections, hospitalization, and HIV-related health care costs over relatively short periods of time. We have previously demonstrated that decreases in total HIV cost are proportional to penetration of protease inhibitor therapy in our clinic. To determine the effects of HAART on HIV health care use and costs over 44 months. A comprehensive HIV service within a Veterans Affairs Medical Center. A cost-effectiveness analysis of HAART. The mean monthly number of hospital days, infectious diseases clinic visits, emergency room visits, non-HIV-related outpatient visits, inpatient costs, and antiretroviral treatment costs per patient were determined by dividing these during the period from January 1995 through June 1998 into four intervals. Viral load tests were available from October 1996. Cost-effectiveness of HAART was evaluated by determining the costs of achieving an undetectable viral load over time. Mean monthly hospitalization and associated inpatient costs decreased and remained low 2 years after the introduction of protease inhibitors (37 hospital days per 100 patients). Total cost decreased from $1905 per patient per month during the first quarter to $1090 per patient per month in the third quarter but increased to $1391 per patient per month in the fourth quarter. Antiretroviral treatment costs increased throughout the entire observation period from $79 per patient per month to $518 per patient per month. Hospitalization costs decreased from $1275 per patient per month in the first quarter to less than $500 per patient per month in each of the third and fourth quarters. The percentage of patients with a viral load <500 copies/mL increased from 21% in October 1996 to 47% in June of 1997 (p =.014). The cost of achieving an undetectable viral load decreased from $4438 per patient per month to $2669 per patient per month, but this trend did not reach statistical significance (p =.18). After an initial decrease, there was an increase in the total monthly cost of caring for HIV patients. Cost increases were primarily due to antiretroviral treatment costs, but these costs were offset by a marked decrease in inpatient-related costs. Increases in costs were not related to antiretroviral treatment failures as measured by the proportion of patients with low or undetectable viral loads. The cost of achieving an undetectable viral load remained stable despite increases in the cost of procuring antiretroviral agents.

Contribution to the study of thermal properties of clay bricks reinforced by date palm fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mekhermeche, A.; Kriker, A.; Dahmani, S.

2016-07-01

The Saharan regions of Algeria are characterized by a hot and dry climate. The most used cement materials such as theconcrete or the mortar blocks have bad thermal characteristic. However, these regions have several local materials: clay, dune sand and some natural fibers, which are formerly proved their thermal efficiency. The price of construction material used therefore depends on the international market constantly destabilized by theeconomic crisis coupled with the energy crisis in recent times. To produce a framework of life at a lower cost, it is important, therefore, to circumvent the influence of the cost of energy by upgrading the local materials of construction. In order to improve thermal performances in Saharan building materials this study was lanced. The aim of this research isthen to fabricate some bricks using three local materials: namely the clay, sand dune and the fibers of date palm. The percentage of sand and fibers varies from 0% to 40% and 0% to 3% by mass respectively. A sand dune of Ain El Beida of Ouargla of Algeria was used. Clay was extracted from Beldet Amer of Touggourt Ouargla Algérie. The fibers used in this study were vegetable fibers from date palm of Ouargla Algeria. The results showed that increasing in the mass fraction of sand and of fiber were beneficial for improving thermal properties. As function of increasing the percentage of sand dune and fibers there were: A decrease in: thermal conductivity, specific heat, heat capacity, thermal effusivity and thermal diffusivity and there were an increase in the thermal resistance.

Lifetime costing of the body-in-white: Steel vs. aluminum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Helen N.; Clark, Joel P.

1995-05-01

In order to make informed material choice decisions and to derive the maximum benefit from the use of alternative materials, the automobile producer must understand the full range of costs and benefits for each material. It is becoming clear that the conventional cost-benefit analysis structure currently used by the automotive industry must be broadened to include nontraditional costs such as the environmental externalities associated with the use of existing and potential automotive technologies. This article develops a methodology for comparing the costs and benefits associated with the use of alternative materials in automotive applications by focusing on steel and aluminum in the unibody body-in-white. Authors' Note: This is the first of two articles documenting a methodology for evaluating the lifetime monetary and environmental costs of alternative materials in automotive applications. This article addresses the traditional money costs while a subsequent paper, which is planned for the August issue, will address the environmental externalities.

Wafer-Level Vacuum Packaging of Smart Sensors.

PubMed

Hilton, Allan; Temple, Dorota S

2016-10-31

The reach and impact of the Internet of Things will depend on the availability of low-cost, smart sensors-"low cost" for ubiquitous presence, and "smart" for connectivity and autonomy. By using wafer-level processes not only for the smart sensor fabrication and integration, but also for packaging, we can further greatly reduce the cost of sensor components and systems as well as further decrease their size and weight. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art in the wafer-level vacuum packaging technology of smart sensors. We describe the processes needed to create the wafer-scale vacuum microchambers, focusing on approaches that involve metal seals and that are compatible with the thermal budget of complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits. We review choices of seal materials and structures that are available to a device designer, and present techniques used for the fabrication of metal seals on device and window wafers. We also analyze the deposition and activation of thin film getters needed to maintain vacuum in the ultra-small chambers, and the wafer-to-wafer bonding processes that form the hermetic seal. We discuss inherent trade-offs and challenges of each seal material set and the corresponding bonding processes. Finally, we identify areas for further research that could help broaden implementations of the wafer-level vacuum packaging technology.

Emerging low-cost LED thermal management materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zweben, Carl H.

2004-10-01

As chip size and power levels continue to increase, thermal management, thermal stresses and cost have become key LED packaging issues. Until recently, low-coefficient-of-thermal-expansion (CTE) materials, which are needed to minimize thermal stresses, had thermal conductivities that are no better than those of aluminum alloys, about 200 W/m-K. Copper, which has a higher thermal conductivity (400 W/m-K), also has a high CTE, which can cause severe thermal stresses. We now have over a dozen low-CTE materials with thermal conductivities ranging between 400 and 1700 W/m-K, and almost a score with thermal conductivities at least 50% greater than that of aluminum. Some of these materials are low cost. Others have the potential to be low cost in high volume production. Emphasizing low cost, this paper reviews traditional packaging materials and the six categories of advanced materials: polymer matrix-, metal matrix-, ceramic matrix-, and carbon matrix composites; monolithic carbonaceous materials; and metal-metal composites/alloys. Topics include properties, status, applications, cost and likely future directions of new advanced materials, including carbon nanotubes and inexpensive graphite nanoplatelets.

Thermal modelling of normal distributed nanoparticles through thickness in an inorganic material matrix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Latré, S.; Desplentere, F.; De Pooter, S.; Seveno, D.

2017-10-01

Nanoscale materials showing superior thermal properties have raised the interest of the building industry. By adding these materials to conventional construction materials, it is possible to decrease the total thermal conductivity by almost one order of magnitude. This conductivity is mainly influenced by the dispersion quality within the matrix material. At the industrial scale, the main challenge is to control this dispersion to reduce or even eliminate thermal bridges. This allows to reach an industrially relevant process to balance out the high material cost and their superior thermal insulation properties. Therefore, a methodology is required to measure and describe these nanoscale distributions within the inorganic matrix material. These distributions are either random or normally distributed through thickness within the matrix material. We show that the influence of these distributions is meaningful and modifies the thermal conductivity of the building material. Hence, this strategy will generate a thermal model allowing to predict the thermal behavior of the nanoscale particles and their distributions. This thermal model will be validated by the hot wire technique. For the moment, a good correlation is found between the numerical results and experimental data for a randomly distributed form of nanoparticles in all directions.

Investigation of test methods, material properties and processes for solar cell encapsulants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Willis, P. B.; Baum, B.

1983-01-01

The goal of the program is to identify, test, evaluate and recommend encapsulation materials and processes for the fabrication of cost-effective and long life solar modules. Of the $18 (1948 $) per square meter allocated for the encapsulation components approximately 50% of the cost ($9/sq m) may be taken by the load bearing component. Due to the proportionally high cost of this element, lower costing materials were investigated. Wood based products were found to be the lowest costing structural materials for module construction, however, they require protection from rainwater and humidity in order to acquire dimensional stability. The cost of a wood product based substrate must, therefore, include raw material costs plus the cost of additional processing to impart hygroscopic inertness. This protection is provided by a two step, or split process in which a flexible laminate containing the cell string is prepared, first in a vacuum process and then adhesively attached with a back cover film to the hardboard in a subsequent step.

Applications of ethylene vinyl acetate as an encapsulation material for terrestrial photovoltaic modules

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cuddihy, E. F.; Coulbert, C. D.; Liang, R. H.; Gupta, A.; Willis, P.; Baum, B.

1983-01-01

Terrestrial photovoltaic modules must undergo substantial reductions in cost in order to become economically attractive as practical devices for large scale production of electricity. Part of the cost reductions must be realized by the encapsulation materials that are used to package, protect, and support the solar cells, electrical interconnects, and other ancillary components. As many of the encapsulation materials are polymeric, cost reductions necessitate the use of low cost polymers. The performance and status of ethylene vinyl acetate, a low cost polymer that is being investigated as an encapsulation material for terrestrial photovoltaic modules, are described.

Activity-based costing evaluation of a [(18)F]-fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography study.

PubMed

Krug, Bruno; Van Zanten, Annie; Pirson, Anne-Sophie; Crott, Ralph; Borght, Thierry Vander

2009-10-01

The aim of the study is to use the activity-based costing approach to give a better insight in the actual cost structure of a positron emission tomography procedure (FDG-PET) by defining the constituting components and by simulating the impact of possible resource or practice changes. The cost data were obtained from the hospital administration, personnel and vendor interviews as well as from structured questionnaires. A process map separates the process in 16 patient- and non-patient-related activities, to which the detailed cost data are related. One-way sensitivity analyses shows to which degree of uncertainty the different parameters affect the individual cost and evaluate the impact of possible resource or practice changes like the acquisition of a hybrid PET/CT device, the patient throughput or the sales price of a 370MBq (18)F-FDG patient dose. The PET centre spends 73% of time in clinical activities and the resting time after injection of the tracer (42%) is the single largest departmental cost element. The tracer cost and the operational time have the most influence on cost per procedure. The analysis shows a total cost per FDG-PET ranging from 859 Euro for a BGO PET camera to 1142 Euro for a 16 slices PET-CT system, with a distribution of the resource costs in decreasing order: materials (44%), equipment (24%), wage (16%), space (6%) and hospital overhead (10%). The cost of FDG-PET is mainly influenced by the cost of the radiopharmaceutical. Therefore, the latter rather than the operational time should be reduced in order to improve its cost-effectiveness.

Advanced Rigid Ablative TPS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gasch, Matthew J.

2011-01-01

NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate s (ESMD) Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) Technology Development Project (TDP) and the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate s (ARMD) Hypersonics Project are developing new advanced rigid ablators in an effort to substantially increase reliability, decrease mass, and reduce life cycle cost of rigid aeroshell-based entry systems for multiple missions. Advanced Rigid Ablators combine ablation resistant top layers capable of high heat flux entry and enable high-speed EDL with insulating mass-efficient bottom that, insulate the structure and lower the areal weight. These materials may benefit Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) vendors and may potentially enable new NASA missions for higher velocity returns (e.g. asteroid, Mars). The materials have been thermally tested to 400-450 W/sq cm at the Laser Hardened Materials Evaluation Lab (LHMEL), Hypersonics Materials Evaluation Test System (HyMETS) and in arcjet facilities. Tested materials exhibit much lower backface temperatures and reduced recession over the baseline materials (PICA). Although the EDL project is ending in FY11, NASA in-house development of advanced ablators will continue with a focus on varying resin systems and fiber/resin interactions.

Shaped Charge Liner Materials: Resources, Processes, Properties, Costs, and Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-02-01

SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS Shaped Charge Liner Materials: Resources, Processes, Properties, Costs, and Applications 2 6. AUTHOC Steven M. Buc 7...summaries of the mineral availability, Cq prmarymetal refinement processeb, material costs in raw form and as finished shaped charge liners , relevant... liner materials. 94-11479 gI 14, SUBJECT TERMS iSt NUMBER OF PAGIS 13chrg wrhad :xplosively formed penetrators material R. PRCE COEV" processing

Low-cost infrared glass for IR imaging applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graham, Amy G.; LeBlanc, Richard A.; Hilton, Ray A., Sr.

2003-09-01

With the advent of the uncooled detectors, the fraction of infrared (IR) imaging system cost due to lens elements has risen to the point where work was needed in the area of cost. Since these IR imaging systems often have tight packaging requirements which drive the optical elements to have complex surfaces, typical IR optical elements are costly to manufacture. The drive of our current optical material research is to lower the cost of the materials as well as the element fabrication for IR imaging systems. A low cost, moldable amorphous material, Amtir-4, has been developed and characterized. Ray Hilton Sr., Amorphous Materials Inc., Richard A. LeBlanc, Amy Graham and Others at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control Orlando (LMMFC-O) and James Johnson, General Electric Global Research Center (GE-GRC), along with others have been doing research for the past three years characterizing and designing IR imaging systems with this material. These IR imaging systems have been conventionally fabricated via diamond turning and techniques required to mold infrared optical elements have been developed with this new material, greatly reducing manufacturing costs. This paper will outline efforts thus far in incorporating this new material into prototype IR imaging systems.

40 CFR 246.202-6 - Recommended procedures: Cost analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., storage and transportation costs have been made, and estimated tonnages of both recoverable material and...) SOLID WASTES SOURCE SEPARATION FOR MATERIALS RECOVERY GUIDELINES Requirements and Recommended Procedures... paper sales and savings from diverting recycled materials from disposal. Potential costs to upgrade...

40 CFR 246.201-7 - Recommended procedures: Cost analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., storage and transportation costs have been made, and estimated tonnages of both recoverable materials and...) SOLID WASTES SOURCE SEPARATION FOR MATERIALS RECOVERY GUIDELINES Requirements and Recommended Procedures... paper sales and savings from diverting recycled materials from disposal. Potential costs to upgrade...

A self-instructional manual for installing low-cost/no-cost weatherization materials: Experimental validation with scouts

PubMed Central

Pavlovich, Mark; Greene, Brandon F.

1984-01-01

In this study, we describe the development and evaluation of a self-instructional program for installing 10 low-cost/no-cost weatherization materials (e.g., weatherstripping, caulking). This program was a weatherization and retrofit manual (WARM) providing step-by-step instructions and illustrations. Boy and Girl Scouts participated and used either the WARM or existing product instructions (EPI) to apply the materials. Scouts installed the materials properly only when they used the WARM. PMID:16795671

Clinical and economic impact of etanercept in real-life: a prospective, non-interventional study of etanercept in the treatment of patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in private dermatologist settings (ESTHER).

PubMed

Larsen, Christian Grønhøj; Andersen, Peter Hundevadt; Lorentzen, Henrik; Zachariae, Claus; Huldt-Nystrøm, Theis; Dotterud, Lars Kåre; Lindkvist, Rose-Marie; Qvitzau, Susanne

2013-01-01

Real-life data on the therapeutic effectiveness and costs of etanercept are scarce. To assess the clinical and economic impact of etanercept in patients with psoriasis in Denmark and Norway. This prospective, non-interventional study in a private dermatologist care setting in Denmark and Norway included patients ≥18 years with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, selected for treatment with etanercept. Assessments during 1 year from etanercept initiation included Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Self-Administered Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (SAPASI) and adverse events. Direct and indirect costs were calculated. 163 subjects were enrolled. Baseline mean SAPASI was 19.1 . Proportion of patients with ≥50% decrease in SAPASI from baseline was 85% and 81% at weeks 24 and 52. DLQI decreased significantly from 11.4 (7.0) to 3.2 (4.3) and 3.7 (4.6) at weeks 24 and 52. Total annual costs increased from 78,000 to 286,000 DKK (p<0.0001), mainly due to the cost of etanercept. Outpatient-care costs and loss-of-productivity costs decreased from 9,500 to 5,000 (p = 0.0002), and from 33,000 to 18,000 DKK (p = 0.0105), respectively. The decrease in costs was more pronounced in patients who also had psoriatic arthritis. Cost increase was greatest during the first 6 months. Etanercept treatment was associated with decreased psoriasis severity and improved quality of life. Cost increase was driven by medication, while costs of outpatient care and loss-of-productivity decreased. Maintained improved quality of life was accompanied by decreasing cost during the second 6 month period of etanercept treatment. There were no new safety signals reported.

Low-cost encapsulation materials for terrestrial solar cell modules

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cuddihy, E. F.; Baum, B.; Willis, P.

1979-01-01

The paper presents the findings of material surveys intended to identify low cost materials which could be functional as encapsulants (by 1986) for terrestrial solar cell modules. Economic analyses have indicated that in order to meet the low cost goal of $2.70 per sq m, some or all of the following material technologies must be developed or advanced: (1) UV screening outer covers; (2) elastomeric acrylics; (3) weatherproofing and waterproofing of structural wood and paper products; (4) transparent UV stabilizers for the UV-sensitive transparent pottants; and (5) cost-effective utilization of silicone and fluorocarbon materials.

Deficient manipulation of working memory in remitted depressed individuals: Behavioral and electrophysiological evidence.

PubMed

Liu, Mingfan; Zhou, Li; Wang, Xiumei; Jiang, Ying; Liu, Qiaosheng

2017-07-01

The study aimed to examine whether remitted depressed (RMD) individuals show a dysfunction of valence-dependent manipulation and its neurophysiological correlates. Event-related potentials were conducted on 25 individuals with remitted depression and 27 controls during a working memory manipulation task. The sorting costs and the P3b and slow wave (SW) amplitudes were analyzed. Compared to the control subjects, the RMD individuals revealed higher sorting costs, particularly when they were shown negative targets. The control individuals exhibited reduced P3b and SW amplitudes in response to the backward negative pictures, whereas the RMD participants exhibited increased central-parietal and lateral P3b and SW amplitudes in the backward condition. Both groups exhibited overall decreased P3b and SW amplitudes in response to the backward positive pictures. RMD individuals are associated with a deficient manipulation for negative material and an unimpaired manipulation for positive material. This study extends current knowledge that deficits in cognitive control persist after the remission of depressive symptoms. Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An economical approach for d-lactic acid production utilizing unpolished rice from aging paddy as major nutrient source.

PubMed

Lu, Zhengdong; Lu, Mingbo; He, Feng; Yu, Longjiang

2009-03-01

In order to reduce the raw material cost of d-lactic acid fermentation, the unpolished rice from aging paddy was used as major nutrient source in this study. The unpolished rice saccharificate, wheat bran powder and yeast extract were employed as carbon source, nitrogen source and growth factors, respectively. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to optimize the dosages of medium compositions. As a result, when the fermentation was carried out under the optimal conditions for wheat bran powder (29.10g/l) and yeast extract (2.50g/l), the d-lactic acid yield reached 731.50g/kg unpolished rice with a volumetric production rate of 1.50g/(lh). In comparison with fresh corn and polished rice, the d-lactic acid yield increased by 5.79% and 8.71%, and the raw material cost decreased by 65% and 52%, respectively, when the unpolished rice was used as a major nutrient source. These results might provide a reference for the industrial production of d-lactic acid.

Application Of Moldex3D For Thin-wall Injection Moulding Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Šercer, Mladen; Godec, Damir; Bujanić, Božo

2007-05-01

The benefits associated with decreasing wall thicknesses below their current values are still measurable and desired even if the final wall thickness is nowhere near those of the aggressive portable electronics industry. It is important to note that gains in wall section reduction do not always occur without investment, in this case, in tooling and machinery upgrades. Equally important is the fact that productivity and performance benefits of reduced material usage, fast cycle times, and lighter weight can often outweigh most of the added costs. In order to eliminate unnecessary mould trials, minimize product development cycle, reduce overall costs and improve product quality, polymeric engineers use new CAE technology (Computer Aided Engineering). This technology is a simulation tool, which combines proven theories, material properties and process conditions to generate realistic simulations and produce valuable recommendations. Based on these recommendations, an optional combination of product design, material and process conditions can be identified. In this work, Moldex3D software was used for simulation of injection moulding in order to avoid potential moulding problems. The results gained from the simulation were used for the optimization of an existing product design, for mould development and for optimization of processing parameters, e.g. injection pressure, mould cavity temperature, etc.

Costs of disposable material in the operating room do not show high correlation with surgical time: Implications for hospital payment.

PubMed

Delo, Caroline; Leclercq, Pol; Martins, Dimitri; Pirson, Magali

2015-08-01

The objectives of this study are to analyze the variation of the surgical time and of disposable costs per surgical procedure and to analyze the association between disposable costs and the surgical time. The registration of data was done in an operating room of a 419 bed general hospital, over a period of three months (n = 1556 surgical procedures). Disposable material per procedure used was recorded through a barcode scanning method. The average cost (standard deviation) of disposable material is €183.66 (€183.44). The mean surgical time (standard deviation) is 96 min (63). Results have shown that the homogeneity of operating time and DM costs was quite good per surgical procedure. The correlation between the surgical time and DM costs is not high (r = 0.65). In a context of Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) based hospital payment, it is important that costs information systems are able to precisely calculate costs per case. Our results show that the correlation between surgical time and costs of disposable materials is not good. Therefore, empirical data or itemized lists should be used instead of surgical time as a cost driver for the allocation of costs of disposable materials to patients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ureteral Stents and Foley Catheters-Associated Urinary Tract Infections: The Role of Coatings and Materials in Infection Prevention

PubMed Central

Lo, Joey; Lange, Dirk; Chew, Ben H.

2014-01-01

Urinary tract infections affect many patients, especially those who are admitted to hospital and receive a bladder catheter for drainage. Catheter associated urinary tract infections are some of the most common hospital infections and cost the health care system billions of dollars. Early removal is one of the mainstays of prevention as 100% of catheters become colonized. Patients with ureteral stents are also affected by infection and antibiotic therapy alone may not be the answer. We will review the current evidence on how to prevent infections of urinary biomaterials by using different coatings, new materials, and drug eluting technologies to decrease infection rates of ureteral stents and catheters. PMID:27025736

The design and implementation of photoacoustic based laser warning receiver for harsh environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Sherif, Ashraf F.; Ayoub, H. S.; El-Sharkawy, Yasser H.; Gomaa, Walid; Hassan, H. H.

2018-01-01

This paper discusses the implementation of new type of laser warning receiver (LWR) system, based on the detection of photoacoustic signals, induced by high power infrared laser designators pulses on target's surfaces. This system appends conventional optoelectronic based LWR to decrease the false alarm rate (FAR) in harsh environments, where ambient conditions are expected to obstruct optical LWR. To improve the sensitivity of the photoacoustic based LWR system, some metallic and polymeric target shielding materials were studied, in order to cover a friendly civil structure, vehicle or a maritime entity with a low cost large area acoustic detector array shield. A thermographic investigation of target surface material- laser reaction, signal processing and system configuration and functional analysis are also presented.

Material costs of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with hamstring tendons by two different techniques.

PubMed

Cournapeau, J; Klouche, S; Hardy, P

2013-04-01

In France, approximately 36,000 anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgical procedures are performed every year. Technical progress, in particular arthroscopy, has made surgery more precise, but more expensive. In a context of healthcare cost containment, the increase in the cost of technology must be compared to the improved outcome for the patients. The main aim of this study was to determine all material costs related to ACL reconstruction using hamstring tendons. This study also compared the material costs between the two arthroscopic techniques: standard or "all-inside". A retrospective study of material costs was performed in 2011. With the standard technique, the tibial tunnel was drilled from outside to inside, while with the all-inside technique two tunnels were drilled from inside to outside. All of the material used from the first swab to the final bandage was reported. It was classified into three categories: reusable arthroscopy material, disposable arthroscopic material, and disposable surgical supplies. The costs were those of our supplier in 2011 (Arthrex™) and based on Public Hospitals of Paris (AP-HP) public contract tariffs. Standard ligament reconstruction was less expensive than the all-inside technique: 791.59€ versus 931.06€ excluding taxes (hors taxes [HT]), respectively. The largest percentage of expenses was allocated to disposable material use (81 and 84%). Possible avenues of savings are limited: all the material used was necessary. To control costs, correct use and good maintenance of instruments are the most important elements. Level IV. Economic and decision analyses, retrospective study. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Engineering and fabrication cost considerations for cryogenic wind tunnel models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boykin, R. M., Jr.; Davenport, J. B., Jr.

1983-01-01

Design and fabrication cost drivers for cryogenic transonic wind tunnel models are defined. The major cost factors for wind tunnel models are model complexity, tolerances, surface finishes, materials, material validation, and model inspection. The cryogenic temperatures require the use of materials with relatively high fracture toughness but at the same time high strength. Some of these materials are very difficult to machine, requiring extensive machine hours which can add significantly to the manufacturing costs. Some additional engineering costs are incurred to certify the materials through mechanical tests and nondestructive evaluation techniques, which are not normally required with conventional models. When instrumentation such as accelerometers and electronically scanned pressure modules is required, temperature control of these devices needs to be incorporated into the design, which requires added effort. Additional thermal analyses and subsystem tests may be necessary, which also adds to the design costs. The largest driver to the design costs is potentially the additional static and dynamic analyses required to insure structural integrity of the model and support system.

48 CFR 9904.411 - Cost accounting standard-accounting for acquisition costs of material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Cost accounting standard-accounting for acquisition costs of material. 9904.411 Section 9904.411 Federal Acquisition Regulations System COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD, OFFICE OF FEDERAL PROCUREMENT POLICY, OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND...

User’s Guide for Naval Material Command’s Life Cycle Cost (FLEX) Model.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-04-01

MATERIAL COMMANDl’S 3 LIFE CYCLE COST (FLEX) MODEL Icc FoIuhrInomto -- -- P ea eCo tc Pleale Cona, ______ _____-Thims document rc~ ofl 5C72 -lot REPORT...Material Command’s Life Cycle Cost (FLEX) Prep. 4/82 ___ Model ______________ ______________ 7. Author(s) S. Performing Organization Rapt. No. R. Dress (ESA...WANG 1I. Abstract (Limit: 200 words) The FLEX-9E life cycle cost comp~uter model is a user-oriented methodology accommodating most cost structures and

Spray sealing: A breakthrough in integral fuel tank sealing technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richardson, Martin D.; Zadarnowski, J. H.

1989-11-01

In a continuing effort to increase readiness, a new approach to sealing integral fuel tanks is being developed. The technique seals potential leak sources by spraying elastomeric materials inside the tank cavity. Laboratory evaluations project an increase in aircraft supportability and reliability, an improved maintainability, decreasing acquisition and life cycle costs. Increased usable fuel volume and lower weight than conventional bladders improve performance. Concept feasibility was demonstrated on sub-scale aircraft fuel tanks. Materials were selected by testing sprayable elastomers in a fuel tank environment. Chemical stability, mechanical properties, and dynamic durability of the elastomer are being evaluated at the laboratory level and in sub-scale and full scale aircraft component fatigue tests. The self sealing capability of sprayable materials is also under development. Ballistic tests show an improved aircraft survivability, due in part to the elastomer's mechanical properties and its ability to damp vibrations. New application equipment, system removal, and repair methods are being investigated.

Semi-Interpenetrating Polymer Networks for Enhanced Supercapacitor Electrodes.

PubMed

Fong, Kara D; Wang, Tiesheng; Kim, Hyun-Kyung; Kumar, R Vasant; Smoukov, Stoyan K

2017-09-08

Conducting polymers show great promise as supercapacitor materials due to their high theoretical specific capacitance, low cost, toughness, and flexibility. Poor ion mobility, however, can render active material more than a few tens of nanometers from the surface inaccessible for charge storage, limiting performance. Here, we use semi-interpenetrating networks (sIPNs) of a pseudocapacitive polymer in an ionically conductive polymer matrix to decrease ion diffusion length scales and make virtually all of the active material accessible for charge storage. Our freestanding poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(ethylene oxide) (PEDOT/PEO) sIPN films yield simultaneous improvements in three crucial elements of supercapacitor performance: specific capacitance (182 F/g, a 70% increase over that of neat PEDOT), cycling stability (97.5% capacitance retention after 3000 cycles), and flexibility (the electrodes bend to a <200 μm radius of curvature without breaking). Our simple and controllable sIPN fabrication process presents a framework to develop a range of polymer-based interpenetrated materials for high-performance energy storage technologies.

Current Status and Tasks in Development of Cable Recycling Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ezure, Takashi; Goto, Kazuhiko

This paper shows current status and tasks in development of cable recycling technology and it’s items to be solved. Electric cable recycle system has been activated especially for copper conductor recycle in Japan. Previously removed cable coverings materials were mainly land filled. But landfill capacity is decreased and limited in recent years, at the same time, recycle technology was highly developed. A cable recycle technology has 4 tasks. (1) Applying new high efficiency separation system instead of electrostatic and gravity methods to classify mixed various kind of plastics materials including recently developed ecological material (ex PE, PVC, Rubber), (2) Removing heavy metal, especially lead from PVC material, (3) Treatment of optical glass fiber core, which has possibility going to be harmful micro particles, and (4) Establishment of social recycle system for electric wire and cable. Taking action for these tasks shall be proceeded under environmentally sensitive technology together with local government, user, manufacturer, and waste-disposal company on cost performance basis.

Urinary incontinence management costs are reduced following Burch or sling surgery for stress incontinence.

PubMed

Subak, Leslee L; Goode, Patricia S; Brubaker, Linda; Kusek, John W; Schembri, Michael; Lukacz, Emily S; Kraus, Stephen R; Chai, Toby C; Norton, Peggy; Tennstedt, Sharon L

2014-08-01

The objective of the study was to estimate the effect of Burch and fascial sling surgery on out-of-pocket urinary incontinence (UI) management costs at 24 months postoperatively and identify predictors of change in cost among women enrolled in a randomized trial comparing these procedures. Resources used for UI management (supplies, laundry, dry cleaning) were self-reported by 491 women at baseline and 24 months after surgery, and total out-of-pocket costs for UI management (in 2012 US dollars) were estimated. Data from the 2 surgical groups were combined to examine the change in cost for UI management over 24 months. Univariate and bivariate changes in cost were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. Predictors of change in cost were examined using multivariate mixed models. At baseline mean (±SD) age of participants was 53 ± 10 years, and the frequency of weekly UI episodes was 23 ± 21. Weekly UI episodes decreased by 86% at 24 months (P < .001). The mean weekly cost was $16.60 ± $27.00 (median $9.39) at baseline and $4.57 ± $15.00 (median $0.10) at 24 months (P < .001), a decrease of 72%. In multivariate analyses, cost decreased by $3.38 ± $0.77 per week for each decrease of 1 UI episode per day (P < .001) and was strongly associated with greater improvement in Urogenital Distress Inventory and Incontinence Impact Questionnaire scores (P < .001) and decreased 24-hour pad weight (P < .02). Following Burch or fascial sling surgery, the UI management cost at 24 months decreased by 72% ($625 per woman per year) and was strongly associated with decreasing UI frequency. Reduced out-of-pocket expenses may be a benefit of these established urinary incontinence procedures. Copyright © 2014. Published by Mosby, Inc.

Cost analysis of hospital material management systems.

PubMed

Egbelu, P J; Harmonosky, C M; Ventura, J A; O'Brien, W E; Sommer, H J

1998-01-01

Integrated healthcare material management begins with manufactures of medical/surgical supplies, uses distributors and ends at the point of use at hospitals. Recent material management philosophies in the healthcare industry, such as just-in-time and stockless systems, are yet to be fully evaluated. In order to evaluate the cost effectiveness of each type of material management technique, a cost model for hospital materials management has been designed. Several case scenarios are analyzed and results are reported.

Natural stone muds as secondary raw materials: towards a new sustainable recovery process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zichella, Lorena; Tori, Alice; Bellopede, Rossana; Marini, Paola

2016-04-01

The production of residual sludge is a topical issue, and has become essential to recover and reuse the materials, both for the economics and the environmental aspect. According to environmental EU Directives, in fact ,the stone cutting and processing should characterized by following objectives, targets and actions: the reduction of waste generated, the decreasing of use of critical raw material, the zero landfilling of sludge and decreasing in potential soil contamination, the prevention of transport of dangerous waste, the reduction of energy consumption, the zero impact on air pollution and the cost reduction . There are many industrial sector in which residual sludge have high concentrations of metals and/or elements deemed harmful and therefore hazardous waste. An important goal, for all industrial sectors, is an increase in productivity and a parallel reduction in costs. The research leads to the development of solutions with an always reduced environmental impact. The possibility to decrease the amount of required raw materials and at the same time the reduction in the amount of waste has become the aim for any industrial reality. From literature there are different approaches for the recovery of raw and secondary materials, and are often used for the purpose chemical products that separate the elements constituting the mud but at the same time make additional pollutants. The aim of the study is to find solutions that are environmentally sustainable for both industries and citizens. The present study is focused on three different Piedmont rocks: Luserna, Diorite from Traversella and Diorite from Vico, processed with three different stone machining technologies: cutting with diamond wire in quarry (blocks), in sawmill (slabs) and surface polishing. The steps are: chemical analysis, particle size analysis and mineralogical composition and characterization of the sludge obtained from the various machining operations for the recovery of the metal material by cutting and waste rock through an economical and simple method, without the use of chemical products. The technical feasibility of the use of stone mud for construction materials, and industrial mud for alloy reuse, is well known on a scientific and lab scale, but it is not industrially developed because of the wide variety of waste generated and logistic or organization difficulties of interaction among companies of different sectors. This can be realized implementing an existing plant with industrial technologies in order to valorize the product "mud", to reuse the heavy metals in the process and therefore to minimize the volume of sludge produced. A further progress to the previous researches, that is beyond the results obtained in this field, will be the identification of the best technique to eliminate the small amount of heavy metals in the mud fines. This is important because , removing all the toxic substances, the mud properties can be improved in order to be reuse in the other process as secondary raw material.

32 CFR 286.29 - Collection of fees and fee rates.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) Audiovisual documentary materials. Search costs are computed as for any other record. Duplication cost is the.... Audiovisual materials provided to a requester need not be in reproducible format or quality. (f) Other records... manner described for audiovisual documentary material. (g) Costs for special services. Complying with...

Developments in abatement technology for MOCVD processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sweeney, Joseph; Marganski, Paul; Olander, Karl; Watanabe, Tadaharu; Tomita, Nobuyasu; Orlando, Gary; Torres, Robert

2004-12-01

A newly developed technical solution has been developed for hydride gas abatement that utilizes a new material. The ULTIMA-Sorb™ material provides high capacity but low heat of reaction with the hydride gases. The new technology results in a low cost of ownership (COO) with stable operation and also reduces the cost and quantity of waste disposal. This can be significant benefit for device manufacturers since it provides a viable and cost effective solution without any risk of arsenic leakage that is a primary concern with wet chemical scrubber systems. The contents of this paper will discuss the technical and economic benefits of the newly developed material in comparison to conventional abatement materials and systems. The capacity of the dry abatement materials significantly influences both COO relating to cash outflow and the cost of lost production. High capacity materials enable significant savings in cost of lost production in cases of low and high factory utilization conditions. Capacity of the abatement material appears to be the largest single factor to reduce COO of dry abatement systems.

[Costs and consumption of material resources in pediatric intensive and semi-intensive care units].

PubMed

Zuliani, Larissa Lenotti; Jericó, Marli de Carvalho; de Castro, Liliana Cristina; Soler, Zaida Aurora Sperli Geraldes

2012-01-01

Cost management of hospital material resources is a trendy research topic, especially in specialized health units. Nurses are pointed out as the main managers for costs and consumption of hospital materials resources. This study aimed to characterize Pediatric Intensive and Semi-Intensive Care Units of a teaching hospital and investigate costs and consumption of material resources used to treat patients admitted to these units. This is a descriptive exploratory study with retrospective data and quantitative approach. Data were obtained from a Hospital Information System and analyzed according to the ABC classification. The average expenditures were similar in both the neonatal and cardiac units, and lower in Pediatric Intensive and Semi-Intensive care units. There was a significant variation in the monthly consumption of materials. Higher cost materials had a greater impact on the budget of the studied units. The data revealed the importance of using a systematic method for the analysis of materials consumption and expenditure in pediatric units. They subsidize administrative and economic actions.

Cost and Cost-Effectiveness of Students for Nutrition and eXercise (SNaX).

PubMed

Ladapo, Joseph A; Bogart, Laura M; Klein, David J; Cowgill, Burton O; Uyeda, Kimberly; Binkle, David G; Stevens, Elizabeth R; Schuster, Mark A

2016-04-01

To examine the cost and cost-effectiveness of implementing Students for Nutrition and eXercise (SNaX), a 5-week middle school-based obesity-prevention intervention combining school-wide environmental changes, multimedia, encouragement to eat healthy school cafeteria foods, and peer-led education. Five intervention and 5 control middle schools (mean enrollment, 1520 students) from the Los Angeles Unified School District participated in a randomized controlled trial of SNaX. Acquisition costs for materials and time and wage data for employees involved in implementing the program were used to estimate fixed and variable costs. Cost-effectiveness was determined using the ratio of variable costs to program efficacy outcomes. The costs of implementing the program over 5 weeks were $5433.26 per school in fixed costs and $2.11 per student in variable costs, equaling a total cost of $8637.17 per school, or $0.23 per student per day. This investment yielded significant increases in the proportion of students served fruit and lunch and a significant decrease in the proportion of students buying snacks. The cost-effectiveness of the program, per student over 5 weeks, was $1.20 per additional fruit served during meals, $8.43 per additional full-priced lunch served, $2.11 per additional reduced-price/free lunch served, and $1.69 per reduction in snacks sold. SNaX demonstrated the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of a middle school-based obesity-prevention intervention combining school-wide environmental changes, multimedia, encouragement to eat healthy school cafeteria foods, and peer-led education. Its cost is modest and unlikely to be a significant barrier to adoption for many schools considering its implementation. Copyright © 2016 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cost and Cost-effectiveness of Students for Nutrition and Exercise (SNaX)

PubMed Central

Ladapo, Joseph A.; Bogart, Laura M.; Klein, David J.; Cowgill, Burton O.; Uyeda, Kimberly; Binkle, David G.; Stevens, Elizabeth R.; Schuster, Mark A.

2015-01-01

Objective To examine the cost and cost-effectiveness of implementing Students for Nutrition and eXercise (SNaX), a 5-week middle-school-based obesity-prevention intervention combining school-wide environmental changes, multimedia, encouragement to eat healthy school cafeteria foods, and peer-led education. Methods Five intervention and five control middle schools (mean enrollment = 1,520 students) from the Los Angeles Unified School District participated in a randomized controlled trial of SNaX. Acquisition costs for materials and time and wage data for employees involved in implementing the program were used to estimate fixed and variable costs. Cost-effectiveness was determined using the ratio of variable costs to program efficacy outcomes. Results The costs of implementing the program over 5 weeks were $5,433.26 per school in fixed costs and $2.11 per student in variable costs, equaling a total cost of $8,637.17 per school, or $0.23 per student per day. This investment yielded significant increases in the proportion of students served fruit and lunch and a significant decrease in the proportion of students buying snacks. The cost-effectiveness of the program, per student over 5 weeks, was $1.20 per additional fruit served during meals, $8.43 per additional full-priced lunch served, $2.11 per additional reduced-price/free lunch served, and $1.69 per reduction in snacks sold. Conclusions SNaX demonstrated the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of a middle-school-based obesity-prevention intervention combining school-wide environmental changes, multimedia, encouragement to eat healthy school cafeteria foods, and peer-led education. Its cost is modest and unlikely to be a significant barrier to adoption for many schools considering its implementation. PMID:26427719

Elimination of Routine Contact Precautions for Endemic Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus: A Retrospective Quasi-Experimental Study.

PubMed

Martin, Elise M; Russell, Dana; Rubin, Zachary; Humphries, Romney; Grogan, Tristan R; Elashoff, David; Uslan, Daniel Z

2016-11-01

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the impact of discontinuation of contact precautions (CP) for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) and expansion of chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) use on the health system. DESIGN Retrospective, nonrandomized, observational, quasi-experimental study. SETTING Two California hospitals. PARTICIPANTS Inpatients. METHODS We compared hospital-wide laboratory-identified clinical culture rates (as a marker of healthcare-associated infections) 1 year before and after routine CP for endemic MRSA and VRE were discontinued and CHG bathing was expanded to all units. Culture data from patients and cost data on material utilization were collected. Nursing time spent donning personal protective equipment was assessed and quantified using time-driven activity-based costing. RESULTS Average positive culture rates before and after discontinuing CP were 0.40 and 0.32 cultures/100 admissions for MRSA (P=.09), and 0.48 and 0.40 cultures/100 admissions for VRE (P=.14). When combining isolation gown and CHG costs, the health system saved $643,776 in 1 year. Before the change, 28.5% intensive care unit and 19% medicine/surgery beds were on CP for MRSA/VRE. On the basis of average room entries and donning time, estimated nursing time spent donning personal protective equipment for MRSA/VRE before the change was 45,277 hours/year (estimated cost, $4.6 million). CONCLUSION Discontinuing routine CP for endemic MRSA and VRE did not result in increased rates of MRSA or VRE after 1 year. With cost savings on materials, decreased healthcare worker time, and no concomitant increase in possible infections, elimination of routine CP may add substantial value to inpatient care delivery. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016;1-8.

An environmental cost-benefit analysis of alternative green roofing strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richardson, M.; William, R. K.; Goodwell, A. E.; Le, P. V.; Kumar, P.; Stillwell, A. S.

2016-12-01

Green roofs and cool roofs are alternative roofing strategies that mitigate urban heat island effects and improve building energy performance. Green roofs consist of soil and vegetation layers that provide runoff reduction, thermal insulation, and potential natural habitat, but can require regular maintenance. Cool roofs involve a reflective layer that reflects more sunlight than traditional roofing materials, but require additional insulation during winter months. This study evaluates several roofing strategies in terms of energy performance, urban heat island mitigation, water consumption, and economic cost. We use MLCan, a multi-layer canopy model, to simulate irrigated and non-irrigated green roof cases with shallow and deep soil depths during the spring and early summer of 2012, a drought period in central Illinois. Due to the dry conditions studied, periodic irrigation is implemented in the model to evaluate its effect on evapotranspiration. We simulate traditional and cool roof scenarios by altering surface albedo and omitting vegetation and soil layers. We find that both green roofs and cool roofs significantly reduce surface temperature compared to the traditional roof simulation. Cool roof temperatures always remain below air temperature and, similar to traditional roofs, require low maintenance. Green roofs remain close to air temperature and also provide thermal insulation, runoff reduction, and carbon uptake, but might require irrigation during dry periods. Due to the longer lifetime of a green roof compared to cool and traditional roofs, we find that green roofs realize the highest long term cost savings under simulated conditions. However, using longer-life traditional roof materials (which have a higher upfront cost) can help decrease this price differential, making cool roofs the most affordable option due to the higher maintenance costs associated with green roofs

Fueling industrial biotechnology growth with bioethanol.

PubMed

Otero, José Manuel; Panagiotou, Gianni; Olsson, Lisbeth

2007-01-01

Industrial biotechnology is the conversion of biomass via biocatalysis, microbial fermentation, or cell culture to produce chemicals, materials, and/or energy. Industrial biotechnology processes aim to be cost-competitive, environmentally favorable, and self-sustaining compared to their petrochemical equivalents. Common to all processes for the production of energy, commodity, added value, or fine chemicals is that raw materials comprise the most significant cost fraction, particularly as operating efficiencies increase through practice and improving technologies. Today, crude petroleum represents the dominant raw material for the energy and chemical sectors worldwide. Within the last 5 years petroleum prices, stability, and supply have increased, decreased, and been threatened, respectively, driving a renewed interest across academic, government, and corporate centers to utilize biomass as an alternative raw material. Specifically, bio-based ethanol as an alternative biofuel has emerged as the single largest biotechnology commodity, with close to 46 billion L produced worldwide in 2005. Bioethanol is a leading example of how systems biology tools have significantly enhanced metabolic engineering, inverse metabolic engineering, and protein and enzyme engineering strategies. This enhancement stems from method development for measurement, analysis, and data integration of functional genomics, including the transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, and fluxome. This review will show that future industrial biotechnology process development will benefit tremendously from the precedent set by bioethanol - that enabling technologies (e.g., systems biology tools) coupled with favorable economic and socio-political driving forces do yield profitable, sustainable, and environmentally responsible processes. Biofuel will continue to be the keystone of any industrial biotechnology-based economy whereby biorefineries leverage common raw materials and unit operations to integrate diverse processes to produce demand-driven product portfolios.

Analysis of an inventory model for both linearly decreasing demand and holding cost

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malik, A. K.; Singh, Parth Raj; Tomar, Ajay; Kumar, Satish; Yadav, S. K.

2016-03-01

This study proposes the analysis of an inventory model for linearly decreasing demand and holding cost for non-instantaneous deteriorating items. The inventory model focuses on commodities having linearly decreasing demand without shortages. The holding cost doesn't remain uniform with time due to any form of variation in the time value of money. Here we consider that the holding cost decreases with respect to time. The optimal time interval for the total profit and the optimal order quantity are determined. The developed inventory model is pointed up through a numerical example. It also includes the sensitivity analysis.

10 CFR 1009.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... allocable to a particular cost objective (i.e., a specific function, project, process, or organization) if...) Direct materials. (4) Other direct costs. (5) Processing materials and chemicals. (6) Power and other... equipment. (10) Added factor includes general and administrative costs and other support costs that are...

Effectiveness of low-cost electromagnetic shielding using nail-together galvanized steel: Test results. Final report

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

Williams, P.F.; Kennedy, E.L.; McCormack, R.G.

1992-09-01

The sensitivity of modern electronic equipment has increased the need for costly electromagnetic shielding. To reduce this cost, the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories (USACERL) has developed a new concept for shielding design that uses 28-gauge galvanized steel and standard galvanized nails. In this study, an electromagnetically shielded structure using the concept was designed, built, and evaluated for shielding effectiveness. The galvanized material was mounted to the standard USACERL test aperture and nailed to the wooden module frame, and the shielding effectiveness of the new construction design was measured using radio frequency antennas and receivers. Evaluations showed that themore » nail-together structure proved adequate for many shielding applications. However, while the galvanized steel met most shielding application requirements, this process added multiple seams to the structure, which decreased shielding in many instances by as much as 40 dB. Electromagnetic shielding, Electromagnetic pulse C3I Facilities.« less

Hardwood pallet cant quality and pallet part yields

Treesearch

Hal L. Mitchell; Marshall White; Philip Araman; Peter Hamner

2005-01-01

Raw materials are the largest cost component in pallet manufacturing. The primary raw material used to produce pallet parts are pallet cants. Therefore, pallet cant quality directly impacts pallet part processing and material costs. By knowing the quality of the cants being processed, pallet manufacturers can predict these costs and improve manufacturing efficiency....

TBC costing. [test bed concentrator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaminski, H. L.

1980-01-01

Procedures to be used in determining the cost of producing and installing a parabolic dish collector in annual production volumes of 10,000, 50,000, 100,000, and 1,000,000 units include (1) evaluating each individual part for material cost and for the type and number of operations required to work the raw material into the finished part; (2) costing labor, burden, tooling, gaging, machinery, and equipment; (3) estimating facilities requirements for each production volume; and (4) considering suggestions for design and material alterations that could result in cost reduction.

Development of a cost-effective CO2 adsorbent from petroleum coke via KOH activation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jang, Eunji; Choi, Seung Wan; Hong, Seok-Min; Shin, Sangcheol; Lee, Ki Bong

2018-01-01

The capture of CO2 via adsorption is considered an effective technology for decreasing global warming issues; hence, adsorbents for CO2 capture have been actively developed. Taking into account cost-effectiveness and environmental concerns, the development of CO2 adsorbents from waste materials is attracting considerable attention. In this study, petroleum coke (PC), which is the carbon residue remaining after heavy oil upgrading, was used to produce high-value-added porous carbon for CO2 capture. Porous carbon materials were prepared by KOH activation using different weight ratios of KOH/PC (1:1, 2:1, 3:1, and 4:1) and activation temperatures (600, 700, and 800 °C). The specific surface area and total pore volume of resulting porous carbon materials increased with KOH amount, reaching up to 2433 m2/g and 1.11 cm3/g, respectively. The sample prepared under moderate conditions with a KOH/PC weight ratio of 2:1 and activation temperature of 700 °C exhibited the highest CO2 adsorption uptake of 3.68 mmol/g at 25 °C and 1 bar. Interestingly, CO2 adsorption uptake was linearly correlated with the volume of micropores less than 0.8 nm, indicating that narrow micropore volume is crucial for CO2 adsorption. The prepared porous carbon materials also exhibited good selectivity for CO2 over N2, rapid adsorption, facile regeneration, and stable adsorption-desorption cyclic performance, demonstrating potential as a candidate for CO2 capture.

Electrolytic trichloroethene degradation using mixed metal oxide coated titanium mesh electrodes.

PubMed

Petersen, Matthew A; Sale, Thomas C; Reardon, Kenneth F

2007-04-01

Electrochemical systems provide a low cost, versatile, and controllable platform to potentially treat contaminants in water, including chlorinated solvents. Relative to bare metal or noble metal amended materials, dimensionally stable electrode materials such as mixed metal oxide coated titanium (Ti/MMO) have advantages in terms of stability and cost, important factors for sustainable remediation solutions. Here, we report the use of Ti/MMO as an effective cathode substrate for treatment of trichloroethene (TCE). TCE degradation in a batch reactor was measured as the decrease of TCE concentration over time and the corresponding evolution of chloride; notably, this occurred without the formation of commonly encountered chlorinated intermediates. The reaction was initiated when Ti/MMO cathode potentials were less than -0.8 V vs. the standard hydrogen electrode, and the rate of TCE degradation increased linearly with progressively more negative potentials. The maximum pseudo-first-order heterogeneous rate constant was approximately 0.05 cm min(-1), which is comparable to more commonly used cathode materials such as nickel. In laboratory-scale flow-though column reactors designed to simulate permeable reactive barriers (PRBs), TCE concentrations were reduced by 80-90%. The extent of TCE flux reduction increased with the applied potential difference across the electrodes and was largely insensitive to the spacing distance between the electrodes. This is the first report of the electrochemical reduction of a chlorinated organic contaminant at a Ti/MMO cathode, and these results support the use of this material in PRBs as a possible approach to manage TCE plume migration.

Evaluation of BBL CHROMagar O157 versus Sorbitol-MacConkey Medium for Routine Detection of Escherichia coli O157 in a Centralized Regional Clinical Microbiology Laboratory▿

PubMed Central

Church, D. L.; Emshey, D.; Semeniuk, H.; Lloyd, T.; Pitout, J. D.

2007-01-01

The performance of BBL CHROMagar O157 (CHROM) versus that of sorbitol-MacConkey (SMAC) media for detection of Escherichia coli O157 was determined for a 3-month period. Results for 27/3,116 (0.9%) stool cultures were positive. CHROM had a higher sensitivity (96.30%) and negative predictive value (100%) and a better diagnostic efficiency than SMAC. Labor and material costs decreased when CHROM was used. PMID:17634298

Cultivation of Plasmodium falciparum parasites in a serum-free medium.

PubMed

Ofulla, A V; Okoye, V C; Khan, B; Githure, J I; Roberts, C R; Johnson, A J; Martin, S K

1993-09-01

The elimination of serum from Plasmodium falciparum culture media could decrease costs, enhance procurement, and improve the feasibility of large-scale production of parasite material. We provide a semi-defined, serum-free formulation, of commercially available constituents that supports P. falciparum parasite growth at rates comparable with those obtained with serum-supplemented media. The medium is composed of RPMI 1640 to which HEPES, extra glucose, bicarbonate, and hypoxanthine have been added. Bovine albumin and serum-derived, lipids-cholesterol-rich mixture are then used in place of serum.

High efficiency thin-film GaAs solar cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stirn, R. J.

1977-01-01

Several oxidation techniques are discussed which have been found to increase the open circuit (V sub oc) of metal-GaAs Schottky barrier solar cells, the oxide chemistry, attempts to measure surface state parameters, the evolving characteristics of the solar cell as background contamination (has been decreased, but not eliminated), results of focused Nd/YAG laser beam recrystallization of Ge films evaporated onto tungsten, and studies of AMOS solar cells fabricated on sliced polycrystalline GaAs wafers. Also discussed are projected materials availability and costs for GaAs thin-film solar cells.

Recovery of Indirect Costs in the Pricing of Equitable Adjustments and Terminations for Convenience

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-05-01

per unit of production decreases.2 0 5 For example, a contractor buys a machine for $10,000 that will be obsolete after one year. If the contractor...convenience may reduce the quantity of material needed for performance and the volume of purchases made by the contractor. As a result of not buying in...Ocean Technology, ASBCA 21363, 78-1 BCA 13204 at 64,586; Franchi Constr., ASBCA 16735, 74-2 BCA 10654 at 50,598; Warren Painting, ASBCA 18456, 74-2

[Minimally invasive surgery and the economics of it. Can minimally invasive surgery be cost efficient from a business point of view?].

PubMed

Ritz, J P; Stufler, M; Buhr, H J

2007-06-01

Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is now accepted as equally valid as the use of a standard access in some areas of surgery. It is not possible to decide whether this access is economically worthwhile and if so for whom without a full economic cost-benefit analysis, which must take account of the hospital's own characteristics in addition to the cost involved for surgery, staff, infrastructure and administration. In summary, the main economic advantage of MIS lies in the patient-related early postoperative results, while the main disadvantage is that the operative material costs are higher. At present, the payment made for each procedure performed under the DRG system includes 14-17% of the total cost for materials, regardless of the access route and of the technical sophistication of the operation. The actual material costs are greater by a factor of 2-50 for MIS than for a conventional procedure. The task of the hospital is thus to lower the costs for material and infrastructure; that of industry is to offer less expensive alternatives; and that of our politicians, to implement better remuneration of the material costs.

Estimating the costs of drug-related hospital separations in Australia.

PubMed

Riddell, Steven; Shanahan, Marian; Degenhardt, Louisa; Roxburgh, Amanda

2008-04-01

To estimate the total hospital costs of drug-related separations in Australia from 1999/2000 to 2004/05, and separate costs for the following illicit drug classes: opioids, amphetamine, cannabis and cocaine. Australian hospital separations between 1999/2000 to 2004/05 from the National Hospital Morbidity Dataset (NHMD) with a principal diagnosis of opioids, amphetamine, cannabis or cocaine were included, as were indirect estimates of additional 'drug-caused' separations using aetiological fractions. The costs were estimated using the year-specific case weights and costs for each respective Diagnostic Related Group (DRG). Total constant costs decreased from $50.8 million in 1999/2000 to $43.8 million in 2002/03 then increased to $46.7 million in 2004/05. The initial decrease was driven by a decline in numbers of opioid-related separations (with costs decreasing by $11.5 million) between 1999/2000 and 2001/02. Decreases were evident in separations within the opioid use, dependence and poisoning DRGs. Increases in costs were observed between 1999/00 and 2004/05 for amphetamine (an increase of $2.4 million), cannabis ($1.8 million) and cocaine ($330,000) related separations. Several uncommon but very expensive drug-related separations constituted 12.7% of the total drug-related separations. Overall, the costs of drug-related hospital separations have decreased by $4.1 million between 1999 and 2005, which is primarily attributable to fewer opioid-related separations. Small reductions in the number of costly separations through harm reduction strategies have the potential to significantly reduce drug-related hospital costs.

Silver-free Metallization Technology for Producing High Efficiency, Industrial Silicon Solar Cells

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

Michaelson, Lynne M.; Munoz, Krystal; Karas, Joseph

The goal of this project is to provide a commercially viable Ag-free metallization technology that will both reduce cost and increase efficiency of standard silicon solar cells. By removing silver from the front grid metallization and replacing it with lower cost nickel, copper, and tin metal, the front grid direct materials costs will decrease. This reduction in material costs should provide a path to meeting the Sunshot 2020 goal of 1 dollar / W DC. As of today, plated contacts are not widely implemented in large scale manufacturing. For organizations that wish to implement pilot scale manufacturing, only two equipmentmore » choices exist. These equipment manufacturers do not supply plating chemistry. The main goal of this project is to provide a chemistry and equipment solution to the industry that enables reliable manufacturing of plated contacts marked by passing reliability results and higher efficiencies than silver paste front grid contacts. To date, there have been several key findings that point to plated contacts performing equal to or better than the current state of the art silver paste contacts. Poor adhesion and reliability concerns are a few of the hurdles for plated contacts, specifically plated nickel directly on silicon. A key finding of the Phase 1 budget period is that the plated contacts have the same adhesion as the silver paste controls. This is a huge win for plated contacts. With very little optimization work, state of the art electrical results for plated contacts on laser ablated lines have been demonstrated with efficiencies up to 19.1% and fill factors ~80% on grid lines 40-50 um wide. The silver paste controls with similar line widths demonstrate similar electrical results. By optimizing the emitter and grid design for the plated contacts, it is expected that the electrical performance will exceed the silver paste controls. In addition, cells plated using Technic chemistry and equipment pass reliability testing; i.e. 1000 hours damp heat and 200 thermal cycles, with results similar to silver paste control cells. 100 cells have been processed through Technic’s novel demo plating tool built and installed during budget period 2. This plating tool performed consistently from cell to cell, providing gentle handling for the solar cells. An agreement has been signed with a cell manufacturer to process their cells through our plating chemistry and equipment. Their main focus for plated contacts is to reduce the direct materials cost by utilizing nickel, copper, and tin in place of silver paste. Based on current market conditions and cost model calculations, the overall savings offered by plated contacts is only 3.5% dollar/W versus silver paste contacts; however, the direct materials savings depend on the silver market. If silver prices increase, plated contacts may find a wider adoption in the solar industry in order to keep the direct materials costs down for front grid contacts.« less

Decrease Hospital Spending: There's an App for That! A Retrospective Analysis of Implementation of a Mobile Resident Handbook on Hospital Costs and Disposition.

PubMed

Holtkamp, Matthew D

2017-10-01

Patient care involves time sensitive decisions. Matching a patient's presenting condition with possible diagnoses requires proper assessment and diagnostic tests. Timely access to necessary information leads to improved patient care, better outcomes, and decreased costs. This study evaluated objective outcomes of the implementation of a novel Resident Handbook Application (RHAP) for smart phones. The RHAP included tools necessary to make proper assessments and to order appropriate tests. The RHAPs effectiveness was accessed using the Military Health System Military Mart database. This database includes patient specific aggregate data, including diagnosis, patient demographics, itemized cost, hospital days, and disposition status. Multivariable analysis was used to compare before and after RHAP implementation, controlling for patient demographics and diagnosis. Internal medicine admission data were used as a control group. There was a statistically significant decrease in laboratory costs and a strong trend toward statistically significant decreases in the cost of radiology performed after implementation of RHAP (p value of <0.02 and <0.07, respectively). There was also a decrease in hospital days (3.66-3.30 days), in total cost per admission ($18,866-$16,305), and in cost per hospital day per patient ($5,140-$4,936). During the same time period a Control group had no change or increases in these areas. The use of the RHAP resulted in decreases in costs in a variety of areas and a decrease in hospital bed days without any apparent negative effect upon patient outcomes or disposition status.

Solar energy system economic evaluation for Wormser Columbia, South Carolina

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

The Solar Energy System is not economically beneficial under the assumed economic conditions at the sites considered. Economic benefits from this system depend on decreasing the initial investment and the continued increase in the cost of conventional energy. Decreasing the cost depends on favorable tax treatment and continuing development of solar energy technology. Fuel cost would have to increase drastically while the cost of the system would have to remain constant or decrease for the system to become economically feasible.

Materials Advance Chemical Propulsion Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2012-01-01

In the future, the Planetary Science Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate hopes to use better-performing and lower-cost propulsion systems to send rovers, probes, and observers to places like Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. For such purposes, a new propulsion technology called the Advanced Materials Bipropellant Rocket (AMBR) was developed under NASA's In-Space Propulsion Technology (ISPT) project, located at Glenn Research Center. As an advanced chemical propulsion system, AMBR uses nitrogen tetroxide oxidizer and hydrazine fuel to propel a spacecraft. Based on current research and development efforts, the technology shows great promise for increasing engine operation and engine lifespan, as well as lowering manufacturing costs. In developing AMBR, ISPT has several goals: to decrease the time it takes for a spacecraft to travel to its destination, reduce the cost of making the propulsion system, and lessen the weight of the propulsion system. If goals like these are met, it could result in greater capabilities for in-space science investigations. For example, if the amount (and weight) of propellant required on a spacecraft is reduced, more scientific instruments (and weight) could be added to the spacecraft. To achieve AMBR s maximum potential performance, the engine needed to be capable of operating at extremely high temperatures and pressure. To this end, ISPT required engine chambers made of iridium-coated rhenium (strong, high-temperature metallic elements) that allowed operation at temperatures close to 4,000 F. In addition, ISPT needed an advanced manufacturing technique for better coating methods to increase the strength of the engine chamber without increasing the costs of fabricating the chamber.

Association of Trajectories of Higher-Level Functional Capacity with Mortality and Medical and Long-Term Care Costs Among Community-Dwelling Older Japanese.

PubMed

Taniguchi, Yu; Kitamura, Akihiko; Nofuji, Yu; Ishizaki, Tatsuro; Seino, Satoshi; Yokoyama, Yuri; Shinozaki, Tomohiro; Murayama, Hiroshi; Mitsutake, Seigo; Amano, Hidenori; Nishi, Mariko; Matsuyama, Yutaka; Fujiwara, Yoshinori; Shinkai, Shoji

2018-03-26

Higher-level functional capacity is crucial component for independent living in later life. We used repeated-measures analysis to identify aging trajectories in higher-level functional capacity. We then determined whether these trajectories were associated with all-cause mortality and examined differences in medical and long-term care costs between trajectories among community-dwelling older Japanese. 2,675 adults aged 65-90 years participated in annual geriatric health assessments and biennial health monitoring surveys during the period from October 2001 through August 2011. The average number of follow-up assessments was 4.0, and the total number of observations was 10,609. Higher-level functional capacity, which correspond to the fourth and fifth sublevels of Lawton's hierarchical model, was assessed with the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology-Index of Competence (TMIG-IC). We identified four distinct trajectory patterns (high-stable, late-onset decreasing, early-onset decreasing, and low-decreasing) on the TMIG-IC through age 65-90 years. As compared with the high-stable trajectory group, participants in the late-onset decreasing, early-onset decreasing, and low-decreasing TMIG-IC trajectory groups had adjusted hazard ratios for mortality of 1.22 (95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.47), 1.90 (1.53-2.36), and 2.87 (2.14-3.84), respectively. Participants with high-stable and late-onset decreasing higher-level functional capacity trajectories had lower mean monthly medical costs and long-term care costs. In contrast, mean total costs were higher for those with low-decreasing trajectories, after excluding the large increase in such costs at the end of life. People with a low-decreasing aging trajectory in higher-level functional capacity had higher risks of death and had high monthly total costs.

ElectroCat: DOE's approach to PGM-free catalyst and electrode R&D

DOE PAGES

Thompson, Simon T.; Wilson, Adria R.; Zelenay, Piotr; ...

2018-02-03

The successful development of high-performance, durable platinum group metal-free (PGM-free) electrocatalysts and electrodes for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) will ultimately improve the cost-competiveness of fuel cells in a wide range of applications. This is considered to be a critical development especially for automotive fuel cell applications in order to bring the system cost of an automotive fuel cell system down to the $30/kW cost target set by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The platinum group metal (PGM) electrocatalysts are a major contributor to the system cost. Addressing the technical challenges to PGM-free electrocatalyst and electrode development, therefore,more » represents one of DOE's most pressing research and development (R&D) priorities. ElectroCat was formed by the DOE as part of the Energy Materials Network (EMN) in early 2016, and shares with other EMN consortia the goal of decreasing the time to market for advanced materials related to clean energy technologies, in the context of increasing U.S. fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) manufacturing competitiveness. To accomplish this, the consortium performs core research and development and provides universities and companies streamlined access to the unique, world-class set of tools and expertise relevant to early-stage applied PGM-free catalyst R&D of the member national laboratories. Moreover, ElectroCat fosters a systematic methodology by which prospective catalysts and electrodes are prepared and analyzed rapidly and comprehensively using high-throughput, combinatorial methods. Catalyst discovery is augmented by theory as well as foundational electrocatalysis and materials knowledge at the participating national laboratories. Furthermore, ElectroCat has developed a data sharing framework, requisite of all EMN consortia, for disseminating its findings to the public via a searchable database, to further expedite incorporation of PGM-free electrocatalysts into next-generation fuel cells by advancing the general understanding of the PGM-free electrocatalyst field.« less

ElectroCat: DOE's approach to PGM-free catalyst and electrode R&D

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

Thompson, Simon T.; Wilson, Adria R.; Zelenay, Piotr

The successful development of high-performance, durable platinum group metal-free (PGM-free) electrocatalysts and electrodes for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) will ultimately improve the cost-competiveness of fuel cells in a wide range of applications. This is considered to be a critical development especially for automotive fuel cell applications in order to bring the system cost of an automotive fuel cell system down to the $30/kW cost target set by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The platinum group metal (PGM) electrocatalysts are a major contributor to the system cost. Addressing the technical challenges to PGM-free electrocatalyst and electrode development, therefore,more » represents one of DOE's most pressing research and development (R&D) priorities. ElectroCat was formed by the DOE as part of the Energy Materials Network (EMN) in early 2016, and shares with other EMN consortia the goal of decreasing the time to market for advanced materials related to clean energy technologies, in the context of increasing U.S. fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) manufacturing competitiveness. To accomplish this, the consortium performs core research and development and provides universities and companies streamlined access to the unique, world-class set of tools and expertise relevant to early-stage applied PGM-free catalyst R&D of the member national laboratories. Moreover, ElectroCat fosters a systematic methodology by which prospective catalysts and electrodes are prepared and analyzed rapidly and comprehensively using high-throughput, combinatorial methods. Catalyst discovery is augmented by theory as well as foundational electrocatalysis and materials knowledge at the participating national laboratories. Furthermore, ElectroCat has developed a data sharing framework, requisite of all EMN consortia, for disseminating its findings to the public via a searchable database, to further expedite incorporation of PGM-free electrocatalysts into next-generation fuel cells by advancing the general understanding of the PGM-free electrocatalyst field.« less

Eutrophication decrease: Phosphate adsorption processes in presence of nitrates.

PubMed

Boeykens, Susana P; Piol, M Natalia; Samudio Legal, Lisa; Saralegui, Andrea B; Vázquez, Cristina

2017-12-01

Eutrophication causes aquatic environment degradation as well as serious problems for different purposes of water uses. Phosphorus and nitrogen, mainly as phosphate and nitrate respectively, are considered responsible for eutrophication degradation. The focus of this work was the study of adsorption processes for decreasing phosphate and nitrate concentrations in bi-component aqueous systems. Dolomite and hydroxyapatite were selected as low-cost adsorbents. Obtained results showed that both adsorbents have high capacity for phosphate adsorption which the presence of nitrate does not modify. Hydroxyapatite proved to be the most efficient adsorbent, however, it showed a low percentage of desorption and few possibilities of reuse. Dolomite, on the other hand, allows a desorption of the adsorbed material that favours its reuse. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hazardous materials incident costs : estimating the costs of the March 25, 2004, tanker truck crash in Bridgeport, Connecticut

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-08-01

Significant variations in the reporting of hazardous materials incident costs are illustrated using a case study of the March 2004 crash of a fuel tanker truck on Interstate 95 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Three separate cost estimates are presented, ...

Trends in health care resource utilization and pharmacological management of COPD in Taiwan from 2004 to 2010.

PubMed

Tsai, Ying-Huang; Yang, Tsung-Ming; Lin, Chieh-Mo; Huang, Shu-Yi; Wen, Yu-Wen

2017-01-01

COPD has attracted widespread attention worldwide. The prevalence of COPD in Taiwan has been reported, but little is known about trends in health care resource utilization and pharmacologic management in COPD treatment. The objective of this article was to study trends in health care resource utilization, pharmacologic management, and medical costs of COPD treatment in Taiwan. Reimbursement claims in the Taiwan National Health Insurance System from 2004 to 2010 were collected. The disease burden of COPD, including health care resource utilization and medical costs, was evaluated. The pharmacy cost of COPD increased from 2004 to 2010 due to the increased utilization of long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) and fixed-dose combination of long-acting β2-agonist and inhaled corticosteroid (LABA/ICS), whereas the cost of all other COPD-related medications decreased. The average outpatient department (OPD) cost per patient increased 29.3% from 1,070 USD in 2004 to 1,383 USD in 2010. The highest average total medical cost per patient was 3,434 USD in 2005, and it decreased 12.4% to 3,008 USD in 2010. There was no significant difference in the average number of OPD visits and emergency department visits per patient. The highest average number of hospital admissions was 0.81 in 2005, and it decreased to 0.65 in 2010. The average number of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions decreased from 0.52 in 2005 to 0.31 in 2010. From 2004 to 2010, the average total medical cost per patient of COPD was slightly decreased because of the decreased average number of hospital admissions and ICU admissions. The costs of both LAMA and LABA/ICS increased, while the cost for all other COPD-related medications decreased. These findings suggest that the increased utilization of LAMA and LABA/ICS may have contributed to the decreased average number of hospital admissions and ICU admissions in COPD patients from 2004 to 2010.

Germanium resistance thermometer calibration at superfluid helium temperatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mason, F. C.

1985-01-01

The rapid increase in resistance of high purity semi-conducting germanium with decreasing temperature in the superfluid helium range of temperatures makes this material highly adaptable as a very sensitive thermometer. Also, a germanium thermometer exhibits a highly reproducible resistance versus temperature characteristic curve upon cycling between liquid helium temperatures and room temperature. These two factors combine to make germanium thermometers ideally suited for measuring temperatures in many cryogenic studies at superfluid helium temperatures. One disadvantage, however, is the relatively high cost of calibrated germanium thermometers. In space helium cryogenic systems, many such thermometers are often required, leading to a high cost for calibrated thermometers. The construction of a thermometer calibration cryostat and probe which will allow for calibrating six germanium thermometers at one time, thus effecting substantial savings in the purchase of thermometers is considered.

Development of Advanced High Strength Cast Alloys for Heavy Duty Engines

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

Barlow, James

Gray iron has been the primary alloy for heavy duty diesel engine core castings for decades. During recent decades the limitations of gray iron have been reached in some applications, leading to the use of compacted graphite iron in engine blocks and heads. Caterpillar has had compacted graphite designs in continuous production since the late 1980’s. Due to the drive for higher power density, decreased emissions and increased fuel economy, cylinder pressures and temperatures continue to increase. Currently no viable replacement for today’s compacted graphite irons exist at an acceptable cost level. This project explored methods to develop the nextmore » generation of heavy duty diesel engine materials as well as demonstrated some results on new alloy designs although cost targets will likely not be met.« less

Costing the OMNIUM-G system 7500

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fortgang, H. R.

1980-01-01

A complete OMNIUM-G System 7500 was cost analyzed for annual production quantities ranging from 25 to 10,000 units per year. Parts and components were subjected to in-depth scrutiny to determine optimum manufacturing processes, coupled with make or buy decisions on materials and small parts. When production quantities increase both labor and material costs reduce substantially. A redesign of the system that was analyzed could result in lower costs when annual production runs approach 100,000 units/year. Material and labor costs for producing 25, 100, 25,000 and 100,00 units are given for 17 subassembly units.

Financial and Temporal Advantages of Virtual Consultation in Veterans Requiring Specialty Care.

PubMed

Abbott, Daniel E; Macke, Ryan A; Kurtz, Jodi; Safdar, Nasia; Greenberg, Caprice C; Weber, Sharon M; Voils, Corrine I; Fisher, Deborah A; Maloney, James D

2018-01-01

Access to specialty health care in the Veterans Affairs (VA) system continues to be problematic. Given the potential temporal and fiscal benefits of telehealth, the Madison VA developed a virtual consultation (VC) mechanism to expedite diagnostic and therapeutic interventions for Veterans with incidentally discovered pulmonary nodules. Materials and. VC, a remote encounter between referring provider and thoracic surgeon for incidentally discovered pulmonary nodules, was implemented at the Madison VA between 2009 and 2011. Time from request to completion of consultation, hospital cost, and travel costs were determined for 157 veterans. These endpoints were then compared with in-person consultations over a concurrent 6-mo period. For the entire study cohort, the mean time to completion of VC was 3.2 d (SD ± 4.4 d). For the 6-mo period of first VC availability, the mean time to VC completion versus in-person consultation was 2.8 d (SD ± 2.8 d) and 20.5 d (SD ± 15.6 d), respectively (p < 0.05). Following initial VC, 84 (53%) veterans were scheduled for virtual follow-up alone; no veteran required an additional office visit before further diagnostic or therapeutic intervention. VA hospital cost was $228 per in-person consultation versus $120 per episode for VC - a 47.4% decrease. The average distance form veteran home to center was 86 miles, with an average travel reimbursement of $112 per in-person consultation, versus no travel cost associated with VC. VC for incidentally discovered pulmonary nodules significantly decreases time to consultation completion, hospital cost, and veteran travel cost. These data suggest that a significant opportunity exists for expansion of telehealth into additional practice settings within the VA system. © Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Print material as a public health education tool.

PubMed

Paul, C L; Redman, S; Sanson-Fisher, R W

1998-02-01

Despite the widespread use of print materials in public health education, little is known about the costs and processes involved in developing these materials and their effectiveness in practice. We examined a sample of printed health education materials, using interviews and checklists. The most cost-effective processes for developing materials were not being used and the effectiveness of materials was rarely evaluated.

Efforts of the occupant to change physical quality of residential unit through the change of building material at low cost flats in Jakarta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurdiani, N.

2018-03-01

Low cost flats in Jakarta – Indonesia is provided by the government for low-income people in urban areas, in line with the program to redevelop or renew slum areas. Low cost flat is built with the minimum standard of building materials. The purpose of this study is to know efforts of the occupants to change of building materials at residential unit of low cost flats. The research was conducted by descriptive method at four of low cost housing in Jakarta: Rusuna Bendungan Hilir 1, Rusuna Tambora IIIA, Rusuna Bidara Cina, and Rusuna Sukapura. The results showed that physical changes which happened in low cost flats are aesthetic (residence paint color change), or improvement of physical quality of residential unit (change of building material), become dominant aspects done by residents in four rusuna.

Performance and cost of materials for lithium-based rechargeable automotive batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmuch, Richard; Wagner, Ralf; Hörpel, Gerhard; Placke, Tobias; Winter, Martin

2018-04-01

It is widely accepted that for electric vehicles to be accepted by consumers and to achieve wide market penetration, ranges of at least 500 km at an affordable cost are required. Therefore, significant improvements to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in terms of energy density and cost along the battery value chain are required, while other key performance indicators, such as lifetime, safety, fast-charging ability and low-temperature performance, need to be enhanced or at least sustained. Here, we review advances and challenges in LIB materials for automotive applications, in particular with respect to cost and performance parameters. The production processes of anode and cathode materials are discussed, focusing on material abundance and cost. Advantages and challenges of different types of electrolyte for automotive batteries are examined. Finally, energy densities and costs of promising battery chemistries are critically evaluated along with an assessment of the potential to fulfil the ambitious targets of electric vehicle propulsion.

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

Beryllium and titanium cost-adjustment report

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Owen, John; Ulph, Eric, Sr.

1991-09-01

This report summarizes cost adjustment factors for beryllium (Be, S200) and titanium (Ti, 6Al-4V) that were derived relative to aluminum (Al, 7075-T6). Aluminum is traditionally the material upon which many of the Cost Analysis Office, Missile Division cost estimating relationships (CERs) are based. The adjustment factors address both research and development and production (Q > 100) quantities. In addition, the factors derived include optical elements, normal structure, and structure with special requirements for minimal microcreep, such as sensor assembly parts and supporting components. Since booster cost per payload pound is an even larger factor in total missile launch costs than was initially presumed, the primary cost driver for all materials compared was the missiles' booster cost per payload pound for both R&D and production quantities. Al and Ti are 1.5 and 2.4 times more dense, respectively, than Be, and the cost to lift the heavier materials results in greater booster expense. In addition, Al and Ti must be 2.1 and 2.8, respectively, times the weight of a Be component to provide equivalent stiffness, based on the example component addressed in the report. These factors also increase booster costs. After review of the relative factors cited above, especially the lower costs for Be when stiffness and booster costs are taken into consideration, affordability becomes an important issue. When this study was initiated, both government and contractor engineers said that Be was the material to be used as a last resort because of its prohibitive cost and extreme toxicity. Although the initial price of Be may lead one to believe that any Be product would be extremely expensive, the total cost of Be used for space applications is actually competitive with or less costly than either Al or Ti. Also, the Be toxicity problem has turned out to be a non-issue for purchasers of finished Be components since no machining or grinding operations are required on the finished components. Several new costing techniques are developed which provide quantitative measures of the cost of material stiffness, costs related to payload weight, and costs associated with the relative temperature stability of different materials. In addition, use is made of the Design/Cost Trade Model developed by Applied Research, Inc., to determine the booster cost differential relative to changes in payload weight, and a mirror fabrication cost model, developed by OCA Applied Optics, was used for mirror costing. This report is a summary of an extensive study done by the U.S. Army Strategic Defense Command, Huntsville, Alabama.

Innovative High-Performance Deposition Technology for Low-Cost Manufacturing of OLED Lighting

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

Hamer, John; Scott, David

In this project, OLEDWorks developed and demonstrated the innovative high-performance deposition technology required to deliver dramatic reductions in the cost of manufacturing OLED lighting in production equipment. The current high manufacturing cost of OLED lighting is the most urgent barrier to its market acceptance. The new deposition technology delivers solutions to the two largest parts of the manufacturing cost problem – the expense per area of good product for organic materials and for the capital cost and depreciation of the equipment. Organic materials cost is the largest expense item in the bill of materials and is predicted to remain somore » through 2020. The high-performance deposition technology developed in this project, also known as the next generation source (NGS), increases material usage efficiency from 25% found in current Gen2 deposition technology to 60%. This improvement alone results in a reduction of approximately 25 USD/m 2 of good product in organic materials costs, independent of production volumes. Additionally, this innovative deposition technology reduces the total depreciation cost from the estimated value of approximately 780 USD/m 2 of good product for state-of-the-art G2 lines (at capacity, 5-year straight line depreciation) to 170 USD/m 2 of good product from the OLEDWorks production line.« less

Economic optimal nitrogen application rates for rice cropping in the Taihu Lake region of China: taking account of negative externalities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Y.; Yan, X.

2011-07-01

Nitrogen application rates (NARs) is often overestimated over the rice (Oryza sativa L.) growing season in the Taihu Lake region of China. This is largely because only individual nitrogen (N) losses are taken into account, or the inventory flows of reactive N have been limited solely to the farming process when evaluating environmental and economic effects of N fertilizer. Since N can permeate the ecosystem in numerous forms commencing from the acquisition of raw material, through manufacturing and use, to final losses in the farming process (e.g., N2O, NH3, NO3- leaching, etc.), the costs incurred also accumulate and should be taken into account if economically-optimal N rates (EONRs) are to be established. This study integrates important material and energy flows resulting from N use into a rice agricultural inventory that constitutes the hub of the life-cycle assessment (LCA) method. An economic evaluation is used to determine an environmental and economic NAR for the Taihu Lake region. The analysis reveals that production and exploitation processes consume the largest proportion of resources, accounting for 77.2 % and 22.3 % of total resources, respectively. Regarding environmental impact, global warming creates the highest cost with contributions stemming mostly from fertilizer production and raw material exploitation processes. Farming process incurs the biggest environmental impact of the three environmental impact categories considered, whereas transportation has a much smaller effect. When taking account of resource consumption and environmental cost, the marginal benefit of 1 kg rice would decrease from 2.4 to only 1.01 yuan. Accordingly, our current EONR has been evaluated at 185 kg N ha-1 for a single rice-growing season. This could enhance profitability, as well as reduce the N losses associated with rice growing.

Study on properties of CFRP fabricated by VA-RTM process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeoung, Sun Kyoung; Hwang, Ye Jin; Lee, Hyun Wook; Son, Soon Keun; Kim, Hyung Sik; Ha, Jin Uk

2016-03-01

Carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) have a lot of attention from industry and academia due to its excellent mechanical property. It has been used for aircraft, automotive and so on, since it can replace metallic materials and reduce total weight with increased physical properties. However, the manufacturing process and the material cost are still challenging to be commercialized in the automotive market. Therefore, many researchers are trying to minimize materials and process cost for broadening their applications. In this study, thermoset epoxy resins were used for binder of CFRP. Epoxy resins were investigated in order to figure out optimized curing speed under vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) processing condition. Mechanical properties of CFRP with different carbon fiber orientation and woven carbon fiber were compared to mathematically simulated results. In order to develop the application of automobile component, reliability tests of CFRP were carried out. Tensile strength of CFRP is increased when the orientation angle between fiber and axis of load was decreased (90°→ 0°). It is considered that epoxy and carbon fiber absorbed the tensile energy because the orientation of fiber and the load bearing are matched with axis direction. In addition, the CFRP automobile engine hood was fabricated by VARTM process. Drop weight impact tests (20kg & 100kg weight) were carried out in order to simulate crash performance of CFRP engine hoods.

Economic and environmental characterization of an evolving Li-ion battery waste stream.

PubMed

Wang, Xue; Gaustad, Gabrielle; Babbitt, Callie W; Bailey, Chelsea; Ganter, Matthew J; Landi, Brian J

2014-03-15

While disposal bans of lithium-ion batteries are gaining in popularity, the infrastructure required to recycle these batteries has not yet fully emerged and the economic motivation for this type of recycling system has not yet been quantified comprehensively. This study combines economic modeling and fundamental material characterization methods to quantify economic trade-offs for lithium ion batteries at their end-of-life. Results show that as chemistries transition from lithium-cobalt based cathodes to less costly chemistries, battery recovery value decreases along with the initial value of the raw materials used. For example, manganese-spinel and iron phosphate cathode batteries have potential material values 73% and 79% less than cobalt cathode batteries, respectively. A majority of the potentially recoverable value resides in the base metals contained in the cathode; this increases disassembly cost and time as this is the last portion of the battery taken apart. A great deal of compositional variability exists, even within the same cathode chemistry, due to differences between manufacturers with coefficient of variation up to 37% for some base metals. Cathode changes over time will result in a heavily co-mingled waste stream, further complicating waste management and recycling processes. These results aim to inform disposal, collection, and take-back policies being proposed currently that affect waste management infrastructure as well as guide future deployment of novel recycling techniques. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Advanced Heat Exchangers for Dry Cooling Systems, Phase II

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

Fortini, Arthur J.; Horwath, Joseph

Dry cooling systems are an option for industrial and utility power plants that cannot obtain permits for cooling water or where cooling water is unavailable. Currently available dry cooling systems are more expensive and less efficient than wet cooling systems, so significant improvements in efficiency are needed to make them economically viable. Previous attempts at using foams as cooling fin materials for power generating systems have focused on high thermal conductivity graphite foams made via the Oak Ridge process. Because these materials have high flow restrictions and hence low permeability with respect to air flow, their internal volume and surfacemore » area were not effectively used. Consequently, they performed poorly and offered no advantage over aluminum fins. A foam with a more open structure would provide increased permeability, enable greater airflow through the bulk material, increase the rate of heat transfer, and enable the material to outperform traditional fin structures. In this project, Ultramet designed, fabricated, and tested low flow restriction, high-efficiency foam-based heat exchangers. Calculations based on existing thermal and hydraulic data for Ultramet’s high-performance open-cell foams indicated that 65-ppi (pores per linear inch) pyrolytic graphite foam with a relative density of 15 vol%, produced by chemical vapor infiltration (CVI), would have an effectiveness significantly greater than that of a state-of-the-art Hamon/Balcke-Durr aluminum fin system and greater than that of the POCO graphite foams previously tested for the DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory. Using the same chevron design, test setup, and run conditions as were used with the Hamon/Balcke-Durr fin system and the POCO foams, Ultramet tested graphite foams with air flow velocities of 0.07–3.2 m/sec and pressure drops of 0.03–9.7 inH2O. The best-performing graphite foam architectures had air velocities in excess of 2.5 m/sec when the pressure drop was 1 inH2O. Because a foam-based system is more efficient than a fin-based system, a smaller heat exchanger installation can be used, significantly reducing the installation cost. Furthermore, because the foam-based system is physically smaller with no increase in flow restriction, less electrical power is needed to run the fans to drive the air through the condenser. The result is a decrease in both the installation and operating costs, which in turn will decrease the overall life cycle cost of the system.« less

Solar energy system economic evaluation for Colt Pueblo, Pueblo, Colorado

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

The Solar Energy System is not economically beneficial under the assumed economic conditions at Pueblo, Colorado; Yosemite, California; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Fort Worth, Texas; and Washington, D.C. Economic benefits from this system depend on decreasing the initial investment and the continued increase in the cost of conventional energy. Decreasing the cost depends on favorable tax treatment and continuing development of solar energy technology. Fuel cost would have to increase drastically while the cost of the system would have to remain constant or decrease for the system to become economically feasible.

Cost and energy demand of producing nickel manganese cobalt cathode material for lithium ion batteries

DOE PAGES

Ahmed, Shabbir; Nelson, Paul A.; Gallagher, Kevin G.; ...

2017-01-05

The price of the cathode active materials in lithium ion batteries is a key cost driver and thus significantly impacts consumer adoption of devices that utilize large energy storage contents (e.g. electric vehicles). A process model has been developed and used to study the production process of a common lithium-ion cathode material, lithiated nickel manganese cobalt oxide, using the co-precipitation method. The process was simulated for a plant producing 6500 kg day –1. The results indicate that the process will consume approximately 4 kWh kg NMC –1 of energy, 15 L kg NMC –1 of process water, and cost $23more » to produce a kg of Li-NMC333. The calculations were extended to compare the production cost using two co-precipitation reactions (with Na 2CO 3 and NaOH), and similar cathode active materials such as lithium manganese oxide and lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide. Finally, a combination of cost saving opportunities show the possibility to reduce the cost of the cathode material by 19%.« less

U.S. DOE Progress Towards Developing Low-Cost, High Performance, Durable Polymer Electrolyte Membranes for Fuel Cell Applications.

PubMed

Houchins, Cassidy; Kleen, Greg J; Spendelow, Jacob S; Kopasz, John; Peterson, David; Garland, Nancy L; Ho, Donna Lee; Marcinkoski, Jason; Martin, Kathi Epping; Tyler, Reginald; Papageorgopoulos, Dimitrios C

2012-12-18

Low cost, durable, and selective membranes with high ionic conductivity are a priority need for wide-spread adoption of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Electrolyte membranes are a major cost component of PEMFC stacks at low production volumes. PEMFC membranes also impose limitations on fuel cell system operating conditions that add system complexity and cost. Reactant gas and fuel permeation through the membrane leads to decreased fuel cell performance, loss of efficiency, and reduced durability in both PEMFCs and DMFCs. To address these challenges, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies Program, in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, supports research and development aimed at improving ion exchange membranes for fuel cells. For PEMFCs, efforts are primarily focused on developing materials for higher temperature operation (up to 120 °C) in automotive applications. For DMFCs, efforts are focused on developing membranes with reduced methanol permeability. In this paper, the recently revised DOE membrane targets, strategies, and highlights of DOE-funded projects to develop new, inexpensive membranes that have good performance in hot and dry conditions (PEMFC) and that reduce methanol crossover (DMFC) will be discussed.

What's in a bin: A case study of dental clinical waste composition and potential greenhouse gas emission savings.

PubMed

Richardson, J; Grose, J; Manzi, S; Mills, I; Moles, D R; Mukonoweshuro, R; Nasser, M; Nichols, A

2016-01-22

Dental practices have a unique position as dental staff use a high number of dental materials and instruments on a daily basis. It is unclear how dentists' and dental care professionals' choices and behaviours around selecting and using materials impact on the amount of unnecessary waste production. Although there are a number of articles exploring the quality and quantity of waste in dental practices, there are no studies on organisational strategies to decrease unnecessary waste. There is no clear economic analysis of the impact on associated cost to dental practices which consequently can affect the access of dental care for disadvantaged groups. This study used an audit approach to explore the potential for sustainability in dental practice by measuring the nature and quantity of dental clinical waste, and assessing the feasibility of measuring the financial costs and potential carbon savings in the management of dental clinical waste. The data from our study would appear to support the view that it is possible to reduce carbon emissions and increase profitability. Successful implementation of an environmentally sustainable approach to waste management will be dependent on the practicalities involved and the financial incentives for adopting such practices.

Nutrient recycling of lipid-extracted waste in the production of an oleaginous thraustochytrid.

PubMed

Lowrey, Joshua; Brooks, Marianne S; Armenta, Roberto E

2016-05-01

Improving the economics of microalgae production for the recovery of microbial oil requires a comprehensive exploration of the measures needed to improve productivity as well as to reduce the overall processing costs. One avenue for cost reduction involves recycling the effluent waste water remaining after lipid extraction. This study investigates the feasibility of recycling those wastes for growing thraustochytrid biomass, a heterotrophic microalgae, where wastes were generated from the enzymatic extraction of the lipids from the cell biomass. It was demonstrated that secondary cultures of the tested thraustochytrid grown in the recycled wastes performed favorably in terms of cell and oil production (20.48 g cells L(-1) and 40.9 % (w/w) lipid) compared to the control (13.63 g cells L(-1) and 56.8 % (w/w) lipid). Further, the significant uptake of solubilized cell material (in the form of amino acids) demonstrated that the recycled waste has the potential for offsetting the need for fresh medium components. These results indicate that the implementation of a nutrient recycling strategy for industrial microalgae production could be possible, with significant added benefits such as conserving water resources, improving production efficiency, and decreasing material inputs.

19 CFR 10.177 - Cost or value of materials produced in the beneficiary developing country.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

...) Wholly the growth, product, or manufacture of the beneficiary developing country; or (2) Substantially... the materials to the manufacturer's plant; (iii) The actual cost of waste or spoilage (material list... expenses incurred in the growth, production, manufacture or assembly of the material, including general...

19 CFR 10.177 - Cost or value of materials produced in the beneficiary developing country.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

...) Wholly the growth, product, or manufacture of the beneficiary developing country; or (2) Substantially... the materials to the manufacturer's plant; (iii) The actual cost of waste or spoilage (material list... expenses incurred in the growth, production, manufacture or assembly of the material, including general...

19 CFR 10.177 - Cost or value of materials produced in the beneficiary developing country.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

...) Wholly the growth, product, or manufacture of the beneficiary developing country; or (2) Substantially... the materials to the manufacturer's plant; (iii) The actual cost of waste or spoilage (material list... expenses incurred in the growth, production, manufacture or assembly of the material, including general...

Cost-effectiveness of leucoreduction for prevention of febrile non-haemolytic transfusion reactions

PubMed Central

Tsantes, Argirios E.; Kyriakou, Elias; Nikolopoulos, Georgios K.; Stylos, Dimitrios; Sidhom, Marlene; Bonovas, Stefanos; Douramani, Panagiota; Kalantzis, Dimitrios; Kokoris, Styliani; Valsami, Serena; Stamoulis, Konstantinos; Politou, Marianna; Foudoulaki-Paparizos, Leontini

2014-01-01

Background The cost-effectiveness of universal leucoreduction of blood components remains unclear. When using leucoreduced red blood cells, the decrease in the rate of febrile non-haemolytic transfusion reactions (FNHTR) is the only proven, meaningful clinical benefit, whose relationship to costs can be calculated relatively easily. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of leucoreduction in avoiding FNHTR. Materials and methods Data were obtained from two large tertiary hospitals in Athens, Greece, over a 4-year period (2009–2012). The incidence of FNHTR in patients transfused with leucoreduced or non-leucodepleted red blood cells, the additional cost of leucoreduction and the cost to treat the FNHTR were estimated. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), which is the ratio of the change in costs to the incremental benefits of leucoreduction, was calculated. Results In total, 86,032 red blood cell units were transfused. Of these, 53,409 were leucodepleted and 32,623 were non-leucoreduced. Among patients transfused with leucodepleted units, 25 cases (0.047%) met the criteria for having a FNHTR, while in patients treated with non-leucoreduced components, 134 FNHTR were observed (0.411%). The ICER of leucoreduction was € 6,916 (i.e., the cost to prevent one case of FNHTR). Conclusions Leucoreduction does not have a favourable cost-effectiveness ratio in relation to the occurrence of FNHTR. However, many factors, which could not be easily and accurately assessed, influence the long-term costs of transfusion. It is imperative to undertake a series of large, meticulously designed clinical studies across the entire spectrum of blood transfusion settings, to investigate most of the parameters involved. PMID:24931843

Use of crop residues for the control of Meloidogyne incognita under laboratory conditions.

PubMed

Piedrabuena, Ana; García-Alvarez, Avelino; Díez-Rojo, Miguel A; Bello, Antonio

2006-10-01

This laboratory study evaluates the biofumigant effect of different organic materials with the aim of developing non-chemical alternatives for the management of Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid & White) Chitwood populations. Sources of organic material from the production system were selected with the aim of reducing agricultural residue accumulation problems as well as decreasing the costs due to the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The selected materials were residues from pepper, strawberry, tomato and cucumber crops, orange juice industry residues, commercial manure and sheep manure, applied at different dosages. Two biofumigation assays were performed under laboratory conditions, using alkaline soils from the Torreblanca area (Murcia, Spain) and acidic soils from the Villa del Prado area (Madrid, Spain). The assays evaluated the effect of the treatments on M. incognita juveniles and other soil organisms, the nematode galling index on tomato roots (susceptible cv. Marmande) grown in the biofumigated soil and soil fertility parameters. The results showed that all biofumigant materials significantly decreased M. incognita populations and galling indices in tomato cv. Marmande. A greater effect was observed on galling indices when applying crop residues together with manure than with the residues alone. Biofumigation had a general beneficial effect on soil fertility, generally increasing nitrogen, organic carbon, pH and potassium levels, and also calcium levels when crop residues of pepper and strawberry were applied. There were no important variations in the number of saprophagous nematodes, dorylaimids and enchytraeids.

Thermoplastic rubberlike material produced at low cost

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hendel, F. J.

1966-01-01

Thermoplastic rubberlike material is prepared by blending a copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate with asphalt and a petroleum distillate. This low cost material is easily molded or extruded and is compatible with a variety of fillers.

Optimization of conventional water treatment plant using dynamic programming.

PubMed

Mostafa, Khezri Seyed; Bahareh, Ghafari; Elahe, Dadvar; Pegah, Dadras

2015-12-01

In this research, the mathematical models, indicating the capability of various units, such as rapid mixing, coagulation and flocculation, sedimentation, and the rapid sand filtration are used. Moreover, cost functions were used for the formulation of conventional water and wastewater treatment plant by applying Clark's formula (Clark, 1982). Also, by applying dynamic programming algorithm, it is easy to design a conventional treatment system with minimal cost. The application of the model for a case reduced the annual cost. This reduction was approximately in the range of 4.5-9.5% considering variable limitations. Sensitivity analysis and prediction of system's feedbacks were performed for different alterations in proportion from parameters optimized amounts. The results indicated (1) that the objective function is more sensitive to design flow rate (Q), (2) the variations in the alum dosage (A), and (3) the sand filter head loss (H). Increasing the inflow by 20%, the total annual cost would increase to about 12.6%, while 20% reduction in inflow leads to 15.2% decrease in the total annual cost. Similarly, 20% increase in alum dosage causes 7.1% increase in the total annual cost, while 20% decrease results in 7.9% decrease in the total annual cost. Furthermore, the pressure decrease causes 2.95 and 3.39% increase and decrease in total annual cost of treatment plants. © The Author(s) 2013.

Learning Objects and the E-Learning Cost Dilemma

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weller, Martin

2004-01-01

The creation of quality e-learning material creates a cost dilemma for many institutions, since it has both high variable and high fixed costs. This cost dilemma means that economies of scale are difficult to achieve, which may result in a consequent reduction in the quality of the learning material. Based on the experience of creating a masters…

Evaluation available encapsulation materials for low-cost long-life silicon photovoltaic arrays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carmichael, D. C.; Gaines, G. B.; Noel, G. T.; Sliemers, F. A.; Nance, G. P.; Bunk, A. R.; Brockway, M. C.

1978-01-01

Experimental evaluation of selected encapsulation designs and materials based on an earlier study which have potential for use in low cost, long-life photovoltaic arrays are reported. The performance of candidate materials and encapsulated cells were evaluated principally for three types of encapsulation designs based on their potentially low materials and processing costs: (1) polymeric coatings, transparent conformal coatings over the cell with a structural-support substrate; (2) polymeric film lamination, cells laminated between two films or sheets of polymeric materials; and (3) glass-covered systems, cells adhesively bonded to a glass cover (superstrate) with a polymeric pottant and a glass or other substrate material. Several other design types, including those utilizing polymer sheet and pottant materials, were also included in the investigation.

Cost/benefit analysis of advanced materials technologies for future aircraft turbine engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stephens, G. E.

1980-01-01

The materials technologies studied included thermal barrier coatings for turbine airfoils, turbine disks, cases, turbine vanes and engine and nacelle composite materials. The cost/benefit of each technology was determined in terms of Relative Value defined as change in return on investment times probability of success divided by development cost. A recommended final ranking of technologies was based primarily on consideration of Relative Values with secondary consideration given to changes in other economic parameters. Technologies showing the most promising cost/benefits were thermal barrier coated temperature nacelle/engine system composites.

Electric Vehicle Technologies and Targets | Transportation Research | NREL

Science.gov Websites

. Table showing 2022 targets for decreases in battery cost ($125/kWh) and increases in battery capacity exchanger. Table showing 2022 targets for decreases in power electronics cost ($8/kW, $440 system cost) and , high performing, and long lasting. DOE has targeted a 75% reduction in battery cost and a 75% increase

A comparative cost analysis of robot-assisted versus traditional laparoscopic partial nephrectomy.

PubMed

Hyams, Elias; Pierorazio, Philip; Mullins, Jeffrey K; Ward, Maryann; Allaf, Mohamad

2012-07-01

Robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (RALPN) is supplanting traditional laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) as the technique of choice for minimally invasive nephron-sparing surgery. This evolution has resulted from potential clinical benefits, as well as proliferation of robotic systems and patient demand for robot-assisted surgery. We sought to quantify the costs associated with the use of robotics for minimally invasive partial nephrectomy. A cost analysis was performed for 20 consecutive robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RPN) and LPN patients at our institution from 2009 to 2010. Data included actual perioperative and hospitalization costs as well as professional fees. Capital costs were estimated using purchase costs and amortization of two robotic systems from 2001 to 2009, as well as maintenance contract costs. The estimated cost/case was obtained using total robotic surgical volume during this period. Total estimated costs were compared between groups. A separate analysis was performed assuming "ideal" robotic utilization during a comparable period. RALPN had a cost premium of +$1066/case compared with LPN, assuming actual robot utilization from 2001 to 2009. Assuming "ideal" utilization during a comparable period, this premium decreased to +$334; capital costs per case decreased from $1907 to $1175. Tumor size, operative time, and length of stay were comparable between groups. RALPN is associated with a small to moderate cost premium depending on assumptions regarding robotic surgical volume. Saturated utilization of robotic systems decreases attributable capital costs and makes comparison with laparoscopy more favorable. Purported clinical benefits of RPN (eg, decreased warm ischemia time, increased utilization of nephron-sparing surgery) need further study, because these may have cost implications.

Application of Glow Discharge Plasma to Alter Surface Properties of Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trigwell, Steve; Buhler, Charles R.; Calle, Carlos I.

2005-01-01

Some polymer materials that are considered important for spaceport operations are rendered noncompliant when subjected to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Standard electrostatic testing. These materials operate in stringent environmental conditions, such as high humidity. Treating materials that fail electrostatic testing and altering their surface properties so that they become compliant would result in considerable cost savings. Significant improvement in electrostatic dissipation of Saf-T-Vu PVC after treatment with air Atmospheric Plasma Glow Discharge (APGD) was observed and the material now passed the KSC electrostatic test. The O:C ratio on the surface, as monitored by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, increased from 0.165 tO 0.275 indicating enhanced oxidation, and surface contact angle measurements decreased from 107.5 to 72.6 showing increased hydrophilicity that accounted for the increased conductivity. Monitoring of the aging showed that the materials hydrophobic recovery resulted in it failing the electrostatic test 30 hours after treatment. This was probably due to the out-diffusion of the added Zn, Ba, and Cd salt stabilizers detected on the surface and/or diffusion of low molecular weight oligomers. On going work includes improving the long term hydrophilicity by optimizing the APGD process with different gas mixtures. Treatment of other spaceport materials is also presented.

Cathode refunctionalization as a lithium ion battery recycling alternative

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganter, Matthew J.; Landi, Brian J.; Babbitt, Callie W.; Anctil, Annick; Gaustad, Gabrielle

2014-06-01

An approach to battery end-of-life (EOL) management is developed involving cathode refunctionalization, which enables remanufacturing of the cathode from EOL materials to regain the electrochemical performance. To date, the optimal end-of-life management of cathode materials is based on economic value and environmental impact which can influence the methods and stage of recycling. Traditional recycling methods can recover high value metal elements (e.g. Li, Co, Ni), but still require synthesis of new cathode from a mix of virgin and recovered materials. Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) has been selected for study as a representative cathode material due to recent mass adoption and limited economic recycling drivers due to the low inherent cost of iron. Refunctionalization of EOL LiFePO4 cathode was demonstrated through electrochemical and chemical lithiation methods where the re-lithiated LiFePO4 regained the original capacity of 150-155 mAh g-1. The environmental impact of the new recycling technique was determined by comparing the embodied energy of cathode material originating from virgin, recycled, and refunctionalized materials. The results demonstrate that the LiFePO4 refunctionalization process, through chemical lithiation, decreases the embodied energy by 50% compared to cathode production from virgin materials.

The effect of radiation on a variety of pharmaceuticals and materials containing polymers.

PubMed

Silindir, Mine; Ozer, Yekta

2012-01-01

The interaction of radiation, whether it has natural or artificial, electromagnetic or particle-type characterizations, with materials causes different effects depending on the dose and type of radiation and physicochemical properties of the material. In the medical field, understanding the effect of radiation on a variety of materials including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, polymers as biomaterials, and packaging is crucial. Although there are many kinds of sterilization methods, the use of radiation in sterilization has many advantages such as being a substantially less toxic, safer terminal sterilization method. Radiosterilization is sterilization with an ionizing radiation such as gamma rays or electron beam (e-beam), the latter being a newer but less-frequently used technique. However, the need for large facilities with proper radiation protections for personnel and the environment from the effects of radiation and radioactive wastes makes this procedure highly costly. The effects of radiation on materials, especially pharmaceuticals and polymer-containing medical devices, cause degradation or chemical changes. The effects of radiation on a variety of different materials is a growing research area that can create safer techniques that reduce radiation damage and increase cost-effectiveness in the future. Radiation can be used for positive purposes such as medical applications and the sterilization of pharmaceutical products, medical devices, and food and agricultural products as well as clinical applications such as diagnosis and/or therapy of a variety of diseases. The dose rate, time, type and emitted energy of the radiation are critical issues for determining its benefit/damage ratio. The sterilization of pharmaceuticals and medical devices that contain polymers can be achieved safely and effectively by irradiation. The sterilization of materials at the terminal phase-that is, in its final packaging materials-and its suitability to a variety of different kinds of packaging materials have brought additional value to radiosterilization. However, radiation sterilization is more expensive than the other sterilization methods that require large facilities. Although this method is safe in application, the effects of radiation on drugs and polymers must be evaluated by various analytical methods. In the nuclear chemistry and radiochemistry field, more effective and novel methods are being developed to decrease the harmful effects of radiation on materials.

A Subject Reference: Benefit-Cost Analysis of Toxic Substances, Hazardous Materials and Solid Waste Control (1977)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Discussion of methodological issues for conducting benefit-cost analysis and provides guidance for selecting and applying the most appropriate and useful mechanisms in benefit-cost analysis of toxic substances, hazardous materials, and solid waste control

34 CFR 75.191 - Consultation costs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Consultation costs. 75.191 Section 75.191 Education... Development of Curricula Or Instructional Materials § 75.191 Consultation costs. An applicant may budget... instructional materials. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e-3 and 3474) ...

The effects of fabric type, fabric width and model type on the cost of unit raw material in terms of apparel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilgiç, H.; Duru Baykal, P.

2017-10-01

The cost of the fabric which is the raw material of apparel constitutes approximately the half of the total product cost. So, it is highly important that the fabric should be used with the greatest productivity. Cost analysis are of great importance in terms of competitiveness of readymade clothing and apparel sector both in national and international markets. The proximity of costs to international average and the average cost of the countries that are competitors of Turkey in clothing market is essential for Turkey to sustain its effect in textile sector. In the contrary case, the sector won’t be able to maintain its competitive capacity sustainably [1].The main cost elements of textile and apparel sector consist of raw material, labor, energy and financing [2].

Activated microporous-mesoporous carbon derived from chestnut shell as a sustainable anode material for high performance microbial fuel cells.

PubMed

Chen, Qin; Pu, Wenhong; Hou, Huijie; Hu, Jingping; Liu, Bingchuan; Li, Jianfeng; Cheng, Kai; Huang, Long; Yuan, Xiqing; Yang, Changzhu; Yang, Jiakuan

2018-02-01

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are promising biotechnologies tool to harvest electricity by decomposing organic matter in waste water, and the anode material is a critical factor in determining the performance of MFCs. In this study, chestnut shell is proposed as a novel anode material with mesoporous and microporous structure prepared via a simple carbonization procedure followed by an activation process. The chemical activation process successfully modified the macroporous structure, created more mesoporous and microporous structure and decreased the O-content and pyridinic/pyrrolic N groups on the biomass anode, which were beneficial for improving charge transfer efficiency between the anode surface and microbial biofilm. The MFC with activated biomass anode achieved a maximum power density (23.6 W m -3 ) 2.3 times higher than carbon cloth anode (10.4 W m -3 ). This study introduces a promising and feasible strategy for the fabrication of high performance anodes for MFCs derived from cost-effective, sustainable natural materials. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pulsed high energy synthesis of fine metal powders

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Witherspoon, F. Douglas (Inventor); Massey, Dennis W. (Inventor)

1999-01-01

Repetitively pulsed plasma jets generated by a capillary arc discharge at high stagnation pressure (>15,000 psi) and high temperature (>10,000 K) are utilized to produce 0.1-10 .mu.m sized metal powders and decrease cost of production. The plasma jets impact and atomize melt materials to form the fine powders. The melt can originate from a conventional melt stream or from a pulsed arc between two electrodes. Gas streams used in conventional gas atomization are replaced with much higher momentum flux plasma jets. Delivering strong incident shocks aids in primary disintegration of the molten material. A series of short duration, high pressure plasma pulses fragment the molten material. The pulses introduce sharp velocity gradients in the molten material which disintegrates into fine particles. The plasma pulses have peak pressures of approximately one kilobar. The high pressures improve the efficiency of disintegration. High gas flow velocities and pressures are achieved without reduction in gas density. Repetitively pulsed plasma jets will produce powders with lower mean size and narrower size distribution than conventional atomization techniques.

Injection initiated fracture in soft solids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hutchens, Shelby; Yang, Steven

Damage accumulation in soft materials under hydrostatic loading conditions is a primary injury mechanism in blast and blunt force trauma. A recently explored technique known as cavitation rheology (CR) provides a promising avenue for quickly and inexpensively approximating hydrostatic conditions via the reverse loading scenario, void pressurization. Past CR measurements of synthetic, polymeric materials at length scales from mm's to μm's have been found to correlate with both elastic modulus and fracture energy. The technique is performed via pressurization of fluid within a needle that is embedded within a material. This experimental setup allows crack evolution to be monitored, similar to traditional pre-notched failure samples. We observe a systematic evolution of crack morphology as a function of cross-link density in a soft elastomer. Crack shape is quantified using micro-computed tomography and shown to transition from being roughly penny-shaped to multi-lobed (predominately three) to spherical with decreasing crosslinking. Moduli are on the order of kPa. We describe this morphology evolution using a balance between the energetic costs of the strain energy in deforming the surrounding material and the intrinsic fracture energy necessary to form a new surface.

In-situ subaqueous capping of mercury-contaminated sediments in a fresh-water aquatic system, Part II-evaluation of sorption materials.

PubMed

Randall, Paul M; Yates, Brian J; Lal, Vivek; Darlington, Ramona; Fimmen, Ryan

2013-08-01

The function and longevity of traditional, passive, isolation caps can be augmented through the use of more chemically active capping materials which have higher sorptive capacities, ideally rendering metals non-bioavailable. In the case of Hg, active caps also mitigate the rate and extent of methylation. This research examined low cost, readily available, capping materials for their ability to sequester Hg and MeHg. Furthermore, selected capping materials were evaluated to inhibit the methylation of Hg in an incubation study as well as the capacity of a selected capping material to inhibit translocation of Hg and MeHg with respect to ebullition-facilitated contaminant transport in a column study. Results indicated that bauxite had a better capacity for mercury sorption than the other test materials. However, bauxite as well as soil capping materials did not decrease methylation to a significant extent. Materials with larger surface areas, higher organic matter and acid volatile sulfide (AVS) content displayed a larger partitioning coefficient. In the incubation experiments, the presence of a carbon source (lactate), electron acceptor (sulfate) and the appropriate strains of SRB provided the necessary conditions for Hg methylation to occur. The column study showed effectiveness in sequestering Hg and MeHg and retarding transport to the overlying water column; however, disturbances to the soil capping material resulting from gas ebullition negated its effectiveness. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Technical note: Development of a self-contained, indwelling rectal temperature probe for cattle research.

PubMed

Reuter, R R; Carroll, J A; Hulbert, L E; Dailey, J W; Galyean, M L

2010-10-01

A device was developed to monitor rectal temperature automatically in cattle for application in research settings. Compared with manual measurement of rectal temperature, this device decreases labor and time requirements and allows data collection without the influence of animal handling or restraint. The device consists of a custom-fabricated aluminum tail harness that supports an indwelling rectal temperature data logger. Materials cost approximately US $300 per unit, and units are completely reusable. Use of this device would increase the conditions under which accurate rectal temperature measurements can be obtained in experiments with cattle.

Portable and wide-range solid-state transmission densitometer for quality control in film radiography

PubMed Central

Aramburo, Javier Morales; Gonzalez, Sigifredo Solano; Toledo, Jorge Toledo

2010-01-01

In biology, materials science, radiography quality control or film dosimetry in radiotherapy, a transmission densitometer is useful for measurements of optical density. The design proposed here is oriented to quality control in radiographic films. The instrument described here utilizes low-cost solid-state devices and is easy to construct. The use of 1-watt white light-emitting diode in this densitometer enables low power consumption and a cold light source. Moreover, the instrument does not need a reference light, which results in decreasing the number of parts and reducing the overall size of the apparatus. PMID:20927222

Time Lapse of World’s Largest 3-D Printed Object

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

None

2016-08-29

Researchers at the MDF have 3D-printed a large-scale trim tool for a Boeing 777X, the world’s largest twin-engine jet airliner. The additively manufactured tool was printed on the Big Area Additive Manufacturing, or BAAM machine over a 30-hour period. The team used a thermoplastic pellet comprised of 80% ABS plastic and 20% carbon fiber from local material supplier. The tool has proven to decrease time, labor, cost and errors associated with traditional manufacturing techniques and increased energy savings in preliminary testing and will undergo further, long term testing.

Infrared Time Lapse of World’s Largest 3D-Printed Object

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

None

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have 3D-printed a large-scale trim tool for a Boeing 777X, the world’s largest twin-engine jet airliner. The additively manufactured tool was printed on the Big Area Additive Manufacturing, or BAAM machine over a 30-hour period. The team used a thermoplastic pellet comprised of 80% ABS plastic and 20% carbon fiber from local material supplier. The tool has proven to decrease time, labor, cost and errors associated with traditional manufacturing techniques and increased energy savings in preliminary testing and will undergo further, long term testing.

Investigation of test methods, material properties, and processes for solar cell encapsulants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Willis, P. B.

1983-01-01

A study of potentially useful low cost encapsulation materials for the Flat-Plate Solar Array project is discussed. The goal is to identify, evaluate, test and recommend encapsulant materials and processes for the production of cost-effective, long life solar cell modules. Technical investigations included studies of aging and degradation of candidate encapsulation materials, continued identification of primers for durable bonding of module interfaces, continued evaluation of soil resistant treatments for the sunlit surface of the module and testing of corrosion protective coatings for use low cost mild steel substrates.

Gear materials for high-production light-deputy service

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Townsend, D. P.

1973-01-01

The selection of a material for high volume, low cost gears requires careful consideration of all the requirements and the processes used to manufacture the gears. The wrong choice in material selection could very well mean the difference between success and failure. A summary of the cost that might be expected for different materials and processes is presented; it can be seen that the cost can span nearly three order of magnitudes from the molded plastic gear to the machined gear with stamped and powder metal gears falling in between these extremes.

URINE SOURCE SEPARATION AND TREATMENT: NUTRIENT RECOVERY USING LOW-COST MATERIALS

EPA Science Inventory

Successful completion of this P3 Project will achieve the following expected outputs: identification of low-cost materials that can effectively recover ammonium, phosphate, and potassium from urine; material balance calculations for different urine separation and treatment scheme...

Impact of Brief Cognitive Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia on Health Care Utilization and Costs

PubMed Central

McCrae, Christina S.; Bramoweth, Adam D.; Williams, Jacob; Roth, Alicia; Mosti, Caterina

2014-01-01

Study Objectives: To examine health care utilization (HCU) and costs following brief cognitive behavioral treatment for insomnia (bCBTi). Methods: Reviewed medical records of 84 outpatients [mean age = 54.25 years (19.08); 58% women] treated in a behavioral sleep medicine clinic (2005-2010) based in an accredited sleep disorders center. Six indicators of HCU and costs were obtained: estimated total and outpatient costs, estimated primary care visits, CPT costs, number of office visits, and number of medications. All patients completed ≥ 1 session of bCBTi. Those who attended ≥ 3 sessions were considered completers (n = 37), and completers with significant sleep improvements were considered responders (n = 32). Results: For completers and responders, all HCU and cost variables, except number of medications, significantly decreased (ps < 0.05) or trended towards decrease at post-treatment. Completers had average decreases in CPT costs of $200 and estimated total costs of $75. Responders had average decreases in CPT costs of $210. No significant decreases occurred for non-completers. Conclusions: bCBTi can reduce HCU and costs. Response to bCBTi resulted in greater reduction of HCU and costs. While limited by small sample size and non-normal data distribution, the findings highlight the need for greater dissemination of bCBTi for several reasons: a high percentage of completers responded to treatment, as few as 3 sessions can result in significant improvements in insomnia severity, bCBTi can be delivered by novice clinicians, and health care costs can reduce following treatment. Insomnia remains an undertreated disorder, and brief behavioral treatments can help to increase access to care and reduce the burden of insomnia. Citation: McCrae CS; Bramoweth AD; Williams J; Roth A; Mosti C. Impact of brief cognitive behavioral treatment for insomnia on health care utilization and costs. J Clin Sleep Med 2014;10(2):127-135. PMID:24532995

20 CFR 402.175 - Fees for providing information and related services for non-program purposes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... of the machine time and the materials used. (3) Use of electronic data processing equipment to obtain..., plus the full cost of any machine time and materials that the employee uses. (7) Billing exceeds cost... Act; and (2) Full cost of an employee's time includes fringe benefits and overhead costs such as rent...

20 CFR 402.175 - Fees for providing information and related services for non-program purposes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... of the machine time and the materials used. (3) Use of electronic data processing equipment to obtain..., plus the full cost of any machine time and materials that the employee uses. (7) Billing exceeds cost... Act; and (2) Full cost of an employee's time includes fringe benefits and overhead costs such as rent...

20 CFR 402.175 - Fees for providing information and related services for non-program purposes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... of the machine time and the materials used. (3) Use of electronic data processing equipment to obtain..., plus the full cost of any machine time and materials that the employee uses. (7) Billing exceeds cost... Act; and (2) Full cost of an employee's time includes fringe benefits and overhead costs such as rent...

Hardwood? Carpet? or Tile? A comparison of flooring costs under residential conditions

Treesearch

David G. Martens; David G. Martens

1971-01-01

Initial installation cost, annual maintenance cost, and total long-term cost are important in the purchase of flooring products. Before deciding on a flooring material, the prudent buyer will consider each of these in relation to his personal desires. From these evaluations, he will then be able to select the flooring material that is best suited to his individual...

Reduction of liquid metal embrittlement in copper-brazed stainless steel joints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uhlig, T.; Fedorov, V.; Elßner, M.; Wagner, G.; Weis, S.

2017-03-01

Due to its very good formability and the low raw material cost, pure copper in form of foils is commonly used to braze plate heat exchangers made of stainless steel. The difference in the electrochemical potentials of brazing filler and base material leads to corrosion effects in contact with electrolytes. This may lead to leakages, which decrease the reliability of the heat exchanger during service in potable water. The dissolution of the emerging corrosion products of brazing filler and base material induces the migration of heavy metal ions, such as Cu2+ and Ni2+, into the potable water. The so-called liquid metal embrittlement, which takes place during the brazing process, may intensify the corrosion. The brazing filler infiltrates the stainless steel along the grain boundaries and causes an embrittlement. This paper deals with the determination of the grain boundary erosion dependent on the degree of deformation and heat treatment of the stainless steel AISI 316L.

The influence of printing parameters on selected mechanical properties of FDM/FFF 3D-printed parts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ćwikła, G.; Grabowik, C.; Kalinowski, K.; Paprocka, I.; Ociepka, P.

2017-08-01

Rapid Prototyping technologies, especially 3D printing are becoming increasingly popular due to their usability and the constant decrease in price of printing equipment and materials. The article focuses on the study of selected mechanical strength properties of 3D-printed elements, which are not very important if the element is only a model for further manufacturing techniques, but which are important when 3D-printed elements will be a part of a functioning device, e.g. a part of unique scientific equipment. The research was carried out on a set of standardised samples, printed with low-cost standard materials (ABS), using a cheap 3D printer. The influence of parameters (such as the type of infill pattern, infill density, shell thickness, printing temperature, the type of material) on selected mechanical properties of the samples, were tested. The obtained results allows making conscious decisions on the printing of elements to be durable enough, either on a non-professional printer, or when to ordered by a professional manufacturer.

Inkjet-Printed Graphene/PEDOT:PSS Temperature Sensors on a Skin-Conformable Polyurethane Substrate.

PubMed

Vuorinen, Tiina; Niittynen, Juha; Kankkunen, Timo; Kraft, Thomas M; Mäntysalo, Matti

2016-10-18

Epidermal electronic systems (EESs) are skin-like electronic systems, which can be used to measure several physiological parameters from the skin. This paper presents materials and a simple, straightforward fabrication process for skin-conformable inkjet-printed temperature sensors. Epidermal temperature sensors are already presented in some studies, but they are mainly fabricated using traditional photolithography processes. These traditional fabrication routes have several processing steps and they create a substantial amount of material waste. Hence utilizing printing processes, the EES may become attractive for disposable systems by decreasing the manufacturing costs and reducing the wasted materials. In this study, the sensors are fabricated with inkjet-printed graphene/PEDOT:PSS ink and the printing is done on top of a skin-conformable polyurethane plaster (adhesive bandage). Sensor characterization was conducted both in inert and ambient atmosphere and the graphene/PEDOT:PSS temperature sensors (thermistors) were able reach higher than 0.06% per degree Celsius sensitivity in an optimal environment exhibiting negative temperature dependence.

Cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin and ash content of some organic materials and their suitability for use as paper pulp supplements.

PubMed

Ververis, C; Georghiou, K; Danielidis, D; Hatzinikolaou, D G; Santas, P; Santas, R; Corleti, V

2007-01-01

Freshwater algal biomass and orange and lemon peels were assessed as tissue paper pulp supplements. Cellulose and hemicellulose contents of algal biomass were 7.1% and 16.3%, respectively, whereas for citrus peels cellulose content ranged from 12.7% to 13.6% and hemicellulose from 5.3% to 6.1%. For all materials, lignin and ash content was 2% or lower, rendering them suitable for use as paper pulp supplements. The addition of algal biomass to paper pulp increased its mechanical strength significantly. However, brightness was adversely affected by chlorophyll. The addition of citrus peels in paper pulp had no effect on breaking length, increased bursting strength and decreased tearing resistance. Brightness was negatively affected at proportions of 10%, because citrus peel particles behave as coloured pigments. The cost of both materials is about 45% lower than that of conventional pulp, resulting in a 0.9-4.5% reduction in final paper price upon their addition to the pulp.

The hepatitis C genotype 1 paradox: cost per treatment is increasing, but cost per cure is decreasing.

PubMed

Shafran, Stephen D

2015-01-01

Significant attention has been focused on the perceived increase in the cost of antiviral treatment for hepatitis C genotype 1 infection since the approval of the first direct-acting antiviral agents in 2011. Using Canadian list prices, the present analysis points out a paradox: while the cost per antiviral regimen is increasing, the cost per cure is decreasing, especially with interferon-free therapy. In a publicly funded health care system, the lowest cost per cure is a more valuable measure of value for public money than the cost per regimen.

Economic analysis of electronic waste recycling: modeling the cost and revenue of a materials recovery facility in California.

PubMed

Kang, Hai-Yong; Schoenung, Julie M

2006-03-01

The objectives of this study are to identify the various techniques used for treating electronic waste (e-waste) at material recovery facilities (MRFs) in the state of California and to investigate the costs and revenue drivers for these techniques. The economics of a representative e-waste MRF are evaluated by using technical cost modeling (TCM). MRFs are a critical element in the infrastructure being developed within the e-waste recycling industry. At an MRF, collected e-waste can become marketable output products including resalable systems/components and recyclable materials such as plastics, metals, and glass. TCM has two main constituents, inputs and outputs. Inputs are process-related and economic variables, which are directly specified in each model. Inputs can be divided into two parts: inputs for cost estimation and for revenue estimation. Outputs are the results of modeling and consist of costs and revenues, distributed by unit operation, cost element, and revenue source. The results of the present analysis indicate that the largest cost driver for the operation of the defined California e-waste MRF is the materials cost (37% of total cost), which includes the cost to outsource the recycling of the cathode ray tubes (CRTs) (dollar 0.33/kg); the second largest cost driver is labor cost (28% of total cost without accounting for overhead). The other cost drivers are transportation, building, and equipment costs. The most costly unit operation is cathode ray tube glass recycling, and the next are sorting, collecting, and dismantling. The largest revenue source is the fee charged to the customer; metal recovery is the second largest revenue source.

Comparison of Technical and Clinical Outcome of Transjugular Portosystemic Shunt Placement Between a Bare Metal Stent and a PTFE-Stentgraft Device

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

Lauermann, J., E-mail: jostlauermann@gmail.com; Potthoff, A.; Mc Cavert, M.

PurposeTo analyse technical and clinical success of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) in patients with portal hypertension and compare a stent and a stentgraft with regard to clinical and technical outcome and associated costs.Materials and Methods170 patients (56 ± 12 years, 32.9 % females) treated with TIPS due to portal hypertension were reviewed. 80 patients received a stent (group 1) and 83 a stentgraft (group 2), and seven interventions were unsuccessful. Technical data, periprocedural imaging, follow-up ultrasound and clinical data were analysed with focus on technical success, patency, clinical outcome and group differences. Cost analysis was performed.ResultsPortal hypertension was mainly caused by ethyltoxicmore » liver cirrhosis with ascites as dominant symptom (80 %). Technical success was 93.5 % with mean portosystemic gradient decrease from 16.1 ± 4.8 to 5.1 ± 2.1 mmHg. No significant differences in technical success and portosystemic gradient decrease between the groups were observed. Kaplan–Meier analysis yielded significant differences in primary patency after 14 days, 6 months and 2 years in favour of the stentgraft. Both groups showed good clinical results without significant difference in 1-year survival and hepatic encephalopathy rate. Costs to establish TIPS and to manage 2-year follow-up with constant patency and clinical success were 8876 € (group 1) and 9394 € (group 2).ConclusionTIPS is a safe and effective procedure to manage portal hypertension. Stent and stentgraft enabled good technical and clinical results with a low complication rate. Primary patency rates are clearly in favour of the stentgraft, whereas the stent was more cost effective with similar clinical results in both groups.« less

Flux Recovery of a Forward Osmosis Membrane After a Fouling Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Romero-Mangado, Jaione; Parodi, Jurek; Gamboa-Vazquez, Sonia; Stefanson, Ofir; Diaz-Cartagena, Diana C.; Flynn, Michael

2016-01-01

Wastewater treatment through forward osmosis (FO) membranes is a process that has been evaluated in the past years as an innovative technology for the Next Generation Life Support Systems. FO technologies are cost effective, and require very low energy consumption, but are subject to membrane fouling. Membrane fouling occurs when unwanted materials accumulate on the active side of the membrane during the wastewater treatment process, which leads to a decrease in membrane flux rate. The aim of this study is to identify the materials that cause flux rate reduction due to membrane fouling, as well as to evaluate the flux rate recovery after membrane treatment using commercially available antifoulants. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometry results identified possible compounds that cause membrane fouling and FO testing results demonstrated flux rate recovery after membrane treatment using antifoulants.

CuboCube: Student creation of a cancer genetics e-textbook using open-access software for social learning.

PubMed

Seid-Karbasi, Puya; Ye, Xin C; Zhang, Allen W; Gladish, Nicole; Cheng, Suzanne Y S; Rothe, Katharina; Pilsworth, Jessica A; Kang, Min A; Doolittle, Natalie; Jiang, Xiaoyan; Stirling, Peter C; Wasserman, Wyeth W

2017-03-01

Student creation of educational materials has the capacity both to enhance learning and to decrease costs. Three successive honors-style classes of undergraduate students in a cancer genetics class worked with a new software system, CuboCube, to create an e-textbook. CuboCube is an open-source learning materials creation system designed to facilitate e-textbook development, with an ultimate goal of improving the social learning experience for students. Equipped with crowdsourcing capabilities, CuboCube provides intuitive tools for nontechnical and technical authors alike to create content together in a structured manner. The process of e-textbook development revealed both strengths and challenges of the approach, which can inform future efforts. Both the CuboCube platform and the Cancer Genetics E-textbook are freely available to the community.

CuboCube: Student creation of a cancer genetics e-textbook using open-access software for social learning

PubMed Central

Seid-Karbasi, Puya; Ye, Xin C.; Zhang, Allen W.; Gladish, Nicole; Cheng, Suzanne Y. S.; Rothe, Katharina; Pilsworth, Jessica A.; Kang, Min A.; Doolittle, Natalie; Jiang, Xiaoyan; Stirling, Peter C.; Wasserman, Wyeth W.

2017-01-01

Student creation of educational materials has the capacity both to enhance learning and to decrease costs. Three successive honors-style classes of undergraduate students in a cancer genetics class worked with a new software system, CuboCube, to create an e-textbook. CuboCube is an open-source learning materials creation system designed to facilitate e-textbook development, with an ultimate goal of improving the social learning experience for students. Equipped with crowdsourcing capabilities, CuboCube provides intuitive tools for nontechnical and technical authors alike to create content together in a structured manner. The process of e-textbook development revealed both strengths and challenges of the approach, which can inform future efforts. Both the CuboCube platform and the Cancer Genetics E-textbook are freely available to the community. PMID:28267757

An evaluation of the electric arc spray and (HPPS) processes for the manufacturing of high power plasma spraying MCrAIY coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sacriste, D.; Goubot, N.; Dhers, J.; Ducos, M.; Vardelle, A.

2001-06-01

The high power plasma torch (PlazJet) can be used to spray refractory ceramics with high spray rates and deposition efficiency. It can provide dense and hard coating with high bond strengths. When manufacturing thermal barrier coatings, the PlazJet gun is well adapted to spraying the ceramic top coat but not the MCrAIY materials that are used as bond coat. Arc spraying can compete with plasma spraying for metallic coatings since cored wires can be used to spray alloys and composites. In addition, the high production rate of arc spraying enables a significant decrease in coating cost. This paper discusses the performances of the PlazJet gun, and a twin-wire are spray system, and compares the properties and cost of MCrAIY coatings made with these two processes. For arc spraying, the use of air or nitrogen as atomizing gas is also investigated.

Effect of Bio based rejuvenator on mix design, Energy consumption and GHG Emission of High RAP Mixture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullahi Ahmad, Kabiru; Ezree Abdullah, Mohd; Hassan, Norhidayah Abdul; Usman, Nura; Hassan, Mohd Rosli Mohd; Bilema, Munder A. M.; Modibbo Saeed, Saeed; Batari, Ahmad

2018-04-01

Concerns about the cost, availability, and environmental impact of using petroleum-based materials have led to increased usage of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). Mean-while, the demand of the road industry to decrease the energy consumptions and reduce the release of greenhouse gases as well as other harmful gases, which cause serious air pollution has increased due to the amount of energy consumed is a major component of pavement construction that significantly contributes to the total cost. This paper evaluates the effects of Biobased rejuvenator known as JCO on the required heat energy and the amount of CO2 produced to increase the temperature of RAP and virgin aggregates and one binder from 25C to the point of mixing. The results showed that incorporating Biobased rejuvenator (JCO) can potentially reduce the required heat energy and amount of greenhouse gas produced by RAP and virgin, respectively.

Harvesting waste thermal energy using a carbon-nanotube-based thermo-electrochemical cell.

PubMed

Hu, Renchong; Cola, Baratunde A; Haram, Nanda; Barisci, Joseph N; Lee, Sergey; Stoughton, Stephanie; Wallace, Gordon; Too, Chee; Thomas, Michael; Gestos, Adrian; Cruz, Marilou E Dela; Ferraris, John P; Zakhidov, Anvar A; Baughman, Ray H

2010-03-10

Low efficiencies and costly electrode materials have limited harvesting of thermal energy as electrical energy using thermo-electrochemical cells (or "thermocells"). We demonstrate thermocells, in practical configurations (from coin cells to cells that can be wrapped around exhaust pipes), that harvest low-grade thermal energy using relatively inexpensive carbon multiwalled nanotube (MWNT) electrodes. These electrodes provide high electrochemically accessible surface areas and fast redox-mediated electron transfer, which significantly enhances thermocell current generation capacity and overall efficiency. Thermocell efficiency is further improved by directly synthesizing MWNTs as vertical forests that reduce electrical and thermal resistance at electrode/substrate junctions. The efficiency of thermocells with MWNT electrodes is shown to be as high as 1.4% of Carnot efficiency, which is 3-fold higher than for previously demonstrated thermocells. With the cost of MWNTs decreasing, MWNT-based thermocells may become commercially viable for harvesting low-grade thermal energy.

Vibration Damping Via Acoustic Treatment Attached To Vehicle Body Panels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gambino, Carlo

Currently, in the automotive industry, the control of noise and vibration is the subject of much research, oriented towards the creation of innovative solutions to improve the comfort of the vehicle and to reduce its cost and weight. This thesis fits into this particular framework, as it aims to investigate the possibility of integrating the functions of sound absorptioninsulation and vibration damping in a unique component. At present the bituminous viscoelastic treatments, which are bonded to the car body panels, take charge of the vibration damping, while the sound absorption and insulation is obtained by means of the poroacoustic treatments. The solution proposed here consists of employing porous materials to perform both these functions, thus allowing the partial or complete removal of the viscoelastic damping treatments from the car body. This should decrease the weight of the vehicle, reducing fuel consumption and emissions, and it might also benefit production costs.

Approaches of Russian oil companies to optimal capital structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishuk, T.; Ulyanova, O.; Savchitz, V.

2015-11-01

Oil companies play a vital role in Russian economy. Demand for hydrocarbon products will be increasing for the nearest decades simultaneously with the population growth and social needs. Change of raw-material orientation of Russian economy and the transition to the innovative way of the development do not exclude the development of oil industry in future. Moreover, society believes that this sector must bring the Russian economy on to the road of innovative development due to neo-industrialization. To achieve this, the government power as well as capital management of companies are required. To make their optimal capital structure, it is necessary to minimize the capital cost, decrease definite risks under existing limits, and maximize profitability. The capital structure analysis of Russian and foreign oil companies shows different approaches, reasons, as well as conditions and, consequently, equity capital and debt capital relationship and their cost, which demands the effective capital management strategy.

Accelerating the discovery of materials for clean energy in the era of smart automation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tabor, Daniel P.; Roch, Loïc M.; Saikin, Semion K.; Kreisbeck, Christoph; Sheberla, Dennis; Montoya, Joseph H.; Dwaraknath, Shyam; Aykol, Muratahan; Ortiz, Carlos; Tribukait, Hermann; Amador-Bedolla, Carlos; Brabec, Christoph J.; Maruyama, Benji; Persson, Kristin A.; Aspuru-Guzik, Alán

2018-05-01

The discovery and development of novel materials in the field of energy are essential to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy. Bringing recent technological innovations in automation, robotics and computer science together with current approaches in chemistry, materials synthesis and characterization will act as a catalyst for revolutionizing traditional research and development in both industry and academia. This Perspective provides a vision for an integrated artificial intelligence approach towards autonomous materials discovery, which, in our opinion, will emerge within the next 5 to 10 years. The approach we discuss requires the integration of the following tools, which have already seen substantial development to date: high-throughput virtual screening, automated synthesis planning, automated laboratories and machine learning algorithms. In addition to reducing the time to deployment of new materials by an order of magnitude, this integrated approach is expected to lower the cost associated with the initial discovery. Thus, the price of the final products (for example, solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles) will also decrease. This in turn will enable industries and governments to meet more ambitious targets in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions at a faster pace.

The properties of neutron shielding and flame retardant of EVA polymer after modified by EB accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Guo-hui; He, Man-li; Jiang, Dan-feng; He, Fan; Chang, Shu-quan; Dai, Yao-dong

2017-11-01

According to the requirements for neutron shielding and flame retardant properties of some nuclear devices, a new kind of polymer composite materials based on ethylene and vinyl acetate (EVA) polymer have been studied. EVA is the copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate, It can be used as materials for applications due to its flexibility, good processability, and low cost. Insulating EVA can be used for cable sheath, automotive sound damping and many other appication. Boron nitride (BN), zinc borate (ZB), magnesium hydroxide (MH) and EVA consisted the compounds with the properties of neutron shielding and flame retardant. With increasing of the contents of BN and ZB, the neutron shielding performance of materials increased up to 33.08%. With the increasing contents of MH and ZB as flame retardant, oxygen index of material have been improved. The elongation at break and tensile strength of material decreased with the increasing of filler powders. Sheet E was chosen and modified by electron beam accelerator in different doses. After modification by electron beam irradiation the sheets showed varying degrees of transformation in the OI, neutron shielding rate and mechanical properties.

48 CFR 52.230-6 - Administration of Cost Accounting Standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... and subcontract incentives, fees, and profits associated with the increased or decreased costs to the... increase or decrease in contract and subcontracts incentives, fees, and profits associated with the... desirable and not detrimental to the Government and is, therefore, not subject to the no increased cost...

Improved management of radiotherapy departments through accurate cost data.

PubMed

Kesteloot, K; Lievens, Y; van der Schueren, E

2000-06-01

Escalating health care expenses urge governments towards cost containment. More accurate data on the precise costs of health care interventions are needed. We performed an aggregate cost calculation of radiation therapy departments and treatments and discussed the different cost components. The costs of a radiotherapy department were estimated, based on accreditation norms for radiotherapy departments set forth in the Belgian legislation. The major cost components of radiotherapy are the cost of buildings and facilities, equipment, medical and non-medical staff, materials and overhead. They respectively represent around 3, 30, 50, 4 and 13% of the total costs, irrespective of the department size. The average cost per patient lowers with increasing department size and optimal utilization of resources. Radiotherapy treatment costs vary in a stepwise fashion: minor variations of patient load do not affect the cost picture significantly due to a small impact of variable costs. With larger increases in patient load however, additional equipment and/or staff will become necessary, resulting in additional semi-fixed costs and an important increase in costs. A sensitivity analysis of these two major cost inputs shows that a decrease in total costs of 12-13% can be obtained by assuming a 20% less than full time availability of personnel; that due to evolving seniority levels, the annual increase in wage costs is estimated to be more than 1%; that by changing the clinical life-time of buildings and equipment with unchanged interest rate, a 5% reduction of total costs and cost per patient can be calculated. More sophisticated equipment will not have a very large impact on the cost (+/-4000 BEF/patient), provided that the additional equipment is adapted to the size of the department. That the recommendations we used, based on the Belgian legislation, are not outrageous is shown by replacing them by the USA Blue book recommendations. Depending on the department size, costs in our model would then increase with 14-36%. We showed that cost information can be used to analyze the precise financial consequences of changes in routine clinical practice in radiotherapy. Comparing the cost data with the prevailing reimbursement may reveal inconsistencies and stimulate to develop improved financing systems.

A review of mineral carbonation technologies to sequester CO2.

PubMed

Sanna, A; Uibu, M; Caramanna, G; Kuusik, R; Maroto-Valer, M M

2014-12-07

Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and sequestration includes a portfolio of technologies that can potentially sequester billions of tonnes of CO2 per year. Mineral carbonation (MC) is emerging as a potential CCS technology solution to sequester CO2 from smaller/medium emitters, where geological sequestration is not a viable option. In MC processes, CO2 is chemically reacted with calcium- and/or magnesium-containing materials to form stable carbonates. This work investigates the current advancement in the proposed MC technologies and the role they can play in decreasing the overall cost of this CO2 sequestration route. In situ mineral carbonation is a very promising option in terms of resources available and enhanced security, but the technology is still in its infancy and transport and storage costs are still higher than geological storage in sedimentary basins ($17 instead of $8 per tCO2). Ex situ mineral carbonation has been demonstrated on pilot and demonstration scales. However, its application is currently limited by its high costs, which range from $50 to $300 per tCO2 sequestered. Energy use, the reaction rate and material handling are the key factors hindering the success of this technology. The value of the products seems central to render MC economically viable in the same way as conventional CCS seems profitable only when combined with EOR. Large scale projects such as the Skyonic process can help in reducing the knowledge gaps on MC fundamentals and provide accurate costing and data on processes integration and comparison. The literature to date indicates that in the coming decades MC can play an important role in decarbonising the power and industrial sector.

Chemically Crushed Wood Cellulose Fiber towards High-Performance Sodium-Ion Batteries

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

Shen, Fei; Zhu, Hongli; Luo, Wei

Carbon materials have attracted great interest as an anode for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to their high performance and low cost. Here, we studied natural wood fiber derived hard carbon anodes for SIBs considering the abundance and low cost of wood. We discovered that a thermal carbonization of wood fiber led to a porous carbon with a high specific surface area of 586 m2 g–1, while a pretreatment with 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) could effectively decrease it to 126 m2 g–1. When evaluating them as anodes for SIBs, we observed that the low surface area carbon resulted in a high initial Coulombicmore » efficiency of 72% compared to 25% of the high surface area carbon. More importantly, the low surface area carbon exhibits an excellent cycling stability that a desodiation capacity of 196 mAh g–1 can be delivered over 200 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g–1, indicating a promising anode for low-cost SIBs.« less

Process Design and Economics of On-Site Cellulase Production on Various Carbon Sources in a Softwood-Based Ethanol Plant

PubMed Central

Barta, Zsolt; Kovacs, Krisztina; Reczey, Kati; Zacchi, Guido

2010-01-01

On-site cellulase enzyme fermentation in a softwood-to-ethanol process, based on SO2-catalysed steam pretreatment followed by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation, was investigated from a techno-economic aspect using Aspen Plus© and Aspen Icarus Process Evaluator© softwares. The effect of varying the carbon source of enzyme fermentation, at constant protein and mycelium yields, was monitored through the whole process. Enzyme production step decreased the overall ethanol yield (270 L/dry tonne of raw material in the case of purchased enzymes) by 5–16 L/tonne. Capital cost was found to be the main cost contributor to enzyme fermentation, constituting to 60–78% of the enzyme production cost, which was in the range of 0.42–0.53 SEK/L ethanol. The lowest minimum ethanol selling prices (4.71 and 4.82 SEK/L) were obtained in those scenarios, where pretreated liquid fraction supplemented with molasses was used as carbon source. In some scenarios, on-site enzyme fermentation was found to be a feasible alternative. PMID:21048869

Process design and economics of on-site cellulase production on various carbon sources in a softwood-based ethanol plant.

PubMed

Barta, Zsolt; Kovacs, Krisztina; Reczey, Kati; Zacchi, Guido

2010-06-28

On-site cellulase enzyme fermentation in a softwood-to-ethanol process, based on SO(2)-catalysed steam pretreatment followed by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation, was investigated from a techno-economic aspect using Aspen Plus© and Aspen Icarus Process Evaluator© softwares. The effect of varying the carbon source of enzyme fermentation, at constant protein and mycelium yields, was monitored through the whole process. Enzyme production step decreased the overall ethanol yield (270 L/dry tonne of raw material in the case of purchased enzymes) by 5-16 L/tonne. Capital cost was found to be the main cost contributor to enzyme fermentation, constituting to 60-78% of the enzyme production cost, which was in the range of 0.42-0.53 SEK/L ethanol. The lowest minimum ethanol selling prices (4.71 and 4.82 SEK/L) were obtained in those scenarios, where pretreated liquid fraction supplemented with molasses was used as carbon source. In some scenarios, on-site enzyme fermentation was found to be a feasible alternative.

Fastrac Nozzle Design, Performance and Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peters, Warren; Rogers, Pat; Lawrence, Tim; Davis, Darrell; DAgostino, Mark; Brown, Andy

2000-01-01

With the goal of lowering the cost of payload to orbit, NASA/MSFC (Marshall Space Flight Center) researched ways to decrease the complexity and cost of an engine system and its components for a small two-stage booster vehicle. The composite nozzle for this Fastrac Engine was designed, built and tested by MSFC with fabrication support and engineering from Thiokol-SEHO (Science and Engineering Huntsville Operation). The Fastrac nozzle uses materials, fabrication processes and design features that are inexpensive, simple and easily manufactured. As the low cost nozzle (and injector) design matured through the subscale tests and into full scale hot fire testing, X-34 chose the Fastrac engine for the propulsion plant for the X-34. Modifications were made to nozzle design in order to meet the new flight requirements. The nozzle design has evolved through subscale testing and manufacturing demonstrations to full CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics), thermal, thermomechanical and dynamic analysis and the required component and engine system tests to validate the design. The Fastrac nozzle is now in final development hot fire testing and has successfully accumulated 66 hot fire tests and 1804 seconds on 18 different nozzles.

Cost Models for MMC Manufacturing Processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elzey, Dana M.; Wadley, Haydn N. G.

1996-01-01

The quality cost modeling (QCM) tool is intended to be a relatively simple-to-use device for obtaining a first-order assessment of the quality-cost relationship for a given process-material combination. The QCM curve is a plot of cost versus quality (an index indicating microstructural quality), which is unique for a given process-material combination. The QCM curve indicates the tradeoff between cost and performance, thus enabling one to evaluate affordability. Additionally, the effect of changes in process design, raw materials, and process conditions on the cost-quality relationship can be evaluated. Such results might indicate the most efficient means to obtain improved quality at reduced cost by process design refinements, the implementation of sensors and models for closed loop process control, or improvement in the properties of raw materials being fed into the process. QCM also allows alternative processes for producing the same or similar material to be compared in terms of their potential for producing competitively priced, high quality material. Aside from demonstrating the usefulness of the QCM concept, this is one of the main foci of the present research program, namely to compare processes for making continuous fiber reinforced, metal matrix composites (MMC's). Two processes, low pressure plasma spray deposition and tape casting are considered for QCM development. This document consists of a detailed look at the design of the QCM approach, followed by discussion of the application of QCM to each of the selected MMC manufacturing processes along with results, comparison of processes, and finally, a summary of findings and recommendations.

A manufacturing database of advanced materials used in spacecraft structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bao, Han P.

1994-01-01

Cost savings opportunities over the life cycle of a product are highest in the early exploratory phase when different design alternatives are evaluated not only for their performance characteristics but also their methods of fabrication which really control the ultimate manufacturing costs of the product. In the past, Design-To-Cost methodologies for spacecraft design concentrated on the sizing and weight issues more than anything else at the early so-called 'Vehicle Level' (Ref: DOD/NASA Advanced Composites Design Guide). Given the impact of manufacturing cost, the objective of this study is to identify the principal cost drivers for each materials technology and propose a quantitative approach to incorporating these cost drivers into the family of optimization tools used by the Vehicle Analysis Branch of NASA LaRC to assess various conceptual vehicle designs. The advanced materials being considered include aluminum-lithium alloys, thermoplastic graphite-polyether etherketone composites, graphite-bismaleimide composites, graphite- polyimide composites, and carbon-carbon composites. Two conventional materials are added to the study to serve as baseline materials against which the other materials are compared. These two conventional materials are aircraft aluminum alloys series 2000 and series 7000, and graphite-epoxy composites T-300/934. The following information is available in the database. For each material type, the mechanical, physical, thermal, and environmental properties are first listed. Next the principal manufacturing processes are described. Whenever possible, guidelines for optimum processing conditions for specific applications are provided. Finally, six categories of cost drivers are discussed. They include, design features affecting processing, tooling, materials, fabrication, joining/assembly, and quality assurance issues. It should be emphasized that this database is not an exhaustive database. Its primary use is to make the vehicle designer aware of some of the most important aspects of manufacturing associated with his/her choice of the structural materials. The other objective of this study is to propose a quantitative method to determine a Manufacturing Complexity Factor (MCF) for each material being contemplated. This MCF is derived on the basis of the six cost drivers mentioned above plus a Technology Readiness Factor which is very closely related to the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) as defined in the Access To Space final report. Short of any manufacturing information, our MCF is equivalent to the inverse of TRL. As more manufacturing information is available, our MCF is a better representation (than TRL) of the fabrication processes involved. The most likely application for MCF is in cost modeling for trade studies. On-going work is being pursued to expand the potential applications of MCF.

A manufacturing database of advanced materials used in spacecraft structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bao, Han P.

1994-12-01

Cost savings opportunities over the life cycle of a product are highest in the early exploratory phase when different design alternatives are evaluated not only for their performance characteristics but also their methods of fabrication which really control the ultimate manufacturing costs of the product. In the past, Design-To-Cost methodologies for spacecraft design concentrated on the sizing and weight issues more than anything else at the early so-called 'Vehicle Level' (Ref: DOD/NASA Advanced Composites Design Guide). Given the impact of manufacturing cost, the objective of this study is to identify the principal cost drivers for each materials technology and propose a quantitative approach to incorporating these cost drivers into the family of optimization tools used by the Vehicle Analysis Branch of NASA LaRC to assess various conceptual vehicle designs. The advanced materials being considered include aluminum-lithium alloys, thermoplastic graphite-polyether etherketone composites, graphite-bismaleimide composites, graphite- polyimide composites, and carbon-carbon composites. Two conventional materials are added to the study to serve as baseline materials against which the other materials are compared. These two conventional materials are aircraft aluminum alloys series 2000 and series 7000, and graphite-epoxy composites T-300/934. The following information is available in the database. For each material type, the mechanical, physical, thermal, and environmental properties are first listed. Next the principal manufacturing processes are described. Whenever possible, guidelines for optimum processing conditions for specific applications are provided. Finally, six categories of cost drivers are discussed. They include, design features affecting processing, tooling, materials, fabrication, joining/assembly, and quality assurance issues. It should be emphasized that this database is not an exhaustive database. Its primary use is to make the vehicle designer aware of some of the most important aspects of manufacturing associated with his/her choice of the structural materials. The other objective of this study is to propose a quantitative method to determine a Manufacturing Complexity Factor (MCF) for each material being contemplated. This MCF is derived on the basis of the six cost drivers mentioned above plus a Technology Readiness Factor which is very closely related to the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) as defined in the Access To Space final report. Short of any manufacturing information, our MCF is equivalent to the inverse of TRL. As more manufacturing information is available, our MCF is a better representation (than TRL) of the fabrication processes involved.

Cost/benefit analysis of advanced materials technologies for future aircraft turbine engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bisset, J. W.

1976-01-01

The cost/benefits of advance commercial gas turbine materials are described. Development costs, estimated payoffs and probabilities of success are discussed. The materials technologies investigated are: (1) single crystal turbine blades, (2) high strength hot isostatic pressed turbine disk, (3) advanced oxide dispersion strengthened burner liner, (4) bore entry cooled hot isostatic pressed turbine disk, (5) turbine blade tip - outer airseal system, and (6) advance turbine blade alloys.

Power Electronics Packaging Reliability | Transportation Research | NREL

Science.gov Websites

interface materials, are a key enabling technology for compact, lightweight, low-cost, and reliable power , reliability, and cost. High-temperature bonded interface materials are an important facilitating technology for compact, lightweight, low-cost, reliable power electronics packaging that fully utilizes the

23 CFR 655.606 - Higher cost materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Higher cost materials. 655.606 Section 655.606 Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING AND TRAFFIC OPERATIONS TRAFFIC OPERATIONS Traffic Control Devices on Federal-Aid and Other Streets and Highways § 655.606 Higher cost...

23 CFR 655.606 - Higher cost materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Higher cost materials. 655.606 Section 655.606 Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING AND TRAFFIC OPERATIONS TRAFFIC OPERATIONS Traffic Control Devices on Federal-Aid and Other Streets and Highways § 655.606 Higher cost...

23 CFR 655.606 - Higher cost materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Higher cost materials. 655.606 Section 655.606 Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING AND TRAFFIC OPERATIONS TRAFFIC OPERATIONS Traffic Control Devices on Federal-Aid and Other Streets and Highways § 655.606 Higher cost...

23 CFR 655.606 - Higher cost materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Higher cost materials. 655.606 Section 655.606 Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING AND TRAFFIC OPERATIONS TRAFFIC OPERATIONS Traffic Control Devices on Federal-Aid and Other Streets and Highways § 655.606 Higher cost...

23 CFR 655.606 - Higher cost materials.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Higher cost materials. 655.606 Section 655.606 Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING AND TRAFFIC OPERATIONS TRAFFIC OPERATIONS Traffic Control Devices on Federal-Aid and Other Streets and Highways § 655.606 Higher cost...

Cost/benefit analysis of advanced material technologies for small aircraft turbine engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Comey, D. H.

1977-01-01

Cost/benefit studies were conducted on ten advanced material technologies applicable to small aircraft gas turbine engines to be produced in the 1985 time frame. The cost/benefit studies were applied to a two engine, business-type jet aircraft in the 6800- to 9100-Kg (15,000- to 20,000-lb) gross weight class. The new material technologies are intended to provide improvements in the areas of high-pressure turbine rotor components, high-pressure turbine rotor components, high-pressure turbine stator airfoils, and static structural components. The cost/benefit of each technology is presented in terms of relative value, which is defined as a change in life cycle cost times probability of success divided by development cost. Technologies showing the most promising cost/benefits based on relative value are uncooled single crystal MAR-M 247 turbine blades, cooled DS MAR-M 247 turbine blades, and cooled ODS 'M'CrAl laminate turbine stator vanes.

The cost of lithium is unlikely to upend the price of Li-ion storage systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciez, Rebecca E.; Whitacre, J. F.

2016-07-01

As lithium ion batteries become more common in electric vehicles and other storage applications, concerns about the cost of their namesake material, and its impact on the cost of these batteries, will continue. However, examining the constituent materials of these devices shows that lithium is a relatively small contributor to both the battery mass and manufacturing cost. The use of more expensive lithium precursor materials results in less than 1% increases in the cost of lithium ion cells considered. Similarly, larger fluctuations in the global lithium price (from 0 to 25/kg from a baseline of 7.50 per kg of Li2CO3) do not change the cost of lithium ion cells by more than 10%. While this small cost increase will not have a substantial impact on consumers, it could affect the manufacturers of these lithium ion cells, who already operate with small profit margins.

Composite Structures and Materials Research at NASA Langley Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Starnes, James H., Jr.; Dexter, H. Benson; Johnston, Norman J.; Ambur, Damodar R.; Cano, roberto J.

2003-01-01

A summary of recent composite structures and materials research at NASA Langley Research Center is presented. Fabrication research to develop low-cost automated robotic fabrication procedures for thermosetting and thermoplastic composite materials, and low-cost liquid molding processes for preformed textile materials is described. Robotic fabrication procedures discussed include ply-by-ply, cure-on-the-fly heated placement head and out-of-autoclave electron-beam cure methods for tow and tape thermosetting and thermoplastic materials. Liquid molding fabrication processes described include Resin Film Infusion (RFI), Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) and Vacuum-Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (VARTM). Results for a full-scale composite wing box are summarized to identify the performance of materials and structures fabricated with these low-cost fabrication methods.

Composite Structures and Materials Research at NASA Langley Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Starnes, James H., Jr.; Dexter, H. Benson; Johnston, Norman J.; Ambur, Damodar R.; Cano, Roberto J.

2001-01-01

A summary of recent composite structures and materials research at NASA Langley Research Center is presented. Fabrication research to develop low-cost automated robotic fabrication procedures for thermosetting and thermoplastic composite materials, and low-cost liquid molding processes for preformed textile materials is described. Robotic fabrication procedures discussed include ply-by-ply, cure-on-the-fly heated placement head and out-of-autoclave electron-beam cure methods for tow and tape thermosetting and thermoplastic materials. Liquid molding fabrication processes described include Resin Film Infusion (RFI) Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) and Vacuum-Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (VARTM). Results for a full-scale composite wing box are summarized to identify the performance of materials and structures fabricated with these low-cost fabrication methods.

Cost analysis of prophylactic intraoperative cystoscopic ureteral stents in gynecologic surgery.

PubMed

Fanning, James; Fenton, Bradford; Jean, Geraldine Marie; Chae, Clara

2011-12-01

Prophylactic intraoperative ureteral stent placement is performed to decrease operative ureteric injury, though few data are available on the effectiveness of this procedure, and no data are available on its cost. To analyze the cost of prophylactic intraoperative cystoscopic ureteral stents in gynecologic surgery. All cases of prophylactic ureteral stent placement performed in gynecologic surgery during a 1-year period were identified and retrospectively reviewed through the electronic medical records database of Summa Health System. Costs were obtained through the Healthcare Cost Accounting System. The principles of cost-effective analysis were used (ie, explicit and detailed descriptions of costs and cost-effectiveness statistics). Importantly, we evaluated cost and not charges or financial model estimates. In addition, we obtained the contribution margins (ie, the hospital's net profit or loss) for prophylactic ureteral stent placement. Other gynecologic procedures were also analyzed. Among 792 major inpatient gynecologic procedures, 18 cases of prophylactic intraoperative ureteral stents were identified. Median costs were as follows: additional cost of prophylactic intraoperative ureteral stenting, $1580; additional cost of surgical resources, $770; cost of ureteral catheters, $427; cost of surgeons, $383. The contribution margins per case for various gynecologic surgical procedures were as follows: oophorectomy, $2804 profit; abdominal hysterectomy, $2649 profit; laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH), $1760 profit. When intraoperative ureteral stenting was added, the contribution margins changed to the following: oophorectomy, $782 profit; abdominal hysterectomy, $627 profit; LAVH, $262 loss. Overall, the contribution margin profit was decreased by about 85%, from $2400 to $380. Prophylactic intraoperative ureteral stenting in gynecologic surgery decreases a hospital's contribution margin. Because of the expense of this procedure, as well as scientific data suggesting a lack of effectiveness, the authors argue that prophylactic intraoperative ureteral stenting should not be used in gynecologic surgery to decrease operative ureteric injury.

Comparing drinking water treatment costs to source water protection costs using time series analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heberling, Matthew T.; Nietch, Christopher T.; Thurston, Hale W.; Elovitz, Michael; Birkenhauer, Kelly H.; Panguluri, Srinivas; Ramakrishnan, Balaji; Heiser, Eric; Neyer, Tim

2015-11-01

We present a framework to compare water treatment costs to source water protection costs, an important knowledge gap for drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs). This trade-off helps to determine what incentives a DWTP has to invest in natural infrastructure or pollution reduction in the watershed rather than pay for treatment on site. To illustrate, we use daily observations from 2007 to 2011 for the Bob McEwen Water Treatment Plant, Clermont County, Ohio, to understand the relationship between treatment costs and water quality and operational variables (e.g., turbidity, total organic carbon [TOC], pool elevation, and production volume). Part of our contribution to understanding drinking water treatment costs is examining both long-run and short-run relationships using error correction models (ECMs). Treatment costs per 1000 gallons (per 3.79 m3) were based on chemical, pumping, and granular activated carbon costs. Results from the ECM suggest that a 1% decrease in turbidity decreases treatment costs by 0.02% immediately and an additional 0.1% over future days. Using mean values for the plant, a 1% decrease in turbidity leads to $1123/year decrease in treatment costs. To compare these costs with source water protection costs, we use a polynomial distributed lag model to link total phosphorus loads, a source water quality parameter affected by land use changes, to turbidity at the plant. We find the costs for source water protection to reduce loads much greater than the reduction in treatment costs during these years. Although we find no incentive to protect source water in our case study, this framework can help DWTPs quantify the trade-offs.

The determinants of cost-effectiveness potential: an historical perspective on lipid-lowering therapies.

PubMed

Refoios Camejo, Rodrigo; McGrath, Clare; Miraldo, Marisa; Rutten, Frans

2013-05-01

The concept of cost effectiveness emerged in an attempt to link the prices of new healthcare technologies to the immediate value they provide, with payers defining the acceptable cost per unit of incremental effect over the alternatives available. It has been suggested that such measures allow developers to assess potential market profitability in an early stage of development, but may result in discouraging investment in efficient research if not used appropriately. The objective of this study is to identify the pattern of the factors determining cost effectiveness and assess the evolution of cost-effectiveness potential for drugs in development using lipid-lowering therapy as a case study. The study is based on observational clinical and market data covering a 20-year period (from 1990 to 2010) in the UK. Real-life clinical data including total cholesterol laboratory test results were extracted from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) and are used to illustrate how the clinical effectiveness of existing standard care changed over time in patients managed in clinical practice. Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) data were extracted and the average price of the drug mix used was computed throughout the study period. Using this information, the maximum clinical benefit and cost savings to be had were estimated for each year of the analysis using a cost-effectiveness model. Subsequently, the highest price a new technology providing the maximum clinical effectiveness possible (i.e. eliminating cardiovascular risk from high cholesterol levels) could achieve under current cost-effectiveness rules was calculated and used as a measure of the potential cost effectiveness of drugs in development. The results in this study show that the total cholesterol values of patients managed in clinical practice moved steadily towards recommended clinical targets. Overall, the absolute potential for incremental health-related quality of life decreased by approximately 78 %, contracting from 0.36 QALYs to 0.08 QALYs, which resulted in a saving of approximately 15 % of the costs related to cardiovascular events. The price of the drug mix used in the management of high blood cholesterol varied considerably across the years: the weighted average monthly price (in year 2007 values) started at approximately £14, peaked around £26 and progressively decreased to its minimum at £6.85 in 2010. As a consequence, the maximum price allowed by current cost-effectiveness rules for a new technology achieving the clinical target was found to decrease by a minimum of 80 % between 1990 and 2010. The analysis supports the hypothesis that the potential for cost effectiveness of new therapies is dependent on factors specific to each disease area and furthermore to sub-populations within disease areas. Despite a clinical need still existing, the results suggest that no more technologies are likely to be developed in certain disease areas based on their low perceived cost-effectiveness potential. This occurs without considering the immediate and future value of the effectiveness lost, which may depend on the technical difficulty of materializing future advancements, and ignores the permanent character of such a decision. The analysis suggests that a single, static and arbitrary cost-effectiveness threshold may not be sufficient to capture the drug-development dynamics occurring at the disease level and successfully direct research to the disease areas that are most valued by society.

Biochar application to hardrock mine tailings: Soil quality, microbial activity, and toxic element sorption

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kelly, Charlene N.; Peltz, Christopher D.; Stanton, Mark R.; Rutherford, David W.; Rostad, Colleen E.

2014-01-01

Waste rock piles from historic mining activities remain unvegetated as a result of metal toxicity and high acidity. Biochar has been proposed as a low-cost remediation strategy to increase soil pH and reduce leaching of toxic elements, and improve plant establishment. In this laboratory column study, biochar made from beetle-killed pine wood was assessed for utility as a soil amendment by mixing soil material from two mine sites collected near Silverton, Colorado, USA with four application rates of biochar (0%, 10%, 20%, 30% vol:vol). Columns were leached seven times over 65 days and leachate pH and concentration of toxic elements and base cations were measured at each leaching. Nutrient availability and soil physical and biological parameters were determined following the incubation period. We investigated the hypotheses that biochar incorporation into acidic mine materials will (1) reduce toxic element concentrations in leaching solution, (2) improve soil parameters (i.e. increase nutrient and water holding capacity and pH, and decrease compaction), and (3) increase microbial populations and activity. Biochar directly increased soil pH (from 3.33 to 3.63 and from 4.07 to 4.77 in the two materials) and organic matter content, and decreased bulk density and extractable salt content in both mine materials, and increased nitrate availability in one material. No changes in microbial population or activity were detected in either mine material upon biochar application. In leachate solution, biochar increased base cations from both materials and reduced the concentrations of Al, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in leachate solution from one material. However, in the material with greater toxic element content, biochar did not reduce concentrations of any measured dissolved toxic elements in leachate and resulted in a potentially detrimental release of Cd and Zn into solution at concentrations above that of the pure mine material. The length of time of effectiveness and specific sorption by biochar is variable by element and the toxic element concentration and acidity of the initial mine material.

The cost analysis of material handling in Chinese traditional praying paper production plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nasution, H.; Budiman, I.; Salim, A.

2018-02-01

Chinese traditional praying paper industry is an industry which produced Chinese traditional religion praying paper. This kind of industry is rarely examined since it was only in Small and Medium Enterprise (SME’s- form). This industry produced various kinds of Chinese traditional paper products. The purpose of this research is to increase the amount of production, reduce waiting time and moving time, and reduce material handling cost. The research was conducted at prime production activities, consists of: calculate the capacity of the material handler, the frequency of movement, cost of material handling, and total cost of material handling. This displacement condition leads to an ineffective and inefficient production process. The alternative was developed using production judgment and aisle standard. Based on the observation results, it is possible to reduce displacement in the production. Using alternative which by-passed displacement from a rolled paper in the temporary warehouse to cutting and printing workstation, it can reduce material handling cost from 2.26 million rupiahs to 2.00 million rupiahs only for each batch of production. This result leads to increasing of production quantity, reducing waiting and moving time about 10% from the current condition.

Comparative Study on the Cost of Building Public House Construction Using Red Brick and Interlock Brick Building Material in the City of Banda Aceh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malahayati, Nurul; Hayati, Yulia; Nursaniah, Cut; Firsa, T.; Fachrurrazi; Munandar, Aris

2018-05-01

Red brick and interlocking brick are the building materials that are often used for wall installation work on houses construction. In the development of building materials technology and cost savings, interlocking brick can be alternative to replace red bricks. In Aceh Province, the use of interlocking bricks is less popular compared to other big cities in Indonesia. Interlocking brick is made from a mixture of clay, concrete sand and compacted cement and one of the environmentally friendly materials because it does not burn the process like red brick material. It is named interlocking brick because the installation method is locked together and it serves as a structural and partition wall of residential buildings. The aims of this study are to compare the cost of building a house in Banda Aceh City using red brick and interlock brick building materials. The data were obtained from interviews and questionnaires distributed to respondents who had built houses in Banda Aceh City. The results concluded that the house construction cost using interlock brick offer lower construction cost at comparable quality rather than using red brick.

48 CFR 1631.205-78 - FEHBP printed material costs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 true FEHBP printed material... carrier orders printed material that is available from the Government Printing Office (GPO) under the... COST PRINCIPLES AND PROCEDURES Contracts With Commercial Organizations 1631.205-78 FEHBP printed...

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

Tucker, Michael C.; Phillips, Adam; Weber, Adam Z.

We proposed and developed an all-iron redox flow battery for end users without access to an electricity grid. The concept is a low-cost battery which the user assembles, discharges, and then disposes of the active materials. Our design goals are: (1) minimize upfront cost, (2) maximize discharge energy, and (3) utilize non-toxic and environmentally benign materials. These are different goals than typically considered for electrochemical battery technology, which provides the opportunity for a novel solution. The selected materials are: low-carbon-steel negative electrode, paper separator, porous-carbon-paper positive electrode, and electrolyte solution containing 0.5 m Fe 2 (SO 4 ) 3 activemore » material and 1.2 m NaCl supporting electrolyte. Furthermore, with these materials, an average power density around 20 mW cm -2 and a maximum energy density of 11.5 Wh L -1 are achieved. A simple cost model indicates the consumable materials cost US$6.45 per kWh -1 , or only US$0.034 per mobile phone charge.« less

Entropy, materials, and posterity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cloud, P.

1977-01-01

Materials and energy are the interdependent feedstocks of economic systems, and thermodynamics is their moderator. It costs energy to transform the dispersed minerals of Earth's crust into ordered materials and structures. And it costs materials to collect and focus the energy to perform work - be it from solar, fossil fuel, nuclear, or other sources. The greater the dispersal of minerals sought, the more energy is required to collect them into ordered states. But available energy can be used once only. And the ordered materials of industrial economies become disordered with time. They may be partially reordered and recycled, but only at further costs in energy. Available energy everywhere degrades to bound states and order to disorder - for though entropy may be juggled it always increases. Yet industry is utterly dependent on low entropy states of matter and energy, while decreasing grades of ore require ever higher inputs of energy to convert them to metals, with ever increasing growth both of entropy and environmental hazard. Except as we may prize a thing for its intrinsic qualities - beauty, leisure, love, or gold - low-entropy is the only thing of real value. It is worth whatever the market will bear, and it becomes more valuable as entropy increases. It would be foolish of suppliers to sell it more cheaply or in larger amounts than their own enjoyment of life requires, whatever form it may take. For this reason, and because of physical constraints on the availability of all low-entropy states, the recent energy crises is only the first of a sequence of crises to be expected in energy and materials as long as current trends continue. The apportioning of low-entropy states in a modern industrial society is achieved more or less according to the theory of competitive markets. But the rational powers of this theory suffer as the world grows increasingly polarized into rich, over-industrialized nations with diminishing resource bases and poor, supplier nations with little industry. The theory also discounts posterity, the more so as population density and percapita rates of consumption continue to grow. A new social, economic, and ecologic norm that leads to population control, conservation, and an apportionment of low-entropy states across the generations is needed to assure to posterity the options that properly belong to it as an important but voiceless constituency of the collectivity we call mankind. ?? 1977 Ferdinand Enke Verlag Stuttgart.

Long-term Effect of Home Nursing Intervention on Cost and Healthcare Utilization for Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Retrospective Observational Study.

PubMed

Matsumura, Takuro; Takarada, Kana; Oki, Yutaro; Fujimoto, Yukari; Kaneko, Hiromi; Ohira, Mineko; Ishikawa, Akira

2015-01-01

The present study aimed to examine the long-term effects of a home nursing intervention on healthcare utilization and costs among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A 3-year retrospective study. Eleven COPD patients who had received home nursing intervention after hospital discharge were enrolled. We retrospectively investigated their healthcare utilization and costs for 1 year before the intervention and during 2 years of the intervention. The number and length of hospitalizations decreased gradually from the pre-intervention period through the second year. The number of hospital and home nursing visits increased from the pre-intervention period through the first and second years. The hospitalization costs were decreased by approximately half from the pre-intervention period through the first year and from the first year through the second year. The total medical cost did not change significantly. Our home nursing intervention decreased the number and length of hospitalizations and the hospitalization costs; however, it did not affect the total medical cost. It is possible that the continuation of home nursing interventions may decrease the number of hospitalizations, number of home nursing visits, and the total medical cost by maintaining the health condition of patients. © 2014 Association of Rehabilitation Nurses.

Advances in LED packaging and thermal management materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zweben, Carl

2008-02-01

Heat dissipation, thermal stresses and cost are key light-emitting diode (LED) packaging issues. Heat dissipation limits power levels. Thermal stresses affect performance and reliability. Copper, aluminum and conventional polymeric printed circuit boards (PCBs) have high coefficients of thermal expansion, which can cause high thermal stresses. Most traditional low-coefficient-of-thermal-expansion (CTE) materials like tungsten/copper, which date from the mid 20th century, have thermal conductivities that are no better than those of aluminum alloys, about 200 W/m-K. An OIDA LED workshop cited a need for better thermal materials. There are an increasing number of low-CTE materials with thermal conductivities ranging between that of copper (400 W/m-K) and 1700 W/m-K, and many other low-CTE materials with lower thermal conductivities. Some of these materials are low cost. Others have the potential to be low cost in high-volume production. High-thermal-conductivity materials enable higher power levels, potentially reducing the number of required LEDs. Advanced thermal materials can constrain PCB CTE and greatly increase thermal conductivity. This paper reviews traditional packaging materials and advanced thermal management materials. The latter provide the packaging engineer with a greater range of options than in the past. Topics include properties, status, applications, cost, using advanced materials to fix manufacturing problems, and future directions, including composites reinforced with carbon nanotubes and other thermally conductive materials.

[Bisphosphonate use and related pharmaceutical issues II].

PubMed

Veszelyné Kotan, Edit; Mészáros, Ágnes

2016-01-01

Bisphosphonates have basic role in decreasing progression of malignant bone processes as well as in the prevention and therapy of osteoporosis. Use of bisphosphonates is common in Hungary since 20 years. In the past decade their reimbursement has been changed several times, the use of generics decreased the price of bisphosphonates. In this paper we analyze the consumption of prescribed bisphosphonates in Hungary. Prescription data of the National Health Insurance Fund of Hungary. We analysed the prescribed bisphosphonates between 2006-2014. We examined the type and amount of bisphosphonates used by years. After identifying therapy areas of use, we calculated the years of therapy from the DOT data. From this data we estimated the mean bisphosphonate therapy costs and costs falling for the patients. Changes in the reimbursement system regarding these medications was analysed. Bisphosphonate years of therapy was decreasing in osteoporosis over the 9 years examined. In oncology bisphosphonate use shows stability in drug consumption. In both therapeutic areas the proportion in therapy choice of specific bisphosphonates has changed. Bisphosphonate reimbursement costs paid by the Hungarian reimbursement system was approx. 8 billion HUF in osteoporosis and 4,7 billion HUF in oncology in 2006. Changes of the reimbursement strategy, the compulsory generic use and decreasing consumption in osteoporosis has significantly reduced the overall costs by 2014. According to our results bisphpsphonate use in oncology is moderate in Hungary, a decreasing consumption can be detected in osteoporosis, that is still expected to decrease. The use of generics reduced bisphosphonate therapy costs and also overall health care costs. In osteoporosis patients cost have substantially lowered.

All-organic electrostrictive polymer composites with low driving electrical voltages for micro-fluidic pump applications

PubMed Central

Le, Minh Quyen; Capsal, Jean-Fabien; Galineau, Jérémy; Ganet, Florent; Yin, Xunqian; Yang, Mingchia (Dawn); Chateaux, Jean-François; Renaud, Louis; Malhaire, Christophe; Cottinet, Pierre-Jean; Liang, Richard

2015-01-01

This paper focuses on the improvement of a relaxor ferroelectric terpolymer, i.e., poly (vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene-chlorofluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE-CFE)], filled with a bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). The developed material gave rise to a significantly increased longitudinal electrostrictive strain, as well as an increased mechanical energy density under a relatively low electric field. These features were attributed to the considerably enhanced dielectric permittivity and a decreased Young modulus as a result of the introduction of only small DEHP plasticizer molecules. In addition, the plasticizer-filled terpolymer only exhibited a slight decrease of the dielectric breakdown strength, which was a great advantage with respect to the traditional polymer-based electrostrictive composites. More importantly, the approach proposed herein is promising for the future development and scale-up of new high-performance electrostrictive dielectrics under low applied electrical fields through modification simply by blending with a low-cost plasticizer. An experimental demonstration based on a flexible micro-fluidic application is described at the end of this paper, confirming the attractive characteristics of the proposed materials as well as the feasibility of integrating them as micro-actuators in small-scale devices. PMID:26139015

Nanocrystalline silicon: Lattice dynamics and enhanced thermoelectric properties

DOE PAGES

Claudio, Tania; Stein, Niklas; Stroppa, Daniel G.; ...

2014-12-21

In this study, silicon has several advantages when compared to other thermoelectric materials, but until recently it was not used for thermoelectric applications due to its high thermal conductivity, 156 W K -1 m -1 at room temperature. Nanostructuration as means to decrease thermal transport through enhanced phonon scattering has been a subject of many studies. In this work we have evaluated the effects of nanostructuration on the lattice dynamics of bulk nanocrystalline doped silicon. The samples were prepared by gas phase synthesis, followed by current and pressure assisted sintering. The heat capacity, density of phonons states, and elastic constantsmore » were measured, which all reveal a significant, ≈25%, reduction in the speed of sound. The samples present a significantly decreased lattice thermal conductivity, ≈25 W K -1 m -1, which, combined with a very high carrier mobility, results in a dimensionless figure of merit with a competitive value that peaks at ZT ≈ 0.57 at 973 °C. Due to its easily scalable and extremely low-cost production process, nanocrystalline Si prepared by gas phase synthesis followed by sintering could become the material of choice for high temperature thermoelectric generators.« less

The effects of Medicaid reimbursement method and ownership on nursing home costs, case mix, and staffing.

PubMed

Cohen, J W; Dubay, L C

1990-01-01

In this study we analyze the effects of ownership and Medicaid cost containment initiatives on nursing home costs, payer mix, case mix, and staffing, using 1981 Medicare cost reports and Medicare/Medicaid Automated Certification files. As Medicaid cost containment incentives become stronger, nursing homes respond by decreasing case mix and commensurately decreasing staffing. When these incentives are especially strong, staffing is reduced beyond the apparently appropriate level, given the case mix. In addition, while chain facilities have lower costs than other types of facilities, these lower costs do not appear to come from either increased cream-skimming or reduced staffing levels.

The economics of robotic cystectomy: cost comparison of open versus robotic cystectomy.

PubMed

Lee, Richard; Ng, Casey K; Shariat, Shahrokh F; Borkina, Anna; Guimento, Robert; Brumit, Kevin F; Scherr, Douglas S

2011-12-01

• To assess and compare the economic burden of open radical cystectomy (OC) vs robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical cystectomy (RC) with pelvic lymph node dissection and urinary diversion. • A series of 103 and 83 consecutive patients undergoing OC and RC, respectively, were prospectively studied at a tertiary care institution from April 2002 to February 2009. • Data were collected on patient demographics, perioperative parameters and length of stay (LOS) in hospital. Cohorts were subdivided into ileal conduit (IC), continent cutaneous diversion (CCD) and orthotopic neobladder (ON) subgroups. • A linear cost model was created to simulate treatment with OC vs RC. Procedural costs were derived from the Medicare Resource Based Relative Value Scale. Materials costs were obtained from the respective suppliers. The indirect costs of complications were considered. • Sensitivity analyses were performed. • Despite a higher cost of materials, RC was less expensive than OC for IC and CCD, although the cost advantage deteriorated for ON. • The per-case costs of RC with IC, CCD and ON were $20,659, $22,102 and $22,685, respectively, compared to $25,505, $22,697 and $20,719 for their OC counterparts. • The largest cost driver in the study was LOS in hospital. • RC showed a shorter LOS compared to OC, although this effect was insufficient to offset the higher cost of robotic surgery. • Complications materially affected cost performance. • Despite a higher cost of materials, RC can be more cost efficient than OC as a treatment for bladder cancer at a high-volume, tertiary care referral centre, particularly with IC. • Complications significantly impact cost performance. © 2011 THE AUTHORS. BJU INTERNATIONAL © 2011 BJU INTERNATIONAL.

A cost-benefit analysis of landfill mining and material recycling in China

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

Zhou, Chuanbin, E-mail: cbzhou@rcees.ac.cn; Gong, Zhe; Hu, Junsong

Highlights: • Assessing the economic feasibility of landfill mining. • We applied a cost-benefit analysis model for landfill mining. • Four material cycling and energy recovery scenarios were designed. • We used net present value to evaluate the cost-benefit efficiency. - Abstract: Landfill mining is an environmentally-friendly technology that combines the concepts of material recycling and sustainable waste management, and it has received a great deal of worldwide attention because of its significant environmental and economic potential in material recycling, energy recovery, land reclamation and pollution prevention. This work applied a cost-benefit analysis model for assessing the economic feasibility, whichmore » is important for promoting landfill mining. The model includes eight indicators of costs and nine indicators of benefits. Four landfill mining scenarios were designed and analyzed based on field data. The economic feasibility of landfill mining was then evaluated by the indicator of net present value (NPV). According to our case study of a typical old landfill mining project in China (Yingchun landfill), rental of excavation and hauling equipment, waste processing and material transportation were the top three costs of landfill mining, accounting for 88.2% of the total cost, and the average cost per unit of stored waste was 12.7 USD ton{sup −1}. The top three benefits of landfill mining were electricity generation by incineration, land reclamation and recycling soil-like materials. The NPV analysis of the four different scenarios indicated that the Yingchun landfill mining project could obtain a net positive benefit varying from 1.92 million USD to 16.63 million USD. However, the NPV was sensitive to the mode of land reuse, the availability of energy recovery facilities and the possibility of obtaining financial support by avoiding post-closure care.« less

Cost implications of PSA screening differ by age.

PubMed

Rao, Karthik; Liang, Stella; Cardamone, Michael; Joshu, Corinne E; Marmen, Kyle; Bhavsar, Nrupen; Nelson, William G; Ballentine Carter, H; Albert, Michael C; Platz, Elizabeth A; Pollack, Craig E

2018-05-09

Multiple guidelines seek to alter rates of prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-based prostate cancer screening. The costs borne by payers associated with PSA-based screening for men of different age groups-including the costs of screening and subsequent diagnosis, treatment, and adverse events-remain uncertain. We sought to develop a model of PSA costs that could be used by payers and health care systems to inform cost considerations under a range of different scenarios. We determined the prevalence of PSA screening among men aged 50 and higher using 2013-2014 data from a large, multispecialty group, obtained reimbursed costs associated with screening, diagnosis, and treatment from a commercial health plan, and identified transition probabilities for biopsy, diagnosis, treatment, and complications from the literature to generate a cost model. We estimated annual total costs for groups of men ages 50-54, 55-69, and 70+ years, and varied annual prostate cancer screening prevalence in each group from 5 to 50% and tested hypothetical examples of different test characteristics (e.g., true/false positive rate). Under the baseline screening patterns, costs of the PSA screening represented 10.1% of the total costs; costs of biopsies and associated complications were 23.3% of total costs; and, although only 0.3% of all screen eligible patients were treated, they accounted for 66.7% of total costs. For each 5-percentage point decrease in PSA screening among men aged 70 and older for a single calendar year, total costs associated with prostate cancer screening decreased by 13.8%. For each 5-percentage point decrease in PSA screening among men 50-54 and 55-69 years old, costs were 2.3% and 7.3% lower respectively. With constrained financial resources and with national pressure to decrease use of clinically unnecessary PSA-based prostate cancer screening, there is an opportunity for cost savings, especially by focusing on the downstream costs disproportionately associated with screening men 70 and older.

48 CFR 30.602 - Materiality.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... REQUIREMENTS COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS ADMINISTRATION CAS Administration 30.602 Materiality. (a) In determining... and conclude the cost impact process; (2) Document the rationale for the determination; and (3) In the...

A MATERIAL COST-MINIMIZATION ANALYSIS FOR HERNIA REPAIRS AND MINOR PROCEDURES DURING A SURGICAL MISSION IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

PubMed Central

Cavallo, Jaime A.; Ousley, Jenny; Barrett, Christopher D.; Baalman, Sara; Ward, Kyle; Borchardt, Malgorzata; Thomas, J. Ross; Perotti, Gary; Frisella, Margaret M.; Matthews, Brent D.

2013-01-01

INTRODUCTION Expenditures on material supplies and medications constitute the greatest per capita costs for surgical missions. We hypothesized that supply acquisition at nonprofit organization (NPO) costs would lead to significant cost-savings compared to supply acquisition at US academic institution costs from the provider perspective for hernia repairs and minor procedures during a surgical mission in the Dominican Republic (DR). METHODS Items acquired for a surgical mission were uniquely QR-coded for accurate consumption accounting. Both NPO and US academic institution unit costs were associated with each item in an electronic inventory system. Medication doses were recorded and QR-codes for consumed items were scanned into a record for each sampled procedure. Mean material costs and cost savings ± SDs were calculated in US dollars for each procedure type. Cost-minimization analyses between the NPO and the US academic institution platforms for each procedure type ensued using a two-tailed Wilcoxon matched-pairs test with α=0.05. Item utilization analyses generated lists of most frequently used materials by procedure type. RESULTS The mean cost savings of supply acquisition at NPO costs for each procedure type were as follows: $482.86 ± $683.79 for unilateral inguinal hernia repair (IHR, n=13); $332.46 ± $184.09 for bilateral inguinal hernia repair (BIHR, n=3); $127.26 ± $13.18 for hydrocelectomy (HC, n=9); $232.92 ± $56.49 for femoral hernia repair (FHR, n=3); $120.90 ± $30.51 for umbilical hernia repair (UHR, n=8); $36.59 ± $17.76 for minor procedures (MP, n=26); and $120.66 ± $14.61 for pediatric inguinal hernia repair (PIHR, n=7). CONCLUSION Supply acquisition at NPO costs leads to significant cost-savings compared to supply acquisition at US academic institution costs from the provider perspective for IHR, HC, UHR, MP, and PIHR during a surgical mission to DR. Item utilization analysis can generate minimum-necessary material lists for each procedure type to reproduce cost-savings for subsequent missions. PMID:24162140

32 CFR 701.53 - FOIA fee schedule.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... above 45.00 (e) Audiovisual documentary materials. Search costs are computed as for any other record... the work. Audiovisual materials provided to a requester need not be in reproducible format or quality... shall be computed in the manner described for audiovisual documentary material. (g) Costs for special...

47 CFR 36.181 - Material and supplies-Account 1220.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... JURISDICTIONAL SEPARATIONS PROCEDURES; STANDARD PROCEDURES FOR SEPARATING TELECOMMUNICATIONS PROPERTY COSTS... Material and Supplies and Cash Working Capital § 36.181 Material and supplies—Account 1220. (a) The amount included in Account 1220 is apportioned among the operations on the basis of the apportionment of the cost...

Development of a low-cost double rotor axial flux motor with soft magnetic composite and ferrite permanent magnet materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chengcheng; Zhu, Jianguo; Wang, Youhua; Guo, Youguang; Lei, Gang; Liu, Xiaojing

2015-05-01

This paper proposes a low-cost double rotor axial flux motor (DRAFM) with low cost soft magnetic composite (SMC) core and ferrite permanent magnets (PMs). The topology and operating principle of DRAFM and design considerations for best use of magnetic materials are presented. A 905 W 4800 rpm DRAFM is designed for replacing the high cost NdFeB permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) in a refrigerator compressor. By using the finite element method, the electromagnetic parameters and performance of the DRAFM operated under the field oriented control scheme are calculated. Through the analysis, it is shown that that the SMC and ferrite PM materials can be good candidates for low-cost electric motor applications.

The economics of recovery after pancreatic surgery: detailed cost minimization analysis of an enhanced recovery program.

PubMed

Kagedan, Daniel J; Devitt, Katharine S; Tremblay St-Germain, Amélie; Ramjaun, Aliya; Cleary, Sean P; Wei, Alice C

2017-11-01

Clinical pathways (CPW) are considered safe and effective at decreasing postoperative length of stay (LoS), but the effect on economic costs is uncertain. This study sought to elucidate the effect of a CPW on direct hospitalization costs for patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). A CPW for PD patients at a single Canadian institution was implemented. Outcomes included LoS, 30-day readmissions, and direct costs of hospital care. A retrospective cost minimization analysis compared patients undergoing PD prior to and following CPW implementation, using a bootstrapped t test and deviation-based cost modeling. 121 patients undergoing PD after CPW implementation were compared to 74 controls. Index LoS was decreased following CPW implementation (9 vs. 11 days, p = 0.005), as was total LoS (10 vs. 11 days, p = 0.003). The mean total cost of postoperative hospitalization per patient decreased in the CPW group ($15,678.45 CAD vs. $25,732.85 CAD, p = 0.024), as was the mean 30-day cost including readmissions ($16,627.15 CAD vs. $29,872.72 CAD, p = 0.016). Areas of significant cost savings included laboratory tests and imaging investigations. CPWs may generate cost savings by reducing unnecessary investigations, and improve quality of care through process standardization and decreasing practice variation. Copyright © 2017 International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Galactic and Solar Cosmic Ray Shielding in Deep Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, John W.; Cucinotta, Francis A.; Tai, H.; Simonsen, Lisa C.; Shinn, Judy L.; Thibeault, Shelia; Kim, M. Y.

1997-01-01

An analysis of the radiation hazards in support of NASA deep space exploration activities is presented. The emphasis is on materials required for radiation protection shielding. Aluminum has been found to be a poor shield material when dose equivalent is used with exposure limits for low Earth orbit (LEO) as a guide for shield requirements. Because the radiation issues are cost related-the parasitic shield mass has high launch costs, the use of aluminum as a basic construction material is clearly not cost-effective and alternate materials need to be developed. In this context, polyethylene is examined as a potentially useful material and demonstrates important advantages as an alternative to aluminum construction. Although polyethylene is useful as a shield material, it may not meet other design criteria (strength, stability, thermal); other polymer materials must be examined.

Co-liquefaction of Elbistan Lignite with Manure Biomass; Part 2 - Effect of Biomass Type, Waste to Lignite Ratio and Solid to Liquid Ratio

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karaca, Hüseyin; Koyunoglu, Cemil

2017-12-01

Most coal hydrogenation processes require a large quantity of hydrogen. In general, a coal derived liquid such as anthracene oil was used as a hydrogen donor solvent. Tetralin, partially hydrogenated pyrene, phenantrene and coal-derived solvents, which contain hydroaromatic compounds, are efficient solvents to donate hydrogen. In an attempt to reduce the high cost of hydrogen, part of the hydrogen was replaced by a low cost hydrogen donor solvent. This must be hydrogenated during or before the process and recycled. To reduce the cost of hydrogen donor vehicles instead of liquids recycled from the liquefaction process or several biomass types, industrial by products, liquid fractions derived from oil sands bitumen were successfully used to solubilize a coal from the past. In an attempt to reduce the high cost of hydrogen, part of the hydrogen was replaced by a low cost hydrogen donor solvent. However, when hydrogen is supplied from the hydroaromatic structures present in the solvent, the activity of coal minerals is too low to rehydrogenate the solvent in-situ. Nevertheless, a decrease of using oxygen, in addition to enhanced usage of the hydrogen supply by using various waste materials might lead to a decrease of the cost of the liquefaction procedure. So instead of using tetralin another feeding material such as biomass is becoming another solution improving hydrogen donor substances. Most of the liquefaction process were carried out in a batch reactor, in which the residence time of the liquefaction products is long enough to favour the retrogressive reactions, early studies which are related to liquefaction of coal with biomass generally focus on the synergetic effects of coal while biomass added. Early studies which are related to liquefaction of coal with biomass generally focus on the synergetic effects of coal while biomass added. Alternatively, to understand the hydrogen transfer from biomass to coal, in this study, Elbistan Lignite (EL) with manure, tea pulp and waste plastic liquefied and to understand hydrogen quantity change after liquefaction, (H/C)atomic ratio of products obtained. Due to the highest oil conversion of manure biomass and highest (H/C)atomic ratio results show manure is the favourable biomass for EL amongst the other biomass used. And liquid/solid ratio optimized. About high total conversion of oil products the optimum ratio obtained as 3/1. And also EL with manure liquefied with the w/EL ratio between 0:1 to 1:1. As a result, by thinking about the yield values obtained, the optimum waste to lignite ratio found to be 1:1.

Propulsion Design With Freeform Fabrication (PDFF)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, Daudi; McKinnon, James; Priem, Richard

2010-01-01

The nation is challenged to decrease the cost and schedule to develop new space transportation propulsion systems for commercial, scientific, and military purposes. Better design criteria and manufacturing techniques for small thrusters are needed to meet current applications in missile defense, space, and satellite propulsion. The requirements of these systems present size, performance, and environmental demands on these thrusters that have posed significant challenges to the current designers and manufacturers. Designers are limited by manufacturing processes, which are complex, costly, and time consuming, and ultimately limited in their capabilities. The PDFF innovation vastly extends the design opportunities of rocket engine components and systems by making use of the unique manufacturing freedom of solid freeform rapid prototype manufacturing technology combined with the benefits of ceramic materials. The unique features of PDFF are developing and implementing a design methodology that uses solid freeform fabrication (SFF) techniques to make propulsion components with significantly improved performance, thermal management, power density, and stability, while reducing development and production costs. PDFF extends the design process envelope beyond conventional constraints by leveraging the key feature of the SFF technique with the capability to form objects with nearly any geometric complexity without the need for elaborate machine setup. The marriage of SFF technology to propulsion components allows an evolution of design practice to harmonize material properties with functional design efficiency. Reduced density of materials when coupled with the capability to honeycomb structure used in the injector will have significant impact on overall mass reduction. Typical thrusters in use for attitude control have 60 90 percent of its mass in the valve and injector, which is typically made from titanium. The combination of material and structure envisioned for use in an SFF thruster design could reduce thruster weight by a factor of two or more. The thrust-to-weight ratios for such designs can achieve 1,000:1 or more, depending on chamber pressure. The potential exists for continued development in materials, size, speed, accuracy of SFF techniques, which can lead to speculative developments of PDFF processes such as fabrication of custom human interface devices like masks, chairs, and clothing, and advanced biomedical application to human organ reconstruction. Other potential applications are: higher fidelity lower cost test fixtures for probes and inspection, disposable thrusters, and ISRU (in situ resource utilization) for component production in space or on Lunar and Martian missions, and application for embedding MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) during construction process of form changing aerostructure/dynamic structures.

Decreased health care utilization and health care costs in the inpatient and emergency department setting following initiation of ketogenic diet in pediatric patients: The experience in Ontario, Canada.

PubMed

Whiting, Sharon; Donner, Elizabeth; RamachandranNair, Rajesh; Grabowski, Jennifer; Jetté, Nathalie; Duque, Daniel Rodriguez

2017-03-01

To assess the change in inpatient and emergency department utilization and health care costs in children on the ketogenic diet for treatment of epilepsy. Data on children with epilepsy initiated on the ketogenic diet (KD) Jan 1, 2000 and Dec 31, 2010 at Ontario pediatric hospitals were linked to province wide inpatient, emergency department (ED) data at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences. ED and inpatient visits and costs for this cohort were compared for a maximum of 2 years (730days) prior to diet initiation and for a maximum of 2 years (730days) following diet initiation. KD patient were compared to matched group of children with epilepsy who did not receive the ketogenic diet (no KD). Children on the KD experienced a mean decrease in ED visits of 2.5 visits per person per year [95% CI (1.5-3.4)], and a mean decrease of 0.8 inpatient visits per person per year [95% CI (0.3-1.3)], following diet initiation. They had a mean decrease in ED costs of $630 [95% CI (249-1012)] per person per year and a median decrease in inpatient costs of $1059 [IQR: 7890; p<0.001] per child per year. Compared with the no KD children, children on the diet experienced a mean reduction of 2.1 ED visits per child per year [95% CI (1.0-3.2)] and a mean decrease of 0.6 [95% CI (0.1-1.1)] inpatient visits per child per year. Patients on the KD experienced a reduction of $442 [95% CI (34.4-850)] per child per year more in ED costs than the matched group. The ketogenic diet group had greater median decrease in inpatient costs per child per year than the matched group [p<0.001]. Patients initiated on ketogenic diet, experienced decreased ED and inpatient visits as well as costs following diet initiation in Ontario, Canada. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

26 CFR 1.472-1 - Last-in, first-out inventories.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... may elect to have such method apply to the raw materials only (including those included in goods in... adjustments are confined to costs of the raw material in the inventory and the cost of the raw material in... that the opening inventory had 10 units of raw material, 10 units of goods in process, and 10 units of...

26 CFR 1.472-1 - Last-in, first-out inventories.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... may elect to have such method apply to the raw materials only (including those included in goods in... adjustments are confined to costs of the raw material in the inventory and the cost of the raw material in... that the opening inventory had 10 units of raw material, 10 units of goods in process, and 10 units of...

26 CFR 1.472-1 - Last-in, first-out inventories.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... may elect to have such method apply to the raw materials only (including those included in goods in... adjustments are confined to costs of the raw material in the inventory and the cost of the raw material in... that the opening inventory had 10 units of raw material, 10 units of goods in process, and 10 units of...

26 CFR 1.472-1 - Last-in, first-out inventories.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... may elect to have such method apply to the raw materials only (including those included in goods in... adjustments are confined to costs of the raw material in the inventory and the cost of the raw material in... that the opening inventory had 10 units of raw material, 10 units of goods in process, and 10 units of...

JOINING DISSIMILAR MATERIALS USING FRICTION STIR SCRIBE TECHNIQUE

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

Upadhyay, Piyush; Hovanski, Yuri; Jana, Saumyadeep

2016-09-01

Development of robust and cost effective method of joining dissimilar materials can provide a critical pathway to enable widespread use of multi-material design and components in mainstream industrial applications. The use of multi-material components such as Steel-Aluminum, Aluminum-Polymer allows design engineers to optimize material utilization based on service requirements and often lead weight and cost reductions. However producing an effective joint between materials with vastly different thermal, microstructural and deformation response is highly problematic using conventional joining and /or fastening methods. This is especially challenging in cost sensitive high volume markets that largely rely on low–cost joining solutions. Friction Stirmore » Scribe technology was developed to meet the demands of joining materials with drastically different properties and melting regimes. The process enables joining of light metals like Magnesium and Aluminum to high temperature materials like Steels and Titanium. Additionally viable joints between polymer composites and metal can also be made using this method. This paper will present state of the art, progress made and challenges associated with this innovative derivative of Friction Stir welding in reference to joining dissimilar metals and polymer/metal combinations.« less

Perovskite oxides for visible-light-absorbing ferroelectric and photovoltaic materials.

PubMed

Grinberg, Ilya; West, D Vincent; Torres, Maria; Gou, Gaoyang; Stein, David M; Wu, Liyan; Chen, Guannan; Gallo, Eric M; Akbashev, Andrew R; Davies, Peter K; Spanier, Jonathan E; Rappe, Andrew M

2013-11-28

Ferroelectrics have recently attracted attention as a candidate class of materials for use in photovoltaic devices, and for the coupling of light absorption with other functional properties. In these materials, the strong inversion symmetry breaking that is due to spontaneous electric polarization promotes the desirable separation of photo-excited carriers and allows voltages higher than the bandgap, which may enable efficiencies beyond the maximum possible in a conventional p-n junction solar cell. Ferroelectric oxides are also stable in a wide range of mechanical, chemical and thermal conditions and can be fabricated using low-cost methods such as sol-gel thin-film deposition and sputtering. Recent work has shown how a decrease in ferroelectric layer thickness and judicious engineering of domain structures and ferroelectric-electrode interfaces can greatly increase the current harvested from ferroelectric absorber materials, increasing the power conversion efficiency from about 10(-4) to about 0.5 per cent. Further improvements in photovoltaic efficiency have been inhibited by the wide bandgaps (2.7-4 electronvolts) of ferroelectric oxides, which allow the use of only 8-20 per cent of the solar spectrum. Here we describe a family of single-phase solid oxide solutions made from low-cost and non-toxic elements using conventional solid-state methods: [KNbO3]1 - x[BaNi1/2Nb1/2O3 - δ]x (KBNNO). These oxides exhibit both ferroelectricity and a wide variation of direct bandgaps in the range 1.1-3.8 electronvolts. In particular, the x = 0.1 composition is polar at room temperature, has a direct bandgap of 1.39 electronvolts and has a photocurrent density approximately 50 times larger than that of the classic ferroelectric (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O3 material. The ability of KBNNO to absorb three to six times more solar energy than the current ferroelectric materials suggests a route to viable ferroelectric semiconductor-based cells for solar energy conversion and other applications.

Timing the Mode Switch in a Sequential Mixed-Mode Survey: An Experimental Evaluation of the Impact on Final Response Rates, Key Estimates, and Costs

PubMed Central

Wagner, James; Schroeder, Heather M.; Piskorowski, Andrew; Ursano, Robert J.; Stein, Murray B.; Heeringa, Steven G.; Colpe, Lisa J.

2017-01-01

Mixed-mode surveys need to determine a number of design parameters that may have a strong influence on costs and errors. In a sequential mixed-mode design with web followed by telephone, one of these decisions is when to switch modes. The web mode is relatively inexpensive but produces lower response rates. The telephone mode complements the web mode in that it is relatively expensive but produces higher response rates. Among the potential negative consequences, delaying the switch from web to telephone may lead to lower response rates if the effectiveness of the prenotification contact materials is reduced by longer time lags, or if the additional e-mail reminders to complete the web survey annoy the sampled person. On the positive side, delaying the switch may decrease the costs of the survey. We evaluate these costs and errors by experimentally testing four different timings (1, 2, 3, or 4 weeks) for the mode switch in a web–telephone survey. This experiment was conducted on the fourth wave of a longitudinal study of the mental health of soldiers in the U.S. Army. We find that the different timings of the switch in the range of 1–4 weeks do not produce differences in final response rates or key estimates but longer delays before switching do lead to lower costs. PMID:28943717

Feasible experimental study on the utilization of a 300 MW CFB boiler desulfurizating bottom ash for construction applications

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

Lu, X.F.; Amano, R.S.

2006-12-15

CFB boiler ash cannot be used as a cement replacement in concrete due to its unacceptably high sulfur content. The disposal in landfills has been the most common means of handling ash in circulating fluidized bed boiler power plants. However for a 300 MW CFB boiler power plant, there will be 600,000 tons of ash discharged per year and will result in great volumes and disposal cost of ash byproduct. It was very necessary to solve the utilization of CFB ash and to decrease the disposal cost of CFB ash. The feasible experimental study results on the utilization of themore » bottom ashes of a 300 MW CFB boiler in Baima power plant in China were reported in this paper. The bottom ashes used for test came from the discharged bottom ashes in a 100 MW CFB boiler in which the anthracite and limestone designed for the 300 MW CFB project was burned. The results of this study showed that the bottom ash could be used for cementitious material, road concrete, and road base material. The masonry cements, road concrete with 30 MPa compressive strength and 4.0 MPa flexural strength, and the road base material used for base courses of the expressway, the main road and the minor lane were all prepared with milled CFB bottom ashes in the lab. The better methods of utilization of the bottom ashes were discussed in this paper.« less

Nuclear energy in Europe: uranium flow modeling and fuel cycle scenario trade-offs from a sustainability perspective.

PubMed

Tendall, Danielle M; Binder, Claudia R

2011-03-15

The European nuclear fuel cycle (covering the EU-27, Switzerland and Ukraine) was modeled using material flow analysis (MFA).The analysis was based on publicly available data from nuclear energy agencies and industries, national trade offices, and nongovernmental organizations. Military uranium was not considered due to lack of accessible data. Nuclear fuel cycle scenarios varying spent fuel reprocessing, depleted uranium re-enrichment, enrichment assays, and use of fast neutron reactors, were established. They were then assessed according to environmental, economic and social criteria such as resource depletion, waste production, chemical and radiation emissions, costs, and proliferation risks. The most preferable scenario in the short term is a combination of reduced tails assay and enrichment grade, allowing a 17.9% reduction of uranium demand without significantly increasing environmental, economic, or social risks. In the long term, fast reactors could theoretically achieve a 99.4% decrease in uranium demand and nuclear waste production. However, this involves important costs and proliferation risks. Increasing material efficiency is not systematically correlated with the reduction of other risks. This suggests that an overall optimization of the nuclear fuel cycle is difficult to obtain. Therefore, criteria must be weighted according to stakeholder interests in order to determine the most sustainable solution. This paper models the flows of uranium and associated materials in Europe, and provides a decision support tool for identifying the trade-offs of the alternative nuclear fuel cycles considered.

Cost comparisons for the use of nonterrestrial materials in space manufacturing of large structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bock, E. H.; Risley, R. C.

1979-01-01

This paper presents results of a study sponsored by NASA to evaluate the relative merits of constructing solar power satellites (SPS) using resources obtained from the earth and from the moon. Three representative lunar resources utilization (LRU) concepts are developed and compared with a previously defined earth baseline concept. Economic assessment of the alternatives includes cost determination, economic threshold sensitivity to manufacturing cost variations, cost uncertainties, program funding schedule, and present value of costs. Results indicate that LRU for space construction is competitive with the earth baseline approach for a program requiring 100,000 metric tons per year of completed satellites. LRU can reduce earth-launched cargo requirements to less than 10% of that needed to build satellites exclusively from earth materials. LRU is potentially more cost-effective than earth-derived material utilization, due to significant reductions in both transportation and manufacturing costs. Because of uncertainties, cost-effectiveness cannot be ascertained with great confidence. The probability of LRU attaining a lower total program cost within the 30-year program appears to range from 57 to 93%.

Methodology evaluation: Effects of independent verification and intergration on one class of application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Page, J.

1981-01-01

The effects of an independent verification and integration (V and I) methodology on one class of application are described. Resource profiles are discussed. The development environment is reviewed. Seven measures are presented to test the hypothesis that V and I improve the development and product. The V and I methodology provided: (1) a decrease in requirements ambiguities and misinterpretation; (2) no decrease in design errors; (3) no decrease in the cost of correcting errors; (4) a decrease in the cost of system and acceptance testing; (5) an increase in early discovery of errors; (6) no improvement in the quality of software put into operation; and (7) a decrease in productivity and an increase in cost.

Optical Analysis of Transparent Polymeric Material Exposed to Simulated Space Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edwards, David L.; Finckenor, Miria M.

2000-01-01

Many innovations in spacecraft power and propulsion have been recently tested at NASA, particularly in non-chemical propulsion. One improvement in solar array technology is solar concentration using thin polymer film Fresnel lenses. Weight and cost savings were proven with the Solar Concentrator Arrays with Refractive Linear Element Technology (SCARLET)-II array on NASA's Deep Space I spacecraft. The Fresnel lens concentrates solar energy onto high-efficiency solar cells, decreasing the area of solar cells needed for power. Continued efficiency of this power system relies on the thin film's durability in the space environment and maintaining transmission in the 300 - 1000 nm bandwidth. Various polymeric materials have been tested for use in solar concentrators, including Lexan(TM), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), several formulations of Tefzel(Tm) and Teflon(TM), and DC 93-500, the material selected for SCARLET-II. Also tested were several innovative materials including Langley Research Center's CPI and CP2 polymers and atomic oxygen- resistant polymers developed by Triton Systems, Inc. The Environmental Effects Group of the Marshall Space Flight Center's Materials, Processes, and Manufacturing Department exposed these materials to simulated space environment and evaluated them for any change in optical transmission. Samples were exposed to a minimum of 1000 equivalent Sun hours of near-UV radiation (250 - 400 nm wavelength). Materials that appeared robust after near-UV exposure were then exposed to charged particle radiation equivalent to a five-year dose in geosynchronous orbit. These exposures were performed in MSFC's Combined Environmental Effects Test Chamber, a unique facility with the capability to expose materials simultaneously or sequentially to protons, low-energy electrons, high-energy electrons, near UV radiation and vacuum UV radiation. Reflectance measurements can be made on the samples in vacuum. Prolonged exposure to the space environment will decrease the polymer film's transmission and thus reduce the conversion efficiency. A method was developed to normalize the transmission loss and thus rank the materials according to their tolerance to space environmental exposure. Spectral results and the material ranking according to transmission loss are presented.

Materials Genome Initiative Element

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vickers, John

2015-01-01

NASA is committed to developing new materials and manufacturing methods that can enable new missions with ever increasing mission demands. Typically, the development and certification of new materials and manufacturing methods in the aerospace industry has required more than 20 years of development time with a costly testing and certification program. To reduce the cost and time to mature these emerging technologies, NASA is developing computational materials tools to improve understanding of the material and guide the certification process.

Subscale solid motor nozzle tests, phase 4 and nozzle materials screening and thermal characterization, phase 5

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arnold, J.; Dodson, J.; Laub, B.

1979-01-01

Subscale solid motor nozzles containing a baseline material or low cost materials to be considered as potential replacements for the baseline material are designed and tested. Data are presented from tests of four identically designed 2.5 inch throat diameter nozzles and one 7 inch throat diameter nozzle. The screening of new candidate low cost materials, as well as their thermophysical and thermochemical characterization is also discussed.

48 CFR 252.242-7004 - Material Management and Accounting System.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... logic for costing of material transactions; and (2) Assess its MMAS and take reasonable action to comply...) necessary to evaluate system logic and to verify through transaction testing that the system is operating as... transfers of parts; (7) Maintain a consistent, equitable, and unbiased logic for costing of material...

48 CFR 952.245-5 - Government property (cost-reimbursement, time-and-materials, or labor-hour contracts.)

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Government property (cost... Provisions and Clauses 952.245-5 Government property (cost-reimbursement, time-and-materials, or labor-hour... to FAR Subpart 45.5 in paragraphs (e)(1) and (e)(2) of the clause. ...

48 CFR 952.245-5 - Government property (cost-reimbursement, time-and-materials, or labor-hour contracts.)

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Government property (cost... Provisions and Clauses 952.245-5 Government property (cost-reimbursement, time-and-materials, or labor-hour... to FAR Subpart 45.5 in paragraphs (e)(1) and (e)(2) of the clause. ...

Cost analysis of advanced turbine blade manufacturing processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barth, C. F.; Blake, D. E.; Stelson, T. S.

1977-01-01

A rigorous analysis was conducted to estimate relative manufacturing costs for high technology gas turbine blades prepared by three candidate materials process systems. The manufacturing costs for the same turbine blade configuration of directionally solidified eutectic alloy, an oxide dispersion strengthened superalloy, and a fiber reinforced superalloy were compared on a relative basis to the costs of the same blade currently in production utilizing the directional solidification process. An analytical process cost model was developed to quantitatively perform the cost comparisons. The impact of individual process yield factors on costs was also assessed as well as effects of process parameters, raw materials, labor rates and consumable items.

Expanding technology in the ICU: the case for the utilization of telemedicine.

PubMed

Deslich, Stacie; Coustasse, Alberto

2014-05-01

Telemedicine has been utilized in various healthcare areas to achieve better patient outcomes, lower costs of providing services, and increase patient access to care. Tele-intensive care unit (ICU) technology has been introduced as a way to provide effective ICU services to patients with reduced access, as well as to decrease costs and improve patient care. The methodology for this qualitative study was a literature search and review of case studies. The search was limited to sources published in the last 10 years (2003-2013) in the English language. In total, 55 references were used for this research exploration inquiry. Tele-ICU was found to be an effective way to use technology to decrease costs of providing intensive care, while improving patient outcomes such as mortality and length of stay. Several case studies supported the use of telemedicine in ICUs to provide intensive care to patients who lived in rural areas and lacked access to traditional ICUs. Furthermore, it was noted that, although the initial costs for tele-ICU startup were significant, as much as $100,000 per bed, the benefits of the utilization of this technology can offset those costs by reducing costs by 24% via decreased length of stay for patients. The findings of this study have suggested that the implementation of tele-ICU may have been more beneficial than costly, and it may have provided healthcare organizations the opportunity to increase quality of care and decrease mortality, while it might have decreased costs of delivering ICU services in both rural and urban areas.

Materials Performance in USC Steam Portland

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

G.R. Holcomb; J. Tylczak; R. Hu

2011-04-26

Goals of the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Power Systems Initiatives include power generation from coal at 60% efficiency, which requires steam conditions of up to 760 C and 340 atm, co-called advanced ultrasupercritical (A-USC) steam conditions. A limitation to achieving the goal is a lack of cost-effective metallic materials that can perform at these temperatures and pressures. Some of the more important performance limitations are high-temperature creep strength, fire-side corrosion resistance, and steam-side oxidation resistance. Nickel-base superalloys are expected to be the materials best suited for steam boiler and turbine applications above about 675 C. Specific alloys of interestmore » include Haynes 230 and 282, Inconel 617, 625 and 740, and Nimonic 263. Further validation of a previously developed chromia evaporation model is shown by examining the reactive evaporation effects resulting from exposure of Haynes 230 and Haynes 282 to moist air environments as a function of flow rate and water content. These two alloys differ in Ti and Mn contents, which may form outer layers of TiO{sub 2} or Cr-Mn spinels. This would in theory decrease the evaporation of Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} from the scale by decreasing the activity of chromia at the scale surface, and be somewhat self-correcting as chromia evaporation concentrates the Ti and Mn phases. The apparent approximate chromia activity was found for each condition and alloy that showed chromia evaporation kinetics. As expected, it was found that increasing the gas flow rate led to increased chromia evaporation and decreased chromia activity. However, increasing the water content in moist air increased the evaporation, but results were mixed with its effect on chromia activity.« less

A cost analysis of single-row versus double-row and suture bridge rotator cuff repair methods.

PubMed

Bisson, Leslie; Zivaljevic, Nikola; Sanders, Samuel; Pula, David

2015-02-01

To calculate the costs to the US healthcare system of transition from single-row (SR) to double-row (DR) rotator cuff repair (RCR) and to calculate the decrease in re-operations for re-tear that DR RCR would need to accomplish in order to render the transition cost-neutral. Standard accounting methods were used to determine the cost of a single RCR, the annual cost to the US healthcare system of rotator cuff surgery, the cost of a single-revision RCR, and the decrease in revision for re-tear rate necessary to make DR or suture bridge (SB) methods cost-neutral in comparison with SR methods. We varied tear size, operating room cost, time required for implant placement, annual tear size distribution, and repair method. The cost of RCR ranged from $7,572 (SR, <1 cm tear) to $12,979 (DR, >5 cm tear). Complete conversion from SR RCR to a DR technique without an associated decrease in revision surgeries would increase the annual US healthcare cost between $80 million and $262 million per year. To obtain cost neutrality, use of DR or SB methods would need to result in one fewer revision in every 17 primary repairs (for tears <1 cm) to one fewer in every four primary repairs (for tears >5 cm). Conversion from SR to DR or SB RCR techniques would result in considerable increases in healthcare expenditures. Since the large decreases in revision surgery rates necessary to justify DR or SB repairs purely on a cost basis may not be realistic or even possible, the use of these methods should be supported by evidence of improved structural healing rates and quality-adjusted life years in comparison with SR methods. IV.

Validated Feasibility Study of Integrally Stiffened Metallic Fuselage Panels for Reducing Manufacturing Costs: Cost Assessment of Manufacturing/Design Concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Metschan, S.

2000-01-01

The objective of the Integral Airframe Structures (IAS) program was to demonstrate, for an integrally stiffened structural concept, performance and weight equal to "built-up" structure with lower manufacturing cost. This report presents results of the cost assessment for several design configuration/manufacturing method combinations. The attributes of various cost analysis models were evaluated and COSTRAN selected for this study. A process/design cost evaluation matrix was developed based on material, forming, machining, and assembly of structural sub-elements and assembled structure. A hybrid design, made from high-speed machined extruded frames that are mechanically fastened to high-speed machined plate skin/stringer panels, was identified as the most cost-effective manufacturing solution. Recurring labor and material costs of the hybrid design are up to 61 percent less than the current built-up technology baseline. This would correspond to a total cost reduction of $1.7 million per ship set for a 777-sized airplane. However, there are important outstanding issues with regard to the cost of capacity of high technology machinery, and the ability to cost-effectively provide surface finish acceptable to the commercial aircraft industry. The projected high raw material cost of large extrusions also played an important role in the trade-off between plate and extruded concepts.

U.S. DOE Progress Towards Developing Low-Cost, High Performance, Durable Polymer Electrolyte Membranes for Fuel Cell Applications

PubMed Central

Houchins, Cassidy; Kleen, Greg J.; Spendelow, Jacob S.; Kopasz, John; Peterson, David; Garland, Nancy L.; Ho, Donna Lee; Marcinkoski, Jason; Martin, Kathi Epping; Tyler, Reginald; Papageorgopoulos, Dimitrios C.

2012-01-01

Low cost, durable, and selective membranes with high ionic conductivity are a priority need for wide-spread adoption of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Electrolyte membranes are a major cost component of PEMFC stacks at low production volumes. PEMFC membranes also impose limitations on fuel cell system operating conditions that add system complexity and cost. Reactant gas and fuel permeation through the membrane leads to decreased fuel cell performance, loss of efficiency, and reduced durability in both PEMFCs and DMFCs. To address these challenges, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies Program, in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, supports research and development aimed at improving ion exchange membranes for fuel cells. For PEMFCs, efforts are primarily focused on developing materials for higher temperature operation (up to 120 °C) in automotive applications. For DMFCs, efforts are focused on developing membranes with reduced methanol permeability. In this paper, the recently revised DOE membrane targets, strategies, and highlights of DOE-funded projects to develop new, inexpensive membranes that have good performance in hot and dry conditions (PEMFC) and that reduce methanol crossover (DMFC) will be discussed. PMID:24958432

Scale-up of Carbon/Carbon Bipolar Plates

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

David P. Haack

2009-04-08

This project was focused upon developing a unique material technology for use in PEM fuel cell bipolar plates. The carbon/carbon composite material developed in this program is uniquely suited for use in fuel cell systems, as it is lightweight, highly conductive and corrosion resistant. The project further focused upon developing the manufacturing methodology to cost-effectively produce this material for use in commercial fuel cell systems. United Technology Fuel Cells Corp., a leading fuel cell developer was a subcontractor to the project was interested in the performance and low-cost potential of the material. The accomplishments of the program included the developmentmore » and testing of a low-cost, fully molded, net-shape carbon-carbon bipolar plate. The process to cost-effectively manufacture these carbon-carbon bipolar plates was focused on extensively in this program. Key areas for cost-reduction that received attention in this program was net-shape molding of the detailed flow structures according to end-user design. Correlations between feature detail and process parameters were formed so that mold tooling could be accurately designed to meet a variety of flow field dimensions. A cost model was developed that predicted the cost of manufacture for the product in near-term volumes and long-term volumes (10+ million units per year). Because the roduct uses lowcost raw materials in quantities that are less than competitive tech, it was found that the cost of the product in high volume can be less than with other plate echnologies, and can meet the DOE goal of $4/kW for transportation applications. The excellent performance of the all-carbon plate in net shape was verified in fuel cell testing. Performance equivalent to much higher cost, fully machined graphite plates was found.« less

Advances in photonics thermal management and packaging materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zweben, Carl

2008-02-01

Heat dissipation, thermal stresses, and cost are key packaging design issues for virtually all semiconductors, including photonic applications such as diode lasers, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), solid state lighting, photovoltaics, displays, projectors, detectors, sensors and laser weapons. Heat dissipation and thermal stresses affect performance and reliability. Copper, aluminum and conventional polymeric printed circuit boards (PCBs) have high coefficients of thermal expansion, which can cause high thermal stresses. Most traditional low-coefficient-of-thermal-expansion (CTE) materials like tungsten/copper, which date from the mid 20 th century, have thermal conductivities that are no better than those of aluminum alloys, about 200 W/m-K. There are an increasing number of low-CTE materials with thermal conductivities ranging between that of copper (400 W/m-K) and 1700 W/m-K, and many other new low-CTE materials with lower thermal conductivities. An important benefit of low-CTE materials is that they allow use of hard solders. Some advanced materials are low cost. Others have the potential to be low cost in high-volume production. High-thermal-conductivity materials enable higher power levels, potentially reducing the number of required devices. Advanced thermal materials can constrain PCB CTE and greatly increase thermal conductivity. This paper reviews traditional packaging materials and advanced thermal management materials. The latter provide the packaging engineer with a greater range of options than in the past. Topics include properties, status, applications, cost, using advanced materials to fix manufacturing problems, and future directions, including composites reinforced with carbon nanotubes and other thermally conductive materials.

The effect of carbon black (CB) loading on curing characteristics and mechanical properties of virgin acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (Nbrv)/recycled acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (Nbrr) blends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Husnan, M. A.; Ismail, H.; Shuib, R. K.

2018-02-01

Recently, the interest of polymer industry researchers have grown rapidly on the use of specific techniques which can reduce cost and utilize rubber waste into the processing form. The increasing of cognizance in environmental matters and the desire to sustain the resources had fortified the practice of recycling waste materials. In this work, the effect of carbon black loading on curing characteristics and mechanical properties of virgin acrylonitrile butadiene rubber/recycled acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBRv/NBRr) blends were studied. Cure time (t90), scorch time (tS2) and swelling percentage decreased but minimum torque (ML) and maximum torque (MH) increased with increasing carbon black (CB) loading in the blends. Increasing CB loading also increased tensile strength, tensile modulus (M100), hardness and compression set but decreased elongation at break (Eb) of NBRv/NBRr blends.

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

Liu, Jia

Biorefineries convert biomass into many useful intermediates. For bio-based products to be used for fuel, energy, chemical, and many other applications, water needs to be removed from these aqueous products. Membrane separation technologies can significantly reduce separation energy consumption compared with conventional separation processes such as distillation. Nanoporous inorganic membranes have superior pervaporation performance with excellent organic fouling resistance. However, their commercial applications are limited due to high membrane costs and poor production reproducibility. A novel cost-effective inorganic membrane fabrication technology has been developed with low cost materials and using an advanced membrane fabrication technology. Low cost precursor material formulationmore » was successfully developed with desired material properties for membrane fabrication. An advanced membrane fabrication process was developed using the novel membrane materials to enable the fabrication of separation membranes of various geometries. The structural robustness and separation performance of the low cost inorganic membranes were evaluated. The novel inorganic membranes demonstrated high structural integrity and were effective in pervaporation removal of water.« less

Design of Boiler Welding for Improvement of Lifetime and Cost Control.

PubMed

Thong-On, Atcharawadi; Boonruang, Chatdanai

2016-11-03

Fe-2.25Cr-1Mo a widely used material for headers and steam tubes of boilers. Welding of steam tube to header is required for production of boiler. Heat affected zone of the weld can have poor mechanical properties and poor corrosion behavior leading to weld failure. The cost of material used for steam tube and header of boiler should be controlled. This study propose a new materials design for boiler welding to improve the lifetime and cost control, using tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding of Fe-2.25Cr-1Mo tube to carbon steel pipe with chromium-containing filler. The cost of production could be reduced by the use of low cost material such as carbon steel pipe for boiler header. The effect of chromium content on corrosion behavior of the weld was greater than that of the microstructure. The lifetime of the welded boiler can be increased by improvement of mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of the heat affected zone.

Design of Boiler Welding for Improvement of Lifetime and Cost Control

PubMed Central

Thong-On, Atcharawadi; Boonruang, Chatdanai

2016-01-01

Fe-2.25Cr-1Mo a widely used material for headers and steam tubes of boilers. Welding of steam tube to header is required for production of boiler. Heat affected zone of the weld can have poor mechanical properties and poor corrosion behavior leading to weld failure. The cost of material used for steam tube and header of boiler should be controlled. This study propose a new materials design for boiler welding to improve the lifetime and cost control, using tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding of Fe-2.25Cr-1Mo tube to carbon steel pipe with chromium-containing filler. The cost of production could be reduced by the use of low cost material such as carbon steel pipe for boiler header. The effect of chromium content on corrosion behavior of the weld was greater than that of the microstructure. The lifetime of the welded boiler can be increased by improvement of mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of the heat affected zone. PMID:28774014

Optimizing emissions targets for residential recycling programmes: Why 'more' is not necessarily better with respect to diversion.

PubMed

Lakhan, Calvin

2016-11-01

This study highlights the economic and environmental challenges of recycling in Ontario, specifically examining the effect of attempting to increase the emissions target for the province's household recycling programme. The findings from the cost model analysis found that Ontario's Blue Box programme reduces overall carbon emissions by approximately 1.8 million tonnes every year. This study also found that targeting specific materials for recovery could result in a scenario where the province could improve both overall diversion and emissions offsets while reducing material management costs. Under our modelled scenario, as the tonnes of greenhouse gases (GHGs) avoided increases, the system cost per tonne of GHG avoided initial declines. However, after avoiding 2.05 million tonnes of GHGs, the system cost/tonne GHG avoided increases. To achieve an emissions target in excess of 2.05 million tonnes, the province will have to start recycling higher cost non-core materials (composite materials, other plastics, etc.). © The Author(s) 2016.

Guidance Manual for Integrating Hazardous Material Control and Management into System Acquisition Programs

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-04-01

34 in the remainder of this "• IPS. Ensure that system safety, Section refer to the DoD format paragraph health hazards, and environmental for the...hazardous materials is controlled in the manner which protects human health and the environment at the least cost. Hazardous Material Control and Management...of hazardous materials is controlled in a manner which protects human health and the environment at the least cost. Hazardous Material Control and

New technologies for solar energy silicon - Cost analysis of dichlorosilane process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yaws, C. L.; Li, K.-Y.; Chu, T. C. T.; Fang, C. S.; Lutwack, R.; Briglio, A., Jr.

1981-01-01

A reduction in the cost of silicon for solar cells is an important objective in a project concerned with the reduction of the cost of electricity produced with solar cells. The cost goal for the silicon material is about $14 per kg (1980 dollars). The process which is currently employed to produce semiconductor grade silicon from trichlorosilane is not suited for meeting this cost goal. Other processes for producing silicon are, therefore, being investigated. A description is presented of results obtained for the DCS process which involves the production of dichlorosilane as a silicon source material for solar energy silicon. Major benefits of dichlorosilane as a silicon source material include faster reaction rates for chemical vapor deposition of silicon. The DCS process involves the reaction 2SiHCl3 yields reversibly SiH2Cl2 + SiCl4. The results of a cost analysis indicate a total product cost without profit of $1.29/kg of SiH2Cl2.

Investigation of test methods, material properties, and processes for solar cell encapsulants. Encapsulation task of the low-cost silicon solar array project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

During this quarter, flat-plate solar collector systems were considered and six basic construction elements were identified: outer coatings, superstrates, pottants, substrates, undercoats, and adhesives. Materials surveys were then initiated to discover either generic classes or/and specific products to function as each construction element. Cost data included in the surveys permit ready evaluation of each material. Silicones, fluorocarbons, glass, and acrylic polymers have the highest inherent weatherability of materials studied to date. Only acrylics, however, combine low costs, environmental resistance, and potential processability. This class will receive particular emphasis.

[Analysis of medical cost of atlantoaxial disorders in patients receiving innovated treatment technologies].

PubMed

Wu, Yunxia; Liu, Zhongjun

2016-01-19

To explore the effects of innovated technologies and products on improving outcomes and decreasing medical costs by analyzing a total and subtotal medical costs of patients with atlantoaxial disorders. The medical costs of 1 489 patients with atlantoaxial disorders from Peking University Third Hospital from 2005 to 2014, who received innovated technologies and products treatment were retrospectively analyzed and compared.Descriptive analysis and ANOVA were used for statistical analysis, and SPSS 19.0 was used to analyze data. From 2005 to 2014, under the situation of a general increase in medical cost by 327%, the total medical costs were stable for patients who used innovated technologies and products for treatment, fluctuating from 20 851 in 2005 to 20 878 in 2014; however, the cases of operation increased year by year, from 88 in 2005 to 163 in 2014; the average length of stay decreased from 21 in 2005 to 10 in 2014; the total cases of transfusion were 22 from 2005 to 2014; the safety, stability and feasibility of the innovated technologies and products were illustrated through the decrease of average length of stay, the reduction of bleeding and the significance of outcomes. It is illustrated that the innovated technologies and products not only decrease patients' suffering and medical costs but also are safe, stable and feasible.

Analysis of defect structure in silicon. Characterization of SEMIX material. Silicon sheet growth development for the large area silicon sheet task of the low-cost solar array project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Natesh, R.; Stringfellow, G. B.; Virkar, A. V.; Dunn, J.; Guyer, T.

1983-01-01

Statistically significant quantitative structural imperfection measurements were made on samples from ubiquitous crystalline process (UCP) Ingot 5848 - 13C. Important correlation was obtained between defect densities, cell efficiency, and diffusion length. Grain boundary substructure displayed a strong influence on the conversion efficiency of solar cells from Semix material. Quantitative microscopy measurements gave statistically significant information compared to other microanalytical techniques. A surface preparation technique to obtain proper contrast of structural defects suitable for quantimet quantitative image analyzer (QTM) analysis was perfected and is used routinely. The relationships between hole mobility and grain boundary density was determined. Mobility was measured using the van der Pauw technique, and grain boundary density was measured using quantitative microscopy technique. Mobility was found to decrease with increasing grain boundary density.

Simulation of laminate composites degradation using mesoscopic non-local damage model and non-local layered shell element

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Germain, Norbert; Besson, Jacques; Feyel, Frédéric

2007-07-01

Simulating damage and failure of laminate composites structures often fails when using the standard finite element procedure. The difficulties arise from an uncontrolled mesh dependence caused by damage localization and an increase in computational costs. One of the solutions to the first problem, widely used to predict the failure of metallic materials, consists of using non-local damage constitutive equations. The second difficulty can then be solved using specific finite element formulations, such as shell element, which decrease the number of degrees of freedom. The main contribution of this paper consists of extending these techniques to layered materials such as polymer matrix composites. An extension of the non-local implicit gradient formulation, accounting for anisotropy and stratification, and an original layered shell element, based on a new partition of the unity, are proposed. Finally the efficiency of the resulting numerical scheme is studied by comparing simulation with experimental results.

Fabrication and electrical characterization of partially metallized vias fabricated by inkjet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khorramdel, B.; Mäntysalo, M.

2016-04-01

Through silicon vias (TSVs), acting as vertical interconnections, play an important role in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) 3D wafer level packaging. Today, taking advantage of nanoparticle inks, inkjet technologies as local filling methods could be used to plate the inside the vias with a conductive material, rather than using a current method, such as chemical vapor deposition or electrolytic growth. This could decrease the processing time, cost and waste material produced. In this work, we have fabricated and demonstrated electrical characterization of TSVs with a top diameter of 85 μm, and partially metallized on their inside walls using silver nanoparticle ink and drop-on-demand inkjet printing. Electrical measurement showed that the resistance of a single via with a void free coverage from top to bottom could be less than 4 Ω, which is still acceptable for MEMS applications.

Analytic estimation of recycled products added value as a means for effective environmental management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batzias, Dimitris F.

2012-12-01

In this work, we present an analytic estimation of recycled products added value in order to provide a means for determining the degree of recycling that maximizes profit, taking also into account the social interest by including the subsidy of the corresponding investment. A methodology has been developed based on Life Cycle Product (LCP) with emphasis on added values H, R as fractions of production and recycle cost, respectively (H, R >1, since profit is included), which decrease by the corresponding rates h, r in the recycle course, due to deterioration of quality. At macrolevel, the claim that "an increase of exergy price, as a result of available cheap energy sources becoming more scarce, leads to less recovered quantity of any recyclable material" is proved by means of the tradeoff between the partial benefits due to material saving and resources degradation/consumption (assessed in monetary terms).

Properties of Clay for Ceramics with Rock Waste for Production Structural Block by Pressing and Firing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cerqueira, N. A.; Choe, D.; Alexandre, J.; Azevedo, A. R. G.; Xavier, C. G.; Souza, V. B.

Building work requires optimization of materials and labor, so that the execution of its subsystems contribute to the quality, reduce costs, decrease waste in buildings, productivity, practicality and especially agility. Thus, the fitting blocks can contribute in this direction. This work therefore consists of physical characterization (determination of fitness levels, grain size and bulk density), chemical (EDX) and thermal (DTA and TGA) sample clay Campos dos Goytacazes-RJ and waste rock ornamental Cachoeiro de Itapemirim-ES, to verify potential for producing red ceramic blocks, pressed and burned, male and female type. The output of block will be with different pe rcentages of incorporation of residues of ornamental rocks (0%, 5% and 10%). With the results obtained, it was found that the raw materials under consideration has the potential for application in the production of ceramic articles.

Compaction behavior of out-of-autoclave prepreg materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serrano, Léonard; Olivier, Philippe; Cinquin, Jacques

2017-10-01

The main challenges with composite parts manufacturing are related to the curing means, mainly autoclaves, the length of their cycles and their operating costs. In order to decrease this dependency, out of autoclave materials have been considered as a solution for high production rate parts such as spars, flaps, etc… However, most out-of-autoclave process do not possess the same maturity as their counterpart, especially concerning part quality1. Some pre-cure processes such as compaction and ply lay-up are usually less of a concern for autoclave manufacturing: the pressure applied during the cycle participates to reduce the potential defects (porosity caused by a poor quality lay-up, bad compaction, entrapped air or humidity…). For out-of-autoclave parts, those are crucial steps which may have many consequences on the final quality of the laminate2. In order to avoid this quality loss, those steps must be well understood.

Wafer-Level Vacuum Packaging of Smart Sensors

PubMed Central

Hilton, Allan; Temple, Dorota S.

2016-01-01

The reach and impact of the Internet of Things will depend on the availability of low-cost, smart sensors—“low cost” for ubiquitous presence, and “smart” for connectivity and autonomy. By using wafer-level processes not only for the smart sensor fabrication and integration, but also for packaging, we can further greatly reduce the cost of sensor components and systems as well as further decrease their size and weight. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art in the wafer-level vacuum packaging technology of smart sensors. We describe the processes needed to create the wafer-scale vacuum microchambers, focusing on approaches that involve metal seals and that are compatible with the thermal budget of complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits. We review choices of seal materials and structures that are available to a device designer, and present techniques used for the fabrication of metal seals on device and window wafers. We also analyze the deposition and activation of thin film getters needed to maintain vacuum in the ultra-small chambers, and the wafer-to-wafer bonding processes that form the hermetic seal. We discuss inherent trade-offs and challenges of each seal material set and the corresponding bonding processes. Finally, we identify areas for further research that could help broaden implementations of the wafer-level vacuum packaging technology. PMID:27809249

New developments in optical phase-change memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ovshinsky, Stanford R.; Czubatyj, Wolodymyr

2001-02-01

Phase change technology has progressed from the original invention of Ovshinsky to become the leading choice for rewritable optical disks. ECD's early work in phase change materials and methods for operating in a direct overwrite fashion were crucial to the successes that have been achieved. Since the introduction of the first rewritable phase change products in 1991, the market has expanded from CD-RW into rewritable DVD with creative work going on worldwide. Phase change technology is ideally suited to address the continuous demand for increased storage capacity. First, laser beams can be focused to ever-smaller spot sizes using shorter wavelength lasers and higher performance optics. Blue lasers are now commercially viable and high numerical aperture and near field lenses have been demonstrated. Second, multilevel approaches can be used to increase capacity by a factor of three or more with concomitant increases in data transfer rate. In addition, ECD has decreased manufacturing costs through the use of innovative production technology. These factors combine to accelerate the widespread use of phase change technology. As in all our technologies, such as thin film photovoltaics, nickel metal hydride batteries, hydrogen storage systems, fuel cells, electrical memory, etc., we have invented the materials, the products, the production machines and the production processes for high rate, low-cost manufacture.

A MBD-seq protocol for large-scale methylome-wide studies with (very) low amounts of DNA.

PubMed

Aberg, Karolina A; Chan, Robin F; Shabalin, Andrey A; Zhao, Min; Turecki, Gustavo; Staunstrup, Nicklas Heine; Starnawska, Anna; Mors, Ole; Xie, Lin Y; van den Oord, Edwin Jcg

2017-09-01

We recently showed that, after optimization, our methyl-CpG binding domain sequencing (MBD-seq) application approximates the methylome-wide coverage obtained with whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGB-seq), but at a cost that enables adequately powered large-scale association studies. A prior drawback of MBD-seq is the relatively large amount of genomic DNA (ideally >1 µg) required to obtain high-quality data. Biomaterials are typically expensive to collect, provide a finite amount of DNA, and may simply not yield sufficient starting material. The ability to use low amounts of DNA will increase the breadth and number of studies that can be conducted. Therefore, we further optimized the enrichment step. With this low starting material protocol, MBD-seq performed equally well, or better, than the protocol requiring ample starting material (>1 µg). Using only 15 ng of DNA as input, there is minimal loss in data quality, achieving 93% of the coverage of WGB-seq (with standard amounts of input DNA) at similar false/positive rates. Furthermore, across a large number of genomic features, the MBD-seq methylation profiles closely tracked those observed for WGB-seq with even slightly larger effect sizes. This suggests that MBD-seq provides similar information about the methylome and classifies methylation status somewhat more accurately. Performance decreases with <15 ng DNA as starting material but, even with as little as 5 ng, MBD-seq still achieves 90% of the coverage of WGB-seq with comparable genome-wide methylation profiles. Thus, the proposed protocol is an attractive option for adequately powered and cost-effective methylome-wide investigations using (very) low amounts of DNA.

12 CFR 219.3 - Cost reimbursement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... preparing financial records for shipment. Search and processing costs shall not cover analysis of material... Conditions for Payment set forth in § 219.5 of this part. Copies of photographs, films and other materials...

Techno-economic evaluation of 2nd generation bioethanol production from sugar cane bagasse and leaves integrated with the sugar-based ethanol process

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Bioethanol produced from the lignocellulosic fractions of sugar cane (bagasse and leaves), i.e. second generation (2G) bioethanol, has a promising market potential as an automotive fuel; however, the process is still under investigation on pilot/demonstration scale. From a process perspective, improvements in plant design can lower the production cost, providing better profitability and competitiveness if the conversion of the whole sugar cane is considered. Simulations have been performed with AspenPlus to investigate how process integration can affect the minimum ethanol selling price of this 2G process (MESP-2G), as well as improve the plant energy efficiency. This is achieved by integrating the well-established sucrose-to-bioethanol process with the enzymatic process for lignocellulosic materials. Bagasse and leaves were steam pretreated using H3PO4 as catalyst and separately hydrolysed and fermented. Results The addition of a steam dryer, doubling of the enzyme dosage in enzymatic hydrolysis, including leaves as raw material in the 2G process, heat integration and the use of more energy-efficient equipment led to a 37 % reduction in MESP-2G compared to the Base case. Modelling showed that the MESP for 2G ethanol was 0.97 US$/L, while in the future it could be reduced to 0.78 US$/L. In this case the overall production cost of 1G + 2G ethanol would be about 0.40 US$/L with an output of 102 L/ton dry sugar cane including 50 % leaves. Sensitivity analysis of the future scenario showed that a 50 % decrease in the cost of enzymes, electricity or leaves would lower the MESP-2G by about 20%, 10% and 4.5%, respectively. Conclusions According to the simulations, the production of 2G bioethanol from sugar cane bagasse and leaves in Brazil is already competitive (without subsidies) with 1G starch-based bioethanol production in Europe. Moreover 2G bioethanol could be produced at a lower cost if subsidies were used to compensate for the opportunity cost from the sale of excess electricity and if the cost of enzymes continues to fall. PMID:22502801

Low-Cost Magnetic Stirrer from Recycled Computer Parts with Optional Hot Plate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guidote, Armando M., Jr.; Pacot, Giselle Mae M.; Cabacungan, Paul M.

2015-01-01

Magnetic stirrers and hot plates are key components of science laboratories. However, these are not readily available in many developing countries due to their high cost. This article describes the design of a low-cost magnetic stirrer with hot plate from recycled materials. Some of the materials used are neodymium magnets and CPU fans from…

All-Iron Redox Flow Battery Tailored for Off-Grid Portable Applications.

PubMed

Tucker, Michael C; Phillips, Adam; Weber, Adam Z

2015-12-07

An all-iron redox flow battery is proposed and developed for end users without access to an electricity grid. The concept is a low-cost battery which the user assembles, discharges, and then disposes of the active materials. The design goals are: (1) minimize upfront cost, (2) maximize discharge energy, and (3) utilize non-toxic and environmentally benign materials. These are different goals than typically considered for electrochemical battery technology, which provides the opportunity for a novel solution. The selected materials are: low-carbon-steel negative electrode, paper separator, porous-carbon-paper positive electrode, and electrolyte solution containing 0.5 m Fe2 (SO4 )3 active material and 1.2 m NaCl supporting electrolyte. With these materials, an average power density around 20 mW cm(-2) and a maximum energy density of 11.5 Wh L(-1) are achieved. A simple cost model indicates the consumable materials cost US$6.45 per kWh(-1) , or only US$0.034 per mobile phone charge. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

All-Iron Redox Flow Battery Tailored for Off-Grid Portable Applications

DOE PAGES

Tucker, Michael C.; Phillips, Adam; Weber, Adam Z.

2015-11-20

We proposed and developed an all-iron redox flow battery for end users without access to an electricity grid. The concept is a low-cost battery which the user assembles, discharges, and then disposes of the active materials. Our design goals are: (1) minimize upfront cost, (2) maximize discharge energy, and (3) utilize non-toxic and environmentally benign materials. These are different goals than typically considered for electrochemical battery technology, which provides the opportunity for a novel solution. The selected materials are: low-carbon-steel negative electrode, paper separator, porous-carbon-paper positive electrode, and electrolyte solution containing 0.5 m Fe 2 (SO 4 ) 3 activemore » material and 1.2 m NaCl supporting electrolyte. Furthermore, with these materials, an average power density around 20 mW cm -2 and a maximum energy density of 11.5 Wh L -1 are achieved. A simple cost model indicates the consumable materials cost US$6.45 per kWh -1 , or only US$0.034 per mobile phone charge.« less

Costs, Substitution, and Material Use: The Case of Rare Earth Magnets.

PubMed

Smith, Braeton J; Eggert, Roderick G

2018-03-20

Environmental technologies depend on raw materials, some of which are subject to volatile costs and availability concerns. One way to address these concerns is through substitution, of which there are many types. An important form of substitution in the short term is adopting an alternative production process, yielding a material with the same functional properties with less material input. In effect, technology substitutes for material. This study elucidates the role increased and uncertain material costs play in inducing different substitution types in the short to medium term. Specifically, this paper uses an expert survey to determine the relative importance of eight specific industry responses taken by magnet and wind turbine manufacturers in response to the 2010/2011 rare-earth price spike through 2016. Statistical tests show adopting an existing production process for magnets was the most important response, followed by cost passthrough, using an alternate magnet grade in a redesigned generator system, and using alternate systems altogether. The paper also provides specific findings for the magnet and wind turbine industries with respect to each substitution type.

Placement of central venous port catheters and peripherally inserted central catheters in the routine clinical setting of a radiology department: analysis of costs and intervention duration learning curve.

PubMed

Rotzinger, Roman; Gebauer, Bernhard; Schnapauff, Dirk; Streitparth, Florian; Wieners, Gero; Grieser, Christian; Freyhardt, Patrick; Hamm, Bernd; Maurer, Martin H

2017-12-01

Background Placement of central venous port catheters (CVPS) and peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) is an integral component of state-of-the-art patient care. In the era of increasing cost awareness, it is desirable to have more information to comprehensively assess both procedures. Purpose To perform a retrospective analysis of interventional radiologic implantation of CVPS and PICC lines in a large patient population including a cost analysis of both methods as well as an investigation the learning curve in terms of the interventions' durations. Material and Methods All CVPS and PICC line related interventions performed in an interventional radiology department during a three-year period from January 2011 to December 2013 were examined. Documented patient data included sex, venous access site, and indication for CVPS or PICC placement. A cost analysis including intervention times was performed based on the prorated costs of equipment use, staff costs, and expenditures for disposables. The decrease in intervention duration in the course of time conformed to the learning curve. Results In total, 2987 interventions were performed by 16 radiologists: 1777 CVPS and 791 PICC lines. An average implantation took 22.5 ± 0.6 min (CVPS) and 10.1 ± 0.9 min (PICC lines). For CVPS, this average time was achieved by seven radiologists newly learning the procedures after performing 20 CVPS implantations. Total costs per implantation were €242 (CVPS) and €201 (PICC lines). Conclusion Interventional radiologic implantations of CVPS and PICC lines are well-established procedures, easy to learn by residents, and can be implanted at low costs.

Coping with Prescription Drug Cost Sharing: Knowledge, Adherence, and Financial Burden

PubMed Central

Reed, Mary; Brand, Richard; Newhouse, Joseph P; Selby, Joe V; Hsu, John

2008-01-01

Objective Assess patient knowledge of and response to drug cost sharing. Study Setting Adult members of a large prepaid, integrated delivery system. Study Design/Data Collection Telephone interviews with 932 participants (72 percent response rate) who reported knowledge of the structures and amounts of their prescription drug cost sharing. Participants reported cost-related changes in their drug adherence, any financial burden, and other cost-coping behaviors. Actual cost sharing amounts came from administrative databases. Principal Findings Overall, 27 percent of patients knew all of their drug cost sharing structures and amounts. After adjustment for individual characteristics, additional patient cost sharing structures (tiers and caps), and higher copayment amounts were associated with reporting decreased adherence, financial burden, or other cost-coping behaviors. Conclusions Patient knowledge of their drug benefits is limited, especially for more complex cost sharing structures. Patients also report a range of responses to greater cost sharing, including decreasing adherence. PMID:18370979

Modelling the costs and outcomes of changing rates of screening for alcohol misuse by GPs in the Australian context.

PubMed

Shanahan, Marian; Shakeshaft, Anthony; Mattick, Richard P

2006-01-01

To assess the relative cost effectiveness of four strategies (academic detailing, computerised reminder systems, target payments and interactive continuing medical education) to increase the provision of screening and brief interventions by Australian GPs with the ultimate goal of decreasing risky alcohol consumption among their patients. This project used a modelling approach to combine information on the effectiveness and costs of four separate strategies to change GP behaviours to estimate their relative cost effectiveness. The computerised reminder system and academic detailing appear most effective in achieving a decrease in the number of standard drinks consumed by risky drinkers. Regardless of the assumptions made, the targeted payment strategy appeared to be the least cost-effective method to achieve a decrease in risky alcohol consumption while the other three strategies appear reasonably comparable.

Southern Regional Center for Lightweight Innovative Design

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

Horstemeyer, Mark F.; Wang, Paul

The three major objectives of this Phase III project are: To develop experimentally validated cradle-to-grave modeling and simulation tools to optimize automotive and truck components for lightweighting materials (aluminum, steel, and Mg alloys and polymer-based composites) with consideration of uncertainty to decrease weight and cost, yet increase the performance and safety in impact scenarios; To develop multiscale computational models that quantify microstructure-property relations by evaluating various length scales, from the atomic through component levels, for each step of the manufacturing process for vehicles; and To develop an integrated K-12 educational program to educate students on lightweighting designs and impact scenarios.

Thermal Barrier Coatings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

In order to reduce heat transfer between a hot gas heat source and a metallic engine component, a thermal insulating layer of material is placed between them. This thermal barrier coating is applied by plasma spray processing the thin films. The coating has been successfully employed in aerospace applications for many years. Lewis Research Center, a leader in the development engine components coating technology, has assisted Caterpillar, Inc. in applying ceramic thermal barrier coatings on engines. Because these large engines use heavy fuels containing vanadium, engine valve life is sharply decreased. The barrier coating controls temperatures, extends valve life and reduces operating cost. Additional applications are currently under development.

NASA-427: A New Aluminum Alloy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nabors, Sammy A.

2015-01-01

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center researchers have developed a new, stronger aluminum alloy, ideal for cast aluminum products that have powder or paint-baked thermal coatings. With advanced mechanical properties, the NASA-427 alloy shows greater tensile strength and increased ductility, providing substantial improvement in impact toughness. In addition, this alloy improves the thermal coating process by decreasing the time required for heat treatment. With improvements in both strength and processing time, use of the alloy provides reduced materials and production costs, lower product weight, and better product performance. The superior properties of NASA-427 can benefit many industries, including automotive, where it is particularly well-suited for use in aluminum wheels.

Traveling wave tube and method of manufacture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vancil, Bernard K. (Inventor)

2004-01-01

A traveling wave tube includes a glass or other insulating envelope having a plurality of substantially parallel glass rods supported therewithin which in turn support an electron gun, a collector and an intermediate slow wave structure. The slow wave structure itself provides electrostatic focussing of a central electron beam thereby eliminating the need for focussing magnetics and materially decreasing the cost of construction as well as enabling miniaturization. The slow wave structure advantageously includes cavities along the electron beam through which the r.f. energy is propagated, or a double, interleaved ring loop structure supported by dielectric fins within a ground plane cylinder disposed coaxially within the glass envelope.

Matrix Dominated Failure of Fiber-Reinforced Composite Laminates Under Static and Dynamic Loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaefer, Joseph Daniel

Hierarchical material systems provide the unique opportunity to connect material knowledge to solving specific design challenges. Representing the quickest growing class of hierarchical materials in use, fiber-reinforced polymer composites (FRPCs) offer superior strength and stiffness-to-weight ratios, damage tolerance, and decreasing production costs compared to metals and alloys. However, the implementation of FRPCs has historically been fraught with inadequate knowledge of the material failure behavior due to incomplete verification of recent computational constitutive models and improper (or non-existent) experimental validation, which has severely slowed creation and development. Noted by the recent Materials Genome Initiative and the Worldwide Failure Exercise, current state of the art qualification programs endure a 20 year gap between material conceptualization and implementation due to the lack of effective partnership between computational coding (simulation) and experimental characterization. Qualification processes are primarily experiment driven; the anisotropic nature of composites predisposes matrix-dominant properties to be sensitive to strain rate, which necessitates extensive testing. To decrease the qualification time, a framework that practically combines theoretical prediction of material failure with limited experimental validation is required. In this work, the Northwestern Failure Theory (NU Theory) for composite lamina is presented as the theoretical basis from which the failure of unidirectional and multidirectional composite laminates is investigated. From an initial experimental characterization of basic lamina properties, the NU Theory is employed to predict the matrix-dependent failure of composites under any state of biaxial stress from quasi-static to 1000 s-1 strain rates. It was found that the number of experiments required to characterize the strain-rate-dependent failure of a new composite material was reduced by an order of magnitude, and the resulting strain-rate-dependence was applicable for a large class of materials. The presented framework provides engineers with the capability to quickly identify fiber and matrix combinations for a given application and determine the failure behavior over the range of practical loadings cases. The failure-mode-based NU Theory may be especially useful when partnered with computational approaches (which often employ micromechanics to determine constituent and constitutive response) to provide accurate validation of the matrix-dominated failure modes experienced by laminates during progressive failure.

Production cost analysis of Euphorbia lathyris. Final report

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

Mendel, D.A.

1979-08-01

The purpose of this study is to estimate costs of production for Euphorbia lathyris (hereafter referred to as Euphorbia) in commercial-scale quantities. Selection of five US locations for analysis was based on assumed climatic and cultivation requirements. The five areas are: nonirrigated areas (Southeast Kansas and Central Oklahoma, Northeast Louisiana and Central Mississippi, Southern Illinois), and irrigated areas: (San Joaquin Valley and the Imperial Valley, California and Yuma, Arizona). Cost estimates are tailored to reflect each region's requirements and capabilities. Variable costs for inputs such as cultivation, planting, fertilization, pesticide application, and harvesting include material costs, equipment ownership, operating costs,more » and labor. Fixed costs include land, management, and transportation of the plant material to a conversion facility. Euphorbia crop production costs, on the average, range between $215 per acre in nonirrigated areas to $500 per acre in irrigated areas. Extraction costs for conversion of Euphorbia plant material to oil are estimated at $33.76 per barrel of oil, assuming a plant capacity of 3000 dry ST/D. Estimated Euphorbia crop production costs are competitive with those of corn. Alfalfa production costs per acre are less than those of Euphorbia in the Kansas/Oklahoma and Southern Illinois site, but greater in the irrigated regions. This disparity is accounted for largely by differences in productivity and irrigation requirements.« less

7 CFR 1924.10 - Making changes in the planned development.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... decrease in the cash cost, extension of time, transfer of funds between items, or an addition or deletion... respective costs. (ii) Changes in facility design. (iii) Any decrease or increase in unit-price on final...

Operating room waste reduction in plastic and hand surgery.

PubMed

Albert, Mark G; Rothkopf, Douglas M

2015-01-01

Operating rooms (ORs), combined with labour and delivery suites, account for approximately 70% of hospital waste. Previous studies have reported that recycling can have a considerable financial impact on a hospital-wide basis; however, its importance in the OR has not been demonstrated. To propose a method of decreasing cost through judicious selection of instruments and supplies, and initiation of recycling in plastic and hand surgery. The authors identified disposable supplies and instruments that are routinely opened and wasted in common plastic and hand surgery procedures, and calculated the savings that can result from eliminating extraneous items. A cost analysis was performed, which compared the expense of OR waste versus single-stream recycling and the benefit of recycling HIPAA documents and blue wrap. Fifteen total items were removed from disposable plastic packs and seven total items from hand packs. A total of US$17,381.05 could be saved per year from these changes alone. Since initiating single-stream recycling, the authors' institution has saved, on average, US$3,487 per month at the three campuses. After extrapolating at the current savings rate, one would expect to save a minimum of US$41,844 per year. OR waste reduction is an effective method of decreasing cost in the surgical setting. By revising the contents of current disposable packs and instrument sets designated for plastic and hand surgery, hospitals can reduce the amount of opened and unused material. Significant financial savings and environmental benefit can result from this judicious supply and instrument selection, as well as implementation of recycling.

Advanced Nanofiber-Based Lithium-Ion Battery Cathodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toprakci, Ozan

Among various energy storage technologies, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries have been considered as effective solution to the increasing need for high-energy density electrochemical power sources. Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries offer energy densities 2 - 3 times and power densities 5 - 6 times higher than conventional Ni-Cd and Ni-MH batteries, and as a result, they weigh less and take less space for a given energy delivery. However, the use of lithium-ion batteries in many large applications such as electric vehicles and storage devices for future power grids is hindered by the poor thermal stability, relatively high toxicity, and high cost of lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) powders, which are currently used as the cathode material in commercial lithium-ion batteries. Recently, lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO 4) powders have become a favorable cathode material for lithium-ion batteries because of their low cost, high discharge potential (around 3.4 V versus Li/Li+), large specific capacity (170 mAh g -1), good thermal stability, and high abundance with the environmentally benign and safe nature. As a result, there is a huge demand for the production of high-performance LiFePO4. However, LiFePO4 also has its own limitation such as low conductivity (˜10-9 S cm -1), which results in poor rate capability. To address this problem, various approaches can be used such as decreasing particle size of LiFePO 4, doping LiFePO4 with metal ions or coating LiFePO 4 surface with carboneous materials. Formation of conductive layer on LiFePO4 and decreasing particle size are promising approaches due to their superior contribution to electrical conductivity and electrochemical performance of LiFePO4. Although different approaches can be used for surface coating and particle size decrement, electrospinning can be potentially considered as an efficient, simple and inexpensive way. In this study, LiFePO 4/carbon and carbon nanotube- and graphene-loaded electrospun LiFePO 4/carbon composite nanofibers were synthesized by using a combination of sol-gel and electrospinning. During the material preparation, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) was used as an electrospinning media and a carbon source. LiFePO 4 precursor materials and/or conductive materials (carbon nanotubes and graphene) and PAN were dissolved in N,N-dimethylformamide separately and they were mixed before electrospinning. LiFePO4 precursor/PAN fibers were heat treated, during which LiFePO4 precursor transformed to energy-storage LiFePO4 material and PAN was converted to carbon. The surface morphology, microstructure and electrochemical performance of the materials were analyzed. Compared with conventional powder based positive electrodes, the novel LiFePO4/C composite nanofiber cathodes possess better electrochemical performance. Furthermore, the newly developed LiFePO 4/C composite nanofibers are easy to fabricate, highly controllable, and can be used in practical Lithium-ion battery applications. In addition to LiFePO4, more recent efforts have been directed to mixed form of layered lithiummetal oxides (Li-Ni-Mn-Co). Nickel and manganese are of importance because of their lower cost, safety and higher abundance in nature. These new cathodes offer noticeable improvement in the capacity and cycling behavior. In these cathodes, LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn 1/3O2 attracted significant interest because of its good electrochemical properties such as high capacity, prolonged cycling life, and so on. On the other hand, it has some disadvantages such as instability at high voltages and high current densities. To overcome these problems, synthesis of layered Li-rich composite materials such as xLi2MnO3˙(1-x)LiCo 1/3Ni1/3Mn1/3O2 can be a promising approach. In this study, various xLi2MnO3˙(1-x)LiCo 1/3Ni1/3Mn1/3O2 (x=0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5) composite cathode materials were prepared by a one-step sol-gel route. Morphology, microstructure and electrochemical behavior of these cathode materials were evaluated. The resultant cathode material shows good electrochemical performance. Relatively low cost and simple preparation route make new xLi2MnO3˙(1-x)LiMn1/3Ni 1/3Co1/3O2 composite materials possible to use as potential cathode candidate for lithium-ion batteries.

Foreword: Additive Manufacturing: Interrelationships of Fabrication, Constitutive Relationships Targeting Performance, and Feedback to Process Control

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

Carpenter, John S.; Beese, Allison M.; Bourell, David L.

Additive manufacturing (AM) offers distinct advantages over conventional manufacturing processes including the capability to both build and repair complex part shapes; to integrate and consolidate parts and thus overcome joining concerns; and to locally tailor material compositions as well as properties. Moreover, a variety of fields such as aerospace, military, automotive, and biomedical are employing this manufacturing technique as a way to decrease costs, increase manufacturing agility, and explore novel geometry/functionalities. In order to increase acceptance of AM as a viable processing method, pathways for qualifying both the material and the process need to be developed and, perhaps, standardized. Thismore » symposium was designed to serve as a venue for the international AM community—including government, academia, and industry—to define the fundamental interrelationships between feedstock, processing, microstructure, shape, mechanical behavior/materials properties, and function/performance. Eventually, insight into the connections between processing, microstructure, property, and performance will be achieved through experimental observations, theoretical advances, and computational modeling of physical processes. Finally, once this insight matures, AM will be able to move from the realm of making parts to making qualified materials that are certified for use with minimal need for post-fabrication characterization.« less

Foreword: Additive Manufacturing: Interrelationships of Fabrication, Constitutive Relationships Targeting Performance, and Feedback to Process Control

DOE PAGES

Carpenter, John S.; Beese, Allison M.; Bourell, David L.; ...

2015-06-26

Additive manufacturing (AM) offers distinct advantages over conventional manufacturing processes including the capability to both build and repair complex part shapes; to integrate and consolidate parts and thus overcome joining concerns; and to locally tailor material compositions as well as properties. Moreover, a variety of fields such as aerospace, military, automotive, and biomedical are employing this manufacturing technique as a way to decrease costs, increase manufacturing agility, and explore novel geometry/functionalities. In order to increase acceptance of AM as a viable processing method, pathways for qualifying both the material and the process need to be developed and, perhaps, standardized. Thismore » symposium was designed to serve as a venue for the international AM community—including government, academia, and industry—to define the fundamental interrelationships between feedstock, processing, microstructure, shape, mechanical behavior/materials properties, and function/performance. Eventually, insight into the connections between processing, microstructure, property, and performance will be achieved through experimental observations, theoretical advances, and computational modeling of physical processes. Finally, once this insight matures, AM will be able to move from the realm of making parts to making qualified materials that are certified for use with minimal need for post-fabrication characterization.« less

The effect of mesostructure heterogeneity on cracks initiation and the displacement distribution in NCF composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zrida, H.; Giannadis, K.; Varna, J.; Ayadi, Z.

2012-02-01

Non Crimp Fabrics (NCF) are promising new generation composite materials. They are now being used in some sections of composite industry, for example in wind turbine blades and boat hulls. The aerospace industry also shows an increasing interest in this material, thanks to the low cost of its manufacturing process. NCFs are special types of textile composites, made of layers of parallel fiber bundles oriented in different directions and separated by resin. Due to the manufacturing process the fiber bundles are not perfectly straight. They show a certain degree of waviness which decreases the stiffness and the strength of the material. The heterogeneous mesostructure affects the mechanical properties of the material and the failure mechanisms. This was studied using both numerical and experimental methods. In our experimental approach, a carbon fiber/epoxy resin laminate with uniform fiber distribution was manufactured by voluntarily introducing waviness to simulate the NCF composites. The displacement map was studied against the thickness of a sample loaded in tension, using ESPI (Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry). This can give us a primary idea of the micro damage initiation and the cracks' shapes.

An ultrastable anode for long-life room-temperature sodium-ion batteries.

PubMed

Yu, Haijun; Ren, Yang; Xiao, Dongdong; Guo, Shaohua; Zhu, Yanbei; Qian, Yumin; Gu, Lin; Zhou, Haoshen

2014-08-18

Sodium-ion batteries are important alternative energy storage devices that have recently come again into focus for the development of large-scale energy storage devices because sodium is an abundant and low-cost material. However, the development of electrode materials with long-term stability has remained a great challenge. A novel negative-electrode material, a P2-type layered oxide with the chemical composition Na(2/3)Co(1/3)Ti(2/3)O2, exhibits outstanding cycle stability (ca. 84.84 % capacity retention for 3000 cycles, very small decrease in the volume (0.046 %) after 500 cycles), good rate capability (ca. 41 % capacity retention at a discharge/charge rate of 10 C), and a usable reversible capacity of about 90 mAh g(-1) with a safe average storage voltage of approximately 0.7 V in the sodium half-cell. This P2-type layered oxide is a promising anode material for sodium-ion batteries with a long cycle life and should greatly promote the development of room-temperature sodium-ion batteries. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Durability and performance optimization of cathode materials for fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colon-Mercado, Hector Rafael

The primary objective of this dissertation is to develop an accelerated durability test (ADT) for the evaluation of cathode materials for fuel cells. The work has been divided in two main categories, namely high temperature fuel cells with emphasis on the Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell (MCFC) cathode current collector corrosion problems and low temperature fuel cells in particular Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell (PEMFC) cathode catalyst corrosion. The high operating temperature of MCFC has given it benefits over other fuel cells. These include higher efficiencies (>50%), faster electrode kinetics, etc. At 650°C, the theoretical open circuit voltage is established, providing low electrode overpotentials without requiring any noble metal catalysts and permitting high electrochemical efficiency. The waste heat is generated at sufficiently high temperatures to make it useful as a co-product. However, in order to commercialize the MCFC, a lifetime of 40,000 hours of operation must be achieved. The major limiting factor in the MCFC is the corrosion of cathode materials, which include cathode electrode and cathode current collector. In the first part of this dissertation the corrosion characteristics of bare, heat-treated and cobalt coated titanium alloys were studied using an ADT and compared with that of state of the art current collector material, SS 316. PEMFCs are the best choice for a wide range of portable, stationary and automotive applications because of their high power density and relatively low-temperature operation. However, a major impediment in the commercialization of the fuel cell technology is the cost involved due to the large amount of platinum electrocatalyst used in the cathode catalyst. In an effort to increase the power and decrease the cathode cost in polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEMFC) systems, Pt-alloy catalysts were developed to increase its activity and stability. Extensive research has been conducted in the area of new alloy development and understanding the mechanisms of ORR. However, a relatively small number of publications are related to the durability of Pt alloys in the PEMFC environment. In the second part of this dissertation an ADT is developed for the evaluation of PEMFC cathode catalysts in a time and cost effective way.

Solar project cost report

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

Hale, H.J.

1978-01-01

This report provides detailed cost information for the Reedy Creek Utilities solar space heating, cooling and service water heating project located in Walt Disney World, Florida. The solar energy system cools, heats and supplies service hot water for approximately 5625 ft/sup 2/ of office space in a general office building. The system was designed as an integral part of the building at the time the building was designed. The construction costs of this solar project are presented in this report. Category costs are listed by materials, direct labor, and subcontract costs. The subcontract costs include both materials, labor, overhead andmore » profit for electrical, control and other minor subcontractors.« less

Derivation of a Levelized Cost of Coating (LCOC) metric for evaluation of solar selective absorber materials

DOE PAGES

Ho, C. K.; Pacheco, J. E.

2015-06-05

A new metric, the Levelized Cost of Coating (LCOC), is derived in this paper to evaluate and compare alternative solar selective absorber coatings against a baseline coating (Pyromark 2500). In contrast to previous metrics that focused only on the optical performance of the coating, the LCOC includes costs, durability, and optical performance for more comprehensive comparisons among candidate materials. The LCOC is defined as the annualized marginal cost of the coating to produce a baseline annual thermal energy production. Costs include the cost of materials and labor for initial application and reapplication of the coating, as well as the costmore » of additional or fewer heliostats to yield the same annual thermal energy production as the baseline coating. Results show that important factors impacting the LCOC include the initial solar absorptance, thermal emittance, reapplication interval, degradation rate, reapplication cost, and downtime during reapplication. The LCOC can also be used to determine the optimal reapplication interval to minimize the levelized cost of energy production. As a result, similar methods can be applied more generally to determine the levelized cost of component for other applications and systems.« less

Examining the production costs of antiretroviral drugs.

PubMed

Pinheiro, Eloan; Vasan, Ashwin; Kim, Jim Yong; Lee, Evan; Guimier, Jean Marc; Perriens, Joseph

2006-08-22

To present direct manufacturing costs and price calculations of individual antiretroviral drugs, enabling those responsible for their procurement to have a better understanding of the cost structure of their production, and to indicate the prices at which these antiretroviral drugs could be offered in developing country markets. Direct manufacturing costs and factory prices for selected first and second-line antiretroviral drugs were calculated based on cost structure data from a state-owned company in Brazil. Prices for the active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) were taken from a recent survey by the World Health Organization (WHO). The calculated prices for antiretroviral drugs are compared with quoted prices offered by privately-owned, for-profit manufacturers. The API represents the largest component of direct manufacturing costs (55-99%), while other inputs, such as salaries, equipment costs, and scale of production, have a minimal impact. The calculated prices for most of the antiretroviral drugs studied fall within the lower quartile of the range of quoted prices in developing country markets. The exceptions are those drugs, primarily for second-line therapy, for which the API is either under patent, in short supply, or in limited use in developing countries (e.g. abacavir, lopinavir/ritonavir, nelfinavir, saquinavir). The availability of data on the cost of antiretroviral drug production and calculation of factory prices under a sustainable business model provide benchmarks that bulk purchasers of antiretroviral drugs could use to negotiate lower prices. While truly significant price decreases for antiretroviral drugs will depend largely on the future evolution of API prices, the present study demonstrates that for several antiretroviral drugs price reduction is currently possible. Whether or not these reductions materialize will depend on the magnitude of indirect cost and profit added by each supplier over the direct production costs. The ability to achieve price reductions in line with production costs will have critical implications for sustainable treatment for HIV/AIDS in the developing world.

Resource utilisation and direct costs in patients with recently diagnosed fibromyalgia who are offered one of three different interventions in a randomised pragmatic trial.

PubMed

van Eijk-Hustings, Yvonne; Kroese, Mariëlle; Creemers, An; Landewé, Robert; Boonen, Annelies

2016-05-01

The purpose of this study is to understand the course of costs over a 2-year period in a cohort of recently diagnosed fibromyalgia (FM) patients receiving different treatment strategies. Following the diagnosis, patients were randomly assigned to a multidisciplinary programme (MD), aerobic exercise (AE) or usual care (UC) without being aware of alternative interventions. Time between diagnosis and start of treatment varied between patients. Resource utilisation, health care costs and costs for patients and families were collected through cost diaries. Mixed linear model analyses (MLM) examined the course of costs over time. Linear regression was used to explore predictors of health care costs in the post-intervention period. Two hundred three participants, 90 % women, mean (SD) age 41.7 (9.8) years, were included in the cohort. Intervention costs per patient varied from €864 to 1392 for MD and were €121 for AE. Health care costs (excluding intervention costs) decreased after diagnosis, but before the intervention in each group, and increased again afterwards to the level close to the diagnostic phase. In contrast, patient and family costs slightly increased over time in all groups without initial decrease immediately after diagnosis. Annualised health care costs post-intervention varied between €1872 and 2310 per patient and were predicted by worse functioning and high health care costs at diagnosis. In patients with FM, health care costs decreased following the diagnosis by a rheumatologist. Offering patients a specific intervention after diagnosis incurred substantial costs while having only marginal effects on costs.

Selecting materialized views using random algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Lijuan; Hao, Zhongxiao; Liu, Chi

2007-04-01

The data warehouse is a repository of information collected from multiple possibly heterogeneous autonomous distributed databases. The information stored at the data warehouse is in form of views referred to as materialized views. The selection of the materialized views is one of the most important decisions in designing a data warehouse. Materialized views are stored in the data warehouse for the purpose of efficiently implementing on-line analytical processing queries. The first issue for the user to consider is query response time. So in this paper, we develop algorithms to select a set of views to materialize in data warehouse in order to minimize the total view maintenance cost under the constraint of a given query response time. We call it query_cost view_ selection problem. First, cost graph and cost model of query_cost view_ selection problem are presented. Second, the methods for selecting materialized views by using random algorithms are presented. The genetic algorithm is applied to the materialized views selection problem. But with the development of genetic process, the legal solution produced become more and more difficult, so a lot of solutions are eliminated and producing time of the solutions is lengthened in genetic algorithm. Therefore, improved algorithm has been presented in this paper, which is the combination of simulated annealing algorithm and genetic algorithm for the purpose of solving the query cost view selection problem. Finally, in order to test the function and efficiency of our algorithms experiment simulation is adopted. The experiments show that the given methods can provide near-optimal solutions in limited time and works better in practical cases. Randomized algorithms will become invaluable tools for data warehouse evolution.

A life cycle cost economics model for projects with uniformly varying operating costs. [management planning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Remer, D. S.

1977-01-01

A mathematical model is developed for calculating the life cycle costs for a project where the operating costs increase or decrease in a linear manner with time. The life cycle cost is shown to be a function of the investment costs, initial operating costs, operating cost gradient, project life time, interest rate for capital and salvage value. The results show that the life cycle cost for a project can be grossly underestimated (or overestimated) if the operating costs increase (or decrease) uniformly over time rather than being constant as is often assumed in project economic evaluations. The following range of variables is examined: (1) project life from 2 to 30 years; (2) interest rate from 0 to 15 percent per year; and (3) operating cost gradient from 5 to 90 percent of the initial operating costs. A numerical example plus tables and graphs is given to help calculate project life cycle costs over a wide range of variables.

Performance of Implementing Guideline Driven Cervical Cancer Screening Measures in an Inner City Hospital System

PubMed Central

Wieland, Daryl L.; Reimers, Laura L.; Wu, Eijean; Nathan, Lisa M.; Gruenberg, Tammy; Abadi, Maria; Einstein, Mark H.

2013-01-01

Objective In 2006, the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) updated evidence based guidelines recommending screening intervals for women with abnormal cervical cytology. In our low-income inner city population, we sought to improve performance by uniformly applying the guidelines to all patients. We report the prospective performance of a comprehensive tracking, evidence-based algorithmically driven call-back and appointment scheduling system for cervical cancer screening in a resource-limited inner city population. Materials and Methods Outreach efforts were formalized with algorithm-based protocols for triage to colposcopy, with universal adherence to evidence-based guidelines. During implementation from August 2006 through July 2008, we prospectively tracked performance using the electronic medical record with administrative and pathology reports to determine performance variables such as the total number of Pap tests, colposcopy visits, and the distribution of abnormal cytology and histology results, including all CIN 2,3 diagnoses. Results 86,257 gynecologic visits and 41,527 Pap tests were performed system-wide during this period of widespread and uniform implementation of standard cervical cancer screening guidelines. The number of Pap tests performed per month varied little. The incidence of CIN 1 significantly decreased from 117/171 (68.4%) the first tracked month to 52/95 (54.7%) the last tracked month (p=0.04). The monthly incidence rate of CIN 2,3, including incident cervical cancers did not change. The total number of colposcopy visits declined, resulting in a 50% decrease in costs related to colposcopy services and approximately a 12% decrease in costs related to excisional biopsies. Conclusions Adherence to cervical cancer screening guidelines reduced the number of unnecessary colposcopies without increasing numbers of potentially missed CIN 2,3 lesions, including cervical cancer. Uniform implementation of administrative-based performance initiatives for cervical cancer screening minimizes differences in provider practices and maximizes performance of screening while containing cervical cancer screening costs. PMID:21959573

Recycled-tire pyrolytic carbon made functional: A high-arsenite [As(III)] uptake material PyrC350®.

PubMed

Mouzourakis, E; Georgiou, Y; Louloudi, M; Konstantinou, I; Deligiannakis, Y

2017-03-15

A novel material, PyrC 350 ® , has been developed from pyrolytic-tire char (PyrC), as an efficient low-cost Arsenite [As(III)] adsorbent from water. PyrC 350 ® achieves 31mgg -1 As(III) uptake, that remains unaltered at pH=4-8.5. A theoretical Surface Complexation Model has been developed that explains the adsorption mechanism, showing that in situ formed Fe 3 C, ZnS particles act cooperatively with the carbon matrix for As(III) adsorption. Addressing the key-issue of cost-effectiveness, we provide a comparison of As(III)-uptake effectiveness in conjunction with a cost analysis, showing that PyrC 350 ® stands in the top of [effectiveness/cost] vs. existing carbon-based, low-cost materials. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dynamic cost shifting in hospitals: evidence from the 1980s and 1990s.

PubMed

Clement, J P

The purpose of this paper is to determine whether dynamic cost shifting occurred among acute care hospitals during the period from the early 1980s to the early 1990s and, if so, whether market factors affected the ability to shift costs. Evidence from this study of California acute care hospitals during three time intervals shows that the hospital did practice dynamic cost shifting, but that their ability to shift costs decreased over time. Surprisingly, hospital competition and HMO penetration did not influence cost shifting. However, increasing HMO penetration (measured as the HMO percentage of hospital discharges) did decrease both net prices and costs for the early part of the study, but later was associated with increases in both.

Oil and gas pipeline construction cost analysis and developing regression models for cost estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thaduri, Ravi Kiran

In this study, cost data for 180 pipelines and 136 compressor stations have been analyzed. On the basis of the distribution analysis, regression models have been developed. Material, Labor, ROW and miscellaneous costs make up the total cost of a pipeline construction. The pipelines are analyzed based on different pipeline lengths, diameter, location, pipeline volume and year of completion. In a pipeline construction, labor costs dominate the total costs with a share of about 40%. Multiple non-linear regression models are developed to estimate the component costs of pipelines for various cross-sectional areas, lengths and locations. The Compressor stations are analyzed based on the capacity, year of completion and location. Unlike the pipeline costs, material costs dominate the total costs in the construction of compressor station, with an average share of about 50.6%. Land costs have very little influence on the total costs. Similar regression models are developed to estimate the component costs of compressor station for various capacities and locations.

Sticky Situation: An Investigation of Robust Aqueous-Based Recombinant Spider Silk Protein Coatings and Adhesives.

PubMed

Harris, Thomas I; Gaztambide, Danielle A; Day, Breton A; Brock, Cameron L; Ruben, Ashley L; Jones, Justin A; Lewis, Randolph V

2016-11-14

The mechanical properties and biocompatibility of spider silks have made them one of the most sought after and studied natural biomaterials. A biomimetic process has been developed that uses water to solvate purified recombinant spider silk proteins (rSSps) prior to material formation. The absence of harsh organic solvents increases cost effectiveness, safety, and decreases the environmental impact of these materials. This development allows for the investigation of aqueous-based rSSps as coatings and adhesives and their potential applications. In these studies it was determined that fiber-based rSSps in nonfiber formations have the capability to coat and adhere numerous substrates, whether rough, smooth, hydrophobic, or hydrophilic. Further, these materials can be functionalized for a variety of processes. Drug-eluting coatings have been made with the capacity to release a variety of compounds in addition to their inherent ability to prevent blood clotting and biofouling. Additionally, spider silk protein adhesives are strong enough to outperform some conventional glues and still display favorable tissue implantation properties. The physical properties, corresponding capabilities, and potential applications of these nonfibrous materials were characterized in this study. Mechanical properties, ease of manufacturing, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and functionality are the hallmarks of these revolutionary spider silk protein materials.

Testing and design life analysis of polyurea liner materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghasemi Motlagh, Siavash

Certainly, water pipes, as part of an underground infrastructure system, play a key role in maintaining quality of life, health, and wellbeing of human kind. As these potable water pipes reach the end of their useful life, they create high maintenance costs, loss of flow capacity, decreased water quality, and increased dissatisfaction. There are several different pipeline renewal techniques available for different applications, among which linings are most commonly used for the renewal of water pipes. Polyurea is a lining material applied to the interior surface of the deteriorated host pipe using spray-on technique. It is applied to structurally enhance the host pipe and provide a barrier coating against further corrosion or deterioration. The purpose of this study was to establish a relationship between stress, strain and time. The results obtained from these tests were used in predicting the strength of the polyurea material during its planned 50-year design life. In addition to this, based on the 10,000 hours experimental data, curve fitting and Findley power law models were employed to predict long-term behavior of the material. Experimental results indicated that the tested polyurea material offers a good balance of strength and stiffness and can be utilized in structural enhancement applications of potable water pipes.

Cross-Continuum Tool Is Associated with Reduced Utilization and Cost for Frequent High-Need Users

PubMed Central

Hardin, Lauran; Kilian, Adam; Muller, Leslie; Callison, Kevin; Olgren, Michael

2017-01-01

Introduction High-need, high-cost (HNHC) patients can over-use acute care services, a pattern of behavior associated with many poor outcomes that disproportionately contributes to increased U.S. healthcare cost. Our objective was to reduce healthcare cost and improve outcomes by optimizing the system of care. We targeted HNHC patients and identified root causes of frequent healthcare utilization. We developed a cross-continuum intervention process and a succinct tool called a Complex Care Map (CCM)© that addresses fragmentation in the system and links providers to a comprehensive individualized analysis of the patient story and causes for frequent access to health services. Methods Using a pre-/post-test design in which each subject served as his/her own historical control, this quality improvement project focused on determining if the interdisciplinary intervention called CCM© had an impact on healthcare utilization and costs for HNHC patients. We conducted the analysis between November 2012 and December 2015 at Mercy Health Saint Mary’s, a Midwestern urban hospital with greater than 80,000 annual emergency department (ED) visits. All referred patients with three or more hospital visits (ED or inpatient [IP]) in the 12 months prior to initiation of a CCM© (n=339) were included in the study. Individualized CCMs© were created and made available in the electronic medical record (EMR) to all healthcare providers. We compared utilization, cost, social, and healthcare access variables from the EMR and cost-accounting system for 12 months before and after CCMs© implementation. We used both descriptive and limited inferential statistics. Results ED mean visits decreased 43% (p<0.001), inpatient mean admissions decreased 44% (p<0.001), outpatient mean visits decreased 17% (p<0.001), computed tomography mean scans decreased 62% (p<0.001), and OBS/IP length of stay mean days decreased 41% (p<0.001). Gross charges decreased 45% (p<0.001), direct expenses decreased 47% (p<0.001), contribution margin improved by 11% (p=0.002), and operating margin improved by 73% (p<0.001). Patients with housing increased 14% (p<0.001), those with primary care increased 15% (p<0.001), and those with insurance increased 16% (p<0.001). Conclusion Individualized CCMs© for a select group of patients are associated with decreased healthcare system overutilization and cost of care. PMID:28210351

Impact of Reducing Glycated Hemoglobin on Healthcare Costs Among a Population with Uncontrolled Diabetes.

PubMed

Bansal, Megha; Shah, Mona; Reilly, Brian; Willman, Susan; Gill, Max; Kaufman, Francine R

2018-06-23

Glycated hemoglobin (A1C) is considered a "gold standard" measure of glycemic control in patients with diabetes and is correlated with a lower risk of diabetes complications and cost savings. This retrospective claims-analysis assessed the impact of A1C reduction on healthcare costs in patients with uncontrolled Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Using a large repository of US health plan administrative data linked to A1C values, patients with a diabetes diagnosis and at least two A1C values between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2014 were selected to identify changes in A1C and associated changes in healthcare expenditure. We used all medical and pharmacy claims to calculate direct healthcare costs from 1 year prior to the index A1C to 2 years after the index A1C. A propensity score method was used to match patients with decreased A1C to patients whose A1C did not decrease, based on potentially confounding variables. Then, a generalized linear model regression was used to estimate the difference-in-difference (DD) effect on costs between the two groups. Of the 3,197 patients who had a first A1C ≥ 9%, 2,273 patients (71%) had a decrease in A1C (Decreasers) and 924 patients (27%) had an increase in A1C (Non-decreasers). After matching, we compared 912 Decreasers to 912 Non-decreasers. Patients in the former group had average annual healthcare costs that were 24% lower during the first year of follow-up and 17% lower during the second year of follow-up, compared to patients whose A1C did not decrease. This reflected a savings of US$2503 and US$1690, respectively. For both time periods, the outpatient category was the largest contributor to cost savings. In our analysis, A1C reduction among patients with T1DM and T2DM was associated with slower growth in healthcare costs within 1-2 years. These findings suggest that programs aimed at reducing A1C over a short timeframe may lead to substantial savings and may be worth pursuing by health plans and other payers.

Cross-Continuum Tool Is Associated with Reduced Utilization and Cost for Frequent High-Need Users.

PubMed

Hardin, Lauran; Kilian, Adam; Muller, Leslie; Callison, Kevin; Olgren, Michael

2017-02-01

High-need, high-cost (HNHC) patients can over-use acute care services, a pattern of behavior associated with many poor outcomes that disproportionately contributes to increased U.S. healthcare cost. Our objective was to reduce healthcare cost and improve outcomes by optimizing the system of care. We targeted HNHC patients and identified root causes of frequent healthcare utilization. We developed a cross-continuum intervention process and a succinct tool called a Complex Care Map (CCM)© that addresses fragmentation in the system and links providers to a comprehensive individualized analysis of the patient story and causes for frequent access to health services. Using a pre-/post-test design in which each subject served as his/her own historical control, this quality improvement project focused on determining if the interdisciplinary intervention called CCM© had an impact on healthcare utilization and costs for HNHC patients. We conducted the analysis between November 2012 and December 2015 at Mercy Health Saint Mary's, a Midwestern urban hospital with greater than 80,000 annual emergency department (ED) visits. All referred patients with three or more hospital visits (ED or inpatient [IP]) in the 12 months prior to initiation of a CCM© (n=339) were included in the study. Individualized CCMs© were created and made available in the electronic medical record (EMR) to all healthcare providers. We compared utilization, cost, social, and healthcare access variables from the EMR and cost-accounting system for 12 months before and after CCMs© implementation. We used both descriptive and limited inferential statistics. ED mean visits decreased 43% (p<0.001), inpatient mean admissions decreased 44% (p<0.001), outpatient mean visits decreased 17% (p<0.001), computed tomography mean scans decreased 62% (p<0.001), and OBS/IP length of stay mean days decreased 41% (p<0.001). Gross charges decreased 45% (p<0.001), direct expenses decreased 47% (p<0.001), contribution margin improved by 11% (p=0.002), and operating margin improved by 73% (p<0.001). Patients with housing increased 14% (p<0.001), those with primary care increased 15% (p<0.001), and those with insurance increased 16% (p<0.001). Individualized CCMs© for a select group of patients are associated with decreased healthcare system overutilization and cost of care.

Low-Cost Educational Materials. How to Make, How to Use, How to Adapt. Inventory. Volume III.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand). Regional Office for Education in Asia and the Pacific.

This volume presents instructions for 61 low-cost and indigenous teaching materials that were developed from recommendations of the Fifth Regional Consultation Meeting on APEID (Asia and the Pacific Programme of Educational Innovation for Development) held in March 1978. Third in a series, this document describes materials that not only contribute…

Processing bulk natural wood into a high-performance structural material

Treesearch

Jianwei Song; Chaoji Chen; Shuze Zhu; Mingwei Zhu; Jiaqi Dai; Upamanyu Ray; Yiju Li; Yudi Kuang; Yongfeng Li; Nelson Quispe; Yonggang Yao; Amy Gong; Ulrich H. Leiste; Hugh A. Bruck; J. Y. Zhu; Azhar Vellore; Heng Li; Marilyn L. Minus; Zheng Jia; Ashlie Martini; Teng Li; Liangbing Hu

2018-01-01

Synthetic structural materials with exceptional mechanical performance suffer from either large weight and adverse environmental impact (for example, steels and alloys) or complex manufacturing processes and thus high cost (for example, polymer-based and biomimetic composites)1–8. Natural wood is a low-cost and abundant material and has been used...

Low-Cost Educational Materials: How To Make, How To Use, How To Adapt. Inventory, Volume I.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand). Regional Office for Education in Asia and Oceania.

Instructions with line drawings and/or patterns are provided for making 85 of the exemplar products perpared in APEID-sponsored workshops, which reviewed current efforts and materials, and explored new strategies and directions in the utilization of low cost, simple, indigenous materials to fill the regional need for audiovisual resources. The…

Technology and surgery. Dilemma of the gimmick, true advances, and cost effectiveness.

PubMed

Traverso, L W

1996-02-01

The key to evaluating a procedure in regard to a true advance versus a gimmick is to determine its value. This can be done only by physicians cognizant of a disease process. The value is determined by assessing a procedure's utilization, outcomes, and costs. Utilization allows early treatment and avoids neglected disease. Therefore, the appropriateness of the utilization can be determined only by an outcome study. An outcome study is another term for quality assessment. Outcomes deal with morbidity, mortality, and also the long- and short-term effects of the procedure on the disease. Overall, an increase of quality in a global perspective decreases the costs of the procedure to the health care community. Costs must remain secondary to outcomes. An attempt to decrease costs directly is a maneuver that, when applied by nonmedical individuals, will most likely decrease quality. When the quality can be maintained (as assessed only by a practitioner), then a decrease in global costs will increase value. The concept of increasing value by increasing quality without an attempt to decrease costs is a very important principle that the health care system must learn in our ever-challenging medical environment. Is a new procedure a gimmick or a true advance? The decision is made jointly by the stakeholders in our health care system--the patient, provider, payer, employer, and industry. If the procedure does not receive negative votes, then its adoption is almost assured. Comparing two procedures through these perspectives ultimately allows us to determine the potential for new procedures. A procedure not adopted through this method could be called a gimmick.

The Cost of Automotive Polymer Composites: A Review and Assessment of DOE's Lightweight Materials Composites Research

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

Das, S.

2001-01-26

Polymer composite materials have been a part of the automotive industry for several decades, with early application in the 1953 Corvette. These materials have been used for applications with low production volumes, because of their shortened lead times and lower investment costs relative to conventional steel fabrication. Important drivers of the growth of polymer composites have been the reduced weight and parts consolidation opportunities the material offers, as well as design flexibility, corrosion resistance, material anisotropy, and mechanical properties. Although these benefits are well recognized by the industry, polymer composite use has been dampened by high material costs, slow productionmore » rates, and to a lesser extent, concerns about recyclability. Also impeding large scale automotive applications is a curious mixture of concerns about material issues such as crash energy absorption, recycling challenges, competitive and cost pressures, the industry's general lack of experience and comfort with the material, and industry concerns about its own capabilities (Flynn and Belzowski 1995). Polymer composite materials are generally made of two or more material components--fibers, either glass or carbon, reinforced in the matrix of thermoset or thermoplastic polymer materials. The glass-reinforced thermoset composites are the most commonly used composite in automotive applications today, but thermoplastic composites and carbon fiber-reinforced thermosets also hold potential. It has been estimated that significant use of glass-reinforced polymers as structural components could yield a 20-35% reduction in vehicle weight. More importantly, the use of carbon fiber-reinforced materials could yield a 40-65% reduction in weight.« less

Relative costs of transporting low-level waste according to four postulated regional-management cases

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

Wilmot, E.L.; Shirley, C.G.

1982-01-01

Results presented in this paper show that almost any compact binding states into cooperating regions for disposal of LLW will reduce nationwide transportation costs markedly. As a corollary, the reduction of costs may reflect a two- to four-fold reduction of transportation distances with consequent reduction of risk to the public since risk generally decreases directly as transport distances decrease.

Early rheumatoid arthritis 6 years after diagnosis is still associated with high direct costs and increasing loss of productivity: the Swedish TIRA project.

PubMed

Hallert, E; Husberg, M; Kalkan, A; Skogh, T; Bernfort, L

2014-01-01

To calculate total costs over 6 years after diagnosis of early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In the longitudinal prospective multicentre TIRA study, 239 patients from seven units, diagnosed in 1996-98, reported regularly on health-care utilization and the number of days lost from work. Costs were obtained from official databases and calculated using unit costs (Swedish kronor, SEK) from 2001. Indirect costs were calculated using the human capital approach (HCA). Costs were inflation adjusted to Euro June 2012, using the Swedish Consumer Price Index and the exchange rate of June 2012. Statistical analyses were based on linear mixed models (LMMs) for changes over time. The mean total cost per patient was EUR 14,768 in year 1, increasing to EUR 18,438 in year 6. Outpatient visits and hospitalization decreased but costs for surgery increased from EUR 92/patient in year 1 to EUR 444/patient in year 6. Drug costs increased from EUR 429/patient to EUR 2214/patient, mainly because of the introduction of biologics. In year 1, drugs made up for 10% of direct costs, and increased to 49% in year 6. Sick leave decreased during the first years but disability pensions increased, resulting in unchanged indirect costs. Over the following years, disability pensions increased further and indirect costs increased from EUR 10,284 in year 1 to EUR 13,874 in year 6. LMM analyses showed that indirect costs were unchanged whereas direct costs, after an initial fall, increased over the following years, leading to increasing total costs. In the 6 years after diagnosis of early RA, drug costs were partially offset by decreasing outpatient visits but indirect costs remained unchanged and total costs increased.

Housing First Impact on Costs and Associated Cost Offsets: A Review of the Literature

PubMed Central

Ly, Angela; Latimer, Eric

2015-01-01

Objective: Housing First (HF) programs for people who are chronically or episodically homeless, combining rapid access to permanent housing with community-based, integrated treatment, rehabilitation and support services, are rapidly expanding in North America and Europe. Overall costs of services use by homeless people can be considerable, suggesting the potential for significant cost offsets with HF programs. Our purpose was to provide an updated literature review, from 2007 to the present, focusing specifically on the cost offsets of HF programs. Method: A systematic review was performed on MEDLINE and PsycINFO as well as Google and the Homeless Hub for grey literature. Study characteristics and key findings were extracted from identified studies. Where available, impact on service cost associated with HF (increase or decrease) and net impact on overall costs, taking into account the cost of HF intervention, were noted. Results: Twelve published studies (4 randomized studies and 8 quasi-experimental) and 22 unpublished studies were retained. Shelter and emergency department costs decreased with HF, while impacts on hospitalization and justice costs are more ambiguous. Studies using a pre–post design reported a net decrease in overall costs with HF. In contrast, experimental studies reported a net increase in overall costs with HF. Conclusions: While our review casts doubt on whether HF programs can be expected to pay for themselves, the certainty of significant cost offsets, combined with their benefits for participants, means that they represent a more efficient allocation of resources than traditional services. PMID:26720505

Investigation of test methods, material properties and processes for solar cell encapsulants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Willis, P. B.; Baum, B.

1977-01-01

The potentially useful encapsulating materials for Task 3 of the Low-Cost Silicon Solar Array project were studied to identify, evaluate, and recommend encapsulant materials and processes for the production of cost-effective, long-life solar cell modules. Materials for study were chosen on the basis of existing knowledge of generic chemical types having high resistance to environmental weathering. The materials varied from rubbers to thermoplastics and presented a broad range of mechanical properties and processing requirements. Basic physical and optical properties were measured on the polymers and were redetermined after exposure to indoor artificial accelerated aging conditions covering four time periods. Strengths and weaknesses of the various materials were revealed and data was accumulated for the development of predictive methodologies. To date, silicone rubbers, fluorocarbons, and acrylic polymers appear to have the most promising combination of characteristics. The fluorocarbons may be used only as films, however, because of their high cost.

Lignin Based Carbon Materials for Energy Storage Applications

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

Chatterjee, Sabornie; Saito, Tomonori; Rios, Orlando

The implementation of Li-ion battery technology into electric and hybrid electric vehicles and portable electronic devices such as smart phones, laptops and tablets, creates a demand for efficient, economic and sustainable materials for energy storage. However, the high cost and long processing time associated with manufacturing battery-grade anode and cathode materials are two big constraints for lowering the total cost of batteries and environmentally friendly electric vehicles. Lignin, a byproduct of the pulp and paper industry and biorefinery, is one of the most abundant and inexpensive natural biopolymers. It can be efficiently converted to low cost carbon fibers with optimalmore » properties for use as anode materials. Recent developments in the preparation of lignin precursors and conversion to carbon fiber-based anode materials have created a new class of anode materials with excellent electrochemical characteristics suitable for immediate use in existing Li- or Na-ion battery technologies.« less

Oxidation Studies of Cu12Sb3.9Bi0.1S10Se3 Tetrahedrite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonçalves, António P.; Lopes, Elsa B.; Montemor, Maria F.; Monnier, Judith; Lenoir, Bertrand

2018-02-01

Tetrahedrites are widespread minerals with general formula Cu10 M 2Sb4S13 (M = Cu, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn). Their thermoelectric properties can be tuned through proper doping and reach zT values as high as 1, being considered promising low-cost thermoelectric materials. However, for practical application in thermoelectric devices, it is necessary to establish their ability to operate for long periods under working temperatures and atmospheres. We present herein studies of oxidation in air of Cu12Sb3.9Bi0.1S10Se3 tetrahedrite at four different temperatures between 230°C and 375°C, together with preliminary corrosion studies in aggressive NaCl electrolyte. Surface oxidation already occurs at the lower studied temperatures, but a strong decrease of the oxidation rate is observed for materials treated at intermediate temperature (275°C), where a continuous surface layer of Cu2-x S forms, pointing to a protective effect of this layer that could be applied in devices operating at such temperatures. For the material treated at higher temperatures (350°C and 375°C), no tetrahedrite phases were seen after 1500 h, which can be related to the (tetrahedrite + chalcostibite + antimony → skinnerite) reaction that occurs above 280°C. Corrosion studies indicated that increasing the oxidation temperature unfortunately leads to a decrease of the corrosion resistance of tetrahedrite-based phases.

The strength of compressed structures with CFRP materials reinforcement when exceeding the cross-section size

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polskoy, Petr; Mailyan, Dmitry; Georgiev, Sergey; Muradyan, Viktor

2018-03-01

The increase of high-rise construction volume or «High-Rise Construction» requires the use of high-strength concrete and that leads to the reduction in section size of structures and to the decrease in material consumption. First of all, it refers to the compressed elements for which, when the transverse dimensions are reduced, their flexibility and deformation increase but the load bearing capacity decreases. Growth in construction also leads to the increase of repair and restoration works or to the strengthening of structures. The most effective method of their strengthening in buildings of «High-Rise Construction» is the use of composite materials which reduces the weight of reinforcement elements and labour costs on execution of works. In this article the results of experimental research on strength and deformation of short compressed reinforced concrete structures, reinforced with external carbon fiber reinforcement, are presented. Their flexibility is λh=10, and the cross-section dimensions ratio b/h is 2, that is 1,5 times more, than recommended by standards in Russia. The following research was being done for three kinds of strained and deformed conditions with different variants of composite reinforcement. The results of the experiment proved the real efficiency of composite reinforcement of the compressed elements with sides ratio equal to 2, increasing the bearing capacity of pillars till 1,5 times. These results can be used for designing the buildings of different number of storeys.

Non-Destructive Evaluation of Grain Structure Using Air-Coupled Ultrasonics

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

Belvin, A. D.; Burrell, R. K.; Cole, E.G.

2009-08-01

Cast material has a grain structure that is relatively non-uniform. There is a desire to evaluate the grain structure of this material non-destructively. Traditionally, grain size measurement is a destructive process involving the sectioning and metallographic imaging of the material. Generally, this is performed on a representative sample on a periodic basis. Sampling is inefficient and costly. Furthermore, the resulting data may not provide an accurate description of the entire part's average grain size or grain size variation. This project is designed to develop a non-destructive acoustic scanning technique, using Chirp waveforms, to quantify average grain size and grain sizemore » variation across the surface of a cast material. A Chirp is a signal in which the frequency increases or decreases over time (frequency modulation). As a Chirp passes through a material, the material's grains reduce the signal (attenuation) by absorbing the signal energy. Geophysics research has shown a direct correlation with Chirp wave attenuation and mean grain size in geological structures. The goal of this project is to demonstrate that Chirp waveform attenuation can be used to measure grain size and grain variation in cast metals (uranium and other materials of interest). An off-axis ultrasonic inspection technique using air-coupled ultrasonics has been developed to determine grain size in cast materials. The technique gives a uniform response across the volume of the component. This technique has been demonstrated to provide generalized trends of grain variation over the samples investigated.« less

Cost shifting revisited: the case of service intensity.

PubMed

Friesner, Daniel L; Rosenman, Robert

2002-02-01

This paper examines whether a health care provider's choice of service intensity for any patient group affects its cost shifting behavior. Our theoretical models indicate that firms may respond to lower prospective payment by decreasing service intensity to all of its patient groups, thereby giving firms an alternative to cost shifting. Additionally, the conditions under which cost shifting and lower service intensity occur are identical, regardless of profit status. Using a panel of California hospitals, we found that nonprofit hospitals do cost shift, while profit-maximizing hospitals do not. However, both firms respond to lower prospective payment by decreasing service intensity, thus supporting our theoretical conclusion that lower service intensity can be used as an alternative to cost shifting.

[Cost analysis of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IOM)].

PubMed

Kombos, T; Suess, O; Brock, M

2002-01-01

A number of studies demonstrate that a significant reduction of postoperative neurological deficits can be achieved by applying intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IOM) methods. A cost analysis of IOM is imperative considering the strained financial situation in the public health services. The calculation model presented here comprises two cost components: material and personnel. The material costs comprise consumer goods and depreciation of capital goods. The computation base was 200 IOM cases per year. Consumer goods were calculated for each IOM procedure respectively. The following constellation served as a basis for calculating personnel costs: (a) a medical technician (salary level BAT Vc) for one hour per case; (b) a resident (BAT IIa) for the entire duration of the measurement, and (c) a senior resident (BAT Ia) only for supervision. An IOM device consisting of an 8-channel preamplifier, an electrical and acoustic stimulator and special software costs 66,467 euros on the average. With an annual depreciation of 20%, the costs are 13,293 euros per year. This amounts to 66.46 euros per case for the capital goods. For reusable materials a sum of 0.75 euro; per case was calculated. Disposable materials were calculate for each procedure respectively. Total costs of 228.02 euro; per case were,s a sum of 0.75 euros per case was calculated. Disposable materials were calculate for each procedure respectively. Total costs of 228.02 euros per case were, calculated for surgery on the peripheral nervous system. They amount to 196.40 euros per case for spinal interventions and to 347.63 euros per case for more complex spinal operations. Operations in the cerebellopontine angle and brain stem cost 376.63 euros and 397.33 euros per case respectively. IOM costs amount to 328.03 euros per case for surgical management of an intracranial aneurysm and to 537.15 euros per case for functional interventions. Expenses run up to 833.63 euros per case for operations near the motor cortex and to 117.65 euros per case for intraoperative speech monitoring. Costs for inpatient medical rehabilitation have increased considerably in recent years. In view of the financial situation, it is necessary to reduce postoperative morbidity and the costs it involves. IOM leads to a reduction of morbidity. The costs for IOM calculated here justify its routine application in view of the legal and socioeconomic consequences of surgery-related neurological deficits.

Dietary changes needed to reach nutritional adequacy without increasing diet cost according to income: An analysis among French adults

PubMed Central

Maillot, Matthieu; Vieux, Florent; Delaere, Fabien; Lluch, Anne; Darmon, Nicole

2017-01-01

Objective To explore the dietary changes needed to achieve nutritional adequacy across income levels at constant energy and diet cost. Materials and methods Individual diet modelling was used to design iso-caloric, nutritionally adequate optimised diets for each observed diet in a sample of adult normo-reporters aged ≥20 years (n = 1,719) from the Individual and National Dietary Survey (INCA2), 2006–2007. Diet cost was estimated from mean national food prices (2006–2007). A first set of free-cost models explored the impact of optimisation on the variation of diet cost. A second set of iso-cost models explored the dietary changes induced by the optimisation with cost set equal to the observed one. Analyses of dietary changes were conducted by income quintiles, adjusting for energy intake, sociodemographic and socioeconomic variables, and smoking status. Results The cost of observed diets increased with increasing income quintiles. In free-cost models, the optimisation increased diet cost on average (+0.22 ± 1.03 euros/d) and within each income quintile, with no significant difference between quintiles, but with systematic increases for observed costs lower than 3.85 euros/d. In iso-cost models, it was possible to design nutritionally adequate diets whatever the initial observed cost. On average, the optimisation at iso-cost increased fruits and vegetables (+171 g/day), starchy foods (+121 g/d), water and beverages (+91 g/d), and dairy products (+20 g/d), and decreased the other food groups (e.g. mixed dishes and salted snacks), leading to increased total diet weight (+300 g/d). Those changes were mostly similar across income quintiles, but lower-income individuals needed to introduce significantly more fruit and vegetables than higher-income ones. Conclusions In France, the dietary changes needed to reach nutritional adequacy without increasing cost are similar regardless of income, but may be more difficult to implement when the budget for food is lower than 3.85 euros/d. PMID:28358837

Leaching and mechanical behaviour of concrete manufactured with recycled aggregates.

PubMed

Sani, D; Moriconi, G; Fava, G; Corinaldesi, V

2005-01-01

The reuse of debris from building demolition is of increasing public interest because it decreases the volume of material to be disposed to landfill. This research is focused on the evaluation of the possibility of reusing recycled aggregate from construction or demolition waste (C&D) as a substitute for natural aggregate in concrete production. In most applications, cement based materials are used for building construction due to their cost effectiveness and performance; however their impact on the surrounding environment should be monitored. The interstitial pore fluid in contact with hydrated cementitious materials is characterized by persistent alkaline pH values buffered by the presence of hydrate calcium silicate, portlandite and alkaline ions. An experimental plan was carried out to investigate concrete structural properties in relation to alkali release in aqueous solution. Results indicate that the presence of recycled aggregate increases the leachability of unreactive ions (Na, K, Cl), while for calcium the substitution resulted in a lower net leaching. In spite of the lower mechanical resistance (40% less), such a waste concrete may be suggested as more environmentally sustainable.

Size dependent polaronic conduction in hematite

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

Sharma, Monika; Banday, Azeem; Murugavel, Sevi

2016-05-23

Lithium Ion Batteries have been attracted as the major renewable energy source for all portable electronic devices because of its advantages like superior energy density, high theoretical capacity, high specific energy, stable cycling and less memory effects. Recently, α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} has been considered as a potential anode material due to high specific capacity, low cost, high abundance and environmental benignity. We have synthesized α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} with various sizes by using the ball milling and sol-gel procedure. Here, we report the dc conductivity measurement for the crystallite size ranging from 15 nm to 50 nm. It has been observedmore » that the enhancement in the polaronic conductivity nearly two orders in magnitude while reducing the crystallite size from bulk into nano scale level. The enhancement in the conductivity is due to the augmented to compressive strain developed in the material which leads to pronounced decrease in the hopping length of polarons. Thus, nanocrystaline α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} may be a better alternative anode material for lithium ion batteries than earlier reported systems.« less

Mayo Clinic employees responded to new requirements for cost sharing by reducing possibly unneeded health services use.

PubMed

Shah, Nilay D; Naessens, James M; Wood, Douglas L; Stroebel, Robert J; Litchy, William; Wagie, Amy; Fan, Jiaquan; Nesse, Robert

2011-11-01

Some health plans have experimented with increasing consumer cost sharing, on the theory that consumers will use less unnecessary health care if they are expected to bear some of the financial responsibility for it. However, it is unclear whether the resulting decrease in use is sustained beyond one or two years. In 2004 Mayo Clinic's self-funded health plan increased cost sharing for its employees and their dependents for specialty care visits (adding a $25 copayment to the high-premium option) and other services such as imaging, testing, and outpatient procedures (adding 10 or 20 percent coinsurance, depending on the option). The plan also removed all cost sharing for visits to primary care providers and for preventive services such as colorectal screening and mammography. The result was large decreases in the use of diagnostic testing and outpatient procedures that were sustained for four years, and an immediate decrease in the use of imaging that later rebounded (possibly to levels below the expected trend). Beneficiaries decreased visits to specialists but did not make greater use of primary care services. These results suggest that implementing relatively low levels of cost sharing can lead to a long-term decrease in utilization.

Uncompensated Care Decreased At Hospitals In Medicaid Expansion States But Not At Hospitals In Nonexpansion States.

PubMed

Dranove, David; Garthwaite, Craig; Ody, Christopher

2016-08-01

One pillar of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was its expected impact on the growing burden of uncompensated care costs for the uninsured at hospitals. However, little is known about how this burden changed as a result of the ACA's enactment. We examine how the Affordable Care Act (ACA)'s coverage expansions affected uncompensated care costs at a large, diverse sample of hospitals. We estimate that in states that expanded Medicaid under the ACA, uncompensated care costs decreased from 4.1 percentage points to 3.1 percentage points of operating costs. The reductions in Medicaid expansion states were larger at hospitals that had higher pre-ACA uncompensated care burdens and in markets where we predicted larger gains in coverage through expanded eligibility for Medicaid. Our estimates suggest that uncompensated care costs would have decreased from 5.7 percentage points to 4.0 percentage points of operating costs in nonexpansion states if they had expanded Medicaid. Thus, while the ACA decreased the variation in uncompensated care costs across hospitals within Medicaid expansion states, the difference between expansion and nonexpansion states increased substantially. Policy makers and researchers should consider how the shifting uncompensated care burden affects other hospital decisions as well as the distribution of supplemental public funding to hospitals. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Lasers in energy device manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ostendorf, A.; Schoonderbeek, A.

2008-02-01

Global warming is a current topic all over the world. CO II emissions must be lowered to stop the already started climate change. Developing regenerative energy sources, like photovoltaics and fuel cells contributes to the solution of this problem. Innovative technologies and strategies need to be competitive with conventional energy sources. During the last years, the photovoltaic solar cell industry has experienced enormous growth. However, for solar cells to be competitive on the longer term, both an increase in efficiency as well as reduction in costs is necessary. An effective method to reduce costs of silicon solar cells is reducing the wafer thickness, because silicon makes up a large part of production costs. Consequently, contact free laser processing has a large advantage, because of the decrease in waste materials due to broken wafers as caused by other manufacturing processes. Additionally, many novel high efficiency solar cell concepts are only economically feasible with laser technology, e.g. for scribing silicon thin-film solar cells. This paper describes laser hole drilling, structuring and texturing of silicon wafer based solar cells and describes thin film solar cell scribing. Furthermore, different types of lasers are discussed with respect to processing quality and time.

Cost analysis of enhanced recovery after surgery in microvascular breast reconstruction.

PubMed

Oh, Christine; Moriarty, James; Borah, Bijan J; Mara, Kristin C; Harmsen, William S; Saint-Cyr, Michel; Lemaine, Valerie

2018-06-01

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathways have been shown in multiple surgical specialties to decrease hospital length of stay (LOS) after surgery. ERAS in breast reconstruction has been found to decrease hospital LOS and inpatient opioid use. ERAS protocols can facilitate a patient's recovery and can potentially increase the quality of care while decreasing costs. A standardized ERAS pathway was developed through multidisciplinary collaboration. It addressed all phases of surgical care for patients undergoing free-flap breast reconstruction utilizing an abdominal donor site. In this retrospective cohort study, clinical variables associated with hospitalization costs for patients who underwent free-flap breast reconstruction with the ERAS pathway were compared with those of historical controls, termed traditional recovery after surgery (TRAS). All patients included in the study underwent surgery between September 2010 and September 2014. Predicted costs of the study groups were compared using generalized linear modeling. A total of 200 patients were analyzed: 82 in the ERAS cohort and 118 in the TRAS cohort. Clinical variables that were identified to potentially affect costs were found to have a statistically significant difference between groups and included unilateral versus bilateral procedures (p = 0.04) and the need for postoperative blood transfusion (p = 0.03). The cost regression analysis on the two cohorts was adjusted for these significant variables. Adjusted mean costs of patients with ERAS were found to be $4,576 lesser than those of the TRAS control group ($38,688 versus $43,264). Implementation of the ERAS pathway was associated with significantly decreased costs when compared to historical controls. There has been a healthcare focus toward prudent resource allocation, which dictates the need for plastic surgeons to recognize economic evaluation of clinical practice. The ERAS pathway can increase healthcare accountability by improving quality of care while simultaneously decreasing the costs associated with autologous breast reconstruction. Copyright © 2018 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cost accounting of radiological examinations. Cost analysis of radiological examinations of intermediate referral hospitals and general practice.

PubMed

Lääperi, A L

1996-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyse the cost structure of radiological procedures in the intermediary referral hospitals and general practice and to develop a cost accounting system for radiological examinations that takes into consideration all relevant cost factors and is suitable for management of radiology departments and regional planning of radiological resources. The material comprised 174,560 basic radiological examinations performed in 1991 at 5 intermediate referral hospitals and 13 public health centres in the Pirkanmaa Hospital District in Finland. All radiological departments in the hospitals were managed by a specialist in radiology. The radiology departments at the public health care centres operated on a self-referral basis by general practitioners. The data were extracted from examination lists, inventories and balance sheets; parts of the data were estimated or calculated. The radiological examinations were compiled according to the type of examination and equipment used: conventional, contrast medium, ultrasound, mammography and roentgen examinations with mobile equipment. The majority of the examinations (87%) comprised conventional radiography. For cost analysis the cost items were grouped into 5 cost factors: personnel, equipment, material, real estate and administration costs. The depreciation time used was 10 years for roentgen equipment, 5 years for ultrasound equipment and 5 to 10 years for other capital goods. An annual interest rate of 10% was applied. Standard average values based on a sample at 2 hospitals were used for the examination-specific radiologist time, radiographer time and material costs. Four cost accounting versions with varying allocation of the major cost items were designed. Two-way analysis of variance of the effect of different allocation methods on the costs and cost structure of the examination groups was performed. On the basis of the cost analysis a cost accounting program containing both monetary and nonmonetary variables was developed. In it the radiologist, radiographer and examination-specific equipment costs were allocated to the examinations applying estimated cost equivalents. Some minor cost items were replaced by a general cost factor (GCF). The program is suitable for internal cost accounting of radiological departments as well as regional planning. If more accurate cost information is required, cost assignment employing the actual consumption of the resources and applying the principles of activity-based cost accounting is recommended. As an application of the cost accounting formula the average costs of the radiological examinations were calculated. In conventional radiography the average proportion of the cost factors in the total material was: personnel costs 43%, equipment costs 26%, material costs 7%, real estate costs 11%, administration and overheads 14%. The average total costs including radiologist costs in the hospitals were (FIM): conventional roentgen examinations 188, contrast medium examinations 695, ultrasound 296, mammography 315, roentgen examinations with mobile equipment 1578. The average total costs without radiologist costs in the public health centres were (FIM): conventional roentgen examinations 107, contrast medium examinations 988, ultrasound 203, mammography 557. The average currency rate of exchange in 1991 was USD 1 = FIM 4.046. The following formula is proposed for calculating the cost of a radiological examination (or a group of examinations) performed with a certain piece of equipment during a period of time (e.g. 1 year): a2/ sigma ax*ax+ b2/ sigma bx*bx+ d1/d5*dx+ e1 + [(c1+ c2) + d4 + (e2 - e3) + f5 + g1+ g2+ i]/n.

48 CFR 9901.316 - Files and records.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

....316 Section 9901.316 Federal Acquisition Regulations System COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD, OFFICE OF... the minutes of Board proceedings and public hearings. (b) Cost accounting standards promulgated... research material. (c) Applicable working papers, memoranda, research material, etc. related to issues...

Stirling heat pump external heat systems - An appliance perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasilakis, Andrew D.; Thomas, John F.

A major issue facing the Stirling Engine Heat Pump is system cost, and, in particular, the cost of the External Heat System (EHS). The need for high temperature at the heater head (600 C to 700 C) results in low combustion system efficiencies unless efficient heat recovery is employed. The balance between energy efficiency and use of costly high temperature materials is critical to design and cost optimization. Blower power consumption and NO(x) emissions are also important. A new approach to the design and cost optimization of the EHS was taken by viewing the system from a natural gas-fired appliance perspective. To develop a design acceptable to gas industry requirements, American National Standards Institute (ANSI) code considerations were incorporated into the design process and material selections. A parametric engineering design and cost model was developed to perform the analysis, including the impact of design on NO(x) emissions. Analysis results and recommended EHS design and material choices are given.

Stirling heat pump external heat systems: An appliance perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasilakis, A. D.; Thomas, J. F.

1992-08-01

A major issue facing the Stirling Engine Heat Pump is system cost, and, in particular, the cost of the External Heat System (EHS). The need for high temperature at the heater head (600 C to 700 C) results in low combustion system efficiencies unless efficient heat recovery is employed. The balance between energy efficiency and use of costly high temperature materials is critical to design and cost optimization. Blower power consumption and NO(x) emissions are also important. A new approach to the design and cost optimization of the EHS system was taken by viewing the system from a natural gas-fired appliance perspective. To develop a design acceptable to gas industry requirements, American National Standards Institute (ANSI) code considerations were incorporated into the design process and material selections. A parametric engineering design and cost model was developed to perform the analysis, including the impact of design on NO(x) emissions. Analysis results and recommended EHS design and material choices are given.

Decreased energy cost and improved gait pattern using a new orthosis in persons with long-term stroke.

PubMed

Thijssen, Dick H; Paulus, Rebecca; van Uden, Caro J; Kooloos, Jan G; Hopman, Maria T

2007-02-01

To measure energy cost and gait analysis in persons with stroke with and without a newly developed orthosis. Immediate and long-term (3wk) intervention (before-after trial). University medical center. Volunteer sample of 27 persons with long-term (range, 0.6-19y) hemiparetic stroke. Three-week familiarization to the new walking aid. Energy cost (per distance walked), preferred walking speed (PWS), and step length. Energy cost was examined in all subjects while walking on a treadmill at 3 different velocities (PWS, PWS+30%, PWS-30%) during 3 different situations (without orthosis, with orthosis, after 3-wk orthosis familiarization). Spatiotemporal aspects of the gait pattern were examined using a 6-m instrumented walkway system. Using the orthosis immediately decreased energy cost in persons with stroke during walking at the PWS (P<.001) and significantly increased walking speed (P<.005) and step length (P<.001). After 3 weeks of familiarization to the orthosis, energy cost at the PWS and at PWS+30% showed further improvement in energy cost (P<.05). The newly developed orthosis immediately decreases energy cost and improves walking speed and step length in persons with long-term stroke. After only 3 weeks of orthosis familiarization, energy cost shows additional improvement.

Advanced composite structural concepts and material technologies for primary aircraft structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jackson, Anthony

1991-01-01

Structural weight savings using advanced composites have been demonstrated for many years. Most military aircraft today use these materials extensively and Europe has taken the lead in their use in commercial aircraft primary structures. A major inhibiter to the use of advanced composites in the United States is cost. Material costs are high and will remain high relative to aluminum. The key therefore lies in the significant reduction in fabrication and assembly costs. The largest cost in most structures today is assembly. As part of the NASA Advanced Composite Technology Program, Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Company has a contract to explore and develop advanced structural and manufacturing concepts using advanced composites for transport aircraft. Wing and fuselage concepts and related trade studies are discussed. These concepts are intended to lower cost and weight through the use of innovative material forms, processes, structural configurations and minimization of parts. The approach to the trade studies and the downselect to the primary wing and fuselage concepts is detailed. The expectations for the development of these concepts is reviewed.

Porous titanium materials with entangled wire structure for load-bearing biomedical applications.

PubMed

He, Guo; Liu, Ping; Tan, Qingbiao

2012-01-01

A kind of porous metal-entangled titanium wire material has been investigated in terms of the pore structure (size and distribution), the strength, the elastic modulus, and the mechanical behavior under uniaxial tensile loading. Its functions and potentials for surgical application have been explained. In particular, its advantages over competitors (e.g., conventional porous titanium) have been reviewed. In the study, a group of entangled titanium wire materials with non-woven structure were fabricated by using 12-180 MPa forming pressure, which have porosity in a range of 48%-82%. The pores in the materials are irregular in shape, which have a nearly half-normal distribution in size range. The yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and elastic modulus are 75 MPa, 108 MPa, and 1.05 GPa, respectively, when its porosity is 44.7%. The mechanical properties decrease significantly as the porosity increases. When the porosity is 57.9%, these values become 24 MPa, 47.5 MPa, and 0.33 GPa, respectively. The low elastic modulus is due to the structural flexibility of the entangled titanium wire materials. For practical reference, a group of detailed data of the porous structure and the mechanical properties are reported. This kind of material is very promising for implant applications because of their very good toughness, perfect flexibility, high strength, adequate elastic modulus, and low cost. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preliminary Design of Industrial Symbiosis of Smes Using Material Flow Cost Accounting (MFCA) Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Astuti, Rahayu Siwi Dwi; Astuti, Arieyanti Dwi; Hadiyanto

2018-02-01

Industrial symbiosis is a collaboration of several industries to share their necessities such material, energy, technology as well as waste management. As a part of industrial ecology, in principle, this system attempts to emulate ecosystem where waste of an organism is being used by another organism, therefore there is no waste in the nature. This system becomes an effort to optimize resources (material and energy) as well as minimize waste. Considerable, in a symbiosis incure material and energy flows among industries. Material and energy in an industry are known as cost carriers, thus flow analysis in this system can be conducted in perspective of material, energy and cost, or called as material flow cost accounting (MFCA) that is an economic and ecological appraisal approach. Previous researches shown that MFCA implementation could be used to evaluate an industry's environmental-related efficiency as well as in planning, business control and decision making. Moreover, the MFCA has been extended to assess environmental performance of SMEs Cluster or industrial symbiosis in SMEs Cluster, even to make preliminary design of an industrial symbiosis base on a major industry. This paper describes the use of MFCA to asses performance of SMEs industrial symbiosis and to improve the performance.

Empirically observed learning rates for concentrating solar power and their responses to regime change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lilliestam, Johan; Labordena, Mercè; Patt, Anthony; Pfenninger, Stefan

2017-07-01

Concentrating solar power (CSP) capacity has expanded slower than other renewable technologies and its costs are still high. Until now, there have been too few CSP projects to derive robust conclusions about its cost development. Here we present an empirical study of the cost development of all operating CSP stations and those under construction, examining the roles of capacity growth, industry continuity, and policy support design. We identify distinct CSP expansion phases, each characterized by different cost pressure in the policy regime and different industry continuity. In 2008-2011, with low cost pressure and following industry discontinuity, costs increased. In the current phase, with high cost pressure and continuous industry development, costs decreased rapidly, with learning rates exceeding 20%. Data for projects under construction suggest that this trend is continuing and accelerating. If support policies and industrial structure are sustained, we see no near-term factors that would hinder further cost decreases.

A model to estimate cost-savings in diabetic foot ulcer prevention efforts.

PubMed

Barshes, Neal R; Saedi, Samira; Wrobel, James; Kougias, Panos; Kundakcioglu, O Erhun; Armstrong, David G

2017-04-01

Sustained efforts at preventing diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) and subsequent leg amputations are sporadic in most health care systems despite the high costs associated with such complications. We sought to estimate effectiveness targets at which cost-savings (i.e. improved health outcomes at decreased total costs) might occur. A Markov model with probabilistic sensitivity analyses was used to simulate the five-year survival, incidence of foot complications, and total health care costs in a hypothetical population of 100,000 people with diabetes. Clinical event and cost estimates were obtained from previously-published trials and studies. A population without previous DFU but with 17% neuropathy and 11% peripheral artery disease (PAD) prevalence was assumed. Primary prevention (PP) was defined as reducing initial DFU incidence. PP was more than 90% likely to provide cost-savings when annual prevention costs are less than $50/person and/or annual DFU incidence is reduced by at least 25%. Efforts directed at patients with diabetes who were at moderate or high risk for DFUs were very likely to provide cost-savings if DFU incidence was decreased by at least 10% and/or the cost was less than $150 per person per year. Low-cost DFU primary prevention efforts producing even small decreases in DFU incidence may provide the best opportunity for cost-savings, especially if focused on patients with neuropathy and/or PAD. Mobile phone-based reminders, self-identification of risk factors (ex. Ipswich touch test), and written brochures may be among such low-cost interventions that should be investigated for cost-savings potential. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Robotic and endoscopic transaxillary thyroidectomies may be cost prohibitive when compared to standard cervical thyroidectomy: a cost analysis.

PubMed

Cabot, Jennifer C; Lee, Cho Rok; Brunaud, Laurent; Kleiman, David A; Chung, Woong Youn; Fahey, Thomas J; Zarnegar, Rasa

2012-12-01

This study presents a cost analysis of the standard cervical, gasless transaxillary endoscopic, and gasless transaxillary robotic thyroidectomy approaches based on medical costs in the United States. A retrospective review of 140 patients who underwent standard cervical, transaxillary endoscopic, or transaxillary robotic thyroidectomy at 2 tertiary centers was conducted. The cost model included operating room charges, anesthesia fee, consumables cost, equipment depreciation, and maintenance cost. Sensitivity analyses assessed individual cost variables. The mean operative times for the standard cervical, transaxillary endoscopic, and transaxillary robotic approaches were 121 ± 18.9, 185 ± 26.0, and 166 ± 29.4 minutes, respectively. The total cost for the standard cervical, transaxillary endoscopic, and transaxillary robotic approaches were $9,028 ± $891, $12,505 ± $1,222, and $13,670 ± $1,384, respectively. Transaxillary approaches were significantly more expensive than the standard cervical technique (standard cervical/transaxillary endoscopic, P < .0001; standard cervical/transaxillary robotic, P < .0001; and transaxillary endoscopic/transaxillary robotic, P = .001). The transaxillary and standard cervical techniques became equivalent in cost when transaxillary endoscopic operative time decreased to 111 minutes and transaxillary robotic operative time decreased to 68 minutes. Increasing the case load did not resolve the cost difference. Transaxillary endoscopic and transaxillary robotic thyroidectomies are significantly more expensive than the standard cervical approach. Decreasing operative times reduces this cost difference. The greater expense may be prohibitive in countries with a flat reimbursement schedule. Copyright © 2012 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Cost estimating Brayton and Stirling engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fortgang, H. R.

1980-01-01

Brayton and Stirling engines were analyzed for cost and selling price for production quantities ranging from 1000 to 400,000 units per year. Parts and components were subjected to indepth scrutiny to determine optimum manufacturing processes coupled with make or buy decisions on materials and small parts. Tooling and capital equipment costs were estimated for each detail and/or assembly. For low annual production volumes, the Brayton engine appears to have a lower cost and selling price than the Stirling Engine. As annual production quantities increase, the Stirling becomes a lower cost engine than the Brayton. Both engines could benefit cost wise if changes were made in materials, design and manufacturing process as annual production quantities increase.

The economics of bladder cancer: costs and considerations of caring for this disease.

PubMed

Svatek, Robert S; Hollenbeck, Brent K; Holmäng, Sten; Lee, Richard; Kim, Simon P; Stenzl, Arnulf; Lotan, Yair

2014-08-01

Due to high recurrence rates, intensive surveillance strategies, and expensive treatment costs, the management of bladder cancer contributes significantly to medical costs. To provide a concise evaluation of contemporary cost-related challenges in the care of patients with bladder cancer. An emphasis is placed on the initial diagnosis of bladder cancer and therapy considerations for both non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and more advanced disease. A systematic review of the literature was performed using Medline (1966 to February 2011). Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms for search criteria included "bladder cancer, neoplasms" OR "carcinoma, transitional cell" AND all cost-related MeSH search terms. Studies evaluating the costs associated with of various diagnostic or treatment approaches were reviewed. Routine use of perioperative chemotherapy following complete transurethral resection of bladder tumor has been estimated to provide a cost savings. Routine office-based fulguration of small low-grade recurrences could decrease costs. Another potential important target for decreasing variation and cost lies in risk-modified surveillance strategies after initial bladder tumor removal to reduce the cost associated with frequent cystoscopic and radiographic procedures. Optimizing postoperative care after radical cystectomy has the potential to decrease length of stay and perioperative morbidity with substantial decreases in perioperative care expenses. The gemcitabine-cisplatin regimen has been estimated to result in a modest increase in cost effectiveness over methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin. Additional costs of therapies need to be balanced with effectiveness, and there are significant gaps in knowledge regarding optimal surveillance and treatment of both early and advanced bladder cancer. Regardless of disease severity, improvements in the efficiency of bladder cancer care to limit unnecessary interventions and optimize effective cancer treatment can reduce overall health care costs. Two scenarios where economic and comparative-effectiveness research is limited but would be most beneficial are (1) the management of NMIBC patients where excessive costs are due to vigilant surveillance strategies and (2) in patients with metastatic disease due to the enormous cost associated with late-stage and end-of-life care. Copyright © 2014 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

48 CFR 1845.7101-3 - Unit acquisition cost.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... services for designs, plans, specifications, and surveys. (6) Acquisition and preparation costs of... acquisition cost is under $100,000, it shall be reported as under $100,000. (g) Software acquisition costs include software costs incurred up through acceptance testing and material internal costs incurred to...

24 CFR 968.112 - Eligible costs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... architecture of the surrounding community by including amenities, quality materials and design and landscaping... development costs. Eligible costs include job training for residents and resident business development... resident-owned businesses for modernization work. (iii) Resident management costs. Eligible costs include...

Courses of Action to Optimize Heavy Bearings Cages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szekely, V. G.

2016-11-01

The global expansion in the industrial, economically and technological context determines the need to develop products, technologies, processes and methods which ensure increased performance, lower manufacturing costs and synchronization of the main costs reported to the elementary values which correspond to utilization”. The development trend of the heavy bearing industry and the wide use of bearings determines the necessity of choosing the most appropriate material for a given application in order to meet the cumulative requirements of durability, reliability, strength, etc. Evaluation of commonly known or new materials represents a fundamental criterion, in order to choose the materials based on the cost, machinability and the technological process. In order to ensure the most effective basis for the decision, regarding the heavy bearing cage, in the first stage the functions of the product are established and in a further step a comparative analysis of the materials is made in order to establish the best materials which satisfy the product functions. The decision for selecting the most appropriate material is based largely on the overlapping of the material costs and manufacturing process during which the half-finished material becomes a finished product. The study is orientated towards a creative approach, especially towards innovation and reengineering by using specific techniques and methods applied in inventics. The main target is to find new efficient and reliable constructive and/or technological solutions which are consistent with the concept of sustainable development.

Historical Cost Curves for Hydrogen Masers and Cesium Beam Frequency and Timing Standards

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Remer, D. S.; Moore, R. C.

1985-01-01

Historical cost curves were developed for hydrogen masers and cesium beam standards used for frequency and timing calibration in the Deep Space Network. These curves may be used to calculate the cost of future hydrogen masers or cesium beam standards in either future or current dollars. The cesium beam standards are decreasing in cost by about 2.3% per year since 1966, and hydrogen masers are decreasing by about 0.8% per year since 1978 relative to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration inflation index.

Improving the quantum cost of reversible Boolean functions using reorder algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, Taghreed; Younes, Ahmed; Elsayed, Ashraf

2018-05-01

This paper introduces a novel algorithm to synthesize a low-cost reversible circuits for any Boolean function with n inputs represented as a Positive Polarity Reed-Muller expansion. The proposed algorithm applies a predefined rules to reorder the terms in the function to minimize the multi-calculation of common parts of the Boolean function to decrease the quantum cost of the reversible circuit. The paper achieves a decrease in the quantum cost and/or the circuit length, on average, when compared with relevant work in the literature.

Experimental study on combined cold forging process of backward cup extrusion and piercing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henry, Robinson; Liewald, Mathias

2018-05-01

A reduction in material usage of cold forged components while maintaining the functional requirements can be achieved using hollow or tubular preforms. These preforms are used to meet lightweight requirements and to decrease production costs of cold formed components. To increase production efficiency in common multi-stage cold forming processes, manufacturing of hollow preforms by combining the processes backward cup extrusion and piercing was established and will be discussed in this paper. Corresponding investigations and experimental studies are reported in this article. The objectives of the experimental investigations have been the detection of significant process parameters, determination of process limits for the combined processes and validation of the numerical investigations. In addition, the general influence concerning surface quality and diameter tolerance of hollow performs are discussed in this paper. The final goal is to summarize a guideline for industrial application, moreover, to transfer the knowledge to industry, as regards what are required part geometries to reduce the number of forming stages as well as tool cost.

Analysis of micromixers and biocidal coatings on water-treatment membranes to minimize biofouling.

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

Webb, Stephen W.; James, Darryl L.; Hibbs, Michael R.

2009-12-01

Biofouling, the unwanted growth of biofilms on a surface, of water-treatment membranes negatively impacts in desalination and water treatment. With biofouling there is a decrease in permeate production, degradation of permeate water quality, and an increase in energy expenditure due to increased cross-flow pressure needed. To date, a universal successful and cost-effect method for controlling biofouling has not been implemented. The overall goal of the work described in this report was to use high-performance computing to direct polymer, material, and biological research to create the next generation of water-treatment membranes. Both physical (micromixers - UV-curable epoxy traces printed on themore » surface of a water-treatment membrane that promote chaotic mixing) and chemical (quaternary ammonium groups) modifications of the membranes for the purpose of increasing resistance to biofouling were evaluated. Creation of low-cost, efficient water-treatment membranes helps assure the availability of fresh water for human use, a growing need in both the U. S. and the world.« less

Waste-based alternative adsorbents for the remediation of pharmaceutical contaminated waters: Has a step forward already been taken?

PubMed

Silva, Carla Patrícia; Jaria, Guilaine; Otero, Marta; Esteves, Valdemar I; Calisto, Vânia

2018-02-01

When adsorption is considered for water treatment, commercial activated carbon is usually the chosen adsorbent for the removal of pollutants from the aqueous phase, particularly pharmaceuticals. In order to decrease costs and save natural resources, attempts have been made to use wastes as raw materials for the production of alternative carbon adsorbents. This approach intends to increase efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and also to propose an alternative and sustainable way for the valorization/management of residues. This review aims to provide an overview on waste-based adsorbents used on pharmaceuticals' adsorption. Experimental facts related to the adsorption behaviour of each adsorbent/pharmaceutical pair and some key factors were addressed. Also, research gaps that subsist in this research area, as well as future needs, were identified. Simultaneously, this review aims to clarify the current status of the research on pharmaceuticals' adsorption by waste-based adsorbents in order to recognize if the right direction is being taken. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating the economic viability of CdTe/CIS and CIGS/CIS tandem photovoltaic modules

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

Nanayakkara, Sanjini U.; Horowitz, Kelsey; Kanevce, Ana

In this paper, we analyze the potential cost competitiveness of two frameless, glass–glass thin-film tandem photovoltaic module structures, cadmium telluride (CdTe)/CuInSe 2 (CIS) and CuIn 0.3Ga 0.7Se 2 (CIGS)/CIS, based on the demonstrated cost of manufacturing the respective component cell technologies in high volume. To consider multiple economic scenarios, we base the CdTe/CIS module efficiency on the current industrial production of CdTe modules, while for CIGS/CIS, we use an aspirational estimate for CIGS efficiency. We focus on four-terminal mechanically stacked structures, thus avoiding the need to achieve current matching between the two cells. The top cell in such a tandemmore » must have a transparent back contact, which has not been successfully implemented to date. However, for the purpose of understanding the economic viability of both tandems, we assume that this can be implemented at a cost similar to that of sputtered indium tin oxide. The cost of both tandem module structures was found to be nearly identical on an equal-area basis and approximately $30/m 2 higher than the single-junction alternatives. Both tandem modules are about 4% (absolute) more efficient than a module by using the top-cell material alone. We find that these tandem modules might reduce total system cost by as much as 11% in applications having a high area-related balance-of-system cost, such as area-constrained residential systems; however, the relative advantage of tandems decreases in the cases where balance-of-system costs are lower, such as in commercial and utility scale systems.« less

Evaluating the economic viability of CdTe/CIS and CIGS/CIS tandem photovoltaic modules

DOE PAGES

Nanayakkara, Sanjini U.; Horowitz, Kelsey; Kanevce, Ana; ...

2017-01-20

In this paper, we analyze the potential cost competitiveness of two frameless, glass–glass thin-film tandem photovoltaic module structures, cadmium telluride (CdTe)/CuInSe 2 (CIS) and CuIn 0.3Ga 0.7Se 2 (CIGS)/CIS, based on the demonstrated cost of manufacturing the respective component cell technologies in high volume. To consider multiple economic scenarios, we base the CdTe/CIS module efficiency on the current industrial production of CdTe modules, while for CIGS/CIS, we use an aspirational estimate for CIGS efficiency. We focus on four-terminal mechanically stacked structures, thus avoiding the need to achieve current matching between the two cells. The top cell in such a tandemmore » must have a transparent back contact, which has not been successfully implemented to date. However, for the purpose of understanding the economic viability of both tandems, we assume that this can be implemented at a cost similar to that of sputtered indium tin oxide. The cost of both tandem module structures was found to be nearly identical on an equal-area basis and approximately $30/m 2 higher than the single-junction alternatives. Both tandem modules are about 4% (absolute) more efficient than a module by using the top-cell material alone. We find that these tandem modules might reduce total system cost by as much as 11% in applications having a high area-related balance-of-system cost, such as area-constrained residential systems; however, the relative advantage of tandems decreases in the cases where balance-of-system costs are lower, such as in commercial and utility scale systems.« less

National Launch System: Structures and materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bunting, Jack O.

1993-01-01

The National Launch System provides an opportunity to realize the potential of Al-Li. Advanced structures can reduce weights by 5-40 percent as well as relax propulsion system performance specifications and reduce requirements for labor and materials. The effect on costs will be substantial. Advanced assembly and process control technologies also offer the potential for greatly reduced labor during the manufacturing and inspection processes. Current practices are very labor-intensive and, as a result, labor costs far outweigh material costs for operational space transportation systems. The technological readiness of new structural materials depends on their commercial availability, producibility and materials properties. Martin Marietta is vigorously pursuing the development of its Weldalite 049 Al-Li alloys in each of these areas. Martin Marietta is also preparing to test an automated work cell concept that it has developed using discrete event simulation.

Diamond bio electronics.

PubMed

Linares, Robert; Doering, Patrick; Linares, Bryant

2009-01-01

The use of diamond for advanced applications has been the dream of mankind for centuries. Until recently this dream has been realized only in the use of diamond for gemstones and abrasive applications where tons of diamonds are used on an annual basis. Diamond is the material system of choice for many applications, but its use has historically been limited due to the small size, high cost, and inconsistent (and typically poor) quality of available diamond materials until recently. The recent development of high quality, single crystal diamond crystal growth via the Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) process has allowed physcists and increasingly scientists in the life science area to think beyond these limitations and envision how diamond may be used in advanced applications ranging from quantum computing, to power generation and molecular imaging, and eventually even diamond nano-bots. Because of diamond's unique properties as a bio-compatible material, better understanding of diamond's quantum effects and a convergence of mass production, semiconductor-like fabrication process, diamond now promises a unique and powerful key to the realization of the bio-electronic devices being envisioned for the new era of medical science. The combination of robust in-the-body diamond based sensors, coupled with smart bio-functionalized diamond devices may lead to diamond being the platform of choice for bio-electronics. This generation of diamond based bio-electronic devices would contribute substantially to ushering in a paradigm shift for medical science, leading to vastly improved patient diagnosis, decrease of drug development costs and risks, and improved effectiveness of drug delivery and gene therapy programs through better timed and more customized solutions.

A cost-effective approach to the development of printed materials: a randomized controlled trial of three strategies.

PubMed

Paul, C L; Redman, S; Sanson-Fisher, R W

2004-12-01

Printed materials have been a primary mode of communication in public health education. Three major approaches to the development of these materials--the application of characteristics identified in the literature, behavioral strategies and marketing strategies--have major implications for both the effectiveness and cost of materials. However, little attention has been directed towards the cost-effectiveness of such approaches. In the present study, three pamphlets were developed using successive addition of each approach: first literature characteristics only ('C' pamphlet), then behavioral strategies ('C + B' pamphlet) and then marketing strategies ('C + B + M' pamphlet). Each pamphlet encouraged women to join a Pap Test Reminder Service (PTRS). Each pamphlet was mailed to a randomly selected sample of 2700 women aged 50-69 years. Registrations with the PTRS were monitored and 420 women in each pamphlet group were surveyed by telephone. It was reported that the 'C + B' and 'C + B + M' pamphlets were significantly more effective than the 'C' pamphlet. The 'C + B' pamphlet was the most cost-effective of the three pamphlets. There were no significant differences between any of the pamphlet groups on acceptability, knowledge or attitudes. It was suggested that the inclusion of behavioral strategies is likely to be a cost-effective approach to the development of printed health education materials.

Dielectric property of NiTiO{sub 3} doped substituted ortho-chloropolyaniline composites

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

Lakshmi, Mohana; Faisal, Muhammad; Roy, Aashish S.

2013-11-15

Ortho-chloropolyaniline (OCP)-NiTiO{sub 3} composites have been synthesized via in-situ polymerization of ortho-chloroaniline with various weight percentages of NiTiO{sub 3.} Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopic studies of Ortho-chloropolyaniline and its composites indicated the formation of composites as a result of Vander Waal's interaction between OCP and NiTiO{sub 3} particles. Surface morphology of OCP and OCP-NiTiO{sub 3} composites were studied using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The SEM micrographs indicated a modified morphology after the composite formation. Dielectric properties and electric modulus of OCP and OCP-NiTiO{sub 3} composites have been investigated in the frequency range of 50 Hz – 5 MHz. It has beenmore » noticed that electrical resistance decreases with increase in weight percentage of NiTiO{sub 3} particles in polymer matrix as well as with applied frequency. The display of semicircular arcs in Cole-Cole plots indicates the formation of series resistor and capacitor in network causing a decrease in the relaxation time and as a result conductivity enhances in these composites. The facile and cost effective synthesis process and excellent dielectric and conductivity response of these materials makes them promising materials for practical applications.« less

Dielectric property of NiTiO{sub 3} doped substituted ortho-chloropolyaniline composites

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

Lakshmi, Mohana; Faisal, Muhammad; Roy, Aashish S.

Ortho-chloropolyaniline (OCP)-NiTiO{sub 3} composites have been synthesized via in-situ polymerization of ortho-chloroaniline with various weight percentages of NiTiO{sub 3.} Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopic studies of Ortho-chloropolyaniline and its composites indicated the formation of composites as a result of Vander Waal's interaction between OCP and NiTiO{sub 3} particles. Surface morphology of OCP and OCP-NiTiO{sub 3} composites were studied using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The SEM micrographs indicated a modified morphology after the composite formation. Dielectric properties and electric modulus of OCP and OCP-NiTiO{sub 3} composites have been investigated in the frequency range of 50 Hz – 5 MHz. It has beenmore » noticed that electrical resistance decreases with increase in weight percentage of NiTiO{sub 3} particles in polymer matrix as well as with applied frequency. The display of semicircular arcs in Cole-Cole plots indicates the formation of series resistor and capacitor in network causing a decrease in the relaxation time and as a result conductivity enhances in these composites. The facile and cost effective synthesis process and excellent dielectric and conductivity response of these materials makes them promising materials for practical applications.« less

A novel solid-state fractionation of naphthenic acid fraction components from oil sands process-affected water.

PubMed

Mohamed, Mohamed H; Wilson, Lee D; Shah, Jaimin R; Bailey, Jon; Peru, Kerry M; Headley, John V

2015-10-01

Various sorbent materials were evaluated for the fractionation of naphthenic acid fraction components (NAFCs) from oil sand process-affected water (OSPW). The solid phase materials include activated carbon (AC), cellulose, iron oxides (magnetite and goethite), polyaniline (PANI) and three types of biochar derived from biomass (BC-1; rice husks, BC-2; acacia low temperature and BC-3; acacia high temperature). NAFCs were semi-quantified using electrospray ionization high resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and the metals were assessed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The average removal efficacy of NAFCs by AC was 95%. The removal efficacy decreased in the following order: AC, BC-1>BC-2, BC-3, goethite>PANI>cellulose, magnetite. The removal of metals did not follow a clear trend; however, there was notable leaching of potassium by AC and biochar samples. The bound NAFCs by AC were desorbed efficiently with methanol. Methanol regeneration and recycling of AC revealed 88% removal on the fourth cycle; a 4.4% decrease from the first cycle. This fractionation method represents a rapid, cost-effective, efficient, and green strategy for NAFCs from OSPW, as compared with conventional solvent extraction. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electricity and catholyte production from ceramic MFCs treating urine.

PubMed

Merino Jimenez, Irene; Greenman, John; Ieropoulos, Ioannis

2017-01-19

The use of ceramics as low cost membrane materials for Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) has gained increasing interest, due to improved performance levels in terms of power and catholyte production. The catholyte production in ceramic MFCs can be attributed to a combination of water or hydrogen peroxide formation from the oxygen reduction reaction in the cathode, water diffusion and electroosmotic drag through the ion exchange membrane. This study aims to evaluate, for the first time, the effect of ceramic wall/membrane thickness, in terms of power, as well as catholyte production from MFCs using urine as a feedstock. Cylindrical MFCs were assembled with fine fire clay of different thicknesses (2.5, 5 and 10 mm) as structural and membrane materials. The power generated increased when the membrane thickness decreased, reaching 2.1 ± 0.19 mW per single MFC (2.5 mm), which was 50% higher than that from the MFCs with the thickest membrane (10 mm). The amount of catholyte collected also decreased with the wall thickness, whereas the pH increased. Evidence shows that the catholyte composition varies with the wall thickness of the ceramic membrane. The possibility of producing different quality of catholyte from urine opens a new field of study in water reuse and resource recovery for practical implementation.

Enhancing substrate utilization and power production of a microbial fuel cell with nitrogen-doped carbon aerogel as cathode catalyst.

PubMed

Tardy, Gábor Márk; Lóránt, Bálint; Lóka, Máté; Nagy, Balázs; László, Krisztina

2017-07-01

Catalytic efficiency of a nitrogen-doped, mesoporous carbon aerogel cathode catalyst was investigated in a two-chambered microbial fuel cell (MFC) applying graphite felt as base material for cathode and anode, utilizing peptone as carbon source. This mesoporous carbon aerogel containing catalyst layer on the cathode increased the maximum power density normalized to the anode volume to 2.7 times higher compared to the maximum power density obtained applying graphite felt cathode without the catalyst layer. At high (2 and 3) cathode/anode volume ratios, maximum power density exceeded 40 W m -3 . At the same time, current density and specific substrate utilization rate increased by 58% resulting in 31.9 A m -3 and 18.8 g COD m -3  h -1 , respectively (normalized to anode volume). Besides the increase of the power and the rate of biodegradation, the investigated catalyst decreased the internal resistance from the range of 450-600 to 350-370 Ω. Although Pt/C catalyst proved to be more efficient, a considerable decrease in the material costs might be achieved by substituting it with nitrogen-doped carbon aerogel in MFCs. Such cathode still displays enhanced catalytic effect.

Integrating the Clearance in NPP Residual Material Management

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

Garcia-Bermejo, R.; Lamela, B.

Previous Experiences in decommissioning projects are being used to optimize the residual material management in NPP, metallic scrap usually. The approach is based in the availability of a materials Clearance MARSSIM-based methodology developed and licensed in Spain. A typical project includes the integration of segregation, decontamination, clearance, quality control and quality assurance activities. The design is based in the clearance methodology features translating them into standard operational procedures. In terms of ecological taxes and final disposal costs, significant amounts of money could be saved with this type of approaches. The last clearance project managed a total amount of 405 tonsmore » scrap metal and a similar amount of other residual materials occupying a volume of 1500 m{sup 3}. After less than a year of field works 251 tons were finally recycled in a non-licensed smelting facility. The balance was disposed as LILW. In the planning phase the estimated cost savings were 4.5 Meuro. However, today a VLLW option is available in European countries so, the estimated cost savings are reduced to 1.2 Meuro. In conclusion: the application of materials clearance in NPP decommissioning lessons learnt to the NPP residual material management is an interesting management option. This practice is currently going on in Spanish NPP and, in a preliminary view, is consistent with the new MARSAME Draft. An interesting parameter is the cost of 1 m3 of recyclable scrap. The above estimates are very project specific because in the segregation process other residual materials were involved. If the effect of this other materials is removed the estimated Unit Cost were in this project around 1700 euro/m{sup 3}, this figure is clearly below the above VLLW disposal cost of 2600 euro. In a future project it appears feasible to descend to 839 euro/m{sup 3} and if it became routine values and is used in big Decommissioning projects, around 600 euro/m{sup 3} or below possibly could be achieved. A rough economical analysis permits to estimate a saving around 2000 US$ to 13000 US$ per cubic meter of steel scrap according the variability of materials and disposal costs. Many learnt lessons of this practice were used as a feed back in the planning of characterization activities for decommissioning a Spanish NPP and today are considered as a significant reference in our Decommissioning engineering approaches.« less

Economics of polysilicon processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yaws, C. L.; Li, K. Y.; Chou, S. M.

1986-01-01

Techniques are being developed to provide lower cost polysilicon material for solar cells. Existing technology which normally provides semiconductor industry polysilicon material is undergoing changes and also being used to provide polysilicon material for solar cells. Economics of new and existing technologies are presented for producing polysilicon. The economics are primarily based on the preliminary process design of a plant producing 1,000 metric tons/year of silicon. The polysilicon processes include: Siemen's process (hydrogen reduction of trichlorosilane); Union Carbide process (silane decomposition); and Hemlock Semiconductor process (hydrogen reduction of dichlorosilane). The economics include cost estimates of capital investment and product cost to produce polysilicon via the technology. Sensitivity analysis results are also presented to disclose the effect of major paramentes such as utilities, labor, raw materials and capital investment.

The effectiveness of insurer-supported safety and health engineering controls in reducing workers' compensation claims and costs.

PubMed

Wurzelbacher, Steven J; Bertke, Stephen J; Lampl, Michael P; Bushnell, P Timothy; Meyers, Alysha R; Robins, David C; Al-Tarawneh, Ibraheem S

2014-12-01

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a program in which a workers' compensation (WC) insurer provided matching funds to insured employers to implement safety/health engineering controls. Pre- and post-intervention WC metrics were compiled for the employees designated as affected by the interventions within 468 employers for interventions occurring from 2003 to 2009. Poisson, two-part, and linear regression models with repeated measures were used to evaluate differences in pre- and post-data, controlling for time trends independent of the interventions. For affected employees, total WC claim frequency rates (both medical-only and lost-time claims) decreased 66%, lost-time WC claim frequency rates decreased 78%, WC paid cost per employee decreased 81%, and WC geometric mean paid claim cost decreased 30% post-intervention. Reductions varied by employer size, specific industry, and intervention type. The insurer-supported safety/health engineering control program was effective in reducing WC claims and costs for affected employees. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Effectiveness of Insurer-Supported Safety and Health Engineering Controls in Reducing Workers’ Compensation Claims and Costs

PubMed Central

Wurzelbacher, Steven J.; Bertke, Stephen J.; Lampl, Michael P.; Bushnell, P. Timothy; Meyers, Alysha R.; Robins, David C.; Al-Tarawneh, Ibraheem S.

2015-01-01

Background This study evaluated the effectiveness of a program in which a workers’ compensation (WC) insurer provided matching funds to insured employers to implement safety/health engineering controls. Methods Pre- and post-intervention WC metrics were compiled for the employees designated as affected by the interventions within 468 employers for interventions occurring from 2003 to 2009. Poisson, two-part, and linear regression models with repeated measures were used to evaluate differences in pre- and post-data, controlling for time trends independent of the interventions. Results For affected employees, total WC claim frequency rates (both medical-only and lost-time claims) decreased 66%, lost-time WC claim frequency rates decreased 78%, WC paid cost per employee decreased 81%, and WC geometric mean paid claim cost decreased 30% post-intervention. Reductions varied by employer size, specific industry, and intervention type. Conclusions The insurer-supported safety/health engineering control program was effective in reducing WC claims and costs for affected employees. PMID:25223846

7 CFR 632.31 - Cost-share payment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... out the contract, the land user is indebted to the United States for the cost of the misused material... contract. The cost-share payment is to be determined by one of the following methods: (1) Average cost. (2) Actual cost but not more than the average cost. (3) Specified maximum cost. If the average cost or the...

7 CFR 632.31 - Cost-share payment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... out the contract, the land user is indebted to the United States for the cost of the misused material... contract. The cost-share payment is to be determined by one of the following methods: (1) Average cost. (2) Actual cost but not more than the average cost. (3) Specified maximum cost. If the average cost or the...

7 CFR 632.31 - Cost-share payment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... out the contract, the land user is indebted to the United States for the cost of the misused material... contract. The cost-share payment is to be determined by one of the following methods: (1) Average cost. (2) Actual cost but not more than the average cost. (3) Specified maximum cost. If the average cost or the...

7 CFR 632.31 - Cost-share payment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... out the contract, the land user is indebted to the United States for the cost of the misused material... contract. The cost-share payment is to be determined by one of the following methods: (1) Average cost. (2) Actual cost but not more than the average cost. (3) Specified maximum cost. If the average cost or the...

7 CFR 632.31 - Cost-share payment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... out the contract, the land user is indebted to the United States for the cost of the misused material... contract. The cost-share payment is to be determined by one of the following methods: (1) Average cost. (2) Actual cost but not more than the average cost. (3) Specified maximum cost. If the average cost or the...

Applying cost accounting to operating room staffing in otolaryngology: time-driven activity-based costing and outpatient adenotonsillectomy.

PubMed

Balakrishnan, Karthik; Goico, Brian; Arjmand, Ellis M

2015-04-01

(1) To describe the application of a detailed cost-accounting method (time-driven activity-cased costing) to operating room personnel costs, avoiding the proxy use of hospital and provider charges. (2) To model potential cost efficiencies using different staffing models with the case study of outpatient adenotonsillectomy. Prospective cost analysis case study. Tertiary pediatric hospital. All otolaryngology providers and otolaryngology operating room staff at our institution. Time-driven activity-based costing demonstrated precise per-case and per-minute calculation of personnel costs. We identified several areas of unused personnel capacity in a basic staffing model. Per-case personnel costs decreased by 23.2% by allowing a surgeon to run 2 operating rooms, despite doubling all other staff. Further cost reductions up to a total of 26.4% were predicted with additional staffing rearrangements. Time-driven activity-based costing allows detailed understanding of not only personnel costs but also how personnel time is used. This in turn allows testing of alternative staffing models to decrease unused personnel capacity and increase efficiency. © American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2015.

The effect of increasing the coinsurance rate on outpatient utilization of healthcare services in South Korea.

PubMed

Lee, Hyo Jung; Jang, Sung-In; Park, Eun-Cheol

2017-02-20

The Korean healthcare system is composed of costly and inefficient structures that fail to adequately divide the functions and roles of medical care organizations. To resolve this matter, the government reformed the cost-sharing policy in November of 2011 for the management of outpatients visiting general or tertiary hospitals with comparatively mild diseases. The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of increasing the coinsurance rate of prescription drug costs for 52 mild diseases at general or tertiary hospitals on outpatient healthcare service utilization. The present study used health insurance claim data collected from 2010 to 2013. The study population consisted of 505,691 outpatients and was defined as those aged 20-64 years who had visited medical care organizations for the treatment of 52 diseases both before and after the program began. To examine the effect of the cost-sharing policy on outpatient healthcare service utilization (percentage of general or tertiary hospital utilization, number of outpatient visits, and outpatient medical costs), a segmented regression analysis was performed. After the policy to increase the coinsurance rate on prescription drug costs was implemented, the number of outpatient visits at general or tertiary hospitals decreased (β = -0.0114, p < 0.0001); however, the number increased at hospitals and clinics (β = 0.0580, p < 0.0001). Eventually, the number of outpatient visits to hospitals and clinics began to decrease after policy initiation (β = -0.0018, p < 0.0001). Outpatient medical costs decreased for both medical care organizations (general or tertiary hospitals: β = -2913.4, P < 0.0001; hospitals or clinics: β = -591.35, p < 0.0001), and this decreasing trend continued with time. It is not clear that decreased utilization of general or tertiary hospitals has transferred to that of clinics or hospitals due to the increased cost-sharing policy of prescription drug costs. This result indicates the cost-sharing policy, intended to change patient behaviors for healthcare service utilization, has had limited effects on rebuilding the healthcare system and the function of medical care organizations.

40 CFR 246.200-8 - Recommended procedures: Cost analysis.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) SOLID WASTES SOURCE SEPARATION FOR MATERIALS RECOVERY GUIDELINES Requirements and Recommended Procedures..., storage, and transportation costs have been made, and estimated tonnages of both recoverable high-grade... for revenue from paper sales and savings from diverting recycled materials from disposal. Potential...

Economics of abdominal wall reconstruction.

PubMed

Bower, Curtis; Roth, J Scott

2013-10-01

The economic aspects of abdominal wall reconstruction are frequently overlooked, although understandings of the financial implications are essential in providing cost-efficient health care. Ventral hernia repairs are frequently performed surgical procedures with significant economic ramifications for employers, insurers, providers, and patients because of the volume of procedures, complication rates, the significant rate of recurrence, and escalating costs. Because biological mesh materials add significant expense to the costs of treating complex abdominal wall hernias, the role of such costly materials needs to be better defined to ensure the most cost-efficient and effective treatments for ventral abdominal wall hernias. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Encapsulation task of the low-cost silicon solar array project. Investigation of test methods, material properties, and processes for solar cell encapsulants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Willis, P. B.; Baum, B.; White, R. A.

1978-01-01

The results of an investigation of solar module encapsulation systems applicable to the Low-Cost Solar Array Project 1986 cost and performance goals are presented. Six basic construction elements were identified and their specific uses in module construction defined. A uniform coating basis was established for each element. The survey results were also useful in revealing price ranges for classes of materials and estimating the cost allocation for each element within the encapsulating cost goal. The six construction elements were considered to be substrates, superstrates, pottants, adhesives, outer covers and back covers.

A cost-reducing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) program model: a single institution experience.

PubMed

Cavarocchi, N C; Wallace, S; Hong, E Y; Tropea, A; Byrne, J; Pitcher, H T; Hirose, H

2015-03-01

The worldwide demand for ECMO support has grown. Its provision remains limited due to several factors (high cost, complicated technology, lack of expertise) that increase healthcare cost. Our goal was to assess if an intensive care unit (ICU)-run ECMO model without continuous bedside perfusionists would decrease costs while maintaining patient safety and outcomes. A new ECMO program was implemented in 2010, consisting of dedicated ICU multidisciplinary providers (ICU-registered nurses, mid-level providers and intensivists). In year one, we introduced an education platform, new technology and dedicated space. In year two, continuous bedside monitoring by perfusionists was removed and new management algorithms designating multidisciplinary providers as first responders were established. The patient safety and cost benefit from the removal of the continuous bedside monitoring of the perfusionists of this new ECMO program was retrospectively reviewed and compared. During the study period, 74 patients (28 patients in year 1 and 46 patients in year 2) were placed on ECMO (mean days: 8 ± 5.7). The total annual hospital expenditure for the ECMO program was significantly reduced in the new model ($234,000 in year 2 vs. $600,264 in year 1), showing a 61% decrease in cost. This cost decrease was attributed to a decreased utilization of perfusion services and the introduction of longer lasting and more efficient ECMO technology. We did not find any significant changes in registered nurse ratios or any differences in outcomes related to ICU safety events. We demonstrated that the ICU-run ECMO model managed to lower hospital cost by reducing the cost of continuous bedside perfusion support without a change in outcomes. © The Author(s) 2014.

Food Packaging Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1978-01-01

The photos show a few of the food products packaged in Alure, a metallized plastic material developed and manufactured by St. Regis Paper Company's Flexible Packaging Division, Dallas, Texas. The material incorporates a metallized film originally developed for space applications. Among the suppliers of the film to St. Regis is King-Seeley Thermos Company, Winchester, Ma'ssachusetts. Initially used by NASA as a signal-bouncing reflective coating for the Echo 1 communications satellite, the film was developed by a company later absorbed by King-Seeley. The metallized film was also used as insulating material for components of a number of other spacecraft. St. Regis developed Alure to meet a multiple packaging material need: good eye appeal, product protection for long periods and the ability to be used successfully on a wide variety of food packaging equipment. When the cost of aluminum foil skyrocketed, packagers sought substitute metallized materials but experiments with a number of them uncovered problems; some were too expensive, some did not adequately protect the product, some were difficult for the machinery to handle. Alure offers a solution. St. Regis created Alure by sandwiching the metallized film between layers of plastics. The resulting laminated metallized material has the superior eye appeal of foil but is less expensive and more easily machined. Alure effectively blocks out light, moisture and oxygen and therefore gives the packaged food long shelf life. A major packaging firm conducted its own tests of the material and confirmed the advantages of machinability and shelf life, adding that it runs faster on machines than materials used in the past and it decreases product waste; the net effect is increased productivity.

Comparison and simulation of salt-ceramic composites for use in high temperature concentrated solar power

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fossile, Lauren Michelle

Due to the inherently intermittent nature of solar energy caused by cloud cover among other sources, thermal storage systems are needed to make solar energy more consistent. This same technology could be used to prolong the daily number of useful hours of solar energy power plants. Salt-ceramic materials are a relatively new prospect for heat storage, but have been researched mostly with magnesium oxide and several different carbonate salts. Salt ceramics are a phase change material where the salt changes phase inside the ceramic structure allowing for the system to use the sensible heat of both materials and the latent heat of the salt to store thermal energy. Capillary forces within the ceramic structure hold in the salt when the salt melts. The focus here is on the possibility of creating a low-cost salt-ceramic storage material for high temperature solar energy applications. A theoretical analysis of the resulting materials is performed. While most of the existing salt ceramics have been made from magnesium oxide, aluminum oxide is more readily available from various companies in the area. Magnesium oxide is often considered a custom ceramic, so it is more expensive. A cost and material property comparison has been completed between these two materials to determine which is better suited for solar storage. Many of the existing salt-ceramics use carbonate salts, but nitrate salts are commonly used in graphite/salt composites. Therefore, a cost and theoretical performance comparison is between these materials also. For comparisons' sake, zirconia and graphite have also been analyzed as the filler in the composite. Each combination of salt and ceramic or graphite has been analyzed. In order to make the use of salt-ceramics more cost-effective and available to Nevada's energy providers, research has been done into which ceramics have high availability in Nevada, low cost, and the best material properties for this application. The thermal properties and cost of these materials have been compared to the price that Nevada's energy utilities are willing to pay per unit of stored energy, which was approximated through a survey conducted by the National Science Foundation (NSF) - Experimental Project to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The surveys were completed on Nevadan energy purveyors concerning climate change attitudes, but included questions regarding the usefulness and cost of solar storage. The cost per unit of energy has also been calculated and whether the utilities would be willing to pay for each combination will be determined using information obtained from the surveys mentioned above. This information will dictate which combination will be best for use in the state of Nevada at solar energy power plants.