Propulsion Options for Primary Thrust and Attitude Control of Microspacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

deGroot, W. A.

1998-01-01

Order of magnitude decreases in the size of scientific satellites and spacecraft could provide concurrent decreases in mission costs because of lower launch and fabrication costs. Although many subsystems are amenable to dramatic size reductions, miniaturization of the propulsion subsystems is not straightforward. There are a range of requirements for both primary and attitude control propulsion, dictated by mission requirements, satellite size, and power restrictions. Many of the established propulsion technologies can not currently be applied to microspacecraft. Because of this, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication technology is being explored as a path for miniaturization.

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

Green Propulsion Technologies for Advanced Air Transports

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Del Rosario, Ruben

2015-01-01

Air transportation is critical to U.S. and Global economic vitality. However, energy and climate issues challenge aviations ability to be sustainable in the long term. Aviation must dramatically reduce fuel use and related emissions. Energy costs to U.S. airlines nearly tripled between 1995 and 2011, and continue to be the highest percentage of operating costs. The NASA Advanced Air Transports Technology Project addresses the comprehensive challenge of enabling revolutionary energy efficiency improvements in subsonic transport aircraft combined with dramatic reductions in harmful emissions and perceived noise to facilitate sustained growth of the air transportation system. Advanced technologies and the development of unconventional aircraft systems offer the potential to achieve these improvements. The presentation will highlight the NASA vision of revolutionary systems and propulsion technologies needed to achieve these challenging goals. Specifically, the primary focus is on the N+3 generation; that is, vehicles that are three generations beyond the current state of the art, requiring mature technology solutions in the 2025-30 timeframe, which are envisioned as being powered by Hybrid Electric Propulsion Systems.

Green Propulsion Technologies for Advanced Air Transports

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Del Rosario, Ruben

2015-01-01

Air transportation is critical to U.S. and Global economic vitality. However, energy and climate issues challenge aviation's ability to be sustainable in the long term. Aviation must dramatically reduce fuel use and related emissions. Energy costs to U.S. airlines nearly tripled between 1995 and 2011, and continue to be the highest percentage of operating costs. The NASA Advanced Air Transports Technology Project addresses the comprehensive challenge of enabling revolutionary energy efficiency improvements in subsonic transport aircraft combined with dramatic reductions in harmful emissions and perceived noise to facilitate sustained growth of the air transportation system. Advanced technologies and the development of unconventional aircraft systems offer the potential to achieve these improvements. The presentation will highlight the NASA vision of revolutionary systems and propulsion technologies needed to achieve these challenging goals. Specifically, the primary focus is on the N+3 generation; that is, vehicles that are three generations beyond the current state of the art, requiring mature technology solutions in the 2025-30 timeframe.

Nuclear power technology requirements for NASA exploration missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloomfield, Harvey S.

1990-01-01

It is pointed out that future exploration of the moon and Mars will mandate developments in many areas of technology. In particular, major advances will be required in planet surface power systems. Critical nuclear technology challenges that can enable strategic self-sufficiency, acceptable operational costs, and cost-effective space transportation goals for NASA exploration missions have been identified. Critical technologies for surface power systems include stationary and mobile nuclear reactor and radioisotope heat sources coupled to static and dynamic power conversion devices. These technologies can provide dramatic reductions in mass, leading to operational and transportation cost savings. Critical technologies for space transportation systems include nuclear thermal rocket and nuclear electric propulsion options, which present compelling concepts for significantly reducing mass, cost, or travel time required for Earth-Mars transport.

Innovation in Building Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

Thomas & Betts Corporation's Flat Conductor Cables, or FCC, were developed of necessity as aircraft and spacecraft became increasingly complex. In order to reduce size and weight of components, the use of thin flat wire instead of relatively thick and protrusive round cable, provided a dramatic reduction of the space occupied by the many miles of power distribution lines in an aerospace vehicle. Commercially, FCC offers cost savings in simplified building construction, reduced installation time and ease of alteration.

Revolution…Now The Future Arrives for Five Clean Energy Technologies – 2015 Update

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

None

In 2013, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released the Revolution Now report, highlighting four transformational technologies: land-based wind power, silicon photovoltaic (PV) solar modules, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and electric vehicles (EVs). That study and its 2014 update showed how dramatic reductions in cost are driving a surge in consumer, industrial, and commercial adoption for these clean energy technologies—as well as yearly progress. In addition to presenting the continued progress made over the last year in these areas, this year’s update goes further. Two separate sections now cover large, central, utility-scale PV plants and smaller, rooftop, distributed PV systems tomore » highlight how both have achieved significant deployment nationwide, and have done so through different innovations, such as easier access to capital for utility-scale PV and reductions of non-hardware costs and third-party ownership for distributed PV. Along with these core technologies« less

Polymers And Riblets Reduce Hydrodynamic Skin Friction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bushnell, Dennis M.; Reed, Jason C.

1991-01-01

Polymers injected into riblet grooves dramatically reduce polymer flow rate required for drag reduction. Polymer solution injected into valleys of grooves through array of holes or slots angled downstream to keep injected streams within grooves. Injection repeated some distance downstream because volumes of grooves finite and polymer becomes depleted as slowly pulled from groove by turbulence. Potentially useful for oil tankers as means of markedly reducing cost of fuel and used extensively on submarines, other ships, and other marine vehicles.

Direct cost comparison of minimally invasive punch technique versus traditional approaches for percutaneous bone anchored hearing devices.

PubMed

Sardiwalla, Yaeesh; Jufas, Nicholas; Morris, David P

2017-06-12

Minimally Invasive Ponto Surgery (MIPS) was recently described as a new technique to facilitate the placement of percutaneous bone anchored hearing devices. The procedure has resulted in a simplification of the surgical steps and a dramatic reduction in surgical time while maintaining excellent patient outcomes. Given these developments, our group sought to move the procedure from the main operating suite where they have traditionally been performed. This study aims to test the null hypothesis that MIPS and open approaches have the same direct costs for the implantation of percutaneous bone anchored hearing devices in a Canadian public hospital setting. A retrospective direct cost comparison of MIPS and open approaches for the implantation of bone conduction implants was conducted. Indirect and future costs were not included in the fiscal analysis. A simple cost comparison of the two approaches was made considering time, staff and equipment needs. All 12 operations were performed on adult patients from 2013 to 2016 by the same surgeon at a single hospital site. MIPS has a total mean reduction in cost of CAD$456.83 per operation from the hospital perspective when compared to open approaches. The average duration of the MIPS operation was 7 min, which is on average 61 min shorter compared with open approaches. The MIPS technique was more cost effective than traditional open approaches. This primarily reflects a direct consequence of a reduction in surgical time, with further contributions from reduced staffing and equipment costs. This simple, quick intervention proved to be feasible when performed outside the main operating room. A blister pack of required equipment could prove convenient and further reduce costs.

Delivering Microwave Spectroscopy to the Masses: a Design of a Low-Cost Microwave Spectrometer Operating in the 18-26 GHZ Frequency Range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steber, Amanda; Pate, Brooks

2014-06-01

Advances in chip-level microwave technology in the communications field have led to the possibilities of low cost alternatives for current Fourier transform microwave (FTMW) spectrometers. Many of the large, expensive microwave components in a traditional design can now be replaced by robust, mass market monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs). "Spectrometer on a board" designs are now feasible that offer dramatic cost reduction for microwave spectroscopy. These chip-level components can be paired with miniature computers to produce compact instruments that are operable through USB. A FTMW spectrometer design using the key MMIC components that drive cost reduction will be presented. Two dual channel synthesizers (Valon Technology Model 5008), a digital pattern generator (Byte Paradigm Wav Gen Xpress), and a high-speed digitizer/arbitrary waveform generator combination unit (Tie Pie HS-5 530 XM) form the key components of the spectrometer for operation in the 18-26.5 GHz range. The design performance is illustrated using a spectrometer that is being incorporated into a museum display for astrochemistry. For this instrument a user interface, developed in Python, has been developed and will be shown.

Fabrication and Performance of Zirconia Electrolysis Cells for Carbon Dioxide Reduction for Mars In Situ Resource Utilization Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minh, N. Q.; Chung, B. W.; Doshi, R.; Lear, G. R.; Montgomery, K.; Ong, E. T.

1999-01-01

The use of the Martian atmosphere (95% CO2) to produce oxygen (for propellant and life support) can significantly lower the required launch mass and dramatically reduce the total cost for Mars missions. Zirconia electrolysis cells are one of the technologies being considered for oxygen generation from carbon dioxide in Mars In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) production plants. The attractive features of the zirconia cell for this application include simple operation and lightweight, low volume system.

Reconfigurable Transmission Line for a Series-Fed Ku-Band Phased Array Using a Single Feed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Host, Nicholas K.; Chen, Chi-Chih; Volakis, John L.; Miranda. Felix, A.

2013-01-01

The paper presents a novel approach to realize a lowcost phased array using a simple feeding mechanism. Specifically, a single coplanar stripline (CPS) transmission line is used to feed the antenna array elements. By controlling the CPS's dielectric properties using a movable dielectric plunger, scanning is achieved. Due to its simplicity, single feed, and no phase shifters, this approach leads to a dramatic reduction in cost which does not scale for larger arrays.

Combined quantum and molecular mechanics (QM/MM).

PubMed

Friesner, Richard A

2004-12-01

We describe the current state of the art of mixed quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methodology, with a particular focus on modeling of enzymatic reactions. Over the past decade, the effectiveness of these methods has increased dramatically, based on improved quantum chemical methods, advances in the description of the QM/MM interface, and reductions in the cost/performance of computing hardware. Two examples of pharmaceutically relevant applications, cytochrome P450 and class C β-lactamase, are presented.: © 2004 Elsevier Ltd . All rights reserved.

Current state and future direction of computer systems at NASA Langley Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, James L. (Editor); Tucker, Jerry H. (Editor)

1992-01-01

Computer systems have advanced at a rate unmatched by any other area of technology. As performance has dramatically increased there has been an equally dramatic reduction in cost. This constant cost performance improvement has precipitated the pervasiveness of computer systems into virtually all areas of technology. This improvement is due primarily to advances in microelectronics. Most people are now convinced that the new generation of supercomputers will be built using a large number (possibly thousands) of high performance microprocessors. Although the spectacular improvements in computer systems have come about because of these hardware advances, there has also been a steady improvement in software techniques. In an effort to understand how these hardware and software advances will effect research at NASA LaRC, the Computer Systems Technical Committee drafted this white paper to examine the current state and possible future directions of computer systems at the Center. This paper discusses selected important areas of computer systems including real-time systems, embedded systems, high performance computing, distributed computing networks, data acquisition systems, artificial intelligence, and visualization.

Payment Reduction and Medicare Private Fee-for-Service Plans

PubMed Central

Frakt, Austin B.; Pizer, Steven D.; Feldman, Roger

2009-01-01

Medicare private fee-for-service (PFFS) plans are paid like other Medicare Advantage (MA) plans but are exempt from many MA requirements. Recently, Congress set average payments well above the costs of traditional fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare, inducing dramatic increases in PFFS plan enrollment. This has significant implications for Medicare's budget, provoking calls for policy change. We predict the effect of proposals to cut PFFS payments on PFFS plan participation and enrollment. We find that small reductions in payment rates would reduce PFFS participation and enrollment; if Congress reduces payments to traditional FFS levels it would cause the vast majority (85 percent) of PFFS plans to exit the market. PMID:19544932

Revolution Now: The Future Arrives for Four Clean Energy Technologies

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Tillemann, Levi; Beck, Fredric; Brodrick, James; Brown, Austin; Feldman, David; Nguyen, Tien; Ward, Jacob

2013-09-17

For decades, America has anticipated the transformational impact of clean energy technologies. But even as costs fell and technology matured, a clean energy revolution always seemed just out of reach. Critics often said a clean energy future would "always be five years away." This report focuses on four technology revolutions that are here today. In the last five years they have achieved dramatic reductions in cost and this has been accompanied by a surge in consumer, industrial and commercial deployment. Although these four technologies still represent a small percentage of their total market, they are growing rapidly. The four key technologies this report focuses on are: onshore wind power, polysilicon photovoltaic modules, LED lighting, and electric vehicles.

Reducing early childhood caries in a Medicaid population: a systems model analysis.

PubMed

Edelstein, Burton L; Hirsch, Gary; Frosh, Marcy; Kumar, Jayanth

2015-04-01

Despite early childhood caries (ECC) being largely preventable, its repair accounts for a disproportionate share of Medicaid expenditures. In this study, the authors model disease reductions and cost savings from ECC management alternatives. The authors apply system dynamics modeling to the New York State Medicaid population of young children to compare potential outcomes of 9 preventive interventions (water fluoridation, fluoride varnish, fluoride toothpaste, medical screening and fluoride varnish application, bacterial transmission reduction, motivational interviewing, dental prevention visits, secondary prevention, and combinations) and the effect of defluoridating New York City. Model simulations help project 10-year disease reductions and net savings from water fluoridation, motivational interviewing, and fluoride toothpaste. Interventions requiring health professionals cost more than they save. Interventions that target children at high risk, begin early, and combine multiple strategies hold greatest potential. Defluoridating New York City would increase disease and costs dramatically. The variety of population-level and individual-level interventions available to control ECC differ substantially in their capacity to improve children's oral health and reduce state Medicaid expenditures. Using Medicaid and health department dollars to deliver ECC preventive and management interventions holds strong promise to improve children's oral health while reducing state dental expenditures in Medicaid. Copyright © 2015 American Dental Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Improving Education in the Developing World: What Have We Learned from Randomized Evaluations?

PubMed Central

Kremer, Michael; Holla, Alaka

2013-01-01

Across a range of contexts, reductions in education costs and provision of subsidies can boost school participation, often dramatically. Decisions to attend school seem subject to peer effects and time-inconsistent preferences. Merit scholarships, school health programs, and information about returns to education can all cost-effectively spur school participation. However, distortions in education systems, such as weak teacher incentives and elite-oriented curricula, undermine learning in school and much of the impact of increasing existing educational spending. Pedagogical innovations designed to address these distortions (such as technology-assisted instruction, remedial education, and tracking by achievement) can raise test scores at a low cost. Merely informing parents about school conditions seems insufficient to improve teacher incentives, and evidence on merit pay is mixed, but hiring teachers locally on short-term contracts can save money and improve educational outcomes. School vouchers can cost-effectively increase both school participation and learning. PMID:23946865

Raytheon dual-use long life cryocooler

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirkconnell, Carl S.; Ross, Bradley A.

2005-05-01

Raytheon has manufactured closed-cycle cryocoolers for both tactical military and space applications for over thirty years. Tactical and space cryocooler technologies have historically been treated as distinct both at Raytheon and throughout the industry. Differing technical requirements, operating lifetimes, and order quantities have driven these types of coolers to dramatically different design approaches and cost levels. For example, a typical space cryocooler system today costs approximately 2M as compared to roughly 10,000 for a tactical cryocooler. However, stimuli from both the tactical and space cooler user communities are driving the markets together. Tactical cryocooler requirements are starting to push towards operating lifetime requirements more characteristic of the space coolers (e.g., 20,000+ hours). Space cryocooler users, in particular Missile Defense Agency, are pushing for substantial cost reduction. In response, Raytheon is developing a low cost space cryocooler with an intended dual-use capability to also serve the tactical marketplace. This cooler leverages proven flexure-suspension technology to achieve long life, and a low cost concentric pulse tube cold head design has been developed that can be packaged into the existing Standard Advanced Dewar Assembly, Type One (SADA-I). The cooler meets or exceeds the SADA-I operational requirements (capacity, efficiency, etc.) as well. For the space-version of the cooler, the electronics cost has been reduced by an estimated 80% versus current designs, largely by approaching the vibration cancellation requirement from a dramatically different perspective. Fabrication of the brassboard expander is nearly complete, and the prototype design is well underway. The design approach, development progress, and proposed applications are presented.

Improving Sustainability of Ion Implant Modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayer, Jim

2011-01-01

Semiconductor fabs have long been pressured to manage capital costs, reduce energy consumption and increasingly improve efforts to recycle and recover resources. Ion implant tools have been high-profile offenders on all three fronts. They draw such large volumes of air for heat dissipation and risk reduction that historically, they are the largest consumer of cleanroom air of any process tool—and develop energy usage and resource profiles to match. This paper presents a documented approach to reduce their energy consumption and dramatically downsize on-site facilities support for cleanroom air manufacture and abatement. The combination produces significant capital expenditure savings. The case entails applying SAGS Type 1 (sub-atmospheric gas systems) toxic gas packaging to enable engineering adaptations that deliver the energy savings and cost benefits without any reduction in environmental health and safety. The paper also summarizes benefits as they relate to reducing a fabs carbon emission footprint (and longer range advantages relative to potential cap and trade programs) with existing technology.

Paying for disease management.

PubMed

Levy, Phillip; Nocerini, Robert; Grazier, Kyle

2007-08-01

Disease Management (DM) first appeared in the United States in the early 1990s. Since then its incorporation into health plans has increased dramatically, yet proof of its effectiveness in terms of quality improvement and cost reduction remains to be seen. The following review provides an exploratory analysis of the basic principles of DM, its evolution and differences from traditional managed care, the ways in which programs are currently being used in the private and public sectors, and the challenges to determining a payment structure for incorporating DM into the current health insurance system.

Distributed sensor networks: a cellular nonlinear network perspective.

PubMed

Haenggi, Martin

2003-12-01

Large-scale networks of integrated wireless sensors become increasingly tractable. Advances in hardware technology and engineering design have led to dramatic reductions in size, power consumption, and cost for digital circuitry, and wireless communications. Networking, self-organization, and distributed operation are crucial ingredients to harness the sensing, computing, and computational capabilities of the nodes into a complete system. This article shows that those networks can be considered as cellular nonlinear networks (CNNs), and that their analysis and design may greatly benefit from the rich theoretical results available for CNNs.

Optimum Landscape Allocation of Conservation Practices for Water Quality and Ecosystem Service Valuation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dalzell, B. J.; Pennington, D.; Nelson, E.; Mulla, D.; Polasky, S.; Taff, S.

2012-12-01

This study links a spatially-explicit biophysical model (SWAT) with an economic model (InVEST) to identify the economically optimum allocation of conservation practices on the landscape. Combining biophysical and economic analysis allows assessment of the benefits and costs of alternative policy choices through consideration of direct costs and benefits as measured by market transactions as well as non-market benefits and costs from changes in environmental conditions that lead to changes in the provision of ecosystem services. When applied to an agricultural watershed located in South-Central Minnesota, this approach showed that: (1) some modest gains (20% improvement, relative to baseline conditions) in water quality can be achieved without diminishing current economic returns, but that (2) more dramatic reductions in sediment and phosphorus required to meet water quality goals (50% reductions in loadings) will require transitioning land from row crops into perennial vegetation. This shift in land cover will result in a reduction in economic returns unless non-market ecosystem services are also valued. Further results showed that traditional best management practices such as conservation tillage and reduced fertilizer application rates are not sufficient to achieve water quality goals by themselves. Finally, if crop prices drop to pre-2007 levels or valuation of ecosystem services increases, then achieving water quality goals can occur with less of an economic impact to the watershed.

On the Path to SunShot: Advancing Concentrating Solar Power Technology Performance and Dispatchability.

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

Mehos, Mark; Turchi, Craig; Jorgensen, Jennie

2016-03-01

Since the SunShot Vision Study (DOE 2012) was published, global deployment of concentrating solar power (CSP) has increased threefold to nearly 4,500 MW, with a similar threefold increase in operational capacity to 1,650 MW within the United States. Growth in U.S. CSP capacity has primarily been driven by policy support at the state and federal levels. State-driven renewable portfolio standards (RPSs), combined with a 30% federal investment tax credit (ITC) and federal loan guarantees, provided the opportunity for CSP developers to kick-start construction of CSP plants throughout the Southwest. Figure ES-1 demonstrates that deployment and private- and public-sector research andmore » development have led to dramatic cost reductions that have placed CSP well on the path to reaching the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative goal of 6 cents/kWh by 2020. In comparing the estimated capital costs from the SunShot Vision Study and the current analysis, we find that parabolic trough solar-field costs have fallen more rapidly than predicted, although the drop in solar-field costs was offset by the additional costs of moving from a wet-cooled power block in 2010 to a more expensive dry-cooled power block in 2015. The predicted 2015 decline in tower costs was in line with expectations, primarily driven by reduced heliostat costs. Figure ES-1 shows the reduction in levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for both parabolic trough and tower systems, in addition to the projected 2020 SunShot target.« less

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

Soer, Wouter

LED luminaires have seen dramatic changes in cost breakdown over the past few years. The LED component cost, which until recently was the dominant portion of luminaire cost, has fallen to a level of the same order as the other luminaire components, such as the driver, housing, optics etc. With the current state of the technology, further luminaire performance improvement and cost reduction is realized most effectively by optimization of the whole system, rather than a single component. This project focuses on improving the integration between LEDs and drivers. Lumileds has developed a light engine platform based on low-cost high-powermore » LEDs and driver topologies optimized for integration with these LEDs on a single substrate. The integration of driver and LEDs enables an estimated luminaire cost reduction of about 25% for targeted applications, mostly due to significant reductions in driver and housing cost. The high-power LEDs are based on Lumileds’ patterned sapphire substrate flip-chip (PSS-FC) technology, affording reduced die fabrication and packaging cost compared to existing technology. Two general versions of PSS-FC die were developed in order to create the desired voltage and flux increments for driver integration: (i) small single-junction die (0.5 mm 2), optimal for distributed lighting applications, and (ii) larger multi-junction die (2 mm 2 and 4 mm 2) for high-power directional applications. Two driver topologies were developed: a tapped linear driver topology and a single-stage switch-mode topology, taking advantage of the flexible voltage configurations of the new PSS-FC die and the simplification opportunities enabled by integration of LEDs and driver on the same board. A prototype light engine was developed for an outdoor “core module” application based on the multi-junction PSS-FC die and the single-stage switch-mode driver. The light engine meets the project efficacy target of 128 lm/W at a luminous flux greater than 4100 lm, a correlated color temperature (CCT) of 4000K and a color rendering index (CRI) greater than 70.« less

A Markov model to evaluate cost-effectiveness of antiangiogenesis therapy using bevacizumab in advanced cervical cancer.

PubMed

Minion, Lindsey E; Bai, Jiaru; Monk, Bradley J; Robin Keller, L; Ramez, Eskander N; Forde, Gareth K; Chan, John K; Tewari, Krishnansu S

2015-06-01

To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of bevacizumab in recurrent/persistent and metastatic cervical cancer using recently reported updated survival and toxicology data. A Markov decision tree based on the Gynecologic Oncology Group 240 randomized trial was created. The 2013 MediCare Services Drug Payment Table and Physician Fee Schedule provided costs. In the 5-year model subjects transitioned through the following states: response, progression, minor complications, severe complications, and death. Patients experiencing a health utility per month according to treatment effectiveness were calculated. Because cervical cancer survival is measured in months rather than years, results were reported in both quality adjusted cervical cancer life months and years (QALmonth, QALY), adjusted from a baseline of having advanced cervical cancer during a month. The estimated total cost of therapy with bevacizumab is approximately 13.2 times that for chemotherapy alone, adding $73,791 per 3.5months (0.29year) of life gained, resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $21.083 per month of added life. The ICER increased to $5775 per month of added life and $24,597/QALmonth ($295,164/QALY) due to the smaller difference in QALmonths. With 75% bevacizumab cost reduction, the ICER is $6737/QALmonth ($80,844/QALY), which translates to $23,580 for the 3.5month (0.29year) gain in OS. Increased costs are primarily related to the cost of drug and not the management of bevacizumab-induced complications. Cost reductions in bevacizumab result in dramatic declines in the ICER, suggesting that cost reconciliation in advanced cervical cancer may be possible through the availability of biosimilars, and/or less expensive, equally efficacious anti-angiogenesis agents. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Method can improve efficiency of heli-portable seismic operations

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

Kingsbury, O.J.

1995-11-13

There are regions of the world where the only viable means of conducting a seismic survey on land must involve helicopters as a primary means of transport. The high operating cost of helicopters means that such heliportable work is expensive compared with the more common land and marine surveys. This article is addressed to exploration companies contemplating heliportable seismic surveys. Its aim is to show how these operations work and to enable a dramatic reduction in the cost and timescale of future operations compared with numerous operations this writer has witnessed and been involved with in recent years. The coremore » of this article concerns distinct designs of drilling machinery used in these activities and the most efficient ways of configuring this machinery in the field.« less

Advanced ground station architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zillig, David; Benjamin, Ted

1994-01-01

This paper describes a new station architecture for NASA's Ground Network (GN). The architecture makes efficient use of emerging technologies to provide dramatic reductions in size, operational complexity, and operational and maintenance costs. The architecture, which is based on recent receiver work sponsored by the Office of Space Communications Advanced Systems Program, allows integration of both GN and Space Network (SN) modes of operation in the same electronics system. It is highly configurable through software and the use of charged coupled device (CCD) technology to provide a wide range of operating modes. Moreover, it affords modularity of features which are optional depending on the application. The resulting system incorporates advanced RF, digital, and remote control technology capable of introducing significant operational, performance, and cost benefits to a variety of NASA communications and tracking applications.

Global variation in the cost of increasing ecosystem carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larjavaara, Markku; Kanninen, Markku; Gordillo, Harold; Koskinen, Joni; Kukkonen, Markus; Käyhkö, Niina; Larson, Anne M.; Wunder, Sven

2018-01-01

Slowing the reduction, or increasing the accumulation, of organic carbon stored in biomass and soils has been suggested as a potentially rapid and cost-effective method to reduce the rate of atmospheric carbon increase1. The costs of mitigating climate change by increasing ecosystem carbon relative to the baseline or business-as-usual scenario has been quantified in numerous studies, but results have been contradictory, as both methodological issues and substance differences cause variability2. Here we show, based on 77 standardized face-to-face interviews of local experts with the best possible knowledge of local land-use economics and sociopolitical context in ten landscapes around the globe, that the estimated cost of increasing ecosystem carbon varied vastly and was perceived to be 16-27 times cheaper in two Indonesian landscapes dominated by peatlands compared with the average of the eight other landscapes. Hence, if reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) and other land-use mitigation efforts are to be distributed evenly across forested countries, for example, for the sake of international equity, their overall effectiveness would be dramatically lower than for a cost-minimizing distribution.

Ultrafast DNA sequencing on a microchip by a hybrid separation mechanism that gives 600 bases in 6.5 minutes.

PubMed

Fredlake, Christopher P; Hert, Daniel G; Kan, Cheuk-Wai; Chiesl, Thomas N; Root, Brian E; Forster, Ryan E; Barron, Annelise E

2008-01-15

To realize the immense potential of large-scale genomic sequencing after the completion of the second human genome (Venter's), the costs for the complete sequencing of additional genomes must be dramatically reduced. Among the technologies being developed to reduce sequencing costs, microchip electrophoresis is the only new technology ready to produce the long reads most suitable for the de novo sequencing and assembly of large and complex genomes. Compared with the current paradigm of capillary electrophoresis, microchip systems promise to reduce sequencing costs dramatically by increasing throughput, reducing reagent consumption, and integrating the many steps of the sequencing pipeline onto a single platform. Although capillary-based systems require approximately 70 min to deliver approximately 650 bases of contiguous sequence, we report sequencing up to 600 bases in just 6.5 min by microchip electrophoresis with a unique polymer matrix/adsorbed polymer wall coating combination. This represents a two-thirds reduction in sequencing time over any previously published chip sequencing result, with comparable read length and sequence quality. We hypothesize that these ultrafast long reads on chips can be achieved because the combined polymer system engenders a recently discovered "hybrid" mechanism of DNA electromigration, in which DNA molecules alternate rapidly between repeating through the intact polymer network and disrupting network entanglements to drag polymers through the solution, similar to dsDNA dynamics we observe in single-molecule DNA imaging studies. Most importantly, these results reveal the surprisingly powerful ability of microchip electrophoresis to provide ultrafast Sanger sequencing, which will translate to increased system throughput and reduced costs.

Ultrafast DNA sequencing on a microchip by a hybrid separation mechanism that gives 600 bases in 6.5 minutes

PubMed Central

Fredlake, Christopher P.; Hert, Daniel G.; Kan, Cheuk-Wai; Chiesl, Thomas N.; Root, Brian E.; Forster, Ryan E.; Barron, Annelise E.

2008-01-01

To realize the immense potential of large-scale genomic sequencing after the completion of the second human genome (Venter's), the costs for the complete sequencing of additional genomes must be dramatically reduced. Among the technologies being developed to reduce sequencing costs, microchip electrophoresis is the only new technology ready to produce the long reads most suitable for the de novo sequencing and assembly of large and complex genomes. Compared with the current paradigm of capillary electrophoresis, microchip systems promise to reduce sequencing costs dramatically by increasing throughput, reducing reagent consumption, and integrating the many steps of the sequencing pipeline onto a single platform. Although capillary-based systems require ≈70 min to deliver ≈650 bases of contiguous sequence, we report sequencing up to 600 bases in just 6.5 min by microchip electrophoresis with a unique polymer matrix/adsorbed polymer wall coating combination. This represents a two-thirds reduction in sequencing time over any previously published chip sequencing result, with comparable read length and sequence quality. We hypothesize that these ultrafast long reads on chips can be achieved because the combined polymer system engenders a recently discovered “hybrid” mechanism of DNA electromigration, in which DNA molecules alternate rapidly between reptating through the intact polymer network and disrupting network entanglements to drag polymers through the solution, similar to dsDNA dynamics we observe in single-molecule DNA imaging studies. Most importantly, these results reveal the surprisingly powerful ability of microchip electrophoresis to provide ultrafast Sanger sequencing, which will translate to increased system throughput and reduced costs. PMID:18184818

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

Vimmerstedt, Laura; Brown, Austin; Newes, Emily

The transportation sector is changing, influenced by concurrent, ongoing, dynamic trends that could dramatically affect the future energy landscape, including effects on the potential for greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Battery cost reductions and improved performance coupled with a growing number of electric vehicle model offerings are enabling greater battery electric vehicle market penetration, and advances in fuel cell technology and decreases in hydrogen production costs are leading to initial fuel cell vehicle offerings. Radically more efficient vehicles based on both conventional and new drivetrain technologies reduce greenhouse gas emissions per vehicle-mile. Net impacts also depend on the energy sources usedmore » for propulsion, and these are changing with increased use of renewable energy and unconventional fossil fuel resources. Connected and automated vehicles are emerging for personal and freight transportation systems and could increase use of low- or non-emitting technologies and systems; however, the net effects of automation on greenhouse gas emissions are uncertain. The longstanding trend of an annual increase in transportation demand has reversed for personal vehicle miles traveled in recent years, demonstrating the possibility of lower-travel future scenarios. Finally, advanced biofuel pathways have continued to develop, highlighting low-carbon and in some cases carbon-negative fuel pathways. We discuss the potential for transformative reductions in petroleum use and greenhouse gas emissions through these emerging transportation-sector technologies and trends and present a Clean Transportation Sector Initiative scenario for such reductions, which are summarized in Table ES-1.« less

Major regulatory changes and the impact on diagnostic imaging in the United States 2005 to 2012∗: ∗effective May 15, 2013.

PubMed

Relyea-Chew, Annemarie

2013-09-01

Federal regulation of diagnostic imaging in the United States has increased dramatically in recent years. The primary statutes aimed at curbing escalating costs and reorienting the national priorities of health care have a direct effect on the specialty of diagnostic imaging. This paper surveys the major regulations and current issues that pose challenges to the practice of diagnostic imaging in the United States, from the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 through the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. Copyright © 2013 AUR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Deep carbon reductions in California require electrification and integration across economic sectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Max; Nelson, James H.; Greenblatt, Jeffery B.; Mileva, Ana; Johnston, Josiah; Ting, Michael; Yang, Christopher; Jones, Chris; McMahon, James E.; Kammen, Daniel M.

2013-03-01

Meeting a greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction target of 80% below 1990 levels in the year 2050 requires detailed long-term planning due to complexity, inertia, and path dependency in the energy system. A detailed investigation of supply and demand alternatives is conducted to assess requirements for future California energy systems that can meet the 2050 GHG target. Two components are developed here that build novel analytic capacity and extend previous studies: (1) detailed bottom-up projections of energy demand across the building, industry and transportation sectors; and (2) a high-resolution variable renewable resource capacity planning model (SWITCH) that minimizes the cost of electricity while meeting GHG policy goals in the 2050 timeframe. Multiple pathways exist to a low-GHG future, all involving increased efficiency, electrification, and a dramatic shift from fossil fuels to low-GHG energy. The electricity system is found to have a diverse, cost-effective set of options that meet aggressive GHG reduction targets. This conclusion holds even with increased demand from transportation and heating, but the optimal levels of wind and solar deployment depend on the temporal characteristics of the resulting load profile. Long-term policy support is found to be a key missing element for the successful attainment of the 2050 GHG target in California.

Facile preparation of surfactant-free Au NPs/RGO/Ni foam for degradation of 4-nitrophenol and detection of hydrogen peroxide.

PubMed

Liu, Y Y; Guo, X L; Zhao, L; Zhu, L; Chen, Z T; Chen, J; Zhang, Y; Sun, L T; Zhao, Y H

2018-06-08

The application of Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) often requires surface modification with chemical surfactants, which dramatically reduce the surface activity and increase the chemical contamination and cost of Au NPs. In this research, we have developed a novel Au NPs/reduced graphene oxide/Ni foam hybrid (Au NPs/RGO/NiF) by in situ reduction through ascorbic acid and replacement reaction. This method is green, facile and efficient. The Au NPs are free of chemical surfactants and are homogeneously distributed on the surface of the RGO/NiF. The as-prepared Au NPs/RGO/NiF hybrid is uniform, stable and exhibits not only a high reduction efficiency for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol with a catalytic kinetic constant of up to 0.46 min -1 (0.15 cm 3 catalysis) but also a sensitive and selective detection of H 2 O 2 with a detection limit of ∼1.60 μM.

Facile preparation of surfactant-free Au NPs/RGO/Ni foam for degradation of 4-nitrophenol and detection of hydrogen peroxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y. Y.; Guo, X. L.; Zhao, L.; Zhu, L.; Chen, Z. T.; Chen, J.; Zhang, Y.; Sun, L. T.; Zhao, Y. H.

2018-06-01

The application of Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) often requires surface modification with chemical surfactants, which dramatically reduce the surface activity and increase the chemical contamination and cost of Au NPs. In this research, we have developed a novel Au NPs/reduced graphene oxide/Ni foam hybrid (Au NPs/RGO/NiF) by in situ reduction through ascorbic acid and replacement reaction. This method is green, facile and efficient. The Au NPs are free of chemical surfactants and are homogeneously distributed on the surface of the RGO/NiF. The as-prepared Au NPs/RGO/NiF hybrid is uniform, stable and exhibits not only a high reduction efficiency for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol with a catalytic kinetic constant of up to 0.46 min‑1 (0.15 cm3 catalysis) but also a sensitive and selective detection of H2O2 with a detection limit of ∼1.60 μM.

Thermal Management and Reliability of Power Electronics and Electric Machines

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

Narumanchi, Sreekant

2016-09-19

Increasing the number of electric-drive vehicles (EDVs) on America's roads has been identified as a strategy with near-term potential for dramatically decreasing the nation's dependence on oil - by the U.S. Department of Energy, the federal cross-agency EV-Everywhere Challenge, and the automotive industry. Mass-market deployment will rely on meeting aggressive technical targets, including improved efficiency and reduced size, weight, and cost. Many of these advances will depend on optimization of thermal management. Effective thermal management is critical to improving the performance and ensuring the reliability of EDVs. Efficient heat removal makes higher power densities and lower operating temperatures possible, andmore » in turn enables cost and size reductions. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), along with DOE and industry partners is working to develop cost-effective thermal management solutions to increase device and component power densities. In this presentation, the activities in recent years related to thermal management and reliability of automotive power electronics and electric machines are presented.« less

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

Narumanchi, Sreekant

Increasing the number of electric-drive vehicles (EDVs) on America's roads has been identified as a strategy with near-term potential for dramatically decreasing the nation's dependence on oil - by the U.S. Department of Energy, the federal cross-agency EV-Everywhere Challenge, and the automotive industry. Mass-market deployment will rely on meeting aggressive technical targets, including improved efficiency and reduced size, weight, and cost. Many of these advances will depend on optimization of thermal management. Effective thermal management is critical to improving the performance and ensuring the reliability of EDVs. Efficient heat removal makes higher power densities and lower operating temperatures possible, andmore » in turn enables cost and size reductions. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), along with DOE and industry partners is working to develop cost-effective thermal management solutions to increase device and component power densities. In this presentation, the activities in recent years related to thermal management and reliability of automotive power electronics and electric machines are presented.« less

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

Narumanchi, Sreekant

Increasing the number of electric-drive vehicles (EDVs) on America's roads has been identified as a strategy with near-term potential for dramatically decreasing the nation's dependence on oil -- by the U.S. Department of Energy, the federal cross-agency EV-Everywhere Challenge, and the automotive industry. Mass-market deployment will rely on meeting aggressive technical targets, including improved efficiency and reduced size, weight, and cost. Many of these advances will depend on optimization of thermal management. Effective thermal management is critical to improving the performance and ensuring the reliability of EDVs. Efficient heat removal makes higher power densities and lower operating temperatures possible, andmore » in turn enables cost and size reductions. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), along with DOE and industry partners is working to develop cost-effective thermal management solutions to increase device and component power densities. In this presentation, the activities in recent years related to thermal management and reliability of automotive power electronics and electric machines will be presented.« less

Economic feeder for recharging and ``topping off''

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fickett, Bryan; Mihalik, G.

2000-04-01

Increasing the size of the melt charge significantly increases yield and reduces costs. Siemens Solar Industries is optimizing a method to charge additional material after meltdown (top-off) using an external feeder system. A prototype feeder system was fabricated consisting of a hopper and feed delivery system. The low-cost feeder is designed for simple operation and maintenance. The system is capable of introducing up to 60 kg of granular silicon while under vacuum. An isolation valve permits refilling of the hopper while maintaining vacuum in the growth furnace. Using the feeder system in conjunction with Siemens Solar Industries' energy efficient hot zone dramatically reduces power and argon consumption. Throughput is also improved as faster pull speeds can be attained. The increased pull speeds have an even greater impact when the charge size is increased. Further cost reduction can be achieved by refilling the crucible after crystal growth and pulling a second ingot run. Siemens Solar Industries is presently testing the feeder in production.

The cost of productivity losses associated with allergic rhinitis.

PubMed

Crystal-Peters, J; Crown, W H; Goetzel, R Z; Schutt, D C

2000-03-01

To measure the cost of absenteeism and reduced productivity associated with allergic rhinitis. The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) was used to obtain information on days lost from work and lost productivity due to allergic rhinitis. Wage estimates for occupations obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) were used to calculate the costs. Productivity losses associated with a diagnosis of allergic rhinitis in the 1995 NHIS were estimated to be $601 million. When additional survey information on the use of sedating over-the-counter (OTC) allergy medications, as well as workers' self-assessments of their reduction in at-work productivity due to allergic rhinitis, were considered, the estimated productivity loss increased dramatically. At-work productivity losses were estimated to range from $2.4 billion to $4.6 billion. Despite the inherent difficulty of measuring productivity losses, our lowest estimate is several times higher than previous estimates of the indirect medical costs associated with allergic rhinitis treatment. The most significant productivity losses resulted not from absenteeism but from reduced at-work productivity associated with the use of sedating OTC antihistamines.

The Effects of Medicare on Medical Expenditure Risk and Financial Strain†

PubMed Central

Barcellos, Silvia Helena; Jacobson, Mireille

2016-01-01

Medicare offers substantial protection from medical expenditure risk, protection that has increased in recent years. At age 65, out-of-pocket expenditures drop by 33 percent at the mean and 53 percent at the ninety-fifth percentile. Medical-related financial strain, such as difficulty paying bills and collections agency contact, is dramatically reduced. Nonetheless, using a stylized expected utility framework, the gain from reducing out-of-pocket expenditures accounts for only 18 percent of the social costs of financing Medicare. This calculation ignores any direct health benefits from Medicare or any indirect health effects due to reductions in financial stress. PMID:27928462

Compact instrument for fluorescence image-guided surgery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xinghua; Bhaumik, Srabani; Li, Qing; Staudinger, V. Paul; Yazdanfar, Siavash

2010-03-01

Fluorescence image-guided surgery (FIGS) is an emerging technique in oncology, neurology, and cardiology. To adapt intraoperative imaging for various surgical applications, increasingly flexible and compact FIGS instruments are necessary. We present a compact, portable FIGS system and demonstrate its use in cardiovascular mapping in a preclinical model of myocardial ischemia. Our system uses fiber optic delivery of laser diode excitation, custom optics with high collection efficiency, and compact consumer-grade cameras as a low-cost and compact alternative to open surgical FIGS systems. Dramatic size and weight reduction increases flexibility and access, and allows for handheld use or unobtrusive positioning over the surgical field.

The Diabetes Management Education Program in South Texas: An Economic and Clinical Impact Analysis.

PubMed

Kash, Bita A; Lin, Szu-Hsuan; Baek, Juha; Ohsfeldt, Robert L

2017-01-01

Diabetes is a major chronic disease that can lead to serious health problems and high healthcare costs without appropriate disease management and treatment. In the United States, the number of people diagnosed with diabetes and the cost for diabetes treatment has dramatically increased over time. To improve patients' self-management skills and clinical outcomes, diabetes management education (DME) programs have been developed and operated in various regions. This community case study explores and calculates the economic and clinical impacts of expanding a model DME program into 26 counties located in South Texas. The study sample includes 355 patients with type 2 diabetes and a follow-up hemoglobin A1c level measurement among 1,275 individuals who participated in the DME program between September 2012 and August 2013. We used the Gilmer's cost differentials model and the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) Risk Engine methodology to predict 3-year healthcare cost savings and 10-year clinical benefits of implementing a DME program in the selected 26 Texas counties. Changes in estimated 3-year cost and the estimated treatment effect were based on baseline hemoglobin A1c level. An average 3-year reduction in medical treatment costs per program participant was $2,033 (in 2016 dollars). The total healthcare cost savings for the 26 targeted counties increases as the program participation rate increases. The total projected cost saving ranges from $12 million with 5% participation rate to $185 million with 75% participation rate. A 10-year outlook on additional clinical benefits associated with the implementation and expansion of the DME program at 60% participation is estimated to result in approximately 4,838 avoided coronary heart disease cases and another 392 cases of avoided strokes. The implementation of this model DME program in the selected 26 counties would contribute to substantial healthcare cost savings and clinical benefits. Organizations that provide DME services may benefit from reduction in medical treatment costs and improvement in clinical outcomes for populations with diabetes.

Valuation of plug-in vehicle life-cycle air emissions and oil displacement benefits

PubMed Central

Michalek, Jeremy J.; Chester, Mikhail; Jaramillo, Paulina; Samaras, Constantine; Shiau, Ching-Shin Norman; Lave, Lester B.

2011-01-01

We assess the economic value of life-cycle air emissions and oil consumption from conventional vehicles, hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles (PHEVs), and battery electric vehicles in the US. We find that plug-in vehicles may reduce or increase externality costs relative to grid-independent HEVs, depending largely on greenhouse gas and SO2 emissions produced during vehicle charging and battery manufacturing. However, even if future marginal damages from emissions of battery and electricity production drop dramatically, the damage reduction potential of plug-in vehicles remains small compared to ownership cost. As such, to offer a socially efficient approach to emissions and oil consumption reduction, lifetime cost of plug-in vehicles must be competitive with HEVs. Current subsidies intended to encourage sales of plug-in vehicles with large capacity battery packs exceed our externality estimates considerably, and taxes that optimally correct for externality damages would not close the gap in ownership cost. In contrast, HEVs and PHEVs with small battery packs reduce externality damages at low (or no) additional cost over their lifetime. Although large battery packs allow vehicles to travel longer distances using electricity instead of gasoline, large packs are more expensive, heavier, and more emissions intensive to produce, with lower utilization factors, greater charging infrastructure requirements, and life-cycle implications that are more sensitive to uncertain, time-sensitive, and location-specific factors. To reduce air emission and oil dependency impacts from passenger vehicles, strategies to promote adoption of HEVs and PHEVs with small battery packs offer more social benefits per dollar spent. PMID:21949359

Valuation of plug-in vehicle life-cycle air emissions and oil displacement benefits.

PubMed

Michalek, Jeremy J; Chester, Mikhail; Jaramillo, Paulina; Samaras, Constantine; Shiau, Ching-Shin Norman; Lave, Lester B

2011-10-04

We assess the economic value of life-cycle air emissions and oil consumption from conventional vehicles, hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles (PHEVs), and battery electric vehicles in the US. We find that plug-in vehicles may reduce or increase externality costs relative to grid-independent HEVs, depending largely on greenhouse gas and SO(2) emissions produced during vehicle charging and battery manufacturing. However, even if future marginal damages from emissions of battery and electricity production drop dramatically, the damage reduction potential of plug-in vehicles remains small compared to ownership cost. As such, to offer a socially efficient approach to emissions and oil consumption reduction, lifetime cost of plug-in vehicles must be competitive with HEVs. Current subsidies intended to encourage sales of plug-in vehicles with large capacity battery packs exceed our externality estimates considerably, and taxes that optimally correct for externality damages would not close the gap in ownership cost. In contrast, HEVs and PHEVs with small battery packs reduce externality damages at low (or no) additional cost over their lifetime. Although large battery packs allow vehicles to travel longer distances using electricity instead of gasoline, large packs are more expensive, heavier, and more emissions intensive to produce, with lower utilization factors, greater charging infrastructure requirements, and life-cycle implications that are more sensitive to uncertain, time-sensitive, and location-specific factors. To reduce air emission and oil dependency impacts from passenger vehicles, strategies to promote adoption of HEVs and PHEVs with small battery packs offer more social benefits per dollar spent.

Biostabilization of landfill waste

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

Hansen, D.L.

1995-06-01

In November 1991, the city of Albany, N.Y., together with the principals of Landfill Service Corp. (Apalachin, N.Y.), proposed to demonstrate the successful practice of biostabilized solid waste placement in the newly constructed, double-composite-lined Interim Landfill located in the city of Albany. The small landfill covers just 12 acres and is immediately adjacent to residential neighbors. The benefits of this biostabilization practice include a dramatic improvement in the orderliness of waste placement, with significant reduction of windblown dust and litter. The process also reduces the presence of typical landfill vectors such as flies, crows, seagulls, and rodents. The physically andmore » biologically uniform character of the stabilized waste mass can result in more uniform future landfill settlement and gas production properties. This can allow for more accurate prediction of post-closure conditions and reduction or elimination of remedial costs attendant to post-closure gross differential settlement.« less

The diffusion and impact of clean indoor air laws.

PubMed

Eriksen, Michael P; Cerak, Rebecca L

2008-01-01

Over the past quarter century, primarily as a result of scientific discovery, citizen advocacy, and legislative action, comprehensive clean indoor air laws have spread rapidly throughout the world. Laws that establish completely smoke-free indoor environments have many relative advantages including being low cost, safe, effective, and easy to implement. The diffusion of these laws has been associated with a dramatic and rapid reduction in population levels of serum cotinine among nonsmokers and has also contributed to a reduction in overall cigarette consumption among smokers, with no adverse economic impact, except to the tobacco industry. Currently, nearly half of the U.S. population lives in jurisdictions with some combination of completely smoke-free workplaces, restaurants, or bars. The diffusion of clean indoor air laws is spreading rapidly throughout the world, stimulated by the first global health treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

[Antiretroviral treatment for HIV infection. Where we are and where we are going?].

PubMed

Sierra-Madero, Juan G; Franco-San-Sebastián, Dennise

2004-01-01

Antiretroviral treatment for HIV infection has evolved importantly during the last few years. Eradication of HIV is currently not a realistic target of antiretroviral therapy; however, long term virologic control is possible with current antiviral combinations in the majority of patients. This has resulted in a dramatic reduction in complications and mortality associated with AIDS, even though significant challenges remain. Some of them are the limited access to antiretroviral drugs that exist in most of the affected countries because of the elevated costs of the drugs, the high level of adherence needed for efficacy and the short term and long term toxicity. It is important that antiretroviral access programs financed with public funds consider the following points in their design: specialized prescription that optimizes the use of these resources, integration of prevention to care, evaluation of costs in a global perspective, and integration of research with medical care.

Health and cost benefits associated with the use of metoprolol in heart attack patients.

PubMed

Fernández-Jiménez, Rodrigo; Ibanez, Borja

2014-11-01

Heart attack (myocardial infarction) is a highly prevalent entity worldwide. Widespread implementation of reperfusion strategies has dramatically reduced the mortality associated with infarction. Paradoxically, the mortality reduction has significantly increased the incidence of chronic heart failure (HF). Treatment of HF, once present, represents a huge socioeconomic burden on individuals and healthcare systems. The possibility of preventing rather than treating post-infarction HF would be of paramount importance. Given that infarct size is the main determinant of adverse post-infarction outcomes (including chronic HF), therapies able to reduce infarct size are needed. The single administration of intravenous metoprolol before reperfusion has been recently shown to reduce infarct size and reduce the cases of chronic HF in a proof-of-concept trial. If confirmed in larger trials, this low-cost therapy is expected to have a major health and socioeconomic impact.

Benefits of Government Incentives for Reusable Launch Vehicle Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaw, Eric J.; Hamaker, Joseph W.; Prince, Frank A.

1998-01-01

Many exciting new opportunities in space, both government missions and business ventures, could be realized by a reduction in launch prices. Reusable launch vehicle (RLV) designs have the potential to lower launch costs dramatically from those of today's expendable and partially-expendable vehicles. Unfortunately, governments must budget to support existing launch capability, and so lack the resources necessary to completely fund development of new reusable systems. In addition, the new commercial space markets are too immature and uncertain to motivate the launch industry to undertake a project of this magnitude and risk. Low-cost launch vehicles will not be developed without a mature market to service; however, launch prices must be reduced in order for a commercial launch market to mature. This paper estimates and discusses the various benefits that may be reaped from government incentives for a commercial reusable launch vehicle program.

gLISA: geosynchronous laser interferometer space antenna concepts with off-the-shelf satellites.

PubMed

Tinto, M; DeBra, D; Buchman, S; Tilley, S

2015-01-01

We discuss two geosynchronous gravitational wave (GW) mission concepts, which we generically name gLISA. One relies on the science instrument hosting program onboard geostationary commercial satellites, while the other takes advantage of recent developments in the aerospace industry that result in dramatic satellite and launching vehicle cost reductions for a dedicated geosynchronous mission. To achieve the required level of disturbance free-fall onboard these large and heavy platforms, we propose a new drag-free system, which we have named "two-stage" drag-free. It incorporates the Modular Gravitational Reference Sensor (developed at Stanford University) and does not rely on the use of μN thrusters. Although both mission concepts are characterized by different technical and programmatic challenges, individually they could be flown and operated at a cost significantly lower than those of previously envisioned gravitational wave missions, and in the year 2015 we will perform at JPL a detailed selecting mission analysis.

United States biomass energy: An assessment of costs and infrastructure for alternative uses of biomass energy crops as an energy feedstock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morrow, William Russell, III

Reduction of the negative environmental and human health externalities resulting from both the electricity and transportation sectors can be achieved through technologies such as clean coal, natural gas, nuclear, hydro, wind, and solar photovoltaic technologies for electricity; reformulated gasoline and other fossil fuels, hydrogen, and electrical options for transportation. Negative externalities can also be reduced through demand reductions and efficiency improvements in both sectors. However, most of these options come with cost increases for two primary reasons: (1) most environmental and human health consequences have historically been excluded from energy prices; (2) fossil energy markets have been optimizing costs for over 100 years and thus have achieved dramatic cost savings over time. Comparing the benefits and costs of alternatives requires understanding of the tradeoffs associated with competing technology and lifestyle choices. As bioenergy is proposed as a large-scale feedstock within the United States, a question of "best use" of bioenergy becomes important. Bioenergy advocates propose its use as an alternative energy resource for electricity generation and transportation fuel production, primarily focusing on ethanol. These advocates argue that bioenergy offers environmental and economic benefits over current fossil energy use in each of these two sectors as well as in the U.S. agriculture sector. Unfortunately, bioenergy research has offered very few comparisons of these two alternative uses. This thesis helps fill this gap. This thesis compares the economics of bioenergy utilization by a method for estimating total financial costs for each proposed bioenergy use. Locations for potential feedstocks and bio-processing facilities (co-firing switchgrass and coal in existing coal fired power plants and new ethanol refineries) are estimated and linear programs are developed to estimate large-scale transportation infrastructure costs for each sector. Each linear program minimizes required bioenergy distribution and infrastructure costs. Truck and rail are the only two transportation modes allowed as they are the most likely bioenergy transportation modes. Switchgrass is chosen as a single bioenergy feedstock. All resulting costs are presented in units which reflect current energy markets price norms (¢/kWh, $/gal). The use of a common metric, carbon-dioxide emissions, allows a comparison of the two proposed uses. Additional analysis is provided to address aspects of each proposed use which are not reflected by a carbon-dioxide reduction metric. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Nanoporous metallic surface: Facile fabrication and enhancement of boiling heat transfer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Yong; Tang, Biao; Qing, Jianbo; Li, Qing; Lu, Longsheng

2012-09-01

The paper reports a flexible and low-cost approach, hot-dip galvanizing and dealloying, for the fabrication of enhanced nanoporous metallic surfaces. A Cu-Zn alloy layer mainly composed of γ-Cu5Zn8 and β'-CuZn was formed during the hot-dipping process. The multiple oxidation peaks recorded in the anodic liner sweep voltammetry measurements indicate different dezincification preferences of the alloy phases. A nanoporous copper surface with approximately 50-200 nm in pore size was obtained after a free corrosion process. The nanoporous structure improves the surface wettability and shows dramatic reduction of wall superheat compared to that of the plain surface in the pool-boiling experiments.

Single-crystalline dendritic bimetallic and multimetallic nanocubes.

PubMed

Kuang, Yun; Zhang, Ying; Cai, Zhao; Feng, Guang; Jiang, Yingying; Jin, Chuanhong; Luo, Jun; Sun, Xiaoming

2015-12-01

Developing facial synthetic routes for fabrication of multimetallic nanocatalysts with open porous morphology, tunable composition and tailored crystalline structure is a big challenge for fabrication of low-cost electrocatalysts. Here we report on the synthesis of single-crystalline dendritic bimetallic and multimetallic nanocubes via a solvothermal co-reduction method. These cubes show highly porous, complex 3D inner connections but single-crystalline structure. Tuning the reduction kinetics of metal precursors and introducing galvanic reaction at the active sites during growth were believed to be the keys for the formation of such unique nanostructure. Electro-catalytic oxygen reduction (ORR) and methanol oxidation (MOR) on these catalysts showed dramatic enhancements for both cathodic and anodic electrocatalysis in fuel cells, which were attributed to their unique morphology and crystalline structure, as well as synergetic effect of the multi-metallic components. This work uncovers the formation mechanism of such complex single-crystalline dendritic multimetallic nanocrystals and offers a promising synthetic strategy for geometric and crystalline control of multimetallic nanocrystals with tailored physical and chemical properties, which will benefit the development of clean energy.

Cost-effectiveness of robotic-assisted laparoscopic procedures in urologic surgery in the USA.

PubMed

Sleeper, Joshua; Lotan, Yair

2011-01-01

New technologies such as robotic-assisted surgery are constantly introduced clinically without a complete understanding of benefits and costs. This article will discuss general concepts of health economics and apply them to the application of robotic-assisted surgery to urologic procedures. Utilization of robotic surgery has increased dramatically in recent years. This has been most dramatic in the treatment of prostate cancer. The robot adds significant costs from acquisition, maintenance and recurrent instrument costs. These added costs, thus far, have not been associated with significant improvement in outcomes over 'pure' laparoscopy or open procedures. In order for the robot to be cost effective, there needs to be an improvement in efficacy over alternative approaches, and a decrease in costs of the robot or instrumentation. Robotic surgery has not been found to be cost effective in urology. Future studies may yet reveal indirect benefits that are not yet obvious.

Myths and realities of the 80-hour work week.

PubMed

Schenarts, Paul J; Anderson Schenarts, Kimberly D; Rotondo, Michael F

2006-01-01

Myths are so ingrained into cultural traditions that emotion frequently overshadows a rational evaluation of the facts. The reduction in resident work hours has resulted in the formation of several myths. The purpose of this review is to examine the published data on resident work hours to separate out myth from reality. An electronic database was searched for publications related to resident training, work-hours, continuity of care, sleep deprivation, quality of life, patient safety, clinical/operative experience, faculty work hours, and surgical education. Sleep deprivation has been shown to be harmful, and residents played a role in advocating for work-hour limits. Surgical residents have seen a less dramatic improvement in quality of life compared with other disciplines. Work-hour reductions have decreased participation in clinic but have not resulted in a significant decline in clinical or operative exposure. Limiting resident work hours will unlikely result in a decrease health-care cost. Reduction in resident work hours has not resulted in an improvement or deterioration in patient outcome. Reduction of work hours has not increased faculty work hours nor made surgery a more attractive career choice. Despite strongly held opinions, resident work-hour reduction has resulted in little significant change in lifestyle, clinical exposure, patient well-being, faculty work hours, or medical student recruitment.

Recent developments in nickel hydrogen technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beauchamp, R. L.; Dunlop, J. D.

1988-05-01

A program to design and develop a multikilowatt-hour nickel hydrogen battery for storing electricity from photovoltaic or other power sources is continuing under a cost sharing contract with Sandia National Laboratories. The challenge has been to dramatically reduce the first cost of the battery to make it economically competitive, on a life-cycle cost basis, with other energy storage batteries used in terrestrial applications. The advantages offered by nickel hydrogen batteries are: (1) long cycle life, (2) no maintenance, and (3) a high tolerance to abuse. The last being the most important, implying that there is no need for a charge controller between the solar array and the battery. This would have a beneficial effect on the installation's long term reliability and cost. It also means that one can take full advantage of the maximum output of the solar array, in contrast to systems where the controller isolates the battery during times of maximum insolation. Couple this to the battery's excellent energy efficiency and there can be a significant reduction in the size of the array. In addition, since the state-of-charge is directly related to pressure, the battery can be used as a load management system.

Willingness to pay for mortality risk reduction for traffic accidents in Myanmar.

PubMed

Mon, Ei Ei; Jomnonkwao, Sajjakaj; Khampirat, Buratin; Satiennam, Wichuda; Ratanavaraha, Vatanavongs

2018-05-30

The dramatic increase in vehicle ownership in Myanmar over the past few years has resulted in an alarming increase in traffic accidents. Thus, road safety at the national level needs to be improved urgently in order to reduce the costs associated with traffic accidents and to assist policy makers in making economically efficient resource allocation decisions for road safety improvements. This research was conducted to determine the costs related to fatality risk reductions using a willingness to pay (WTP) approach for motorcyclists, car drivers, and bus passengers in Myanmar. Face-to-face interviews with contingent valuation (CV) and a payment card questionnaire approach was employed for the data collection; multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to determine the factors influencing WTP. The resulting median and mean for the value of statistical life (VSL) were found to be MMK 118.062 million (US$ 98,385) to MMK 162.854 million (US$ 135,712), respectively. Therefore, the total cost of death was estimated to range from MMK 594.681 billion (US$ 495.567 million) to MMK 820.296 billion (US$ 683.580 million) in 2015. In addition, the WTP was found to be significantly associated with age, family status, education, occupation, individual income, household income, the vehicle used, exposure to traffic, drunk driving, personal experiences, and the perceived risk of traffic accidents. This study might be helpful in prioritization of road safety related projects to get greatest benefit by choosing most cost effective projects. This study might assist the decision-making for road safety budget allocations and policy development. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Advanced Space Propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frisbee, Robert H.

1996-01-01

This presentation describes a number of advanced space propulsion technologies with the potential for meeting the need for dramatic reductions in the cost of access to space, and the need for new propulsion capabilities to enable bold new space exploration (and, ultimately, space exploitation) missions of the 21st century. For example, current Earth-to-orbit (e.g., low Earth orbit, LEO) launch costs are extremely high (ca. $10,000/kg); a factor 25 reduction (to ca. $400/kg) will be needed to produce the dramatic increases in space activities in both the civilian and government sectors identified in the Commercial Space Transportation Study (CSTS). Similarly, in the area of space exploration, all of the relatively 'easy' missions (e.g., robotic flybys, inner solar system orbiters and landers; and piloted short-duration Lunar missions) have been done. Ambitious missions of the next century (e.g., robotic outer-planet orbiters/probes, landers, rovers, sample returns; and piloted long-duration Lunar and Mars missions) will require major improvements in propulsion capability. In some cases, advanced propulsion can enable a mission by making it faster or more affordable, and in some cases, by directly enabling the mission (e.g., interstellar missions). As a general rule, advanced propulsion systems are attractive because of their low operating costs (e.g., higher specific impulse, ISD) and typically show the most benefit for relatively 'big' missions (i.e., missions with large payloads or AV, or a large overall mission model). In part, this is due to the intrinsic size of the advanced systems as compared to state-of-the-art (SOTA) chemical propulsion systems. Also, advanced systems often have a large 'infrastructure' cost, either in the form of initial R&D costs or in facilities hardware costs (e.g., laser or microwave transmission ground stations for beamed energy propulsion). These costs must then be amortized over a large mission to be cost-competitive with a SOTA system with a low initial development and infrastructure cost and a high operating cost. Note however that this has resulted in a 'Catch 22' standoff between the need for large initial investment that is amortized over many launches to reduce costs, and the limited number of launches possible at today's launch costs. Some examples of missions enabled (either in cost or capability) by advanced propulsion include long-life station-keeping or micro-spacecraft applications using electric propulsion or BMDO-derived micro-thrusters, low-cost orbit raising (LEO to GEO or Lunar orbit) using electric propulsion, robotic planetary missions using aerobraking or electric propulsion, piloted Mars missions using aerobraking and/or propellant production from Martian resources, very fast (100-day round-trip) piloted Mars missions using fission or fusion propulsion, and, finally, interstellar missions using fusion, antimatter, or beamed energy. The NASA Advanced Propulsion Technology program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is aimed at assessing the feasibility of a range of near-term to far term advanced propulsion technologies that have the potential to reduce costs and/or enable future space activities. The program includes cooperative modeling and research activities between JPL and various universities and industry; and directly supported independent research at universities and industry. The cooperative program consists of mission studies, research and development of ion engine technology using C60 (Buckminsterfullerene) propellant, and research and development of lithium-propellant Lorentz-force accelerator (LFA) engine technology. The university/industry-supported research includes modeling and proof-of-concept experiments in advanced, high-lsp, long-life electric propulsion, and in fusion propulsion.

Forecasting the future of stroke in the United States: a policy statement from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.

PubMed

Ovbiagele, Bruce; Goldstein, Larry B; Higashida, Randall T; Howard, Virginia J; Johnston, S Claiborne; Khavjou, Olga A; Lackland, Daniel T; Lichtman, Judith H; Mohl, Stephanie; Sacco, Ralph L; Saver, Jeffrey L; Trogdon, Justin G

2013-08-01

Stroke is a leading cause of disability, cognitive impairment, and death in the United States and accounts for 1.7% of national health expenditures. Because the population is aging and the risk of stroke more than doubles for each successive decade after the age of 55 years, these costs are anticipated to rise dramatically. The objective of this report was to project future annual costs of care for stroke from 2012 to 2030 and discuss potential cost reduction strategies. The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association developed methodology to project the future costs of stroke-related care. Estimates excluded costs associated with other cardiovascular diseases (hypertension, coronary heart disease, and congestive heart failure). By 2030, 3.88% of the US population>18 years of age is projected to have had a stroke. Between 2012 and 2030, real (2010$) total direct annual stroke-related medical costs are expected to increase from $71.55 billion to $183.13 billion. Real indirect annual costs (attributable to lost productivity) are projected to rise from $33.65 billion to $56.54 billion over the same period. Overall, total annual costs of stroke are projected to increase to $240.67 billion by 2030, an increase of 129%. These projections suggest that the annual costs of stroke will increase substantially over the next 2 decades. Greater emphasis on implementing effective preventive, acute care, and rehabilitative services will have both medical and societal benefits.

Impact of a value-based insurance design for physical therapy to treat back pain on care utilization and cost.

PubMed

Maeng, Daniel D; Graboski, Anthony; Allison, Peiling L; Fisher, Dorothy Y; Bulger, John B

2017-01-01

To assess the impact of a value-based insurance design providing enhanced access to physical therapy (PT) for treatment of back pain on treatment patterns and cost of care. A retrospective analysis of claims data obtained from Geisinger Health Plan (GHP). In April 2013, GHP began offering "PT bundle" - i.e., a bundle of up to five PT visits for a single one-time copay that can be renewed for another bundle of five PT visits - for its employer-based plan members with back pain. A cohort of GHP members who were preauthorized for the PT bundle were compared against a contemporaneous cohort of GHP members who were preauthorized for PT under the standard per-visit copay arrangement between January 2013 and October 2014. Among the PT bundle cohort, the PT visit rate during the first 9 months since the PT preauthorization date had dramatically increased and then gradually decreased in subsequent months. The PT bundle was also associated with 29%-35% short-term reductions in emergency department visits and with 12%-20% reductions in primary care visits after 6 months. No significant impact on hospitalization or cost was observed. Implementation of the PT bundle appears to have led to a change in the treatment pattern of back pain that is more consistent with the recommended guidelines to use more conservative management such as PT as the first-line treatment for back pain.

Pharmaceutical industry research and cost savings in community-acquired pneumonia.

PubMed

Kessler, Lori A; Waterer, Grant W; Barca, Robin; Wunderink, Richard G

2002-09-01

To provide financial justification for continuing pharmaceutical research in an environment that has met with increasing resistance from insurance carriers to paying for the care of patients enrolled in research studies. Matched case-control study of patients enrolled into inpatient community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) pharmaceutical research protocols. Case patients were enrolled into a CAP pharmaceutical research trial. Control patients were obtained from a prospective cohort study of CAP. Cases were matched to controls on the basis of age, sex, pneumonia severity index (PSI) grade, and comorbid illnesses as measured by the PSI and Acute Physiologic and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scoring systems. Financial data were obtained from hospital billing records. Twenty-five cases were identified and matched to appropriate controls. There was no statistically significant difference in mean PSI and APACHE II scores between cases and controls. There was a significant reduction in the total charges for hospital care of patients enrolled into a pharmaceutical industry trial ($6267 vs $9979; P = .03). As expected, the most dramatic reduction was in pharmacy charges ($642 vs $1797; P = .002), but there were trends toward lower charges in all cost subgroups. Interestingly, there was also a strong trend toward reduced length of hospital stay associated with enrollment in a pharmaceutical trial (4.5 vs 6.0 days; P = .06). Enrollment in a pharmaceutical research protocol results in significant cost savings in patients admitted to the hospital with CAP and may lead to earlier hospital discharge.

Envisioning a Low-Cost Solar Future: Exploring the Potential Impact of Achieving the SunShot 2030 Targets for Photovoltaics

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

Cole, Wesley J; Frew, Bethany A; Gagnon, Pieter J

In the context of recent dramatic solar energy cost reductions, the U.S. Department of Energy set new levelized cost of energy goals for photovoltaics (PV) to achieve by 2030 to enable significantly greater PV adoption: $0.03/kWh for utility-scale, $0.04/kWh for commercial, and $0.05/kWh for residential PV systems. We analyze the potential impacts of achieving these 'SunShot 2030' cost targets for the contiguous United States using the Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) and Distributed Generation (dGen) capacity expansion models. We consider the impacts under a wide range of future conditions. We find that PV could provide 13%-18% of U.S. electricity demandmore » in 2030 and 28%-64% of demand if the SunShot 2030 goals are achieved, with PV deployment increasing in every state. The availability of low-cost storage has the largest impact on projected deployment, followed by natural gas prices and electricity demand. For comparison, PV deployed under a business-as-usual scenario could provide only 5% of generation in 2030 and 17% in 2050. We find that the high levels of PV deployment explored here lead to lower electricity prices and system costs, lower carbon dioxide emissions, lower water consumption, increased renewable energy curtailment, and increased storage deployment compared with the business-as-usual scenario.« less

Small, Low Cost, Launch Capability Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Thomas

2014-01-01

A recent explosion in nano-sat, small-sat, and university class payloads has been driven by low cost electronics and sensors, wide component availability, as well as low cost, miniature computational capability and open source code. Increasing numbers of these very small spacecraft are being launched as secondary payloads, dramatically decreasing costs, and allowing greater access to operations and experimentation using actual space flight systems. While manifesting as a secondary payload provides inexpensive rides to orbit, these arrangements also have certain limitations. Small, secondary payloads are typically included with very limited payload accommodations, supported on a non interference basis (to the prime payload), and are delivered to orbital conditions driven by the primary launch customer. Integration of propulsion systems or other hazardous capabilities will further complicate secondary launch arrangements, and accommodation requirements. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Marshall Space Flight Center has begun work on the development of small, low cost launch system concepts that could provide dedicated, affordable launch alternatives to small, high risk university type payloads and spacecraft. These efforts include development of small propulsion systems and highly optimized structural efficiency, utilizing modern advanced manufacturing techniques. This paper outlines the plans and accomplishments of these efforts and investigates opportunities for truly revolutionary reductions in launch and operations costs. Both evolution of existing sounding rocket systems to orbital delivery, and the development of clean sheet, optimized small launch systems are addressed.

In-Situ Formation of Cobalt-Phosphate Oxygen-Evolving Complex-Anchored Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanosheets for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

PubMed Central

Zhao, Zhi-Gang; Zhang, Jing; Yuan, Yinyin; Lv, Hong; Tian, Yuyu; Wu, Dan; Li, Qing-Wen

2013-01-01

Oxygen conversion process between O2 and H2O by means of electrochemistry or photochemistry has lately received a great deal of attention. Cobalt-phosphate (Co-Pi) catalyst is a new type of cost-effective artificial oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) with amorphous features during photosynthesis. However, can such Co-Pi OEC also act as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst in electrochemical processes? The question remains unanswered. Here for the first time we demonstrate that Co-Pi OEC does be rather active for the ORR. Particularly, Co-Pi OEC anchoring on reduced graphite oxide (rGO) nanosheet is shown to possess dramatically improved electrocatalytic activities. Differing from the generally accepted role of rGO as an “electron reservoir”, we suggest that rGO serves as “peroxide cleaner” in enhancing the electrocatalytic behaviors. The present study may bridge the gap between photochemistry and electrochemistry towards oxygen conversion. PMID:23877331

Steam engine research for solar parabolic dish

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Demler, R. L.

1981-01-01

The parabolic dish solar concentrator provides an opportunity to generate high grade energy in a modular system. Most of the capital is projected to be in the dish and its installation. Assurance of a high production demand of a standard dish could lead to dramatic cost reductions. High production volume in turn depends upon maximum application flexibility by providing energy output options, e.g., heat, electricity, chemicals and combinations thereof. Subsets of these options include energy storage and combustion assist. A steam engine design and experimental program is described which investigate the efficiency potential of a small 25 kW compound reheat cycle piston engine. An engine efficiency of 35 percent is estimated for a 700 C steam temperature from the solar receiver.

Energy efficiency in nanoscale synthesis using nanosecond plasmas.

PubMed

Pai, David Z; Ken Ostrikov, Kostya; Kumar, Shailesh; Lacoste, Deanna A; Levchenko, Igor; Laux, Christophe O

2013-01-01

We report a nanoscale synthesis technique using nanosecond-duration plasma discharges. Voltage pulses 12.5 kV in amplitude and 40 ns in duration were applied repetitively at 30 kHz across molybdenum electrodes in open ambient air, generating a nanosecond spark discharge that synthesized well-defined MoO₃ nanoscale architectures (i.e. flakes, dots, walls, porous networks) upon polyamide and copper substrates. No nitrides were formed. The energy cost was as low as 75 eV per atom incorporated into a nanostructure, suggesting a dramatic reduction compared to other techniques using atmospheric pressure plasmas. These findings show that highly efficient synthesis at atmospheric pressure without catalysts or external substrate heating can be achieved in a simple fashion using nanosecond discharges.

The Multi-TW Scale Future for Photovoltaics

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

Wilson, Gregory M

This chapter is focused on photovoltaics (PV) and argues that this rapidly developing technology is emerging as one of the most important tools policy makers have for meeting COP21 carbon emissions reduction targets. Focusing on the contributions and advancements that PV is likely to make to the global energy system over the next 10-15 years, it gives a basic overview of mainstream PV conversion technologies, summarizes roughly 40 years of research and industrial history then closes with a brief discussion of how PV and energy storage are likely to impact the world's energy landscape going forward. The chapter closely couplesmore » an increasingly urgent carbon emissions and climate change problem with dramatic PV advancements over the last 10 years in terms of both performance and cost. Ultimately PV is presented as an extremely useful tool for helping to reduce global carbon emissions with little to no increase in electricity costs, in a timeframe that is meaningful to the global carbon emissions problem.« less

Physics and Robotic Sensing -- the good, the bad, and approaches to making it work

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huff, Brian

2011-03-01

All of the technological advances that have benefited consumer electronics have direct application to robotics. Technological advances have resulted in the dramatic reduction in size, cost, and weight of computing systems, while simultaneously doubling computational speed every eighteen months. The same manufacturing advancements that have enabled this rapid increase in computational power are now being leveraged to produce small, powerful and cost-effective sensing technologies applicable for use in mobile robotics applications. Despite the increase in computing and sensing resources available to today's robotic systems developers, there are sensing problems typically found in unstructured environments that continue to frustrate the widespread use of robotics and unmanned systems. This talk presents how physics has contributed to the creation of the technologies that are making modern robotics possible. The talk discusses theoretical approaches to robotic sensing that appear to suffer when they are deployed in the real world. Finally the author presents methods being used to make robotic sensing more robust.

The Fast Multipole Method and Fourier Convolution for the Solution of Acoustic Scattering on Regular Volumetric Grids

PubMed Central

Hesford, Andrew J.; Waag, Robert C.

2010-01-01

The fast multipole method (FMM) is applied to the solution of large-scale, three-dimensional acoustic scattering problems involving inhomogeneous objects defined on a regular grid. The grid arrangement is especially well suited to applications in which the scattering geometry is not known a priori and is reconstructed on a regular grid using iterative inverse scattering algorithms or other imaging techniques. The regular structure of unknown scattering elements facilitates a dramatic reduction in the amount of storage and computation required for the FMM, both of which scale linearly with the number of scattering elements. In particular, the use of fast Fourier transforms to compute Green's function convolutions required for neighboring interactions lowers the often-significant cost of finest-level FMM computations and helps mitigate the dependence of FMM cost on finest-level box size. Numerical results demonstrate the efficiency of the composite method as the number of scattering elements in each finest-level box is increased. PMID:20835366

The fast multipole method and Fourier convolution for the solution of acoustic scattering on regular volumetric grids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hesford, Andrew J.; Waag, Robert C.

2010-10-01

The fast multipole method (FMM) is applied to the solution of large-scale, three-dimensional acoustic scattering problems involving inhomogeneous objects defined on a regular grid. The grid arrangement is especially well suited to applications in which the scattering geometry is not known a priori and is reconstructed on a regular grid using iterative inverse scattering algorithms or other imaging techniques. The regular structure of unknown scattering elements facilitates a dramatic reduction in the amount of storage and computation required for the FMM, both of which scale linearly with the number of scattering elements. In particular, the use of fast Fourier transforms to compute Green's function convolutions required for neighboring interactions lowers the often-significant cost of finest-level FMM computations and helps mitigate the dependence of FMM cost on finest-level box size. Numerical results demonstrate the efficiency of the composite method as the number of scattering elements in each finest-level box is increased.

The Fast Multipole Method and Fourier Convolution for the Solution of Acoustic Scattering on Regular Volumetric Grids.

PubMed

Hesford, Andrew J; Waag, Robert C

2010-10-20

The fast multipole method (FMM) is applied to the solution of large-scale, three-dimensional acoustic scattering problems involving inhomogeneous objects defined on a regular grid. The grid arrangement is especially well suited to applications in which the scattering geometry is not known a priori and is reconstructed on a regular grid using iterative inverse scattering algorithms or other imaging techniques. The regular structure of unknown scattering elements facilitates a dramatic reduction in the amount of storage and computation required for the FMM, both of which scale linearly with the number of scattering elements. In particular, the use of fast Fourier transforms to compute Green's function convolutions required for neighboring interactions lowers the often-significant cost of finest-level FMM computations and helps mitigate the dependence of FMM cost on finest-level box size. Numerical results demonstrate the efficiency of the composite method as the number of scattering elements in each finest-level box is increased.

The multi-TW scale future for photovoltaics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, Gregory

2018-01-01

This chapter is focused on photovoltaics (PV) and argues that this rapidly developing technology is emerging as one of the most important tools policy makers have for meeting COP21 carbon emissions reduction targets. Focusing on the contributions and advancements that PV is likely to make to the global energy system over the next 10-15 years, it gives a basic overview of mainstream PV conversion technologies, summarizes roughly 40 years of research and industrial history then closes with a brief discussion of how PV and energy storage are likely to impact the world's energy landscape going forward. The chapter closely couples an increasingly urgent carbon emissions and climate change problem with dramatic PV advancements over the last 10 years in terms of both performance and cost. Ultimately PV is presented as an extremely useful tool for helping to reduce global carbon emissions with little to no increase in electricity costs, in a timeframe that is meaningful to the global carbon emissions problem.

On the Path to SunShot - Emerging Opportunities and Challenges in U.S. Solar Manufacturing

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

Chung, Donald; Horowitz, Kelsey; Kurup, Parthiv

Innovation-driven cost and performance improvements, along with strong projected solar demand in the United States and across the Americas, could increase the attractiveness of U.S.-based solar manufacturing (see Chung et al. 2016). Although improvements to standard PV modules have produced deep cost reductions over the past 5 years, the returns on such incremental improvements appear to be diminishing, and more dramatic innovations in module design and manufacturing are required to continue along the path of rapid progress. At the same time, major opportunities exist for innovation to unlock the potential of CSP technologies. This need for innovation could benefit U.S.more » PV and CSP manufacturers. The United States has been rated one of the world’s most competitive and innovative countries as well as one of the best locations for PV manufacturing. It is a global leader in PV and CSP R&D and patent production, and U.S. PV manufacturers are already pursuing highly differentiated innovations.« less

Dramatic reduction of void swelling by helium in ion-irradiated high purity α-iron

DOE PAGES

Bhattacharya, Arunodaya; Meslin, Estelle; Henry, Jean; ...

2018-04-11

Effect of helium on void swelling was studied in high-purity α-iron, irradiated using energetic self-ions to 157 displacements per atom (dpa) at 773 K, with and without helium co-implantation up to 17 atomic parts-per-million (appm) He/dpa. Helium is known to enhance cavity formation in metals in irradiation environments, leading to early void swelling onset. In this study, microstructure characterization by transmission electron microscopy revealed compelling evidence of dramatic swelling reduction by helium co-implantation, achieved primarily by cavity size reduction. In conclusion, a comprehensive understanding of helium induced cavity microstructure development is discussed using sink strength ratios of dislocations and cavities.

The total cost of EHR ownership.

PubMed

Eastaugh, Steven R

2013-02-01

Consider total cost of ownership, not just initial cost of acquisition and annual maintenance, when reviewing electronic health record (EHR) system bids. Support costs--a key part of total cost of ownership--include FTEs dedicated to the system. The long-term costs of an EHR system can vary dramatically (up to 200 percent) depending on which system is selected.

Reference Pricing, Consumer Cost-Sharing, and Insurer Spending for Advanced Imaging Tests.

PubMed

Robinson, James C; Whaley, Christopher; Brown, Timothy T

2016-12-01

Fees charged for similar imaging tests often vary dramatically within the same market, leading to wide variation in insurer spending and consumer cost-sharing. Reference pricing is an insurance design that offers good coverage to patients up to a defined contribution limit but requires the patients who select high-priced facilities to pay the remainder out of pocket. To measure the association between implementation of reference pricing and patient choice of facility, test prices, out-of-pocket spending, and insurer spending for advanced imaging (CT and MRI) procedures. Difference-in-differences multivariable analysis of insurance claims data. Study included 4751 employees of a national grocery chain (treatment group) and 23,428 enrollees in the nation's largest private insurance plan (comparison group) that used CT or MRI tests between 2010 and 2013. Patient choice of facility, price paid per test, patient out-of-pocket cost-sharing, and employer spending. Compared with trends in prices paid by insurance enrollees not subject to reference pricing, and after adjusting for characteristics of tests and patients, implementation of reference pricing was associated with a 12.5% (95% CI, -25.0%, 2.1%) reduction in average price paid per test by the end of the second full year of the program for CT scans and a 10.5% (95% CI, -16.9%, 3.6%) for MRIs. Out-of-pocket cost-sharing by patients declined by $71,508 (13.8%). The savings accruing to employees amounted to 45.5% of total savings from reference pricing, with the remainder accruing to the employer. Implementation of reference pricing led to reductions in payments by both employer and employees.

Hybrid solar converters for maximum exergy and inexpensive dispatchable electricity

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

Branz, Howard M.; Regan, William; Gerst, Kacy J.

Photovoltaic (PV) solar energy systems are being deployed at an accelerating rate to supply low-carbon electricity worldwide. However, PV is unlikely to economically supply much more than 10% of the world's electricity unless there is a dramatic reduction in the cost of electricity storage. There is an important scientific and technological opportunity to address the storage challenge by developing inexpensive hybrid solar converters that collect solar heat at temperatures between about 200 and 600 °C and also incorporate PV. Since heat can be stored and converted to electricity at relatively low cost, collection of high exergy content (high temperature) solarmore » heat can provide energy that is dispatchable on demand to meet loads that are not well matched to solar insolation. However, PV cells can collect and convert much of the solar spectrum to electricity more efficiently and inexpensively than solar thermal systems. Advances in spectrum-splitting optics, high-temperature PV cells, thermal management and system design are needed for transformational hybrid converters. We propose that maximizing the exergy output from the solar converters while minimizing the cost of exergy can help propel solar energy toward a higher contribution to carbon-free electricity in the long term than the prevailing paradigm of maximizing the energy output while minimizing the cost of energy« less

Are we losing the battle against cardiometabolic disease? The case for a paradigm shift in primary prevention.

PubMed

Kraushaar, Lutz E; Krämer, Alexander

2009-02-21

Cardiovascular and diabetic disease are the leading and preventable causes of death worldwide. The currently prognosticated dramatic increase in disease burden over the next two decades, however, bespeaks a low confidence in our prevention ability. This conflicts with the almost enthusiastic reporting of study results, which demonstrate substantial risk reductions secondary to simple lifestyle changes. There is a case to be made for a disregard of the difference between statistical significance and clinical relevance of the reported data. Nevertheless, lifestyle change remains the main weapon in our battle against the epidemic of cardiometabolic disease. But along the way from risk screening to intervention to maintenance the compound inefficiencies of current primary preventive strategies marginalize their impact. Unless we dramatically change the ways in which we deploy preventive interventions we will inevitably lose the battle. In this paper we will argue for three provocative strategy changes, namely (a) the disbanding of screening in favor of population-wide enrollment into preventive interventions, (b) the substitution of the current cost utility analysis for a return-on-investment centered appraisal of interventions, and (c) the replacement of standardized programs modeled around acute care by individualized and perpetual interventions.

Techno-economic analysis of the industrial production of a low-cost enzyme using E. coli: the case of recombinant β-glucosidase.

PubMed

Ferreira, Rafael da Gama; Azzoni, Adriano Rodrigues; Freitas, Sindelia

2018-01-01

The enzymatic conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars is a promising approach for producing renewable fuels and chemicals. However, the cost and efficiency of the fungal enzyme cocktails that are normally employed in these processes remain a significant bottleneck. A potential route to increase hydrolysis yields and thereby reduce the hydrolysis costs would be to supplement the fungal enzymes with their lacking enzymatic activities, such as β-glucosidase. In this context, it is not clear from the literature whether recombinant E. coli could be a cost-effective platform for the production of some of these low-value enzymes, especially in the case of on-site production. Here, we present a conceptual design and techno-economic evaluation of the production of a low-cost industrial enzyme using recombinant E. coli . In a simulated baseline scenario for β-glucosidase demand in a hypothetical second-generation ethanol (2G) plant in Brazil, we found that the production cost (316 US$/kg) was higher than what is commonly assumed in the literature for fungal enzymes, owing especially to the facility-dependent costs (45%) and to consumables (23%) and raw materials (25%). Sensitivity analyses of process scale, inoculation volume, and volumetric productivity indicated that optimized conditions may promote a dramatic reduction in enzyme cost and also revealed the most relevant factors affecting production costs. Despite the considerable technical and economic uncertainties that surround 2G ethanol and the large-scale production of low-cost recombinant enzymes, this work sheds light on some relevant questions and supports future studies in this field. In particular, we conclude that process optimization, on many fronts, may strongly reduce the costs of E. coli recombinant enzymes, in the context of tailor-made enzymatic cocktails for 2G ethanol production.

Quantifying the total cost of infrastructure to enable environmentally preferable decisions: the case of urban roadway design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gosse, Conrad A.; Clarens, Andres F.

2013-03-01

Efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of transportation infrastructure have generally overlooked many of the efficiencies that can be obtained by considering the relevant engineering and economic aspects as a system. Here, we present a framework for quantifying the burdens of ground transportation in urban settings that incorporates travel time, vehicle fuel and pavement maintenance costs. A Pareto set of bi-directional lane configurations for two-lane roadways yields non-dominated combinations of lane width, bicycle lanes and curb parking. Probabilistic analysis and microsimulation both show dramatic mobility reductions on road segments of insufficient width for heavy vehicles to pass bicycles without encroaching on oncoming traffic. This delay is positively correlated with uphill grades and increasing traffic volumes and inversely proportional to total pavement width. The response is nonlinear with grade and yields mixed uphill/downhill optimal lane configurations. Increasing bicycle mode share is negatively correlated with total costs and emissions for lane configurations allowing motor vehicles to safely pass bicycles, while the opposite is true for configurations that fail to facilitate passing. Spatial impacts on mobility also dictate that curb parking exhibits significant spatial opportunity costs related to the total cost Pareto curve. The proposed framework provides a means to evaluate relatively inexpensive lane reconfiguration options in response to changing modal share and priorities. These results provide quantitative evidence that efforts to reallocate limited pavement space to bicycles, like those being adopted in several US cities, could appreciably reduce costs for all users.

Advances in Single and Multijunction III-V Photovoltaics on Silicon for Space Power

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilt, David M.; Fitzgerald, Eugene A.; Ringel, Steven A.

2005-01-01

A collaborative research effort at MIT, Ohio State University and NASA has resulted in the demonstration of record quality gallium arsenide (GaAs) based single junction photovoltaic devices on silicon (Si) substrates. The ability to integrate highly efficient, radiation hard III-V based devices on silicon offers the potential for dramatic reductions in cell mass (approx.2x) and increases in cell area. Both of these improvements offer the potential for dramatic reductions in the cost of on-orbit electrical power. Recently, lattice matched InGaP/GaAs and metamorphic InGaP/InGaAs dual junction solar cells were demonstrated by MBE and OMVPE, respectively. Single junction GaAs on Si devices have been integrated into a space flight experiment (MISSES), scheduled to be launched to the International Space Station in March of 2005. I-V performance data from the GaAs/Si will be collected on-orbit and telemetered to ground stations daily. Microcracks in the GaAs epitaxial material, generated because of differences in the thermal expansion coefficient between GaAs and Si, are of concern in the widely varying thermal environment encountered in low Earth orbit. Ground based thermal life cycling (-80 C to + 80 C) equivalent to 1 year in LEO has been conducted on GaAs/Si devices with no discernable degradation in device performance, suggesting that microcracks may not limit the ability to field GaAs/Si in harsh thermal environments. Recent advances in the development and testing of III-V photovoltaic devices on Si will be presented.

Higher Education Affordability: Two Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiSalvo, Steven R.

2017-01-01

There are two initiatives that can dramatically change the way college pricing and student debt are being handled under the current system. Both are commonsense solutions that would, if accepted, dramatically help students, graduates and families burdened by the cost of tuition and the loans they take to earn their degrees. First, income-based…

Energy efficiency in nanoscale synthesis using nanosecond plasmas

PubMed Central

Pai, David Z.; (Ken) Ostrikov, Kostya; Kumar, Shailesh; Lacoste, Deanna A.; Levchenko, Igor; Laux, Christophe O.

2013-01-01

We report a nanoscale synthesis technique using nanosecond-duration plasma discharges. Voltage pulses 12.5 kV in amplitude and 40 ns in duration were applied repetitively at 30 kHz across molybdenum electrodes in open ambient air, generating a nanosecond spark discharge that synthesized well-defined MoO3 nanoscale architectures (i.e. flakes, dots, walls, porous networks) upon polyamide and copper substrates. No nitrides were formed. The energy cost was as low as 75 eV per atom incorporated into a nanostructure, suggesting a dramatic reduction compared to other techniques using atmospheric pressure plasmas. These findings show that highly efficient synthesis at atmospheric pressure without catalysts or external substrate heating can be achieved in a simple fashion using nanosecond discharges. PMID:23386976

The receiving simplification partnership: a win-win approach to better service and higher profitability.

PubMed

Beech, W D; Berg, R C

1999-02-01

To achieve competitive advantage, customers and suppliers are increasingly forming logistics partnerships to improve supply chain performance and reduce costs. The partnerships are typically motivated by the need to solve a particular problem, but with attention and open communication, new program ideas can develop, sometimes even breakthrough concepts. During the course of their partnership, Avery Dennison and United Stationers created a program that dramatically simplifies and speeds receiving and put-away of shipments with the aim of reducing workloads, improving service, and increasing profitability. The program involves optimizing order quantity increments to full-pallet, layer, and case volumes based on demand and warehouse configurations. Within six weeks, the results included a 50 percent reduction in shipment line items and 92 percent fewer put-away pieces, despite unchanged inventory levels.

Balancing medicine prices and business sustainability: analyses of pharmacy costs, revenues and profit shed light on retail medicine mark-ups in rural Kyrgyzstan

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Numerous not-for-profit pharmacies have been created to improve access to medicines for the poor, but many have failed due to insufficient financial planning and management. These pharmacies are not well described in health services literature despite strong demand from policy makers, implementers, and researchers. Surveys reporting unaffordable medicine prices and high mark-ups have spurred efforts to reduce medicine prices, but price reduction goals are arbitrary in the absence of information on pharmacy costs, revenues, and profit structures. Health services research is needed to develop sustainable and "reasonable" medicine price goals and strategic initiatives to reach them. Methods We utilized cost accounting methods on inventory and financial information obtained from a not-for-profit rural pharmacy network in mountainous Kyrgyzstan to quantify costs, revenues, profits and medicine mark-ups during establishment and maintenance periods (October 2004-December 2007). Results Twelve pharmacies and one warehouse were established in remote Kyrgyzstan with < US $25,000 due to governmental resource-sharing. The network operated at break-even profit, leaving little room to lower medicine prices and mark-ups. Medicine mark-ups needed for sustainability were greater than originally envisioned by network administration. In 2005, 55%, 35%, and 10% of the network's top 50 products revealed mark-ups of < 50%, 50-99% and > 100%, respectively. Annual mark-ups increased dramatically each year to cover increasing recurrent costs, and by 2007, only 19% and 46% of products revealed mark-ups of < 50% and 50-99%, respectively; while 35% of products revealed mark-ups > 100%. 2007 medicine mark-ups varied substantially across these products, ranging from 32% to 244%. Mark-ups needed to sustain private pharmacies would be even higher in the absence of government subsidies. Conclusion Pharmacy networks can be established in hard-to-reach regions with little funding using public-private partnership, resource-sharing models. Medicine prices and mark-ups must be interpreted with consideration for regional costs of business. Mark-ups vary dramatically across medicines. Some mark-ups appear "excessive" but are likely necessary for pharmacy viability. Pharmacy financial data is available in remote settings and can be used towards determination of "reasonable" medicine price goals. Health systems researchers must document the positive and negative financial experiences of pharmacy initiatives to inform future projects and advance access to medicines goals. PMID:20626904

Balancing medicine prices and business sustainability: analyses of pharmacy costs, revenues and profit shed light on retail medicine mark-ups in rural Kyrgyzstan.

PubMed

Waning, Brenda; Maddix, Jason; Soucy, Lyne

2010-07-13

Numerous not-for-profit pharmacies have been created to improve access to medicines for the poor, but many have failed due to insufficient financial planning and management. These pharmacies are not well described in health services literature despite strong demand from policy makers, implementers, and researchers. Surveys reporting unaffordable medicine prices and high mark-ups have spurred efforts to reduce medicine prices, but price reduction goals are arbitrary in the absence of information on pharmacy costs, revenues, and profit structures. Health services research is needed to develop sustainable and "reasonable" medicine price goals and strategic initiatives to reach them. We utilized cost accounting methods on inventory and financial information obtained from a not-for-profit rural pharmacy network in mountainous Kyrgyzstan to quantify costs, revenues, profits and medicine mark-ups during establishment and maintenance periods (October 2004-December 2007). Twelve pharmacies and one warehouse were established in remote Kyrgyzstan with < US $25,000 due to governmental resource-sharing. The network operated at break-even profit, leaving little room to lower medicine prices and mark-ups. Medicine mark-ups needed for sustainability were greater than originally envisioned by network administration. In 2005, 55%, 35%, and 10% of the network's top 50 products revealed mark-ups of < 50%, 50-99% and > 100%, respectively. Annual mark-ups increased dramatically each year to cover increasing recurrent costs, and by 2007, only 19% and 46% of products revealed mark-ups of < 50% and 50-99%, respectively; while 35% of products revealed mark-ups > 100%. 2007 medicine mark-ups varied substantially across these products, ranging from 32% to 244%. Mark-ups needed to sustain private pharmacies would be even higher in the absence of government subsidies. Pharmacy networks can be established in hard-to-reach regions with little funding using public-private partnership, resource-sharing models. Medicine prices and mark-ups must be interpreted with consideration for regional costs of business. Mark-ups vary dramatically across medicines. Some mark-ups appear "excessive" but are likely necessary for pharmacy viability. Pharmacy financial data is available in remote settings and can be used towards determination of "reasonable" medicine price goals. Health systems researchers must document the positive and negative financial experiences of pharmacy initiatives to inform future projects and advance access to medicines goals.

Survival in a Down Economy: A Budget Reduction Process for Superintendents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, E. E.; Coffland, Jack A.

2010-01-01

Dramatic reductions in the dollars available for public education require a new and systemic approach to balancing school district budgets. This manual provides numerous examples of successful budget reduction strategies based on a six-step process that has demonstrated its effectiveness in small, medium, and large school districts. Supported by…

A Status of the Advanced Space Transportation Program from Planning to Action

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lyles, Garry; Griner, Carolyn

1998-01-01

A Technology Plan for Enabling Commercial Space Business was presented at the 48th International Astronautical Congress in Turin, Italy. This paper presents a status of the program's accomplishments. Technology demonstrations have progressed in each of the four elements of the program; (1) Low Cost Technology, (2) Advanced Reusable Technology, (3) Space Transfer Technology and (4) Space Transportation Research. The Low Cost Technology program element is primarily focused at reducing development and acquisition costs of aerospace hardware using a "design to cost" philosophy with robust margins, adapting commercial manufacturing processes and commercial off-the-shelf hardware. The attributes of this philosophy for small payload launch are being demonstrated at the component, sub-system, and system level. The X-34 "Fastrac" engine has progressed through major component and subsystem demonstrations. A propulsion system test bed has been implemented for system-level demonstration of component and subsystem technologies; including propellant tankage and feedlines, controls, pressurization, and engine systems. Low cost turbopump designs, commercial valves and a controller are demonstrating the potential for a ten-fold reduction in engine and propulsion system costs. The Advanced Reusable Technology program element is focused on increasing life through high strength-to-weight structures and propulsion components, highly integrated propellant tanks, automated checkout and health management and increased propulsion system performance. The validation of rocket based combined cycle (RBCC) propulsion is pro,-,ressing through component and subsystem testing. RBCC propulsion has the potential to provide performance margin over an all rocket system that could result in lower gross liftoff weight, a lower propellant mass fraction or a higher payload mass fraction. The Space Transfer Technology element of the program is pursuing technology that can improve performance and dramatically reduce the propellant and structural mass of orbit transfer and deep space systems. Flight demonstration of ion propulsion is progressing towards launch. Ion propulsion is the primary propulsion for Deep Space 1; a flyby of comet West-kohoutek-lkemura and asteroid 3352 McAuliffe. Testing of critical solar-thermal propulsion subsystems have been accomplished and planning is continuing for the flight demonstration of an electrodynamic tether orbit transfer system. The forth and final element of the program, Space Transportation Research, has progressed in several areas of propulsion research. This element of the program is focused at long-term (25 years) breakthrough concepts that could bring launch costs to a factor of one hundred below today's cost or dramatically expand planetary travel and enable interstellar travel.

The High Cost of Wisconsin's Dropout Rate. School Choice Issues in the State

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

House, Emily Anne

2009-01-01

This study presents the public costs of high school dropouts in Wisconsin. It examines how dropouts in the state dramatically impact state finances through reduced tax revenues, increased Medicaid costs, and high incarceration rates. It also examines just how much high school dropouts cost Wisconsin's taxpayers each year, and how much could be…

Opinion Leaders See Rising College Costs as Major Concern.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chronicle of Higher Education, 1988

1988-01-01

A recent survey of federal government officials, corporate leaders in charge of personnel and research, and journalists found dramatically different views in some areas, but agreement in concern about college costs, financing, and lack of government spending for research. Most felt college is a fair value for the cost. (MSE)

Generalized Reich-Moore R-matrix approximation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arbanas, Goran; Sobes, Vladimir; Holcomb, Andrew; Ducru, Pablo; Pigni, Marco; Wiarda, Dorothea

2017-09-01

A conventional Reich-Moore approximation (RMA) of R-matrix is generalized into a manifestly unitary form by introducing a set of resonant capture channels treated explicitly in a generalized, reduced R-matrix. A dramatic reduction of channel space witnessed in conventional RMA, from Nc × Nc full R-matrix to Np × Np reduced R-matrix, where Nc = Np + Nγ, Np and Nγ denoting the number of particle and γ-ray channels, respectively, is due to Np < Nγ. A corresponding reduction of channel space in generalized RMA (GRMA) is from Nc × Nc full R-matrix to N × N, where N = Np + N, and where N is the number of capture channels defined in GRMA. We show that N = Nλ where Nλ is the number of R-matrix levels. This reduction in channel space, although not as dramatic as in the conventional RMA, could be significant for medium and heavy nuclides where N < Nγ. The resonant capture channels defined by GRMA accommodate level-level interference (via capture channels) neglected in conventional RMA. The expression for total capture cross section in GRMA is formally equal to that of the full Nc × NcR-matrix. This suggests that GRMA could yield improved nuclear data evaluations in the resolved resonance range at a cost of introducing N(N - 1)/2 resonant capture width parameters relative to conventional RMA. Manifest unitarity of GRMA justifies a method advocated by Fröhner and implemented in the SAMMY nuclear data evaluation code for enforcing unitarity of conventional RMA. Capture widths of GRMA are exactly convertible into alternative R-matrix parameters via Brune tranform. Application of idealized statistical methods to GRMA shows that variance among conventional RMA capture widths in extant RMA evaluations could be used to estimate variance among off-diagonal elements neglected by conventional RMA. Significant departure of capture widths from an idealized distribution may indicate the presence of underlying doorway states.

Quantified, Localized Health Benefits of Accelerated Carbon Dioxide Emissions Reductions.

PubMed

Shindell, Drew; Faluvegi, Greg; Seltzer, Karl; Shindell, Cary

2018-01-01

Societal risks increase as Earth warms, but also for emissions trajectories accepting relatively high levels of near-term emissions while assuming future negative emissions will compensate even if they lead to identical warming [1]. Accelerating carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions reductions, including as a substitute for negative emissions, hence reduces long-term risks but requires dramatic near-term societal transformations [2]. A major barrier to emissions reductions is the difficulty of reconciling immediate, localized costs with global, long-term benefits [3, 4]. However, 2°C trajectories not relying on negative emissions or 1.5°C trajectories require elimination of most fossil fuel related emissions. This generally reduces co-emissions that cause ambient air pollution, resulting in near-term, localized health benefits. We therefore examine the human health benefits of increasing ambition of 21 st century CO 2 reductions by 180 GtC; an amount that would shift a 'standard' 2°C scenario to 1.5°C or could achieve 2°C without negative emissions. The decreased air pollution leads to 153±43 million fewer premature deaths worldwide, with ~40% occurring during the next 40 years, and minimal climate disbenefits. More than a million premature deaths would be prevented in many metropolitan areas in Asia and Africa, and >200,000 in individual urban areas on every inhabited continent except Australia.

Quantified, localized health benefits of accelerated carbon dioxide emissions reductions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shindell, Drew; Faluvegi, Greg; Seltzer, Karl; Shindell, Cary

2018-04-01

Societal risks increase as Earth warms, and increase further for emissions trajectories accepting relatively high levels of near-term emissions while assuming future negative emissions will compensate, even if they lead to identical warming as trajectories with reduced near-term emissions1. Accelerating carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reductions, including as a substitute for negative emissions, hence reduces long-term risks but requires dramatic near-term societal transformations2. A major barrier to emissions reductions is the difficulty of reconciling immediate, localized costs with global, long-term benefits3,4. However, 2 °C trajectories not relying on negative emissions or 1.5 °C trajectories require elimination of most fossil-fuel-related emissions. This generally reduces co-emissions that cause ambient air pollution, resulting in near-term, localized health benefits. We therefore examine the human health benefits of increasing 21st-century CO2 reductions by 180 GtC, an amount that would shift a `standard' 2 °C scenario to 1.5 °C or could achieve 2 °C without negative emissions. The decreased air pollution leads to 153 ± 43 million fewer premature deaths worldwide, with 40% occurring during the next 40 years, and minimal climate disbenefits. More than a million premature deaths would be prevented in many metropolitan areas in Asia and Africa, and >200,000 in individual urban areas on every inhabited continent except Australia.

Central Europe: Ethical Overlaps of Environmental and Economic Interests in Coming Years.

PubMed

Caha, Zdeněk

2017-10-25

Despite the size and thanks to the rich brown coal reserves, the Czech Republic is one of the leading energy producers in Europe, and the 7th biggest exporter of electricity in the world. However, following the climate change mitigation, the novel energy policy that enhances the reduction of coal mining is about to be implemented. A preliminary material flow analysis of the Czech energy sector was carried out. The data obtained confirmed that this government act would result in a dramatic reduction of revenues from electricity sales. Conversely, increased costs would be necessary in order to modernize nuclear power plants and promote the production of renewable energy. In addition, the economic analysis revealed that the act might be prejudicial to economic relations in Central and Western-European countries as some of them are significantly dependent on the electricity imported from the Czech Republic. Disputes between engineers and politicians were highlighted. The aforementioned interrelations were subsequently analyzed and a conclusion was made stating that global interests should have the highest moral priority.

Surface nanocrystalline and hardening effects of Ti-Al-V alloy by electropulsing ultrasonic shock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Xiaoxin

2015-04-01

The effect of electropulsing ultrasonic shock (EUS) on the surface hardening and microstructure of Ti6Al4V alloy was studied. It was found that electropulsing improved the microhardness dramatically both in the influential depth and maximum value, compared with the only ultrasonic-shocked sample. It's indicated that refined surface layer with nanocrystalline and improved microhardness were obtained on account of surface severe plastic deformation, dynamic recrystallization (DRX) and phase change, which was implemented at relative low temperature and high strain rate/capacity due to the coupling of the thermal and athermal effects of EUS. It's different from conventional experiments and theory. It's discussed that the positive contributions of EPT in the thermodynamics and kinetics of microstructure and properties change were attributed to the reduction of nucleation energy barrier and acceleration of atomic diffusion. Therefore, it's supposed that EUS is an energy-saving and high-efficiency method of surface treatment technique with the help of high-energy electropulses, which is promising in cost reduction of the surface engineering and energy management.

Rapid and accurate pyrosequencing of angiosperm plastid genomes

PubMed Central

Moore, Michael J; Dhingra, Amit; Soltis, Pamela S; Shaw, Regina; Farmerie, William G; Folta, Kevin M; Soltis, Douglas E

2006-01-01

Background Plastid genome sequence information is vital to several disciplines in plant biology, including phylogenetics and molecular biology. The past five years have witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of completely sequenced plastid genomes, fuelled largely by advances in conventional Sanger sequencing technology. Here we report a further significant reduction in time and cost for plastid genome sequencing through the successful use of a newly available pyrosequencing platform, the Genome Sequencer 20 (GS 20) System (454 Life Sciences Corporation), to rapidly and accurately sequence the whole plastid genomes of the basal eudicot angiosperms Nandina domestica (Berberidaceae) and Platanus occidentalis (Platanaceae). Results More than 99.75% of each plastid genome was simultaneously obtained during two GS 20 sequence runs, to an average depth of coverage of 24.6× in Nandina and 17.3× in Platanus. The Nandina and Platanus plastid genomes shared essentially identical gene complements and possessed the typical angiosperm plastid structure and gene arrangement. To assess the accuracy of the GS 20 sequence, over 45 kilobases of sequence were generated for each genome using conventional sequencing. Overall error rates of 0.043% and 0.031% were observed in GS 20 sequence for Nandina and Platanus, respectively. More than 97% of all observed errors were associated with homopolymer runs, with ~60% of all errors associated with homopolymer runs of 5 or more nucleotides and ~50% of all errors associated with regions of extensive homopolymer runs. No substitution errors were present in either genome. Error rates were generally higher in the single-copy and noncoding regions of both plastid genomes relative to the inverted repeat and coding regions. Conclusion Highly accurate and essentially complete sequence information was obtained for the Nandina and Platanus plastid genomes using the GS 20 System. More importantly, the high accuracy observed in the GS 20 plastid genome sequence was generated for a significant reduction in time and cost over traditional shotgun-based genome sequencing techniques, although with approximately half the coverage of previously reported GS 20 de novo genome sequence. The GS 20 should be broadly applicable to angiosperm plastid genome sequencing, and therefore promises to expand the scale of plant genetic and phylogenetic research dramatically. PMID:16934154

ECHO: Machine feasibility program

Treesearch

Philip H. Steele; Craig Boden; Philip A. Araman

2000-01-01

Reductions in saw kerf (the term saw kerf refers to both the sawtooth width as well as the actual sawline made in sawing) on headrigs and resaws can dramatically increase lumber recovery. Research has also shown that lumber target size reductions are even more important than kerf reductions in providing increased lumber recovery. Decreases in either kerf or lumber size...

An investigation of the effects of spanwise wall oscillation on the structure of a turbulent boundary layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trujillo, Steven Mathew

Transition of a fluid boundary layer from a laminar to a turbulent regime is accompanied by a large increase in skin friction drag. The ability to manipulate the flow or its bounding geometry to reduce this drag effectively has been a long-sought goal in contemporary fluid mechanics. Recently, workers have demonstrated that continuous lateral oscillation of the flow's bounding surface is one means to this goal, producing significant drag reduction. The present study was performed to understand better the mechanism by which such a flow achieves drag reduction. An oscillating wall section was installed in a water channel facility, and the resulting flow was studied using laser Doppler velocimetry, hot-film anemometry, and visualization techniques. Traditional mean and fluctuating statistics were examined, as well as statistics computed from conditionally-sampled turbulent events. The dependence of these quantities on the phase of the oscillating surface's motion was also studied. Visualization-based studies were employed to provide insight into the structural changes brought on by the wall oscillation. The most dramatic changes effected by the wall motion were seen as reductions in frequency of bursts and sweeps, events which concentrate large production of Reynolds stress and which ultimately augment wall skin friction. These Reynolds-stress reductions were reflected in reductions in mean and fluctuating quantifies in the lower regions of the boundary layer. Other velocity measurements confirmed earlier workers' speculations that the secondary flow induced by the oscillating wall is comparable to Stokes' solution for an oscillating plate in a quiescent fluid. Other than this secondary flow, however, the boundary layer displayed essentially no dependence on the phase of the wall motion. A simple cost analysis showed that, in general, the energy cost required to implement this technique is greater than the savings it produces. The visualizations of the flow revealed a more uniform flow in the near-wall region resulting from wall oscillation. Quantitative analyses of the visualizations supported the velocity-based Reynolds-stress reductions; the same data also revealed that the quasi-streamwise vortical structures above the wall did not appear to be altered significantly by the wall motion.

Clinical applications of commercially available video recording and monitoring systems: inexpensive, high-quality video recording and monitoring systems for endoscopy and microsurgery.

PubMed

Tsunoda, Koichi; Tsunoda, Atsunobu; Ishimoto, ShinnIchi; Kimura, Satoko

2006-01-01

The exclusive charge-coupled device (CCD) camera system for the endoscope and electronic fiberscopes are in widespread use. However, both are usually stationary in an office or examination room, and a wheeled cart is needed for mobility. The total costs of the CCD camera system and electronic fiberscopy system are at least US Dollars 10,000 and US Dollars 30,000, respectively. Recently, the performance of audio and visual instruments has improved dramatically, with a concomitant reduction in their cost. Commercially available CCD video cameras with small monitors have become common. They provide excellent image quality and are much smaller and less expensive than previous models. The authors have developed adaptors for the popular mini-digital video (mini-DV) camera. The camera also provides video and acoustic output signals; therefore, the endoscopic images can be viewed on a large monitor simultaneously. The new system (a mini-DV video camera and an adaptor) costs only US Dollars 1,000. Therefore, the system is both cost-effective and useful for the outpatient clinic or casualty setting, or on house calls for the purpose of patient education. In the future, the authors plan to introduce the clinical application of a high-vision camera and an infrared camera as medical instruments for clinical and research situations.

Solid state laser applications in photovoltaics manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunsky, Corey; Colville, Finlay

2008-02-01

Photovoltaic energy conversion devices are on a rapidly accelerating growth path driven by increasing government and societal pressure to use renewable energy as part of an overall strategy to address global warming attributed to greenhouse gas emissions. Initially supported in several countries by generous tax subsidies, solar cell manufacturers are relentlessly pushing the performance/cost ratio of these devices in a quest to reach true cost parity with grid electricity. Clearly this eventual goal will result in further acceleration in the overall market growth. Silicon wafer based solar cells are currently the mainstay of solar end-user installations with a cost up to three times grid electricity. But next-generation technology in the form of thin-film devices promises streamlined, high-volume manufacturing and greatly reduced silicon consumption, resulting in dramatically lower per unit fabrication costs. Notwithstanding the modest conversion efficiency of thin-film devices compared to wafered silicon products (around 6-10% versus 15-20%), this cost reduction is driving existing and start-up solar manufacturers to switch to thin-film production. A key aspect of these devices is patterning large panels to create a monolithic array of series-interconnected cells to form a low current, high voltage module. This patterning is accomplished in three critical scribing processes called P1, P2, and P3. Lasers are the technology of choice for these processes, delivering the desired combination of high throughput and narrow, clean scribes. This paper examines these processes and discusses the optimization of industrial lasers to meet their specific needs.

Oregon's High School Dropouts: Examining the Economic and Social Costs. Research Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foundation for Educational Choice, 2010

2010-01-01

The Foundation for Educational Choice recently commissioned a new study to examine the economic and social costs of Oregon's high school dropouts. Emily House, the study's author, analyzed how dropouts in the state dramatically impact state finances through reduced tax revenues, increased Medicaid costs, and high incarceration rates. House's study…

Effect of a health system's medical error disclosure program on gastroenterology-related claims rates and costs.

PubMed

Adams, Megan A; Elmunzer, B Joseph; Scheiman, James M

2014-04-01

In 2001, the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS) implemented a novel medical error disclosure program. This study analyzes the effect of this program on gastroenterology (GI)-related claims and costs. This was a review of claims in the UMHS Risk Management Database (1990-2010), naming a gastroenterologist. Claims were classified according to pre-determined categories. Claims data, including incident date, date of resolution, and total liability dollars, were reviewed. Mean total liability incurred per claim in the pre- and post-implementation eras was compared. Patient encounter data from the Division of Gastroenterology was also reviewed in order to benchmark claims data with changes in clinical volume. There were 238,911 GI encounters in the pre-implementation era and 411,944 in the post-implementation era. A total of 66 encounters resulted in claims: 38 in the pre-implementation era and 28 in the post-implementation era. Of the total number of claims, 15.2% alleged delay in diagnosis/misdiagnosis, 42.4% related to a procedure, and 42.4% involved improper management, treatment, or monitoring. The reduction in the proportion of encounters resulting in claims was statistically significant (P=0.001), as was the reduction in time to claim resolution (1,000 vs. 460 days) (P<0.0001). There was also a reduction in the mean total liability per claim ($167,309 pre vs. $81,107 post, 95% confidence interval: 33682.5-300936.2 pre vs. 1687.8-160526.7 post). Implementation of a novel medical error disclosure program, promoting transparency and quality improvement, not only decreased the number of GI-related claims per patient encounter, but also dramatically shortened the time to claim resolution.

Dramatic Reduction in Diarrhoeal Diseases through Implementation of Cost-Effective Household Drinking Water Treatment Systems in Makwane Village, Limpopo Province, South Africa

PubMed Central

Budeli, Phumudzo; Mpenyana-Monyatsi, Lizzy

2018-01-01

The main purpose of this study was to implement cost-effective household water treatment systems in every household of Makwane Village for the reduction of diarrhoeal diseases. These household water treatment systems were constructed with locally available materials and consisted of the biosand zeolite-silver impregnated granular clay filters and the silver-impregnated porous pot filters. During the study period (April 2015 to September 2015), the entire village had 88 households with a population size of 480. Prior to the implementation, a survey was conducted and results revealed that 75% (360/480) of the Makwane residents suffered from diarrhoeal disease and the majority of the cases were reported in children that were less than five years of age. Out of the 480 participants, 372 (77.5%) from 70 households accepted the installation of the systems (intervention group) and 108 (25.5%) from 18 households were reluctant to use the systems (the control group). To date, in the intervention group, only 3.8% (14/372) of participants reported cases of diarrhoea. In the control group, 57.4% (62/108) participants reported cases of diarrhoea and most of the episodes of diarrhoea were reported in children of less than five years old (85%), followed by the group aged ≥56 years (75%). The findings of the current study unequivocally demonstrated that the BSZ-SICG and SIPP filters were able to reduce the incidence of diarrhoea by 96.2%. These findings further demonstrate the importance of household water treatment systems (HWTS) interventions in rural areas to bring about meaningful reductions in diarrhoeal diseases by providing safe potable water. PMID:29495483

Dramatic Reduction in Diarrhoeal Diseases through Implementation of Cost-Effective Household Drinking Water Treatment Systems in Makwane Village, Limpopo Province, South Africa.

PubMed

Moropeng, Resoketswe Charlotte; Budeli, Phumudzo; Mpenyana-Monyatsi, Lizzy; Momba, Maggy Ndombo Benteke

2018-02-27

The main purpose of this study was to implement cost-effective household water treatment systems in every household of Makwane Village for the reduction of diarrhoeal diseases. These household water treatment systems were constructed with locally available materials and consisted of the biosand zeolite-silver impregnated granular clay filters and the silver-impregnated porous pot filters. During the study period (April 2015 to September 2015), the entire village had 88 households with a population size of 480. Prior to the implementation, a survey was conducted and results revealed that 75% (360/480) of the Makwane residents suffered from diarrhoeal disease and the majority of the cases were reported in children that were less than five years of age. Out of the 480 participants, 372 (77.5%) from 70 households accepted the installation of the systems (intervention group) and 108 (25.5%) from 18 households were reluctant to use the systems (the control group). To date, in the intervention group, only 3.8% (14/372) of participants reported cases of diarrhoea. In the control group, 57.4% (62/108) participants reported cases of diarrhoea and most of the episodes of diarrhoea were reported in children of less than five years old (85%), followed by the group aged ≥56 years (75%). The findings of the current study unequivocally demonstrated that the BSZ-SICG and SIPP filters were able to reduce the incidence of diarrhoea by 96.2%. These findings further demonstrate the importance of household water treatment systems (HWTS) interventions in rural areas to bring about meaningful reductions in diarrhoeal diseases by providing safe potable water.

Development of a Universal Waste Management System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stapleton, Thomas J.; Baccus, Shelley; Broyan, James L., Jr.

2013-01-01

NASA is working with a number of commercial companies to develop the next low Earth orbit spacecraft. The hardware volume and weight constraints are similar to or greater than those of the Apollo era. This, coupled with the equally demanding cost challenge of the proposed commercial vehicles, causes much of the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) designs to be reconsidered. The Waste Collection System (WCS) is within this group of ECLSS hardware. The development to support this new initiative is discussed within. A WCS concept - intended to be common for all the vehicle platforms currently on the drawing board - is being developed. The new concept, referred to as the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS), includes favorable features from previous designs while improving on other areas on previous Space Shuttle and the existing International Space Station (ISS) WCS hardware, as needed. The intent is to build a commode that requires less crew time, improved cleanliness, and a 75% reduction in volume and weight compared to the previous US ISS/Extended Duration Orbitor WCS developed in the 1990s. The UWMS is most similar to the ISS Development Test Objective (DTO) WCS design. It is understood that the most dramatic cost reduction opportunity occurs at the beginning of the design process. To realize this opportunity, the cost of each similar component between the UWMS and the DTO WCS was determined. The comparison outlined were the design changes that would result with the greatest impact. The changes resulted in simplifying the approach or eliminating components completely. This initial UWMS paper will describe the system layout approach and a few key features of major components. Future papers will describe the UWMS functionality, test results, and components as they are developed.

Reduced-cost linear-response CC2 method based on natural orbitals and natural auxiliary functions

PubMed Central

Mester, Dávid

2017-01-01

A reduced-cost density fitting (DF) linear-response second-order coupled-cluster (CC2) method has been developed for the evaluation of excitation energies. The method is based on the simultaneous truncation of the molecular orbital (MO) basis and the auxiliary basis set used for the DF approximation. For the reduction of the size of the MO basis, state-specific natural orbitals (NOs) are constructed for each excited state using the average of the second-order Møller–Plesset (MP2) and the corresponding configuration interaction singles with perturbative doubles [CIS(D)] density matrices. After removing the NOs of low occupation number, natural auxiliary functions (NAFs) are constructed [M. Kállay, J. Chem. Phys. 141, 244113 (2014)], and the NAF basis is also truncated. Our results show that, for a triple-zeta basis set, about 60% of the virtual MOs can be dropped, while the size of the fitting basis can be reduced by a factor of five. This results in a dramatic reduction of the computational costs of the solution of the CC2 equations, which are in our approach about as expensive as the evaluation of the MP2 and CIS(D) density matrices. All in all, an average speedup of more than an order of magnitude can be achieved at the expense of a mean absolute error of 0.02 eV in the calculated excitation energies compared to the canonical CC2 results. Our benchmark calculations demonstrate that the new approach enables the efficient computation of CC2 excitation energies for excited states of all types of medium-sized molecules composed of up to 100 atoms with triple-zeta quality basis sets. PMID:28527453

A Technology Plan for Enabling Commercial Space Business

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lyles, Garry M.

1997-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Advanced Space Transportation Program is a customer driven, focused technology program that supports the NASA Strategic Plan and considers future commercial space business projections. The initial cycle of the Advanced Space Transportation Program implementation planning was conducted from December 1995 through February 1996 and represented increased NASA emphasis on broad base technology development with the goal of dramatic reductions in the cost of space transportation. The second planning cycle, conducted in January and February 1997, updated the program implementation plan based on changes in the external environment, increased maturity of advanced concept studies, and current technology assessments. The program has taken a business-like approach to technology development with a balanced portfolio of near, medium, and long-term strategic targets. Strategic targets are influenced by Earth science, space science, and exploration objectives as well as commercial space markets. Commercial space markets include those that would be enhanced by lower cost transportation as well as potential markets resulting in major increases in space business induced by reductions in transportation cost. The program plan addresses earth-to-orbit space launch, earth orbit operations and deep space systems. It also addresses all critical transportation system elements; including structures, thermal protection systems, propulsion, avionics, and operations. As these technologies are matured, integrated technology flight experiments such as the X-33 and X-34 flight demonstrator programs support near-term (one to five years) development or operational decisions. The Advanced Space Transportation Program and the flight demonstrator programs combine business planning, ground-based technology demonstrations and flight demonstrations that will permit industry and NASA to commit to revolutionary new space transportation systems beginning at the turn of the century and continuing far into the future.

Composite Cryotank Technologies and Demonstration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vickers, John

2015-01-01

NASA is exploring advanced composite materials and processes to reduce the overall cost and weight of liquid hydrogen (LH2) cryotanks while maintaining the reliability of existing metallic designs. The fundamental goal of the composite cryotank project was to provide new and innovative technologies that enable human space exploration to destinations beyond low-Earth orbit such as the Moon, near-Earth asteroids, and Mars. In September 2011, NASA awarded Boeing the contract to design, manufacture, and test two lightweight composite cryogenic propellant tanks. The all-composite tanks shown iare fabricated with an automated fiber placement machine using a prepreg system of IM7 carbon fiber/CYCOM 5320-1 epoxy resin. This is a resin system developed for out-of-autoclave applications. Switching from metallic to composite construction holds the potential to dramatically increase the performance capabilities of future space systems through a dramatic reduction in weight. Composite Cryotank Technologies and Demonstration testing was an agency-wide effort with NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) leading project management, manufacturing, and test; Glenn Research Center leading the materials; and Langley Research Center leading the structures effort for this project. Significant contributions from NASA loads/stress personnel contributed to the understanding of thermal/mechanical strain response while undergoing testing at cryogenic temperatures. The project finalized in September 2014.

Emergence of competition and cooperation in an evolutionary resource war model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamantia, Fabio

2018-05-01

In this paper we introduce a simple punishment scheme in the 'great fish war' model with many players. An imitative process regulates how a coalition of cooperators is dynamically updated over time. An intuitive effect of adding sanctions is that they could enlarge the possible sustainable coalitions. However, the evolution toward full cooperation can be sustained by a punishment scheme provided that a critical mass of agents enforces cooperation at the beginning of the game. Moreover, we show the presence of thresholds in sanctions or in the cost for punishing such that if these thresholds are trespassed then dramatic reductions in the resource level and in the agents' welfare may occur as a consequence of free riding effects. We show by some examples that these phenomena are due to the presence of tipping points in the model.

Stochastic coupled cluster theory: Efficient sampling of the coupled cluster expansion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scott, Charles J. C.; Thom, Alex J. W.

2017-09-01

We consider the sampling of the coupled cluster expansion within stochastic coupled cluster theory. Observing the limitations of previous approaches due to the inherently non-linear behavior of a coupled cluster wavefunction representation, we propose new approaches based on an intuitive, well-defined condition for sampling weights and on sampling the expansion in cluster operators of different excitation levels. We term these modifications even and truncated selections, respectively. Utilising both approaches demonstrates dramatically improved calculation stability as well as reduced computational and memory costs. These modifications are particularly effective at higher truncation levels owing to the large number of terms within the cluster expansion that can be neglected, as demonstrated by the reduction of the number of terms to be sampled when truncating at triple excitations by 77% and hextuple excitations by 98%.

High-throughput sequencing in veterinary infection biology and diagnostics.

PubMed

Belák, S; Karlsson, O E; Leijon, M; Granberg, F

2013-12-01

Sequencing methods have improved rapidly since the first versions of the Sanger techniques, facilitating the development of very powerful tools for detecting and identifying various pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria and other microbes. The ongoing development of high-throughput sequencing (HTS; also known as next-generation sequencing) technologies has resulted in a dramatic reduction in DNA sequencing costs, making the technology more accessible to the average laboratory. In this White Paper of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Collaborating Centre for the Biotechnology-based Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases in Veterinary Medicine (Uppsala, Sweden), several approaches and examples of HTS are summarised, and their diagnostic applicability is briefly discussed. Selected future aspects of HTS are outlined, including the need for bioinformatic resources, with a focus on improving the diagnosis and control of infectious diseases in veterinary medicine.

Highly transparent carbon counter electrode prepared via an in situ carbonization method for bifacial dye-sensitized solar cells.

PubMed

Bu, Chenghao; Liu, Yumin; Yu, Zhenhua; You, Sujian; Huang, Niu; Liang, Liangliang; Zhao, Xing-Zhong

2013-08-14

A facile in situ carbonization method was demonstrated to prepare the highly transparent carbon counter electrode (CE) with good mechanical stability for bifacial dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). The optical and electrochemical properties of carbon CEs were dramatically affected by the composition and concentration of the precursor. The well-optimized carbon CE exhibited high transparency and sufficient catalytic activity for I3(-) reduction. The bifacial DSC with obtained carbon CE achieved a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.04% under rear-side illumination, which approaches 85% that of front-side illumination (6.07%). Moreover, the device shows excellent stability as confirmed by the aging test. These promising results reveal the enormous potential of this transparent carbon CE in scaling up and commercialization of low cost and effective bifacial DSCs.

Assessment of the state of the art in life support environmental control for SEI

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simonds, Charles H.; Noyes, Gary P.

1992-01-01

This paper defines the types of technology that would be used in a lunar base for environmental control and life support system and how it might relate to in situ materials utilization (ISMU) for the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI). There are three types of interaction between ISMU and the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS): (1) ISMU can reduce cost of water, oxygen, and possibly diluent gasses provided to ECLSS--a corollary to this fact is that the availability of indigenous resources can dramatically alter life support technology trade studies; (2) ISMU can use ECLSS waste systems as a source of reductant carbon and hydrogen; and (3) ECLSS and ISMU, as two chemical processing technologies used in spacecraft, can share technology, thereby increasing the impact of technology investments in either area.

AUTOMATION OF EXPERIMENTS WITH A HAND-HELD PROGRAMMABLE CALCULATOR

EPA Science Inventory

Technological developments have dramatically reduced the cost of data collection, experimental control and computation. Products are now available which allow automation of experiments both in the laboratory and in the field at substantially lower cost and with less technical exp...

Air-Microfluidics: Creating Small, Low-cost, Portable Air Quality Sensors

EPA Science Inventory

Air-microfluidics shows great promise in dramatically reducing the size, cost, and power requirements of future air quality sensors without compromising their accuracy. Microfabrication provides a suite of relatively new tools for the development of micro electro mechanical syste...

NREL to Research Revolutionary Battery Storage Approaches in Support of

Science.gov Websites

adoption by dramatically improving driving range and reliability, and by providing low-cost carbon have the potential to meet the demanding safety, cost and performance levels for EVs set by ARPA-E, but materials to develop a new low-cost battery that operates similar to a flow battery, where chemical energy

Empowering Employees: How Colleges Can Dramatically Reduce Their Medical Costs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powell, Bill

1993-01-01

A plan that offers college employees an incentive to contain health care insurance costs is outlined. It consists of three parts: the institution's offering of coverage for claims above a certain level; an employee deductible; and an accounting system that rewards employees for keeping health care costs down as well as involving them in management…

Implementation of Hospital Computerized Physician Order Entry Systems in a Rural State: Feasibility and Financial Impact

PubMed Central

Ohsfeldt, Robert L.; Ward, Marcia M.; Schneider, John E.; Jaana, Mirou; Miller, Thomas R.; Lei, Yang; Wakefield, Douglas S.

2005-01-01

Objective The aim of this study was to estimate the costs of implementing computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems in hospitals in a rural state and to evaluate the financial implications of statewide CPOE implementation. Methods A simulation model was constructed using estimates of initial and ongoing CPOE costs mapped onto all general hospitals in Iowa by bed quantity and current clinical information system (CIS) status. CPOE cost estimates were obtained from a leading CPOE vendor. Current CIS status was determined through mail survey of Iowa hospitals. Patient care revenue and operating cost data published by the Iowa Hospital Association were used to simulate the financial impact of CPOE adoption on hospitals. Results CPOE implementation would dramatically increase operating costs for rural and critical access hospitals in the absence of substantial costs savings associated with improved efficiency or improved patient safety. For urban and rural referral hospitals, the cost impact is less dramatic but still substantial. However, relatively modest benefits in the form of patient care cost savings or revenue enhancement would be sufficient to offset CPOE costs for these larger hospitals. Conclusion Implementation of CPOE in rural or critical access hospitals may depend on net increase in operating costs. Adoption of CPOE may be financially infeasible for these small hospitals in the absence of increases in hospital payments or ongoing subsidies from third parties. PMID:15492033

Innovations in health care: antisepsis as a case study.

PubMed Central

Larson, E

1989-01-01

An innovation often occurs in several arenas almost simultaneously, after being preceded by a long preparatory period when information and experience are accrued to the point at which opinion is influenced to change. Nevertheless, the introduction of an innovation is usually accompanied by resistance and hostility. This article traces the development of the concept and practice of antisepsis in health care, with emphasis on the contributions of three individuals who were contemporaries practicing in different health care fields, but who apparently were uninfluenced by each others' work. Semmelweis, a Hungarian obstetrician, recognized the importance of person-to-person transmission of infectious agents and effected dramatic reductions in puerperal mortality by requiring antiseptic handwashing. Lister, a Scottish surgeon, was the first physician to apply the germ theory to clinical practice and developed the techniques of antiseptic surgery and wound care, resulting in dramatic reductions in surgical mortality. Nightingale, a British nurse, initiated sanitary reforms in hospitals, schools, and military camps in England and abroad, incorporating high levels of environmental and personal hygiene. These reforms were also succeeded by dramatic reductions in mortality. In light of historical and current evidence of efficacy and the evidence of continued inadequacies in practice, it seems reasonable to speculate that further reductions in nosocomial infection rates are possible by a more careful application among individual practitioners of the basic principles of antisepsis. Images p93-a p94-a p96-a p96-b PMID:2642372

Consequences of dramatic reductions in state tobacco control funds: Florida, 1998-2000.

PubMed

Niederdeppe, J; Farrelly, M C; Hersey, J C; Davis, K C

2008-06-01

This study assessed whether dramatic funding reductions to the Florida Tobacco Control Program (FTCP) influenced trends in recall of the Florida "truth" anti-smoking media campaign, anti-industry attitudes and non-smoking intentions among Florida teens. We used an interrupted time series technique to test for differences in the rates of change in Florida "truth" recall, anti-industry beliefs and non-smoking intentions before and after the FTCP budget cuts using the Florida Anti-tobacco Media Evaluation (FAME) survey, a repeated cross-sectional telephone survey of Florida teens. Recall of the Florida "truth" anti-smoking campaign, anti-industry attitudes, and non-smoking intentions increased dramatically between April 1998 and May 1999. Florida "truth" recall declined after FTCP budget cuts in June 1999. Anti-industry beliefs and non-smoking intentions plateaued or began to decline after the budget cuts. The launch of the national "truth" campaign in February 2000 may have offset otherwise deleterious effects of the budget cuts on anti-industry beliefs, but not smoking intentions. Reductions in tobacco control funding have immediate effects on programme exposure and cognitive precursors to smoking initiation. There is a critical need to maintain and enhance funding for state tobacco control programmes to continue nationwide progress in preventing youth from initiating cigarette smoking.

Development and Characterization of a Small Spacecraft Electro-Optic Scanner for Free-Space Laser Communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Scott; Lichter, Michael; Raible, Daniel

2016-01-01

Emergent data-intensive missions coupled with dramatic reductions in spacecraft size plus an increasing number of space-based missions necessitates new high performance, compact and low cost communications technology. Free space optical communications offer advantages including orders of magnitude increase for data rate performance, increased security, immunity to jamming and lack of frequency allocation requirements when compared with conventional radio frequency (RF) means. The spatial coherence and low divergence associated with the optical frequencies of laser communications lends themselves to superior performance, but this increased directionality also creates one of the primary technical challenges in establishing a laser communications link by repeatedly and reliably pointing the beam onto the receive aperture. Several solutions have emerged from wide angle (slow) mechanical articulation systems, fine (fast) steering mirrors and rotating prisms, inertial compensation gyros and vibration isolation cancellation systems, but each requires moving components and imparts a measured amount of burden on the host platform. The complexity, cost and size of current mechanically scanned solutions limits their platform applicability, and restricts the feasibility of deploying optical communications payloads on very compact spacecraft employing critical systems. A high speed, wide angle, non-mechanical solution is therefore desirable. The purpose of this work is to share the development, testing, and demonstration of a breadboard prototype electro-optic (EO) scanned laser-communication link (see Figure 1). This demonstration is a step toward realizing ultra-low Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) SmallSat/MicroSat EO non-mechanical laser beam steering modules for high bandwidth ( greater than Gbps) free-space data links operating in the 1550 nm wavelength bands. The elimination of all moving parts will dramatically reduce SWaP and cost, increase component lifetime and reliability, and simplify the system design of laser communication modules. This paper describes the target mission architectures and requirements (few cubic centimeters of volume, 10's of grams of weight with milliwatts of power) and design of the beam steering module. Laboratory metrology is used to determine the component performance including horizontal and vertical resolution (20urad) as a function of control voltage (see Figure 2), transition time (0.1-1ms), pointing repeatability and optic insertion loss. A test bed system demonstration, including a full laser communications link, is conducted. The capabilities of this new EO beam steerer provide an opportunity to dramatically improve space communications through increased utilization of laser technology on smaller platforms than were previously attainable.

Financial impact of tertiary care in an academic medical center.

PubMed

Huber, T S; Carlton, L M; O'Hern, D G; Hardt, N S; Keith Ozaki, C; Flynn, T C; Seeger, J M

2000-06-01

To analyze the financial impact of three complex vascular surgical procedures to both an academic hospital and a department of surgery and to examine the potential impact of decreased reimbursements. The cost of providing tertiary care has been implicated as one potential cause of the financial difficulties affecting academic medical centers. Patients undergoing revascularization for chronic mesenteric ischemia, elective thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair, and treatment of infected aortic grafts at the University of Florida were compared with those undergoing elective infrarenal aortic reconstruction and carotid endarterectomy. Hospital costs and profit summaries were obtained from the Clinical Resource Management Office. Departmental costs and profit summary were estimated based on the procedural relative value units (RVUs), the average clinical cost per RVU ($33.12), surgeon charges, and the collection rate for the vascular surgery division (30.2%) obtained from the Faculty Group Practice. Surgeon work effort was analyzed using the procedural work RVUs and the estimated total care time. The analyses were performed for all payors and the subset of Medicare patients, and the potential impact of a 15% reduction in hospital and physician reimbursement was analyzed. Net hospital income was positive for all but one of the tertiary care procedures, but net losses were sustained by the hospital for the mesenteric ischemia and infected aortic graft groups among the Medicare patients. In contrast, the estimated reimbursement to the department of surgery for all payors was insufficient to offset the clinical cost of providing the RVUs for all procedures, and the estimated losses were greater for the Medicare patients alone. The surgeon work effort was dramatically higher for the tertiary care procedures, whereas the reimbursement per work effort was lower. A 15% reduction in reimbursement would result in an estimated net loss to the hospital for each of the tertiary care procedures and would exacerbate the estimated losses to the department. Caring for complex surgical problems is currently profitable to an academic hospital but is associated with marginal losses for a department of surgery. Economic forces resulting from further decreases in hospital and physician reimbursement may limit access to academic medical centers and surgeons for patients with complex surgical problems and may compromise the overall academic mission.

A model of head-related transfer functions based on a state-space analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adams, Norman Herkamp

This dissertation develops and validates a novel state-space method for binaural auditory display. Binaural displays seek to immerse a listener in a 3D virtual auditory scene with a pair of headphones. The challenge for any binaural display is to compute the two signals to supply to the headphones. The present work considers a general framework capable of synthesizing a wide variety of auditory scenes. The framework models collections of head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) simultaneously. This framework improves the flexibility of contemporary displays, but it also compounds the steep computational cost of the display. The cost is reduced dramatically by formulating the collection of HRTFs in the state-space and employing order-reduction techniques to design efficient approximants. Order-reduction techniques based on the Hankel-operator are found to yield accurate low-cost approximants. However, the inter-aural time difference (ITD) of the HRTFs degrades the time-domain response of the approximants. Fortunately, this problem can be circumvented by employing a state-space architecture that allows the ITD to be modeled outside of the state-space. Accordingly, three state-space architectures are considered. Overall, a multiple-input, single-output (MISO) architecture yields the best compromise between performance and flexibility. The state-space approximants are evaluated both empirically and psychoacoustically. An array of truncated FIR filters is used as a pragmatic reference system for comparison. For a fixed cost bound, the state-space systems yield lower approximation error than FIR arrays for D>10, where D is the number of directions in the HRTF collection. A series of headphone listening tests are also performed to validate the state-space approach, and to estimate the minimum order N of indiscriminable approximants. For D = 50, the state-space systems yield order thresholds less than half those of the FIR arrays. Depending upon the stimulus uncertainty, a minimum state-space order of 7≤N≤23 appears to be adequate. In conclusion, the proposed state-space method enables a more flexible and immersive binaural display with low computational cost.

Principal Component Geostatistical Approach for large-dimensional inverse problems

PubMed Central

Kitanidis, P K; Lee, J

2014-01-01

The quasi-linear geostatistical approach is for weakly nonlinear underdetermined inverse problems, such as Hydraulic Tomography and Electrical Resistivity Tomography. It provides best estimates as well as measures for uncertainty quantification. However, for its textbook implementation, the approach involves iterations, to reach an optimum, and requires the determination of the Jacobian matrix, i.e., the derivative of the observation function with respect to the unknown. Although there are elegant methods for the determination of the Jacobian, the cost is high when the number of unknowns, m, and the number of observations, n, is high. It is also wasteful to compute the Jacobian for points away from the optimum. Irrespective of the issue of computing derivatives, the computational cost of implementing the method is generally of the order of m2n, though there are methods to reduce the computational cost. In this work, we present an implementation that utilizes a matrix free in terms of the Jacobian matrix Gauss-Newton method and improves the scalability of the geostatistical inverse problem. For each iteration, it is required to perform K runs of the forward problem, where K is not just much smaller than m but can be smaller that n. The computational and storage cost of implementation of the inverse procedure scales roughly linearly with m instead of m2 as in the textbook approach. For problems of very large m, this implementation constitutes a dramatic reduction in computational cost compared to the textbook approach. Results illustrate the validity of the approach and provide insight in the conditions under which this method perform best. PMID:25558113

Leveraging remote behavioral health interventions to improve medical outcomes and reduce costs.

PubMed

Pande, Reena L; Morris, Michael; Peters, Aimee; Spettell, Claire M; Feifer, Richard; Gillis, William

2015-02-01

The dramatic rise in healthcare expenditures calls for innovative and scalable strategies to achieve measurable, near-term improvements in health. Our objective was to determine whether a remotely delivered behavioral health intervention could improve medical health, reduce hospital admissions, and lower cost of care for individuals with a recent cardiovascular event. This retrospective observational cohort study included members of a commercial health plan referred to participate in AbilTo’s Cardiac Health Program. AbilTo is a national provider of telehealth, behavioral change programs for high risk medical populations. The program is an 8-week behavioral health intervention delivered by a licensed clinical social worker and a behavioral coach via phone or secure video. Among the 201 intervention and 180 comparison subjects, the study found that program participants had significantly fewer all-cause hospital admissions in 6 months (293 per 1000 persons/year vs 493 per 1000 persons/year in the comparison group) resulting in an adjusted percent reduction of 31% (P = .03), and significantly fewer total hospital days (1455 days per 1000 persons/year vs 3933 per 1000 persons/year) with an adjusted percent decline of 48% (P = .01). This resulted in an overall savings in the cost of care even after accounting for total program costs. Successful patient engagement in a national, remotely delivered behavioral health intervention can reduce medical utilization in a targeted cardiac population. A restored focus on tackling barriers to behavior change in order to improve medical health is an effective, achievable population health strategy for reducing health costs in the United States.

Applying operations management in client-oriented and cost-efficient provision of care, welfare and housing services

PubMed Central

de Blok, Carolien; Meijboom, Bert; Luijkx, Katrien; Schols, Jos

2008-01-01

Purpose In all Western countries, ageing populations cause the demand for elderly care services to increase dramatically. In addition, elderly clients are getting more demanding about the services they require to fulfil their widely varying and multiple needs. Besides, cost reductions have been the focus of governmental policies and organisational practices for many years. Health care providers increasingly see operations management as a promising approach to align both client-orientation and cost-efficiency in their day-to-day practices. Theory The paper starts from operations management literature on front office—back office design and modular production. Organisations have several options for deciding which activities need to be performed by FO, BO, or the client himself, and in deciding which employees need to perform these activities. By applying modular production, organisations can differentiate care and related services to a high degree without major cost increases. Method A literature review will be presented leading to a theoretical framework. This formed the basis for explorative case studies in the elderly care sector. Results and conclusions It will be argued how insights provided with the framework may enhance a client-orientation in integrated care delivery without major cost increases. Although case studies need to be interpreted with caution, interesting implications for organisational structures and inter-organisational cooperation can be seen. We will discuss how combined supply of care services can be made transparent to enhance choice options in service products, and what is required at the level of professionals for providing care and service packages based on client demand.

Filling reference gaps via assembling DNA barcodes using high-throughput sequencing—moving toward barcoding the world

PubMed Central

Zhou, Chengran

2017-01-01

Abstract Over the past decade, biodiversity researchers have dedicated tremendous efforts to constructing DNA reference barcodes for rapid species registration and identification. Although analytical cost for standard DNA barcoding has been significantly reduced since early 2000, further dramatic reduction in barcoding costs is unlikely because Sanger sequencing is approaching its limits in throughput and chemistry cost. Constraints in barcoding cost not only led to unbalanced barcoding efforts around the globe, but also prevented high-throughput sequencing (HTS)–based taxonomic identification from applying binomial species names, which provide crucial linkages to biological knowledge. We developed an Illumina-based pipeline, HIFI-Barcode, to produce full-length Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcodes from pooled polymerase chain reaction amplicons generated by individual specimens. The new pipeline generated accurate barcode sequences that were comparable to Sanger standards, even for different haplotypes of the same species that were only a few nucleotides different from each other. Additionally, the new pipeline was much more sensitive in recovering amplicons at low quantity. The HIFI-Barcode pipeline successfully recovered barcodes from more than 78% of the polymerase chain reactions that didn’t show clear bands on the electrophoresis gel. Moreover, sequencing results based on the single molecular sequencing platform Pacbio confirmed the accuracy of the HIFI-Barcode results. Altogether, the new pipeline can provide an improved solution to produce full-length reference barcodes at about one-tenth of the current cost, enabling construction of comprehensive barcode libraries for local fauna, leading to a feasible direction for DNA barcoding global biomes. PMID:29077841

Principal Component Geostatistical Approach for large-dimensional inverse problems.

PubMed

Kitanidis, P K; Lee, J

2014-07-01

The quasi-linear geostatistical approach is for weakly nonlinear underdetermined inverse problems, such as Hydraulic Tomography and Electrical Resistivity Tomography. It provides best estimates as well as measures for uncertainty quantification. However, for its textbook implementation, the approach involves iterations, to reach an optimum, and requires the determination of the Jacobian matrix, i.e., the derivative of the observation function with respect to the unknown. Although there are elegant methods for the determination of the Jacobian, the cost is high when the number of unknowns, m , and the number of observations, n , is high. It is also wasteful to compute the Jacobian for points away from the optimum. Irrespective of the issue of computing derivatives, the computational cost of implementing the method is generally of the order of m 2 n , though there are methods to reduce the computational cost. In this work, we present an implementation that utilizes a matrix free in terms of the Jacobian matrix Gauss-Newton method and improves the scalability of the geostatistical inverse problem. For each iteration, it is required to perform K runs of the forward problem, where K is not just much smaller than m but can be smaller that n . The computational and storage cost of implementation of the inverse procedure scales roughly linearly with m instead of m 2 as in the textbook approach. For problems of very large m , this implementation constitutes a dramatic reduction in computational cost compared to the textbook approach. Results illustrate the validity of the approach and provide insight in the conditions under which this method perform best.

Filling reference gaps via assembling DNA barcodes using high-throughput sequencing-moving toward barcoding the world.

PubMed

Liu, Shanlin; Yang, Chentao; Zhou, Chengran; Zhou, Xin

2017-12-01

Over the past decade, biodiversity researchers have dedicated tremendous efforts to constructing DNA reference barcodes for rapid species registration and identification. Although analytical cost for standard DNA barcoding has been significantly reduced since early 2000, further dramatic reduction in barcoding costs is unlikely because Sanger sequencing is approaching its limits in throughput and chemistry cost. Constraints in barcoding cost not only led to unbalanced barcoding efforts around the globe, but also prevented high-throughput sequencing (HTS)-based taxonomic identification from applying binomial species names, which provide crucial linkages to biological knowledge. We developed an Illumina-based pipeline, HIFI-Barcode, to produce full-length Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcodes from pooled polymerase chain reaction amplicons generated by individual specimens. The new pipeline generated accurate barcode sequences that were comparable to Sanger standards, even for different haplotypes of the same species that were only a few nucleotides different from each other. Additionally, the new pipeline was much more sensitive in recovering amplicons at low quantity. The HIFI-Barcode pipeline successfully recovered barcodes from more than 78% of the polymerase chain reactions that didn't show clear bands on the electrophoresis gel. Moreover, sequencing results based on the single molecular sequencing platform Pacbio confirmed the accuracy of the HIFI-Barcode results. Altogether, the new pipeline can provide an improved solution to produce full-length reference barcodes at about one-tenth of the current cost, enabling construction of comprehensive barcode libraries for local fauna, leading to a feasible direction for DNA barcoding global biomes. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

48 CFR 970.5215-4 - Cost reduction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Cost reduction. 970.5215-4... and Operating Contracts 970.5215-4 Cost reduction. As prescribed in 970.1504-5(c), insert the following clause: Cost Reduction (AUG 2009) (a) General. It is the Department of Energy's (DOE's) intent to...

Fiber in access technologies and network convergence: an opportunity for optical integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghiggino, Pierpaolo C.

2008-11-01

Broadband networks are among the fastest growing segment in telecom. The initial and still very significant push originated with xDSL technologies and indeed a significant amount of research and development is still occurring in this field with impressive results and allowing for a remarkable use of the installed copper infrastructure way beyond its originally planned bandwidth capabilities. However it is clear that ultimately a more suitable fiber based infrastructure will be needed in order to reduce both operational and network technology costs. Such cost reduction in inevitable as the added value to end users is only related to services and these cannot be priced outside a sensible window, whilst the related bandwidth increase is much more dramatic and its huge variability must be met with little or no cost impact by the network and its operation. Fiber in access has indeed the potential to cope with a huge bandwidth demand for many years to come as its inherent bandwidth capabilities are only just tapped by current service requirements. However the whole technology supply chain must follow in line. In particular optical technology must brace itself to cope with the required much larger deployment and greater cost effectiveness, whilst at the same time deliver performance suitable to the bandwidth increase offered in the longer term by the fiber medium. This paper looks at this issues and debates the opportunities for a new class of optical devices making use of the progress in optical integration

DECREASE Final Technical Report: Development of a Commercial Ready Enzyme Application System for Ethanol

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

Teter, Sarah A

Conversion of biomass to sugars plays a central in reducing our dependence on petroleum, as it allows production of a wide range of biobased fuels and chemicals, through fermentation of those sugars. The DECREASE project delivers an effective enzyme cocktail for this conversion, enabling reduced costs for producing advanced biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol. Benefits to the public contributed by growth of the advanced biofuels industry include job creation, economic growth, and energy security. The DECREASE primary project objective was to develop a two-fold improved enzyme cocktail, relative to an advanced cocktail (CZP00005) that had been developed previously (from 2000-more » 2007). While the final milestone was delivery of all enzyme components as an experimental mixture, a secondary objective was to deploy an improved cocktail within 3 years following the close of the project. In February 2012, Novozymes launched Cellic CTec3, a multi-enzyme cocktail derived in part from components developed under DECREASE. The externally validated performance of CTec3 and an additional component under project benchmarking conditions indicated a 1.8-fold dose reduction in enzyme dose required for 90% conversion (based on all available glucose and xylose sources) of NREL dilute acid pretreated PCS, relative to the starting advanced enzyme cocktail. While the ability to achieve 90% conversion is impressive, targeting such high levels of biomass digestion is likely not the most cost effective strategy. Novozymes techno economic modeling showed that for NREL's dilute acid pretreated corn stover (PCS), 80% target conversion enables a lower total production cost for cellulosic ethanol than for 90% conversion, and this was also found to be the case when cost assumptions were based on the NREL 2002 Design Report. A 1.8X dose-reduction was observed for 80% conversion in the small scale (50 g) DECREASE benchmark assay for CTec3 and an additional component. An upscaled experiment (in 0.5 kg kettle reactors) was performed to compare the starting enzyme mixture CZP00005 with CTec3 alone; these results indicated a 1.9X dose- reduction for 80% conversion. The CTec3 composition does not include the best available enzyme components from the DECREASE effort. While these components are not yet available in a commercial product, experimental mixtures were assayed in a smaller scale assay using DECREASE PCS, at high solids loadings (21.5% TS). The results indicated that the newer mixtures required 2.9X-less enzyme for 90% conversion, and 3.2X-less enzyme for 80% conversion, relative to the starting enzyme cocktail. In conclusion, CTec3 delivers a 1.8-1.9X dose reduction on NREL PCS at high solids loadings, and the next generation enzyme from Novozymes will continue to show dramatically improved biochemical performance. CTec3 allows reduced costs today, and the experimental cocktails point to continued biotechnological improvements that will further drive down costs for biorefineries of tomorrow.« less

Social work services in Army medical treatment facilities: are they reorganizing?

PubMed

Hamlin, E R; Pehrson, K L; Gemmill, R

1996-01-01

The end of the Cold War and the fall of Communism in Europe resulted in profound changes in U.S. defense policy. Those changes led to dramatic reductions in personnel and programs within the Army. The Army Medical Department (AMEDD) is also being reduced in size and reorganized. At the same time, the AMEDD is facing escalating health care costs associated with demand and access to medical care. Social work services in Army medical treatment facilities are being directly affected by these system changes. Therefore, the question is raised whether changes in the organization and delivery of social work services are being initiated or anticipated. To what extent are social work chiefs of service involved in these decisions at the medical treatment facility level, and what are the positive and negative effects of reorganization on social work staff and the clients they serve?

Tracking and Navigation of Future NASA Spacecraft with the Square Kilometer Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Resch, G. M.; Jones, D. L.; Connally, M. J.; Weinreb, S.; Preston, R. A.

2001-12-01

The international radio astronomy community is currently working on the design of an array of small radio antennas with a total collecting area of one square kilometer - more than a hundred times that of the largest existing (100-m) steerable antennas. An array of this size would provide obvious advantages for high data rate telemetry reception and for spacecraft navigation. Among these advantages are a two-orders-of-magnitude increase in sensitivity for telemetry downlink, flexible sub-arraying to track multiple spacecraft simultaneously, increased reliability through the use of large numbers of identical array elements, very accurate real-time angular spacecraft tracking, and a dramatic reduction in cost per unit area. NASA missions in many disciplines, including planetary science, would benefit from this increased ground-based tracking capability. The science return from planned missions could be increased, and opportunities for less expensive or completely new kinds of missions would be created.

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

Herk, Anastasia; Poerschke, Andrew

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is interested in finding cost-effective solutions for deep energy retrofits (DERs) related to exterior wall insulation in a cold climate, with targets of 50% peak load reduction and 50% space conditioning energy savings. The U.S. Department of Energy Building America team, IBACOS, in collaboration with GreenHomes America, Inc. (GHA), was contracted by NYSERDA to research exterior wall insulation solutions. In addition to exterior wall insulation, the strategies included energy upgrades where needed in the attic, mechanical and ventilation systems, basement, band joist, walls, and floors. Under Building America, IBACOS ismore » studying the impact of a “thermal enclosure” DER on the sizing of the space conditioning system and the occupant comfort if the thermal capacity of the heating and cooling system is dramatically downsized without any change in the existing heating and cooling distribution system (e.g., size, tightness and supply outlet configurations).« less

Metal-organic frameworks derived platinum-cobalt bimetallic nanoparticles in nitrogen-doped hollow porous carbon capsules as a highly active and durable catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

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

Ying, Jie; Li, Jing; Jiang, Gaopeng

Pt-based nanomaterials are regarded as the most efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). However, widespread adoption of PEMFCs requires solutions to major challenges encountered with ORR catalysts, namely high cost, sluggish kinetics, and low durability. In this paper, a new efficient method utilizing Co-based metal-organic frameworks is developed to produce PtCo bimetallic nanoparticles embedded in unique nitrogen-doped hollow porous carbon capsules. The obtained catalyst demonstrates an outstanding ORR performance, with a mass activity that is 5.5 and 13.5 times greater than that of commercial Pt/C and Pt black, respectively. Most importantly,more » the product exhibits dramatically improved durability in terms of both electrochemically active surface area (ECAS) and mass activity compared to commercial Pt/C and Pt black catalysts. Finally, the remarkable ORR performance demonstrated here can be attributed to the structural features of the catalyst (its alloy structure, high dispersion and fine particle size) and the carbon support (its nitrogen dopant, large surface area and hollow porous structure).« less

Integrated Intermodal Passenger Transportation System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klock, Ryan; Owens, David; Schwartz, Henry; Plencner, Robert

2012-01-01

Modern transportation consists of many unique modes of travel. Each of these modes and their respective industries has evolved independently over time, forming a largely incoherent and inefficient overall transportation system. Travelers today are forced to spend unnecessary time and efforts planning a trip through varying modes of travel each with their own scheduling, pricing, and services; causing many travelers to simply rely on their relatively inefficient and expensive personal automobile. This paper presents a demonstration program system to not only collect and format many different sources of trip planning information, but also combine these independent modes of travel in order to form optimal routes and itineraries of travel. The results of this system show a mean decrease in inter-city travel time of 10 percent and a 25 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions over personal automobiles. Additionally, a 55 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is observed for intra-city travel. A conclusion is that current resources are available, if somewhat hidden, to drastically improve point to point transportation in terms of time spent traveling, the cost of travel, and the ecological impact of a trip. Finally, future concepts are considered which could dramatically improve the interoperability and efficiency of the transportation infrastructure.

Prevention of hospital-onset Clostridium difficile infection in the New York metropolitan region using a collaborative intervention model.

PubMed

Koll, Brian S; Ruiz, Rafael E; Calfee, David P; Jalon, Hillary S; Stricof, Rachel L; Adams, Audrey; Smith, Barbara A; Shin, Gina; Gase, Kathleen; Woods, Maria K; Sirtalan, Ismail

2014-01-01

The incidence, severity, and associated costs of Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection (CDI) have dramatically increased in hospitals over the past decade, indicating an urgent need for strategies to prevent transmission of C. difficile. This article describes a multifaceted collaborative approach to reduce hospital-onset CDI rates in 35 acute care hospitals in the New York metropolitan region. Hospitals participated in a comprehensive CDI reduction intervention and formed interdisciplinary teams to coordinate their efforts. Standardized clinical infection prevention and environmental cleaning protocols were implemented and monitored using checklists. Monthly data reports were provided to hospitals for facility-specific performance evaluation and comparison to aggregate data from all participants. Hospitals also participated in monthly teleconferences to review data and highlight successes, challenges, and strategies to reduce CDI. Incidence of hospital-onset CDI per 10,000 patient days was the primary outcome measure. Additionally, the incidence of nonhospital-associated, community-onset, hospital-associated, and recurrent CDIs were measured. The use of a collaborative model to implement a multifaceted infection prevention strategy was temporally associated with a significant reduction in hospital-onset CDI rates in participating New York metropolitan regional hospitals. © 2013 National Association for Healthcare Quality.

Metal-organic frameworks derived platinum-cobalt bimetallic nanoparticles in nitrogen-doped hollow porous carbon capsules as a highly active and durable catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

DOE PAGES

Ying, Jie; Li, Jing; Jiang, Gaopeng; ...

2017-11-29

Pt-based nanomaterials are regarded as the most efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). However, widespread adoption of PEMFCs requires solutions to major challenges encountered with ORR catalysts, namely high cost, sluggish kinetics, and low durability. In this paper, a new efficient method utilizing Co-based metal-organic frameworks is developed to produce PtCo bimetallic nanoparticles embedded in unique nitrogen-doped hollow porous carbon capsules. The obtained catalyst demonstrates an outstanding ORR performance, with a mass activity that is 5.5 and 13.5 times greater than that of commercial Pt/C and Pt black, respectively. Most importantly,more » the product exhibits dramatically improved durability in terms of both electrochemically active surface area (ECAS) and mass activity compared to commercial Pt/C and Pt black catalysts. Finally, the remarkable ORR performance demonstrated here can be attributed to the structural features of the catalyst (its alloy structure, high dispersion and fine particle size) and the carbon support (its nitrogen dopant, large surface area and hollow porous structure).« less

Surface nanocrystalline and hardening effects of Ti-Al-V alloy by electropulsing ultrasonic shock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Xiaoxin; Tang, Guoyi

2015-03-01

The effect of electropulsing ultrasonic shock (EUS) on the surface hardening and microstructure of Ti6Al4V alloy was studied. It was found that electropulsing improved the microhardness dramatically both in the influential depth and maximum value, compared with the only ultrasonic-shocked sample. It's indicated that refined surface layer with nanocrystalline and improved microhardness were obtained on account of surface severe plastic deformation, dynamic recrystallization (DRX) and phase change, which was implemented at relative low temperature and high strain rate/capacity due to the coupling of the thermal and athermal effects of EUS. It's different from conventional experiments and theory. It's discussed that the positive contributions of EPT in the thermodynamics and kinetics of microstructure and properties change were attributed to the reduction of nucleation energy barrier and acceleration of atomic diffusion. Therefore, it's supposed that EUS is an energy-saving and high-efficiency method of surface treatment technique with the help of high-energy electropulses, which is promising in cost reduction of the surface engineering and energy management. The work is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 50571048) and Shenzhen science and technology research funding project of China (No. SGLH20121008144756946).

Some Options for a Minimum Solar Probe Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Randolph, J. E.; Tsurutani, B. T.; Turner, P. R.; Miyake, R. M.; Ayon, J. A.

1996-01-01

Smaller and lower cost options of NASA's Solar Probe mission have recently been studied. The difference between these options and the results of earlier studies is dramatic. The motivation for low cost has encouraged the JPL design team to accomodate a smaller scientific payload using innovative multi-functional subsystems.

The Hidden Costs of Wireless Computer Labs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daly, Una

2005-01-01

Various elementary schools and middle schools across the U.S. have purchased one or more mobile laboratories. Although the wireless labs have provided more classroom computing, teachers and technology aides still have mixed views about their cost-benefit ratio. This is because the proliferation of viruses and spyware has dramatically increased…

Polymer-Carbon Nanotube Composites, A Literature Review

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-08-01

have led to improvements in product controllability, yield, and cost . Other aspects of nanotube synthesis currently under scrutiny include study of...progress in many areas of characterization and applications was initially hindered by the high cost of production, as well as the requirement of...processing the nanotubes. In recent years, the production costs have decreased dramatically as a result of the development of new, high-throughput

Low-cost space flight for attached payloads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perkins, Frederick W.

1991-07-01

An important addition to the emerging commercial space sector is Standard Space Platforms Corporation's comprehensive low-cost flight service delivery system for small and developmental payloads. Standard provides a privately funded, proprietary, value-added transportation service which dramatically reduces cost and program duration for compliant payloads. It also provides a business-to-business service which is compatible with business investment decision timing and technology development cycles.

Rectal cancer surgery: a brief history.

PubMed

Galler, Avi S; Petrelli, Nicholas J; Shakamuri, Shanthi P

2011-12-01

In the last 250 years, the treatment of rectal cancer has changed dramatically. Once considered an incurable disease, combined modality therapy has improved mortality from 100% to less than 4% for locally advanced rectal cancer. This dramatic reduction paralleled surgical techniques based on a growing understanding of anatomy and disease pathology. In order to understand modern treatment, it is necessary to recognize the achievements of preceding surgeons. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dramatic reduction of culture time of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghodbane, Ramzi; Raoult, Didier; Drancourt, Michel

2014-02-01

Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture, a critical technique for routine diagnosis of tuberculosis, takes more than two weeks. Here, step-by-step improvements in the protocol including a new medium, microaerophlic atmosphere or ascorbic-acid supplement and autofluorescence detection dramatically shortened this delay. In the best case, primary culture and rifampicin susceptibility testing were achieved in 72 hours when specimens were inoculated directly on the medium supplemented by antibiotic at the beginning of the culture.

Microsized Porous SiOx@C Composites Synthesized through Aluminothermic Reduction from Rice Husks and Used as Anode for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

PubMed

Cui, Jinlong; Cui, Yongfu; Li, Shaohui; Sun, Hongliang; Wen, Zhongsheng; Sun, Juncai

2016-11-09

Microsized porous SiO x @C composites used as anode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are synthesized from rice husks (RHs) through low-temperature (700 °C) aluminothermic reduction. The resulting SiO x @C composite shows mesoporous irregular particle morphology with a high specific surface area of 597.06 m 2 /g under the optimized reduction time. This porous SiO x @C composite is constructed by SiO x nanoparticles uniformly dispersed in the C matrix. When tested as anode material for LIBs, it displays considerable specific capacity (1230 mAh/g at a current density of 0.1 A/g) and excellent cyclic stability with capacity fading of less than 0.5% after 200 cycles at 0.8 A/g. The dramatic volume change for the Si anode during lithium-ion (Li + ) insertion and extraction can be successfully buffered because of the formation of Li 2 O and Li 4 SiO 4 during initial lithiation process and carbon coating layer on the surface of SiO x . The porous structure could also mitigate the volume change and mechanical strains and shorten the Li + diffusion path length. These characteristics improve the cyclic stability of the electrode. This low-cost and environment-friendly SiO x @C composite anode material exhibits great potential as an alternative for traditional graphite anodes.

Technology Solutions Case Study: Replacement of Variable-Speed Motors for Furnaces

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

None

2013-02-01

In conjunction with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and Proctor Engineering Group, Ltd. (PEG), the Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB) evaluated the Concept 3™ replacement motors for residential furnaces in eight homes in Syracuse, NY. These brushless, permanent magnet (BPM) motors can use much less electricity than their PSC (permanent split capacitor) predecessors. This evaluation focuses on existing homes in the heating-dominated climate of upstate New York with the goals of characterizing field performance and cost-effectiveness. The results of this study are intended to be useful to home performance contractors, HVAC contractors, and homemore » efficiency program stakeholders. Tests and monitoring was performed both before and after fan motors were replaced. Average fan power reductions were approximately 126 Watts during heating and 220 Watts during cooling operation. Over the course of entire heating and cooling seasons, these translated into average electric energy savings of 163 kWh, with average cost savings of $20 per year. Homes where the fan was used outside of heating and cooling mode saved an additional $42 per year on average. Results indicate that BPM replacement motors will be most cost-effective in HVAC systems with longer run times and relatively low duct static pressures. More dramatic savings are possible if occupants use the fan-only setting when there is no thermal load.« less

Technology readiness levels and technology status for selected long term/high payoff technologies on the RLV program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosmait, Russell L.

1996-01-01

The development of a new space transportation system in a climate of constant budget cuts and staff reductions can be and is a difficult task. It is no secret that NASA's current launching system consumes a very large portion of NASA funding and requires a large army of people to operate & maintain the system. The new Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) project and it's programs are faced with a monumental task of making the cost of access to space dramatically lower and more efficient than NASA's current system. With pressures from congressional budget cutters and also increased competition and loss of market share from international agencies RLV's first priority is to develop a 'low-cost, reliable transportation to earth orbit.' One of the RLV's major focus in achieving low-cost, reliable transportation to earth orbit is to rely on the maturing of advanced technologies. The technologies for the RLV are numerous and varied. Trying to assess their current status, within the RLV development program is paramount. There are several ways to assess these technologies. One way is through the use of Technology Readiness Levels (TRL's). This project focused on establishing current (summer 95) 'worst case' TRL's for six selected technologies that are under consideration for use within the RLV program. The six technologies evaluated were Concurrent Engineering, Embedded Sensor Technology, Rapid Prototyping, Friction Stir Welding, Thermal Spray Coatings, and VPPA Welding.

Compressed Speech: Potential Application for Air Force Technical Training. Final Report, August 73-November 73.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dailey, K. Anne

Time-compressed speech (also called compressed speech, speeded speech, or accelerated speech) is an extension of the normal recording procedure for reproducing the spoken word. Compressed speech can be used to achieve dramatic reductions in listening time without significant loss in comprehension. The implications of such temporal reductions in…

Bioplastic composite foam prepared from poly(lactic acid) and natural wood flour

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suwannakas, Pokkes; Petrchwattana, Nawadon; Covavisaruch, Sirijutaratana

2016-03-01

The major drawbacks of Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) bioplastic are its cost and brittleness. This study aims to reduce the cost by foaming PLA reinforced with wood flour. A series of PLA/ natural fiber (WF) composite was prepared by using WF of selected conifers up to 5 wt%; each composite formulation was then foamed using 2 wt% of Azodicarbonamide (ADC) as chemical foaming agent. ADC effectively reduced the density of PLA and the PLA/WF composite foam by about 45% to 0.64 g/cm3 from 1.24 g/cm3 of neat PLA and 1.26 g/cm3 of PLA/WF composites when 2 wt% ADC was applied. Mechanical behaviors in terms of compressive and impact properties were investigated. With the presence of WF, the compressive stress increased with the WF content due to the good interfacial adhesion between the PLA matrix and the WF. This was verified by microscopic observation, leading to efficient stress transfer at the interface between PLA matrix and the WF. The presence of WF raised the specific compressive modulus and strength of PLA/WF composites to around 0.94 GPa.cm3/g and 2.65 MPa.cm3/g but foaming the PLA or the PLA/WF composites led to a dramatic reduction of the compressive modulus to 0.2-0.4 GPa.cm3/g, implying that the PLA and the PLA/WF foams had become softened. This was evidently observed in the significant reduction of hardness coupled with the vast drop of stress required to compressively deform the foams.

He Who Hesitates Fears Cost

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Korzeniowski, Paul

2009-01-01

Voice over IP (VoIP) has been infiltrating campus networks, but more like stray weeds in an unattended garden than like a well-planned crop. Trouble is, in most instances, moving directly from a PBX or Centrex service to VoIP represents a shift too costly and dramatic for many academic institutions to undertake. Instead, schools have been…

Why Cool Roofs?

ScienceCinema

Chu, Steven

2017-12-27

By installing a cool roof at DOE, the federal government and Secretary Chu are helping to educate families and businesses about the important energy and cost savings that can come with this simple, low-cost technology. Cool roofs have the potential to quickly and dramatically reduce global carbon emissions while saving money every month on consumers' electrical bills.

Cost-Reduction Roadmap Outlines Two Pathways to Meet DOE Residential Solar

Science.gov Websites

Cost Target for 2030 | News | NREL Cost-Reduction Roadmap Outlines Two Pathways to Meet DOE Residential Solar Cost Target for 2030 News Release: Cost-Reduction Roadmap Outlines Two Pathways to Meet DOE Residential Solar Cost Target for 2030 Installing photovoltaics at the time of roof replacement or as part of

Outer-layer manipulators for turbulent drag reduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anders, J. B., Jr.

1990-01-01

The last ten years have yielded intriguing research results on aerodynamic boundary outer-layer manipulators as local skin friction reduction devices at low Reynolds numbers; net drag reduction device systems for entire aerodynamic configurations are nevertheless noted to remain elusive. Evidence has emerged for dramatic alterations of the structure of a turbulent boundary layer which persist for long distances downstream and reduce wall shear as a results of any one of several theoretically possible mechanisms. Reduced effectiveness at high Reynolds numbers may, however, limit the applicability of outer-layer manipulators to practical aircraft drag reduction.

The impact of complications on costs of major surgical procedures: a cost analysis of 1200 patients.

PubMed

Vonlanthen, René; Slankamenac, Ksenija; Breitenstein, Stefan; Puhan, Milo A; Muller, Markus K; Hahnloser, Dieter; Hauri, Dimitri; Graf, Rolf; Clavien, Pierre-Alain

2011-12-01

To assess the impact of postoperative complications on full in-hospital costs per case. Rising expenses for complex medical procedures combined with constrained resources represent a major challenge. The severity of postoperative complications reflects surgical outcomes. The magnitude of the cost created by negative outcomes is unclear. Morbidity of 1200 consecutive patients undergoing major surgery from 2005 to 2008 in a tertiary, high-volume center was assessed by a validated, complication score system. Full in-hospital costs were collected for each patient. Statistical analysis was performed using a multivariate linear regression model adjusted for potential confounders. This study population included 393 complex liver/bile duct surgeries, 110 major pancreas operations, 389 colon resections, and 308 Roux-en-Y gastric bypasses. The overall 30-day mortality rate was 1.8%, whereas morbidity was 53.8%. Patients with an uneventful course had mean costs per case of US$ 27,946 (SD US$ 15,106). Costs increased dramatically with the severity of postoperative complications and reached the mean costs of US$ 159,345 (SD US$ 151,191) for grade IV complications. This increase in costs, up to 5 times the cost of a similar operation without complications, was observed for all types of investigated procedures, although the magnitude of the increase varied, with the highest costs in patients undergoing pancreas surgery. This study demonstrates the dramatic impact of postoperative complications on full in-hospital costs per case and that complications are the strongest indicator of costs. Furthermore, the study highlights a relevant savings capacity for major surgical procedures, and supports all efforts to lower negative events in the postoperative course.

Use of operating room information system data to predict the impact of reducing turnover times on staffing costs.

PubMed

Dexter, Franklin; Abouleish, Amr E; Epstein, Richard H; Whitten, Charles W; Lubarsky, David A

2003-10-01

Potential benefits to reducing turnover times are both quantitative (e.g., complete more cases and reduce staffing costs) and qualitative (e.g., improve professional satisfaction). Analyses have shown the quantitative arguments to be unsound except for reducing staffing costs. We describe a methodology by which each surgical suite can use its own numbers to calculate its individual potential reduction in staffing costs from reducing its turnover times. Calculations estimate optimal allocated operating room (OR) time (based on maximizing OR efficiency) before and after reducing the maximum and average turnover times. At four academic tertiary hospitals, reductions in average turnover times of 3 to 9 min would result in 0.8% to 1.8% reductions in staffing cost. Reductions in average turnover times of 10 to 19 min would result in 2.5% to 4.0% reductions in staffing costs. These reductions in staffing cost are achieved predominantly by reducing allocated OR time, not by reducing the hours that staff work late. Heads of anesthesiology groups often serve on OR committees that are fixated on turnover times. Rather than having to argue based on scientific studies, this methodology provides the ability to show the specific quantitative effects (small decreases in staffing costs and allocated OR time) of reducing turnover time using a surgical suite's own data. Many anesthesiologists work at hospitals where surgeons and/or operating room (OR) committees focus repeatedly on turnover time reduction. We developed a methodology by which the reductions in staffing cost as a result of turnover time reduction can be calculated for each facility using its own data. Staffing cost reductions are generally very small and would be achieved predominantly by reducing allocated OR time to the surgeons.

Facile and green reduction of covalently PEGylated nanographene oxide via a `water-only' route for high-efficiency photothermal therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jingqin; Wang, Xiaoping; Chen, Tongsheng

2014-02-01

A facile and green strategy is reported for the fabrication of nanosized and reduced covalently PEGylated graphene oxide (nrGO-PEG) with great biocompatibility and high near-infrared (NIR) absorbance. Covalently PEGylated nGO (nGO-PEG) was synthesized by the reaction of nGO-COOH and methoxypolyethylene glycol amine (mPEG-NH2). The neutral and purified nGO-PEG solution was then directly bathed in water at 90°C for 24 h without any additive to obtain nrGO-PEG. Covalent PEGylation not only prevented the aggregation of nGO but also dramatically promoted the reduction extent of nGO during this reduction process. The resulting single-layered nrGO-PEG sheets were approximately 50 nm in average lateral dimension and exhibited great biocompatibility and approximately 7.6-fold increment in NIR absorption. Moreover, this facile reduction process repaired the aromatic structure of GO. CCK-8 and flow cytometry (FCM) assays showed that exposure of A549 cells to 100 μg/mL of nrGO-PEG for 2 h, exhibiting 71.5% of uptake ratio, did not induce significant cytotoxicity. However, after irradiation with 808 nm laser (0.6 W/cm2) for 5 min, the cells incubated with 6 μg/mL of nrGO-PEG solution showed approximately 90% decrease of cell viability, demonstrating the high-efficiency photothermal therapy of nrGO-PEG to tumor cells in vitro. This work established nrGO-PEG as a promising photothermal agent due to its small size, great biocompatibility, high photothermal efficiency, and low cost.

Cost-Reduction Roadmap for Residential Solar Photovoltaics (PV),

Science.gov Websites

2017-2030 | Solar Research | NREL Cost-Reduction Roadmap for Residential Solar Photovoltaics (PV), 2017-2030 Cost-Reduction Roadmap for Residential Solar Photovoltaics (PV), 2017-2030 This report Office (SETO) residential 2030 photovoltaics (PV) cost target of $0.05 per kilowatt-hour by identifying

Structural and performance costs of reproduction in a pure capital breeder, the Children's python Antaresia childreni.

PubMed

Lourdais, Olivier; Lorioux, Sophie; DeNardo, Dale F

2013-01-01

Females often manage the high energy demands associated with reproduction by accumulating and storing energy in the form of fat before initiating their reproductive effort. However, fat stores cannot satisfy all reproductive resource demands, which include considerable investment of amino acids (e.g., for the production of yolk proteins or gluconeogenesis). Because capital breeders generally do not eat during reproduction, these amino acids must come from internal resources, typically muscle proteins. Although the energetic costs of reproduction have been fairly well studied, there are limited data on structural and performance costs associated with the muscle degradation required to meet amino acid demands. Thus, we examined structural changes (epaxial muscle width) and performance costs (constriction and strength) over the course of reproduction in a pure capital breeder, the children's python (Antaresia childreni). We found that both egg production (i.e., direct resource allocation) and maternal care (egg brooding) induce muscle catabolism and affect performance of the female. Although epaxial muscle loss was minimal in nonreproductive females, it reached up to 22% (in females after oviposition) and 34% (in females after brooding) of initial muscle width. Interestingly, we found that individuals with higher initial muscular condition allocated more of their muscle into reproduction. The amount of muscle loss was significantly linked to clutch mass, underscoring the role of structural protein in egg production. Egg brooding significantly increased proteolysis and epaxial loss despite no direct allocation to the offspring. Muscle loss was linked to a significant reduction in performance in postreproductive females. Overall, these results demonstrate that capital-breeding females experience dramatic costs that consume structural resources and jeopardize performance.

Drug Prohibition in the United States: Costs, Consequences, and Alternatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nadelmann, Ethan A.

1989-09-01

``Drug legalization'' increasingly merits serious consideration as both an analytical model and a policy option for addressing the ``drug problem.'' Criminal justice approaches to the drug problem have proven limited in their capacity to curtail drug abuse. They also have proven increasingly costly and counterproductive. Drug legalization policies that are wisely implemented can minimize the risks of legalization, dramatically reduce the costs of current policies, and directly address the problems of drug abuse.

Application of RVA and Time-Lapse Photography to Explore Effects of Extent of Chlorination, Milling Extraction Rate, and Particle-Size Reduction of Flour on Cake-Baking Functionality

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Three factors (extent of chlorination, milling extraction rate and particle-size reduction) in the cake-bakeing functionality of Croplan 594W flour were explored by Rapid Visco-Analyzer (RVA) and time-lapse photography. The extent of chlorination and milling extraction rate showed dramatic effects,...

Flood control surveys in the northeast

Treesearch

Arthur Bevan

1947-01-01

Floods are a grave danger to our Nation's resources. It is estimated that floods cost the United States at least $100 million every year. The recent Mississippi floods, which dramatically brought the seriousness of the situation to public attention, cost half a billion dollars in direct-damages. The Northeast carries a heavy burden of flood losses. In 1936, floods...

Energy Projects for Young Scientists.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gardner, Robert

Energy is a vital topic. Energy costs have risen dramatically during the last decade and home owners are concerned about their energy bills and the costs associated with heating or cooling their homes. An understanding of energy, its sources and ways to reduce its use or improve the efficiency with which people use it will become more important as…

The Impact of State Regulations on the Costs of Public School Construction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vincent, Jeffrey M.; Monkkonen, Paavo

2010-01-01

Spending by states and local school districts on school construction has increased dramatically over the last decade, not only because more and higher-quality schools are being built, but also because construction costs have increased by an unprecedented degree. Many states struggle to afford the new schools needed in local communities. The…

Technology and the Broken Higher Education Cost Model: Insights from the Delta Cost Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirshstein, Rita; Wellman, Jane

2012-01-01

Although U.S. higher education has faced numerous crises and dilemmas in its history, the situation in which colleges and universities find themselves at the moment is indeed different. Shrinking public subsidies coupled with historic rises in tuitions come at the same time that colleges and universities have been tasked to dramatically increase…

Implementation of activity-based costing (ABC) to drive cost reduction efforts in a semiconductor manufacturing operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naguib, Hussein; Bol, Igor I.; Lora, J.; Chowdhry, R.

1994-09-01

This paper presents a case study on the implementation of ABC to calculate the cost per wafer and to drive cost reduction efforts for a new IC product line. The cost reduction activities were conducted through the efforts of 11 cross-functional teams which included members of the finance, purchasing, technology development, process engineering, equipment engineering, production control, and facility groups. The activities of these cross functional teams were coordinated by a cost council. It will be shown that these activities have resulted in a 57% reduction in the wafer manufacturing cost of the new product line. Factors contributed to successful implementation of an ABC management system are discussed.

A cost/utility analysis of open reduction and internal fixation versus cast immobilization for acute nondisplaced mid-waist scaphoid fractures.

PubMed

Davis, Erika N; Chung, Kevin C; Kotsis, Sandra V; Lau, Frank H; Vijan, Sandeep

2006-04-01

Open reduction and internal fixation and cast immobilization are both acceptable treatment options for nondisplaced waist fractures of the scaphoid. The authors conducted a cost/utility analysis to weigh open reduction and internal fixation against cast immobilization in the treatment of acute nondisplaced mid-waist scaphoid fractures. The authors used a decision-analytic model to calculate the outcomes and costs of open reduction and internal fixation and cast immobilization, assuming the societal perspective. Utilities were assessed from 50 randomly selected medical students using the time trade-off method. Outcome probabilities taken from the literature were factored into the calculation of quality-adjusted life-years associated with each treatment. The authors estimated medical costs using Medicare reimbursement rates, and costs of lost productivity were estimated by average wages obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Open reduction and internal fixation offers greater quality-adjusted life-years compared with casting, with an increase ranging from 0.21 quality-adjusted life-years for the 25- to 34-year age group to 0.04 quality-adjusted life-years for the > or =65-year age group. Open reduction and internal fixation is less costly than casting ($7940 versus $13,851 per patient) because of a longer period of lost productivity with casting. Open reduction and internal fixation is therefore the dominant strategy. When considering only direct costs, the incremental cost/utility ratio for open reduction and internal fixation ranges from $5438 per quality-adjusted life-year for the 25- to 34-year age group to $11,420 for the 55- to 64-year age group, and $29,850 for the > or =65-year age group. Compared with casting, open reduction and internal fixation is cost saving from the societal perspective ($5911 less per patient). When considering only direct costs, open reduction and internal fixation is cost-effective relative to other widely accepted interventions.

48 CFR 52.215-10 - Price Reduction for Defective Certified Cost or Pricing Data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Price Reduction for... Text of Provisions and Clauses 52.215-10 Price Reduction for Defective Certified Cost or Pricing Data. As prescribed in 15.408(b), insert the following clause: Price Reduction for Defective Certified Cost...

1985 Winners of the Cost Reduction Incentive Awards. Tenth Anniversary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Association of College and University Business Officers, Washington, DC.

Fifty-two cost reduction efforts on college and university campuses are described, as part of the Cost Reduction Incentive Awards Program sponsored by the National Association of College and University Business Officers and the United States Steel Foundation. The incentive program is designed to stimulate cost-effective ideas and awareness of the…

PV O&M Cost Model and Cost Reduction

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

Walker, Andy

This is a presentation on PV O&M cost model and cost reduction for the annual Photovoltaic Reliability Workshop (2017), covering estimating PV O&M costs, polynomial expansion, and implementation of Net Present Value (NPV) and reserve account in cost models.

$1.8 Million and counting: how volatile agent education has decreased our spending $1000 per day.

PubMed

Miller, Scott A; Aschenbrenner, Carol A; Traunero, Justin R; Bauman, Loren A; Lobell, Samuel S; Kelly, Jeffrey S; Reynolds, John E

2016-12-01

Volatile anesthetic agents comprise a substantial portion of every hospital's pharmacy budget. Challenged with an initiative to lower anesthetic drug expenditures, we developed an education-based intervention focused on reducing volatile anesthetic costs while preserving access to all available volatile anesthetics. When postintervention evaluation demonstrated a dramatic year-over-year reduction in volatile agent acquisition costs, we undertook a retrospective analysis of volatile anesthetic purchasing data using time series analysis to determine the impact of our educational initiative. We obtained detailed volatile anesthetic purchasing data from the Central Supply of Wake Forest Baptist Health from 2007 to 2014 and integrated these data with the time course of our educational intervention. Aggregate volatile anesthetic purchasing data were analyzed for 7 consecutive fiscal years. The educational initiative emphasized tissue partition coefficients of volatile anesthetics in adipose tissue and muscle and their impact on case management. We used an interrupted time series analysis of monthly cost per unit data using autoregressive integrated moving average modeling, with the monthly cost per unit being the amount spent per bottle of anesthetic agent per month. The cost per unit decreased significantly after the intervention (t=-6.73, P<.001). The autoregressive integrated moving average model predicted that the average cost per unit decreased $48 after the intervention, with 95% confidence interval of $34 to $62. As evident from the data, the purchasing of desflurane and sevoflurane decreased, whereas that of isoflurane increased. An educational initiative focused solely on the selection of volatile anesthetic agent per case significantly reduced volatile anesthetic expense at a tertiary medical center. This approach appears promising for application in other hospitals in the rapidly evolving, value-added health care environment. We were able to accomplish this with instruction on tissue partition coefficients and each agent's individual cost per MAC-hour delivered. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

NASA/Navy lift/cruise fan cost reduction studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

Cost reduction studies were performed for the LCF459 turbotip fan for application with the YJ97-GE-100 gas generator in a multimission V/STOL research and technology aircraft. A 20 percent cost reduction of the research configuration based on the original preliminary design was achieved. The trade studies performed and the results in the area of cost reduction and weight are covered. A fan configuration is defined for continuation of the program through the detailed design phase.

Users guide for FRCS: fuel reduction cost simulator software.

Treesearch

Roger D. Fight; Bruce R. Hartsough; Peter Noordijk

2006-01-01

The Fuel Reduction Cost Simulator (FRCS) spreadsheet application is public domain software used to estimate costs for fuel reduction treatments involving removal of trees of mixed sizes in the form of whole trees, logs, or chips from a forest. Equipment production rates were developed from existing studies. Equipment operating cost rates are from December 2002 prices...

Outpatient Psychotherapy Improves Symptoms and Reduces Health Care Costs in Regularly and Prematurely Terminated Therapies

PubMed Central

Altmann, Uwe; Thielemann, Désirée; Zimmermann, Anna; Steffanowski, Andrés; Bruckmeier, Ellen; Pfaffinger, Irmgard; Fembacher, Andrea; Strauß, Bernhard

2018-01-01

Background: In view of a shortage of health care costs, monetary aspects of psychotherapy become increasingly relevant. The present study examined the pre-post reduction of impairment and direct health care costs depending on therapy termination (regularly terminated, dropout with an unproblematic reason, and dropout with a quality-relevant reason) and the association of symptom and cost reduction. Methods: In a naturalistic longitudinal study, we examined a disorder heterogeneous sample of N = 584 outpatients who were either treated with cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, or psychoanalytic therapy. Depression, anxiety, stress, and somatization were assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ). Annual amounts of inpatient costs, outpatient costs, medication costs, days of hospitalization, work disability days, utilization of psychotherapy, and utilization of pharmacotherapy 1 year before therapy and 1 year after therapy were provided by health care insurances. Symptom and cost reduction were analyzed using t-tests. Associations between symptom and cost reduction were examined using partial correlations and hierarchical linear models. Results: Patients who terminated therapy regularly showed the largest symptom reduction (d = 0.981–1.22). Patients who dropped out due to an unproblematic reason and patients who terminated early due to a quality-relevant reason showed significant but small effects of symptom reductions (e.g., depression: d = 0.429 vs. d = 0.366). For patients with a regular end and those dropping out due to a quality-relevant reason, we observed a significant reduction of work disability (diff in % of pre-test value = 56.3 vs. 42.9%) and hospitalization days (52.8 vs. 35.0%). Annual inpatient costs decreased in the group with a regular therapy end (31.5%). Furthermore, reduction of symptoms on the one side and reduction of work disability days and psychotherapy utilization on the other side were significant correlated (r = 0.091–0.135). Conclusion: Health care costs and symptoms were reduced in each of the three groups. The average symptom and cost reduction of patients with a quality-relevant dropout suggested that not each dropout might be seen as therapy failure. PMID:29867697

The costs of keeping cool in a warming world: implications of high temperatures for foraging, thermoregulation and body condition of an arid-zone bird.

PubMed

du Plessis, Katherine L; Martin, Rowan O; Hockey, Philip A R; Cunningham, Susan J; Ridley, Amanda R

2012-10-01

Recent mass mortalities of bats, birds and even humans highlight the substantial threats that rising global temperatures pose for endotherms. Although less dramatic, sublethal fitness costs of high temperatures may be considerable and result in changing population demographics. Endothermic animals exposed to high environmental temperatures can adjust their behaviour (e.g. reducing activity) or physiology (e.g. elevating rates of evaporative water loss) to maintain body temperatures within tolerable limits. The fitness consequences of these adjustments, in terms of the ability to balance water and energy budgets and therefore maintain body condition, are poorly known. We investigated the effects of daily maximum temperature on foraging and thermoregulatory behaviour as well as maintenance of body condition in a wild, habituated population of Southern Pied Babblers Turdoides bicolor. These birds inhabit a hot, arid area of southern Africa where they commonly experience environmental temperatures exceeding optimal body temperatures. Repeated measurements of individual behaviour and body mass were taken across days varying in maximum air temperature. Contrary to expectations, foraging effort was unaffected by daily maximum temperature. Foraging efficiency, however, was lower on hotter days and this was reflected in a drop in body mass on hotter days. When maximum air temperatures exceeded 35.5 °C, individuals no longer gained sufficient weight to counter typical overnight weight loss. This reduction in foraging efficiency is likely driven, in part, by a trade-off with the need to engage in heat-dissipation behaviours. When we controlled for temperature, individuals that actively dissipated heat while continuing to forage experienced a dramatic decrease in their foraging efficiency. This study demonstrates the value of investigations of temperature-dependent behaviour in the context of impacts on body condition, and suggests that increasingly high temperatures will have negative implications for the fitness of these arid-zone birds. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Understanding the Uncertainties in Consequences of Climate Change for the United States Power Sector Infrastructure when Considering a Realistic Mitigation Pace and Adaptation Needs.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, N. J.; Whiteford, E. J.; Jones, V.; Fritz, S. C.; Yang, H.; Appleby, P.; Bindler, R.

2014-12-01

In order to overcome the potential damages associated with climate change, a massive reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is necessary. Achieving these levels of emissions reductions will require dramatic changes in the U.S. electricity generating infrastructure: almost all of the fossil-generation fleet will need to be replaced with low-carbon sources and society would have to maintain a high build rate of new capacity for decades. Because the build rate of new electricity generating capacity may be limited, the timing of regulation is critical—the longer the U.S. waits to start reducing emissions, the faster the turnover in the electricity sector must occur in order to meet the same target. We investigate the relationship between climate policy timing and infrastructure turnover in the electricity sector. How long can we wait before constraints on infrastructure turnover in the electricity sector make achieving our climate goals impossible? We show that delaying climate change policy increases average construction rates by 25% to 85% and increases maximum construction rates by 50% to 300%. We also show that delaying climate policy has little effect on the age of retired plants or the stranded costs associated with premature retirement. We show that as we delay policy action, some goals won't be possible for attain. For example, unless we enable emissions reductions today, reducing cumulative emissions between now and 2040 by 50% when compared to a no-policy scenario is not possible.

Suppression of Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, using a 'hot spot' approach.

PubMed

Unlu, Isik; Klingler, Kim; Indelicato, Nicholas; Faraji, Ary; Strickman, Daniel

2016-07-01

Recent changes in climate and human behavior have led to dramatic increases in the abundance and geographic expansion of invasive mosquito vectors such as Aedes albopictus. Although source reduction has been shown to be effective in reducing mosquito populations, thousands of backyards need to be inspected during door-to-door campaigns, which is labor intensive and expensive. We identified 'hot spots' as high (five or more female or male Ae. albopictus) adult mosquito populations at very focal locations. We tested whether hot spot source reduction efforts were effective in reducing mosquito populations in the early summer season (June to July). Analysis of historical data from the study sites indicated the proportion of hot spots in the control site relative to the intervention site was much greater in 2011, when hot spot treatments were applied to the intervention site, than in 2012, 2013 and 2014 combined, when no sites were treated [OR (95% CI) = 3.9 (1.8, 8.5), Z = 3.39, P < 0.001). Hot spot treatments can be incorporated into existing integrated mosquito management programs to increase effectiveness while reducing the time, cost and effort spent on methods such as door-to-door source reduction. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Medical cost reductions associated with the usage of novel oral anticoagulants vs warfarin among atrial fibrillation patients, based on the RE-LY, ROCKET-AF, and ARISTOTLE trials.

PubMed

Deitelzweig, Steve; Amin, Alpesh; Jing, Yonghua; Makenbaeva, Dinara; Wiederkehr, Daniel; Lin, Jay; Graham, John

2012-01-01

The randomized clinical trials, RE-LY, ROCKET-AF, and ARISTOTLE, demonstrate that the novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are effective options for stroke prevention among non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. This study aimed to evaluate the medical cost reductions associated with the use of individual NOACs instead of warfarin from the US payer perspective. Rates for efficacy and safety clinical events for warfarin were estimated as the weighted averages from the RE-LY, ROCKET-AF and ARISTOTLE trials, and event rates for NOACs were determined by applying trial hazard ratios or relative risk ratios to such weighted averages. Incremental medical costs to a US health payer of an AF patient experiencing a clinical event during 1 year following the event were obtained from published literature and inflation adjusted to 2010 cost levels. Medical costs, excluding drug costs, were evaluated and compared for each NOAC vs warfarin. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to determine the influence of variations in clinical event rates and incremental costs on the medical cost reduction. In a patient year, the medical cost reduction associated with NOAC usage instead of warfarin was estimated to be -$179, -$89, and -$485 for dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban, respectively. When clinical event rates and costs were allowed to vary simultaneously, through a Monte Carlo simulation, the 95% confidence interval of annual medical costs differences ranged between -$424 and +$71 for dabigatran, -$301 and +$135 for rivaroxaban, and -$741 and -$252 for apixaban, with a negative number indicating a cost reduction. Of the 10,000 Monte-Carlo iterations 92.6%, 79.8%, and 100.0% were associated with a medical cost reduction >$0 for dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban, respectively. Usage of the NOACs, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban may be associated with lower medical (excluding drug costs) costs relative to warfarin, with apixaban having the most substantial medical cost reduction.

Cost-effectiveness of hepatitis A vaccination for individuals with chronic hepatitis C.

PubMed

Chapko, Michael K; Yee, Helen S; Monto, Alexander; Dominitz, Jason A

2010-02-17

The incidence of hepatitis A infection in the United States has decreased dramatically in recent years because of childhood immunization programs. A decision analysis of the cost-effectiveness of hepatitis A vaccination for adults with hepatitis C was conducted. No vaccination strategy is cost-effective for adults with hepatitis C using the recent lower anticipated hepatitis A incidence, private sector costs, and a cost-effectiveness criterion of $100,000/QALY. Vaccination is cost-effective only for individuals who have cleared the hepatitis C virus when Department of Veterans Affairs costs are used. The recommendation to vaccinate adults with hepatitis C against hepatitis A should be reconsidered. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Validation of a Portable Low-Power Deep Brain Stimulation Device Through Anxiolytic Effects in a Laboratory Rat Model.

PubMed

Kouzani, Abbas Z; Kale, Rajas P; Zarate-Garza, Pablo Patricio; Berk, Michael; Walder, Ken; Tye, Susannah J

2017-09-01

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) devices deliver electrical pulses to neural tissue through an electrode. To study the mechanisms and therapeutic benefits of deep brain stimulation, murine preclinical research is necessary. However, conducting naturalistic long-term, uninterrupted animal behavioral experiments can be difficult with bench-top systems. The reduction of size, weight, power consumption, and cost of DBS devices can assist the progress of this research in animal studies. A low power, low weight, miniature DBS device is presented in this paper. This device consists of electronic hardware and software components including a low-power microcontroller, an adjustable current source, an n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor, a coin-cell battery, electrode wires and a software program to operate the device. Evaluation of the performance of the device in terms of battery lifetime and device functionality through bench and in vivo tests was conducted. The bench test revealed that this device can deliver continuous stimulation current pulses of strength [Formula: see text], width [Formula: see text], and frequency 130 Hz for over 22 days. The in vivo tests demonstrated that chronic stimulation of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) with this device significantly increased psychomotor activity, together with a dramatic reduction in anxiety-like behavior in the elevated zero-maze test.

Development and Testing of a Drogue Parachute System for X-37 ALTV/B-52H Separation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitmore, Stephen A.; Cobleigh, Brent R.; Jacobson, Steven R.; Jensen, Steven C.; Hennings, Elsa J.

2004-01-01

Multiple scenarios were identified in which the X-37 approach and landing test vehicle (ALTV) catastrophically recontacts the B-52H carrier aircraft after separation. The most cost-effective recontact risk mitigation is the prelaunch deployment of a drogue parachute that is released after the X-37 ALTV has safely cleared the B-52H. After release, a fully-inflated drogue parachute takes 30 min to reach ground and results in a large footprint that excessively restricts the days available for flight. To reduce the footprint, a passive collapse mechanism consisting of an elastic reefing line attached to the parachute skirt was developed. At flight loads the elastic is stretched, allowing full parachute inflation. After release, drag loads drop dramatically and the elastic line contracts, reducing the frontal drag area. A 50-percent drag reduction results in an approximately 75-percent ground footprint reduction. Eleven individual parachute designs were evaluated at flight load dynamic pressures in the High Velocity Airflow System (HIVAS) at the Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC), China Lake, California. Various options for the elastic reefing system were also evaluated at HIVAS. Two best parachute designs were selected from HIVAS to be carried forward to flight test. Detailed HIVAS test results are presented in this report.

Development and Testing of a Drogue Parachute System for X-37 ALTV/B-52H Separation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitmore, Stephen A.; Cobleigh, Brent R.; Jacobson, Steven R.; Jensen, Steven C.; Hennings, Elsa J.

2004-01-01

Multiple scenarios were identified in which the X-37 approach and landing test vehicle (ALTV) catastrophically recontacts the B-52H carrier aircraft after separation. The most cost-effective recontact risk mitigation is the prelaunch deployment of a drogue parachute that is released after the X-37 ALTV has safely cleared the B-52H. After release, a fully-inflated drogue parachute takes 30 min to reach ground and results in a large footprint that excessively restricts the days available for flight. To reduce the footprint, a passive collapse mechanism consisting of an elastic reefing line attached to the parachute skirt was developed. At flight loads the elastic is stretched, allowing full parachute inflation. After release, drag loads drop dramatically and the elastic line contracts, reducing the frontal drag area. A 50 percent drag reduction results in an approximately 75 percent ground footprint reduction. Eleven individual parachute designs were evaluated at flight load dynamic pressures in the High Velocity Airflow System (HIVAS) at the Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC), China Lake, California. Various options for the elastic reefing system were also evaluated at HIVAS. Two best parachute designs were selected from HIVAS to be carried forward to flight test. Detailed HIVAS test results are presented in this report.

Enhanced Catalytic Activities of NiPt Truncated Octahedral Nanoparticles toward Ethylene Glycol Oxidation and Oxygen Reduction in Alkaline Electrolyte.

PubMed

Xia, Tianyu; Liu, Jialong; Wang, Shouguo; Wang, Chao; Sun, Young; Gu, Lin; Wang, Rongming

2016-05-04

The high cost and poor durability of Pt nanoparticles (NPs) are great limits for the proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) from being scaled-up for commercial applications. Pt-based bimetallic NPs together with a uniform distribution can effectively reduce the usage of expensive Pt while increasing poison resistance of intermediates. In this work, a simple one-pot method was used to successfully synthesize ultrafine (about 7.5 nm) uniform NiPt truncated octahedral nanoparticles (TONPs) in dimethylformamid (DMF) without any seeds or templates. The as-prepared NiPt TONPs with Pt-rich surfaces exhibit greatly improved catalytic activities together with good tolerance and better stability for ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in comparison with NiPt NPs and commercial Pt/C catalysts in alkaline electrolyte. For example, the value of mass and specific activities for EGOR are 23.2 and 17.6 times higher comparing with those of commercial Pt/C, respectively. Our results demonstrate that the dramatic enhancement is mainly attributed to Pt-rich surface, larger specific surface area, together with coupling between Ni and Pt atoms. This developed method provides a promising pathway for simple preparation of highly efficient electrocatalysts for PEMFCs in the near future.

The Cost-Effectiveness of Surgical Fixation of Distal Radial Fractures: A Computer Model-Based Evaluation of Three Operative Modalities.

PubMed

Rajan, Prashant V; Qudsi, Rameez A; Dyer, George S M; Losina, Elena

2018-02-07

There is no consensus on the optimal fixation method for patients who require a surgical procedure for distal radial fractures. We used cost-effectiveness analyses to determine which of 3 modalities offers the best value: closed reduction and percutaneous pinning, open reduction and internal fixation, or external fixation. We developed a Markov model that projected short-term and long-term health benefits and costs in patients undergoing a surgical procedure for a distal radial fracture. Simulations began at the patient age of 50 years and were run over the patient's lifetime. The analysis was conducted from health-care payer and societal perspectives. We estimated transition probabilities and quality-of-life values from the literature and determined costs from Medicare reimbursement schedules in 2016 U.S. dollars. Suboptimal postoperative outcomes were determined by rates of reduction loss (4% for closed reduction and percutaneous pinning, 1% for open reduction and internal fixation, and 11% for external fixation) and rates of orthopaedic complications. Procedural costs were $7,638 for closed reduction and percutaneous pinning, $10,170 for open reduction and internal fixation, and $9,886 for external fixation. Outputs were total costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), discounted at 3% per year. We considered willingness-to-pay thresholds of $50,000 and $100,000. We conducted deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses to evaluate the impact of data uncertainty. From the health-care payer perspective, closed reduction and percutaneous pinning dominated (i.e., produced greater QALYs at lower costs than) open reduction and internal fixation and dominated external fixation. From the societal perspective, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for closed reduction and percutaneous pinning compared with open reduction and internal fixation was $21,058 per QALY and external fixation was dominated. In probabilistic sensitivity analysis, open reduction and internal fixation was cost-effective roughly 50% of the time compared with roughly 45% for closed reduction and percutaneous pinning. When considering data uncertainty, there is only a 5% to 10% difference in the frequency of probability combinations that find open reduction and internal fixation to be more cost-effective. The current degree of uncertainty in the data produces difficulty in distinguishing either strategy as being more cost-effective overall and thus it may be left to surgeon and patient shared decision-making. Economic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Assessment of Adaptive Guidance for Responsive Launch Vehicles and Spacecraft

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-04-29

Figures 1 Earth centered inertial and launch plumbline coordinate systems . . . . . . . 7 2 Geodetic and geocentric latitude...Dramatically reduced reoccurring costs related to guidance. The same features of the closed-loop ascent guidance that provide operational flexibility...also result in greatly reduced need for human intervention. Thus the operational costs related to ascent guidance could be reduced to minimum

Review of "The High Cost of High School Dropouts in Ohio"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dorn, Sherman

2009-01-01

A new report published by the Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions is a minor variant on six similar reports published by the Friedman Foundation over the past three years. The new report repeats some of the errors in the previous reports, and it follows a parallel structure, arguing that the costs of dropping out are dramatic for the…

Development of Manufacturing Technology to Accelerate Cost Reduction of Low Concentration and

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

Detrick, Adam

The purpose of this project was to accelerate deployment of cost-effective US-based manufacturing of Solaria’s unique c-Si module technology. This effort successfully resulted in the development of US-based manufacturing technology to support two highly-differentiated, market leading product platforms. The project was initially predicated on developing Solaria’s low-concentration PV (LCPV) module technology which at the time of the award was uniquely positioned to exceed the SunShot price goal of $0.50/Wp for standard c-Si modules. The Solaria LCPV module is a 2.5x concentrator that leverages proven, high-reliability PV module materials and low silicon cell usage into a technology package that already hadmore » the lowest direct material cost and leading Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE). With over 25 MW commercially deployed globally, the Solaria module was well positioned to continue to lead in PV module cost reduction. Throughout the term of the contract, market conditions changed dramatically and so to did Solaria’s product offerings to support this. However, the manufacturing technology developed for the LCPV module was successfully leveraged and optimized to support two new and different product platforms. BIPV “PowerVision” and High-efficiency “PowerXT” modules. The primary barrier to enabling high-volume PV module manufacturing in the US is the high manual labor component in certain unique aspects of our manufacturing process. The funding was used to develop unique manufacturing automation which makes the manual labor components of these key processes more efficient and increase throughput. At the core of Solaria’s product offerings are its unique and proprietary techniques for dicing and re-arranging solar cells into modules with highly-differentiated characteristics that address key gaps in the c-Si market. It is these techniques that were successfully evolved and deployed into US-based manufacturing site with SunShot funding. Today, Solaria is currently positioned to become the market leader with these two technologies over the coming 24 months largely due to the successful innovations of the underlying manufacturing technology. This success will leverage US-based manufacturing technology and the associated US-jobs to support. Solaria views the project as highly successful and a great example of SunShot funding enabling the creating of US jobs and the deployment of ubiquitous solar energy products.« less

Aviation Careers Series: Pilots and Flight Engineers

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-01-31

Increasing travel in the United States is threatening the mobility the nations surface transportation system provides. Congestion, particularly in urbanized areas and along heavily traveled intercity corridors, is increasing dramatically. The cost...

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.

Strong cellulase inhibition by Mannan polysaccharides in cellulose conversion to sugars.

PubMed

Kumar, Rajeev; Wyman, Charles E

2014-07-01

Cellulase enzymes contribute a major fraction of the total cost for biological conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to fuels and chemicals. Although a several fold reduction in cellulase production costs and enhancement of cellulase activity and stability have been reported in recent years, sugar yields are still lower at low enzyme doses than desired commercially. We recently reported that hemicellulose xylan and its oligomers strongly inhibit cellulase and that supplementation of cellulase with xylanase and β-xylosidase would significantly reduce such inhibition. In this study, mannan polysaccharides and their enzymatically prepared hydrolyzates were discovered to be strongly inhibitory to fungal cellulase in cellulose conversion (>50% drop in % relative conversion), even at a small concentration of 0.1 g/L, and inhibition was much greater than experienced by other known inhibitors such as cellobiose, xylooligomers, and furfural. Furthermore, cellulase inhibition dramatically increased with heteromannan loading and mannan substitution with galactose side units. In general, enzymatically prepared hydrolyzates were less inhibitory than their respective mannan polysaccharides except highly substituted ones. Supplementation of cellulase with commercial accessory enzymes such as xylanase, pectinase, and β-glucosidase was effective in greatly relieving inhibition but only for less substituted heteromannans. However, cellulase supplementation with purified heteromannan specific enzymes relieved inhibition by these more substituted heteromannans as well, suggesting that commercial preparations need to have higher amounts of such activities to realize high sugar yields at the low enzyme protein loadings needed for low cost fuels production. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cost-Effectiveness and Cost-Reduction in United States Colleges and Universities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Richard I.; Miller, Peggy M.

1991-01-01

The relationship in college administration between cost effectiveness/cost reduction and planning, management, and evaluation is explored, and approaches to cost accounting and financial ratio analysis are discussed. It is concluded that it is important to emphasize institutional mission and people rather than cost containment and productivity.…

Neem (Azadirachta indica a. Juss) components: candidates for the control of Crinipellis perniciosa and Phytophthora ssp.

PubMed

de Rezende Ramos, Alessandra; Lüdke Falcão, Loeni; Salviano Barbosa, Guilherme; Helena Marcellino, Lucilia; Silvano Gander, Eugen

2007-01-01

Witches' broom and pod rot are the two most devastating diseases of cocoa in South America and Africa, respectively. Their control by means of phytosanitation and chemical fungicides is labor-intensive, costly and, in many cases, environmentally undesirable. Therefore efforts are made in order to identify alternative, environmentally safe and cost-efficient methods for the control of these pathogens. Promising candidates are components of the neem tree (Azadirachta indica), that have been used for centuries in Asia as insecticides, fungicides, anticonceptionals in popular medicine. Here we report about tests on the effect of various concentrations of extracts from neem leaves on growth of mycelia of Crinipellis and Phytophthora and on germination of spores of Crinipellis. We show a 35% growth reduction of mycelia of Phytophthora on neem leaf extract media, whereas growth of mycelia of Crinipellis was not affected, even at the highest concentration of neem leaf extracts used (35%). However, the most dramatic effect of neem leaf extracts is observed on Crinipellis spore germination, here the extracts (20-35%) reduced germination almost completely. Based on these results, we believe that the neem tree might be a source for the production, on small and medium scale, of an effective and cheap formulation for the control of Crinipellis and Phytophthora.

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

None

This factsheet describes a project that developed and demonstrated a new manufacturing-informed design framework that utilizes advanced multi-scale, physics-based process modeling to dramatically improve manufacturing productivity and quality in machining operations while reducing the cost of machined components.

The Role of the Department of Defense (DoD) in Solar Energy Research, Development and Diffusion

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-01

calculation: 103M gallons x $13.68 (total ownership cost) = $1.4B. 3 Another cost consideration that could be taken into account are the causalities... ownership cost of $1.4B will rise dramatically. 41 • Static structure, no moving parts; hence, no noise. • Longer life with little maintenance because of...instrument in DoD’s energy portfolio for the future. b. Solar vs . Wind: A Further Comparison In 2006, Detronics Limited, a company in Ontario, Canada

Filtered refocusing: a volumetric reconstruction algorithm for plenoptic-PIV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fahringer, Timothy W.; Thurow, Brian S.

2016-09-01

A new algorithm for reconstruction of 3D particle fields from plenoptic image data is presented. The algorithm is based on the technique of computational refocusing with the addition of a post reconstruction filter to remove the out of focus particles. This new algorithm is tested in terms of reconstruction quality on synthetic particle fields as well as a synthetically generated 3D Gaussian ring vortex. Preliminary results indicate that the new algorithm performs as well as the MART algorithm (used in previous work) in terms of the reconstructed particle position accuracy, but produces more elongated particles. The major advantage to the new algorithm is the dramatic reduction in the computational cost required to reconstruct a volume. It is shown that the new algorithm takes 1/9th the time to reconstruct the same volume as MART while using minimal resources. Experimental results are presented in the form of the wake behind a cylinder at a Reynolds number of 185.

Regional variations in the health, environmental, and climate benefits of wind and solar generation

PubMed Central

Siler-Evans, Kyle; Azevedo, Inês Lima; Morgan, M. Granger; Apt, Jay

2013-01-01

When wind or solar energy displace conventional generation, the reduction in emissions varies dramatically across the United States. Although the Southwest has the greatest solar resource, a solar panel in New Jersey displaces significantly more sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter than a panel in Arizona, resulting in 15 times more health and environmental benefits. A wind turbine in West Virginia displaces twice as much carbon dioxide as the same turbine in California. Depending on location, we estimate that the combined health, environmental, and climate benefits from wind or solar range from $10/MWh to $100/MWh, and the sites with the highest energy output do not yield the greatest social benefits in many cases. We estimate that the social benefits from existing wind farms are roughly 60% higher than the cost of the Production Tax Credit, an important federal subsidy for wind energy. However, that same investment could achieve greater health, environmental, and climate benefits if it were differentiated by region. PMID:23798431

Turbine Engine Clearance Control Systems: Current Practices and Future Directions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lattime, Scott B.; Steinetz, Bruce M.

2002-09-01

Improved blade tip sealing in the high pressure compressor (HPC) and high pressure turbine (HPT) can provide dramatic reductions in specific fuel consumption (SFC), time-on-wing, compressor stall margin, and engine efficiency as well as increased payload and mission range capabilities. Maintenance costs to overhaul large commercial gas turbine engines can easily exceed 1M. Engine removal from service is primarily due to spent exhaust gas temperature (EGT) margin caused mainly by the deterioration of HPT components. Increased blade tip clearance is a major factor in hot section component degradation. As engine designs continue to push the performance envelope with fewer parts and the market drives manufacturers to increase service life, the need for advanced sealing continues to grow. A review of aero gas turbine engine HPT performance degradation and the mechanisms that promote these losses are discussed. Benefits to the HPT due to improved clearance management are identified. Past and present sealing technologies are presented along with specifications for next generation engine clearance control systems.

Apparatus to collect, classify, concentrate, and characterize gas-borne particles

DOEpatents

Rader, Daniel J.; Torczynski, John R.; Wally, Karl; Brockmann, John E.

2002-01-01

An aerosol lab-on-a-chip (ALOC) integrates one or more of a variety of aerosol collection, classification, concentration (enrichment), and characterization processes onto a single substrate or layered stack of such substrates. By taking advantage of modern micro-machining capabilities, an entire suite of discrete laboratory aerosol handling and characterization techniques can be combined in a single portable device that can provide a wealth of data on the aerosol being sampled. The ALOC offers parallel characterization techniques and close proximity of the various characterization modules helps ensure that the same aerosol is available to all devices (dramatically reducing sampling and transport errors). Micro-machine fabrication of the ALOC significantly reduces unit costs relative to existing technology, and enables the fabrication of small, portable ALOC devices, as well as the potential for rugged design to allow operation in harsh environments. Miniaturization also offers the potential of working with smaller particle sizes and lower pressure drops (leading to reduction of power consumption).

Training in surgical oncology - the role of VR simulation.

PubMed

Lewis, T M; Aggarwal, R; Rajaretnam, N; Grantcharov, T P; Darzi, A

2011-09-01

There have been dramatic changes in surgical training over the past two decades which have resulted in a number of concerns for the development of future surgeons. Changes in the structure of cancer services, working hour restrictions and a commitment to patient safety has led to a reduction in training opportunities that are available to the surgeon in training. Simulation and in particular virtual reality (VR) simulation has been heralded as an effective adjunct to surgical training. Advances in VR simulation has allowed trainees to practice realistic full length procedures in a safe and controlled environment, where mistakes are permitted and can be used as learning points. There is considerable evidence to demonstrate that the VR simulation can be used to enhance technical skills and improve operating room performance. Future work should focus on the cost effectiveness and predictive validity of VR simulation, which in turn would increase the uptake of simulation and enhance surgical training. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhanced anaerobic degradability of highly polluted pesticides-bearing wastewater under thermophilic conditions.

PubMed

García-Mancha, N; Monsalvo, V M; Puyol, D; Rodriguez, J J; Mohedano, A F

2017-10-05

This work presents a sustainable and cost-competitive solution for hardly biodegradable pesticides-bearing wastewater treatment in an anaerobic expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) reactor at mesophilic (35°C) and thermophilic (55°C). The reactor was operated in continuous mode during 160days, achieving an average COD removal of 33 and 44% under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions, respectively. The increase of temperature improved the biomass activity and the production of methane by 35%. Around 96% of pesticides identified in raw wastewater were not detected in both mesophilic and thermophilic effluents. A dramatic selection of the microbial population in anaerobic granules was caused by the presence of pesticides, which also changed significantly when the temperature was increased. Pesticides caused a significant inhibition on methanogenesis, especially over acetoclastic methanogens. Aerobic biodegradability tests of the resulting anaerobic effluents revealed that aerobic post-treatment is also a feasible and effective option, yielding more than 60% COD reduction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Exterior Insulation Implications for Heating and Cooling Systems in Cold Climates

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

Herk, Anastasia; Poerschke, Andrew

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is interested in finding cost-effective solutions for deep energy retrofits (DERs) related to exterior wall insulation in a cold climate, with targets of 50% peak load reduction and 50% space conditioning energy savings. The U.S. Department of Energy Building America team, IBACOS, in collaboration with GreenHomes America, Inc. (GHA), was contracted by NYSERDA to research exterior wall insulation solutions. In addition to exterior wall insulation, the strategies included energy upgrades where needed in the attic, mechanical and ventilation systems, basement, band joist, walls, and floors. Under Building America, IBACOS ismore » studying the impact of a “thermal enclosure” DER on the sizing of the space conditioning system and the occupant comfort if the thermal capacity of the heating and cooling system is dramatically downsized without any change in the existing heating and cooling distribution system (e.g., size, tightness and supply outlet configurations).« less

Turbine Engine Clearance Control Systems: Current Practices and Future Directions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lattime, Scott B.; Steinetz, Bruce M.

2002-01-01

Improved blade tip sealing in the high pressure compressor (HPC) and high pressure turbine (HPT) can provide dramatic reductions in specific fuel consumption (SFC), time-on-wing, compressor stall margin, and engine efficiency as well as increased payload and mission range capabilities. Maintenance costs to overhaul large commercial gas turbine engines can easily exceed $1M. Engine removal from service is primarily due to spent exhaust gas temperature (EGT) margin caused mainly by the deterioration of HPT components. Increased blade tip clearance is a major factor in hot section component degradation. As engine designs continue to push the performance envelope with fewer parts and the market drives manufacturers to increase service life, the need for advanced sealing continues to grow. A review of aero gas turbine engine HPT performance degradation and the mechanisms that promote these losses are discussed. Benefits to the HPT due to improved clearance management are identified. Past and present sealing technologies are presented along with specifications for next generation engine clearance control systems.

Regional variations in the health, environmental, and climate benefits of wind and solar generation.

PubMed

Siler-Evans, Kyle; Azevedo, Inês Lima; Morgan, M Granger; Apt, Jay

2013-07-16

When wind or solar energy displace conventional generation, the reduction in emissions varies dramatically across the United States. Although the Southwest has the greatest solar resource, a solar panel in New Jersey displaces significantly more sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter than a panel in Arizona, resulting in 15 times more health and environmental benefits. A wind turbine in West Virginia displaces twice as much carbon dioxide as the same turbine in California. Depending on location, we estimate that the combined health, environmental, and climate benefits from wind or solar range from $10/MWh to $100/MWh, and the sites with the highest energy output do not yield the greatest social benefits in many cases. We estimate that the social benefits from existing wind farms are roughly 60% higher than the cost of the Production Tax Credit, an important federal subsidy for wind energy. However, that same investment could achieve greater health, environmental, and climate benefits if it were differentiated by region.

The Influence on Population Weight Gain and Obesity of the Macronutrient Composition and Energy Density of the Food Supply.

PubMed

Crino, Michelle; Sacks, Gary; Vandevijvere, Stefanie; Swinburn, Boyd; Neal, Bruce

2015-03-01

Rates of overweight and obesity have increased dramatically in all regions of the world over the last few decades. Almost all of the world's population now has ubiquitous access to low-cost, but highly-processed, energy-dense, nutrient-poor food products. These changes in the food supply, rather than decreases in physical activity, are most likely the primary driver of population weight gain and obesity. To-date, the majority of prevention efforts focus on personalised approaches targeting individuals. Population-wide food supply interventions addressing sodium and trans fat reduction have proven highly effective and comparable efforts are now required to target obesity. The evidence suggests that strategies focusing upon reducing the energy density and portion size of foods will be more effective than those targeting specific macronutrients. Government leadership, clearly specified targets, accountability and transparency will be the key to achieving the food supply changes required to address the global obesity epidemic.

Millimeter-wave MMIC technology for smart weapons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seashore, Charles R.

1994-12-01

Millimeter wave MMIC component technology has made dramatic progress over the last ten years largely due to funding stimulation received under the ARPA Tri-Service MIMIC program. In several smart weapon systems, MMIC components are now specified as the baseline approach for millimeter wave radar transceiver hardware. Availability of this new frontier in microelectronics has also enabled realization of sensor fusion for multispectral capability to defeat many forms of known countermeasures. The current frequency range for these MMIC-based components is approximately 30 to 100 GHz. In several cases, it has been demonstrated that the MMIC component performance has exceeded that available from hybrid microstrip circuits using selected discrete devices. However, challenges still remain in chip producibility enhancement and cost reduction since many of the essential device structure candidates are themselves emerging technologies with a limited wafer fabrication history and accumulated test databases. It is concluded that smart weapons of the future will rely heavily on advanced microelectronics to satisfy performance requirements as well as meeting stringent packaging and power source constraints.

The eldercare factory.

PubMed

Sharkey, Noel; Sharkey, Amanda

2012-01-01

Rapid advances in service robotics together with dramatic shifts in population demographics have led to the notion that technology may be the answer to our eldercare problems. Robots are being developed for feeding, washing, lifting, carrying and mobilising the elderly as well as monitoring their health. They are also being proposed as a substitute for companionship. While these technologies could accrue major benefits for society and empower the elderly, we must balance their use with the ethical costs. These include a potential reduction in human contact, increased feeling of objectification and loss of control, loss of privacy and personal freedom as well as deception and infantilisation. With appropriate guidelines in place before the introduction of robots en masse into the care system, robots could improve the lives of the elderly, reducing their dependence and creating more opportunities for social interaction. Without forethought, the elderly may find themselves in a barren world of machines, a world of automated care: a factory for the elderly. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Non-Hardware ("Soft") Cost-Reduction Roadmap for Residential and Small Commercial Solar Photovoltaics, 2013-2020

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

Ardani, K.; Seif, D.; Margolis, R.

2013-08-01

The objective of this analysis is to roadmap the cost reductions and innovations necessary to achieve the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) SunShot Initiative's total soft-cost targets by 2020. The roadmap focuses on advances in four soft-cost areas: (1) customer acquisition; (2) permitting, inspection, and interconnection (PII); (3) installation labor; and (4) financing. Financing cost reductions are in terms of the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) for financing PV system installations, with real-percent targets of 3.0% (residential) and 3.4% (commercial).

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Surface Flow Constructed Wetlands (SFCW) for Nutrient Reduction in Drainage Discharge from Agricultural Fields in Denmark.

PubMed

Gachango, F G; Pedersen, S M; Kjaergaard, C

2015-12-01

Constructed wetlands have been proposed as cost-effective and more targeted technologies in the reduction of nitrogen and phosphorous water pollution in drainage losses from agricultural fields in Denmark. Using two pig farms and one dairy farm situated in a pumped lowland catchment as case studies, this paper explores the feasibility of implementing surface flow constructed wetlands (SFCW) based on their cost effectiveness. Sensitivity analysis is conducted by varying the cost elements of the wetlands in order to establish the most cost-effective scenario and a comparison with the existing nutrients reduction measures carried out. The analyses show that the cost effectiveness of the SFCW is higher in the drainage catchments with higher nutrient loads. The range of the cost effectiveness ratio on nitrogen reduction differs distinctively with that of catch crop measure. The study concludes that SFCW could be a better optimal nutrients reduction measure in drainage catchments characterized with higher nutrient loads.

Dramatic reduction of sulfur dioxide emission in Northeastern China in the last decade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, J.

2017-12-01

Analysis of spatial and temporal variations of sulfur dioxide concentration in planetary boundary layer were conducted. The data were generated by NASA satellite daily from October of 2004 and were obtained through NASA Giovanni. The global monthly mean spatial distribution of sulfur dioxide showed several hot spots including: several spots on some islands in the Pacific Ocean, several spots in central America, and central Africa. Most of these hot spots of sulfur dioxide are related to known active volcanos. The biggest hot spot of sulfur dioxide were observed in Northeastern China. While high concentration sulfur dioxide was still observed in Northeastern China in 2017. The area averaged concentration of sulfur dioxide declined dramatically since its peak in 2008. This temporal trend indicates that sulfur reduction effort has been effective in the last decade or post 2008 financial crisis recovery lead an industry less sulfur dioxide emission.

A white paper: Operational efficiency. New approaches to future propulsion systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rhodes, Russel; Wong, George

1991-01-01

Advanced launch systems for the next generation of space transportation systems (1995 to 2010) must deliver large payloads (125,000 to 500,000 lbs) to low earth orbit (LEO) at one tenth of today's cost, or 300 to 400 $/lb of payload. This cost represents an order of magnitude reduction from the Titan unmanned vehicle cost of delivering payload to orbit. To achieve this sizable reduction, the operations cost as well as the engine cost must both be lower than current engine system. The Advanced Launch System (ALS) is studying advanced engine designs, such as the Space Transportation Main Engine (STME), which has achieved notable reduction in cost. The results are presented of a current study wherein another level of cost reduction can be achieved by designing the propulsion module utilizing these advanced engines for enhanced operations efficiency and reduced operations cost.

78 FR 2692 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed New Collection; Comments Requested: COPS...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-14

... Collection; Comments Requested: COPS Comparative Assessment of Cost Reduction by Agencies Survey ACTION: 30...; comments requested. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: COPS Comparative Assessment of Cost Reduction by... will be asked complete the COPS Comparative Assessment of Cost Reduction Survey. The survey will be...

Energy Cost Reduction for Automotive Service Facilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Federal Energy Administration, Washington, DC.

This handbook on energy cost reduction for automotive service facilities consists of four sections. The importance and economic benefits of energy conservation are discussed in the first section. In the second section six energy cost reduction measures are discussed: relamping interior areas; relamping and reducing interior lighting; setting back…

Cost-effectiveness analysis of salt reduction policies to reduce coronary heart disease in Syria, 2010-2020.

PubMed

Wilcox, Meredith L; Mason, Helen; Fouad, Fouad M; Rastam, Samer; al Ali, Radwan; Page, Timothy F; Capewell, Simon; O'Flaherty, Martin; Maziak, Wasim

2015-01-01

This study presents a cost-effectiveness analysis of salt reduction policies to lower coronary heart disease in Syria. Costs and benefits of a health promotion campaign about salt reduction (HP); labeling of salt content on packaged foods (L); reformulation of salt content within packaged foods (R); and combinations of the three were estimated over a 10-year time frame. Policies were deemed cost-effective if their cost-effectiveness ratios were below the region's established threshold of $38,997 purchasing power parity (PPP). Sensitivity analysis was conducted to account for the uncertainty in the reduction of salt intake. HP, L, and R+HP+L were cost-saving using the best estimates. The remaining policies were cost-effective (CERs: R=$5,453 PPP/LYG; R+HP=$2,201 PPP/LYG; R+L=$2,125 PPP/LYG). R+HP+L provided the largest benefit with net savings using the best and maximum estimates, while R+L was cost-effective with the lowest marginal cost using the minimum estimates. This study demonstrated that all policies were cost-saving or cost effective, with the combination of reformulation plus labeling and a comprehensive policy involving all three approaches being the most promising salt reduction strategies to reduce CHD mortality in Syria.

MRI: unique costing and pricing issues.

PubMed

Schwartz, H W; Jarl, D F

1985-01-01

Acquisition of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) involves a plethora of costs not traditionally encountered in radiology procedure cost accounting models. Experiences with MRI gained at the University of Minnesota Hospitals and Clinics during 1984 uncovered a wide variety of unique costing issues which were eventually identified at the time when the MRI hospital charge was being established. Our experience at UMHC can provide those radiology departments now acquiring MRI with an earlier awareness of these special costing issues, hopefully resulting in better and more timely data collection. Current reimbursement and pricing issues are also having a dramatic impact on MRI costs at each institution and must be assessed in terms of third-party payor intentions.

Rapid reduction of antihypertensive medications and insulin requirements after tracheostomy in a patient with severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

PubMed

Bhimaraj, Arvind; Havaligi, Navasuma; Ramachandran, Siva

2007-04-15

We report a patient with severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension, with postoperative complications following tracheostomy. His stormy postoperative course is presented with emphasis on glycemic control and hypertension. We present a cautionary tale of a significant reduction in medications to control blood pressure and hyperglycemia following tracheostomy for severe OSA. The severe reduction in blood pressure and hypoglycemia could mimic sepsis and clinicans need to be vigilant to these dramatic effects following tracheostomy and appropriately adjust baseline medications.

Indian social safety net programs as platforms for introducing wheat flour fortification: a case study of Gujarat, India.

PubMed

Fiedler, John L; Babu, Sunil; Smitz, Marc-Francois; Lividini, Keith; Bermudez, Odilia

2012-03-01

Micronutrient deficiencies exact an enormous health burden on India. The release of the National Family Health Survey results--showing the relatively wealthy state of Gujarat having deficiency levels exceeding national averages--prompted Gujarat officials to introduce fortified wheat flour in their social safety net programs (SSNPs). To provide a case study of the introduction of fortified wheat flour in Gujarat's Public Distribution System (PDS), Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), and Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Programme to assess the coverage, costs, impact, and cost-effectiveness of the initiative. India's 2004/05 National Sample Survey data were used to identify beneficiaries of each of Gujarat's three SSNPs and to estimate usual intake levels of vitamin A, iron, and zinc. Comparing age- and sex-specific usual intakes to Estimated Average Requirements, the proportion of the population with inadequate intakes was estimated. Postfortification intake levels and reductions in inadequate intake were estimated. The incremental cost of fortifying wheat flour and the cost-effectiveness of each program were estimated. When each program was assessed independently, the proportion of the population with inadequate vitamin A intakes was reduced by 34% and 74% among MDM and ICDS beneficiaries, respectively. Both programs effectively eliminated inadequate intakes of both iron and zinc. Among PDS beneficiaries, the proportion with inadequate iron intakes was reduced by 94%. CONCLUSIONS. Gujarat's substitution of fortified wheat flour for wheat grain is dramatically increasing the intake of micronutrients among its SSNP beneficiaries. The incremental cost of introducing fortification in each of the programs is low, and, according to World Health Organization criteria, each program is "highly cost-effective." The introduction of similar reforms throughout India would largely eliminate the inadequate iron intake among persons participating in any of the three SSNPs and would have a significant impact on the global prevalence rate of inadequate iron intake.

Artificial intelligence guides system's best practices, cutting costs and improving services.

PubMed

1999-06-01

One for the history books. Clinical care improvement initiatives guided by a sophisticated artificial intelligence program have helped a major Virginia integrated health system make dramatic improvements in the cost and quality of its health care services. Find out how the technological innovation has earned Sentara Health System a place in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

Lost in Translation: Public Policies, Evidence-Based Practice, and Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dillenburger, Karola; McKerr, Lyn; Jordan, Julie-Ann

2014-01-01

Prevalence rates of autism spectrum disorder have risen dramatically over the past few decades (now estimated at 1:50 children). The estimated total annual cost to the public purse in the United States is US$137 billion, with an individual lifetime cost in the United Kingdom estimated at between £0.8 million and £1.23 million depending on the…

How Energy Efficiency is Adding Jobs in St. Paul, Minnesota

ScienceCinema

Hannigan, Jim; Coleman, Chris; Oliver, LeAnn; Jambois, Louis

2018-02-07

Saint Paul, Minnesota is using an energy efficiency grant to provide commercial retrofits that will allow a local produce distribution company to dramatically reduce its energy costs and add dozens of new workers.

How Energy Efficiency is Adding Jobs in St. Paul, Minnesota

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

Hannigan, Jim; Coleman, Chris; Oliver, LeAnn

2011-01-01

Saint Paul, Minnesota is using an energy efficiency grant to provide commercial retrofits that will allow a local produce distribution company to dramatically reduce its energy costs and add dozens of new workers.

Review of Real-Time Simulator and the Steps Involved for Implementation of a Model from MATLAB/SIMULINK to Real-Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mikkili, Suresh; Panda, Anup Kumar; Prattipati, Jayanthi

2015-06-01

Nowadays the researchers want to develop their model in real-time environment. Simulation tools have been widely used for the design and improvement of electrical systems since the mid twentieth century. The evolution of simulation tools has progressed in step with the evolution of computing technologies. In recent years, computing technologies have improved dramatically in performance and become widely available at a steadily decreasing cost. Consequently, simulation tools have also seen dramatic performance gains and steady cost decreases. Researchers and engineers now have the access to affordable, high performance simulation tools that were previously too cost prohibitive, except for the largest manufacturers. This work has introduced a specific class of digital simulator known as a real-time simulator by answering the questions "what is real-time simulation", "why is it needed" and "how it works". The latest trend in real-time simulation consists of exporting simulation models to FPGA. In this article, the Steps involved for implementation of a model from MATLAB to REAL-TIME are provided in detail.

Integration of CubeSat Systems with Europa Surface Exploration Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erdoǧan, Enes; Inalhan, Gokhan; Kemal Üre, Nazım

2016-07-01

Recent studies show that there is a high probability that a liquid ocean exists under thick icy surface of Jupiter's Moon Europa. The findings also show that Europa has features that are similar to Earth, such as geological activities. As a result of these studies, Europa has promising environment of being habitable and currently there are many missions in both planning and execution level that target Europa. However, these missions usually involve extremely high budgets over extended periods of time. The objective of this talk is to argue that the mission costs can be reduced significantly by integrating CubeSat systems within Europa exploration missions. In particular, we introduce an integrated CubeSat-micro probe system, which can be used for measuring the size and depth of the hypothetical liquid ocean under the icy surface of Europa. The systems consist of an entry module that houses a CubeSat combined with driller measurement probes. Driller measurement probes deploy before the system hits the surface and penetrate the surface layers of Europa. Moreover, a micro laser probe could be used to examine the layers. This process enables investigation of the properties of the icy layer and the environment beneath the surface. Through examination of different scenarios and cost analysis of the components, we show that the proposed CubeSat systems has a significant potential to reduce the cost of the overall mission. Both subsystem requirements and launch prices of CubeSats are dramatically cheaper than currently used satellites. In addition, multiple CubeSats may be used to dominate wider area in space and they are expandable in face of potential failures. In this talk we discuss both the mission design and cost reduction aspects.

Implementation of an acute care emergency surgical service: a cost analysis from the surgeon’s perspective

PubMed Central

Anantha, Ram Venkatesh; Parry, Neil; Vogt, Kelly; Jain, Vipan; Crawford, Silvie; Leslie, Ken

2014-01-01

Background Acute care surgical services provide comprehensive emergency general surgical care while potentially using health care resources more efficiently. We assessed the volume and distribution of emergency general surgery (EGS) procedures before and after the implementation of the Acute Care and Emergency Surgery Service (ACCESS) at a Canadian tertiary care hospital and its effect on surgeon billings. Methods This single-centre retrospective case–control study compared adult patients who underwent EGS procedures between July and December 2009 (pre-ACCESS), to those who had surgery between July and December 2010 (post-ACCESS). Case distribution was compared between day (7 am to 3 pm), evening (3 pm to 11 pm) and night (11 pm to 7 am). Frequencies were compared using the χ2 test. Results Pre-ACCESS, 366 EGS procedures were performed: 24% during the day, 55% in the evening and 21% at night. Post-ACCESS, 463 operations were performed: 55% during the day, 36% in the evening and 9% at night. Reductions in night-time and evening EGS were 57% and 36% respectively (p < 0.001). Total surgeon billings for operations pre- and post-ACCESS were $281 066 and $287 075, respectively: remuneration was $6008 higher post-ACCESS for an additional 97 cases (p = 0.003). Using cost-modelling analysis, post-ACCESS surgeon billing for appendectomies, segmental colectomies, laparotomies and cholecystectomies all declined by $67 190, $125 215, $66 362, and $84 913, respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusion Acute care surgical services have dramatically shifted EGS from nighttime to daytime. Cost-modelling analysis demonstrates that these services have cost-savings potential for the health care system without reducing overall surgeon billing. PMID:24666462

Implementation of an acute care emergency surgical service: a cost analysis from the surgeon's perspective.

PubMed

Anantha, Ram Venkatesh; Parry, Neil; Vogt, Kelly; Jain, Vipan; Crawford, Silvie; Leslie, Ken

2014-04-01

Acute care surgical services provide comprehensive emergency general surgical care while potentially using health care resources more efficiently. We assessed the volume and distribution of emergency general surgery (EGS) procedures before and after the implementation of the Acute Care and Emergency Surgery Service (ACCESS) at a Canadian tertiary care hospital and its effect on surgeon billings. This single-centre retrospective case-control study compared adult patients who underwent EGS procedures between July and December 2009 (pre-ACCESS), to those who had surgery between July and December 2010 (post-ACCESS). Case distribution was compared between day (7 am to 3 pm), evening (3 pm to 11 pm) and night (11 pm to 7 am). Frequencies were compared using the χ(2) test. Pre-ACCESS, 366 EGS procedures were performed: 24% during the day, 55% in the evening and 21% at night. Post-ACCESS, 463 operations were performed: 55% during the day, 36% in the evening and 9% at night. Reductions in night-time and evening EGS were 57% and 36% respectively (p < 0.001). Total surgeon billings for operations pre- and post-ACCESS were $281 066 and $287 075, respectively: remuneration was $6008 higher post-ACCESS for an additional 97 cases (p = 0.003). Using cost-modelling analysis, post-ACCESS surgeon billing for appendectomies, segmental colectomies, laparotomies and cholecystectomies all declined by $67 190, $125 215, $66 362, and $84 913, respectively (p < 0.001). Acute care surgical services have dramatically shifted EGS from nighttime to daytime. Cost-modelling analysis demonstrates that these services have cost-savings potential for the health care system without reducing overall surgeon billing.

Cost-Effectiveness of Helicopter Versus Ground Emergency Medical Services for Trauma Scene Transport in the United States

PubMed Central

Delgado, M. Kit; Staudenmayer, Kristan L.; Wang, N. Ewen; Spain, David A.; Weir, Sharada; Owens, Douglas K.; Goldhaber-Fiebert, Jeremy D.

2014-01-01

Objective We determined the minimum mortality reduction that helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) should provide relative to ground EMS for the scene transport of trauma victims to offset higher costs, inherent transport risks, and inevitable overtriage of minor injury patients. Methods We developed a decision-analytic model to compare the costs and outcomes of helicopter versus ground EMS transport to a trauma center from a societal perspective over a patient's lifetime. We determined the mortality reduction needed to make helicopter transport cost less than $100,000 and $50,000 per quality adjusted life year (QALY) gained compared to ground EMS. Model inputs were derived from the National Study on the Costs and Outcomes of Trauma (NSCOT), National Trauma Data Bank, Medicare reimbursements, and literature. We assessed robustness with probabilistic sensitivity analyses. Results HEMS must provide a minimum of a 17% relative risk reduction in mortality (1.6 lives saved/100 patients with the mean characteristics of the NSCOT cohort) to cost less than $100,000 per QALY gained and a reduction of at least 33% (3.7 lives saved/100 patients) to cost less than $50,000 per QALY. HEMS becomes more cost-effective with significant reductions in minor injury patients triaged to air transport or if long-term disability outcomes are improved. Conclusions HEMS needs to provide at least a 17% mortality reduction or a measurable improvement in long-term disability to compare favorably to other interventions considered cost-effective. Given current evidence, it is not clear that HEMS achieves this mortality or disability reduction. Reducing overtriage of minor injury patients to HEMS would improve its cost-effectiveness. PMID:23582619

Tungsten trioxide nanoplate array supported platinum as a highly efficient counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Dandan; Cui, Peng; Zhao, Xing; Li, Meicheng; Chu, Lihua; Wang, Tianyue; Jiang, Bing

2015-03-01

A tungsten trioxide (WO3) nanoplate array is fabricated directly on the FTO/glass substrate and used as a platinum (Pt) nanoscale supporter for a highly efficient and low Pt-consumption counter electrode (CE) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). A Pt/WO3 composite structure, with Pt nanoparticles having a diameter of 2-3 nm, increases the electrochemical catalytic activity in catalyzing the reduction of triiodide. Accordingly, the power conversion efficiency is increased from less than 1% for WO3 CE and 8.1% for Pt CE, respectively, to 8.9% for Pt/WO3 CE. Moreover, the use of Pt/WO3 CE can dramatically reduce the consumption of scarce Pt material, with a relatively low Pt-loading of ~2 μg cm-2, while maintaining a much better performance. The excellent performance of Pt/WO3 CE is attributed to the efficient electron injection and transport via WO3 supporters, as well as the nanostructure array morphology of WO3 for deposition of fine Pt nanoparticles. This work provides an approach for developing highly catalytic and low-cost Pt based CEs, which also has implications for the development of Pt/WO3 nanoplate arrays for other applications.A tungsten trioxide (WO3) nanoplate array is fabricated directly on the FTO/glass substrate and used as a platinum (Pt) nanoscale supporter for a highly efficient and low Pt-consumption counter electrode (CE) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). A Pt/WO3 composite structure, with Pt nanoparticles having a diameter of 2-3 nm, increases the electrochemical catalytic activity in catalyzing the reduction of triiodide. Accordingly, the power conversion efficiency is increased from less than 1% for WO3 CE and 8.1% for Pt CE, respectively, to 8.9% for Pt/WO3 CE. Moreover, the use of Pt/WO3 CE can dramatically reduce the consumption of scarce Pt material, with a relatively low Pt-loading of ~2 μg cm-2, while maintaining a much better performance. The excellent performance of Pt/WO3 CE is attributed to the efficient electron injection and transport via WO3 supporters, as well as the nanostructure array morphology of WO3 for deposition of fine Pt nanoparticles. This work provides an approach for developing highly catalytic and low-cost Pt based CEs, which also has implications for the development of Pt/WO3 nanoplate arrays for other applications. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr06787h

A cooperative reduction model for regional air pollution control in China that considers adverse health effects and pollutant reduction costs.

PubMed

Xie, Yujing; Zhao, Laijun; Xue, Jian; Hu, Qingmi; Xu, Xiang; Wang, Hongbo

2016-12-15

How to effectively control severe regional air pollution has become a focus of global concern recently. The non-cooperative reduction model (NCRM) is still the main air pollution control pattern in China, but it is both ineffective and costly, because each province must independently fight air pollution. Thus, we proposed a cooperative reduction model (CRM), with the goal of maximizing the reduction in adverse health effects (AHEs) at the lowest cost by encouraging neighboring areas to jointly control air pollution. CRM has two parts: a model of optimal pollutant removal rates using two optimization objectives (maximizing the reduction in AHEs and minimizing pollutant reduction cost) while meeting the regional pollution control targets set by the central government, and a model that allocates the cooperation benefits (i.e., health improvement and cost reduction) among the participants according to their contributions using the Shapley value method. We applied CRM to the case of sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) reduction in Yangtze River Delta region. Based on data from 2003 to 2013, and using mortality due to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases as the health endpoints, CRM saves 437 more lives than NCRM, amounting to 12.1% of the reduction under NCRM. CRM also reduced costs by US $65.8×10 6 compared with NCRM, which is 5.2% of the total cost of NCRM. Thus, CRM performs significantly better than NCRM. Each province obtains significant benefits from cooperation, which can motivate them to actively cooperate in the long term. A sensitivity analysis was performed to quantify the effects of parameter values on the cooperation benefits. Results shown that the CRM is not sensitive to the changes in each province's pollutant carrying capacity and the minimum pollutant removal capacity, but sensitive to the maximum pollutant reduction capacity. Moreover, higher cooperation benefits will be generated when a province's maximum pollutant reduction capacity increases. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cost of photovoltaic energy systems as determined by balance-of-system costs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosenblum, L.

1978-01-01

The effect of the balance-of-system (BOS), i.e., the total system less the modules, on photo-voltaic energy system costs is discussed for multikilowatt, flat-plate systems. Present BOS costs are in the range of 10 to 16 dollars per peak watt (1978 dollars). BOS costs represent approximately 50% of total system cost. The possibility of future BOS cost reduction is examined. It is concluded that, given the nature of BOS costs and the lack of comprehensive national effort focussed on cost reduction, it is unlikely that BOS costs will decline greatly in the next several years. This prognosis is contrasted with the expectations of the Department of Energy National Photovoltaic Program goals and pending legislation in the Congress which require a BOS cost reduction of an order of magnitude or more by the mid-1980s.

The relationship between health risks and health and productivity costs among employees at Pepsi Bottling Group.

PubMed

Henke, Rachel M; Carls, Ginger S; Short, Meghan E; Pei, Xiaofei; Wang, Shaohung; Moley, Susan; Sullivan, Mark; Goetzel, Ron Z

2010-05-01

To evaluate relationships between modifiable health risks and costs and measure potential cost savings from risk reduction programs. Health risk information from active Pepsi Bottling Group employees who completed health risk assessments between 2004 and 2006 (N = 11,217) were linked to medical care, workers' compensation, and short-term disability cost data. Ten health risks were examined. Multivariate analyses were performed to estimate costs associated with having high risk, holding demographics, and other risks constant. Potential savings from risk reduction were estimated. High risk for weight, blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol had the greatest impact on total costs. A one-percentage point annual reduction in the health risks assessed would yield annual per capita savings of $83.02 to $103.39. Targeted programs that address modifiable health risks are expected to produce substantial cost reductions in multiple benefit categories.

Reductions in U.S. Costs to Station Forces in the Federal Republic of Germany and the United Kingdom Are Unlikely.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-07-31

AD-A144 501 REDUCTIONS IN US COSTS TO STATION FORCES IN THE FEDERAL i/’i REPUBLIC OF GERMA..(U) GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE WASHINGTON DC RESOURCES...COMPTROLLER GENERAL Report To The Chairman Subcommittee On Defense, Senate p Committee On Appropriations OF THE UNITED STATES 0 lot Reductions In U.S. Costs To...reducing the costs of sta- tioning U.S. Forces in Europe through in- creased cost sharing by the European allies. The Federal Republic of Germany and

Costs of mitigating CO2 emissions from passenger aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schäfer, Andreas W.; Evans, Antony D.; Reynolds, Tom G.; Dray, Lynnette

2016-04-01

In response to strong growth in air transportation CO2 emissions, governments and industry began to explore and implement mitigation measures and targets in the early 2000s. However, in the absence of rigorous analyses assessing the costs for mitigating CO2 emissions, these policies could be economically wasteful. Here we identify the cost-effectiveness of CO2 emission reductions from narrow-body aircraft, the workhorse of passenger air transportation. We find that in the US, a combination of fuel burn reduction strategies could reduce the 2012 level of life cycle CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre by around 2% per year to mid-century. These intensity reductions would occur at zero marginal costs for oil prices between US$50-100 per barrel. Even larger reductions are possible, but could impose extra costs and require the adoption of biomass-based synthetic fuels. The extent to which these intensity reductions will translate into absolute emissions reductions will depend on fleet growth.

Expert elicitation survey on future wind energy costs

DOE PAGES

Wiser, Ryan; Jenni, Karen; Seel, Joachim; ...

2016-09-12

Wind energy supply has grown rapidly over the last decade. However, the long-term contribution of wind to future energy supply, and the degree to which policy support is necessary to motivate higher levels of deployment, depends - in part - on the future costs of both onshore and offshore wind. In this paper, we summarize the results of an expert elicitation survey of 163 of the world's foremost wind experts, aimed at better understanding future costs and technology advancement possibilities. Results suggest significant opportunities for cost reductions, but also underlying uncertainties. Under the median scenario, experts anticipate 24-30% reductions bymore » 2030 and 35-41% reductions by 2050 across the three wind applications studied. Costs could be even lower: experts predict a 10% chance that reductions will be more than 40% by 2030 and more than 50% by 2050. Insights gained through expert elicitation complement other tools for evaluating cost-reduction potential, and help inform policy and planning, R & D and industry strategy.« less

Expert elicitation survey on future wind energy costs

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

Wiser, Ryan; Jenni, Karen; Seel, Joachim

Wind energy supply has grown rapidly over the last decade. However, the long-term contribution of wind to future energy supply, and the degree to which policy support is necessary to motivate higher levels of deployment, depends -- in part -- on the future costs of both onshore and offshore wind. Here, we summarize the results of an expert elicitation survey of 163 of the world's foremost wind experts, aimed at better understanding future costs and technology advancement possibilities. Results suggest significant opportunities for cost reductions, but also underlying uncertainties. Under the median scenario, experts anticipate 24-30% reductions by 2030 andmore » 35-41% reductions by 2050 across the three wind applications studied. Costs could be even lower: experts predict a 10% chance that reductions will be more than 40% by 2030 and more than 50% by 2050. Insights gained through expert elicitation complement other tools for evaluating cost-reduction potential, and help inform policy and planning, R&D and industry strategy.« less

Expert elicitation survey on future wind energy costs

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

Wiser, Ryan; Jenni, Karen; Seel, Joachim

Wind energy supply has grown rapidly over the last decade. However, the long-term contribution of wind to future energy supply, and the degree to which policy support is necessary to motivate higher levels of deployment, depends - in part - on the future costs of both onshore and offshore wind. In this paper, we summarize the results of an expert elicitation survey of 163 of the world's foremost wind experts, aimed at better understanding future costs and technology advancement possibilities. Results suggest significant opportunities for cost reductions, but also underlying uncertainties. Under the median scenario, experts anticipate 24-30% reductions bymore » 2030 and 35-41% reductions by 2050 across the three wind applications studied. Costs could be even lower: experts predict a 10% chance that reductions will be more than 40% by 2030 and more than 50% by 2050. Insights gained through expert elicitation complement other tools for evaluating cost-reduction potential, and help inform policy and planning, R & D and industry strategy.« less

A randomized study of telephonic care support in populations at risk for musculoskeletal preference-sensitive surgeries.

PubMed

Veroff, David R; Ochoa-Arvelo, Tamara; Venator, Benjamin

2013-02-07

The rate of elective surgeries varies dramatically by geography in the United States. For many of these surgeries, there is not clear evidence of their relative merits over alternate treatment choices and there are significant tradeoffs in short- and long-term risks and benefits of selecting one treatment option over another. Conditions and symptoms for which there is this lack of a single clear evidence-based treatment choice present great opportunities for patient and provider collaboration on decision making; back pain and joint osteoarthritis are two such ailments. A number of decision aids are in active use to encourage this shared decision-making process. Decision aids have been assessed in formal studies that demonstrate increases in patient knowledge, increases in patient-provider engagement, and reduction in surgery rates. These studies have not widely demonstrated the added benefit of health coaching in support of shared decision making nor have they commonly provided strong evidence of cost reductions. In order to add to this evidence base, we undertook a comparative study testing the relative impact on health utilization and costs of active outreach through interactive voice response technology to encourage health coaching in support of shared decision making in comparison to mailed outreach or no outreach. This study focused on individuals with back pain or joint pain. We conducted four waves of stratified randomized comparisons for individuals with risk for back, hip, or knee surgery who did not have claims-based evidence of one or more of five chronic conditions and were eligible for population care management services within three large regional health plans in the United States. An interactive voice response (IVR) form of outreach that included the capability for individuals to directly connect with health coaches telephonically, known as AutoDialog(®), was compared to a control (mailed outreach or natural levels of inbound calling depending on the study wave). In total, the study include 24,167 adults with commercial and Medicare Advantage private coverage at three health plans and at risk for lumbar back surgery, hip repair/replacement, or knee repair/replacement. Interactive voice response outreach led to 10.7 (P-value < .0001) times as many inbound calls within 30 days as the control. Over 180 days, the IVR group ("intervention") had 67 percent (P-value < .0001) more health coach communications and agreed to be sent 3.2 (P-value < .0001) time as many DVD- and/or booklet-based decision aids. Targeted surgeries were reduced by 6.7 percent (P-value = .6039). Overall costs were lower by 4.9 percent (P-value = .055). Costs that were not related to maternity, cancer, trauma and substance abuse ("actionable costs") were reduced by 6.5 percent (P-value = .0286). IVR with a transfer-to-health coach-option significantly increased levels of health coaching compared to mailed or no outreach and lead to significantly reduced actionable medical costs. Providing high levels of health coaching to individuals with these types of risks appears to have produced important levels of actionable medical cost reductions. We believe this impact resulted from more informed and engaged health care decision making.

On the Path to SunShot. The Role of Advancements in Solar Photovoltaic Efficiency, Reliability, and Costs

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

Woodhouse, Michael; Jones-Albertus, Rebecca; Feldman, David

2016-05-01

This report examines the remaining challenges to achieving the competitive photovoltaic (PV) costs and large-scale deployment envisioned under the U.S. Department of Energy's SunShot Initiative. Solar-energy cost reductions can be realized through lower PV module and balance-of-system (BOS) costs as well as improved system efficiency and reliability. Numerous combinations of PV improvements could help achieve the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) goals because of the tradeoffs among key metrics like module price, efficiency, and degradation rate as well as system price and lifetime. Using LCOE modeling based on bottom-up cost analysis, two specific pathways are mapped to exemplify the manymore » possible approaches to module cost reductions of 29%-38% between 2015 and 2020. BOS hardware and soft cost reductions, ranging from 54%-77% of total cost reductions, are also modeled. The residential sector's high supply-chain costs, labor requirements, and customer-acquisition costs give it the greatest BOS cost-reduction opportunities, followed by the commercial sector, although opportunities are available to the utility-scale sector as well. Finally, a future scenario is considered in which very high PV penetration requires additional costs to facilitate grid integration and increased power-system flexibility--which might necessitate even lower solar LCOEs. The analysis of a pathway to 3-5 cents/kWh PV systems underscores the importance of combining robust improvements in PV module and BOS costs as well as PV system efficiency and reliability if such aggressive long-term targets are to be achieved.« less

48 CFR 52.215-11 - Price Reduction for Defective Certified Cost or Pricing Data-Modifications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... accordingly and the contract shall be modified to reflect the reduction. This right to a price reduction is... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Price Reduction for... CONTRACT CLAUSES Text of Provisions and Clauses 52.215-11 Price Reduction for Defective Certified Cost or...

Limiting technologies for particle beams and high energy physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panofsky, W. K. H.

1985-07-01

Since 1930 the energy of accelerators had grown by an order of magnitude roughly every 7 years. Like all exponential growths, be they human population, the size of computers, or anything else, this eventually will have to come to an end. When will this happen to the growth of the energy of particle accelerators and colliders? Fortunately, as the energy of accelerators has grown the cost per unit energy has decreased almost as fast as has the increase in energy. The result is that while the energy has increased so dramatically the cost per new installation has increased only by roughly an order of magnitude since the 1930's (corrected for inflation), while the number of accelerators operating at the frontier of the field has shrunk. As is shown in the by now familiar Livingston chart this dramatic decrease in cost has been achieved largely by a succession of new technologies, in addition to the more moderate gains in efficiency due to improved design, economies of scale, etc. We are therefore facing two questions: (1) Is there good reason scientifically to maintain the exponential growth, and (2) Are there new technologies in sight which promise continued decreases in unit costs. The answer to the first question is definitely yes; the answer to the second question is maybe.

Investigation of Cost and Energy Optimization of Drinking Water Distribution Systems.

PubMed

Cherchi, Carla; Badruzzaman, Mohammad; Gordon, Matthew; Bunn, Simon; Jacangelo, Joseph G

2015-11-17

Holistic management of water and energy resources through energy and water quality management systems (EWQMSs) have traditionally aimed at energy cost reduction with limited or no emphasis on energy efficiency or greenhouse gas minimization. This study expanded the existing EWQMS framework and determined the impact of different management strategies for energy cost and energy consumption (e.g., carbon footprint) reduction on system performance at two drinking water utilities in California (United States). The results showed that optimizing for cost led to cost reductions of 4% (Utility B, summer) to 48% (Utility A, winter). The energy optimization strategy was successfully able to find the lowest energy use operation and achieved energy usage reductions of 3% (Utility B, summer) to 10% (Utility A, winter). The findings of this study revealed that there may be a trade-off between cost optimization (dollars) and energy use (kilowatt-hours), particularly in the summer, when optimizing the system for the reduction of energy use to a minimum incurred cost increases of 64% and 184% compared with the cost optimization scenario. Water age simulations through hydraulic modeling did not reveal any adverse effects on the water quality in the distribution system or in tanks from pump schedule optimization targeting either cost or energy minimization.

Modelled Cost-Effectiveness of a Package Size Cap and a Kilojoule Reduction Intervention to Reduce Energy Intake from Sugar-Sweetened Beverages in Australia.

PubMed

Crino, Michelle; Herrera, Ana Maria Mantilla; Ananthapavan, Jaithri; Wu, Jason H Y; Neal, Bruce; Lee, Yong Yi; Zheng, Miaobing; Lal, Anita; Sacks, Gary

2017-09-06

Interventions targeting portion size and energy density of food and beverage products have been identified as a promising approach for obesity prevention. This study modelled the potential cost-effectiveness of: a package size cap on single-serve sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) >375 mL ( package size cap ), and product reformulation to reduce energy content of packaged SSBs ( energy reduction ). The cost-effectiveness of each intervention was modelled for the 2010 Australia population using a multi-state life table Markov model with a lifetime time horizon. Long-term health outcomes were modelled from calculated changes in body mass index to their impact on Health-Adjusted Life Years (HALYs). Intervention costs were estimated from a limited societal perspective. Cost and health outcomes were discounted at 3%. Total intervention costs estimated in AUD 2010 were AUD 210 million. Both interventions resulted in reduced mean body weight ( package size cap : 0.12 kg; energy reduction : 0.23 kg); and HALYs gained ( package size cap : 73,883; energy reduction : 144,621). Cost offsets were estimated at AUD 750.8 million ( package size cap ) and AUD 1.4 billion ( energy reduction ). Cost-effectiveness analyses showed that both interventions were "dominant", and likely to result in long term cost savings and health benefits. A package size cap and kJ reduction of SSBs are likely to offer excellent "value for money" as obesity prevention measures in Australia.

Modelled Cost-Effectiveness of a Package Size Cap and a Kilojoule Reduction Intervention to Reduce Energy Intake from Sugar-Sweetened Beverages in Australia

PubMed Central

Mantilla Herrera, Ana Maria; Neal, Bruce; Zheng, Miaobing; Lal, Anita; Sacks, Gary

2017-01-01

Interventions targeting portion size and energy density of food and beverage products have been identified as a promising approach for obesity prevention. This study modelled the potential cost-effectiveness of: a package size cap on single-serve sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) >375 mL (package size cap), and product reformulation to reduce energy content of packaged SSBs (energy reduction). The cost-effectiveness of each intervention was modelled for the 2010 Australia population using a multi-state life table Markov model with a lifetime time horizon. Long-term health outcomes were modelled from calculated changes in body mass index to their impact on Health-Adjusted Life Years (HALYs). Intervention costs were estimated from a limited societal perspective. Cost and health outcomes were discounted at 3%. Total intervention costs estimated in AUD 2010 were AUD 210 million. Both interventions resulted in reduced mean body weight (package size cap: 0.12 kg; energy reduction: 0.23 kg); and HALYs gained (package size cap: 73,883; energy reduction: 144,621). Cost offsets were estimated at AUD 750.8 million (package size cap) and AUD 1.4 billion (energy reduction). Cost-effectiveness analyses showed that both interventions were “dominant”, and likely to result in long term cost savings and health benefits. A package size cap and kJ reduction of SSBs are likely to offer excellent “value for money” as obesity prevention measures in Australia. PMID:28878175

Identification of Flights for Cost-Efficient Climate Impact Reduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Neil Y.; Kirschen, Philippe G.; Sridhar, Banavar; Ng, Hok K.

2014-01-01

The aircraft-induced climate impact has drawn attention in recent years. Aviation operations affect the environment mainly through the release of carbon-dioxide, nitrogen-oxides, and by the formation of contrails. Recent research has shown that altering trajectories can reduce aviation environmental cost by reducing Absolute Global Temperature Change Potential, a climate assessment metric that adapts a linear system for modeling the global temperature response to aviation emissions and contrails. However, these methods will increase fuel consumption that leads to higher fuel costs imposed on airlines. The goal of this work is to identify ights for which the environmental cost of climate impact reduction outweighs the increase in operational cost on an individual aircraft basis. Environmental cost is quanti ed using the monetary social cost of carbon. The increase in operational cost is considering cost of additional fuel usage only. For this paper, an algorithm has been developed that modi es the trajectories of ights to evaluate the e ect of environ- mental cost and operational cost of ights in the United States National Airspace System. The algorithm identi es ights for which the environmental cost of climate impact can be reduced and modi es their trajectories to achieve maximum environmental net bene t, which is the di erence between reduction in environmental cost and additional operational cost. The result shows on a selected day, 16% of the ights among eight major airlines, or 2,043 ights, can achieve environmental net bene t using weather forecast data, resulting in net bene t of around $500,000. The result also suggests that the long-haul ights would be better candidates for cost-ecient climate impact reduction than the short haul ights. The algorithm will help to identify the characteristics of ights that are capable of applying cost-ecient climate impact reduction strategy.

Designing for Cost

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dean, Edwin B.; Unal, Resit

1991-01-01

Designing for cost is a state of mind. Of course, a lot of technical knowledge is required and the use of appropriate tools will improve the process. Unfortunately, the extensive use of weight based cost estimating relationships has generated a perception in the aerospace community that the primary way to reduce cost is to reduce weight. Wrong! Based upon an approximation of an industry accepted formula, the PRICE H (tm) production-production equation, Dean demonstrated theoretically that the optimal trajectory for cost reduction is predominantly in the direction of system complexity reduction, not system weight reduction. Thus the phrase "keep it simple" is a primary state of mind required for reducing cost throughout the design process.

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Green Infrastructures on Community Stormwater Reduction and Utilization: A Case of Beijing, China.

PubMed

Liu, Wen; Chen, Weiping; Feng, Qi; Peng, Chi; Kang, Peng

2016-12-01

Cost-benefit analysis is demanded for guiding the plan, design and construction of green infrastructure practices in rapidly urbanized regions. We developed a framework to calculate the costs and benefits of different green infrastructures on stormwater reduction and utilization. A typical community of 54,783 m 2 in Beijing was selected for case study. For the four designed green infrastructure scenarios (green space depression, porous brick pavement, storage pond, and their combination), the average annual costs of green infrastructure facilities are ranged from 40.54 to 110.31 thousand yuan, and the average of the cost per m 3 stormwater reduction and utilization is 4.61 yuan. The total average annual benefits of stormwater reduction and utilization by green infrastructures of the community are ranged from 63.24 to 250.15 thousand yuan, and the benefit per m 3 stormwater reduction and utilization is ranged from 5.78 to 11.14 yuan. The average ratio of average annual benefit to cost of four green infrastructure facilities is 1.91. The integrated facilities had the highest economic feasibility with a benefit to cost ratio of 2.27, and followed by the storage pond construction with a benefit to cost ratio of 2.14. The results suggested that while the stormwater reduction and utilization by green infrastructures had higher construction and maintenance costs, their comprehensive benefits including source water replacements benefits, environmental benefits and avoided cost benefits are potentially interesting. The green infrastructure practices should be promoted for sustainable management of urban stormwater.

Launcher Systems Development Cost: Behavior, Uncertainty, Influences, Barriers and Strategies for Reduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaw, Eric J.

2001-01-01

This paper will report on the activities of the IAA Launcher Systems Economics Working Group in preparations for its Launcher Systems Development Cost Behavior Study. The Study goals include: improve launcher system and other space system parametric cost analysis accuracy; improve launcher system and other space system cost analysis credibility; and provide launcher system and technology development program managers and other decisionmakers with useful information on development cost impacts of their decisions. The Working Group plans to explore at least the following five areas in the Study: define and explain development cost behavior terms and concepts for use in the Study; identify and quantify sources of development cost and cost estimating uncertainty; identify and quantify significant influences on development cost behavior; identify common barriers to development cost understanding and reduction; and recommend practical, realistic strategies to accomplish reductions in launcher system development cost.

Impact of standardized clinical assessment and management plans on resource utilization and costs in children after the arterial switch operation.

PubMed

Rathod, Rahul H; Jurgen, Brittney; Hamershock, Rose A; Friedman, Kevin G; Marshall, Audrey C; Samnaliev, Mihail; Graham, Dionne A; Jenkins, Kathy; Lock, James E; Powell, Andrew J

2017-12-01

Standardized Clinical Assessment and Management Plans (SCAMPs) are a quality improvement initiative designed to reduce unnecessary utilization, decrease practice variation, and improve patient outcomes. We created a novel methodology, the SCAMP managed episode of care (SMEOC), which encompasses multiple encounters to assess the impact of the arterial switch operation (ASO) SCAMP on total costs. All ASO SCAMP patients (dates March 2009 to July 2015) were compared to a control group of ASO patients (January 2001 to February 2009). Patients were divided into "younger" (<2 years) and "older" (2-18 years) subgroups. Utilization included all cardiology visits, tests, and procedures. Standardized costs were applied to each unit of utilization. There were 100 historical and 63 SCAMP patients in the younger subgroup, and 163 historical and 165 SCAMP patients in the older subgroup. In the younger subgroup, the SCAMP had a 28% reduction in outpatient clinic visits (P < .001), a 52% reduction in chest radiographs (P < .001), a 21% reduction in electrocardiograms (P < .001), and a 30% total reduction in costs. In the older subgroup, the SCAMP had a 21% reduction in outpatient clinic visits (P < .001), a 20% reduction in chest radiographs (P = .05), a 10% reduction in echocardiograms (P = .05), a 25% reduction in exercise stress tests (P = .01), and a 14% total reduction in costs. The total cost savings of the ASO SCAMP was $216 649 in the first 6 years of the SCAMP. There was no difference in clinical outcomes between the historical and SCAMP cohorts. SCAMPs can improve resource utilization and reduce costs after the ASO operation while maintaining quality of care. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

48 CFR 970.5215-4 - Cost reduction.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Cost reduction. 970.5215-4 Section 970.5215-4 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AGENCY SUPPLEMENTARY.... Development cost is the Contractor cost of up-front planning, engineering, prototyping, and testing of a...

The economic cost of using restraint and the value added by restraint reduction or elimination.

PubMed

Lebel, Janice; Goldstein, Robert

2005-09-01

The purpose of this study was to calculate the economic cost of using restraint on one adolescent inpatient service and to examine the effect of an initiative to reduce or eliminate the use of restraint after it was implemented. A detailed process-task analysis of mechanical, physical, and medication-based restraint was conducted in accordance with state and federal restraint requirements. Facility restraint data were collected, verified, and analyzed. A model was developed to determine the cost and duration of an average episode for each type of restraint. Staff time allocated to restraint activities and medication costs were computed. Calculation of the cost of restraint was restricted to staff and medication costs. Aggregate costs of restraint use and staff-related costs for one full year before the restraint reduction initiative (FY 2000) and one full year after the initiative (FY 2003) were calculated. Outcome, discharge, and recidivism data were analyzed. A comparison of the FY 2000 data with the FY 2003 data showed that the adolescent inpatient service's aggregate use of restraint decreased from 3,991 episodes to 373 episodes (91 percent), which was associated with a reduction in the cost of restraint from $1,446,740 to $117,036 (a 92 percent reduction). In addition, sick time, staff turnover and replacement costs, workers' compensation, injuries to adolescents and staff, and recidivism decreased. Adolescent Global Assessment of Functioning scores at discharge significantly improved. Implementation of a restraint reduction initiative was associated with a reduction in the use of restraint, staff time devoted to restraint, and staff-related costs. This shift appears to have contributed to better outcomes for adolescents, fewer injuries to adolescents and staff, and lower staff turnover. The initiative may have enhanced adolescent treatment and work conditions for staff.

Profile of People Who Inject Drugs in Tehran, Iran.

PubMed

Amin-Esmaeili, Masoumeh; Rahimi-Movaghar, Afarin; Gholamrezaei, Maryam; Razaghi, Emran Mohammad

2016-12-01

The marked shift in the patterns of drug use in Iran, from opium smoking to injecting drug use, has led to serious health-related outcomes. This study was designed to explore characteristics of people who inject drugs (PWID) in Tehran, Iran. Nine hundred and four PWID were recruited from treatment and harm reduction facilities, as well as drug user hangouts in public areas in Tehran. Participants were interviewed using the Persian version of the World Health Organization Drug Injecting Study Phase II questionnaire. The median age at the time of the first illegal drug use, at the time of the first injection and current age was 20, 24 and 32, respectively. In more than 80% of the cases, the first drug used was opium. The transition from the first drug use to the first drug injection occurred after an average of 6.6 and 2.7 years for those who had started drug use with opium and heroin, respectively. Two-thirds of the participants shared injecting equipment within the last 6 months. Difficulty in obtaining sterile needles and thehigh cost of syringes were reported as the major reasons for needle/syringe sharing. Approximately 80% of community-recruited PWID reported difficulties in using treatment or harm reduction services. Self-detoxification and forced detoxification were the most common types of drug abuse treatment in alifetime. Despite a dramatic shift in drug policy in Iran during the past few years, wider coverage of harm reduction services, improvement of the quality of services, and education about such services are still necessary.

NASA Puffin Electric Tailsitter VTOL Concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Mark D.

2010-01-01

Electric propulsion offers dramatic new vehicle mission capabilities, not possible with turbine or reciprocating engines; including high reliability and efficiency, low engine weight and maintenance, low cooling drag and volume required, very low noise and vibration, and zero emissions. The only penalizing characteristic of electric propulsion is the current energy storage technology level, which is set to triple over the next 5-10 years through huge new investments in this field. Most importantly, electric propulsion offers incredible new degrees of freedom in aircraft system integration to achieve unprecedented levels of aerodynamic, propulsive, control, and structural synergistic coupling. A unique characteristic of electric propulsion is that the technology is nearly scale-free, permitting small motors to be parallelized for fail-safe redundancy, or distributed across the airframe for tightly coupled interdisciplinary functionality without significant impacts in motor-controller efficiency or specific weight. Maximizing the potential benefit of electric propulsion is dependent on applying this technology to synergistic mission concepts. The vehicle missions with the most benefit include those which constrain environmental impact (or limit noise, exhaust, or emission signatures) are short range, or where large differences exist in the propulsion system sizing between takeoff and cruise conditions. Electric propulsion offers the following unique capabilities that other propulsion systems can t provide for short range Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft; elimination of engine noise and emissions, drastic reduction in engine cooling and radiated heat, drastic reduction in vehicle vibration levels, drastic improvement in reliability and operating costs, variable speed output at full power, for improved cruise efficiency at low tip-speed, elimination of high/hot sizing penalty, and reduction of engine-out penalties.

Confinement and the Glass Transition Temperature in Supported Polymer Films: Molecular Weight, Repeat Unit Modification, and Cooperativity Length Scale Investigations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mundra, Manish K.

2005-03-01

It is well known that the glass transition temperatures, Tgs, of supported polystyrene (PS) films decrease dramatically with decreasing film thickness below 60-80 nm. However, a detailed understanding of the cause of this effect is lacking. We have investigated the impact of several parameters, including polymer molecular weight (MW), repeat unit structure, and the length scale of cooperatively rearranging regions in bulk. There is no significant effect of PS MW on the Tg-confinement effect over a range of 5,000 to 3,000,000 g/mol. In contrast, the strength of the Tg reduction and the onset of the confinement effect increase dramatically upon changing the polymer from PS to poly(4-tert-butylstyrene) (PTBS), with PTBS exhibiting a Tg reduction relative to bulk at a thickness of 300-400 nm. PTBS also shows a Tg reduction relative to bulk of 47 K in a 21-nm-thick film, more than twice that observed in a PS film of identical thickness. Characterization of the length scale of cooperatively rearranging regions has been done by differential scanning calorimetry but reveals at best a limited correlation with the confinement effect.

78 FR 6621 - Ability To Repay Standards Under the Truth in Lending Act (Regulation Z)

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-30

... increase the cost of credit for those who do, thereby impacting the availability of credit for these at... mortgage delinquencies and foreclosure rates increased dramatically, caused in part by the gradual...

Profiling 1366 Technologies: One Year Later

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

Van Mierlo, Frank; Sachs, Ely

2011-01-01

Last January, we took a look at how ARPA-E performer, 1366 Technologies is working to dramatically reduce the cost of solar energy. A year later, we revisited their headquarters in Lexington, MA to see the progress they've made.

Profiling 1366 Technologies: One Year Later

ScienceCinema

Van Mierlo, Frank; Sachs, Ely

2018-05-30

Last January, we took a look at how ARPA-E performer, 1366 Technologies is working to dramatically reduce the cost of solar energy. A year later, we revisited their headquarters in Lexington, MA to see the progress they've made.

A self-adaptive toll rate algorithm for high occupancy toll (HOT) lane operations.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-12-01

Dramatically increasing travel demands and insufficient traffic facility supplies have resulted in severe : traffic congestion. High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lane operations have been proposed as one of the most : applicable and cost-effective countermea...

Analysis of surface-water data network in Kansas for effectiveness in providing regional streamflow information; with a section on theory and application of generalized least squares

USGS Publications Warehouse

Medina, K.D.; Tasker, Gary D.

1987-01-01

This report documents the results of an analysis of the surface-water data network in Kansas for its effectiveness in providing regional streamflow information. The network was analyzed using generalized least squares regression. The correlation and time-sampling error of the streamflow characteristic are considered in the generalized least squares method. Unregulated medium-, low-, and high-flow characteristics were selected to be representative of the regional information that can be obtained from streamflow-gaging-station records for use in evaluating the effectiveness of continuing the present network stations, discontinuing some stations, and (or) adding new stations. The analysis used streamflow records for all currently operated stations that were not affected by regulation and for discontinued stations for which unregulated flow characteristics, as well as physical and climatic characteristics, were available. The State was divided into three network areas, western, northeastern, and southeastern Kansas, and analysis was made for the three streamflow characteristics in each area, using three planning horizons. The analysis showed that the maximum reduction of sampling mean-square error for each cost level could be obtained by adding new stations and discontinuing some current network stations. Large reductions in sampling mean-square error for low-flow information could be achieved in all three network areas, the reduction in western Kansas being the most dramatic. The addition of new stations would be most beneficial for mean-flow information in western Kansas. The reduction of sampling mean-square error for high-flow information would benefit most from the addition of new stations in western Kansas. Southeastern Kansas showed the smallest error reduction in high-flow information. A comparison among all three network areas indicated that funding resources could be most effectively used by discontinuing more stations in northeastern and southeastern Kansas and establishing more new stations in western Kansas.

Analysis of surface-water data network in Kansas for effectiveness in providing regional streamflow information

USGS Publications Warehouse

Medina, K.D.; Tasker, Gary D.

1985-01-01

The surface water data network in Kansas was analyzed using generalized least squares regression for its effectiveness in providing regional streamflow information. The correlation and time-sampling error of the streamflow characteristic are considered in the generalized least squares method. Unregulated medium-flow, low-flow and high-flow characteristics were selected to be representative of the regional information that can be obtained from streamflow gaging station records for use in evaluating the effectiveness of continuing the present network stations, discontinuing some stations; and/or adding new stations. The analysis used streamflow records for all currently operated stations that were not affected by regulation and discontinued stations for which unregulated flow characteristics , as well as physical and climatic characteristics, were available. The state was divided into three network areas, western, northeastern, and southeastern Kansas, and analysis was made for three streamflow characteristics in each area, using three planning horizons. The analysis showed that the maximum reduction of sampling mean square error for each cost level could be obtained by adding new stations and discontinuing some of the present network stations. Large reductions in sampling mean square error for low-flow information could be accomplished in all three network areas, with western Kansas having the most dramatic reduction. The addition of new stations would be most beneficial for man- flow information in western Kansas, and to lesser degrees in the other two areas. The reduction of sampling mean square error for high-flow information would benefit most from the addition of new stations in western Kansas, and the effect diminishes to lesser degrees in the other two areas. Southeastern Kansas showed the smallest error reduction in high-flow information. A comparison among all three network areas indicated that funding resources could be most effectively used by discontinuing more stations in northeastern and southeastern Kansas and establishing more new stations in western Kansas. (Author 's abstract)

A cost-effectiveness analysis of a program to control rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease in Pinar del Rio, Cuba.

PubMed

Watkins, David A; Mvundura, Mercy; Nordet, Porfirio; Mayosi, Bongani M

2015-01-01

Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) persist in many low- and middle-income countries. To date, the cost-effectiveness of population-based, combined primary and secondary prevention strategies has not been assessed. In the Pinar del Rio province of Cuba, a comprehensive ARF/RHD control program was undertaken over 1986-1996. The present study analyzes the cost-effectiveness of this Cuban program. We developed a decision tree model based on the natural history of ARF/RHD, comparing the costs and effectiveness of the 10-year Cuban program to a "do nothing" approach. Our population of interest was the cohort of children aged 5-24 years resident in Pinar del Rio in 1986. We assessed costs and health outcomes over a lifetime horizon, and we took the healthcare system perspective on costs but did not apply a discount rate. We used epidemiologic, clinical, and direct medical cost inputs that were previously collected for publications on the Cuban program. We estimated health gains as disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted using standard approaches developed for the Global Burden of Disease studies. Cost-effectiveness acceptability thresholds were defined by one and three times per capita gross domestic product per DALY averted. We also conducted an uncertainty analysis using Monte Carlo simulations and several scenario analyses exploring the impact of alternative assumptions about the program's effects and costs. We found that, compared to doing nothing, the Cuban program averted 5051 DALYs (1844 per 100,000 school-aged children) and saved $7,848,590 (2010 USD) despite a total program cost of $202,890 over 10 years. In the scenario analyses, the program remained cost saving when a lower level of effectiveness and a reduction in averted years of life lost were assumed. In a worst-case scenario including 20-fold higher costs, the program still had a 100% of being cost-effective and an 85% chance of being cost saving. A 10-year program to control ARF/RHD in Pinar del Rio, Cuba dramatically reduced morbidity and premature mortality in children and young adults and was cost saving. The results of our analysis were robust to higher program costs and more conservative assumptions about the program's effectiveness. It is possible that the program's effectiveness resulted from synergies between primary and secondary prevention strategies. The findings of this study have implications for non-communicable disease policymaking in other resource-limited settings.

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.

Marginal cost curves for water footprint reduction in irrigated agriculture: guiding a cost-effective reduction of crop water consumption to a permit or benchmark level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chukalla, Abebe D.; Krol, Maarten S.; Hoekstra, Arjen Y.

2017-07-01

Reducing the water footprint (WF) of the process of growing irrigated crops is an indispensable element in water management, particularly in water-scarce areas. To achieve this, information on marginal cost curves (MCCs) that rank management packages according to their cost-effectiveness to reduce the WF need to support the decision making. MCCs enable the estimation of the cost associated with a certain WF reduction target, e.g. towards a given WF permit (expressed in m3  ha-1 per season) or to a certain WF benchmark (expressed in m3  t-1 of crop). This paper aims to develop MCCs for WF reduction for a range of selected cases. AquaCrop, a soil-water-balance and crop-growth model, is used to estimate the effect of different management packages on evapotranspiration and crop yield and thus the WF of crop production. A management package is defined as a specific combination of management practices: irrigation technique (furrow, sprinkler, drip or subsurface drip); irrigation strategy (full or deficit irrigation); and mulching practice (no, organic or synthetic mulching). The annual average cost for each management package is estimated as the annualized capital cost plus the annual costs of maintenance and operations (i.e. costs of water, energy and labour). Different cases are considered, including three crops (maize, tomato and potato); four types of environment (humid in UK, sub-humid in Italy, semi-arid in Spain and arid in Israel); three hydrologic years (wet, normal and dry years) and three soil types (loam, silty clay loam and sandy loam). For each crop, alternative WF reduction pathways were developed, after which the most cost-effective pathway was selected to develop the MCC for WF reduction. When aiming at WF reduction one can best improve the irrigation strategy first, next the mulching practice and finally the irrigation technique. Moving from a full to deficit irrigation strategy is found to be a no-regret measure: it reduces the WF by reducing water consumption at negligible yield reduction while reducing the cost for irrigation water and the associated costs for energy and labour. Next, moving from no to organic mulching has a high cost-effectiveness, reducing the WF significantly at low cost. Finally, changing from sprinkler or furrow to drip or subsurface drip irrigation reduces the WF, but at a significant cost.

Evaluation of costs associated with tolvaptan-mediated length-of-stay reduction among heart failure patients with hyponatremia in the US, based on the EVEREST trial.

PubMed

Chiong, Jun R; Kim, Sonnie; Lin, Jay; Christian, Rudell; Dasta, Joseph F

2012-01-01

The Efficacy of Vasopressin Antagonism in Heart Failure Outcome Study with Tolvaptan (EVEREST) trial showed that tolvaptan use improved heart failure (HF) signs and symptoms without serious adverse events. To evaluate the potential cost savings associated with tolvaptan usage among hospitalized hyponatremic HF patients. The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) 2008 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database was used to estimate hospital cost and length of stay (LOS), for diagnosis-related group (DRG) hospitalizations of adult (age ≥18 years) HF patients with complications and comorbidities or major complications and comorbidities. EVEREST trial data for patients with hyponatremia were used to estimate tolvaptan-associated LOS reductions. A cost offset model was constructed to evaluate the impact of tolvaptan on hospital cost and LOS, with univariate and multivariate Monte Carlo sensitivity analyses. Tolvaptan use among hyponatremic EVEREST trial HF patients was associated with shorter hospital LOS than placebo patients (9.72 vs 11.44 days, respectively); 688,336 hospitalizations for HF DRGs were identified from the HCUP NIS database, with a mean LOS of 5.4 days and mean total hospital costs of $8415. Using an inpatient tolvaptan treatment duration of 4 days with a wholesale acquisition cost of $250 per day, the cost offset model estimated a LOS reduction among HF hospitalizations of 0.81 days and an estimated total cost saving of $265 per admission. Univariate and multivariate sensitivity analysis demonstrated that cost reduction associated with tolvaptan usage is consistent among variations of model variables. The estimated LOS reduction and cost savings projected by the cost offset model suggest a clinical and economic benefit to tolvaptan use in hyponatremic HF patients. The EVEREST trial data may not generalize well to the US population. Clinical trial patient profiles and relative LOS reductions may not be applicable to real-world patient populations.

Evaluation of Retrofit Variable-Speed Furnace Fan Motors

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

Aldrich, R.; Williamson, J.

2014-01-01

In conjunction with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and Proctor Engineering Group, Ltd. (PEG), the Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB) has evaluated the Concept 3 (tm) replacement motors for residential furnaces. These brushless, permanent magnet (BPM) motors can use much less electricity than their PSC (permanent split capacitor) predecessors. This evaluation focuses on existing homes in the heating-dominated climate of upstate New York with the goals of characterizing field performance and cost-effectiveness. The results of this study are intended to be useful to home performance contractors, HVAC contractors, and home efficiency program stakeholders. Themore » project includes eight homes in and near Syracuse, NY. Tests and monitoring was performed both before and after fan motors were replaced. Average fan power reductions were approximately 126 Watts during heating and 220 Watts during cooling operation. Over the course of entire heating and cooling seasons, these translated into average electric energy savings of 163 kWh. Average cost savings were $20 per year. Homes where the fan was used outside of heating and cooling mode saved an additional $42 per year on average. Results indicate that BPM replacement motors will be most cost-effective in HVAC systems with longer run times and relatively low duct static pressures. More dramatic savings are possible if occupants use the fan-only setting when there is no thermal load. There are millions of cold-climate, U.S. homes that meet these criteria, but the savings in most homes tested in this study were modest.« less

Sensitivities of projected 1980 photovoltaic system costs to major system cost drivers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zimmerman, L. W.; Smith, J. L.

1984-01-01

The sensitivity of projected 1990 photovoltaic (PV) system costs to major system cost drivers was examined. It includes: (1) module costs and module efficiencies; (2) area related balance of system (BOS) costs; (3) inverter costs and efficiencies; and (4) module marketing and distribution markups and system integration fees. Recent PV system cost experiences and the high costs of electricity from the systems are reviewed. The 1990 system costs are projected for five classes of PV systems, including four ground mounted 5-MWp systems and one residential 5-kWp system. System cost projections are derived by first projecting costs and efficiencies for all subsystems and components. Sensitivity analyses reveal that reductions in module cost and engineering and system integration fees seem to have the greatest potential for contributing to system cost reduction. Although module cost is clearly the prime candidate for fruitful PV research and development activities, engineering and system integration fees seem to be more amenable to reduction through appropriate choice of system size and market strategy. Increases in inverter and module efficiency yield significant benefits, especially for systems with high area related costs.

Evaluation of Contrail Reduction Strategies Based on Environmental and Operational Costs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Neil Y.; Sridhar, Banavar; Ng, Hok K.; Li, Jinhua

2013-01-01

This paper evaluates a set of contrail reduction strategies based on environmental and operational costs. A linear climate model was first used to convert climate effects of carbon dioxide emissions and aircraft contrails to changes in Absolute Global Temperature Potential, a metric that measures the mean surface temperature change due to aircraft emissions and persistent contrail formations. The concept of social cost of carbon and the carbon auction price from recent California's cap-and-trade system were then used to relate the carbon dioxide emissions and contrail formations to an environmental cost index. The strategy for contrail reduction is based on minimizing contrail formations by altering the aircraft's cruising altitude. The strategy uses a user-defined factor to trade off between contrail reduction and additional fuel burn and carbon dioxide emissions. A higher value of tradeoff factor results in more contrail reduction but also more fuel burn and carbon emissions. The strategy is considered favorable when the net environmental cost benefit exceeds the operational cost. The results show how the net environmental benefit varies with different decision-making time-horizon and different carbon cost. The cost models provide a guidance to select the trade-off factor that will result in the most net environmental benefit.

Cost decomposition of linear systems with application to model reduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skelton, R. E.

1980-01-01

A means is provided to assess the value or 'cst' of each component of a large scale system, when the total cost is a quadratic function. Such a 'cost decomposition' of the system has several important uses. When the components represent physical subsystems which can fail, the 'component cost' is useful in failure mode analysis. When the components represent mathematical equations which may be truncated, the 'component cost' becomes a criterion for model truncation. In this latter event component costs provide a mechanism by which the specific control objectives dictate which components should be retained in the model reduction process. This information can be valuable in model reduction and decentralized control problems.

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.

Modern technology for landfill waste placement

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

Hansen, D.L.

1995-12-31

The City of Albany, New York, together with the principals of Landfill Service Corporation, proposed in November 1991 to demonstrate the successful practice of biostabilized solid waste placement in the newly constructed, double composite lined Interim Landfill located at Rapp Road in the City of Albany. This is a small facility, only 12 acres in area, which is immediately adjacent to residential neighbors. Significant advancements have been made for the control of environmental factors (odors, vectors, litter) while successfully achieving waste stabilization and air space conservations goals. Also, the procedure consumes a significant quantity of landfill leachate. The benefits ofmore » this practice include a dramatic improvement in the orderlines of waste placement with significant reduction of windblown dust and litter. The biostabilization process also reduces the presence of typical landfill vectors such as flies, crows, seagulls and rodents. All of these factors can pose serious problems for nearby residents to the City of Albany`s Interim landfill site. The physically and biologically uniform character of the stabilized waste mass can result in more uniform future landfill settlement and gas production properties. This can allow for more accurate prediction of postclosure conditions and reduction or elimination of remedial costs attendant to post closure gross differential settlement. Recent research in Europe indicates that aerobic pretreatment of waste also reduces contaminant loading of leachate.« less

48 CFR 52.214-27 - Price Reduction for Defective Certified Cost or Pricing Data-Modifications-Sealed Bidding.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Price Reduction for... PROVISIONS AND CONTRACT CLAUSES Text of Provisions and Clauses 52.214-27 Price Reduction for Defective... following clause: Price Reduction for Defective Certified Cost or Pricing Data—Modifications—Sealed Bidding...

Dramatically Bringing down the Cost of Education with OER: How Open Education Resources Unlock the Door to Free Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiley, David; Green, Cable; Soares, Louis

2012-01-01

The nation is in the midst of a revolution in education. For the first time in human history, tools to enable everyone to attain all the education they desire are available. And best of all this education is available at almost no cost. The key to this sea of change in learning is open education resources, or OER. OER are educational materials…

Effect of Study Design on Sample Size in Studies Intended to Evaluate Bioequivalence of Inhaled Short‐Acting β‐Agonist Formulations

PubMed Central

Zeng, Yaohui; Singh, Sachinkumar; Wang, Kai

2017-01-01

Abstract Pharmacodynamic studies that use methacholine challenge to assess bioequivalence of generic and innovator albuterol formulations are generally designed per published Food and Drug Administration guidance, with 3 reference doses and 1 test dose (3‐by‐1 design). These studies are challenging and expensive to conduct, typically requiring large sample sizes. We proposed 14 modified study designs as alternatives to the Food and Drug Administration–recommended 3‐by‐1 design, hypothesizing that adding reference and/or test doses would reduce sample size and cost. We used Monte Carlo simulation to estimate sample size. Simulation inputs were selected based on published studies and our own experience with this type of trial. We also estimated effects of these modified study designs on study cost. Most of these altered designs reduced sample size and cost relative to the 3‐by‐1 design, some decreasing cost by more than 40%. The most effective single study dose to add was 180 μg of test formulation, which resulted in an estimated 30% relative cost reduction. Adding a single test dose of 90 μg was less effective, producing only a 13% cost reduction. Adding a lone reference dose of either 180, 270, or 360 μg yielded little benefit (less than 10% cost reduction), whereas adding 720 μg resulted in a 19% cost reduction. Of the 14 study design modifications we evaluated, the most effective was addition of both a 90‐μg test dose and a 720‐μg reference dose (42% cost reduction). Combining a 180‐μg test dose and a 720‐μg reference dose produced an estimated 36% cost reduction. PMID:29281130

Surgeon and hospital cost variability for septoplasty and inferior turbinate reduction.

PubMed

Thomas, Andrew; Alt, Jeremiah; Gale, Craig; Vijayakumar, Sathya; Padia, Reema; Peters, Matthew; Champagne, Trevor; Meier, Jeremy D

2016-10-01

Septoplasty and turbinate reduction (STR) is a common procedure for which cost reduction efforts may improve value. The purpose of this study was to identify sources of variation in medical facility and surgeon costs associated with STR, and whether these costs correlated with short-term complications. An observational cohort study was performed in a multifacility network using a standardized cost-accounting system to determine costs associated with adult STR from January 1, 2008 to July 31, 2015. A total of 4007 cases, performed at 21 facilities, by 72 different surgeons were included in the study. Total costs, variable costs, operating room (OR) time, and 30-day complications (eg, epistaxis) were compared among surgeons, facilities, and specialties. Total procedure cost: (mean ± standard deviation [SD]) $2503 ± $790 (range, $852 to $10,559). Mean total variable cost: $1147 ± $423 (range, $400 to $5,081). Intersurgeon and interfacility variability was significant for total cost (p < 0.0001) and OR time (p < 0.0001). Intersurgeon OR supply cost variability was also significant (p < 0.0001). Otolaryngologists had less total cost (p < 0.0001), OR time/cost (p < 0.0001), and complications (p = 0.0164), but greater supply cost (p < 0.0001), than other specialties. There is wide variation in cost associated with STR. Significant variance in OR time and supply cost between surgeons suggests these are potential areas for cost reduction. Although no increased 30-day complications were seen with faster and less costly surgeries, further research is needed to evaluate how time and cost relate to quality of care. © 2016 ARS-AAOA, LLC.

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

Eichman, Josh; Flores-Espino, Francisco

Flexible operation of electrolysis systems represents an opportunity to reduce the cost of hydrogen for a variety of end-uses while also supporting grid operations and thereby enabling greater renewable penetration. California is an ideal location to realize that value on account of growing renewable capacity and markets for hydrogen as a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) fuel, refineries, and other end-uses. Shifting the production of hydrogen to avoid high cost electricity and participation in utility and system operator markets along with installing renewable generation to avoid utility charges and increase revenue from the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program canmore » result in around $2.5/kg (21%) reduction in the production and delivery cost of hydrogen from electrolysis. This reduction can be achieved without impacting the consumers of hydrogen. Additionally, future strategies for reducing hydrogen cost were explored and include lower cost of capital, participation in the Renewable Fuel Standard program, capital cost reduction, and increased LCFS value. Each must be achieved independently and could each contribute to further reductions. Using the assumptions in this study found a 29% reduction in cost if all future strategies are realized. Flexible hydrogen production can simultaneously improve the performance and decarbonize multiple energy sectors. The lessons learned from this study should be used to understand near-term cost drivers and to support longer-term research activities to further improve cost effectiveness of grid integrated electrolysis systems.« less

28nm node process optimization: a lithography centric view

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seltmann, Rolf

2014-10-01

Many experts claim that the 28nm technology node will be the most cost effective technology node forever. This results from primarily from the cost of manufacturing due to the fact that 28nm is the last true Single Patterning (SP) node. It is also affected by the dramatic increase of design costs and the limited shrink factor of the next following nodes. Thus, it is assumed that this technology still will be alive still for many years. To be cost competitive, high yields are mandatory. Meanwhile, leading edge foundries have optimized the yield of the 28nm node to such a level that that it is nearly exclusively defined by random defectivity. However, it was a long way to go to come to that level. In my talk I will concentrate on the contribution of lithography to this yield learning curve. I will choose a critical metal patterning application. I will show what was needed to optimize the process window to a level beyond the usual OPC model work that was common on previous nodes. Reducing the process (in particular focus) variability is a complementary need. It will be shown which improvements were needed in tooling, process control and design-mask-wafer interaction to remove all systematic yield detractors. Over the last couple of years new scanner platforms were introduced that were targeted for both better productivity and better parametric performance. But this was not a clear run-path. It needed some extra affords of the tool suppliers together with the Fab to bring the tool variability down to the necessary level. Another important topic to reduce variability is the interaction of wafer none-planarity and lithography optimization. Having an accurate knowledge of within die topography is essential for optimum patterning. By completing both the variability reduction work and the process window enhancement work we were able to transfer the original marginal process budget to a robust positive budget and thus ensuring high yield and low costs.

Enabling Dedicated, Affordable Space Access Through Aggressive Technology Maturation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Jonathan; Kibbey, Tim; Lampton, Pat; Brown, Thomas

2014-01-01

A recent explosion in nano-sat, small-sat, and university class payloads has been driven by low cost electronics and sensors, wide component availability, as well as low cost, miniature computational capability and open source code. Increasing numbers of these very small spacecraft are being launched as secondary payloads, dramatically decreasing costs, and allowing greater access to operations and experimentation using actual space flight systems. While manifesting as a secondary payload provides inexpensive rides to orbit, these arrangements also have certain limitations. Small, secondary payloads are typically included with very limited payload accommodations, supported on a non interference basis (to the prime payload), and are delivered to orbital conditions driven by the primary launch customer. Integration of propulsion systems or other hazardous capabilities will further complicate secondary launch arrangements, and accommodation requirements. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Marshall Space Flight Center has begun work on the development of small, low cost launch system concepts that could provide dedicated, affordable launch alternatives to small, risk tolerant university type payloads and spacecraft. These efforts include development of small propulsion systems and highly optimized structural efficiency, utilizing modern advanced manufacturing techniques. This paper outlines the plans and accomplishments of these efforts and investigates opportunities for truly revolutionary reductions in launch and operations costs. Both evolution of existing sounding rocket systems to orbital delivery, and the development of clean sheet, optimized small launch systems are addressed. A launch vehicle at the scale and price point which allows developers to take reasonable risks with new propulsion and avionics hardware solutions does not exist today. Establishing this service provides a ride through the proverbial "valley of death" that lies between demonstration in laboratory and flight environments. This effort will provide the framework to mature both on-orbit and earth-to-orbit avionics and propulsion technologies while also providing dedicated, affordable access to LEO for cubesat class payloads.

An interprovincial cooperative game model for air pollution control in China.

PubMed

Xue, Jian; Zhao, Laijun; Fan, Longzhen; Qian, Ying

2015-07-01

The noncooperative air pollution reduction model (NCRM) that is currently adopted in China to manage air pollution reduction of each individual province has inherent drawbacks. In this paper, we propose a cooperative air pollution reduction game model (CRM) that consists of two parts: (1) an optimization model that calculates the optimal pollution reduction quantity for each participating province to meet the joint pollution reduction goal; and (2) a model that distribute the economic benefit of the cooperation (i.e., pollution reduction cost saving) among the provinces in the cooperation based on the Shapley value method. We applied the CRM to the case of SO2 reduction in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in China. The results, based on the data from 2003-2009, show that cooperation helps lower the overall SO2 pollution reduction cost from 4.58% to 11.29%. Distributed across the participating provinces, such a cost saving from interprovincial cooperation brings significant benefits to each local government and stimulates them for further cooperation in pollution reduction. Finally, sensitivity analysis is performed using the year 2009 data to test the parameters' effects on the pollution reduction cost savings. China is increasingly facing unprecedented pressure for immediate air pollution control. The current air pollution reduction policy does not allow cooperation and is less efficient. In this paper we developed a cooperative air pollution reduction game model that consists of two parts: (1) an optimization model that calculates the optimal pollution reduction quantity for each participating province to meet the joint pollution reduction goal; and (2) a model that distributes the cooperation gains (i.e., cost reduction) among the provinces in the cooperation based on the Shapley value method. The empirical case shows that such a model can help improve efficiency in air pollution reduction. The result of the model can serve as a reference for Chinese government pollution reduction policy design.

Building a sustainable GIS framework for supporting a tribal transportation problem.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-03-01

Due to the recent oil boom, the Fort Berthold Reservation has experienced a dramatic increase in highway and local traffic. To support energy transportation and provide safe roads, the reservation needs cost-efficient and effective transportation pla...

Class Size Reduction or Rapid Formative Assessment?: A Comparison of Cost-Effectiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeh, Stuart S.

2009-01-01

The cost-effectiveness of class size reduction (CSR) was compared with the cost-effectiveness of rapid formative assessment, a promising alternative for raising student achievement. Drawing upon existing meta-analyses of the effects of student-teacher ratio, evaluations of CSR in Tennessee, California, and Wisconsin, and RAND cost estimates, CSR…

[Psychoactive drugs and costs in the Madrid III (Valdemoro) prison].

PubMed

Algora-Donoso, I; Varela-González, O

2008-01-01

Annual pharmaceutical expenditures in prisons increases dramatically and the rising costs of psychoactive drugs have especially contributed to this. These drugs are often prescribed in order to find therapeutic uses in the field of personality disorders, addictions, and dysfunctional behaviours that are not included in the authorized indications (compassionate use). This study has enabled a detailed description of the use of psychoactive drugs at the Madrid III prison, a centre with one of the lowest levels of pharmaceutical expenditure in this autonomous community. During a two-week period, all prescriptions of psychoactive drugs were collected and registered along with data of several possible conditioning factors. 20.5% of the population was receiving some kind of psychoactive drug; 76% of those inmates undergoing treatment were receiving one or two substances; 65% were taking anxiolytics, 38% antidepressants and 27% antipsychotics. The total amount of psychoactive drugs consumed was 9,840 defined daily doses, 46% of which were anxiolytics, 17% antidepressants and 14% antipsychotics. The total cost of the fortnight's treatment was euros 5,379 with a saving of euro 611 due to requesting and selecting offers carried out by the pharmacist. 72% of the costs were spent on anti-psychotics and the newer psychoactive drugs, representing 66% of the prescriptions, accounted for 98% of expenditure. The prescriber was one of the key influential factors over the amount, type and cost of the treatments. There are signs that compassionate use of current antipsychotics and antiepileptics, and newer antidepressants are a main cause of the dramatic increase in the costs, with cost-efficiency not always clearly demonstrated. These results are not an isolated fact restricted only to prisons, as demonstrated by consumption data published by the National Health System in the same year.

The cost-effectiveness of harm reduction.

PubMed

Wilson, David P; Donald, Braedon; Shattock, Andrew J; Wilson, David; Fraser-Hurt, Nicole

2015-02-01

HIV prevalence worldwide among people who inject drugs (PWID) is around 19%. Harm reduction for PWID includes needle-syringe programs (NSPs) and opioid substitution therapy (OST) but often coupled with antiretroviral therapy (ART) for people living with HIV. Numerous studies have examined the effectiveness of each harm reduction strategy. This commentary discusses the evidence of effectiveness of the packages of harm reduction services and their cost-effectiveness with respect to HIV-related outcomes as well as estimate resources required to meet global and regional coverage targets. NSPs have been shown to be safe and very effective in reducing HIV transmission in diverse settings; there are many historical and very recent examples in diverse settings where the absence of, or reduction in, NSPs have resulted in exploding HIV epidemics compared to controlled epidemics with NSP implementation. NSPs are relatively inexpensive to implement and highly cost-effective according to commonly used willingness-to-pay thresholds. There is strong evidence that substitution therapy is effective, reducing the risk of HIV acquisition by 54% on average among PWID. OST is relatively expensive to implement when only HIV outcomes are considered; other societal benefits substantially improve the cost-effectiveness ratios to be highly favourable. Many studies have shown that ART is cost-effective for keeping people alive but there is only weak supportive, but growing evidence, of the additional effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of ART as prevention among PWID. Packages of combined harm reduction approaches are highly likely to be more effective and cost-effective than partial approaches. The coverage of harm reduction programs remains extremely low across the world. The total annual costs of scaling up each of the harm reduction strategies from current coverage levels, by region, to meet WHO guideline coverage targets are high with ART greatest, followed by OST and then NSPs. But scale-up of all three approaches is essential. These interventions can be cost-effective by most thresholds in the short-term and cost-saving in the long-term. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A reduced order model based on Kalman filtering for sequential data assimilation of turbulent flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meldi, M.; Poux, A.

2017-10-01

A Kalman filter based sequential estimator is presented in this work. The estimator is integrated in the structure of segregated solvers for the analysis of incompressible flows. This technique provides an augmented flow state integrating available observation in the CFD model, naturally preserving a zero-divergence condition for the velocity field. Because of the prohibitive costs associated with a complete Kalman Filter application, two model reduction strategies have been proposed and assessed. These strategies dramatically reduce the increase in computational costs of the model, which can be quantified in an augmentation of 10%- 15% with respect to the classical numerical simulation. In addition, an extended analysis of the behavior of the numerical model covariance Q has been performed. Optimized values are strongly linked to the truncation error of the discretization procedure. The estimator has been applied to the analysis of a number of test cases exhibiting increasing complexity, including turbulent flow configurations. The results show that the augmented flow successfully improves the prediction of the physical quantities investigated, even when the observation is provided in a limited region of the physical domain. In addition, the present work suggests that these Data Assimilation techniques, which are at an embryonic stage of development in CFD, may have the potential to be pushed even further using the augmented prediction as a powerful tool for the optimization of the free parameters in the numerical simulation.

Clinical and health care aspects of respiratory tract disorders in Poland.

PubMed

Kanecki, Krzysztof; Zycinska, Katarzyna; Tyszko, Piotr

2016-01-01

Respiratory diseases constitute a public health priority worldwide. This is related to the increasing exposure to microorganisms, toxic factors, allergens, drugs and smoking, as the most important factors. Increasing costs of health promotion, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of respiratory tract diseases forces the search for effective strategies in the reduction of costs without making a significant impact of these activities on health results. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an example of these diseases with increasing incidence, which has few known modifiable factors and absorbs large medical and social costs. The aim of this study is to present the conception of cost driver analysis that could be useful in constructing a good combination of the EBM-based treatment with cost reduction decisions. Analysis of cost drivers was based on the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines and Polish recommendations of COPD diagnosis and treatment. The proposition of cost reduction strategy in COPD treatment was based on identification of cost drivers in value chain conception. An increasing incidence and treatment costs of COPD force the search for methods of costs reduction in health care. Identifying, evaluating and modifying the cost drivers with use of the value chain conception could be an effective method in achieving these objectives.

Alkaloids May Not be Responsible for Endophyte Associated Reductions in Tall Fescue Decomposition Rates

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

1. Fungal endophyte - grass symbioses can have dramatic ecological effects, altering individual plant physiology, plant and animal community structure and function, and ecosystem processes such as litter decomposition and nutrient cycling. 2. Within the tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus) - funga...

Cost consideration for aircraft configuration changes, 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tumlinson, R. R.

1975-01-01

The costs of improvements in aircraft drag reduction design changes are outlined in the context of production decisions. A drag reduction design with increased airframe weight requires cost increases for direct labor, overhead and direct expenses, plus general and administrative expenses.

Space program payload costs and their possible reduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanvleck, E. M.; Deerwester, J. M.; Norman, S. M.; Alton, L. R.

1973-01-01

The possible ways by which NASA payload costs might be reduced in the future were studied. The major historical reasons for payload costs being as they were, and if there are technologies (hard and soft), or criteria for technology advances, that could significantly reduce total costs of payloads were examined. Payload costs are placed in historical context. Some historical cost breakdowns for unmanned NASA payloads are presented to suggest where future cost reductions could be most significant. Space programs of NOAA, DoD and COMSAT are then examined to ascertain if payload reductions have been brought about by the operational (as opposed to developmental) nature of such programs, economies of scale, the ability to rely on previously developed technology, or by differing management structures and attitudes. The potential impact was investigated of NASA aircraft-type management on spacecraft program costs, and some examples relating previous costs associated with aircraft costs on the one hand and manned and unmanned costs on the other are included.

High Efficiency, High Performance Clothes Dryer

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

Peter Pescatore; Phil Carbone

This program covered the development of two separate products; an electric heat pump clothes dryer and a modulating gas dryer. These development efforts were independent of one another and are presented in this report in two separate volumes. Volume 1 details the Heat Pump Dryer Development while Volume 2 details the Modulating Gas Dryer Development. In both product development efforts, the intent was to develop high efficiency, high performance designs that would be attractive to US consumers. Working with Whirlpool Corporation as our commercial partner, TIAX applied this approach of satisfying consumer needs throughout the Product Development Process for bothmore » dryer designs. Heat pump clothes dryers have been in existence for years, especially in Europe, but have not been able to penetrate the market. This has been especially true in the US market where no volume production heat pump dryers are available. The issue has typically been around two key areas: cost and performance. Cost is a given in that a heat pump clothes dryer has numerous additional components associated with it. While heat pump dryers have been able to achieve significant energy savings compared to standard electric resistance dryers (over 50% in some cases), designs to date have been hampered by excessively long dry times, a major market driver in the US. The development work done on the heat pump dryer over the course of this program led to a demonstration dryer that delivered the following performance characteristics: (1) 40-50% energy savings on large loads with 35 F lower fabric temperatures and similar dry times; (2) 10-30 F reduction in fabric temperature for delicate loads with up to 50% energy savings and 30-40% time savings; (3) Improved fabric temperature uniformity; and (4) Robust performance across a range of vent restrictions. For the gas dryer development, the concept developed was one of modulating the gas flow to the dryer throughout the dry cycle. Through heat modulation in a gas dryer, significant time and energy savings, combined with dramatically reduced fabric temperatures, was achieved in a cost-effective manner. The key design factor lay in developing a system that matches the heat input to the dryer with the fabrics ability to absorb it. The development work done on the modulating gas dryer over the course of this program led to a demonstration dryer that delivered the following performance characteristics: (1) Up to 25% reduction in energy consumption for small and medium loads; (2) Up to 35% time savings for large loads with 10-15% energy reduction and no adverse effect on cloth temperatures; (3) Reduced fabric temperatures, dry times and 18% energy reduction for delicate loads; and, (4) Robust performance across a range of vent restrictions.« less

Analog VLSI system for active drag reduction

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

Gupta, B.; Goodman, R.; Jiang, F.

1996-10-01

In today`s cost-conscious air transportation industry, fuel costs are a substantial economic concern. Drag reduction is an important way to reduce costs. Even a 5% reduction in drag translates into estimated savings of millions of dollars in fuel costs. Drawing inspiration from the structure of shark skin, the authors are building a system to reduce drag along a surface. Our analog VLSI system interfaces with microfabricated, constant-temperature shear stress sensors. It detects regions of high shear stress and outputs a control signal to activate a microactuator. We are in the process of verifying the actual drag reduction by controlling microactuatorsmore » in wind tunnel experiments. We are encouraged that an approach similar to one that biology employs provides a very useful contribution to the problem of drag reduction. 9 refs., 21 figs.« less

A Method for Scheduling Air Traffic with Uncertain En Route Capacity Constraints

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arneson, Heather; Bloem, Michael

2009-01-01

A method for scheduling ground delay and airborne holding for flights scheduled to fly through airspace with uncertain capacity constraints is presented. The method iteratively solves linear programs for departure rates and airborne holding as new probabilistic information about future airspace constraints becomes available. The objective function is the expected value of the weighted sum of ground and airborne delay. In order to limit operationally costly changes to departure rates, they are updated only when such an update would lead to a significant cost reduction. Simulation results show a 13% cost reduction over a rough approximation of current practices. Comparison between the proposed as needed replanning method and a similar method that uses fixed frequency replanning shows a typical cost reduction of 1% to 2%, and even up to a 20% cost reduction in some cases.

48 CFR 52.215-11 - Price Reduction for Defective Certified Cost or Pricing Data-Modifications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Price Reduction for... CONTRACT CLAUSES Text of Provisions and Clauses 52.215-11 Price Reduction for Defective Certified Cost or Pricing Data—Modifications. As prescribed in 15.408(c), insert the following clause: Price Reduction for...

Estimate of the benefits of a population-based reduction in dietary sodium additives on hypertension and its related health care costs in Canada.

PubMed

Joffres, Michel R; Campbell, Norm R C; Manns, Braden; Tu, Karen

2007-05-01

Hypertension is the leading risk factor for mortality worldwide. One-quarter of the adult Canadian population has hypertension, and more than 90% of the population is estimated to develop hypertension if they live an average lifespan. Reductions in dietary sodium additives significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and population reductions in dietary sodium are recommended by major scientific and public health organizations. To estimate the reduction in hypertension prevalence and specific hypertension management cost savings associated with a population-wide reduction in dietary sodium additives. Based on data from clinical trials, reducing dietary sodium additives by 1840 mg/day would result in a decrease of 5.06 mmHg (systolic) and 2.7 mmHg (diastolic) blood pressures. Using Canadian Heart Health Survey data, the resulting reduction in hypertension was estimated. Costs of laboratory testing and physician visits were based on 2001 to 2003 Ontario Health Insurance Plan data, and the number of physician visits and costs of medications for patients with hypertension were taken from 2003 IMS Canada. To estimate the reduction in total physician visits and laboratory costs, current estimates of aware hypertensive patients in Canada were used from the Canadian Community Health Survey. Reducing dietary sodium additives may decrease hypertension prevalence by 30%, resulting in one million fewer hypertensive patients in Canada, and almost double the treatment and control rate. Direct cost savings related to fewer physician visits, laboratory tests and lower medication use are estimated to be approximately $430 million per year. Physician visits and laboratory costs would decrease by 6.5%, and 23% fewer treated hypertensive patients would require medications for control of blood pressure. Based on these estimates, lowering dietary sodium additives would lead to a large reduction in hypertension prevalence and result in health care cost savings in Canada.

Estimate of the benefits of a population-based reduction in dietary sodium additives on hypertension and its related health care costs in Canada

PubMed Central

Joffres, Michel R; Campbell, Norm RC; Manns, Braden; Tu, Karen

2007-01-01

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is the leading risk factor for mortality worldwide. One-quarter of the adult Canadian population has hypertension, and more than 90% of the population is estimated to develop hypertension if they live an average lifespan. Reductions in dietary sodium additives significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and population reductions in dietary sodium are recommended by major scientific and public health organizations. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the reduction in hypertension prevalence and specific hypertension management cost savings associated with a population-wide reduction in dietary sodium additives. METHODS: Based on data from clinical trials, reducing dietary sodium additives by 1840 mg/day would result in a decrease of 5.06 mmHg (systolic) and 2.7 mmHg (diastolic) blood pressures. Using Canadian Heart Health Survey data, the resulting reduction in hypertension was estimated. Costs of laboratory testing and physician visits were based on 2001 to 2003 Ontario Health Insurance Plan data, and the number of physician visits and costs of medications for patients with hypertension were taken from 2003 IMS Canada. To estimate the reduction in total physician visits and laboratory costs, current estimates of aware hypertensive patients in Canada were used from the Canadian Community Health Survey. RESULTS: Reducing dietary sodium additives may decrease hypertension prevalence by 30%, resulting in one million fewer hypertensive patients in Canada, and almost double the treatment and control rate. Direct cost savings related to fewer physician visits, laboratory tests and lower medication use are estimated to be approximately $430 million per year. Physician visits and laboratory costs would decrease by 6.5%, and 23% fewer treated hypertensive patients would require medications for control of blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these estimates, lowering dietary sodium additives would lead to a large reduction in hypertension prevalence and result in health care cost savings in Canada. PMID:17487286

NREL in the News | Transportation Research | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Promises Power Electronics Innovation Wide bandgap (WBG) technology promises to dramatically increase performance, reduce cost, and improve reliability of electronics packaging in electric-drive vehicles and Department's new Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Next Generation Power Electronics to accelerate

Smart money management.

PubMed

Larkin, Howard

2011-10-01

With the nation's health care payment system on the verge of a dramatic overhaul and the cost of everything from workforce to construction continuing to climb, hospitals are experimenting with ways to control expenses. This cover article launches our yearlong Fiscal Fitness series on smart money management.

Marginal cost curves for water footprint reduction in irrigated agriculture: a policy and decision making guide for efficient water use in crop production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chukalla, Abebe; Krol, Maarten; Hoekstra, Arjen

2016-04-01

Reducing water footprints (WF) in irrigated crop production is an essential element in water management, particularly in water-scarce areas. To achieve this, policy and decision making need to be supported with information on marginal cost curves that rank measures to reduce the WF according to their cost-effectiveness and enable the estimation of the cost associated with a certain WF reduction target, e.g. towards a certain reasonable WF benchmark. This paper aims to develop marginal cost curves (MCC) for WF reduction. The AquaCrop model is used to explore the effect of different measures on evapotranspiration and crop yield and thus WF that is used as input in the MCC. Measures relate to three dimensions of management practices: irrigation techniques (furrow, sprinkler, drip and subsurface drip); irrigation strategies (full and deficit irrigation); and mulching practices (no mulching, organic and synthetic mulching). A WF benchmark per crop is calculated as resulting from the best-available production technology. The marginal cost curve is plotted using the ratios of the marginal cost to WF reduction of the measures as ordinate, ranking with marginal costs rise with the increase of the reduction effort. For each measure, the marginal cost to reduce WF is estimated by comparing the associated WF and net present value (NPV) to the reference case (furrow irrigation, full irrigation, no mulching). The NPV for each measure is based on its capital costs, operation and maintenances costs (O&M) and revenues. A range of cases is considered, including: different crops, soil types and different environments. Key words: marginal cost curve, water footprint benchmark, soil water balance, crop growth, AquaCrop

Cost-Reduction Roadmap for Residential Solar Photovoltaics (PV), 2017-2030

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

Cook, Jeffrey J.; Ardani, Kristen B.; Margolis, Robert M.

The installed cost of solar photovoltaics (PV) has fallen rapidly in recent years and is expected to continue declining in the future. In this report, we focus on the potential for continued PV cost reductions in the residential market. From 2010 to 2017, the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for residential PV declined from 52 cents per kilowatt-hour (cents/kWh) to 16 cents/kWh (Fu et al. 2017). The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) recently set new LCOE targets for 2030, including a target of 5 cents/kWh for residential PV. We present a roadmap for achieving themore » SETO 2030 residential PV target. Because the 2030 target likely will not be achieved under business-as-usual trends (NREL 2017), we examine two key market segments that demonstrate significant opportunities for cost savings and market growth: installing PV at the time of roof replacement and installing PV as part of the new home construction process. Within both market segments, we identify four key cost-reduction opportunities: market maturation, business model integration, product innovation, and economies of scale. To assess the potential impact of these cost reductions, we compare modeled residential PV system prices in 2030 to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) quarter one 2017 (Q1 2017) residential PV system price benchmark (Fu et al. 2017). We use a bottom-up accounting framework to model all component and project-development costs incurred when installing a PV system. The result is a granular accounting for 11 direct and indirect costs associated with installing a residential PV system in 2030. All four modeled pathways demonstrate significant installed-system price savings over the Q1 2017 benchmark, with the visionary pathways yielding the greatest price benefits. The largest modeled cost savings are in the supply chain, sales and marketing, overhead, and installation labor cost categories. When we translate these installed-system costs into LCOE, we find that the less-aggressive pathways achieve significant cost reductions, but may not achieve the 2030 LCOE target. On the other hand, both visionary pathways could get very close to (for roof replacement) or achieve (for new construction) the 2030 target. Our analysis has two key implications. First, because installed-system soft cost reductions account for about 65 percent of the LCOE reductions in 2030 for both visionary pathways, residential PV stakeholders may need to emphasize these soft cost reductions to achieve the 2030 target. Second, capturing these savings will likely require considerable innovation in the technologies and business practices employed by the PV industry.« less

Utilization and costs of HIV antiretroviral drugs in Europe during the last ten years: Impact of generic antiretroviral drugs on cost reduction.

PubMed

Rwagitinywa, Joseph; Sommet, Agnès; Palmaro, Aurore; Montastruc, Jean-Louis; Lapeyre-Mestre, Maryse

2018-03-01

Simulation studies showed that generic antiretroviral (ARV) drug utilization could lead to significant cost reduction of HIV treatment in developed world. This study aimed to quantify ARV utilization and costs in European countries between 2006 and 2015. We also assessed the impact of generic ARV drug utilization on cost reduction in real-life. ARV drug utilization in 14 European countries (France, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) were analysed using defined daily dose (DDD)/1000 inhabitants/year. ARV drug cost was estimated in million euro/year and euro/1000 inhabitants/year. The impact of generics on cost reduction was assessed in three countries: France, Denmark, and Czech Republic, using four parameters: expected savings, observed savings, brand price-reduction savings and overall savings. Between 2006 and 2015, median ARV drug utilization increased from 234 DDDs per 1000 inhabitants per year (IQR 124-388) to 385 (229-670). The median cost increased from €3751/1000 inhabitants/year (1109-4681) to €9158 (3269-10,646). Between 2013 and 2015, overall savings of €0.9, €1.6, and €33.7 million were respectively observed in Denmark, Czech Republic, and France. Overall savings observed in real-life from generic ARV drugs in Denmark were related to high rate of low-price generic utilization, contrarily to France and Czech Republic where these were more related to brand price-reduction than generic utilization itself. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

COST OF SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION (SCR) APPLICATION FOR NOX CONTROL ON COAL-FIRED BOILERS

EPA Science Inventory

The report provides a methodology for estimating budgetary costs associated with retrofit applications of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology on coal-fired boilers. SCR is a postcombustion nitrogen oxides (NOx) control technology capable of providing NOx reductions >90...

Infection risk and cost-effectiveness of commercial bags or glass bottles for total parenteral nutrition.

PubMed

Durand-Zaleski, I; Delaunay, L; Langeron, O; Belda, E; Astier, A; Brun-Buisson, C

1997-03-01

To determine whether the greater daily expense of administering total parenteral nutrition (TPN) via plastic bags changed once daily, compared to glass bottles changed thrice daily, could be offset by savings from a reduction in nosocomial infections. The costs and potential benefits of commercially available TPN bags and TPN in glass containers were compared. Costs were computed from the viewpoint of the hospital, first in a general model and then for two specific examples, Crohn's disease and intensive-care unit (ICU) patients. The extra cost of using bags was $20 per day. The total cost of nosocomial bacteremia was estimated at $6,000. The monetary benefits of using TPN bags were $6,000XT, where XT was the percentage of nosocomial infections averted. We also considered that reduction in intravenous (IV)-line manipulation could reduce bacteremia-related mortality and computed a cost-per-life-saved ratio. Modeling showed that TPN in bags could yield a net benefit when the absolute reduction in the daily risk of nosocomial bacteremia reached the threshold value of 0.3%. Such a reduction could not be attained in patients with Crohn's disease, and corresponded to a 50% to 60% reduction of infection rates in ICU patients. Varying the risk of mortality attributable to IV-line-related infection from 1% to 13% resulted in a cost effectiveness of using TPN bags ranging from $90,000 to $7,000 per life saved in ICU, assuming a two-thirds reduction in IV-line infections, and from $180,000 to $14,000 if the infection rate was reduced by one third. The baseline cost-minimization analysis concluded that the extra cost of TPN bags was not justified by the extra savings. The cost-effectiveness analysis, however, found that the cost per life saved fell within the accepted range of public health interventions, provided a large fraction of infections are averted using TPN bags.

Response of Integrated CO 2 Capture and Storage Systems in Saline Aquifers and Fractured Shale Formations to Changes in CO 2 Capture Costs

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

Langenfeld, Julie K.; Bielicki, Jeffrey M.; Tao, Zhiyuan

Fractured shale formations are new potential target reservoirs for CO 2 capture and storage (CCS) and provide several potential advantages over storage in saline aquifers in terms of storage capacity, leakage risk, and cost savings from brownfield development. Here, we used a geospatial-optimization, engineering-economic model to investigate the sensitivity of integrated CCS networks in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia to reductions in CO 2 capture costs. The resulting reductions in CO 2 capture costs were based on hypothetical cases where technological innovation reduced CO 2 capture costs. There were also small differences in the spatial organization of the CCS deploymentmore » when the capture costs were reduced. We also found that the percent reduction in average cost of CCS systems became smaller as the CO 2 capture costs were decreased.« less

Response of Integrated CO 2 Capture and Storage Systems in Saline Aquifers and Fractured Shale Formations to Changes in CO 2 Capture Costs

DOE PAGES

Langenfeld, Julie K.; Bielicki, Jeffrey M.; Tao, Zhiyuan; ...

2017-08-18

Fractured shale formations are new potential target reservoirs for CO 2 capture and storage (CCS) and provide several potential advantages over storage in saline aquifers in terms of storage capacity, leakage risk, and cost savings from brownfield development. Here, we used a geospatial-optimization, engineering-economic model to investigate the sensitivity of integrated CCS networks in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia to reductions in CO 2 capture costs. The resulting reductions in CO 2 capture costs were based on hypothetical cases where technological innovation reduced CO 2 capture costs. There were also small differences in the spatial organization of the CCS deploymentmore » when the capture costs were reduced. We also found that the percent reduction in average cost of CCS systems became smaller as the CO 2 capture costs were decreased.« less

Genomics and proteomics: the next generation of health care.

PubMed

Sica, Joanne M

2002-12-01

Biotechnology research will dramatically impact health care, and the pharmaceutical industry in particular, in the coming decade. Health outcomes may be improved in a cost-effective manner through the ability to selectively prescribe medications; safer, more effective treatment may reduce long-term health care costs. As genetic testing becomes the standard of care, new challenges will surface around how genetic information will be used or misused, and how and where health care dollars are spent.

Joining Pipe with the Hybrid Laser-GMAW Process: Weld Test Results and Cost Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-06-01

Recent work investigating the poten- tial benefit of applying this technology to a shipyard pipe shop suggests that signifi- cant cost savings may be...arc-based joining processes. With recent advances in com- mercial laser technology , laser suppliers can now deliver dramatically higher power systems...reasons, shipyards in the U.S. are showing growing interest in hybrid laser-GMA welding technology . Hybrid Laser-GMA for Joining Pipe Welding of pipe

California-Specific Power-to-Hydrogen and Power-to-Gas Business Case Evaluation

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

Eichman, Joshua D.; Flores-Espino, Francisco

Flexible operation of electrolysis systems represents an opportunity to reduce the cost of hydrogen for a variety of end-uses while also supporting grid operations and thereby enabling greater renewable penetration. California is an ideal location to realize that value on account of growing renewable capacity and markets for hydrogen as a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) fuel, refineries, and other end-uses. Shifting the production of hydrogen to avoid high cost electricity and participation in utility and system operator markets along with installing renewable generation to avoid utility charges and increase revenue from the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program canmore » result in around $2.5/kg (21%) reduction in the production and delivery cost of hydrogen from electrolysis. This reduction can be achieved without impacting the consumers of hydrogen. Additionally, future strategies for reducing hydrogen cost were explored and include lower cost of capital, participation in the Renewable Fuel Standard program, capital cost reduction, and increased LCFS value. Each must be achieved independently and could each contribute to further reductions. Using the assumptions in this study found a 29% reduction in cost if all future strategies are realized. Flexible hydrogen production can simultaneously improve the performance and decarbonize multiple energy sectors. The lessons learned from this study should be used to understand near-term cost drivers and to support longer-term research activities to further improve cost effectiveness of grid integrated electrolysis systems.« less

Least-cost control of agricultural nutrient contributions to the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone.

PubMed

Rabotyagov, Sergey; Campbell, Todd; Jha, Manoj; Gassman, Philip W; Arnold, Jeffrey; Kurkalova, Lyubov; Secchi, Silvia; Feng, Hongli; Kling, Catherine L

2010-09-01

In 2008, the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico, measuring 20 720 km2, was one of the two largest reported since measurement of the zone began in 1985. The extent of the hypoxic zone is related to nitrogen and phosphorous loadings originating on agricultural fields in the upper Midwest. This study combines the tools of evolutionary computation with a water quality model and cost data to develop a trade-off frontier for the Upper Mississippi River Basin specifying the least cost of achieving nutrient reductions and the location of the agricultural conservation practices needed. The frontier allows policymakers and stakeholders to explicitly see the trade-offs between cost and nutrient reductions. For example, the cost of reducing annual nitrate-N loadings by 30% is estimated to be US$1.4 billion/year, with a concomitant 36% reduction in P and the cost of reducing annual P loadings by 30% is estimated to be US$370 million/year, with a concomitant 9% reduction in nitrate-N.

Disproportionate-share hospital payment reductions may threaten the financial stability of safety-net hospitals.

PubMed

Neuhausen, Katherine; Davis, Anna C; Needleman, Jack; Brook, Robert H; Zingmond, David; Roby, Dylan H

2014-06-01

Safety-net hospitals rely on disproportionate-share hospital (DSH) payments to help cover uncompensated care costs and underpayments by Medicaid (known as Medicaid shortfalls). The Affordable Care Act (ACA) anticipates that insurance expansion will increase safety-net hospitals' revenues and will reduce DSH payments accordingly. We examined the impact of the ACA's Medicaid DSH reductions on California public hospitals' financial stability by estimating how total DSH costs (uncompensated care costs and Medicaid shortfalls) will change as a result of insurance expansion and the offsetting DSH reductions. Decreases in uncompensated care costs resulting from the ACA insurance expansion may not match the act's DSH reductions because of the high number of people who will remain uninsured, low Medicaid reimbursement rates, and medical cost inflation. Taking these three factors into account, we estimate that California public hospitals' total DSH costs will increase from $2.044 billion in 2010 to $2.363-$2.503 billion in 2019, with unmet DSH costs of $1.381-$1.537 billion. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

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

Case for Deploying Complex Systems Utilizing Commodity Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bryant, Barry S.; Pitts, R. Lee

2003-01-01

When the International Space Station (ISS) finally reached an operational state, many of the Payload Operations and Integration Facility (POIF) hardware components were reaching end of life, COTS product costs were soaring, and the ISS budget was becoming severely constrained. However, most requirement development was complete. In addition, the ISS program is a fully functioning program with at least fifteen years of operational life remaining. Therefore it is critical that any upgrades, refurbishments, or enhancements be accomplished in realtime with minimal disruptions to service. For these and other reasons, it was necessary to ensure the viability of the POIF. Due to the to the breadth of capability of the POIF (a NASA ground station), it is believed that the lessons to be learned by other complex systems are applicable and any solutions garnered by the POIF are applicable to other complex systems as well. With that in mind, a number of new approaches have been investigated to increase the portability of the POIF and reduce the cost of refurbishment, operations, and maintenance. These new approaches were directed at the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO); not only the refurbishment but also current operational difficulties, licensing, and anticipation of the next refurbishment. Our basic premise is that technology had evolved dramatically since the concept of the POIF ground system and we should leverage our experience on this new technological landscape. Fortunately, Moore's law and market forces have changed the landscape considerably. These changes are manifest in five (5) ways that are particularly relevant to POIF: 1. Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) processors have advanced to unprecedented levels of compute capacity with a dramatic cost break, 2. Linux has become a major operating system supported by most vendors on a broad range of platforms, 3. Windows(TradeMark) based desktops are pervasive in the office environment, 4. Stable and affordable WindowsTM development environments and tools are available and offer a rich set of capabilities, 5. The WindowsTM 2000 provides a stable client platform, Therefore, five studies were proposed, developed, and are in the current process of deployment which dramatically reduces the cost of operations, maintenance, refurbishment, and deployment of a ground system. Restating and refining the basic premise stated earlier, it is possible to enhance operations through the replacement of hardware and software components with commodity based items wherever applicable. This will dramatically reduce the overall lifecycle cost of the project. The first study leveraged the POIF S secure, three-tier, web architecture to replace the client workstations with lower cost PC platforms. A second study initiated a review of COTS products to examine the level of added value of each product. This study included replacement of some COTS products with custom code, deletions, substitutions, and consolidation of COTS products. Studies three and four reviewed the server architectures of the data distribution systems and Enhanced HOSC System (EHS) command and telemetry system to propose migration to new platforms, both software and hardware. The final study reviewed current IP communication technologies, developed an operational model for flight operations, and demonstrated that voice over IP was practical and could be integrated into operations.

Selective Reduction: "A Soft Cover for Hard Choices" or Another Name for Abortion?

PubMed

Rao, Radhika

2015-01-01

Selective reduction and abortion both involve the termination of fetal life, but they are classified by different designations to underscore the notion that they are regarded as fundamentally different medical procedures: the two are performed using distinct techniques by different types of physicians, upon women under very different circumstances, in order to further dramatically different objectives. Hence, the two procedures appear to call for a distinct moral calculus, and they have traditionally evoked contradictory reactions from society. This essay posits that despite their different appellations, selective reduction and abortion are essentially equivalent. © 2015 American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Inc.

Gas cluster ion beam surface treatments for reducing field emission and breakdown of electrodes and SRF cavities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swenson, D. R.; Wu, A. T.; Degenkolb, E.; Insepov, Z.

2007-08-01

Sub-micron-scale surface roughness and contamination cause field emission that can lead to high-voltage breakdown of electrodes, and these are limiting factors in the development of high gradient RF technology. We are studying various Gas Cluster Ion Beam (GCIB) treatments to smooth, clean, etch and/or chemically alter electrode surfaces to allow higher fields and accelerating gradients, and to reduce the time and cost of conditioning high-voltage electrodes. For this paper, we have processed Nb, stainless steel and Ti electrode materials using beams of Ar, O2, or NF3 + O2 clusters with accelerating potentials up to 35 kV. Using a scanning field emission microscope (SFEM), we have repeatedly seen a dramatic reduction in the number of field emission sites on Nb coupons treated with GCIB. Smoothing effects on stainless steel and Ti substrates, evaluated using SEM and AFM imaging, show that 200-nm-wide polishing scratch marks are greatly attenuated. A 150-mm diameter GCIB-treated stainless steel electrode has shown virtually no DC field emission current at gradients over 20 MV/m.

Facile synthesis of highly active PdAu nanowire networks as self-supported electrocatalyst for ethanol electrooxidation.

PubMed

Hong, Wei; Wang, Jin; Wang, Erkang

2014-06-25

In recent years, direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) are attracting increasing attention owing to their wide applications. However, a significant challenge in the development of DEFC technology is the urgent need for highly active anode catalysts for the ethanol oxidation reaction. In this work, a facile and reproducible method for the high-yield synthesis of PdAu nanowire networks is demonstrated. The whole synthetic process is very simple, just mixing Na2PdCl4, HAuCl4, and KBr in an aqueous solution and using polyvinylpyrrolidone as a protective reagent while sodium borohydride as a reductant. The whole synthetic process can be simply performed at room temperature and completed in 30 min, which can greatly simplify the synthetic process and lower the preparation cost. Electrochemical catalytic measurement results prove that the as-prepared catalysts exhibit dramatically enhanced electrocatalytic activity for ethanol electrooxidation in alkaline solution. The facile synthetic process and excellent catalytic performance of the as-prepared catalysts demonstrate that they can be used as a promising catalyst for DEFCs.

Efficiently-cooled plasmonic amorphous silicon solar cells integrated with a nano-coated heat-pipe plate

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yinan; Du, Yanping; Shum, Clifford; Cai, Boyuan; Le, Nam Cao Hoai; Chen, Xi; Duck, Benjamin; Fell, Christopher; Zhu, Yonggang; Gu, Min

2016-01-01

Solar photovoltaics (PV) are emerging as a major alternative energy source. The cost of PV electricity depends on the efficiency of conversion of light to electricity. Despite of steady growth in the efficiency for several decades, little has been achieved to reduce the impact of real-world operating temperatures on this efficiency. Here we demonstrate a highly efficient cooling solution to the recently emerging high performance plasmonic solar cell technology by integrating an advanced nano-coated heat-pipe plate. This thermal cooling technology, efficient for both summer and winter time, demonstrates the heat transportation capability up to ten times higher than those of the metal plate and the conventional wickless heat-pipe plates. The reduction in temperature rise of the plasmonic solar cells operating under one sun condition can be as high as 46%, leading to an approximate 56% recovery in efficiency, which dramatically increases the energy yield of the plasmonic solar cells. This newly-developed, thermally-managed plasmonic solar cell device significantly extends the application scope of PV for highly efficient solar energy conversion. PMID:27113558

Fixed-Charge Atomistic Force Fields for Molecular Dynamics Simulations in the Condensed Phase: An Overview.

PubMed

Riniker, Sereina

2018-03-26

In molecular dynamics or Monte Carlo simulations, the interactions between the particles (atoms) in the system are described by a so-called force field. The empirical functional form of classical fixed-charge force fields dates back to 1969 and remains essentially unchanged. In a fixed-charge force field, the polarization is not modeled explicitly, i.e. the effective partial charges do not change depending on conformation and environment. This simplification allows, however, a dramatic reduction in computational cost compared to polarizable force fields and in particular quantum-chemical modeling. The past decades have shown that simulations employing carefully parametrized fixed-charge force fields can provide useful insights into biological and chemical questions. This overview focuses on the four major force-field families, i.e. AMBER, CHARMM, GROMOS, and OPLS, which are based on the same classical functional form and are continuously improved to the present day. The overview is aimed at readers entering the field of (bio)molecular simulations. More experienced users may find the comparison and historical development of the force-field families interesting.

Efficiently-cooled plasmonic amorphous silicon solar cells integrated with a nano-coated heat-pipe plate.

PubMed

Zhang, Yinan; Du, Yanping; Shum, Clifford; Cai, Boyuan; Le, Nam Cao Hoai; Chen, Xi; Duck, Benjamin; Fell, Christopher; Zhu, Yonggang; Gu, Min

2016-04-26

Solar photovoltaics (PV) are emerging as a major alternative energy source. The cost of PV electricity depends on the efficiency of conversion of light to electricity. Despite of steady growth in the efficiency for several decades, little has been achieved to reduce the impact of real-world operating temperatures on this efficiency. Here we demonstrate a highly efficient cooling solution to the recently emerging high performance plasmonic solar cell technology by integrating an advanced nano-coated heat-pipe plate. This thermal cooling technology, efficient for both summer and winter time, demonstrates the heat transportation capability up to ten times higher than those of the metal plate and the conventional wickless heat-pipe plates. The reduction in temperature rise of the plasmonic solar cells operating under one sun condition can be as high as 46%, leading to an approximate 56% recovery in efficiency, which dramatically increases the energy yield of the plasmonic solar cells. This newly-developed, thermally-managed plasmonic solar cell device significantly extends the application scope of PV for highly efficient solar energy conversion.

A Large Array of Small Antennas to Support Future NASA Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, D. L.; Weinreb, S.; Preston, R. A.

2001-01-01

A team of engineers and scientists at JPL is currently working on the design of an array of small radio antennas with a total collecting area up to twenty times that of the largest existing (70 m) DSN antennas. An array of this size would provide obvious advantages for high data rate telemetry reception and for spacecraft navigation. Among these advantages are an order-of-magnitude increase in sensitivity for telemetry downlink, flexible sub-arraying to track multiple spacecraft simultaneously, increased reliability through the use of large numbers of identical array elements, very accurate real-time angular spacecraft tracking, and a dramatic reduction in cost per unit area. NASA missions in many disciplines, including planetary science, would benefit from this increased DSN capability. The science return from planned missions could be increased, and opportunities for less expensive or completely new kinds of missions would be created. The DSN array would also bean immensely valuable instrument for radio astronomy. Indeed, it would be by far the most sensitive radio telescope in the world. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Perovskite with Controlled Dopant Modification and Application in Photovoltaic Device.

PubMed

Zhao, Wangen; Yang, Dong; Liu, Shengzhong Frank

2017-07-01

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite as a kind of promising photovoltaic material is booming due to its low-cost, high defect tolerance, and easy fabrication, which result in the huge potential in industrial production. In the pursuit of high efficiency photovoltaic devices, high-quality absorbing layer is essential. Therefore, developing organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite thin films with good coverage, improved uniformity, and crystalline in a single pass deposition is of great concern in realizing good performance of perovskite thin-film solar cell. Here, it is found that the introduction of suitable amounts of LiI plays a dramatically positive role in enlarging the grain size and reducing the grain boundaries of absorbing layer. In addition, the carrier lifetime and built-in potential of the LiI doped perovskite device are observed to increase. Thus, it leads to about 15% gain in solar cell efficiency comparing to that without the LiI doping. Meanwhile, a hysteresis reduction is observed and 18.16% power conversion efficiency is achieved in LiI doped perovskite device, as well. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Efficiently-cooled plasmonic amorphous silicon solar cells integrated with a nano-coated heat-pipe plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yinan; Du, Yanping; Shum, Clifford; Cai, Boyuan; Le, Nam Cao Hoai; Chen, Xi; Duck, Benjamin; Fell, Christopher; Zhu, Yonggang; Gu, Min

2016-04-01

Solar photovoltaics (PV) are emerging as a major alternative energy source. The cost of PV electricity depends on the efficiency of conversion of light to electricity. Despite of steady growth in the efficiency for several decades, little has been achieved to reduce the impact of real-world operating temperatures on this efficiency. Here we demonstrate a highly efficient cooling solution to the recently emerging high performance plasmonic solar cell technology by integrating an advanced nano-coated heat-pipe plate. This thermal cooling technology, efficient for both summer and winter time, demonstrates the heat transportation capability up to ten times higher than those of the metal plate and the conventional wickless heat-pipe plates. The reduction in temperature rise of the plasmonic solar cells operating under one sun condition can be as high as 46%, leading to an approximate 56% recovery in efficiency, which dramatically increases the energy yield of the plasmonic solar cells. This newly-developed, thermally-managed plasmonic solar cell device significantly extends the application scope of PV for highly efficient solar energy conversion.

Roll-to-Roll Screen Printed Radio Frequency Identification Transponder Antennas for Vehicle Tracking Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zichner, Ralf; Baumann, Reinhard R.

2013-05-01

Vehicle tracking systems based on ultra high frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) technology are already introduced to control the access to car parks and corporate premises. For this field of application so-called Windshield RFID transponder labels are used, which are applied to the inside of the windshield. State of the art for manufacturing these transponder antennas is the traditional lithography/etching approach. Furthermore the performance of these transponders is limited to a reading distance of approximately 5 m which results in car speed limit of 5 km/h for identification. However, to achieve improved performance compared to existing all-purpose transponders and a dramatic cost reduction, an optimized antenna design is needed which takes into account the special dielectric and in particular metallic car environment of the tag and an roll-to-roll (R2R) printing manufacturing process. In this paper we focus on the development of a customized UHF RFID transponder antenna design, which is adopted for vehicle geometry as well as R2R screen printing manufacturing processes.

Time-domain diffuse optics: towards next generation devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Contini, Davide; Dalla Mora, Alberto; Arridge, Simon; Martelli, Fabrizio; Tosi, Alberto; Boso, Gianluca; Farina, Andrea; Durduran, Turgut; Martinenghi, Edoardo; Torricelli, Alessandro; Pifferi, Antonio

2015-07-01

Diffuse optics is a powerful tool for clinical applications ranging from oncology to neurology, but also for molecular imaging, and quality assessment of food, wood and pharmaceuticals. We show that ideally time-domain diffuse optics can give higher contrast and a higher penetration depth with respect to standard technology. In order to completely exploit the advantages of a time-domain system a distribution of sources and detectors with fast gating capabilities covering all the sample surface is needed. Here, we present the building block to build up such system. This basic component is made of a miniaturised source-detector pair embedded into the probe based on pulsed Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers (VCSEL) as sources and Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPAD) or Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPM) as detectors. The possibility to miniaturized and dramatically increase the number of source detectors pairs open the way to an advancement of diffuse optics in terms of improvement of performances and exploration of new applications. Furthermore, availability of compact devices with reduction in size and cost can boost the application of this technique.

Integrated Solid/Nanoporous Copper/Oxide Hybrid Bulk Electrodes for High-performance Lithium-Ion Batteries

PubMed Central

Hou, Chao; Lang, Xing-You; Han, Gao-Feng; Li, Ying-Qi; Zhao, Lei; Wen, Zi; Zhu, Yong-Fu; Zhao, Ming; Li, Jian-Chen; Lian, Jian-She; Jiang, Qing

2013-01-01

Nanoarchitectured electroactive materials can boost rates of Li insertion/extraction, showing genuine potential to increase power output of Li-ion batteries. However, electrodes assembled with low-dimensional nanostructured transition metal oxides by conventional approach suffer from dramatic reductions in energy capacities owing to sluggish ion and electron transport kinetics. Here we report that flexible bulk electrodes, made of three-dimensional bicontinuous nanoporous Cu/MnO2 hybrid and seamlessly integrated with Cu solid current collector, substantially optimizes Li storage behavior of the constituent MnO2. As a result of the unique integration of solid/nanoporous hybrid architecture that simultaneously enhances the electron transport of MnO2, facilitates fast ion diffusion and accommodates large volume changes on Li insertion/extraction of MnO2, the supported MnO2 exhibits a stable capacity of as high as ~1100 mA h g−1 for 1000 cycles, and ultrahigh charge/discharge rates. It makes the environmentally friendly and low-cost electrode as a promising anode for high-performance Li-ion battery applications. PMID:24096928

A study of low cost approaches to scientific experiment implementation for shuttle launched and serviced automated spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

Cost reductions that can be obtained in experiment instrumentation by the use of standardized electronics and by the relaxation of instrument reliability requirements are studied. The feasibility of using standardized equipment for experiment instrumentation is assessed and a system design approach that most effectively incorporates standardized equipment is developed. The level and form of modularization that is appropriate for the standardized equipment is determined. Mission assurance aspects of instrument development are examined to determine the cost reductions that might be derived from the relaxation of reliability requirements and to formulate a systematic approach to the optimization of mission assurance cost reductions. The results of the analyses are applied to a representative model HEAO payload in order to provide a concrete example of the cost reductions that can be achieved by a standardized approach to the instrument electronics.

Comparison of automated satellite systems with conventional systems for hydrologic data collection in west-central Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Woodham, W.M.

1982-01-01

This report provides results of reliability and cost-effective studies of the goes satellite data-collection system used to operate a small hydrologic data network in west-central Florida. The GOES system, in its present state of development, was found to be about as reliable as conventional methods of data collection. Benefits of using the GOES system include some cost and manpower reduction, improved data accuracy, near real-time data availability, and direct computer storage and analysis of data. The GOES system could allow annual manpower reductions of 19 to 23 percent with reduction in cost for some and increase in cost for other single-parameter sites, such as streamflow, rainfall, and ground-water monitoring stations. Manpower reductions of 46 percent or more appear possible for multiple-parameter sites. Implementation of expected improvements in instrumentation and data handling procedures should further reduce costs. (USGS)

COST OF SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION (SCR) APPLICATION FOR NOX CONTROL ON COAL-FIRED BOILERS

EPA Science Inventory

The report provides a methodology for estimating budgetary costs associ-ated with retrofit applications of selec-tive catalytic reduction (SCR) technology on coal-fired boilers. SCR is a post-combustion nitrogen oxides (NOX) con-trol technology capable of providing NOX reductions...

Cost of nitrogen use in the US

EPA Science Inventory

Growing human demands for food, fuel and fiber have accelerated the human-driven fixation of reactive nitrogen (N) by at least 10-fold over the last century. This acceleration is one of the most dramatic changes to the sustainability of Earth’s systems. Approximately 65% ...

Bioethanol and Biodiesel: Alertnative Liquid Fuels for Future Generations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Global population is expected to increase by approximately three billion by 2050 and with this increase in population, industry, transportation, and the cost of fossil fuels will increase dramatically . New technology is needed for fuel extraction using feedstocks which do not threaten food security...

Oil spill dispersants: boon or bane?

PubMed

Prince, Roger C

2015-06-02

Dispersants provide a reliable large-scale response to catastrophic oil spills that can be used when the preferable option of recapturing the oil cannot be achieved. By allowing even mild wave action to disperse floating oil into tiny droplets (<70 μm) in the water column, seabirds, reptiles, and mammals are protected from lethal oiling at the surface, and microbial biodegradation is dramatically increased. Recent work has clarified how dramatic this increase is likely to be: beached oil has an environmental residence of years, whereas dispersed oil has a half-life of weeks. Oil spill response operations endorse the concept of net environmental benefit, that any environmental costs imposed by a response technique must be outweighed by the likely benefits. This critical review discusses the potential environmental debits and credits from dispersant use and concludes that, in most cases, the potential environmental costs of adding these chemicals to a polluted area are likely outweighed by the much shorter residence time, and hence integrated environmental impact, of the spilled oil in the environment.

Liquid-state carbon-13 hyperpolarization generated in an MRI system for fast imaging

PubMed Central

Schmidt, A. B.; Berner, S.; Schimpf, W.; Müller, C.; Lickert, T.; Schwaderlapp, N.; Knecht, S.; Skinner, J. G.; Dost, A.; Rovedo, P.; Hennig, J.; von Elverfeldt, D.; Hövener, J. -B.

2017-01-01

Hyperpolarized (HP) tracers dramatically increase the sensitivity of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to monitor metabolism non-invasively and in vivo. Their production, however, requires an extra polarizing device (polarizer) whose complexity, operation and cost can exceed that of an MRI system itself. Furthermore, the lifetime of HP tracers is short and some of the enhancement is lost during transfer to the application site. Here, we present the production of HP tracers in water without an external polarizer: by Synthesis Amid the Magnet Bore, A Dramatically Enhanced Nuclear Alignment (SAMBADENA) is achieved within seconds, corresponding to a hyperpolarization of ∼20%. As transfer of the tracer is no longer required, SAMBADENA may permit a higher polarization at the time of detection at a fraction of the cost and complexity of external polarizers. This development is particularly promising in light of the recently extended portfolio of biomedically relevant para-hydrogen-tracers and may lead to new diagnostic applications. PMID:28262691

A cislunar transportation system fuelled by lunar resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sowers, G. F.

2016-11-01

A transportation system for a self sustaining economy in cislunar space is discussed. The system is based on liquid oxygen (LO2), liquid hydrogen (LH2) propulsion whose fuels are derived from ice mined at the polar regions of the Moon. The elements of the transportation system consist of the Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage (ACES) and the XEUS lander, both being developed by United Launch Alliance (ULA). The main propulsion elements and structures are common between ACES and XEUS. Both stages are fully reusable with refueling of their LO2/LH2 propellants. Utilization of lunar sourced propellants has the potential to dramatically lower the cost of transportation within the cislunar environs. These lower costs dramatically lower the barriers to entry of a number of promising cislunar based activities including space solar power. One early application of the architecture is providing lunar sourced propellant to refuel ACES for traditional spacecraft deployment missions. The business case for this application provides an economic framework for a potential lunar water mining operation.

Improving air pollution control policy in China--A perspective based on cost-benefit analysis.

PubMed

Gao, Jinglei; Yuan, Zengwei; Liu, Xuewei; Xia, Xiaoming; Huang, Xianjin; Dong, Zhanfeng

2016-02-01

To mitigate serious air pollution, the State Council of China promulgated the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan in 2013. To verify the feasibility and validity of industrial energy-saving and emission-reduction policies in the action plan, we conducted a cost-benefit analysis of implementing these policies in 31 provinces for the period of 2013 to 2017. We also completed a scenario analysis in this study to assess the cost-effectiveness of different measures within the energy-saving and the emission-reduction policies individually. The data were derived from field surveys, statistical yearbooks, government documents, and published literatures. The results show that total cost and total benefit are 118.39 and 748.15 billion Yuan, respectively, and the estimated benefit-cost ratio is 6.32 in the S3 scenario. For all the scenarios, these policies are cost-effective and the eastern region has higher satisfactory values. Furthermore, the end-of-pipe scenario has greater emission reduction potential than energy-saving scenario. We also found that gross domestic product and population are significantly correlated with the benefit-cost ratio value through the regression analysis of selected possible influencing factors. The sensitivity analysis demonstrates that benefit-cost ratio value is more sensitive to unit emission-reduction cost, unit subsidy, growth rate of gross domestic product, and discount rate among all the parameters. Compared with other provinces, the benefit-cost ratios of Beijing and Tianjin are more sensitive to changes of unit subsidy than unit emission-reduction cost. These findings may have significant implications for improving China's air pollution prevention policy. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

BULK AND TEMPLATE-FREE SYNTHESIS OF SILVER NANOWIRES USING CAFFEINE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

EPA Science Inventory

A simple eco-friendly one-pot method is described to synthesize bulk quantities of nanowires of silver (Ag) using caffeine without the need of reducing agent, surfactants, and/or large amounts of insoluble templates. Chemical reduction of silver salts with caffeine dramatically c...

Shifting Patterns of Deadly Violence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seiden, Richard H.; Freitas, Raymond P.

1980-01-01

While it is true that the total suicide rates has varied little, this composite figure masks a dramatic shift in the risk of suicide by age. In recent years there has been a reduction of suicide at older ages reciprocated by an unprecedented increase of suicide and homicide at younger ages. (Author)

Predictive Modeling: Linking Enrollment and Budgeting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trusheim, Dale; Rylee, Carol

2011-01-01

The hard choices that must be made to balance budgets at higher education institutions can be painful and have dramatic consequences that may linger for years. If enrollment projections and therefore tuition income/budgeting projections for future years are inaccurate, then the result may be unnecessary or insufficient budget reductions, both of…

Reductive Degradation: Versatile, Low Cost.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Water and Sewage Works, 1979

1979-01-01

This article discusses the use of reductive degradation as an economical and effective treatment of chlorinated hydrocarbons. Comparisons with activated carbon treatment show lower capital equipment and treatment costs. (CS)

32 CFR 165.7 - Waivers (including reductions).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... RECOUPMENT OF NONRECURRING COSTS ON SALES OF U.S. ITEMS § 165.7 Waivers (including reductions). (a) The “Arms... of nonrecurring cost of major defense equipment from foreign military sales customers but authorizes consideration of reductions or waivers for particular sales which, if made, significantly advance U.S...

32 CFR 165.7 - Waivers (including reductions).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... RECOUPMENT OF NONRECURRING COSTS ON SALES OF U.S. ITEMS § 165.7 Waivers (including reductions). (a) The “Arms... of nonrecurring cost of major defense equipment from foreign military sales customers but authorizes consideration of reductions or waivers for particular sales which, if made, significantly advance U.S...

32 CFR 165.7 - Waivers (including reductions).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... RECOUPMENT OF NONRECURRING COSTS ON SALES OF U.S. ITEMS § 165.7 Waivers (including reductions). (a) The “Arms... of nonrecurring cost of major defense equipment from foreign military sales customers but authorizes consideration of reductions or waivers for particular sales which, if made, significantly advance U.S...

Cost-Effectiveness of Nivolumab-Ipilimumab Combination Therapy Compared to Monotherapy for First-Line Treatment of Metastatic Melanoma in the United States

PubMed Central

Oh, Anna; Tran, Dang M; McDowell, Leann C; Keyvani, Dor; Barcelon, Jay Andrew; Merino, Oscar; Wilson, Leslie

2018-01-01

BACKGROUND The approval of new immunotherapies has dramatically changed the treatment landscape of metastatic melanoma. These survival gains come with trade-offs in side effects and costs, as well as important considerations to third-party payer systems, physicians, and patients. OBJECTIVE Develop a Markov model to determine the cost-effectiveness of nivolumab, ipilimumab, and nivolumab-ipilimumab combination as first-line therapy in metastatic melanoma while accounting for differential effectiveness in PD-L1 positive and negative patients. METHODS A three-state Markov model (‘PD-L1 positive stable disease’, ‘PD-L1 negative stable disease’, and ‘Progression and/or Death’) was developed using a US societal perspective with a lifetime time horizon of 14.5 years. Transition probabilities were calculated from progression-free survival data reported in the CheckMate-067 trial. Costs were expressed in 2015 US dollars and were determined using national sources. Adverse event (AE) management was determined using immune-related AE (irAE) data from CheckMate-067, irAE management guides for nivolumab and ipilimumab, and treatment guidelines. Utilities were obtained from published literature, using melanoma-specific studies when available, and were weighted based on incidence and duration of irAEs. Base case, one-way sensitivity, and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted. RESULTS Nivolumab-ipilimumab combination therapy is not the cost effective choice ($454,092 per progression-free quality-adjusted-life-year [PFQALY]) compared to nivolumab monotherapy in our base case analysis at a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000/PFQALY. Both combination therapy and nivolumab monotherapy were cost-effective choices compared to ipilimumab monotherapy. PD-L1 positive status, utility of nivolumab and combination therapy, and medication costs contributed the most uncertainty to the model. In a population of 100% PD-L1 negative patients, nivolumab was still the optimal treatment but combination therapy had an improved ICER of $295,903/PFQALY. Combination therapy became dominated by nivolumab when 68% of the sample was PD-L1 positive. In addition, the cost of ipilimumab would have to decrease to <$21,555 per dose for combination therapy to have an ICER <$100,000/PFQALY, and to <$19,151 (a 42% reduction) to be more cost-effective than nivolumab monotherapy. CONCLUSIONS Nivolumab-ipilimumab combination therapy is not cost-effective compared to nivolumab monotherapy, which is the most cost-effective option. Professionals in managed care settings should consider the pharmacoeconomic implications of these new immunotherapies as they make value-based formulary decisions and future cost-effectiveness studies are completed. PMID:28530525

Effect of Study Design on Sample Size in Studies Intended to Evaluate Bioequivalence of Inhaled Short-Acting β-Agonist Formulations.

PubMed

Zeng, Yaohui; Singh, Sachinkumar; Wang, Kai; Ahrens, Richard C

2018-04-01

Pharmacodynamic studies that use methacholine challenge to assess bioequivalence of generic and innovator albuterol formulations are generally designed per published Food and Drug Administration guidance, with 3 reference doses and 1 test dose (3-by-1 design). These studies are challenging and expensive to conduct, typically requiring large sample sizes. We proposed 14 modified study designs as alternatives to the Food and Drug Administration-recommended 3-by-1 design, hypothesizing that adding reference and/or test doses would reduce sample size and cost. We used Monte Carlo simulation to estimate sample size. Simulation inputs were selected based on published studies and our own experience with this type of trial. We also estimated effects of these modified study designs on study cost. Most of these altered designs reduced sample size and cost relative to the 3-by-1 design, some decreasing cost by more than 40%. The most effective single study dose to add was 180 μg of test formulation, which resulted in an estimated 30% relative cost reduction. Adding a single test dose of 90 μg was less effective, producing only a 13% cost reduction. Adding a lone reference dose of either 180, 270, or 360 μg yielded little benefit (less than 10% cost reduction), whereas adding 720 μg resulted in a 19% cost reduction. Of the 14 study design modifications we evaluated, the most effective was addition of both a 90-μg test dose and a 720-μg reference dose (42% cost reduction). Combining a 180-μg test dose and a 720-μg reference dose produced an estimated 36% cost reduction. © 2017, The Authors. The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American College of Clinical Pharmacology.

Understanding the reductions in US corn ethanol production costs: an experience curve approach

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The US is currently the world's largest ethanol producer. An increasing percentage is used as transportation fuel, but debates continue on its cost competitiveness and energy balance. In this study, technological development of ethanol production and resulting cost reductions are investigated by usi...

The Impact of Accounting Methods on Cost Reduction Rates in Defense Aerospace Weapons System Programs

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-12-01

and adhered to in U.S. industry, allow some flexibility in accounting. Under GAAP , accounting areas such as depreciation , inventory, investment tax... depreciation , inventory and investment tax credit) in predicting cost reduction rates are studied. Of the three accounting variables, only inventory...RATES .. ................. ........... 5 1. Depreciation ........ ............... 6 2. Capitalizing or Expensing of Costs . . .. 6 3. Material Costs

Benchmarking U.S. Small Wind Costs with the Distributed Wind Taxonomy

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

Orrell, Alice C.; Poehlman, Eric A.

The objective of this report is to benchmark costs for small wind projects installed in the United States using a distributed wind taxonomy. Consequently, this report is a starting point to help expand the U.S. distributed wind market by informing potential areas for small wind cost-reduction opportunities and providing a benchmark to track future small wind cost-reduction progress.

A national day with near zero emissions and its effect on primary and secondary pollutants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levy, Ilan

2013-10-01

Traffic related air pollution is a major health concern in many countries. The potential costs and benefits of different abatement policies are usually estimated by either models, case studies or previously implemented intervention measures. Such estimations have, however, limited ability to predict the effect of a reduction in primary pollutants' emissions on secondary pollutants such as ozone, because of the nonlinear nature of the photochemical reactions. This study examines the short term effects of a drastic change in emissions on a national scale during the Jewish holiday of Day of Atonement (DA) in Israel. During the holiday nearly all anthropogenic emission sources are ceased for a period of 25 h, including all vehicles, commercial, industrial and recreational activities. DAs during the 15 years period of 1998-2012 are analyzed at three sites with respect to primary and secondary air pollutants, and in greater details for 2001. A dramatic decrease in primary pollutants emissions (83-98% in NO) causes an 8 ppbv increase in ozone at the urban core. Downwind (27 km), ozone decreases by only 5 ppbv. Nighttime O3 is shown to increase to 20 ppbv at the urban sites and 30 ppbv downwind. In spite of the striking reduction in emissions, changes in ozone are not greater than what is reported in the literature about less significant events like the ozone weekend effect. Changes in ambient pollution levels observed during DA provide some indication to the possible outcomes of a major change in anthropogenic emissions. These may be considered as the best case scenario for emissions reduction intervention measures and thus aid policy makers in evaluating potential benefits of such measures.

Benchmarking Dutch and U.S. Naval Shipbuilding: Reducing U.S. Naval Shipbuilding Costs Using Collaborative PLM and 3D Imaging

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-11-02

Scanning Technology (3D LST) and Collaborative Product Lifecycle Management (CPLM) are two technologies that are currently being leveraged by international ... international ship construction organizations to achieve significant cost savings. 3D LST dramatically reduces the time required to scan ship surfaces as...technology does not meet the accuracy requirements, 0.030” accuracy minimum , for naval shipbuilding. The report delivered to the CSNT shows that if the

Drugs: The Unstated Draconian Costs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deming, Stuart H.

1997-01-01

Outlines the dramatic changes in the laws covering drug activity over the last 20 years. Federal sentencing guidelines now mandate much longer prison terms depending on the drug and type of activity. Simultaneously, courts have expanded legal definitions and approaches involving prosecution. Discusses the controversy over these developments. (MJP)

Illuminating the Way.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Peter

1997-01-01

Details the dramatic changes in school lighting. Describes how lighting will be more closely integrated into the "smart" school building of tomorrow and how lighting systems will evolve with schools as technology changes. Claims that direct/indirect lighting systems will serve computer users as well as reduce energy and maintenance costs. (RJM)

Assessment of Orbital-Optimized MP2.5 for Thermochemistry and Kinetics: Dramatic Failures of Standard Perturbation Theory Approaches for Aromatic Bond Dissociation Energies and Barrier Heights of Radical Reactions.

PubMed

Soydaş, Emine; Bozkaya, Uğur

2015-04-14

An assessment of orbital-optimized MP2.5 (OMP2.5) [ Bozkaya, U.; Sherrill, C. D. J. Chem. Phys. 2014, 141, 204105 ] for thermochemistry and kinetics is presented. The OMP2.5 method is applied to closed- and open-shell reaction energies, barrier heights, and aromatic bond dissociation energies. The performance of OMP2.5 is compared with that of the MP2, OMP2, MP2.5, MP3, OMP3, CCSD, and CCSD(T) methods. For most of the test sets, the OMP2.5 method performs better than MP2.5 and CCSD, and provides accurate results. For barrier heights of radical reactions and aromatic bond dissociation energies OMP2.5-MP2.5, OMP2-MP2, and OMP3-MP3 differences become obvious. Especially, for aromatic bond dissociation energies, standard perturbation theory (MP) approaches dramatically fail, providing mean absolute errors (MAEs) of 22.5 (MP2), 17.7 (MP2.5), and 12.8 (MP3) kcal mol(-1), while the MAE values of the orbital-optimized counterparts are 2.7, 2.4, and 2.4 kcal mol(-1), respectively. Hence, there are 5-8-folds reductions in errors when optimized orbitals are employed. Our results demonstrate that standard MP approaches dramatically fail when the reference wave function suffers from the spin-contamination problem. On the other hand, the OMP2.5 method can reduce spin-contamination in the unrestricted Hartree-Fock (UHF) initial guess orbitals. For overall evaluation, we conclude that the OMP2.5 method is very helpful not only for challenging open-shell systems and transition-states but also for closed-shell molecules. Hence, one may prefer OMP2.5 over MP2.5 and CCSD as an O(N(6)) method, where N is the number of basis functions, for thermochemistry and kinetics. The cost of the OMP2.5 method is comparable with that of CCSD for energy computations. However, for analytic gradient computations, the OMP2.5 method is only half as expensive as CCSD.

Design considerations for legalizing cannabis: lessons inspired by analysis of California's Proposition 19.

PubMed

Caulkins, Jonathan P; Kilmer, Beau; MacCoun, Robert J; Pacula, Rosalie Liccardo; Reuter, Peter

2012-05-01

No modern jurisdiction has ever legalized commercial production, distribution and possession of cannabis for recreational purposes. This paper presents insights about the effect of legalization on production costs and consumption and highlights important design choices. Insights were uncovered through our analysis of recent legalization proposals in California. The effect on the cost of producing cannabis is largely based on existing estimates of current wholesale prices, current costs of producing cannabis and other legal agricultural goods, and the type(s) of production that will be permitted. The effect on consumption is based on production costs, regulatory regime, tax rate, price elasticity of demand, shape of the demand curve and non-price effects (e.g. change in stigma). Removing prohibitions on producing and distributing cannabis will dramatically reduce wholesale prices. The effect on consumption and tax revenues will depend on many design choices, including: the tax level, whether there is an incentive for a continued black market, whether to tax and/or regulate cannabinoid levels, whether there are allowances for home cultivation, whether advertising is restricted, and how the regulatory system is designed and adjusted. The legal production costs of cannabis will be dramatically below current wholesale prices, enough so that taxes and regulation will be insufficient to raise retail price to prohibition levels. We expect legalization will increase consumption substantially, but the size of the increase is uncertain since it depends on design choices and the unknown shape of the cannabis demand curve. © 2011 The Authors, Addiction © 2011 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Cost-effectiveness of interventions to control Campylobacter in the New Zealand poultry meat food supply.

PubMed

Lake, Robin J; Horn, Beverley J; Dunn, Alex H; Parris, Ruth; Green, F Terri; McNickle, Don C

2013-07-01

An analysis of the cost-effectiveness of interventions to control Campylobacter in the New Zealand poultry supply examined a series of interventions. Effectiveness was evaluated in terms of reduced health burden measured by disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Costs of implementation were estimated from the value of cost elements, determined by discussions with industry. Benefits were estimated by changing the inputs to a poultry food chain quantitative risk model. Proportional reductions in the number of predicted Campylobacter infections were converted into reductions in the burden of disease measured in DALYs. Cost-effectiveness ratios were calculated for each intervention, as cost per DALY reduction and the ratios compared. The results suggest that the most cost-effective interventions (lowest ratios) are at the primary processing stage. Potential phage-based controls in broiler houses were also highly cost-effective. This study is limited by the ability to quantify costs of implementation and assumptions required to estimate health benefits, but it supports the implementation of interventions at the primary processing stage as providing the greatest quantum of benefit and lowest cost-effectiveness ratios.

Bookending the Opportunity to Lower Wind’s LCOE by Reducing the Uncertainty Surrounding Annual Energy Production

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

Bolinger, Mark

Reducing the performance risk surrounding a wind project can potentially lead to a lower weighted-average cost of capital (WACC), and hence a lower levelized cost of energy (LCOE), through an advantageous shift in capital structure, and possibly also a reduction in the cost of capital. Specifically, a reduction in performance risk will move the 1-year P99 annual energy production (AEP) estimate closer to the P50 AEP estimate, which in turn reduces the minimum debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) required by lenders, thereby allowing the project to be financed with a greater proportion of low-cost debt. In addition, a reduction inmore » performance risk might also reduce the cost of one or more of the three sources of capital that are commonly used to finance wind projects: sponsor or cash equity, tax equity, and/or debt. Preliminary internal LBNL analysis of the maximum possible LCOE reduction attainable from reducing the performance risk of a wind project found a potentially significant opportunity for LCOE reduction of ~$10/MWh, by reducing the P50 DSCR to its theoretical minimum value of 1.0 (Bolinger 2015b, 2014) and by reducing the cost of sponsor equity and debt by one-third to one-half each (Bolinger 2015a, 2015b). However, with FY17 funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Atmosphere to Electrons (A2e) Performance Risk, Uncertainty, and Finance (PRUF) initiative, LBNL has been revisiting this “bookending” exercise in more depth, and now believes that its earlier preliminary assessment of the LCOE reduction opportunity was overstated. This reassessment is based on two new-found understandings: (1) Due to ever-present and largely irreducible inter-annual variability (IAV) in the wind resource, the minimum required DSCR cannot possibly fall to 1.0 (on a P50 basis), and (2) A reduction in AEP uncertainty will not necessarily lead to a reduction in the cost of capital, meaning that a shift in capital structure is perhaps the best that can be expected (perhaps along with a modest decline in the cost of cash equity as new investors enter the market).« less

24 CFR 990.165 - Computation of project expense level (PEL).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

...) Ownership type (profit, non-profit, or limited dividend); and (10) Geographic. (c) Cost adjustments. HUD... ceiling; (3) Application of a four percent reduction for any PEL calculated over $325 PUM, with the reduction limited so that a PEL will not be reduced to less than $325; and (4) The reduction of audit costs...

How Will the Affordable Care Act's Cost-Sharing Reductions Affect Consumers' Out-of-Pocket Costs in 2016?

PubMed

Collins, Sara R; Gunja, Munira; Beutel, Sophie

2016-03-01

Health insurers selling plans in the Affordable Care Act's market­places are required to reduce cost-sharing in silver plans for low- and moderate-income people earning between 100 percent and 250 percent of the federal pov­erty level. In 2016, as many as 7 million Americans may have plans with these cost-sharing reductions. In the largest markets in the 38 states using the federal website for marketplace enrollment, the cost-sharing reductions substantially lower projected out-of-pocket costs for people who qualify for them. However, the degree to which consumers' out-of-pocket spending will fall varies by plan and how much health care they use. This is because insurers use deductibles, out-of-pocket limits, and copayments in different combinations to lower cost-sharing for eligible enrollees. In 2017, marketplace insurers will have the option of offering standard plans, which may help simplify consumers' choices and lead to more equal cost-sharing.

Comparison between cylindrical and prismatic lithium-ion cell costs using a process based cost model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2017-02-01

The relative size and age of the US electric vehicle market means that a few vehicles are able to drive market-wide trends in the battery chemistries and cell formats on the road today. Three lithium-ion chemistries account for nearly all of the storage capacity, and half of the cells are cylindrical. However, no specific model exists to examine the costs of manufacturing these cylindrical cells. Here we present a process-based cost model tailored to the cylindrical lithium-ion cells currently used in the EV market. We examine the costs for varied cell dimensions, electrode thicknesses, chemistries, and production volumes. Although cost savings are possible from increasing cell dimensions and electrode thicknesses, economies of scale have already been reached, and future cost reductions from increased production volumes are minimal. Prismatic cells, which are able to further capitalize on the cost reduction from larger formats, can offer further reductions than those possible for cylindrical cells.

Multi-criteria analysis for PM10 planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pisoni, Enrico; Carnevale, Claudio; Volta, Marialuisa

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

Co-control of urban air pollutants and greenhouse gases in Mexico City.

PubMed

West, J Jason; Osnaya, Patricia; Laguna, Israel; Martínez, Julia; Fernández, Adrián

2004-07-01

This study addresses the synergies of mitigation measures to control urban air pollutant and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, in developing integrated "co-control" strategies for Mexico City. First, existing studies of emissions reduction measures--PROAIRE (the air quality plan for Mexico City) and separate GHG studies--are used to construct a harmonized database of options. Second, linear programming (LP) is developed and applied as a decision-support tool to analyze least-cost strategies for meeting co-control targets for multiple pollutants. We estimate that implementing PROAIRE measures as planned will reduce 3.1% of the 2010 metropolitan CO2 emissions, in addition to substantial local air pollutant reductions. Applying the LP, PROAIRE emissions reductions can be met at a 20% lower cost, using only the PROAIRE measures, by adjusting investments toward the more cost-effective measures; lower net costs are possible by including cost-saving GHG mitigation measures, but with increased investment. When CO2 emission reduction targets are added to PROAIRE targets, the most cost-effective solutions use PROAIRE measures for the majority of local pollutant reductions, and GHG measures for additional CO2 control. Because of synergies, the integrated planning of urban-global co-control can be beneficial, but we estimate that for Mexico City these benefits are often small.

Major study reveals EEC gas oil desulfurization costs

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

Waller, G.J.; Conrad, M.C.; Cremer, G.

1985-01-21

The interest of the European Economic Community (EEC) Commission in the issue of acid rain has prompted a Concawe working group to make an independent study of the cost of achieving a reduction of average sulfur levels for gas oils consumed in the EEC. The need for desulfurization of gas oils should be seen in the context of their overall contribution to SO/sub 2/ emissions. The removal of sulfur from gas oil is apparently one of the most costly ways to reduce SO/sub 2/ emissions. The overall effect is apparently the smallest. A reduction of 0.1% sulfur for all gasmore » oil produced in the EEC would result in a reduction of only about 140,000 tons/year of sulfur, corresponding to less than 2% of the present total SO/sub 2/ emissions. The cost of the incremental ton of sulfur removed from the gas oil pool increases significantly for lower sulfur specifications. The overall conclusion is that sulfur reduction between 0.43% and 0.2% is comparable in cost to other methods of reducing SO/sub 2/ emissions. For a reduction below 0.2%, excessive costs can be expected and it would be more economical in most cases to consider another means.« less

Assessing the cost of fuel reduction treatments: a critical review

Treesearch

Bob Rummer

2008-01-01

The basic costs of the operations for implementing fuel reduction treatments are used to evaluate treatment effectiveness, select among alternatives, estimate total project costs, and build national program strategies. However, a review of the literature indicates that there is questionable basis for many of the general estimates used to date. Different approaches to...

COMPARISON OF WEST GERMAN AND U.S. FLUE GAS DESULFURIZATION AND SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION COSTS

EPA Science Inventory

The report documents a comparison of the actual cost retrofitting flue gas desulfurization (FGD) and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) on Federal Republic of German (FRG) boilers to cost estimating procedures used in the U.S. to estimate the retrofit of these controls on U.S. b...

Potential means of cost reduction in grade crossing automatic gate systems. volume I : overview and low cost railroad/highway grade crossing gate systems

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1977-02-28

This report, Volume I of a two-volume study, examines the potential for reduction of the cost of installing and maintaining automatic gates at railroad-highway grade crossings. It comprises a general overview; a review of current practices, equipment...

Assessment of cost sharing in the Pima County Marketplace.

PubMed

Jennings, Nicholas B; Eng, Howard J

2017-01-01

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act established health insurance marketplaces to allow consumers to make educated decisions about their health care coverage. During the first open enrollment period in 2013, the federally facilitated marketplace in Pima County, Arizona listed 119 plans, making it one of the most competitive markets in the country. This study compares these plans based on differences in consumer cost sharing, including deductibles, co-pays and premiums. Consumer costs were reviewed using specific cases including a normal delivery pregnancy, the management of Type II Diabetes, and the utilization of specialty drugs to treat Hepatitis C. Total cost of care was calculated as the cost of managing the condition or event plus the cost of monthly premiums, evaluated as a single individual age 27. Evaluating a plan on premium alone is not sufficient as cost sharing can dramatically raise the cost of care. A rating system and better cost transparency tools could provider easier access to pertinent information for consumers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of a module for Cost-Benefit analysis of risk reduction measures for natural hazards for the CHANGES-SDSS platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berlin, Julian; Bogaard, Thom; Van Westen, Cees; Bakker, Wim; Mostert, Eric; Dopheide, Emile

2014-05-01

Cost benefit analysis (CBA) is a well know method used widely for the assessment of investments either in the private and public sector. In the context of risk mitigation and the evaluation of risk reduction alternatives for natural hazards its use is very important to evaluate the effectiveness of such efforts in terms of avoided monetary losses. However the current method has some disadvantages related to the spatial distribution of the costs and benefits, the geographical distribution of the avoided damage and losses, the variation in areas that are benefited in terms of invested money and avoided monetary risk. Decision-makers are often interested in how the costs and benefits are distributed among different administrative units of a large area or region, so they will be able to compare and analyse the cost and benefits per administrative unit as a result of the implementation of the risk reduction projects. In this work we first examined the Cost benefit procedure for natural hazards, how the costs are assessed for several structural and non-structural risk reduction alternatives, we also examined the current problems of the method such as the inclusion of cultural and social considerations that are complex to monetize , the problem of discounting future values using a defined interest rate and the spatial distribution of cost and benefits. We also examined the additional benefits and the indirect costs associated with the implementation of the risk reduction alternatives such as the cost of having a ugly landscape (also called negative benefits). In the last part we examined the current tools and software used in natural hazards assessment with support to conduct CBA and we propose design considerations for the implementation of the CBA module for the CHANGES-SDSS Platform an initiative of the ongoing 7th Framework Programme "CHANGES of the European commission. Keywords: Risk management, Economics of risk mitigation, EU Flood Directive, resilience, prevention, cost benefit analysis, spatial distribution of costs and benefits

Minimization of Ohmic Losses for Domain Wall Motion in a Ferromagnetic Nanowire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tretiakov, O. A.; Liu, Y.; Abanov, Ar.

2010-11-01

We study current-induced domain-wall motion in a narrow ferromagnetic wire. We propose a way to move domain walls with a resonant time-dependent current which dramatically decreases the Ohmic losses in the wire and allows driving of the domain wall with higher speed without burning the wire. For any domain-wall velocity we find the time dependence of the current needed to minimize the Ohmic losses. Below a critical domain-wall velocity specified by the parameters of the wire the minimal Ohmic losses are achieved by dc current. Furthermore, we identify the wire parameters for which the losses reduction from its dc value is the most dramatic.

Glycemic extremes in youth with T1DM: the structural and functional integrity of the developing brain.

PubMed

Arbelaez, Ana Maria; Semenkovich, Katherine; Hershey, Tamara

2013-12-01

The adult brain accounts for a disproportionally large percentage of the body’s total energy consumption (1). However, during brain development,energy demand is even higher, reaching the adult rate by age 2 and increasing to nearly twice the adult rate by age 10, followed by gradual reduction toward adult levels in the next decade (1,2). The dramatic changes in brain metabolism occurring over the first two decades of life coincide with the initial proliferation and then pruning of synapses to adult levels.The brain derives its energy almost exclusively from glucose and is largely driven by neuronal signaling, biosynthesis, and neuroprotection (3–6).Glucose homeostasis in the body is tightly regulated by a series of hormones and physiologic responses. As a result, hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia are rare occurrences in normal individuals, but they occur commonly inpatients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) due to a dysfunction of peripheral glucose-insulin-glucagon responses and non-physiologic doses of exogenous insulin, which imperfectly mimic normal physiology. These extremes can occur more frequently in children and adolescents with T1DM due to the inadequacies of insulin replacement therapy, events leading to the diagnosis [prolonged untreated hyperglycemia and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)], and to behavioral factors interfering with optimal treatment. When faced with fluctuations in glucose supply the metabolism of the body and brain change dramatically, largely to conserve resources and, at a cost to other organs, to preserve brain function (7). However,if the normal physiological mechanisms that prevent these severe glucose fluctuations and maintain homeostasis are impaired, neuronal function and potentially viability can be affected (8–11).

Development of 8-hydroxyquinoline metal based organic light-emitting diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Xiaodong

Because of its potential application for flat panel displays, solid-state lighting and 1.5 mum emitter for fiber optical communications, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have been intensively researched. One of the major problems with current OLED technology relates to inefficient electron injection at the cathode interface, which causes high driving voltage and poor device stability. Making a low resistance cathode contact for electron injection is critical to device performance. This work mainly focuses on cathode interface design and engineering. The Ohmic contact using a structure of C60/LiF/Al has been developed in electron only devices. It is found that application of the C60/LiF/Al contact to Alq based OLEDs leads to a dramatic reduction in driving voltages, a significant improvement in power efficiency, and a much slower aging process. A new cathode structure based on metal-organic-metal (MOM) tri-layer films has been developed. It is found that MOM cathodes reduce reflection by deconstructive optical interference from two metal films. The absolute reflectance from the MOM tr-ilayer films can be reduced to as low as 7% in the visible light spectrum. In actual working devices, the reflectance can be reduced from ˜80% to ˜20%. MOM cathodes provide a potential low-cost solution for high contrast full-color OLED displays. Low voltage Erq based OLEDs at 1.5 mum emission have been developed. The Erq/Ag cathode interface has been found to be efficient for electron injection. Dramatic improvement in driving voltage and power efficiency has been realized by implementing Bphen and C60 into Erq devices as an electron transport layer. Integration of Erq devices on Si wafers has also been demonstrated.

Lung volume reduction surgery in bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

PubMed

Siaplaouras, J; Heckmann, M; Reiss, I; Schaible, T; Waag, K L; Gortner, L

2003-06-01

We report on a female preterm infant of 29 wk gestational age, who developed acquired lobar emphysema after prolonged artificial ventilation secondary to respiratory disease syndrome and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. The infant underwent atypical segmentectomy at the age of 12 mo because of life-threatening hypoxaemia with pulmonary hypertension and failure of conservative treatment. Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) dramatically improved the respiratory function and resulted in adequate weight gain and psychomotor development. In selected cases LVRS can be an option for lobar emphysema in premature infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Higher Education in California: Student Costs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Jacob

2014-01-01

Increases in tuition across California's public four-year universities have heightened concerns about the affordability of a college education, especially for those with the lowest incomes. In-state full tuition at the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) has risen more dramatically than at other public universities…

Maximizing Resource Utilization in Video Streaming Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alsmirat, Mohammad Abdullah

2013-01-01

Video streaming has recently grown dramatically in popularity over the Internet, Cable TV, and wire-less networks. Because of the resource demanding nature of video streaming applications, maximizing resource utilization in any video streaming system is a key factor to increase the scalability and decrease the cost of the system. Resources to…

Credit Cards: What You Don't Know Can Cost You!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Detweiler, Gerri

1993-01-01

The role of credit cards in personal finance has increased dramatically over the past two decades. Complex interest computation methods and additional fees often boost the price of credit card loans and help make credit cards the most profitable type of consumer loan for many lenders. (Author/JOW)

Development of a Mechanically Mediated RF to Optical Transducer

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-22

in radio astronomy receivers could be replaced by this noise- tolerant transducer, thus dramatically reducing the system’s size and cost [7]. Such a...conversion between microwave and optical light. Nat. Phys. 10, 321-326 (2014). [7] Kraus, J.D., Radio Astronomy (McGraw, 1966). [8] DARPA Optical Radiation

Research Technology

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-10-21

Pictured is an artist's concept of an advanced chemical propulsion system called Pulse Detonation. Long term technology research in this advanced propulsion system has the potential to dramatically change the way we think about space propulsion systems. This research is expected to significantly reduce the cost of space travel within the next 25 years.

Navigating Disruptive Innovation in Undergraduate Business Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Behara, Ravi S.; Davis, Mark M.

2015-01-01

The undergraduate business education landscape is dramatically changing and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Many of the changes are being driven by increasing costs, advances in technology, rapid globalization, and an increasingly diverse workforce and customer base, and are occurring simultaneously in both the business world…

Computer Electromagnetics and Supercomputer Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cwik, Tom

1993-01-01

The dramatic increase in performance over the last decade for microporcessor computations is compared with that for the supercomputer computations. This performance, the projected performance, and a number of other issues such as cost and the inherent pysical limitations in curent supercomputer technology have naturally led to parallel supercomputers and ensemble of interconnected microprocessors.

Promoting Value, Affordability, and Innovation in Cancer Drug Treatment - The Rising Cost of Cancer Drugs: Impact on Patients and Society

Cancer.gov

Innovative new drugs have improved outcomes for many cancer patients. But spending on cancer drugs has increased dramatically in recent years, placing a burden on cancer patients and a strain on health system and societal resources.

Behavioral treatment of the traumatically brain-injured: a case study.

PubMed

Horton, A M; Howe, N R

1981-10-01

The present case illustrates the application of behavioral modification methodology with a traumatically brain-injured adult. Such a treatment regime utilizing a report-card system and a response-cost procedure was implemented to decrease behaviors of using foul language and biting staff members. Dramatic improvement was demonstrated.

Forecasting College Costs Through 1988-89.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henderson, Cathy

1986-01-01

If inflation and unemployment remain low, then average annual increases in total student charges should continue to drop. The key to slower growth in student charges is sustained low inflation rates. The return of high unemployment or dramatic cuts in need-based federal student aid programs could upset the balance. (MLW)

The Challenge of Computers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leger, Guy

Computers may change teachers' lifestyles, teaching styles, and perhaps even their personal values. A brief survey of the history of computers demonstrates the incredible pace at which computer technology is moving ahead. The cost and size of microchips will continue to decline dramatically over the next 20 years, while the capability and variety…

Creating a Healthier Work Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hyde, William H.; Guthrie, Stephen H.

1993-01-01

A series of benefit programs for school personnel in a Maryland county includes a smoke-free workplace, an employee wellness program, and an employee assistance program. The county has been able to correlate a dramatic decrease in the cost of health insurance for employees with the activities of these programs. (MLF)

Enhanced Online Access Requires Redesigned Delivery Options and Cost Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stern, David

2007-01-01

Rapidly developing online information technologies provide dramatically new capabilities and opportunities, and place new responsibilities on all involved to recreate networks for scholarly communication. Collaborations between all segments of the information network are made possible and necessary as we attempt to find a balanced and mutually…

Evaluating relative impacts of habitat loss and invasive species on an endemic songbird using spatially explicit population models

EPA Science Inventory

Island ecosystems maintain greater endemic biodiversity such that changes in land cover can have dramatic impacts on wildlife populations that depend on unique and limited habitat. Sustainable land use decisions that minimize habitat loss require multi-faceted evaluation of cost...

A century in the making… almost here?

PubMed

Adams, Katherine T

2007-12-01

Cancer immunotherapeutics, including vaccines, may hit the market by the end of this decade. They promise longer survival and perhaps indefinite remission at a more favorable cost-benefit ratio than that of oncologics now in use. They also may fuel dramatic changes in how healthcare is delivered and financed.

A Technique for Reduction of Edentulous Fractures Using Dentures and SMARTLock Hybrid Fixation System

PubMed Central

Carlson, Anna Rose; Shammas, Ronnie Labib; Allori, Alexander Christopher

2017-01-01

Summary: Establishing anatomic reduction of an edentulous mandible fracture is a frequently acknowledged challenge in craniomaxillofacial trauma surgery. In this study, we report a novel method for the reduction of the edentulous mandible fracture, via fabrication of modified Gunning splints using existing dentures and SMARTLock hybrid arch bars. This technique dramatically simplifies the application of an arch bar to dentures, obviates the need for the fabrication of impressions and custom splints, and eliminates the lag time associated with the creation of splints. Furthermore, this method may be used with or without adjunctive rigid internal fixation. The technique described herein of creating Gunning splints with SMARTLock hybrid arch bars provides surgeons with a simple, rapid, single-stage solution for reduction of mandibular fractures in the edentulous patient. PMID:29062645

Carbon Emission Reduction with Capital Constraint under Greening Financing and Cost Sharing Contract.

PubMed

Qin, Juanjuan; Zhao, Yuhui; Xia, Liangjie

2018-04-13

Motivated by the industrial practices, this work explores the carbon emission reductions for the manufacturer, while taking into account the capital constraint and the cap-and-trade regulation. To alleviate the capital constraint, two contracts are analyzed: greening financing and cost sharing. We use the Stackelberg game to model four cases as follows: (1) in Case A1, the manufacturer has no greening financing and no cost sharing; (2) in Case A2, the manufacturer has greening financing, but no cost sharing; (3) in Case B1, the manufacturer has no greening financing but has cost sharing; and, (4) in Case B2, the manufacturer has greening financing and cost sharing. Then, using the backward induction method, we derive and compare the equilibrium decisions and profits of the participants in the four cases. We find that the interest rate of green finance does not always negatively affect the carbon emission reduction of the manufacturer. Meanwhile, the cost sharing from the retailer does not always positively affect the carbon emission reduction of the manufacturer. When the cost sharing is low, both of the participants' profits in Case B1 (under no greening finance) are not less than that in Case B2 (under greening finance). When the cost sharing is high, both of the participants' profits in Case B1 (under no greening finance) are less than that in Case B2 (under greening finance).

Designing cost efficient buffer zone programs: An application of the FyrisSKZ tool in a Swedish catchment.

PubMed

Collentine, Dennis; Johnsson, Holger; Larsson, Peter; Markensten, Hampus; Persson, Kristian

2015-03-01

Riparian buffer zones are the only measure which has been used extensively in Sweden to reduce phosphorus losses from agricultural land. This paper describes how the FyrisSKZ web tool can be used to evaluate allocation scenarios using data from the Svärta River, an agricultural catchment located in central Sweden. Three scenarios are evaluated: a baseline, a uniform 6-m-wide buffer zone in each sub-catchment, and an allocation of areas of buffer zones to sub-catchments based on the average cost of reduction. The total P reduction increases by 30 % in the second scenario compared to the baseline scenario, and the average reduction per hectare increases by 90 % while total costs of the program fall by 32 %. In the third scenario, the average cost per unit of reduction (163 kg P(-1)) is the lowest of the three scenarios (58 % lower than the baseline) and has the lowest total program costs.

Cost-benefit analysis of a socio-technical intervention in a Brazilian footwear company.

PubMed

Guimarães, L B de M; Ribeiro, J L D; Renner, J S

2012-09-01

This article presents a costs-benefits analysis of a macroergonomic intervention in a Brazilian footwear company. Comparing results of a pilot line (composed by 100 multiskilled workers organized in teams) with eight traditional lines (still working in a one human being/one task model) the intervention showed to be worth pursuing since achieved gains were higher than intervention costs: there was a reduction in human resource costs (80% reduction in industrial accidents, 100% reduction in work-related musculoskeletal disorders or WMSD, medical consultations and turnover, and a 45.65% reduction in absenteeism) and production improvement (productivity increased in 3% and production waste decrease to less than 1%). The net intervention value of the intervention was around U$ 430,000 with a benefit-to-cost ratio of 7.2. Moreover, employees who worked in the pilot line understood that their quality of work life improved, compensating the anxiety brought up by the radical changes implemented. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Performance-based, cost- and time-effective pcb analytical methodology.

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

Alvarado, J. S.

1998-06-11

Laboratory applications for the analysis of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) in environmental matrices such as soil/sediment/sludge and oil/waste oil were evaluated for potential reduction in waste, source reduction, and alternative techniques for final determination. As a consequence, new procedures were studied for solvent substitution, miniaturization of extraction and cleanups, minimization of reagent consumption, reduction of cost per analysis, and reduction of time. These new procedures provide adequate data that meet all the performance requirements for the determination of PCBs. Use of the new procedures reduced costs for all sample preparation techniques. Time and cost were also reduced by combining the newmore » sample preparation procedures with the power of fast gas chromatography. Separation of Aroclor 1254 was achieved in less than 6 min by using DB-1 and SPB-608 columns. With the greatly shortened run times, reproducibility can be tested quickly and consequently with low cost. With performance-based methodology, the applications presented here can be applied now, without waiting for regulatory approval.« less

Experimental understanding of the viscosity reduction ability of TLCPs with different PEs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Youhong; Zuo, Min; Gao, Ping

2014-08-01

In this study, two thermotropic liquid crystalline polyesters (TLCPs) synthesized by polycondensation of p-hydroxybenzoic acid /hydroquinone/ poly dicarboxylic acid were used as viscosity reduction agents for polyethylene (PE). The TLCPs had different thermal, rheological and other physical properties that were quantitatively characterized. The two TLCPs were blended with high density PE (HDPE) and high molecular mass PE (HMMPE) by simple twin screw extrusion under the same weight ratio of 1.0 wt% and were each rheologically characterized at 190°C. The TLCPs acted as processing modifiers for the PEs and the bulk viscosity of the blends decreased dramatically. However, the viscosity reduction ability was not identical: one TLCP had obviously higher viscosity reduction ability on the HDPE, with a maximum viscosity reduction ratio of 68.1%, whereas the other TLCP had higher viscosity reduction ability on the HMMPE, with a maximum viscosity reduction ratio of 98.7%. Proposed explanations for these differences are evaluated.

A retrospective view on the viability of water fluoridation in South Africa to prevent dental caries.

PubMed

Kroon, Jeroen; Van Wyk, Philippus Johannes

2012-10-01

Despite a Commission of Inquiry into water fluoridation recommending the fluoridation of public water supplies to the optimal fluoride concentration of 0.7 ppm, as well as regulations for the introduction of water fluoridation which compel water providers to fluoridate public water supplies, no artificially fluoridated water scheme exists in South Africa. In view of concerns expressed by South African local authorities about cost and reports urging further investigation into the effectiveness of water fluoridation, the aim of this study was to determine whether water fluoridation is still a viable option to reduce dental caries in South Africa. A model based on a cost evaluation of 44 communities in Florida, United States, and applied to South Africa was used as the basis for this study. Twenty-three input variables were used to create a computerized model which was populated with 2006 and 2011 data. Per capita cost, cost-effectiveness ratio and cost-benefit ratio were calculated as economic outputs to facilitate decision making for projected caries reductions of 15%, 30% and 50%. The average per capita cost of water fluoridation for all category water providers combined is US$0.28 in 2006 and US$0.35 in 2011, an increase of 23.2% over this period. The average cost-effectiveness for all water providers combined varies from US$3.32 for a 50% to US$11.08 for a 15% caries reduction. Despite higher cost-effective values for some cities and towns, the cost per person per year to save one Decayed, Missing or Filled Tooth (DMFT) at a projected caries reduction of at least 15% as a result of the introduction of water fluoridation, is at least 48.4% less than the cost of a two surface restoration. The average cost-benefit for all water providers combined varies from 0.1 at a 50% to 0.34 at a 15% caries reduction. For both cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit ratio better results are achieved when the projected caries reduction increases. The results of this study show that water fluoridation is still a viable option to prevent dental caries in communities in South Africa along with the reduction in the prevalence of dental caries and increases in economically driven variables. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Activist Scholarship in Action: The Prevention of a Latino School Closure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valencia, Richard R.

2012-01-01

Primarily because of underutilized schools (caused by declining enrollments) and the need to address budgetary deficits brought on by dramatic reductions in average daily attendance, many public school districts, in decades past and the present, have been forced to close numerous schools across the nation. The school boards of these economically…

The Power of Four (the 4-Lab Study): ORD’s Integrated Disinfection By-Products Mixtures Research Project

EPA Science Inventory

Chemical disinfection of water, a major public health triumph of the 20th century, has resulted in dramatic decreases in morbidity and mortality from water-borne disease. The intended result of chemical disinfection of drinking water is reduction of microbial contamination; the u...

California's Demographic Future. A Rand Note.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy, Kevin F.; Valdez, R. Burciaga

California's image as the Golden State is based largely on its rapid population and economic growth. However, recent trends show an aging population, a decline in population growth, a reduction in the number of migrants from other states, and a dramatic increase in foreign-born residents. Since 1960, the state's growth rate has slowed…

Legal Issues in Higher Education and the Trade Practices Act

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bessant, Judith

2004-01-01

Australian universities, like their counterparts in most Western countries, have suffered a dramatic reduction in the level of public funding in recent years. One issue on the horizon that is of relevance to students and universities is the latter's exposure to National Competition Policy and, more specifically, the Trade Practices Act. Recent…

Utility of thermal-based two-source energy balance model for estimating vineyard evapotranspiration at field and regional scales

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The prolonged drought in much of California over the last few years, particularly in the Central Valley region, has caused severe reduction in water reservoir levels and a major depletion of ground water by agriculture. Dramatic improvements in water and irrigation management practices are critical ...

Independent Colleges and Universities in a Time of Transition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ehrenberg, Ronald G.

2011-01-01

Being a president of a member institution of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) is fraught with challenges. To name but a few: (1) The nation's financial meltdown in 2008 and the accompanying great recession has dramatically increased families' financial need and led to increased pressure on financial aid budgets; (2) Reductions in…

The Effects on Monopsony on Strategy and Leadership in Ontario Colleges. Professional File. Number 28

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooke, Michael

2008-01-01

The period 1995 to 2005 was one of significant turbulence for Ontario colleges, marked by increasing globalization, immigration, disruptions in the labour market, new technologies and dramatic reductions in government operating grants. This study examines how colleges and their leaders responded to those strategic challenges in their official…

Exploring the ecology of suburban wildlife

Treesearch

Stephen DeStefano; Richard M. DeGraaf

2003-01-01

The fringes of cities, and rural properties within commuting distance of cities, experience some of the est rates of development in the world. This can cause dramatic changes to the landscape, the alteration logical functions, and a reduction in biodiversity. With the spread of suburbia, however, come opportunities for some species to exploit new resources. While many...

Anatomy Instruction in Medical Schools: Connecting the Past and the Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leung, Kai-kuen; Lu, Kuo-Shyan; Huang, Tien-Shang; Hsieh, Bor-Shen

2006-01-01

Anatomy curriculum has changed dramatically around the world since the 1960s. These changes include the reduction of course hours, the abandonment of cadaver dissection, the use of problem-based learning, application of other teaching modalities such as prosected specimens, models, radiographic images, computer simulations, and the introduction of…

Controlling the Biomimetic Implant Interface: Modulating Antimicrobial Activity by Spacer Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wisdom, Cate; Vanoosten, Sarah Kay; Boone, Kyle W.; Khvostenko, Dmytro; Arnold, Paul M.; Snead, Malcolm L.; Tamerler, Candan

2016-08-01

Surgical site infection is a common cause of post-operative morbidity, often leading to implant loosening, ultimately requiring revision surgery, increased costs and worse surgical outcomes. Since implant failure starts at the implant surface, creating and controlling the bio-material interface will play a critical role in reducing infection while improving host cell-to-implant interaction. Here, we engineered a biomimetic interface based upon a chimeric peptide that incorporates a titanium binding peptide (TiBP) with an antimicrobial peptide (AMP) into a single molecule to direct binding to the implant surface and deliver an antimicrobial activity against S. mutans and S. epidermidis, two bacteria which are linked with clinical implant infections. To optimize antimicrobial activity, we investigated the design of the spacer domain separating the two functional domains of the chimeric peptide. Lengthening and changing the amino acid composition of the spacer resulted in an improvement of minimum inhibitory concentration by a three-fold against S. mutans. Surfaces coated with the chimeric peptide reduced dramatically the number of bacteria, with up to a nine-fold reduction for S. mutans and a 48-fold reduction for S. epidermidis. Ab initio predictions of antimicrobial activity based on structural features were confirmed. Host cell attachment and viability at the biomimetic interface were also improved compared to the untreated implant surface. Biomimetic interfaces formed with this chimeric peptide offer interminable potential by coupling antimicrobial and improved host cell responses to implantable titanium materials, and this peptide based approach can be extended to various biomaterials surfaces.

Research and Development Project Summaries, October 1991

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-10-01

delivery methods, training cost reduction, demonstration of technology’ effectiveness, and the reduction of acquisition risk . The majority of the work...demonstrations, risk reduction developments, and cost-effectiveness investigations in simulator and training technologzv. This advanced development program is a...systems. The program is organized around specific demonstration tasks that target critical technical risks that confront future weapons system

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

Feeding difficulties in children with cerebral palsy: low-cost caregiver training in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

PubMed

Adams, M S; Khan, N Z; Begum, S A; Wirz, S L; Hesketh, T; Pring, T R

2012-11-01

The majority of children with cerebral palsy have feeding difficulties, which, if not managed, result in stressful mealtimes, chronic malnutrition, respiratory disease, reduced quality of life for caregiver and child, and early death. In well-resourced countries, high- and low-cost medical interventions, ranging from gastrostomy tube feeding to caregiver training, are available. In resource-poor countries such as Bangladesh, the former is not viable and the latter is both scarce and its effectiveness not properly evaluated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a low-cost, low-technology intervention to improve the feeding practices of carers of children with moderate-severe cerebral palsy and feeding difficulties in Bangladesh. An opportunistic sample of 37 caregivers and their children aged 1-11 years were invited to a six-session training programme following an initial feeding assessment with brief advice. During home visits, pre- and post-measures of nutritional status, chest health and feeding-related stress were taken and feeding practices were observed. A control phase was evaluated for 20 of the participant pairs following initial assessment with advice, while awaiting full training. A minimum of four training sessions showed significant improvements in the children's respiratory health (P = 0.005), cooperation during mealtimes (P = 0.003) and overall mood (P < 0.001). Improvements in growth were inconsistent. Dramatic reductions were observed in caregiver stress (P < 0.001). A significant difference in the outcomes following advice only compared with advice plus training was also observed. In situations of poverty, compliance is restricted by lack of education, finances and time. Nonetheless, carers with minimal formal education, living in conditions of extreme poverty were able to change feeding practices after a short, low-cost training intervention, with highly positive consequences. The availability of affordable food supplementation for this population, however, requires urgent attention. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Endovascular aneurysm repair delivery redesign leads to quality improvement and cost reduction.

PubMed

Warner, Courtney J; Horvath, Alexander J; Powell, Richard J; Columbo, Jesse A; Walsh, Teri R; Goodney, Philip P; Walsh, Daniel B; Stone, David H

2015-08-01

Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) is now a mainstay of therapy for abdominal aortic aneurysm, although it remains associated with significant expense. We performed a comprehensive analysis of EVAR delivery at an academic medical center to identify targets for quality improvement and cost reduction in light of impending health care reform. All infrarenal EVARs performed from April 2011 to March 2012 were identified (N = 127). Procedures were included if they met standard commercial instructions for use guidelines, used a single manufacturer, and were billed to Medicare diagnosis-related group 238 (n = 49). By use of DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, and control) quality improvement methodology (define, measure, analyze, improve, control), targets for EVAR quality improvement were identified and high-yield changes were implemented. Procedure technical costs were calculated before and after process redesign. Perioperative services and clinic visits were identified as targets for quality improvement efforts and cost reduction. Mean technical costs before the intervention were $31,672, with endograft implants accounting for 52%. Pricing redesign in collaboration with hospital purchasing reduced mean EVAR technical costs to $28,607, a 10% reduction in overall cost, with endograft implants now accounting for 46%. Perioperative implementation of instrument tray redesign reduced instrument use by 32% (184 vs 132 instruments), saving $50,000 annually. Unnecessary clinic visits were reduced by 39% (1.6 vs 1.1 clinic visits per patient) through implementation of a preclinic imaging protocol. There was no difference in mean length of stay after the intervention. Comprehensive EVAR delivery redesign leads to cost reduction and waste elimination while preserving quality. Future efforts to achieve more competitive and transparent device pricing will make EVAR more cost neutral and enhance its financial sustainability for health care systems. Copyright © 2015 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Endovascular aneurysm repair delivery redesign leads to quality improvement and cost reduction

PubMed Central

Warner, Courtney J.; Horvath, Alexander J.; Powell, Richard J.; Columbo, Jesse A.; Walsh, Teri R.; Goodney, Philip P.; Walsh, Daniel B.; Stone, David H.

2017-01-01

Objective Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) is now a mainstay of therapy for abdominal aortic aneurysm, although it remains associated with significant expense. We performed a comprehensive analysis of EVAR delivery at an academic medical center to identify targets for quality improvement and cost reduction in light of impending health care reform. Methods All infrarenal EVARs performed from April 2011 to March 2012 were identified (N = 127). Procedures were included if they met standard commercial instructions for use guidelines, used a single manufacturer, and were billed to Medicare diagnosis-related group 238 (n = 49). By use of DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, and control) quality improvement methodology (define, measure, analyze, improve, control), targets for EVAR quality improvement were identified and high-yield changes were implemented. Procedure technical costs were calculated before and after process redesign. Results Perioperative services and clinic visits were identified as targets for quality improvement efforts and cost reduction. Mean technical costs before the intervention were $31,672, with endograft implants accounting for 52%. Pricing redesign in collaboration with hospital purchasing reduced mean EVAR technical costs to $28,607, a 10% reduction in overall cost, with endograft implants now accounting for 46%. Perioperative implementation of instrument tray redesign reduced instrument use by 32% (184 vs 132 instruments), saving $50,000 annually. Unnecessary clinic visits were reduced by 39% (1.6 vs 1.1 clinic visits per patient) through implementation of a preclinic imaging protocol. There was no difference in mean length of stay after the intervention. Conclusions Comprehensive EVAR delivery redesign leads to cost reduction and waste elimination while preserving quality. Future efforts to achieve more competitive and transparent device pricing will make EVAR more cost neutral and enhance its financial sustainability for health care systems. PMID:25935271

Cost effectiveness of lung-volume-reduction surgery for patients with severe emphysema.

PubMed

Ramsey, Scott D; Berry, Kristin; Etzioni, Ruth; Kaplan, Robert M; Sullivan, Sean D; Wood, Douglas E

2003-05-22

The National Emphysema Treatment Trial, a randomized clinical trial comparing lung-volume-reduction surgery with medical therapy for severe emphysema, included a prospective economic analysis. After pulmonary rehabilitation, 1218 patients at 17 medical centers were randomly assigned to lung-volume-reduction surgery or continued medical treatment. Costs for the use of medical care, medications, transportation, and time spent receiving treatment were derived from Medicare claims and data from the trial. Cost effectiveness was calculated over the duration of the trial and was estimated for 10 years of follow-up with the use of modeling based on observed trends in survival, cost, and quality of life. Interim analyses identified a group of patients with excess mortality and little chance of improved functional status after surgery. When these patients were excluded, the cost-effectiveness ratio for lung-volume-reduction surgery as compared with medical therapy was 190,000 dollars per quality-adjusted life-year gained at 3 years and 53,000 dollars per quality-adjusted life-year gained at 10 years. Subgroup analyses identified patients with predominantly upper-lobe emphysema and low exercise capacity after pulmonary rehabilitation who had lower mortality and better functional status than patients who received medical therapy. The cost-effectiveness ratio in this subgroup was 98,000 dollars per quality-adjusted life-year gained at 3 years and 21,000 dollars at 10 years. Bootstrap analysis revealed substantial uncertainty for the subgroup and 10-year estimates. Given its cost and benefits over three years of follow-up, lung-volume-reduction surgery is costly relative to medical therapy. Although the predictions are subject to substantial uncertainty, the procedure may be cost effective if benefits can be maintained over time. Copyright 2003 Massachusetts Medical Society

Climate and Wildfire in Mountains of the Western United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alfaro, E.; Westerling, A. L.; Cayan, D. R.

2004-12-01

Since the mid-1980s, there has been a dramatic increase in the area burned in wildfires in mountain forests of the western United States, with mean annual area burned nearly three and a half times higher compared to the preceding one and a half decades.(1) Concomitant increases in variability in annual area burned and in fire suppression costs pose a serious challenge for land management in the mountainous West. The variance in annual area burned since 1987 is nineteen times its previous level. Since managers must be prepared for the worst possible scenarios in every fire season, increased uncertainty about the scale of the western fire season each year imposes high costs on public agencies. Annual real suppression costs in western forests have more than doubled for the Forest Service since 1987, while the variance in annual suppression costs is over four times higher. Although federal agencies' fire suppression budgets have increased recently, they are still close to what would be spent in an "average" year that seldom occurs, while costs tend to fluctuate between low and high extremes. Modeling area burned and suppression costs as a function of climate variability alone, Westerling (2004, unpublished work) found that the probability of the Forest Service's suppression expenses exceeding the current annual suppression budget has exceeded 50% since 1987, a substantial increase from the one-in-three chance over the preceding 40 years. Recent progress in our understanding of the links between climate and wildfire, and in our ability to forecast some aspects of both climate and wildfire season severity a season or more in advance, offers some hope that these costs might be ameliorated through the integration of climate information into fire and fuels management. In addition to the effects of climate variability on wildfire, long-term biomass accumulations in some western ecosystems have fueled an increasing incidence of large, stand-replacing wildfires where such fires were previously rare. These severe large fires can result in erosion and changes in vegetation type, with consequences for water quality, stream flow, future biological productivity of the affected areas, and habitat loss for endangered species. Apart from their deleterious ecological consequences, severe fires can also dramatically affect amenity values for public lands and for homeowners living in the wildland-urban interface. In the National Fire Plan, land management agencies have committed to reducing fuels on millions of hectares of public lands. The primary means are mechanical removal, prescribed fire and wildland fire use. The Forest Service estimates they will need to spend hundreds of millions of dollars per year to meet their fuel reduction targets, while efforts in recent years have not kept up with the current rate of biomass increase. Use of climate information for targeting resources and scheduling prescribed burns could increase the efficiency of these efforts. In this study we review the fire history since 1970 for western mountain forests, and demonstrate apparent links between regional climate variability and decadal-scale changes in annual area burned. This analysis explores how wildfire size and frequency have varied over the past thirty-five years by elevation and latitude, and how climate indices such as precipitation, temperature, drought indices and the timing of spring runoff vary in importance for fire season severity by elevation in forests around the western United States.

Effects of payment reform in more versus less competitive markets.

PubMed

Sood, Neeraj; Alpert, Abby; Barnes, Kayleigh; Huckfeldt, Peter; Escarce, José J

2017-01-01

Policymakers are increasingly interested in reducing healthcare costs and inefficiencies through innovative payment strategies. These strategies may have heterogeneous impacts across geographic areas, potentially reducing or exacerbating geographic variation in healthcare spending. In this paper, we exploit a major payment reform for home health care to examine whether reductions in reimbursement lead to differential changes in treatment intensity and provider costs depending on the level of competition in a market. Using Medicare claims, we find that while providers in more competitive markets had higher average costs in the pre-reform period, these markets experienced larger proportional reductions in treatment intensity and costs after the reform relative to less competitive markets. This led to a convergence in spending across geographic areas. We find that much of the reduction in provider costs is driven by greater exit of "high-cost" providers in more competitive markets. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

48 CFR 1615.407-1 - Rate reduction for defective pricing or defective cost or pricing data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... defective pricing or defective cost or pricing data. 1615.407-1 Section 1615.407-1 Federal Acquisition... CONTRACTING METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES CONTRACTING BY NEGOTIATION Contract Pricing 1615.407-1 Rate reduction for defective pricing or defective cost or pricing data. The clause set forth in section 1652.215-70...

48 CFR 1615.407-1 - Rate reduction for defective pricing or defective cost or pricing data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... defective pricing or defective cost or pricing data. 1615.407-1 Section 1615.407-1 Federal Acquisition... CONTRACTING METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES CONTRACTING BY NEGOTIATION Contract Pricing 1615.407-1 Rate reduction for defective pricing or defective cost or pricing data. The clause set forth in section 1652.215-70...

48 CFR 1615.407-1 - Rate reduction for defective pricing or defective cost or pricing data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... defective pricing or defective cost or pricing data. 1615.407-1 Section 1615.407-1 Federal Acquisition... CONTRACTING METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES CONTRACTING BY NEGOTIATION Contract Pricing 1615.407-1 Rate reduction for defective pricing or defective cost or pricing data. The clause set forth in section 1652.215-70...

48 CFR 1615.407-1 - Rate reduction for defective pricing or defective cost or pricing data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... defective pricing or defective cost or pricing data. 1615.407-1 Section 1615.407-1 Federal Acquisition... CONTRACTING METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES CONTRACTING BY NEGOTIATION Contract Pricing 1615.407-1 Rate reduction for defective pricing or defective cost or pricing data. The clause set forth in section 1652.215-70...

48 CFR 52.215-10 - Price Reduction for Defective Certified Cost or Pricing Data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Defective Certified Cost or Pricing Data. 52.215-10 Section 52.215-10 Federal Acquisition Regulations System... Text of Provisions and Clauses 52.215-10 Price Reduction for Defective Certified Cost or Pricing Data... or Pricing Data (OCT 2010) (a) If any price, including profit or fee, negotiated in connection with...

Cost-effectiveness analysis of risk-reduction measures to reach water safety targets.

PubMed

Lindhe, Andreas; Rosén, Lars; Norberg, Tommy; Bergstedt, Olof; Pettersson, Thomas J R

2011-01-01

Identifying the most suitable risk-reduction measures in drinking water systems requires a thorough analysis of possible alternatives. In addition to the effects on the risk level, also the economic aspects of the risk-reduction alternatives are commonly considered important. Drinking water supplies are complex systems and to avoid sub-optimisation of risk-reduction measures, the entire system from source to tap needs to be considered. There is a lack of methods for quantification of water supply risk reduction in an economic context for entire drinking water systems. The aim of this paper is to present a novel approach for risk assessment in combination with economic analysis to evaluate risk-reduction measures based on a source-to-tap approach. The approach combines a probabilistic and dynamic fault tree method with cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA). The developed approach comprises the following main parts: (1) quantification of risk reduction of alternatives using a probabilistic fault tree model of the entire system; (2) combination of the modelling results with CEA; and (3) evaluation of the alternatives with respect to the risk reduction, the probability of not reaching water safety targets and the cost-effectiveness. The fault tree method and CEA enable comparison of risk-reduction measures in the same quantitative unit and consider costs and uncertainties. The approach provides a structured and thorough analysis of risk-reduction measures that facilitates transparency and long-term planning of drinking water systems in order to avoid sub-optimisation of available resources for risk reduction. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A systematic review of economic evaluations of population-based sodium reduction interventions.

PubMed

Hope, Silvia F; Webster, Jacqui; Trieu, Kathy; Pillay, Arti; Ieremia, Merina; Bell, Colin; Snowdon, Wendy; Neal, Bruce; Moodie, Marj

2017-01-01

To summarise evidence describing the cost-effectiveness of population-based interventions targeting sodium reduction. A systematic search of published and grey literature databases and websites was conducted using specified key words. Characteristics of identified economic evaluations were recorded, and included studies were appraised for reporting quality using the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) checklist. Twenty studies met the study inclusion criteria and received a full paper review. Fourteen studies were identified as full economic evaluations in that they included both costs and benefits associated with an intervention measured against a comparator. Most studies were modelling exercises based on scenarios for achieving salt reduction and assumed effects on health outcomes. All 14 studies concluded that their specified intervention(s) targeting reductions in population sodium consumption were cost-effective, and in the majority of cases, were cost saving. Just over half the studies (8/14) were assessed as being of 'excellent' reporting quality, five studies fell into the 'very good' quality category and one into the 'good' category. All of the identified evaluations were based on modelling, whereby inputs for all the key parameters including the effect size were either drawn from published datasets, existing literature or based on expert advice. Despite a clear increase in evaluations of salt reduction programs in recent years, this review identified relatively few economic evaluations of population salt reduction interventions. None of the studies were based on actual implementation of intervention(s) and the associated collection of new empirical data. The studies universally showed that population-based salt reduction strategies are likely to be cost effective or cost saving. However, given the reliance on modelling, there is a need for the effectiveness of new interventions to be evaluated in the field using strong study designs and parallel economic evaluations.

Comparison of vials and prefilled pens of a rapid-acting insulin analog on pharmacy budgets in a long-term care setting.

PubMed

Eby, Elizabeth L; Smolen, Lee J; Pitts, Amber C; Krueger, Linda A; Andrews, Jeffrey Scott

2014-12-01

Estimate budgetary impact for skilled nursing facility converting from individual patient supply (IPS) delivery of rapid-acting insulin analog (RAIA) 10-mL vials or 3-mL prefilled pens to 3-mL vials. A budget-impact model used insulin volume purchased and assumptions of length of stay (LOS), daily RAIA dose, and delivery protocol to estimate the cost impact of using 3-mL vials. Skilled nursing facility. Medicare Part A patients. Simulations conducted using 12-month current and future scenarios. Comparisons of RAIA use for 13- and 28-day LOS. RAIA costs and savings, waste reduction. For patients with 13-day LOS using 20 units/day of IPS insulin, the model estimated a 70% reduction in RAIA costs and units purchased and a 95% waste reduction for the 3-mL vial compared with the 10-mL vial. The estimated costs for prefilled pen use were 58% lower than for use of 10-mL vials. The incremental savings associated with 3-mL vial use instead of prefilled pens was 28%, attributable to differences in per-unit cost of insulin in vials versus prefilled pens. Using a more conservative scenario of 28-day LOS at 20 units/day, the model estimated a 40% reduction in RAIA costs and units purchased, resulting in a 91% reduction in RAIA waste for the 3-mL vial, compared with 10-mL vial. Budget-impact analysis of conversion from RAIA 10-mL vials or 3-mL prefilled pens to 3-mL vials estimated reductions in both insulin costs and waste across multiple scenarios of varying LOS and patient daily doses for skilled nursing facility stays.

Estimation of marginal abatement costs of CO2 in Chinese provinces under 2020 carbon emission rights allocation: 2005-2020.

PubMed

Duan, Fumei; Wang, Yong; Wang, Ying; Zhao, Han

2018-06-16

The calculation of marginal abatement costs of CO 2 plays a vital role in meeting China's 2020 emission reduction targets by providing reference for determining carbon tax and carbon trading pricing. However, most existing researches only used one method to discuss regional and industrial marginal abatement costs, and almost no studies predicted future marginal abatement costs from the perspective of CO 2 emission efficiency. To make up for the gaps, this paper first estimates marginal abatement costs of CO 2 in three major industries of 30 provinces in China from 2005 to 2015 based on three assumptions. Second, based on the principle of fairness and efficiency, China's 2020 emission reduction targets are decomposed by province. Based on the ZSG-C-DDF model, the marginal abatement costs of CO 2 in all provinces in China in 2020 are estimated and compared with the marginal abatement costs of 2005 to 2015. The results show that (1) from 2005 to 2015, marginal abatement costs of CO 2 in all provinces show a fluctuating upward trend; (2) compared with the marginal abatement costs of primary industry or tertiary industry, most provinces have lower marginal abatement costs for secondary industry; and (3) the average marginal abatement costs of CO 2 for China in 2020 are 2766.882 Yuan/tonne for the 40% carbon intensity reduction target and 3334.836 Yuan/tonne for the 45% target, showing that the higher the emission reduction target, the higher the marginal abatement costs of CO 2 . (4) Overall, the average marginal abatement costs of CO 2 in China by 2020 are higher than those in 2005-2015. The empirical analysis in this paper can provide multiple references for environmental policy makers.

Equipment Loan for Concentrated PV Cavity Converter (PVCC) Research: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-08-285

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

Netter, Judy

2015-07-28

Interest in High Concentration Photovoltaics (HCPV) for terrestrial applications has significantly grown in recent years. A major driver behind this growth trend is the availability of high efficiency multi-junction (MJ) cells that promise reliable operation under high concentrations (500 to 1000 suns). The primary impact of HCPV on the solar electricity cost is the dramatic reduction in cell cost. For terrestrial HCPV systems, operating at concentrations ≥ 500 suns, the expensive MJ cells are marginally affordable. Most recently, triple-junction test cells have achieved a conversion efficiency of over 40% under concentrated sunlight. Photovoltaic Cavity Converter (PVCC) is a multi-bandgap, highmore » concentration PV device developed by United Innovations, Inc., under subcontract to NREL. The lateral- (2- dimensional) structure of PVCC, as opposed to vertical multi-junction (MJ) structure, helps to circumvent most of the developmental challenges MJ technology has yet to overcome. This CRADA will allow the continued development of this technology by United Innovations. This project was funded by the California Energy Commission and is the second phase of a twopart demonstration program. The key advantage of the design was the use of a PVCC as the receiver. PVCCs efficiently process highly concentrated solar radiation into electricity by recycling photons that are reflected from the surface of the cells. Conventional flat, twodimensional receivers cannot recycle photons and the reflected photons are lost to the conversion process.« less

An Analysis of U.S. Civil Rotorcraft Accidents by Cost and Injury (1990-1996)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iseler, Laura; DeMaio, Joe; Rutkowski, Michael (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

A study of rotorcraft accidents was conducted to identify safety issues and research areas that might lead to a reduction in rotorcraft accidents and fatalities. The primary source of data was summaries of National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident reports. From 1990 to 1996, the NTSB documented 1396 civil rotorcraft accidents in the United States in which 491 people were killed. The rotorcraft data were compared to airline and general aviation data to determine the relative safety of rotorcraft compared to other segments of the aviation industry. In depth analysis of the rotorcraft data addressed demographics, mission, and operational factors. Rotorcraft were found to have an accident rate about ten times that of commercial airliners and about the same as that of general aviation. The likelihood that an accident would be fatal was about equal for all three classes of operation. The most dramatic division in rotorcraft accidents is between flights flown by private pilots versus professional pilots. Private pilots, flying low cost aircraft in benign environments, have accidents that are due, in large part, to their own errors. Professional pilots, in contrast, are more likely to have accidents that are a result of exacting missions or use of specialized equipment. For both groups judgement error is more likely to lead to a fatal accident than are other types of causes. Several approaches to improving the rotorcraft accident rate are recommended. These mostly address improvement in the training of new pilots and improving the safety awareness of private pilots.

Microtube strip heat exchanger

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doty, F. D.

1992-07-01

The purpose of this contract has been to explore the limits of miniaturization of heat exchangers with the goals of (1) improving the theoretical understanding of laminar heat exchangers, (2) evaluating various manufacturing difficulties, and (3) identifying major applications for the technology. A low-cost, ultra-compact heat exchanger could have an enormous impact on industry in the areas of cryocoolers and energy conversion. Compact cryocoolers based on the reverse Brayton cycle (RBC) would become practical with the availability of compact heat exchangers. Many experts believe that hardware advances in personal computer technology will rapidly slow down in four to six years unless lowcost, portable cryocoolers suitable for the desktop supercomputer can be developed. Compact refrigeration systems would permit dramatic advances in high-performance computer work stations with 'conventional' microprocessors operating at 150 K, and especially with low-cost cryocoolers below 77 K. NASA has also expressed strong interest in our MTS exchanger for space-based RBC cryocoolers for sensor cooling. We have demonstrated feasibility of higher specific conductance by a factor of five than any other work in high-temperature gas-to-gas exchangers. These laminar-flow, microtube exchangers exhibit extremely low pressure drop compared to alternative compact designs under similar conditions because of their much shorter flow length and larger total flow area for lower flow velocities. The design appears to be amenable to mass production techniques, but considerable process development remains. The reduction in materials usage and the improved heat exchanger performance promise to be of enormous significance in advanced engine designs and in cryogenics.

Socio-economic and Engineering Assessments of Renewable Energy Cost Reduction Potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seel, Joachim

This dissertation combines three perspectives on the potential of cost reductions of renewable energy--a relevant topic, as high energy costs have traditionally been cited as major reason to vindicate developments of fossil fuel and nuclear power plants, and to justify financial support mechanisms and special incentives for renewable energy generators. First, I highlight the role of market and policy drivers in an international comparison of upfront capital expenses of residential photovoltaic systems in Germany and the United States that result in price differences of a factor of two and suggest cost reduction opportunities. In a second article I examine engineering approaches and siting considerations of large-scale photovoltaic projects in the United States that enable substantial system performance increases and allow thus for lower energy costs on a levelized basis. Finally, I investigate future cost reduction options of wind energy, ranging from capital expenses, operating expenses, and performance over a project's lifetime to financing costs. The assessment shows both substantial further cost decline potential for mature technologies like land-based turbines, nascent technologies like fixed-bottom offshore turbines, and experimental technologies like floating offshore turbines. The following paragraphs summarize each analysis: International upfront capital cost comparison of residential solar systems: Residential photovoltaic (PV) systems were twice as expensive in the United States as in Germany in 2012. This price discrepancy stems primarily from differences in non-hardware or "soft" costs between the two countries, of which only 35% be explained by differences in cumulative market size and associated learning. A survey of German PV installers was deployed to collect granular data on PV soft costs in Germany, and the results are compared to those of a similar survey of U.S. PV installers. Non-module hardware costs and all analyzed soft costs are lower in Germany, especially for customer acquisition, installation labor, and profit/overhead costs, but also for expenses related to permitting, interconnection, and inspection procedures. Additional costs occur in the United States due to state and local sales taxes, smaller average system sizes, and longer project-development times. To reduce the identified additional costs of residential PV systems, the United States could introduce policies that enable a robust and lasting market while minimizing market fragmentation. Regularly declining incentives offering a transparent and certain value proposition might help accelerate PV cost reductions in the United States. Performance analysis of large-scale solar installations in the United States: This paper presents the first known use of multi-variate regression techniques to statistically explore empirical variation in utility-scale PV project performance across the United States. Among a sample of 128 utility-scale PV projects totaling 3,201 MWAC, net capacity factors in 2014 varied by more than a factor of two. Regression models developed for this analysis find that just three highly significant independent variables can explain 92% of this project-level variation. Adding the commercial operation year as a fourth independent variable and three interactive variables improves the model further and reveals interesting relationships. Taken together, the empirical data and statistical modeling results presented in this paper can provide a useful indication of the level of performance that solar project developers and investors can expect from various project configurations in different regions of the United States. Moreover, the tight relationship between fitted and actual capacity factors should instill confidence among investors that the utility-scale projects in this sample have largely performed as predicted by our models, with no significant outliers to date. Holistic assessment of future cost reduction opportunities of wind energy applications: Wind energy supply has grown rapidly over the last decade. However, the long-term contribution of wind to future energy supply, and the degree to which policy support is necessary to motivate higher levels of deployment, depends on the future costs of both onshore and offshore wind. Here, I summarize the results of an expert elicitation survey of 163 of the world's foremost wind experts, aimed at better understanding future costs and technology advancement possibilities. Results suggest significant opportunities for cost reductions, but also underlying uncertainties. Costs could be even lower: experts predict a 10% chance that reductions will be more than 40% by 2030 and more than 50% by 2050. The main identified drivers for near term cost reductions are rotor-related advancements and taller towers for onshore installations, fixed-bottom offshore turbines can benefit from an upscaling in generator capacity, streamlined foundation design and reduced financing costs, while floating offshore turbines require further progress in buoyant support structure design and installation process efficiencies. Insights gained through this expert elicitation complement other tools for evaluating cost-reduction potential, and help inform policy, planning, R&D, and industry strategy. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).

Comparative cost-effectiveness of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors in secondary prevention of acute myocardial infarction.

PubMed

Elliott, W J; Weir, D R

1999-09-01

The cost-effectiveness of each of the six hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors currently available was studied. For a cohort of patients between the ages of 60 and 85 years with coronary heart disease (CHD) who were taking atorvastatin, cerivastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin, or simvastatin, the number of survivors, the annual direct cost per survivor, and the annual indirect cost saving per survivor associated with the predicted reduction in the rate of nonfatal myocardial infarction recurrences were projected. Percent reductions in excess mortality due to CHD were derived from the relative risks of cardiac mortality in treatment versus control groups in the Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study (4S). Doses necessary to provide a long-term 35.57% reduction in low-density- lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, as seen in 4S, were estimated. One-way sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the importance of the baseline assumptions. The cost per year of life saved ranged from $5,421 with atorvastatin to $15,073 with lovastatin. The patient's age at time of diagnosis of CHD had a major impact on the cost-effectiveness of the drugs; cost-effectiveness per year of life saved was higher for older patients than younger patients. The six currently marketed HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors varied widely in cost and effectiveness in producing reductions in the LDL-cholesterol concentrations that have been shown to prevent recurrent MI; there was an approximately threefold difference in the cost per year of life saved between the most cost-effective and least cost-effective agents.

32 CFR 48.406 - Withdrawal and reduction of percentage or amount of participation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... is received by the Finance Center controlling his pay record. (For special rules covering... cost, after such reduction in survivor annuity, will be computed from the applicable cost table at the...

Wastewater recycling and heat reclamation at the Red Lion Central Laundry, Portland, Oregon

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

Garlick, T.F.; Halverson, M.A.; Ledbetter, M.R.

1996-09-01

This report discusses water, energy, and cost savings that can be achieved in a commercial laundry through the use of a wastewater recycling and heat recovery system. Cost savings are achieved through reductions in water use, reduction in sewage charges, reductions in water heating energy, and potential reductions in water treatment chemicals. This report provides an economic analysis of the impact of capital investment, daily consumption, and local utility rates on the payback period.

Global climate change: the quantifiable sustainability challenge.

PubMed

Princiotta, Frank T; Loughlin, Daniel H

2014-09-01

Population growth and the pressures spawned by increasing demands for energy and resource-intensive goods, foods, and services are driving unsustainable growth in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Recent GHG emission trends are consistent with worst-case scenarios of the previous decade. Dramatic and near-term emission reductions likely will be needed to ameliorate the potential deleterious impacts of climate change. To achieve such reductions, fundamental changes are required in the way that energy is generated and used. New technologies must be developed and deployed at a rapid rate. Advances in carbon capture and storage, renewable, nuclear and transportation technologies are particularly important; however, global research and development efforts related to these technologies currently appear to fall short relative to needs. Even with a proactive and international mitigation effort, humanity will need to adapt to climate change, but the adaptation needs and damages will be far greater if mitigation activities are not pursued in earnest. In this review, research is highlighted that indicates increasing global and regional temperatures and ties climate changes to increasing GHG emissions. GHG mitigation targets necessary for limiting future global temperature increases are discussed, including how factors such as population growth and the growing energy intensity of the developing world will make these reduction targets more challenging. Potential technological pathways for meeting emission reduction targets are examined, barriers are discussed, and global and US. modeling results are presented that suggest that the necessary pathways will require radically transformed electric and mobile sectors. While geoengineering options have been proposed to allow more time for serious emission reductions, these measures are at the conceptual stage with many unanswered cost, environmental, and political issues. Implications: This paper lays out the case that mitigating the potential for catastrophic climate change will be a monumental challenge, requiring the global community to transform its energy system in an aggressive, coordinated, and timely manner. If this challenge is to be met, new technologies will have to be developed and deployed at a rapid rate. Advances in carbon capture and storage, renewable, nuclear, and transportation technologies are particularly important. Even with an aggressive international mitigation effort, humanity will still need to adapt to significant climate change.

A randomized study of telephonic care support in populations at risk for musculoskeletal preference-sensitive surgeries

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The rate of elective surgeries varies dramatically by geography in the United States. For many of these surgeries, there is not clear evidence of their relative merits over alternate treatment choices and there are significant tradeoffs in short- and long-term risks and benefits of selecting one treatment option over another. Conditions and symptoms for which there is this lack of a single clear evidence-based treatment choice present great opportunities for patient and provider collaboration on decision making; back pain and joint osteoarthritis are two such ailments. A number of decision aids are in active use to encourage this shared decision-making process. Decision aids have been assessed in formal studies that demonstrate increases in patient knowledge, increases in patient-provider engagement, and reduction in surgery rates. These studies have not widely demonstrated the added benefit of health coaching in support of shared decision making nor have they commonly provided strong evidence of cost reductions. In order to add to this evidence base, we undertook a comparative study testing the relative impact on health utilization and costs of active outreach through interactive voice response technology to encourage health coaching in support of shared decision making in comparison to mailed outreach or no outreach. This study focused on individuals with back pain or joint pain. Methods We conducted four waves of stratified randomized comparisons for individuals with risk for back, hip, or knee surgery who did not have claims-based evidence of one or more of five chronic conditions and were eligible for population care management services within three large regional health plans in the United States. An interactive voice response (IVR) form of outreach that included the capability for individuals to directly connect with health coaches telephonically, known as AutoDialog®, was compared to a control (mailed outreach or natural levels of inbound calling depending on the study wave). In total, the study include 24,167 adults with commercial and Medicare Advantage private coverage at three health plans and at risk for lumbar back surgery, hip repair/replacement, or knee repair/replacement. Results Interactive voice response outreach led to 10.7 (P-value < .0001) times as many inbound calls within 30 days as the control. Over 180 days, the IVR group (“intervention”) had 67 percent (P-value < .0001) more health coach communications and agreed to be sent 3.2 (P-value < .0001) time as many DVD- and/or booklet-based decision aids. Targeted surgeries were reduced by 6.7 percent (P-value = .6039). Overall costs were lower by 4.9 percent (P-value = .055). Costs that were not related to maternity, cancer, trauma and substance abuse (“actionable costs”) were reduced by 6.5 percent (P-value = .0286). Conclusions IVR with a transfer-to-health coach-option significantly increased levels of health coaching compared to mailed or no outreach and lead to significantly reduced actionable medical costs. Providing high levels of health coaching to individuals with these types of risks appears to have produced important levels of actionable medical cost reductions. We believe this impact resulted from more informed and engaged health care decision making. PMID:23391126

Fast space-varying convolution using matrix source coding with applications to camera stray light reduction.

PubMed

Wei, Jianing; Bouman, Charles A; Allebach, Jan P

2014-05-01

Many imaging applications require the implementation of space-varying convolution for accurate restoration and reconstruction of images. Here, we use the term space-varying convolution to refer to linear operators whose impulse response has slow spatial variation. In addition, these space-varying convolution operators are often dense, so direct implementation of the convolution operator is typically computationally impractical. One such example is the problem of stray light reduction in digital cameras, which requires the implementation of a dense space-varying deconvolution operator. However, other inverse problems, such as iterative tomographic reconstruction, can also depend on the implementation of dense space-varying convolution. While space-invariant convolution can be efficiently implemented with the fast Fourier transform, this approach does not work for space-varying operators. So direct convolution is often the only option for implementing space-varying convolution. In this paper, we develop a general approach to the efficient implementation of space-varying convolution, and demonstrate its use in the application of stray light reduction. Our approach, which we call matrix source coding, is based on lossy source coding of the dense space-varying convolution matrix. Importantly, by coding the transformation matrix, we not only reduce the memory required to store it; we also dramatically reduce the computation required to implement matrix-vector products. Our algorithm is able to reduce computation by approximately factoring the dense space-varying convolution operator into a product of sparse transforms. Experimental results show that our method can dramatically reduce the computation required for stray light reduction while maintaining high accuracy.

Cost assessment and ecological effectiveness of nutrient reduction options for mitigating Phaeocystis colony blooms in the Southern North Sea: an integrated modeling approach.

PubMed

Lancelot, Christiane; Thieu, Vincent; Polard, Audrey; Garnier, Josette; Billen, Gilles; Hecq, Walter; Gypens, Nathalie

2011-05-01

Nutrient reduction measures have been already taken by wealthier countries to decrease nutrient loads to coastal waters, in most cases however, prior to having properly assessed their ecological effectiveness and their economic costs. In this paper we describe an original integrated impact assessment methodology to estimate the direct cost and the ecological performance of realistic nutrient reduction options to be applied in the Southern North Sea watershed to decrease eutrophication, visible as Phaeocystis blooms and foam deposits on the beaches. The mathematical tool couples the idealized biogeochemical GIS-based model of the river system (SENEQUE-RIVERSTRAHLER) implemented in the Eastern Channel/Southern North Sea watershed to the biogeochemical MIRO model describing Phaeocystis blooms in the marine domain. Model simulations explore how nutrient reduction options regarding diffuse and/or point sources in the watershed would affect the Phaeocystis colony spreading in the coastal area. The reference and prospective simulations are performed for the year 2000 characterized by mean meteorological conditions, and nutrient reduction scenarios include and compare upgrading of wastewater treatment plants and changes in agricultural practices including an idealized shift towards organic farming. A direct cost assessment is performed for each realistic nutrient reduction scenario. Further the reduction obtained for Phaeocystis blooms is assessed by comparison with ecological indicators (bloom magnitude and duration) and the cost for reducing foam events on the beaches is estimated. Uncertainty brought by the added effect of meteorological conditions (rainfall) on coastal eutrophication is discussed. It is concluded that the reduction obtained by implementing realistic environmental measures on the short-term is costly and insufficient to restore well-balanced nutrient conditions in the coastal area while the replacement of conventional agriculture by organic farming might be an option to consider in the nearby future. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Impact of Ezetimibe on the Rate of Cardiovascular-Related Hospitalizations and Associated Costs Among Patients With a Recent Acute Coronary Syndrome: Results From the IMPROVE-IT Trial (Improved Reduction of Outcomes: Vytorin Efficacy International Trial).

PubMed

Pokharel, Yashashwi; Chinnakondepalli, Khaja; Vilain, Katherine; Wang, Kaijun; Mark, Daniel B; Davies, Glenn; Blazing, Michael A; Giugliano, Robert P; Braunwald, Eugene; Cannon, Christopher P; Cohen, David J; Magnuson, Elizabeth A

2017-05-01

Ezetimibe, when added to simvastatin therapy, reduces cardiovascular events after recent acute coronary syndrome. However, the impact of ezetimibe on cardiovascular-related hospitalizations and associated costs is unknown. We used patient-level data from the IMPROVE-IT (Improved Reduction of Outcomes: Vytorin Efficacy International Trial) to examine the impact of simvastatin-ezetimibe versus simvastatin-placebo on cardiovascular-related hospitalizations and related costs (excluding drug costs) over 7 years follow-up. Medicare Severity-Diagnosis Related Groups were assigned to all cardiovascular hospitalizations. Hospital costs were estimated using Medicare reimbursement rates for 2013. Associated physician costs were estimated as a percentage of hospital costs. The impact of treatment assignment on hospitalization rates and costs was estimated using Poisson and linear regression, respectively. There was a significantly lower cardiovascular hospitalization rate with ezetimibe compared with placebo (risk ratio, 0.95; 95% confidence interval, 0.90-0.99; P =0.031), mainly attributable to fewer hospitalizations for percutaneous coronary intervention, angina, and stroke. Consequently, cardiovascular-related hospitalization costs over 7 years were $453 per patient lower with ezetimibe (95% confidence interval, -$38 to -$869; P =0.030). Although all prespecified subgroups had lower cost with ezetimibe therapy, patients with diabetes mellitus, patients aged ≥75 years, and patients at higher predicted risk for recurrent ischemic events had even greater cost offsets. Addition of ezetimibe to statin therapy in patients with a recent acute coronary syndrome leads to reductions in cardiovascular-related hospitalizations and associated costs, with the greatest cost offsets in high-risk patients. These cost reductions may completely offset the cost of the drug once ezetimibe becomes generic, and may lead to cost savings from the perspective of the healthcare system, if treatment with ezetimibe is targeted to high-risk patients. URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique Identifier: NCT00202878. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; economic uses fact sheet 09: Mechanical treatment costs

Treesearch

Rocky Mountain Research Station USDA Forest Service

2005-01-01

Although fuel reduction treatments are widespread, there is great variability and uncertainty in the cost of conducting treatments. Researchers from the Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, have developed a model for estimating the per-acre cost for mechanical fuel reduction treatments. Although these models do a good job of identifying factors that...

A watershed-scale assessment of cost-effectiveness of sediment abatement with flow diversion terraces.

PubMed

Yang, Qi; Zhao, Zhengyong; Benoy, Glenn; Chow, Thien Lien; Rees, Herb W; Bourque, Charles P-A; Meng, Fan-Rui

2010-01-01

Soil conservation beneficial management practices (BMPs) are effective at controlling soil loss from farmlands and minimizing water pollution in agricultural watersheds. However, costs associated with implementing and maintaining these practices are high and often deter farmers from using them. Consequently, it is necessary to conduct cost-benefit analysis of BMP implementation to assist decision-makers with planning to provide the greatest level of environmental protection with limited resources and funding. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to evaluate the efficacy of flow diversion terraces (FDT) in abating sediment yield at the outlet of Black Brook Watershed (BBW), northwestern New Brunswick. Different FDT-implementation scenarios were expressed as the ratio of land area protected by FDT to the total cultivated area. From this analysis, we found that average annual sediment yield decreased exponentially with increased FDT protection. When the proportion of FDT-protected areas was low, sediment reductions caused by FDT increased sharply with increasing use of FDT. Similarly, marginal sediment yield abatement costs (dollar per tonne of sediment reduction) increased exponentially with increasing proportion of FDT-protected area. The results indicated that increasing land protection with FDT from 6 to 50% would result in a reduction of about 2.1 tonne ha(-1) yr(-1) and costs of sediment reduction increased from $7 to $12 per tonne. Increasing FDT-protected cropland from 50 to 100%, a reduction of about 0.9 tonne of sediment ha(-1) yr(-1) would occur and the costs would increase from $12 to $53 per tonne of sediment yield reduction.

A Spatial-Economic Cost-Reduction Pathway Analysis for U.S. Offshore Wind Energy Development from 2015-2030

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

Beiter, Philipp; Stehly, Tyler

The potential for cost reduction and economic viability for offshore wind varies considerably within the United States. This analysis models the cost impact of a range of offshore wind locational cost variables across more than 7,000 potential coastal sites in the United States' offshore wind resource area. It also assesses the impact of over 50 technology innovations on potential future costs between 2015 and 2027 (Commercial Operation Date) for both fixed-bottom and floating wind systems. Comparing these costs to an initial assessment of local avoided generating costs, this analysis provides a framework for estimating the economic potential for offshore wind.more » Analyzing economic potential within this framework can help establish a refined understanding across industries of the technology and site-specific risks and opportunities associated with future offshore wind development. The findings from the original report indicate that under the modeled scenario, offshore wind can be expected to achieve significant cost reductions and may approach economic viability in some parts of the United States within the next 15 years.« less

Carbon Emission Reduction with Capital Constraint under Greening Financing and Cost Sharing Contract

PubMed Central

Qin, Juanjuan; Zhao, Yuhui; Xia, Liangjie

2018-01-01

Motivated by the industrial practices, this work explores the carbon emission reductions for the manufacturer, while taking into account the capital constraint and the cap-and-trade regulation. To alleviate the capital constraint, two contracts are analyzed: greening financing and cost sharing. We use the Stackelberg game to model four cases as follows: (1) in Case A1, the manufacturer has no greening financing and no cost sharing; (2) in Case A2, the manufacturer has greening financing, but no cost sharing; (3) in Case B1, the manufacturer has no greening financing but has cost sharing; and, (4) in Case B2, the manufacturer has greening financing and cost sharing. Then, using the backward induction method, we derive and compare the equilibrium decisions and profits of the participants in the four cases. We find that the interest rate of green finance does not always negatively affect the carbon emission reduction of the manufacturer. Meanwhile, the cost sharing from the retailer does not always positively affect the carbon emission reduction of the manufacturer. When the cost sharing is low, both of the participants’ profits in Case B1 (under no greening finance) are not less than that in Case B2 (under greening finance). When the cost sharing is high, both of the participants’ profits in Case B1 (under no greening finance) are less than that in Case B2 (under greening finance). PMID:29652859

Impact of the "faster better cheaper" requirements for satellites components/subsystems on SEP organisation and processes.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pages, X.

2000-03-01

In the early 90's, SEP environment in the satellites business quickly evolved from agencies funded programs (ESA, CNES, government) to a situation in which SEP has numerous private customers and where agencies behave as private companies i.e. opening world-wide competition, requesting high involvement of SEP in non recurring funding. SEP quickly reacted to face this challenge by improving not only their products but also the way these products are developed and produced. A new organization of SEP/DPES unit (around 200 people) was set up end 1994, with project oriented guidelines such as streamlining the hierarchical levels in order to increase personals implication and motivation, favoring flexible project organizations to the previous somewhat rigid matrix organization, enforcing commercial/marketing structure to the new customers. Highly motivated slim teams were constituted around each project, picking up expert partners inside SEP/DPES departments. Project partners proved to plead in an efficient manner with their own management on the behalf of the projects they were implied in. Eventually, this organization helped, of course with other progress actions, to a global performance improvement of SEP/DPES. Improved development processes were put into practice in 1995 among which design to cost, carefully decided internal preliminary studies, long term agreements with preferred subcontractors. SEP/DPES ISO.9001 certification (mid-1998) which gives evidence of the satisfactory status of SEP/DPES PA system already helps to avoid to costly comply with numerous project tailored P.A. requirements. New products were developed/qualified since the mid-90's, on SEP funding (at least partial, sometimes total), following the here before described processes and organization. Among SEP/DPES newly developed products, three examples are more thoroughly discussed. In the field of electrical propulsion where SEP/DPES has gained expertise in since the 60's, new developments started in the early 90's in Hall propulsion through numerous partnership with Russian, American and Italian companies and/or universities. A mature knowledge of Hall thruster functioning and technologies helped SEP to recently complete a successful qualification of their first Hall thruster. "PPS 1350" which will be in flight aboard STENTOR French technological satellite in year 2000. A cost reduction research of this new product was held in parallel to the PPS 1350 qualification, taking into account all the lessons learnt during PPS 1350 development. Its major outputs are the numerous simplifications that were found leading to dramatic cost reductions without impairing thruster performances (reliability was even improved). This improved thruster is today very favorably considered by several primes for small low earth orbit satellites. Hydrazine propulsion is an other example. In this field, which SEP decided in 1996 to accompany their customers in their move from large traditional satellites (SPOT/ERS family) to smaller, cheaper ones. To do so, SEP proposed a monolithic propulsion subsystem (patented design) in which all usual propulsion subsystem assembly devices (piping, supports, brackets…) are avoided, components being directly mounted on the propellant tank. Significant costs reduction could be offered to customers thanks to this innovation. Along with the hydrazine propulsion, SEP also modernised their solar array drive mechanisms the SEPTA's® — SEPTA 31 was qualified end 1998 and will have its maiden flight aboard CNES/ALCATEL JASONI small earth observation satellite. In summary, SEP had to make important changes in order to adapt to the market evolution, which occurred in the early 90's. There efforts implied as well organization as processes as products. First outputs are significant cost reduction; in line will the objectives. First hardware of this new generation will fly in year 2000.

They are smaller, but these systems produce mighty reports.

PubMed

Botvin, Judith D

2004-01-01

The first place winner, Commonwealth Health Corporation, Bowling Green, Ky., has a successful cost-saving story. Designed in-house, with donated printing, it cost a mere 54 cents per unit. Little Company of Mary Hospital, Evergreen Park, Ill., wins second place with a publication that enlisted the help of many personnel. University Health Care System, Augusta, Ga., third place winner, uses dramatic graphics to observe its 185th anniversary. Princeton HealthCare System, Princeton, N.J., receives special recognition for the clarity and effectiveness of its four-page report.

Bed Bug Epidemic: A Challenge to Public Health

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ratnapradipa, Dhitinut; Ritzel, Dale O.; Haramis, Linn D.; Bliss, Kadi R.

2011-01-01

In recent years, reported cases of bed bug infestations in the U.S. and throughout the world have escalated dramatically, posing a global public health problem. Although bed bugs are not known to transmit disease to humans, they pose both direct and indirect public health challenges in terms of health effects, treatment, cost, and resource…

Effect of Seeding Rate on Weed Suppression Activity and Yield of Indica and Tropical Japonica Rice Cultivars.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Weeds are ubiquitous and costly pests in U.S. rice production systems. Although most rice cultivars do not suppress weeds dramatically, certain indica cultivars and commercial hybrids have been shown to suppress barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli) in conventional as well as reduced-herbicide and ...

Amplifying Youth Voices in the Developing World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fotenos, Saori; Rohatgi, Deepti

2007-01-01

In the past few years, an explosion of user-generated content has flooded the Internet. The dramatic drop in the cost of digital video equipment and the increased accessibility of the Internet create a unique opportunity to allow youth to create meaningful content. Today youth around the world can leverage technological tools to give voice to…

Statistical analysis of large wildfires

Treesearch

Thomas P. Holmes; Robert J. Jr. Huggett; Anthony L. Westerling

2008-01-01

Large, infrequent wildfires cause dramatic ecological and economic impacts. Consequently, they deserve special attention and analysis. The economic significance of large fires is indicated by the fact that approximately 94 percent of fire suppression costs on U.S. Forest Service land during the period 1980-2002 resulted from a mere 1.4 percent of the fires (Strategic...

Cloud Computing E-Communication Services in the University Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Babin, Ron; Halilovic, Branka

2017-01-01

The use of cloud computing services has grown dramatically in post-secondary institutions in the last decade. In particular, universities have been attracted to the low-cost and flexibility of acquiring cloud software services from Google, Microsoft and others, to implement e-mail, calendar and document management and other basic office software.…

Calculation of genomic predicted transmitting abilities for bovine respiratory disease complex in Holsteins

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bovine Respiratory Disease Complex is a disease that is very costly to the dairy industry. Genomic selection may be an effective tool to improve host resistance to the pathogens that cause this disease. Use of genomic predicted transmitting abilities (GPTA) for selection has had a dramatic effect on...

Space for Technical Education: How to Plan It (And How Not To).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vogler, Roger

1980-01-01

Algeria's space use model for the Institut National d'Electricite et d'Electronique is discussed. By concentrating all of its training capability in electricity and electronics in a single institution, Algeria has realized dramatic savings in the educational process and in the cost of physical plant and equipment. (MLW)

Clementine. Mining new uses for SDI technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rustan, Pedro L.

1994-01-01

Using ballistic missile defense technologies for NASA science missions can dramatically reduce program costs and development time. Described is the Clementine spacecraft scheduled for launch to flight-qualify advanced lightweight technologies. The 500-lb spacecraft, which uses lightweight components and minimal redundancy, was built by the Naval Research Laboratory in less than two years.

Forest/non-forest stratification in Georgia with Landsat Thematic Mapper data

Treesearch

William H. Cooke

2000-01-01

Geographically accurate Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data may be useful for training, classification, and accuracy assessment of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data. Minimum expectation for maps derived from Landsat data is accurate discrimination of several land cover classes. Landsat TM costs have decreased dramatically, but acquiring cloud-free scenes at...

National Trends in Sustainability Performance: Lessons for Facilities Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Kristy M.; Keniry, L. Julian

2009-01-01

For most facilities leaders, sustainability is nothing new. The authors have observed repeatedly over several decades that administrative and facilities staff have often taken the lead in initiating many of the most effective and visible efforts on campuses to dramatically curb energy use and waste and to contain costs, even during times of rapid…

Hubless satellite communications networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, Peter Alan

1994-01-01

Frequency Comb Multiple Access (FCMA) is a new combined modulation and multiple access method which will allow cheap hubless Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) networks to be constructed. Theoretical results show bandwidth efficiency and power efficiency improvements over other modulation and multiple access methods. Costs of the VSAT network are reduced dramatically since a hub station is not required.

A Framework for Open Textbooks Analytics System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prasad, Deepak; Totaram, Rajneel; Usagawa, Tsuyoshi

2016-01-01

In the last few years, open textbook development has picked up dramatically due both to the expense of commercially published textbooks and the increasing availability of high-quality OER alternatives. While this offers a tremendous benefit in terms of lowering student textbook costs, the question remains, to what extent (if any) do open textbooks…

Employee assistance programs: a preventive, cost-effective benefit.

PubMed

Cohen, G S; Gard, L H; Heffernan, W R

1998-01-01

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) provide a much-needed service to the employees of corporations. In these times of reduced benefits and diminished community resources, EAPs can dramatically compensate for those shortages. This article will explore the role of an EAP, the models of service available, and the selection process for choosing a program.

A Place To Call Home. The Crisis in Housing for the Poor.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leonard, Paul A.; And Others

For most low-income households, housing has become increasingly unaffordable. High housing cost burdens have serious implications, including the growing problems of homelessness and hunger. Data on national trends and housing conditions suggest that just as the affordable housing problems worsened dramatically for low-income households between the…

How Small Can We Go: Exploring the Limitations and Scaling laws of Air-Microfluidic Particulate Matter Sensors

EPA Science Inventory

Air-microfluidics is a field that has the potential to dramatically reduce the size, cost, and power requirements of future air quality sensors. Microfabrication provides a suite of relatively new tools for the development of micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) that can be ap...

Trees of Life: Saving Tropical Forests and Their Biological Wealth.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Kenton; Tangley, Laura

Staggering statistics and dramatic headlines about the destruction of rain forests, the world's richest ecosystems, are only a small part of the devastating story of global deforestation. This volume provides comprehensive coverage of this complex scientific and political catastrophe-in-the-making and examines the costs and the consequences, in…

Indiana State University Graduates to Advanced Plastic Cooling Towers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sullivan, Ed

2012-01-01

Perhaps more than many other industries, today's universities and colleges are beset by dramatically rising costs on every front. One of the areas where overhead can be contained or reduced is in the operation of the chilled water systems that support air conditioning throughout college campuses, specifically the cooling towers. Like many…

Critical Success Factors for E-Learning and Institutional Change--Some Organisational Perspectives on Campus-Wide E-Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Su

2007-01-01

Computer technology has been harnessed for education in UK universities ever since the first computers for research were installed at 10 selected sites in 1957. Subsequently, real costs have fallen dramatically. Processing power has increased; network and communications infrastructure has proliferated, and information has become unimaginably…

[What can medicine expect from health economics?].

PubMed

Bismarck, E; Schmitz-Dräger, B J; Schöffski, O

2012-04-01

Medicine has changed dramatically in the past ten decades thanks to the introduction of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. However, besides the unmistakable advances achieved in medicine, the costs of all health care systems have risen dramatically. In contrast to the escalation in expenditures, only moderate gains in proceeds have been accomplished. This situation requires that future financial resources be judiciously expended. The field of health economics has set as its goal the analysis of medical measures in terms of costs and benefits to be able to provide information on these parameters to those involved in the public health sector. The emerging problems are diverse and extend from assessment of effects and side effects to difficulties in standardizing analytical procedures and comparing results between different health care systems.In the context of this manuscript an attempt has been made to illustrate the methodological approaches to health economics based on current issues in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. This contribution intends to motivate stakeholders to view health economics as a tool to promote improvements in medical care and not as a means to regulating and rationing medical measures.

An evaluation of the costs and consequences of Children Community Nursing teams.

PubMed

Hinde, Sebastian; Allgar, Victoria; Richardson, Gerry; Spiers, Gemma; Parker, Gillian; Birks, Yvonne

2017-08-01

Recent years have seen an increasing shift towards providing care in the community, epitomised by the role of Children's Community Nursing (CCN) teams. However, there have been few attempts to use robust evaluative methods to interrogate the impact of such services. This study sought to evaluate whether reduction in secondary care costs, resulting from the introduction of 2 CCN teams, was sufficient to offset the additional cost of commissioning. Among the potential benefits of the CCN teams is a reduction in the burden placed on secondary care through the delivery of care at home; it is this potential reduction which is evaluated in this study via a 2-part analytical method. Firstly, an interrupted time series analysis used Hospital Episode Statistics data to interrogate any change in total paediatric bed days as a result of the introduction of 2 teams. Secondly, a costing analysis compared the cost savings from any reduction in total bed days with the cost of commissioning the teams. This study used a retrospective longitudinal study design as part of the transforming children's community services trial, which was conducted between June 2012 and June 2015. A reduction in hospital activity after introduction of the 2 nursing teams was found, (9634 and 8969 fewer bed days), but this did not reach statistical significance. The resultant cost saving to the National Health Service was less than the cost of employing the teams. The study represents an important first step in understanding the role of such teams as a means of providing a high quality of paediatric care in an era of limited resource. While the cost saving from released paediatric bed days was not sufficient to demonstrate cost-effectiveness, the analysis does not incorporate wider measures of health care utilisation and nonmonetary benefits resulting from the CCN teams. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Assessing Cost-effectiveness of Green Infrastructures in response to Large Storm Events at Household Scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chui, T. F. M.; Liu, X.; Zhan, W.

2015-12-01

Green infrastructures (GI) are becoming more important for urban stormwater control worldwide. However, relatively few studies focus on researching the specific designs of GI at household scale. This study assesses the hydrological performance and cost-effectiveness of different GI designs, namely green roofs, bioretention systems and porous pavements. It aims to generate generic insights by comparing the optimal designs of each GI in 2-year and 50-year storms of Hong Kong, China and Seattle, US. EPA SWMM is first used to simulate the hydrologic performance, in particular, the peak runoff reduction of thousands of GI designs. Then, life cycle costs of the designs are computed and their effectiveness, in terms of peak runoff reduction percentage per thousand dollars, is compared. The peak runoff reduction increases almost linearly with costs for green roofs. However, for bioretention systems and porous pavements, peak runoff reduction only increases significantly with costs in the mid values. For achieving the same peak runoff reduction percentage, the optimal soil depth of green roofs increases with the design storm, while surface area does not change significantly. On the other hand, for bioretention systems and porous pavements, the optimal surface area increases with the design storm, while thickness does not change significantly. In general, the cost effectiveness of porous pavements is highest, followed by bioretention systems and then green roofs. The cost effectiveness is higher for a smaller storm, and is thus higher for 2-year storm than 50-year storm, and is also higher for Seattle when compared to Hong Kong. This study allows us to better understand the hydrological performance and cost-effectiveness of different GI designs. It facilitates the implementation of optimal choice and design of each specific GI for stormwater mitigation.

Effects of Caps on Cost Sharing for Skilled Nursing Facility Services in Medicare Advantage Plans.

PubMed

Keohane, Laura M; Rahman, Momotazur; Thomas, Kali S; Trivedi, Amal N

2018-03-12

To evaluate a federal regulation effective in 2011 that limited how much that Medicare Advantage (MA) plans could charge for the first 20 days of care in a skilled nursing facility (SNF). Difference-in-differences retrospective analysis comparing SNF utilization trends from 2008-2012. Select MA plans. Members of 27 plans with mandatory cost sharing reductions (n=132,000) and members of 21 plans without such reductions (n=138,846). Mean monthly number of SNF admissions and days per 1,000 members; annual proportion of MA enrollees exiting the plan. In plans with mandated cost sharing reductions, cost sharing for the first 20 days of SNF care decreased from an average of $2,039 in 2010 to $992 in 2011. In adjusted analyses, plans with mandated cost-sharing reductions averaged 158.1 SNF days (95% confidence interval (CI)=153.2-163.1 days) per 1,000 members per month before the cost sharing cap. This measure increased by 14.3 days (95% CI=3.8-24.8 days, p=0.009) in the 2 years after cap implementation. However, increases in SNF utilization did not significantly differ between plans with and without mandated cost-sharing reductions (adjusted between-group difference: 7.1 days per 1,000 members, 95% CI=-6.5-20.8, p=.30). Disenrollment patterns did not change after the cap took effect. When a federal regulation designed to protect MA members from high out-of-pocket costs for postacute care took effect, the use of SNF services did not change. © 2018, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2018, The American Geriatrics Society.

Cost-effectiveness of the Norwegian breast cancer screening program.

PubMed

van Luijt, P A; Heijnsdijk, E A M; de Koning, H J

2017-02-15

The Norwegian Breast Cancer Screening Programme (NBCSP) has a nation-wide coverage since 2005. All women aged 50-69 years are invited biennially for mammography screening. We evaluated breast cancer mortality reduction and performed a cost-effectiveness analysis, using our microsimulation model, calibrated to most recent data. The microsimulation model allows for the comparison of mortality and costs between a (hypothetical) situation without screening and a situation with screening. Breast cancer incidence in Norway had a steep increase in the early 1990s. We calibrated the model to simulate this increase and included recent costs for screening, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer and travel and productivity loss. We estimate a 16% breast cancer mortality reduction for a cohort of women, invited to screening, followed over their complete lifetime. Cost-effectiveness is estimated at NOK 112,162 per QALY gained, when taking only direct medical costs into account (the cost of the buses, examinations, and invitations). We used a 3.5% annual discount rate. Cost-effectiveness estimates are substantially below the threshold of NOK 1,926,366 as recommended by the WHO guidelines. For the Norwegian population, which has been gradually exposed to screening, breast cancer mortality reduction for women exposed to screening is increasing and is estimated to rise to ∼30% in 2020 for women aged 55-80 years. The NBCSP is a highly cost-effective measure to reduce breast cancer specific mortality. We estimate a breast cancer specific mortality reduction of 16-30%, at the cost of 112,162 NOK per QALY gained. © 2016 UICC.

Living in utility scarcity: energy and water insecurity in Northwest Alaska.

PubMed

Eichelberger, Laura Palen

2010-06-01

This study explored the links between energy and water insecurity in rural Iñupiaq Eskimo villages in Alaska's Northwest Arctic Borough. High energy costs and the need for fuel-based transportation are 2 significant factors in domestic water access for these communities. Dramatic increases in the costs of energy have led to decreased domestic water access, with adverse effects on household hygiene practices. I traced the ways in which the high costs of energy determine water consumption from production to household acquisition and use. Improving sanitation and access to domestic water requires considering the water-energy nexus: the amount and cost of energy required to treat and distribute water as well as manage waste. I use the term utility scarcity to underscore the relationship between domestic water, energy, and health.

Living in Utility Scarcity: Energy and Water Insecurity in Northwest Alaska

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

This study explored the links between energy and water insecurity in rural Iñupiaq Eskimo villages in Alaska's Northwest Arctic Borough. High energy costs and the need for fuel-based transportation are 2 significant factors in domestic water access for these communities. Dramatic increases in the costs of energy have led to decreased domestic water access, with adverse effects on household hygiene practices. I traced the ways in which the high costs of energy determine water consumption from production to household acquisition and use. Improving sanitation and access to domestic water requires considering the water–energy nexus: the amount and cost of energy required to treat and distribute water as well as manage waste. I use the term utility scarcity to underscore the relationship between domestic water, energy, and health. PMID:20403886

Cost analysis can help a group practice increase revenues.

PubMed

Migliore, Sherry

2002-02-01

Undertaking a cost analysis to determine the cost of providing specific services can help group practices negotiate increased payment and identify areas for cost reduction. An OB/GYN practice in Pennsylvania undertook a cost analysis using the resource-based relative value system. Using data from the cost analysis, the practice was able to negotiate increased payment for some of its services. The practice also was able to target some of its fixed costs for reduction. Another result of the analysis was that the practice was able to focus marketing efforts on some of its most profitable, elective services, thereby increasing revenues. In addition, the practice was able to reduce the provision of unprofitable services.

Long-term healthcare cost reduction with Intensive Short-term Dynamic Psychotherapy in a tertiary psychiatric service.

PubMed

Abbass, Allan; Kisely, Steve; Rasic, Daniel; Town, Joel M; Johansson, Robert

2015-05-01

To evaluate whether a mixed population of patients treated with Intensive Short-term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) would exhibit reduced healthcare costs in long-term follow-up. A quasi-experimental design was employed in which data on pre- and post-treatment healthcare cost were compared for all ISTDP cases treated in a tertiary care service over a nine year period. Observed cost changes were compared with those of a control group of patients referred but never treated. Physician and hospital costs were compared to treatment cost estimates and normal population cost figures. 1082 patients were included; 890 treated cases for a broad range of somatic and psychiatric disorders and 192 controls. The treatment averaged 7.3 sessions and measures of symptoms and interpersonal problems significantly improved. The average cost reduction per treated case was $12,628 over 3 follow-up years: this compared favorably with the estimated treatment cost of $708 per patient. Significant differences were seen between groups for follow-up hospital costs. ISTDP in this setting appears to facilitate reductions in healthcare costs, supporting the notion that brief dynamic psychotherapy provided in a tertiary setting can be beneficial to health care systems overall. CLINICALTRIALS. NCT01924715. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Opting out? Cohort Differences in Professional Women's Employment Rates from 1960 to 2005

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Percheski, Christine

2008-01-01

Over the past 50 years, women's roles have changed dramatically--a reality captured by substantial increases in employment and reductions in fertility. Yet, the social organization of work and family life has not changed much, leading to pervasive work-family conflict. Observing these strains, some scholars wonder whether U.S. women's high…

Counselor Supply, Demand, and Employment Experience. A Regional Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gotsch, Alexandra

Although the number of Master's level counselor training programs has increased dramatically over the last 20 years, reduction in state and federal funding has reduced the demand for counselors. To examine the supply and demand for counselors in four San Francisco Bay area counties, a regional survey of degrees awarded between 1972 and 1981 in…

Subcontinental impacts of an invasive tree disease on forest structure and dynamics

Treesearch

Jeffrey R. Garnas; Matthew P. Ayres; Andrew M. Liebhold; Celia. Evans

2011-01-01

Introduced pests and pathogens are a major source of disturbance to ecosystems world-wide. The famous examples have produced dramatic reductions in host abundance, including virtual extirpation, but most introductions have more subtle impacts that are hard to quantify but are potentially at least as important due to the pathogens' effects on host reproduction,...

Red Sky with Red Mesa

ScienceCinema

None

2018-01-16

The Red Sky/Red Mesa supercomputing platform dramatically reduces the time required to simulate complex fuel models, from 4-6 months to just 4 weeks, allowing researchers to accelerate the pace at which they can address these complex problems. Its speed also reduces the need for laboratory and field testing, allowing for energy reduction far beyond data center walls.

Reversing Course: The Troubled State of Academic Staffing and a Path Forward

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Federation of Teachers (NJ), 2008

2008-01-01

Over the last generation, the instructional staffing system in American higher education has experienced a significant reduction in the proportion of jobs for full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty members and a dramatic growth in fixed-term full- and part-time instructional jobs without tenure. About 70 percent of the people teaching in…

Performance Steel Castings

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-30

Development of Sand Properties 103 Advanced Modeling Dataset.. 105 High Strength Low Alloy (HSLA) Steels 107 Steel Casting and Engineering Support...to achieve the performance goals required for new systems. The dramatic reduction in weight and increase in capability will require high performance...for improved weapon system reliability. SFSA developed innovative casting design and manufacturing processes for high performance parts. SFSA is

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.

Analysis of Solar Census Remote Solar Access Value Calculation Methodology

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

Nangle, J.; Dean, J.; Van Geet, O.

2015-03-01

The costs of photovoltaic (PV) system hardware (PV panels, inverters, racking, etc.) have fallen dramatically over the past few years. Nonhardware (soft) costs, however, have failed to keep pace with the decrease in hardware costs, and soft costs have become a major driver of U.S. PV system prices. Upfront or 'sunken' customer acquisition costs make up a portion of an installation's soft costs and can be addressed through software solutions that aim to streamline sales and system design aspects of customer acquisition. One of the key soft costs associated with sales and system design is collecting information on solar accessmore » for a particular site. Solar access, reported in solar access values (SAVs), is a measurement of the available clear sky over a site and is used to characterize the impacts of local shading objects. Historically, onsite shading studies have been required to characterize the SAV of the proposed array and determine the potential energy production of a photovoltaic system.« less

The role of community acceptance over time for costs of HIV and STI prevention interventions: analysis of the Masaka Intervention Trial, Uganda, 1996-1999.

PubMed

Terris-Prestholt, Fern; Kumaranayake, Lilani; Foster, Susan; Kamali, Anatoli; Kinsman, John; Basajja, Vincent; Nalweyso, Nora; Quigley, Maria; Kengeya-Kayondo, Jane; Whitworth, James

2006-10-01

The objective of this study is to estimate the annual costs of information, education, and communication (IEC), both community- and school-based; strengthened public and private sexually transmitted infections treatment; condom social marketing (CSM); and voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) implemented in Masaka, Uganda, over 4 years, and to explore how unit costs change with varying population use/uptake. Total economic provider's costs and intervention outputs were collected annually to estimate annual unit costs between 1996 and 1999. In early intervention years, uptake of all activities grew dramatically and continued to grow for public STI treatment, CSM, and VCT. Attendance at IEC performances started to drop in year 4. Unit costs dropped rapidly with increasing uptake of and participation in interventions. When implementing long-term community-based interventions, it is important to take into account that it takes time for communities to scale up their participation, since this can lead to large variations in unit costs.

Reduction in Costs after Treating Comorbid Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia and Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

PubMed

Ikic, Vedrana; Belanger, Claude; Bouchard, Stephane; Gosselin, Patrick; Langlois, Frederic; Labrecque, Joane; Dugas, Michel J; Marchand, Andre

2017-03-01

Panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are impairing and costly disorders that are often misdiagnosed and left untreated despite multiple consultations. These disorders frequently co-occur, but little is known about the costs associated with their comorbidity and the impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on cost reduction. The first objective of this study was to assess the mental health-related costs associated with the specific concomitance of PDA and GAD. The second aim was to determine whether there is a reduction in direct and indirect mental health-related costs following conventional CBT for the primary disorder only (PDA or GAD) or combined CBT adapted to the comorbidity (PDA and GAD). A total of 123 participants with a double diagnosis of PDA and GAD participated in this study. Direct and indirect mental health-related costs were assessed and calculated from a societal perspective at the pre-test, the post-test, and the three-month, six-month and one-year follow-ups. At the pre-test, PDA-GAD comorbidity was found to generate a mean total cost of CADUSD 2,000.48 (SD = USD 2,069.62) per participant over a three-month period. The indirect costs were much higher than the direct costs. Both treatment modalities led to significant and similar decreases in all cost categories from the pre-test to the post-test. This reduction was maintained until the one-year follow-up. Methodological choices may have underestimated cost evaluations. Nonetheless, this study supports the cost offset effects of both conventional CBT for primary PDA or GAD and combined CBT for PDA-GAD comorbidity. Treatment of comorbid and costly disorders with evidence-based treatments such as CBT may lead to considerable economic benefits for society. Considering the limited resources of healthcare systems, it is important to make choices that will lead to better accessibility of quality services. The application of CBT for PDA, GAD or both disorders and training mental health professionals in this therapeutic approach should be encouraged. Additionally, it would be favorable for insurance plans to reimburse employees for expenses associated with psychological treatment for anxiety disorders. In addition to symptom reduction, it would be of great pertinence to explore which factors can contribute to reducing direct and indirect mental health-related costs.

Spacelab cost reduction alternatives study. Volume 1: Executive summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Alternative approaches to payload operations planning and control and flight crew training are defined for spacelab payloads with the goal of: lowering FY77 and FY 78 costs for new starts; lowering costs to achieve Spacelab operational capability; and minimizing the cost per Spacelab flight. These alternatives attempt to minimize duplication of hardware, software, and personnel, and the investment in supporting facility and equipment. Of particular importance is the possible reduction of equipment, software, and manpower resources such as comtational systems, trainers, and simulators.

Impact of propulsion system R and D on electric vehicle performance and cost

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwartz, H. J.; Gordan, A. L.

1980-01-01

The efficiency, weight, and manufacturing cost of the propulsion subsystem (motor, motor controller, transmission, and differential, but excluding the battery) are major factors in the purchase price and cost of ownership of a traffic-compatible electric vehicle. The relative impact of each was studied, and the conclusions reached are that propulsion system technology advances can result in a major reduction of the sticker price of an electric vehicle and a smaller, but significant, reduction in overall cost of ownership.

Observation Versus Initial Treatment for Men With Localized, Low-Risk Prostate Cancer A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

PubMed Central

Hayes, Julia H.; Ollendorf, Daniel A.; Pearson, Steven D.; Barry, Michael J.; Kantoff, Philip W.; Lee, Pablo A.; McMahon, Pamela M.

2015-01-01

Background Observation is underused among men with localized, low-risk prostate cancer. Objective To assess the costs and benefits of observation versus initial treatment. Design Decision analysis simulating treatment or observation. Data Sources Medicare schedules, published literature. Target Population Men ages 65 and 75 years with newly diagnosed low-risk prostate cancer (prostate-specific antigen level <10 μg/L, stage ≤T2a, Gleason score ≤3+3). Time Horizon Lifetime. Perspective Societal. Intervention Treatment (brachytherapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, or radical prostatectomy) or observation (active surveillance [AS] or watchful waiting [WW]). Outcome Measures Quality-adjusted life expectancy, costs. Results of Base-Case Analysis Observation was more effective and less costly than initial treatment. Compared with AS, WW provided 2 additional months of quality-adjusted life expectancy (9.02 vs. 8.85 years) at a savings of $15 374 ($24 520 vs. $39 894) in men aged 65 years and 2 additional months (6.14 vs. 5.98 years) at a savings of $11 746 ($18 302 vs. $30 048) in men aged 75 years. Brachytherapy was the most effective and least expensive initial treatment. Results of Sensitivity Analysis Treatment became more effective than observation when it led to more dramatic reductions in prostate cancer death (hazard ratio, 0.47 vs. WW and 0.64 vs. AS). Active surveillance became as effective as WW in men aged 65 years when the probability of progressing to treatment on AS decreased below 63% or when the quality of life with AS versus WW was 4% higher in men aged 65 years or 1% higher in men aged 75 years. Watchful waiting remained least expensive in all analyses. Limitation Results depend on outcomes reported in the published literature, which is limited. Conclusion Among these men, observation is more effective and costs less than initial treatment, and WW is most effective and least expensive under a wide range of clinical scenarios. Primary Funding Source National Cancer Institute, U.S. Department of Defense, Prostate Cancer Foundation, and Blue Shield of California Foundation. PMID:23778902

Minimization of Ohmic losses for domain wall motion in ferromagnetic nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abanov, Artem; Tretiakov, Oleg; Liu, Yang

2011-03-01

We study current-induced domain-wall motion in a narrow ferromagnetic wire. We propose a way to move domain walls with a resonant time-dependent current which dramatically decreases the Ohmic losses in the wire and allows driving of the domain wall with higher speed without burning the wire. For any domain wall velocity we find the time-dependence of the current needed to minimize the Ohmic losses. Below a critical domain-wall velocity specified by the parameters of the wire the minimal Ohmic losses are achieved by dc current. Furthermore, we identify the wire parameters for which the losses reduction from its dc value is the most dramatic. This work was supported by the NSF Grant No. 0757992 and Welch Foundation (A-1678).

Intermittent plate tectonics?

PubMed

Silver, Paul G; Behn, Mark D

2008-01-04

Although it is commonly assumed that subduction has operated continuously on Earth without interruption, subduction zones are routinely terminated by ocean closure and supercontinent assembly. Under certain circumstances, this could lead to a dramatic loss of subduction, globally. Closure of a Pacific-type basin, for example, would eliminate most subduction, unless this loss were compensated for by comparable subduction initiation elsewhere. Given the evidence for Pacific-type closure in Earth's past, the absence of a direct mechanism for termination/initiation compensation, and recent data supporting a minimum in subduction flux in the Mesoproterozoic, we hypothesize that dramatic reductions or temporary cessations of subduction have occurred in Earth's history. Such deviations in the continuity of plate tectonics have important consequences for Earth's thermal and continental evolution.

REUSABLE PROPULSION ARCHITECTURE FOR SUSTAINABLE LOW-COST ACCESS TO SPACE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bonometti, Joseph; Frame, Kyle L.; Dankanich, John W.

2005-01-01

Two transportation architecture changes are presented at either end of a conventional two-stage rocket flight: 1) Air launch using a large, conventional, pod hauler design (i.e., Crossbow)ans 2) Momentum exchange tether (i.e., an in-space asset like MXER). Air launch has ana analytically justified cost reduction of approx. 10%, but its intangible benefits suggest real-world operations cost reductions much higher: 1) Inherent launch safety; 2) Mission Risk Reduction; 3) Favorable payload/rocket limitations; and 4) Leveraging the aircraft for other uses (military transport, commercial cargo, public outreach activities, etc.)

Co-control of local air pollutants and CO2 in the Chinese iron and steel industry.

PubMed

Mao, Xianqiang; Zeng, An; Hu, Tao; Zhou, Ji; Xing, Youkai; Liu, Shengqiang

2013-01-01

The present study proposes an integrated multipollutant cocontrol strategy framework in the context of the Chinese iron and steel industry. The unit cost of pollutant reduction (UCPR) was used to examine the cost-effectiveness of each emission reduction measure. The marginal abatement cost (MAC) curves for SO2, NOx, PM2.5, and CO2 were drawn based on the UCPR and the abatement potential. Air pollutant equivalence (APeq) captures the nature of the damage value-weights of various air pollutants and acts as uniformization multiple air pollutants index. Single pollutant abatement routes designed in accordance with the corresponding reduction targets revealed that the cocontrol strategy has promising potential. Moreover, with the same reduction cost limitations as the single pollutant abatement routes, the multipollutant cocontrol routes are able to obtain more desirable pollution reduction and health benefits. Co-control strategy generally shows cost-effective advantage over single-pollutant abatement strategy. The results are robust to changing parameters according to sensitivity analysis. Co-control strategy would be an important step to achieve energy/carbon intensity targets and pollution control targets in China. Though cocontrol strategy has got some traction in policy debates, there are barriers to integrate it into policy making in the near future in China.

Experience curve development and cost reduction disaggregation for fuel cell markets in Japan and the US

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

Wei, Max; Smith, Sarah J.; Sohn, Michael D.

Technology learning rates can be dynamic quantities as a technology moves from early development to piloting and from low volume manufacturing to high volume manufacturing. This work describes a generalizable technology analysis approach for disaggregating observed technology cost reductions and presents results of this approach for one specific case study (micro-combined heat and power fuel cell systems in Japan). We build upon earlier reports that combine discussion of fuel cell experience curves and qualitative discussion of cost components by providing greater detail on the contributing mechanisms to observed cost reductions, which were not quantified in earlier reports. Greater standardization ismore » added to the analysis approach, which can be applied to other technologies. This paper thus provides a key linkage that has been missing from earlier literature on energy-related technologies by integrating the output of earlier manufacturing cost studies with observed learning rates to quantitatively estimate the different components of cost reduction including economies of scale and cost reductions due to product performance and product design improvements. This work also provides updated fuel cell technology price versus volume trends from the California Self-Generation Incentive Program, including extensive data for solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFC) reported here for the first time. The Japanese micro-CHP market is found to have a learning rate of 18% from 2005 to 2015, while larger SOFC fuel cell systems (200 kW and above) in the California market are found to have a flat (near-zero) learning rate, and these are attributed to a combination of exogenous, market, and policy factors.« less

The FC-1D: The profitable alternative Flying Circus Commercial Aviation Group

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meza, Victor J.; Alvarez, Jaime; Harrington, Brook; Lujan, Michael A.; Mitlyng, David; Saroughian, Andy; Silva, Alex; Teale, Tim

1994-01-01

The FC-1D was designed as an advanced solution for a low cost commercial transport meeting or exceeding all of the 1993/1994 AIAA/Lockheed request for proposal requirements. The driving philosophy behind the design of the FC-1D was the reduction of airline direct operating costs. Every effort was made during the design process to have the customer in mind. The Flying Circus Commercial Aviation Group targeted reductions in drag, fuel consumption, manufacturing costs, and maintenance costs. Flying Circus emphasized cost reduction throughout the entire design program. Drag reduction was achieved by implementation of the aft nacelle wing configuration to reduce cruise drag and increase cruise speeds. To reduce induced drag, rather than increasing the wing span of the FC-1D, spiroids were included in the efficient wing design. Profile and friction drag are reduced by using riblets in place of paint around the fuselage and empennage of the FC-1D. Choosing a single aisle configuration enabled the Flying Circus to optimize the fuselage diameter. Thus, reducing fuselage drag while gaining high structural efficiency. To further reduce fuel consumption a weight reduction program was conducted through the use of composite materials. An additional quality of the FC-1D is its design for low cost manufacturing and assembly. As a result of this design attribute, the FC-1D will have fewer parts which reduces weight as well as maintenance and assembly costs. The FC-1D is affordable and effective, the apex of commercial transport design.

Water Misting and Injection of Commercial Aircraft Engines to Reduce Airport NOx

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daggett, David L.; Hendricks, Robert C. (Technical Monitor)

2004-01-01

This report provides the first high level look at system design, airplane performance, maintenance, and cost implications of using water misting and water injection technology in aircraft engines for takeoff and climb-out NOx emissions reduction. With an engine compressor inlet water misting rate of 2.2 percent water-to-air ratio, a 47 percent NOx reduction was calculated. Combustor water injection could achieve greater reductions of about 85 percent, but with some performance penalties. For the water misting system on days above 59 F, a fuel efficiency benefit of about 3.5 percent would be experienced. Reductions of up to 436 F in turbine inlet temperature were also estimated, which could lead to increased hot section life. A 0.61 db noise reduction will occur. A nominal airplane weight penalty of less than 360 lb (no water) was estimated for a 305 passenger airplane. The airplane system cost is initially estimated at $40.92 per takeoff giving an attractive NOx emissions reduction cost/benefit ratio of about $1,663/ton.

Impact of glycemic control on healthcare resource utilization and costs of type 2 diabetes: current and future pharmacologic approaches to improving outcomes.

PubMed

Banerji, Mary Ann; Dunn, Jeffrey D

2013-09-01

The incidence and prevalence of type 2 diabetes continue to grow in the United States and worldwide, along with the growing prevalence of obesity. Patients with type 2 diabetes are at greater risk for comorbid cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD), which dramatically affects overall healthcare costs. To review the impact of glycemic control and medication adherence on morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs of patients with type 2 diabetes, and to highlight the need for new drug therapies to improve outcomes in this patient population. This comprehensive literature search was conducted for the period between 2000 and 2013, using MEDLINE, to identify published articles that report the associations between glycemic control, medication adherence, CV morbidity and mortality, and healthcare utilization and costs. Search terms included "type 2 diabetes," "adherence," "compliance," "nonadherence," "drug therapy," "resource use," "cost," and "cost-effectiveness." Despite improvements in the management of CV risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes, outcomes remain poor. The costs associated with the management of type 2 diabetes are increasing dramatically as the prevalence of the disease increases. Medication adherence to long-term drug therapy remains poor in patients with type 2 diabetes and contributes to poor glycemic control in this patient population, increased healthcare resource utilization and increased costs, as well as increased rates of comorbid CVD and mortality. Furthermore, poor adherence to established evidence-based guidelines for type 2 diabetes, including underdiagnosis and undertreatment, contributes to poor outcomes. New approaches to the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes currently in development have the potential to improve medication adherence and consequently glycemic control, which in turn will help to reduce associated costs and healthcare utilization. As the prevalence of type 2 diabetes and its associated comorbidities grows, healthcare costs will continue to increase, indicating a need for better approaches to achieve glycemic control and manage comorbid conditions. Drug therapies are needed that enhance patient adherence and persistence levels far above levels reported with currently available drugs. Improvements in adherence to treatment guidelines and greater rates of lifestyle modifications also are needed. A serious unmet need exists for greatly improved patient outcomes, more effective and more tolerable drugs, as well as marked improvements in adherence to treatment guidelines and drug therapy to positively impact healthcare costs and resource use.