The integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing process is capital intensive and complex. The production process of unit product (or die, as it is commonly referred to) takes several weeks. Semiconductor factories (fabs) co...The integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing process is capital intensive and complex. The production process of unit product (or die, as it is commonly referred to) takes several weeks. Semiconductor factories (fabs) continuously attempt to improve their productivity, as measured in output and cycle time (or mean flow time). The conflicting objective of producing maximum units at minimal production cycle time and at the highest quality, as measured by die yield, is discussed in this paper. The inter-related effects are characterized, and a model is proposed to address this multi-objective function. We then show that, with this model, die cost can be optimized for any given operating conditions of a fab. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the practicality of the model and the proposed optimization method.展开更多
Imaging department is an important department of a hospital contributing directly to patient care, providing diagnostic support to all specialties which cannot practice efficiently without their support. Hospital admi...Imaging department is an important department of a hospital contributing directly to patient care, providing diagnostic support to all specialties which cannot practice efficiently without their support. Hospital administrators are looking for newer tools to control costs without affecting the quality of patient care. It is well known that the escalation of costs for advanced technology has been dramatic and it has been labeled as one of the culprits for great increase in healthcare costs. A prospective study for a period of six months was carried out for calculation of unit cost of radiological investigations CT head, CT chest, CT abdomen and MRI. Unit costs were computed under direct and indirect costs. The actual cost incurred by the hospital on CT head was Rupees 581.40 (US $10.89), CT abdomen Rupees 2339.20 (US $43.83), CT chest Rupees 2339.20 (US $43.83), and MRI Rupees 4497.50 (US $84.28). However, in the hospital patients are charged Rupees 900 (US $16.86) for CT head, Rupees 1200 (US $22.48) for CT abdomen, Rupees 1200 (US $22.48) for CT chest and Rupees 2500 (US $46.85) for MRI. There is a substantial loss of revenue because of subsidies provided to patients in a tertiary care teaching hospital which needs revision of charges.展开更多
Few studies have focused on the cost of acupuncture treatments although acupuncture has become popular in the United States(U.S.). The purpose of the current study was to examine the out-of-pocket costs incurred from ...Few studies have focused on the cost of acupuncture treatments although acupuncture has become popular in the United States(U.S.). The purpose of the current study was to examine the out-of-pocket costs incurred from acupuncture services based on an online website, Ok Copay.com. We examined descriptive statistics(range, median and 20% intervals) for the cost of acupuncture "first-time visits"and "follow-up visits" in 41 metropolitan regions in the U.S. The acupuncture prices of 723 clinics throughout 39 metropolitan regions were included, except for Birmingham, Alabama and Detroit, Michigan as there was no online data available at the time of the study for these two regions. The cost range for a first-time acupuncture visit was $15–400;the highest median was $150 in Charleston, South Carolina,while the lowest was $45 in St. Louis, Missouri. The top 10 cities for the highest median were:Baltimore, Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco, San Jose, Boston, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland and Indianapolis, with the median $120, while the median for all 723 clinics was $112. For the follow-up visits,the cost range was $15–300;the highest median was $108 in Charleston, South Carolina, and the lowest$40 in Miami, Florida. The 10 cities with highest median follow-up acupuncture visit costs were: New York, Baltimore, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Boston and Atlanta, with the median $85, while for all 723 clinics the median price was $80. The estimation of the average gross annual income of each acupuncturist from the regions studied was $95,760, while the total annual cost of patients seeking acupuncture services in the U.S. was about $3.5 billion in 2018.展开更多
In the management of engineering projects, cost control must be effectively implemented and it should be implemented in the whole process of project management. Of course, the cost control of engineering projects pres...In the management of engineering projects, cost control must be effectively implemented and it should be implemented in the whole process of project management. Of course, the cost control of engineering projects presents a strong technical, professional, which requires engineering consulting units to sum up the work experience, so as to ensure that the project cost control is more effective. Therefore, the whole process cost control of the project is mainly discussed in order to realize the fairness and fairness of the cost and to ensure the benefit of the project investment.展开更多
This paper presents a new approach via composite cost function to solve the unit commitment problem. The unit com-mitment problem involves determining the start-up and shut-down schedules for generating units to meet ...This paper presents a new approach via composite cost function to solve the unit commitment problem. The unit com-mitment problem involves determining the start-up and shut-down schedules for generating units to meet the fore-casted demand at the minimum cost. The commitment schedule must satisfy the other constraints such as the generating limits, spinning reserve, minimum up and down time, ramp level and individual units. The proposed algorithm gives the committed units and economic load dispatch for each specific hour of operation. Numerical simulations were carried out using three cases: four-generator, seven-generator, and ten-generator thermal unit power systems over a 24 h period. The produced schedule was compared with several other methods, such as Dynamic programming, Branch and bound, Ant colony system, and traditional Tabu search. The result demonstrated the accuracy of the proposed method.展开更多
This paper deals with a Unit Commitment (UC) problem of a power plant aimed to find the optimal scheduling of the generating units involving cubic cost functions. The problem has non convex generator characteristics, ...This paper deals with a Unit Commitment (UC) problem of a power plant aimed to find the optimal scheduling of the generating units involving cubic cost functions. The problem has non convex generator characteristics, which makes it very hard to handle the corresponding mathematical models. However, Teaching Learning Based Optimization (TLBO) has reached a high efficiency, in terms of solution accuracy and computing time for such non convex problems. Hence, TLBO is applied for scheduling of generators with higher order cost characteristics, and turns out to be computationally solvable. In particular, we represent a model that takes into account the accurate higher order generator cost functions along with ramp limits, and turns to be more general and efficient than those available in the literature. The behavior of the model is analyzed through proposed technique on modified IEEE-24 bus system.展开更多
This paper aims to find unit cost of a product for firms. It establishes a linear cost model to find unit cost. Linear goal programs assume a direct relationship between independent variable and dependent variable. De...This paper aims to find unit cost of a product for firms. It establishes a linear cost model to find unit cost. Linear goal programs assume a direct relationship between independent variable and dependent variable. Dependent variable of linear model is unit cost. Independent variables are cost accounting variables. They are supply cost, labor cost, and administration cost. This study assumes a direct relationship between supply-labor-administration costs and unit cost. Therefore, it establishes a linear cost model. The major research question of this study is to apply linear goal programming to cost accounting. The goal of this linear program is to find unit cost of product. This study uses quantitative method and human capital method. The main research result is linear costing model itself.展开更多
以COST-FB2转子钢为研究对象,利用冲击试验、高温拉伸试验、硬度测试、扫描电镜、透射电镜及X射线衍射仪等测试方法研究了630℃长期时效中COST-FB2转子钢组织和性能的变化。结果表明:随着时效时间延长,冲击功、硬度和高温强度都呈下降趋...以COST-FB2转子钢为研究对象,利用冲击试验、高温拉伸试验、硬度测试、扫描电镜、透射电镜及X射线衍射仪等测试方法研究了630℃长期时效中COST-FB2转子钢组织和性能的变化。结果表明:随着时效时间延长,冲击功、硬度和高温强度都呈下降趋势,冲击韧性在2000h后下降较为明显,后逐渐趋于稳定。硬度(HBW)总体处在较高水平(2479.4MPa),高温塑性未见明显变化。M_(23)C_(6)碳化物尺寸及含量有所增长,但未见明显粗化;Laves相尺寸增长更明显并在晶界处聚集,但未形成链状。Laves相的析出长大与聚集是导致冲击韧性下降的主要原因。研究结果认为630℃时效至5000 h COST-FB2钢能够保持较高的高温稳定性。展开更多
The United States （U.S.） is facing a national opioid epidemic, and medical systems are in need of non- pharmacologic strategies that can be employed to decrease the public＇s opioid dependence. Acupuncture has emerg...The United States （U.S.） is facing a national opioid epidemic, and medical systems are in need of non- pharmacologic strategies that can be employed to decrease the public＇s opioid dependence. Acupuncture has emerged as a powerful, evidence-based, safe, cost-effective, and available treatment modality suitable to meeting this need. Acupuncture has been shown to be effective for the management of numerous types of pain conditions, and mechanisms of action for acupuncture have been described and are understandable from biomedical, physiologic perspectives. Further, acupuncture＇s cost-effectiveness can dramatically decrease health care expenditures, both from the standpoint of treating acute pain and through avoiding addiction to opioids that requires costly care, destroys quality of life, and can lead to fatal overdose. Numerous federal regulatory agencies have advised or mandated that healthcare systems and providers offer non-pharmacologic treatment options for pain. Acupuncture stands out as the most evidence-based, immediately available choice to fulfil these calls. Acupuncture can safely, easily, and cost-effectively be incorporated into hospital settings as diverse as the emergency department, labor and delivery suites, andneonatal intensive care units to treat a variety of commonly seen pain conditions. Acupuncture is already being successfully and meaningfully utilized by the Veterans Administration and various branches of the U.S. Military, in some studies demonstrably decreasing the volume of opioids prescribed when included in care.展开更多
AIM:To assess the appropriateness of the indication and route of administration of proton-pump-inhibitors (PPIs) and their associated cost impact. METHODS:Data collection was performed prospec-tively during a 6-mo per...AIM:To assess the appropriateness of the indication and route of administration of proton-pump-inhibitors (PPIs) and their associated cost impact. METHODS:Data collection was performed prospec-tively during a 6-mo period on 340 patients who re-ceived omeprazole intravenously during their hospital stay in non-intensive care floors. Updated guidelines were used to assess the appropriateness of the indication and route of administration. RESULTS:Complete data collection was available for 286 patients which were used to assess intravenous (IV) PPIs utilization. Around 88% of patients were receiving PPIs for claimed stress ulcer prophylaxis (SUP) indication; of which,only 17% met the guideline criteria for SUP indication,14% met the criteria for non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory drugs-induced ulcer prophylaxis,while the remaining 69% were identifi ed as having an unjustified indication for PPI use. Theinitiation of IV PPIs was appropriate in 55% of pa-tients. Half of these patients were candidates for switching to the oral dosage form during their hos-pitalization,while only 36.7% of these patients were actually switched. The inappropriate initiation of PPIs via the IV route was more likely to take place on the medical floor than the surgical floor (53% vs 36%,P = 0.003). The cost analysis associated with the appro-priateness of the indication for PPI use as well as the route of administration of PPI revealed a possible saving of up to $17 732.5 and $14 571,respectively. CONCLUSION:This study highlights the over-utili-zation of IV PPIs in non-intensive care unit patients. Restriction of IV PPI use for justified indications and route of administration is recommended.展开更多
Background: In Greece, the provision of mental health services is limited to people residing in rural and remote areas. The operation of Mobile Mental Health Units (MMHUs) has been introduced in the Cyclades islands. ...Background: In Greece, the provision of mental health services is limited to people residing in rural and remote areas. The operation of Mobile Mental Health Units (MMHUs) has been introduced in the Cyclades islands. It is an innovative policy intervention that has been shown to be effective and efficient internationally. Objective: The aim was to evaluate the operation of MMHUs in the Cyclades islands based on real-world evidence (RWE), from a societal perspective. Methods: A cost-effectiveness analysis was performed where outcomes and costs were elaborated and classified based on two comparators, 1) with MMHUs’ operation and 2) without MMHUs’ operation. Clinical primary outcomes were based on RWE data and were elaborated for the Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) values calculation, for a 12 months’ time horizon. Data descriptive statistics were performed with SPSS Statistics 22.0. Direct medical, non-medical and indirect costs were incorporated. Unit costs and monetary values were extracted from published data. Sensitivity analysis was undertaken to test the robustness of the results. Results: The operation of MMHUs in the Cyclades islands led to an incremental cost of €12,250.78 per DALY averted. A substantial higher increase is observed in the direct non-medical costs of the non-MMHUs’ operation where patients had to pay approximately €2,602 per capita annually for their transportation and accommodation due to hospitalization and outpatient care. Informal care expenses are 3 fold increasing in the non-MMHUs’ operation arm. Both direct non-medical and informal care costs correspond to high out of pocket payments totally covered by the patients. The sensitivity analyses demonstrated that the decision does not change when we varied the unit costs by ±10%. Conclusions: The operation of MMHUs appears to be a cost-effective option for treating patients with mental disorders in remote areas and islands in Greece. MMHUs appear to overcome the existing NHS structural inefficiencies by minimizing public expenditures and patients’ income losses by preventing and improving their mental health status.展开更多
文摘The integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing process is capital intensive and complex. The production process of unit product (or die, as it is commonly referred to) takes several weeks. Semiconductor factories (fabs) continuously attempt to improve their productivity, as measured in output and cycle time (or mean flow time). The conflicting objective of producing maximum units at minimal production cycle time and at the highest quality, as measured by die yield, is discussed in this paper. The inter-related effects are characterized, and a model is proposed to address this multi-objective function. We then show that, with this model, die cost can be optimized for any given operating conditions of a fab. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the practicality of the model and the proposed optimization method.
文摘Imaging department is an important department of a hospital contributing directly to patient care, providing diagnostic support to all specialties which cannot practice efficiently without their support. Hospital administrators are looking for newer tools to control costs without affecting the quality of patient care. It is well known that the escalation of costs for advanced technology has been dramatic and it has been labeled as one of the culprits for great increase in healthcare costs. A prospective study for a period of six months was carried out for calculation of unit cost of radiological investigations CT head, CT chest, CT abdomen and MRI. Unit costs were computed under direct and indirect costs. The actual cost incurred by the hospital on CT head was Rupees 581.40 (US $10.89), CT abdomen Rupees 2339.20 (US $43.83), CT chest Rupees 2339.20 (US $43.83), and MRI Rupees 4497.50 (US $84.28). However, in the hospital patients are charged Rupees 900 (US $16.86) for CT head, Rupees 1200 (US $22.48) for CT abdomen, Rupees 1200 (US $22.48) for CT chest and Rupees 2500 (US $46.85) for MRI. There is a substantial loss of revenue because of subsidies provided to patients in a tertiary care teaching hospital which needs revision of charges.
文摘Few studies have focused on the cost of acupuncture treatments although acupuncture has become popular in the United States(U.S.). The purpose of the current study was to examine the out-of-pocket costs incurred from acupuncture services based on an online website, Ok Copay.com. We examined descriptive statistics(range, median and 20% intervals) for the cost of acupuncture "first-time visits"and "follow-up visits" in 41 metropolitan regions in the U.S. The acupuncture prices of 723 clinics throughout 39 metropolitan regions were included, except for Birmingham, Alabama and Detroit, Michigan as there was no online data available at the time of the study for these two regions. The cost range for a first-time acupuncture visit was $15–400;the highest median was $150 in Charleston, South Carolina,while the lowest was $45 in St. Louis, Missouri. The top 10 cities for the highest median were:Baltimore, Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco, San Jose, Boston, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland and Indianapolis, with the median $120, while the median for all 723 clinics was $112. For the follow-up visits,the cost range was $15–300;the highest median was $108 in Charleston, South Carolina, and the lowest$40 in Miami, Florida. The 10 cities with highest median follow-up acupuncture visit costs were: New York, Baltimore, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Boston and Atlanta, with the median $85, while for all 723 clinics the median price was $80. The estimation of the average gross annual income of each acupuncturist from the regions studied was $95,760, while the total annual cost of patients seeking acupuncture services in the U.S. was about $3.5 billion in 2018.
文摘In the management of engineering projects, cost control must be effectively implemented and it should be implemented in the whole process of project management. Of course, the cost control of engineering projects presents a strong technical, professional, which requires engineering consulting units to sum up the work experience, so as to ensure that the project cost control is more effective. Therefore, the whole process cost control of the project is mainly discussed in order to realize the fairness and fairness of the cost and to ensure the benefit of the project investment.
文摘This paper presents a new approach via composite cost function to solve the unit commitment problem. The unit com-mitment problem involves determining the start-up and shut-down schedules for generating units to meet the fore-casted demand at the minimum cost. The commitment schedule must satisfy the other constraints such as the generating limits, spinning reserve, minimum up and down time, ramp level and individual units. The proposed algorithm gives the committed units and economic load dispatch for each specific hour of operation. Numerical simulations were carried out using three cases: four-generator, seven-generator, and ten-generator thermal unit power systems over a 24 h period. The produced schedule was compared with several other methods, such as Dynamic programming, Branch and bound, Ant colony system, and traditional Tabu search. The result demonstrated the accuracy of the proposed method.
文摘This paper deals with a Unit Commitment (UC) problem of a power plant aimed to find the optimal scheduling of the generating units involving cubic cost functions. The problem has non convex generator characteristics, which makes it very hard to handle the corresponding mathematical models. However, Teaching Learning Based Optimization (TLBO) has reached a high efficiency, in terms of solution accuracy and computing time for such non convex problems. Hence, TLBO is applied for scheduling of generators with higher order cost characteristics, and turns out to be computationally solvable. In particular, we represent a model that takes into account the accurate higher order generator cost functions along with ramp limits, and turns to be more general and efficient than those available in the literature. The behavior of the model is analyzed through proposed technique on modified IEEE-24 bus system.
文摘This paper aims to find unit cost of a product for firms. It establishes a linear cost model to find unit cost. Linear goal programs assume a direct relationship between independent variable and dependent variable. Dependent variable of linear model is unit cost. Independent variables are cost accounting variables. They are supply cost, labor cost, and administration cost. This study assumes a direct relationship between supply-labor-administration costs and unit cost. Therefore, it establishes a linear cost model. The major research question of this study is to apply linear goal programming to cost accounting. The goal of this linear program is to find unit cost of product. This study uses quantitative method and human capital method. The main research result is linear costing model itself.
文摘以COST-FB2转子钢为研究对象,利用冲击试验、高温拉伸试验、硬度测试、扫描电镜、透射电镜及X射线衍射仪等测试方法研究了630℃长期时效中COST-FB2转子钢组织和性能的变化。结果表明:随着时效时间延长,冲击功、硬度和高温强度都呈下降趋势,冲击韧性在2000h后下降较为明显,后逐渐趋于稳定。硬度(HBW)总体处在较高水平(2479.4MPa),高温塑性未见明显变化。M_(23)C_(6)碳化物尺寸及含量有所增长,但未见明显粗化;Laves相尺寸增长更明显并在晶界处聚集,但未形成链状。Laves相的析出长大与聚集是导致冲击韧性下降的主要原因。研究结果认为630℃时效至5000 h COST-FB2钢能够保持较高的高温稳定性。
文摘The United States （U.S.） is facing a national opioid epidemic, and medical systems are in need of non- pharmacologic strategies that can be employed to decrease the public＇s opioid dependence. Acupuncture has emerged as a powerful, evidence-based, safe, cost-effective, and available treatment modality suitable to meeting this need. Acupuncture has been shown to be effective for the management of numerous types of pain conditions, and mechanisms of action for acupuncture have been described and are understandable from biomedical, physiologic perspectives. Further, acupuncture＇s cost-effectiveness can dramatically decrease health care expenditures, both from the standpoint of treating acute pain and through avoiding addiction to opioids that requires costly care, destroys quality of life, and can lead to fatal overdose. Numerous federal regulatory agencies have advised or mandated that healthcare systems and providers offer non-pharmacologic treatment options for pain. Acupuncture stands out as the most evidence-based, immediately available choice to fulfil these calls. Acupuncture can safely, easily, and cost-effectively be incorporated into hospital settings as diverse as the emergency department, labor and delivery suites, andneonatal intensive care units to treat a variety of commonly seen pain conditions. Acupuncture is already being successfully and meaningfully utilized by the Veterans Administration and various branches of the U.S. Military, in some studies demonstrably decreasing the volume of opioids prescribed when included in care.
文摘AIM:To assess the appropriateness of the indication and route of administration of proton-pump-inhibitors (PPIs) and their associated cost impact. METHODS:Data collection was performed prospec-tively during a 6-mo period on 340 patients who re-ceived omeprazole intravenously during their hospital stay in non-intensive care floors. Updated guidelines were used to assess the appropriateness of the indication and route of administration. RESULTS:Complete data collection was available for 286 patients which were used to assess intravenous (IV) PPIs utilization. Around 88% of patients were receiving PPIs for claimed stress ulcer prophylaxis (SUP) indication; of which,only 17% met the guideline criteria for SUP indication,14% met the criteria for non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory drugs-induced ulcer prophylaxis,while the remaining 69% were identifi ed as having an unjustified indication for PPI use. Theinitiation of IV PPIs was appropriate in 55% of pa-tients. Half of these patients were candidates for switching to the oral dosage form during their hos-pitalization,while only 36.7% of these patients were actually switched. The inappropriate initiation of PPIs via the IV route was more likely to take place on the medical floor than the surgical floor (53% vs 36%,P = 0.003). The cost analysis associated with the appro-priateness of the indication for PPI use as well as the route of administration of PPI revealed a possible saving of up to $17 732.5 and $14 571,respectively. CONCLUSION:This study highlights the over-utili-zation of IV PPIs in non-intensive care unit patients. Restriction of IV PPI use for justified indications and route of administration is recommended.
文摘Background: In Greece, the provision of mental health services is limited to people residing in rural and remote areas. The operation of Mobile Mental Health Units (MMHUs) has been introduced in the Cyclades islands. It is an innovative policy intervention that has been shown to be effective and efficient internationally. Objective: The aim was to evaluate the operation of MMHUs in the Cyclades islands based on real-world evidence (RWE), from a societal perspective. Methods: A cost-effectiveness analysis was performed where outcomes and costs were elaborated and classified based on two comparators, 1) with MMHUs’ operation and 2) without MMHUs’ operation. Clinical primary outcomes were based on RWE data and were elaborated for the Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) values calculation, for a 12 months’ time horizon. Data descriptive statistics were performed with SPSS Statistics 22.0. Direct medical, non-medical and indirect costs were incorporated. Unit costs and monetary values were extracted from published data. Sensitivity analysis was undertaken to test the robustness of the results. Results: The operation of MMHUs in the Cyclades islands led to an incremental cost of €12,250.78 per DALY averted. A substantial higher increase is observed in the direct non-medical costs of the non-MMHUs’ operation where patients had to pay approximately €2,602 per capita annually for their transportation and accommodation due to hospitalization and outpatient care. Informal care expenses are 3 fold increasing in the non-MMHUs’ operation arm. Both direct non-medical and informal care costs correspond to high out of pocket payments totally covered by the patients. The sensitivity analyses demonstrated that the decision does not change when we varied the unit costs by ±10%. Conclusions: The operation of MMHUs appears to be a cost-effective option for treating patients with mental disorders in remote areas and islands in Greece. MMHUs appear to overcome the existing NHS structural inefficiencies by minimizing public expenditures and patients’ income losses by preventing and improving their mental health status.
