Asset management is an integral part of maintaining and preserving the transportation infrastructure. In order to better manage the roadway assets, a value based on their economic contribution should be assigned. The actual monetary contribution a roadway makes to the overall economy can be difficult to quantify. Because of this difficulty, most agencies use asset valuation techniques that are based on construction and material costs, rather than utilization. This proposed study aims to establish a framework to quantify the economic value of existing roadways. Traditionally in transportation asset management, economic evaluation research has been mostly qualitative in nature and insufficient in generating a numerical value. Although there are many techniques to project the economic impact of a future roadway, there has not been much work done on evaluating the economic value of existing roadway infrastructure. In this thesis, some of the tools used in economic impact studies are adopted as a means to evaluate the value of existing roadways, leading to the development of comprehensive methodological framework as a guide to perform economic evaluation on existing roadways. / text

This study was to examine whether the Manitoba Provincial Health Contact program for congestive heart failure is cost-effective and/or cost-benefit intervention relative to the standard treatment. The benefit-cost ratio was calculated in terms of the program cost and the cost savings from averted healthcare visits in order to determine whether the program would pay for itself. Then I conducted a cost-effectiveness study in which outcomes were measured in terms of QALYs derived from the SF-36. Bootstrap-resampled incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were computed to allow us to take into account the uncertainty related to small sample size. This intervention program generated a net saving of $28,307. The cost-effectiveness analysis suggests that the Health Lines intervention can generate an additional QALY for $26,486 and Health Line plus Monitoring for $70,266. The findings demonstrate that the Health Lines strategy for congestive heart failure holds great promise.

This study was to examine whether the Manitoba Provincial Health Contact program for congestive heart failure is cost-effective and/or cost-benefit intervention relative to the standard treatment. The benefit-cost ratio was calculated in terms of the program cost and the cost savings from averted healthcare visits in order to determine whether the program would pay for itself. Then I conducted a cost-effectiveness study in which outcomes were measured in terms of QALYs derived from the SF-36. Bootstrap-resampled incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were computed to allow us to take into account the uncertainty related to small sample size. This intervention program generated a net saving of $28,307. The cost-effectiveness analysis suggests that the Health Lines intervention can generate an additional QALY for $26,486 and Health Line plus Monitoring for $70,266. The findings demonstrate that the Health Lines strategy for congestive heart failure holds great promise.

Background: There are a number of treatment options for colon cancer. These regimens have different toxicity profiles and the age of the patient may affect outcomes of care and cost-effectiveness. An economic evaluation was conducted to explore treatment options for stage III colon cancer. Methods: A Markov model was developed to compare the cost-effectiveness of capecitabine with oxaliplatin combined with fluorouracil/leucovorin (FOLFOX) for the adjuvant treatment of stage III colon cancer. Results: At age 70, FOLFOX was the preferred option, costing $25,314 per quality-adjusted life-year gained. However, the difference in effect between the regimens ranged by 6 months and the model was sensitive to a number of variables. At age 80, capecitabine became the preferred option. Conclusion: FOLFOX is the most cost-effective treatment option in Ontario, but above age 80, capecitabine becomes the favoured option. Uncertainty remains in determining the most cost-effective treatment option for stage III colon cancer.

Background: There are a number of treatment options for colon cancer. These regimens have different toxicity profiles and the age of the patient may affect outcomes of care and cost-effectiveness. An economic evaluation was conducted to explore treatment options for stage III colon cancer. Methods: A Markov model was developed to compare the cost-effectiveness of capecitabine with oxaliplatin combined with fluorouracil/leucovorin (FOLFOX) for the adjuvant treatment of stage III colon cancer. Results: At age 70, FOLFOX was the preferred option, costing $25,314 per quality-adjusted life-year gained. However, the difference in effect between the regimens ranged by 6 months and the model was sensitive to a number of variables. At age 80, capecitabine became the preferred option. Conclusion: FOLFOX is the most cost-effective treatment option in Ontario, but above age 80, capecitabine becomes the favoured option. Uncertainty remains in determining the most cost-effective treatment option for stage III colon cancer.

Gasification is a thermo-chemical process which transforms biomass into valuable synthesis gas. Integrated with a biorefinery it can address the facility’s residue handling challenges and input demands. A number of feedstock, technology, oxidizer and product options are available for gasification along with combinations thereof. The objective of this work is to create a systematic method for optimizing the design of a residual biomass gasification unit. In detail, this work involves development of an optimization superstructure, creation of a biorefining scenario, process simulation, equipment sizing & costing, economic evaluation and optimization. The superstructure accommodates different feedstocks, reactor technologies, syngas cleaning options and final processing options. The criterion for optimization is annual worth. A biorefining scenario for the production of renewable diesel fuel from seed oil is developed; gasification receives the residues from this biorefinery. Availability of Soybeans, Jatropha, Chinese Tallow and woody biomass material is set by land use within a 50-mile radius. Four reactor technologies are considered, based on oxidizer type and operating pressure, along with three syngas cleaning methods and five processing options. Results show that residual gasification is profitable for large-scale biorefineries with the proper configuration. Low-pressure air gasification with filters, water-gas shift and hydrogen separation is the most advantageous combination of technology and product with an annual worth of $9.1 MM and a return on investment of 10.7 percent. Low-pressure air gasification with filters and methanol synthesis is the second most advantageous combination with an annual worth of $9.0 MM. Gasification is more economic for residue processing than combustion or disposal, and it competes well with natural gas-based methanol synthesis. However, it is less economic than steam-methane reforming of natural gas to hydrogen. Carbon dioxide credits contribute to profitability, affecting some configurations more than others. A carbon dioxide credit of $33/t makes the process competitive with conventional oil and gas development. Sensitivity analysis demonstrates a 10 percent change in hydrogen or electricity price results in a change to the optimal configuration of the unit. Accurate assessment of future commodity prices is critical to maximizing profitability.

This work studies the development of polymer membranes for the separation of hydrogen and carbon monoxide from a syngas produced by the partial oxidation of natural gas. The CO product is then used for the large scale manufacture of acetic acid by reaction with methanol. A method of economic evaluation has been developed for the process as a whole and a comparison is made between separation of the H2/CO mixture by a membrane system and the conventional method of cryogenic distillation. Costs are based on bids obtained from suppliers for several different specifications for the purity of the CO fed to the acetic acid reactor. When the purity of the CO is set at that obtained by cryogenic distillation it is shown that the membrane separator offers only a marginal cost advantage. Cost parameters for the membrane separation systems have been defined in terms of effective selectivity and cost permeability. These new parameters, obtained from an analysis of the bids, are then used in a procedure which defines the optimum degree of separation and recovery of carbon monoxide for a minimum cost of manufacture of acetic acid. It is shown that a significant cost reduction is achieved with a membrane separator at the optimum process conditions. A method of "targeting" the properties of new membranes has been developed. This involves defining the properties for new (hypothetical -yet to be developed) membranes such that their use for the hydrogen/carbon monoxide separation will produce a reduced cost of acetic acid manufacture. The use of the targeting method is illustrated in the development of new membranes for the separation of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The selection of polymeric materials for new membranes is based on molecular design methods which predict the polymer properties from the molecular groups making up the polymer molecule. Two approaches have been used. One method develops the analogy between gas solubility in liquids and that in polymers. The UNIFAC group contribution method is then used to predict gas solubility in liquids. In the second method the polymer Permachor number, developed by Salame, has been correlated with hydrogen and carbon monoxide permeabilities. These correlations are used to predict the permeabilities of gases through polymers. Materials have been tested for hydrogen and carbon monoxide permeabilities and improvements in expected economic performance have been achieved.

Developing countries face imminent choices for introducing needed, effective but expensive new vaccines, given the substantial immunization resources now available from international donors. Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is a tool that decision-makers can use for efficiently allocating expanding resources. However, although CEA has been increasingly applied in developing-country settings since the 1990’s, its use lags behind that in industrialized countries. This thesis explored how CEA could be made more relevant for decision-making in developing countries through 1) identifying the limitations for using CEA in developing countries 2) identifying guidelines for CEA specific to developing countries 3) identifying the impact of donor funding on CEA estimation 4) identifying areas for enhancement in the 1996 “Reference Case” (a standard set of methods) recommended by the US Panel on Cost-Effectiveness in Health and Medicine, and 5) better understanding the decision-making environment in developing countries. Focusing on pediatric immunization in developing countries, thematic analysis was used to distill key concepts from 157 documents spanning health economics, clinical epidemiology and health financing. 11 key informants, researchers active in developing countries, were also interviewed to explore the production and use of evidence in public health decision-making. Results showed a divergence between industrialized and developing nations in the emphases of methodological difficulties, in the general application of CEA, and the types of guidelines available. Explicitly considering donor funding costs and effects highlighted the need to specify an appropriate perspective and address policy-related issues of affordability and sustainability. Key informant interviews also revealed that opinion-makers, international organizations and the presence of local vaccine manufacturing have significant influence on decision-making. It is suggested that CEA could be more useful with a broadened reference case framework that included multiple perspectives, sensitivity analysis exploring differential discount rates (upper limits exceeding 10% for costs, declining from 3% for benefits) and supplemental reports to aid decision-making (budgetary and sustainability assessments). This study has implications for improving health outcomes globally in the context of public-private collaborative health funding. Further research could explore defining an extra-societal (multi-country) perspective to aid in efficient allocation of immunization resources among countries.

Developing countries face imminent choices for introducing needed, effective but expensive new vaccines, given the substantial immunization resources now available from international donors. Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is a tool that decision-makers can use for efficiently allocating expanding resources. However, although CEA has been increasingly applied in developing-country settings since the 1990’s, its use lags behind that in industrialized countries. This thesis explored how CEA could be made more relevant for decision-making in developing countries through 1) identifying the limitations for using CEA in developing countries 2) identifying guidelines for CEA specific to developing countries 3) identifying the impact of donor funding on CEA estimation 4) identifying areas for enhancement in the 1996 “Reference Case” (a standard set of methods) recommended by the US Panel on Cost-Effectiveness in Health and Medicine, and 5) better understanding the decision-making environment in developing countries. Focusing on pediatric immunization in developing countries, thematic analysis was used to distill key concepts from 157 documents spanning health economics, clinical epidemiology and health financing. 11 key informants, researchers active in developing countries, were also interviewed to explore the production and use of evidence in public health decision-making. Results showed a divergence between industrialized and developing nations in the emphases of methodological difficulties, in the general application of CEA, and the types of guidelines available. Explicitly considering donor funding costs and effects highlighted the need to specify an appropriate perspective and address policy-related issues of affordability and sustainability. Key informant interviews also revealed that opinion-makers, international organizations and the presence of local vaccine manufacturing have significant influence on decision-making. It is suggested that CEA could be more useful with a broadened reference case framework that included multiple perspectives, sensitivity analysis exploring differential discount rates (upper limits exceeding 10% for costs, declining from 3% for benefits) and supplemental reports to aid decision-making (budgetary and sustainability assessments). This study has implications for improving health outcomes globally in the context of public-private collaborative health funding. Further research could explore defining an extra-societal (multi-country) perspective to aid in efficient allocation of immunization resources among countries.

Objective – To evaluate the correlation of sows removing genotype and farm conditions on the reproduction indicators. Research goals: 1. To analyse genotype and farm conditions influence to researching reproductions indicators of the sows; 2. To evaluate the influence of sows removing genotype and farm conditions on the reproduction indicators; 3. To evaluate removals reasons correlation with sows reproductions indicators. Research methods: The aim of the study was to evaluate how parameters of lifetime productivity differ for females having distinct removal reasons and was to describe the reasons for removal of sows distributed across parity categories data analysis was done with Microsoft Excel 2000 program. We have calculated research attribute medium values and bias (SE). Using general linear model we have investigated (genotype, farm and condeming reasons) fact influens for research reproduction index. Reproduction problems and diseases represented two third of all removals. Too early sows removing is one of the determinative factor which decreasing pigs drove reproduction and farm profitability.