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Reconfiguring mining compressed air networks for cost savings / Johannes Izak Gabriël BredenkampBredenkamp, Johannes Izak Gabriël January 2014 (has links)
The world is currently experiencing major issues in the energy sector. The ever-growing human population, limited energy resources and the effect of greenhouse gas emissions have become major global concerns for the energy sector, including the electricity generation sector. This dilemma caused electricity providers to revise their generation methods and created a major need for consumers to utilise electricity more efficiently. Demand side management (DSM) is one initiative developed for consumers to efficiently utilise electricity.
Due to their high electricity consumption and technical skills, mines are ideal targets for the implementation of DSM strategies. Therefore, the focus of this study was to investigate South African mines for possible implementation of DSM strategies on their compressed air networks. Compressed air networks at South African mines are relatively old and inadequately maintained. This causes inefficient distribution and use of compressed air. The study will therefore focus on reconfiguring mining compressed air networks for cost savings. Cost savings include financial savings on electricity bills, implementation costs and decreased maintenance.
Through several investigations, the possibility of implementing energy savings strategies to reconfigure the compressed air networks of two South African mines was identified. Reconfiguring the networks would respectively entail interconnecting two shafts and relocating a compressor from an abandoned shaft to a fully productive shaft.
Theoretical simulations were developed to determine the networks’ responses to the reconfiguration strategies. The simulations assisted in exposing the viability of implementing the reconfiguration strategies on the respective compressed air networks. Positive responses were obtained from the simulations and proposals were made to the respective mines for possible implementation. The proposed initiatives were implemented on the respective mines’ compressed air networks. After implementation of the interconnection strategy, a consecutive three-month performance assessment period commenced to prove the viability of the proposed savings. An average power saving of 1 700 kW was achieved during the performance assessment period. The proposed initiative to relocate the compressor is currently being implemented.
A financial saving of approximately R8.9 million per annum was achieved by implementing the interconnection strategy. The large financial saving was due to the utilisation of the mine’s salvaged equipment. Further savings were achieved by the decreased maintenance on the mine’s compressors. Due to the successful implementation of the interconnection strategy, it is safe to state that cost savings can be achieved by reconfiguring mining compressed air networks. / MIng (Mechanical Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014
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The usage of antidiabetic drugs : a managed care approach / Rianda SteynSteyn, Rianda January 2005 (has links)
"Diabetes mellitus" refers to a spectrum of conditions, which all present with hyperglycaemia as
a common medical finding. Diabetes was once thought of as a single disease, but according to
Setter et a/. (2000:378), it includes a heterogeneous group of disorders that are secondary to
various genetic predispositions and precipitating factors. Type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM)
accounts for 10 to 15% of all cases of diabetes mellitus and is clinically characterised by
hyperglycaemia and a propensity to diabetic keto-acidosis. Its control requires chronic insulin
treatment. Although it may occur at any age, it most commonly develops in childhood or
adolescence and is the predominant type of diabetes mellitus diagnosed before age 30 (Beers
& Berkow, 2004). Type 2 DM is usually the type diagnosed in patients older than 30 years of
age. It is also commonly associated with obesity (Berkow, 1992:1108).
The objective of this study was to review the usage and cost of antidiabetic drugs and to
determine the influence of the pricing regulations on the cost of these drugs. This research can
be classified as retrospective and quantitative. Data were obtained from a prescription claims
database, and the study population consisted of all the antidiabetic prescriptions for the year
1 January 2004 to 31 December 2004. The one-year period was divided into three study
periods, namely January to April, May to August and September to December.
Firstly diabetes mellitus was investigated in order to understand the disease and to determine
the prevalence and treatment thereof. It was found that diabetes mellitus is a heterogeneous
disorder acquired from both genetic and environmental factors and that education for the
general population, and in particular for the patients, is the key to preventing and controlling
diabetes and reducing the complications arising from it.
Secondly managed health care, pharmaco-economics and a drug utilisation review were
investigated in order to understand these concepts. The influence of the South African
Government on health care was discussed, including the new pricing regulations of medicine in
South Africa.
Thirdly, the utilisation patterns of antidiabetic drugs were reviewed, analysed and interpreted. It
was determined that the oral antidiabetic agents are relatively less expensive than the insulins
and that they are prescribed more frequently, and secondly that the biguanides presented
almost half (49.4%, n = 116 138) of all the oral antidiabetic agents. It was also determined that
the average cost of the oral antidiabetic drugs was between 21 .O% and 28.0% lower in 2004
than in 1996 - an indication that, despite inflation, the antidiabetic drugs were less expensive in
2004 than eight years ago in 1996. It was also calculated that the total cost savings in
antidiabetic medication could have been R1 448 682.26 if the lower price of antidiabetic agents
had been implemented during the period January to April. And finally it was also determined
that further substantial "cost savings" could have been possible if all the innovator antidiabetic
products had been substituted for less expensive generic antidiabetic products.
Abstract / Thesis (M.Pharm. (Pharmacy Practice))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.
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Prescribing patterns of antiretroviral drugs in the private health care sector in South Africa : a drug utilisation review / Daniël Jacobus ScholtzScholtz, Daniël Jacobus January 2005 (has links)
HIV/AIDS is already the leading cause of death worldwide (Unicef et al., 2004:10) with more than 5
million people out of a total of 46 million South Africans that were HIV positive in 2004, giving a total
population prevalence rate of 11 per cent (Dorrington et al., 2004:1). Many people infected do not have access to even the basic drugs needed to treat HIV-related infections and other conditions (Wikipedia, 2004:3). The relative high price of many of the antiretroviral (ARV) drugs and diagnostics on the other hand are one of the main barriers to their availability in developing countries (Unicef et al., 2004:77). ARV drugs registered in South Africa include the Nucleoside/Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs), Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs) and Protease Inhibitors (PIs) (MCC, 2004:1).
The objective of this study was to review, analyse and interpret the prescribing patterns of antiviral drugs, with special reference to antiretroviral drugs, in the private health care sector in South Africa by using a medicine claims database. A quantitative, retrospective drug utilisation review was performed. The data ranging from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001, 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2002, and 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2004 were used, dividing each year into three four-month periods, namely January to April, May to August, and September to December.
It was found that 0.38 per cent (n=1 475 380) for 2001, 0.72 per cent (n=2 076 236) for 2002, and 1.68 per cent (n=2 595 254) for 2004 of all studied prescriptions for the research periods 2001, 2002, and 2004 respectively, contained ARV drugs. ARV drugs constituted 0.33 per cent (n=2 951 326) for 2001, 0.87 per cent (n=4 042 145) for 2002, and 1.92 per cent (n=5 305 882) for 2004 of the total number of medicine items prescribed for the study years 2001, 2002 and 2004 respectively. The total cost of ARV drugs amounted to R4 990 784.29, thus constituting 1.31 per cent of the total cost (R379 708 489) of all medicine items on the database for 2001, increased to R18 235 075.75, thus constituting 3.03 per cent of the total cost (R601 350 325) of all medicine items on the database for 2002, and increased to R34 714 483.64, thus constituting 5.25 per cent of the total cost (R661 223 146) of all medicine items on the database for 2004. It was found that 35.31 per cent (n=5 599) for 2001, 52.68 per cent (n=15 004) for 2002, and 74.27 per cent (n=43 482) for 2004 of all studied antiviral prescriptions for the research periods 2001, 2002, and 2004 respectively, contained ARV drugs. ARV drugs constituted 46.25 per cent (n=21 183) for 2001, 70.20 per cent (n=50 246) for 2002, and 85.87 per cent (n=118 718) for 2004 of the total number of antiviral medicine items prescribed for the study years 2001, 2002 and 2004 respectively. The total cost of ARV medicine items, represented 67.33 per cent (n=R4 990 784.29) during 2001, 84.72 per cent (n=R18 235 075.75) during 2002, and 91.20 per cent (n=R34 714 483.64) during 2004 of the total cost of
all antiviral medicine items claimed through the database (n=R7412577.73 for 2001, n=R21523365.56 for 2002, and n=R38 064 347.38 for 2004).
The average cost per ARV medicine items for 2004 increased from R317.93i190.80 for the period
January to April to R369.2W219.50 for the period May to August, and decreased to R324.79±212.48 for the period September to December and resulted in a cost saving of R41 044.35 for the period May to August versus September to December for the ARV medicine items. The implementation of the pricing regulations could thus be a possible reason for this cost saving, due to fact that the single exit price only came into effect from May 2004.
The weighted average number of ARV medicine items per prescription was 1.75*0.31 for 2001, increased to 2.35±0.03 to 2002 and remained stable on 2.35±0.02 for 2004. It was found that majority of prescriptions contained more combination ARV medicine items than single ARV medicine items, ranging from 6 834 (69.76 per cent; n=9 796) prescriptions containing combination ARV medicine items in 2001 and 32 941 (93.39 per cent; n=35 271) prescriptions containing combination ARV medicine items in 2002 to 98 805 (96.93 per cent; n=101 938) prescriptions containing combination ARV medicine items in 2004.
Lastly, it was perceived that didanosine was the active ingredient with the largest prevalence for all three four-month periods of 2001 and also for the periods January to April and May to August of 2002, whilst efavirenz represented the active ingredient with the largest prevalence for the period September to December of 2002, and also for all three four-month periods of 2004. Didanosine represented the active ingredient with the highest total cost for the period January to April of 2001, whilst the combination of lamivudine/zidovudine represented the active ingredient with the highest total cost for the periods May to August and September to December of 2001, and also for all three-four month periods of 2002 and 2004.
Nelfinavir has the highest average cost for period January to April of 2001, ritonavir for period May to August of 2001, and saquinavir mesylate for period September to December of 2001. Nelfinavir has the highest average cost for all three-four month periods of 2002, while didanosine has the highest average cost for all three four-month periods of 2004. / Thesis (M.Pharm. (Pharmacy Practice))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006
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Stratégies de prise en charge de la polyarthrite rhumatoïde : quelle place pour les médicaments biosimilaires ? / Strategies for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis : what is the place of biosimilar drugs ?Beck, Morgane 05 September 2017 (has links)
Le coût des biomédicaments impacte lourdement le fardeau financier déjà important imposé par la polyarthrite rhumatoïde (PR) à la société. Le but de ce travail était de rechercher les motivations de la prescription des médicaments biosimilaires en rhumatologie, tout particulièrement pour prendre en charge les patients atteints de PR. Les travaux effectués ont permis d’estimer les économies annuelles réalisables en France avec le médicament biosimilaire de l’infliximab à 13,6 millions d’EUR, pour la seule prise en charge de la PR. Par ailleurs, une enquête menée auprès des rhumatologues et pharmaciens a permis d’identifier les principaux enjeux liés à l’utilisation de ces médicaments. Enfin, le suivi de leur utilisation en région Grand Est entre 2015 et 2016 rend compte de leur utilisation encore modeste. La mise sur le marché régulière de médicaments biosimilaires, combinée à l’expérience croissante des acteurs et aux dispositifs d’incitation mis en place, devraient permettre de faire progresser la part d’utilisation de ces médicaments dans les prochaines années, et de s’assurer qu’ils tiennent bien leurs engagements sur le plan des économies réalisées. / Biological drugs are associated with high procurement costs and heavily impact the financial burden imposed by rheumatoid arthritis on society. The purpose of this work was to investigate the benefits of using biosimilar drugs in rheumatoid arthritis patients. This work showed the introduction of biosimilar infliximab could lead to substantial annual cost savings of up to €13.6 million nationally, to treat rheumatoid arthritis patients only. Moreover, a biosimilar survey involving rheumatologists and pharmacists allowed us to identify the main issues at stake. Finally, the monitoring of their use in Grand Est region between 2015 and 2016 account for their relatively low utilization rate. The regular launch of new biosimilar medicines, together with growing experience of healthcare players and incentive policies, should allow to increase biosimilar uptake in the future, and also to make sure they meet well their commitments in terms of savings generated.
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Využití reverzních elektronických aukcí ve stavebnictví na Slovensku / The use of electronic reverse auctions in the construction industry in SlovakiaChadima, Tomáš January 2016 (has links)
This thesis is focused on analysis of the use of electronic reverse auctions in the construction industry in Slovakia. The theoretical part provides the basic concepts, types and participants of electronic auctions. There are also analysed in detail the electronic reverse auctions as an important tool for procurement processes in the construction industry. The practical part deals with the analysis and subsequent recommendation for the construction sector - through a questionnaire survey.
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Assessing the Energy Efficiency of Small Transit Systems; A Case Study of the Miami Metro Bus ServiceKazungu, Conny Sidi 26 April 2012 (has links)
No description available.
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Medical cost savings attributable to comprehensive sex education programs that delay coitus and increase condom use among adolescents in the United StatesOlaiya, Samuel T. 05 January 2006 (has links)
No description available.
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Beräkningsprogram för processpumpar inom skogsindustrin : Beräkningsprogram för att beräkna energieffektivitet och lönsamhet hos MC-pumpar och centrifugalpumpar vid installation av frekvensomriktare. / Calculation software for process pumps in the forest industry : Calculation software for calculating the energy efficiency and the profitability of MCpumps and centrifugal pumps when installing a frequency converter.Johansson, Ellen January 2019 (has links)
I industrin finns det många pumpar som inte kör i de optimala driftfall som de är skapade för. Detta bidrar till stora och onödiga kostnader för fabriker och industrier. Det finns olika reglermetoder för att få pumpen att köra så optimalt som möjligt, det vanligaste är att avända sig av en reglerventil som stryper bort flödet. Ett annat sätt är att investera i en frekvensomriktare. En frekvensomriktare kan reglera varvtalet på pumpen och göra så driften blir så optimal som möjligt för det driftfall som körs. Blir driften så optimal som möjligt kommer kostnaden att reduceras. För att lätt kunna beräkna om det är lönsamt att investera i en frekvensomriktare behövs ett standardiserat beräkningsprogram. Detta arbete har gjorts för ÅF Pöyry i Karlstad i samverkan med BillerudKorsnäs AB, Gruvön. Datainsamling har skett på BillerudKorsnäs AB på en MC-pump (423P008) denna sitter på SK 2, som även kallas barrlinjen, där man behandlar barrträd. Resultatet är ett standardiserat beräkningsprogram för att kunna beräkna både MC-pumpar och centrifugalpumpar i pappersmassaindustrin. Detta beräkningsprogram kan bland annat beräkna den totala tryckhöjden för respektive pump för att sedan kunna beräkna payoff-tiden, alltså om det är lönsamt att investera i en frekvensomriktare. Vid beräkning med hjälp av beräkningsprogrammet på MC-pump 423P008 visas det att ca 120 000 SEK/år är de kostnader som ”stryps” bort med den nuvarande reglermetoden, detta är också den besparingspotetnial som kan göras vid investering av en frekvensomriktare och detta är endast för en pump på ett bruk. Slutsatsen man kan dra med hjälp av beräkningsprogrammet är att det finns stora kostnader att spara i industrin genom att optimera drifterna hos de pumpar som finns. / In the industry, there are many pumps that do not running in the optimal operating conditions that they are created for. This contributes to large, unnecessary costs for industries. There are some different “control methods” to make the pump run as optimally as possible. One way is to invest in a frequency converter. A frequency converter can regulate the speed (rpm) of the pump and make the operation as optimal as possible for the running case. If the operation becomes as optimal as possible, money will be saved. In order to easily calculate whether it is profitable to invest in a frequency converter, a standardized calculation program is needed. This work has been made for ÅF Pöyry in Karlstad in a collaboration with BillerudKorsnäs AB, Gruvön. Data collection has taken place at BillerudKorsnäs AB on an MC-pump (423P008), which is stationary at SK 2, which is also called the coniferous-line, where you process conifers. The result is a standardized calculation program for calculating both MC-pumps and centrifugal pumps in the pulp industry. This calculation program can calculate the total pump head for each pump in order to then calculate the payoff time, i.e. whether it is profitable to invest in a frequency converter, or not. When using the calculation program for the MC-pump named 423P008, it is shown that about SEK 120,000 SEK / year are the costs that are "throttled" away with the current “control method”. This is data for just one pump out at BillerudKorsnäs. The conclusion is that with the help of the calculation program you can see there are large costs to save in the industry by optimizing the runs of the pumps that are available. / Nej
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The Use of Laboratory Analyses in Sweden : Quality and Cost-Effectiveness in Test UtilizationMindemark, Mirja January 2010 (has links)
Laboratory analyses, essential in screening, diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of disease, are indispensable in health care, but appropriate utilization is intricate. The overall aim of this thesis was to study the use of laboratory tests in Sweden with the objective to evaluate and optimize test utilization. Considerable inter-county variations in test utilization in primary health care in Sweden were found; variations likely influenced by local traditions and habits of test ordering leading to over- as well as underutilization. Optimized test utilization was demonstrated to convey improved quality and substantial cost savings. It was further established that continuing medical education is a suitable means of optimizing test utilization, and consequently enhancing quality and cost-efficiency, as such education was demonstrated to achieve long-lasting improvements in the test ordering habits of primary health care physicians. Laboratory tests are closely associated with other, greater, health care costs, but their indirect effects on other areas of medicine are rarely evaluated or measured in monetary terms. In an illustrative example of the effects that optimal test utilization may have on associated health care costs it was demonstrated that F-calprotectin, a fecal marker of intestinal inflammation, has the potential to substantially reduce the number of invasive investigations necessary in, and the costs associated with, the diagnosis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Information on trends in test utilization is essential to optimal financial management of laboratories. A longitudinal evaluation revealed that test utilization had increased by 70% in 6 years, and even though the selection of tests more than doubled, a very small number of tests represented a stable, and disproportionally large, share of the total number of tests ordered. The study defines trends and thus has potential predictive values. In summary, appropriate utilization of laboratory analyses has both clinical and economical benefits on all levels of health care.
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Technologie cloud computing a virtualizace v podnikové praxi / The cloud computing and virtualization technologies in the enterprise practiceMAURIC, Jakub January 2013 (has links)
This work reports on virtualization and cloud computing technologies. It evaluates their strengths and weaknesses as well as describes the examples of its deployment. The document serves as a concise and comprehensive guide, describing the necessary theory along with the practical use. It is all demonstrated on a real project. The practical part refers to the data environment of the Fire Rescue Service of South Bohemia Region and represents the usage of studied technologies. The analysis also includes project´s financial and technical aspects.
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