Implementing VMI service pricing strategy for 3PL corporation considering recovery costs

The collector managed inventory(CMI)management idea is introduced based on the comparison of manufacturer and third-party logistics(3PL)implementing vendor managed inventory(VMI)services.Considering recovery costs,the service pricing strategies for 3PL corporations implementing VMI are studied to meet two conditions of participation constraints and incentive-compatibility constraints.The numerical simulation results indicate that the supply chain partners' profits change after considering recovery costs,and the 3PL corporation's profits and the total profits increase first,and then decrease.The retailers' and manufacturers' profits also increase.The total profits of the supply chain have a characteristic of increasing first and then decreasing with the increase of the callback ratio of unsold products.The concrete extremum point is codetermined by price flexibility,service pricing of the 3PL corporation,callback price and callback ratio.

Macroeconomic Instabilities and Cost-Recovery Potentials of Public Sector Organisations

The 2008 financial crisis raised concerns over the performance of public sector organisations operating under different cost recovery regimes.These concerns were linked to potential failure in attaining cost recovery targets as a result of declining revenues during economic downturn.This study utilised the Linear Mixed Effect(LME)models to analyse the data from the World Bank Indicator website and from six national Land Administration Organisations(LAOs),two of which being under“No cost recovery”(NCR)and the remaining being in“Full Cost Recovery”(FCR).Cost recovery indicators were computed from financial statement of national LAOs of these countries.The findings establish that a global financial crisis that is associated with declining GDP and a higher inflation rate can insignificantly reduce the level of cost recovery for LAOs while persistent decline in GDP growth rate significantly eliminates potentials for cost recovery.However prospects for recovery can be traced within the cost-revenue microstructures of LAOs themselves.With a significantly negative relationship between spending in information and technology as a ratio of GDP to the degree of cost recovery,LAOs need only to eliminate rigidities in their cost-revenue structure which tie them to macro-instabilities of the real estate market.Such flexibility can be attained through elastic cross-substitution in the LAO’s gross cost-revenues schedules for registration tasks in favour of information delivery tasks.

Postoperative ileus: Impact of pharmacological treatment,laparoscopic surgery and enhanced recovery pathways

Almost all patients develop postoperative ileus (POI) after abdominal surgery.POI represents the single largest factor influencing length of stay (LOS) after bowel resection,and has great implications for patients and resource utilization in health care.New methods to treat and decrease the length of POI are therefore of great importance.During the past decade,a substantial amount of research has been performed evaluating POI,and great progress has been made in our understanding and treatment of POI.Laparoscopic procedures,enhanced recovery pathways and pharmacologic treatment have been introduced.Each factor has substantially contributed to decreasing the length of POI and thus LOS after bowel resection.This editorial outlines resource utilization of POI,normal physiology of gut motility and pathogenesis of POI.Pharmacological treatment,fast track protocols and laparoscopic surgery can each have significant impact on pathways causing POI.The optimal integration of these treatment options continues to be assessed in prospective studies.

Cyberattack Ramifications, The Hidden Cost of a Security Breach

In this in-depth exploration, I delve into the complex implications and costs of cybersecurity breaches. Venturing beyond just the immediate repercussions, the research unearths both the overt and concealed long-term consequences that businesses encounter. This study integrates findings from various research, including quantitative reports, drawing upon real-world incidents faced by both small and large enterprises. This investigation emphasizes the profound intangible costs, such as trade name devaluation and potential damage to brand reputation, which can persist long after the breach. By collating insights from industry experts and a myriad of research, the study provides a comprehensive perspective on the profound, multi-dimensional impacts of cybersecurity incidents. The overarching aim is to underscore the often-underestimated scope and depth of these breaches, emphasizing the entire timeline post-incident and the urgent need for fortified preventative and reactive measures in the digital domain.

Environmental sustainability opportunity and socio-economic cost analyses of phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge

Although phosphorus(P)recovery and management from sewage sludge are practiced in North America and Europe,such practices are not yet to be implemented in China.Here,we evaluated the environmental sustainability opportunity and socio-economic costs of recovering P from sewage sludge by replacing the current-day treatments(CT;sludge treatment and landfill)and P chemical fertilizer application(CF)in China using life cycle assessment and life cycle costing methods.Three potential P recovery scenarios(PR1‒PR3:struvite,vivianite,and treated sludge)and corresponding current-day scenarios(CT1‒CT3 and CF)were considered.Results indicated that PR1 and PR2 have smaller environmental impacts than the current-day scenarios,whereas PR3 has larger impacts in most categories.PR3 has the lowest net costs(sum of internal costs and benefits,39.1-54.7 CNY per kg P),whereas PR2 has the lowest external costs(366.8 CNY per kg P).Societal costs for production and land use of 1 kg P by P recovery from sewage sludge(e.g.,∼527 CNY for PR1)are much higher than those of P chemical fertilizers(∼20 CNY for CF).However,considering the costs in the current-day treatments(e.g.,∼524 CNY for CT1),societal costs of P recovery scenarios are close to or slightly lower than those of current-day scenarios.Among the three P recovery scenarios,we found that recovering struvite as P fertilizer has the highest societal feasibility.This study will provide valuable information for improved sewage sludge management and will help promote the sustainable supply of P in China.

An Integrated Approach to Evaluate Benefits and Costs of Wastewater and Solid Waste Management to Improve the Living Environment: The Citarum River in West Java, Indonesia

Absence of wastewater and solid waste facilities impacts the quality of life of many people in developing countries. Implementation of these facilities will benefit public health, water quality, livelihoods and property value. Additional benefits may result from the potential recovery of valuable resources from wastewater and solid waste, such as compost, energy, phosphorus, plastics and paper. Improving water quality through implementation of wastewater and solid waste interventions requires, among others, an analysis of i) sources of pollution, ii) mitigating measures and resource recovery potentials and their effect on water quality and health, and iii) benefits and costs of interventions. We present an integrated approach to evaluate costs and benefits of domestic and industrial wastewater and solid waste interventions. To support a policy maker in formulating a cost and environmentally effective approach, we quantified the impact of these interventions on 1) water quality improvement, 2) resource recovery potential, and 3) monetized benefits versus costs. The integration of technical, hydrological, agronomical and socio-economic elements to derive these three tangible outputs in a joint approach is a novelty. The approach is demonstrated using the heavily polluted Indonesian Upper Citarum River in the Bandung region. Domestic interventions, applying simple (anaerobic filter) technologies, were economically most attractive with a benefit cost ratio (BCR) of 3.2, but could not reach target water quality standards. To approach the target water quality, both advanced domestic (nutrient removal systems) and industrial wastewater treatment interventions were required, leading to a BCR of 2. We showed that benefits from selling recovered resources represent here an additional driver for improving water quality and outweigh the additional costs for resource recovery facilities. While included benefits captured some of the major items, these may have been undervalued. Based on these findings, water quality interventions justify their costs and are socially and economically beneficial.

Urban Public Toilets Management in Tanzania:Understanding Cost-effective Approaches

Cost recovery and user satisfaction are among the core objectives of any public or quas-public good provision.Public toilet service provision has been the domain of local government until when liberalisation policies struck the developing south.With stringent condition to reduce the fiscal burden,local government authorities have sought to offload some of its core functions including the management of public toilets to contracted firms.Based on regression and comparative quadrant analysis,this study evaluates cost recovery and user satisfaction in relation to public toilet condition based on a total of 729 user responses and 31 public toilet operators.The observations point to misguided decision to place public toilet management under contracted firms instead of placing then under Public Private Partnership(PPP).The decision to place public toilets management under private contract or individual contract is only secondary to PPP if the focus is to achieve both cost recovery and user satisfaction.However,if the focus was to achieve only cost recovery regardless of the need to protect users,then the decision would have been well founded but can be conspired inappropriate in as long as public toilets remain the domain of public good.

Costing of Malaria treatment in a rural district hospital

Objective: It is the aim of this paper to estimate the provider’s cost of treating paediatric cases of Malaria in a rural African hospital. Furthermore, we intend to give some insights into the possibilities of improving the efficiency of treating children with this disease in order to support policy makers in the resource allocation process. Methods: The cost analysis was done in the district hospital of Nouna, Burkina Faso. Based on a comprehensive cost-of-illness information system, the cost of treating paediatric Malaria in the district hospital in the year 2005 were estimated using a combination of top- down and activity-based costing. It divides the entire treatment process into a set of activities along the clinical pathway and allocates monetary values for the resource consumption to each activity. Results: The average actual provider’s cost were 6.74 US$ for a paediatric outpatient with Malaria, 61.08 US$ for a paediatric Malaria inpatient with anaemia and, respectively 74.29 US$ for a case of paediatric Malaria with neurological affection. 54% of the cost was due to laboratory work. This high unit cost was mainly due to a severe underutilisation of the hospital capacity. The current cost recovery rate per case was between 18% and 43%. It would be between 32% and 73% if the occupancy increased to 80%. Conclusion: The paper demonstrates that detailed costing is possible in a district hospital in rural Africa. The unit cost seems to be extra-ordinary high and the share of laboratory cost is tremendous. However, this is mainly due to a very strong underutilisation of the existing capacities. This fact calls for intensive efforts of the management of the institution to attract more patients by improving the quality of services and in particular the satisfaction of the patients.

A novel model for cost performance evaluation of pulverized coal injected into blast furnace based on effective calorific value

The combustion process of pulverized coal injected into blast furnace involves a lot of physical and chemical reactions. Based on the combustion behaviors of pulverized coal, the conception of coal effective calorific value representing the actual thermal energy provided for blast furnace was proposed. A cost performance evaluation model of coal injection was built up for the optimal selection of various kinds of coal based on effective calorific value. The model contains two indicators: coal effective calorific value which has eight sub-indicators and coal injection cost which includes four sub-indicators. In addition, the calculation principle and application of cost performance evaluation model in a Chinese large-scale iron and steel company were comprehensively introduced. The evaluation results finally confirm that this novel model is of great significance to the optimal selection of blast furnace pulverized coal.

Regression Models of the Impact of Rockmass and Blast Design Variations on the Effectiveness of Iron Ore Surface Blasting

The desired economics of hard rock surface mining is mainly determined by the parameters of process design which minimize the overall cost per tonne of the rock mined in drilling, blasting, handling and primary crushing in given rockmass conditions. The most effective parameters of process design could be established based on the regression models of the cumulative influence of rockmass and mine design parameters on the overall cost per tonne of the rock drilled, blasted, handled and crushed. These models could be developed from the huge data accumulated worldwide on the costs per tonne of hard rock surface mining in drilling, blasting, handling and primary crushing vs the parameters of rockmass and mine design. This paper only dwelt on the development of regression models for oversize generation, blasthole productivity and blasting cost for iron ore surface mines, whose data is available. The SPSS standard statistical correlation – regression analysis software was used in the analysis. Interpretation of the models generated shows that the individual effects of the determinant rockmass and blast design parameters on oversize generation, blasthole productivity and blasting cost are all in compliance with the findings of other researchers and the theory of explosive rock fragmentation and could be used for the estimation of oversize generation, blasthole productivity and blasting cost in rockmass and blast design conditions similar to those of the iron ore surface mines examined in this study. However, the regression models obtained here could not be used alone for the optimization of blast design because most of the determinant parameters also have conflicting effect on the other processes of drilling, handling and primary crushing the blasted rock. Also, the quality and content of the regression models could be enhanced further by increasing the content of rockmass and blast design parameters and the volume of data considered in the regression analysis.

Analysis of the blasting effect on the electric shove loading efficiency of the open pit

The connection between blasting cost and comprehensive cost is the main concern.Some blasting effect factors (such as unit explosive consumption,uniformity of blockness,shape and porosity of blasting heap),which had an influence on electric shove loading efficiency,were analyzed.In the end a project to properly increase in blasting cost to decrease the comprehensive cost was put forward.At the same time,the hole-by-hole blasting is effective technology to improve blasting effect.

Discharging patients home from the intensive care unit:A new trend

Discharging patients directly to home from the intensive care unit(ICU)is becoming a new trend.This review examines the feasibility,benefits,challenges,and considerations of directly discharging ICU patients.By analyzing available evidence and healthcare professionals'experiences,the review explores the potential impacts on patient outcomes and healthcare systems.The practice of direct discharge from the ICU presents both opportunities and complexities.While it can potentially reduce costs,enhance patient comfort,and mitigate complications linked to extended hospitalization,it necessitates meticulous patient selection and robust post-discharge support mechanisms.Implementing this strategy successfully mandates the availability of home-based care services and a careful assessment of the patient's readiness for the transition.Through critical evaluation of existing literature,this review underscores the significance of tailored patient selection criteria and comprehensive post-discharge support systems to ensure patient safety and optimal recovery.The insights provided contribute evidence-based recommendations for refining the direct discharge approach,fostering improved patient outcomes,heightened satisfaction,and streamlined healthcare processes.Ultimately,the review seeks to balance patientcentered care and effective resource utilization within ICU discharge strategies.

基于热阻及成本分析的高炉冷却壁多目标优化

本文建立了高炉冷却壁热阻模型,冷却壁热阻包括火积耗散热阻和对流热阻,分别表征其导热性能和换热表面的对流换热性能。分析冷却壁运行过程中的各项成本,包括冷却壁材料成本、运行耗水成本、运行能耗成本以及冷却壁厚度减薄时产生的额外收益。应用遗传算法以冷却壁热阻和成本为目标函数,以冷却壁各结构参数为决策变量,对冷却壁进行多目标优化,获得了Pareto最优解集。优化后的冷却壁与初始冷却壁相比,可在传热性能相当的前提下成本下降79.9%,或在冷却成本相当的前提下,热阻下降27.3%。

高炉放散煤气治理技术

总结了高炉均压放散煤气和休风放散煤气治理技术的研究进展和应用情况。高炉均压放散煤气干法回收技术自2014年起逐步在京津冀地区率先获得推广应用至今,经过多次迭代更新,最终形成了“三级除尘+高效引射+智能控制”的引射法均压煤气干法全回收技术,该技术成熟可靠,已在国内多数高炉上获得成功应用。对于高炉休风放散煤气治理技术的研究仍处于发展阶段,当前的主流技术路线是利用现有煤气净化设施,通过在调压阀组区域并联引射器,对高炉休风末期、炉顶放散阀开启前的炉内低压煤气强制回收进入管网,可实现休风煤气全量回收,达到应收尽收,在休风结束时,高炉炉顶放散阀开启前,炉顶压力可降至0~1 kPa。但该技术仅适用于长期休风和短期休风,不适用于降料线休风和事故紧急休风。鉴于高炉休风过程的煤气回收操作是一项危险性作业,对休风放散煤气的治理还需在确保安全的前提下谨慎选择。选择技术方案时,需要综合考虑节能环保、投资、运行维护成本对高炉生产的影响以及系统是否能安全可靠运行等多方面的因素,采用性价比高的技术实现钢铁企业的长期绿色发展。

四川省气电容量成本回收机制研究

四川省发展气电是实现“双碳”目标,提升电力调峰调频、确保安全稳定供电的重大举措。2022年四川省出台气电上网两部制电价政策指导意见,明确气电容量电价按一定合理收益回收固定投资成本,电量电价与气价实施联动调整。通过梳理国家及部分省份的气电两部制电价政策,调查分析四川气电的成本构成,研究对气电投资成本回收机制并测算容量电价,提出了容量电价测算原则、方法以及疏导路径的相关建议。研究结果表明:①因地制宜出台气电价格政策有利于推动气电产业健康可持续发展;②实施气电两部制电价有利于通过容量电价回收固定成本且取得合理收益,有利于促进四川气电产业有序健康可持续发展,并通过相对较低的电量电价实现与电力市场逐步接轨,增强市场竞争力;③容量电价按照“谁受益、谁承担”和“合理分摊、动态调整”原则进行疏导;④气电容量电价标准按资本金内部收益率8%对应取值,F机组容量电价标准可为28元/(kW·月),并且容量电费由该省内大工业、一般工商业用户疏导分摊。

新钢7^(#)高炉炉凉事故分析与处理

新钢7^(#)高炉在有上部结厚的情况下计划检修,休风期间炉墙西南结厚物整体坍塌,复风过程因结厚物进入炉缸破坏了热平衡,补加净焦量不够,风口自动吹开,使用质量差的烧结开机料,最终造成炉温大凉。本文通过对高炉炉凉事故起因、处理经过及恢复到正常三个阶段进行了分析,为处理高炉炉凉事故快速恢复提供了宝贵经验。

新型电力系统下抽水蓄能电站高质量发展探究

为实现“双碳”目标,我国新能源装机规模快速增长,建设以新能源为主体的新型电力系统势在必行。新型电力系统中新能源大规模并网,对灵活性资源有了更高要求。抽水蓄能电站作为技术成熟的储能电站,在解决以新能源为主体的新型电力系统负荷波动方面发挥重要价值,能够同时应对源荷双侧的挑战。然而,抽水蓄能电站成本回收机制的不清晰对其发展模式造成阻碍,本文依据抽水蓄能电站在不同市场环境下的价值属性,对抽水蓄能电站成本回收机制提出建议,推动我国抽水蓄能产业可持续发展,满足新型电力系统建设需要。

日钢大型高炉经济炼铁技术的应用效果

经济炼铁是基于系统集成的炼铁技术,运用经营理念指导炼铁生产实践,从而实现炼铁的经营目标。日钢根据自身的原燃料条件和技术经验,在新建3000m高炉时,对炉型设计充分优化,并创新性地把各系统先进技术进行集成应用,为高炉经济开炉及经济运行打下了良好基础。通过采取保障原燃料质量、控制合理的煤气流分布、活跃炉缸、优化渣相等措施,高炉实现了经济冶炼条件下炉况长期稳定顺行,生铁成本优势明显。2023年1-8月,对比沿江沿海25家钢企同类高炉综合生铁成本,日钢大型高炉生铁成本领先82元/t。

苏北油区CCUS-EOR项目全成本经济评价体系研究

将CO_(2)捕集、利用与封存(CCUS)技术与提高原油采收率(EOR)技术相结合,将捕集的CO_(2)注入地下驱油,在提高采收率的同时实现碳封存。CCUS-EOR项目的完整流程包括捕集压缩、运输、驱油、回注等多个环节。本文将CCUS-EOR全流程视为一个整体,通过剖析CO_(2)驱与常规水驱开发成本构成差异,建立适宜的CCUS-EOR项目全成本经济评价体系,确定捕集成本、运输成本、驱油成本的取值依据,推导出考虑碳减排收益的盈亏平衡模型,满足CCUS-EOR项目快速评价、辅助决策需求。

榆钢高炉低成本冶炼生产实践

近年来,受国际经济贸易和国内市场供需不平衡等因素影响,钢铁行业也随之发生新变化,正处于深度调整期。钢材产能过剩、环保压力、竞争激烈等一系列不利因素使企业处于转型升级“阵痛期”,钢铁行业面临严峻的生产经营形势。在这样大环境下,降本增效无疑成为企业立足的根本。榆钢高炉通过放宽入炉有害元素控制标准、提升块矿配比、优化焦炭结构、优化配煤结构等经济配料措施,以及强化原燃料筛分管理、优化炉内“四大制度”控制、炉前出铁组织优化等精细化操作管控,实现了炉况稳定顺行,大幅度降低了铁水成本。