Melhoria do desempenho de uma secção de montagem final de uma empresa usando ferramentas Lean Production

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia e Gestão Industrial

Cuestiones controvertidas en evaluación económica (III). Intervenciones sanitarias en tres situaciones especiales: enfermedades raras, tratamientos al final de la vida y externalidades en las evaluaciones.

The development of the economic evaluation of health care interventions has become a support tool in making decisions on pricing and reimbursement of new health interventions. The increasingly extensive application of these techniques has led to the identification of particular situations in which, for various reasons, it may be reasonable to take into account special considerations when applying the general principles of economic evaluation. In this article, which closes a series of three, we will discuss, using the Metaplan technique, about the economic evaluation of health interventions in special situations such as rare diseases and end of life treatments, as well as consideration of externalities in assessments, finally pointing out some research areas to solve the main problems identified in these fields.

Start-up costs and pecuniary externalities as barriers to economic development

We use a dynamic monopolistic competition model to show that an economythat inherits a small range of specialized inputs can be trapped into alower stage of development. The limited availability of specialized inputsforces the final goods producers to use a labor intensive technology, whichin turn implies a small inducement to introduce new intermediate inputs. Thestart--up costs, which make the intermediate inputs producers subject todynamic increasing returns, and pecuniary externalities that result from thefactor substitution in the final goods sector, play essential roles in themodel.

Iowa Climate Change Advisory Council Final Report 2008.

On April 27, 2007, Iowa Governor Chet Culver signed Senate File 485, a bill related to greenhouse gas emissions. Part of this bill created the Iowa Climate Change Advisory Council (ICCAC), which consists of 23 governor-appointed members from various stakeholder groups, and 4 nonvoting, ex officio members from the General Assembly. ICCAC’s immediate responsibilities included submitting a proposal to the Governor and General Assembly that addresses policies, cost-effective strategies, and multiple scenarios designed to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions. Further, a preliminary report was submitted in January 2008, with a final proposal submitted in December 2008. In the Final Report, the Council presents two scenarios designed to reduce statewide greenhouse gas emissions by 50% and 90% from a 2005 baseline by the year 2050. For the 50% reduction by 2050, the Council recommends approximately a 1% reduction by 2012 and an 11% reduction by 2020. For the 90% reduction scenario, the Council recommends a 3% reduction by 2012 and a 22% reduction 2020. These interim targets were based on a simple extrapolation assuming a linear rate of reduction between now and 2050. In providing these scenarios for your consideration, ICCAC approved 56 policy options from a large number of possibilities. There are more than enough options to reach the interim and final emission targets in both the 50% and 90% reduction scenarios. Direct costs and cost savings of these policy options were also evaluated with the help of The Center for Climate Strategies, who facilitated the process and provided technical assistance throughout the entire process, and who developed the Iowa Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Forecast in close consultation with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and many Council and Sub-Committee members. About half of the policy options presented in this report will not only reduce GHG emissions but are highly cost-effective and will save Iowans money. Still other options may require significant investment but will create jobs, stimulate energy independence, and advance future regional or federal GHG programs.

Governor's Task Force on Efficiencies and Cost-Effectiveness in Iowa State Government,Final Report, December 1983

A special task force was formed and worked through its various committees to uncover and investigate possible areas for cutting costs and saving money in State Government operations. A total of 81 recommendations are made in this report, with potential savings of over $32 million during the next several years.

Iowa Research with Chem-Crete Bitumen: Final Report Iowa Highway Research Board Project HR-226, June 1986

With the spiraling cost of construction, coupled with inflation, engineers must develop and research new techniques to better utilize the public's dollar. One area i n which these new technologies must be researched is in the field of highway construction; more specifically, asphalt products. There are areas within the state of Iowa which do not have Class I aggregate readily available for asphalt concrete road construction. The cost of transporting higher quality aggregate specified in the "Standard Specifications for Highway and Bridge construction"' for construction projects is escalating on a yearly basis. Many counties will be squeezed out of the construction of new roadways if an alternative to the high costs is not identified. The same high costs will curtail adequate upkeep on the existing paved system and will result in decreased serviceability. For this reason, a product is needed to better utilize the local aggregates for road construction and maintenance. There i s a product on the market which the promoters claim will improve the prer?nt asphalt to such a degree as to "upgrade deficient aggregates" to the level they can be used in today's standard construction techniques. This product is "Chem-Crete Bitumen," a'kpecially refined asphalt" that was promoted by Chem-Crete Corporation of Menlo Park, California. Chemkrete Technologies, Inc. of Wickliffe, Ohio; a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lubrizol Corporation has since purchased the U.S.

Investigation of Electromagnetic Gauges for Determining In-Place HMA Density, Final Report, May 2007

Density is an important component of hot-mix asphalt (HMA) pavement quality and long-term performance. Insufficient density of an in-place HMA pavement is the most frequently cited construction-related performance problem. This study evaluated the use of electromagnetic gauges to nondestructively determine densities. Field and laboratory measurements were taken with two electromagnetic gauges—a PaveTracker and a Pavement Quality Indicator (PQI). Test data were collected in the field during and after paving operations and also in a laboratory on field mixes compacted in the lab. This study revealed that several mix- and project-specific factors affect electromagnetic gauge readings. Consequently, the implementation of these gauges will likely need to be done utilizing a test strip on a project- and mix-specific basis to appropriately identify an adjustment factor for the specific electromagnetic gauge being used for quality control and quality assurance (QC/QA) testing. The substantial reduction in testing time that results from employing electromagnetic gauges rather than coring makes it possible for more readings to be used in the QC/QA process with real-time information without increasing the testing costs.

Roadway Design Standards for Rural and Suburban Subdivisions Final Report, June 2007

In Iowa, there are currently no uniform design standards for rural and suburban subdivision development roadways. Without uniform design standards, many counties are unable to provide adequate guidance for public facilities, particularly roadways, to be constructed as part of a rural subdivision development. If a developer is not required to install appropriate public improvements or does not do so properly, significant liability and maintenance expenses can be expected, along with the potential for major project costs to correct the situation. Not having uniform design standards for rural and suburban subdivision development improvements in Iowa creates situations where there is potential for inconsistency and confusion. Differences in the way development standards are applied also create incentives or disincentives for developers to initiate subdivision platting in a particular county. With the wide range of standards or lack of standards for local roads in development areas, it is critical that some level of uniformity is created to address equity in development across jurisdictional lines. The standards must be effective in addressing the problem, but they must not be so excessive as to curtail development activities within a local jurisdiction. In order to address the concerns, cities and counties have to work together to identify where growth is going to be focused. Within that long-term growth area, the roadways should be constructed to urban standards to provide an easier transition to traditional urban facilities as the area is developed. Developments outside of the designated growth area should utilize a rural cross section since it is less likely to have concentrated urban development. The developers should be required to develop roadways that are designed for a minimum life of 40 years, and the county should accept dedication of the roadway and be responsible for its maintenance.

Evaluation of Recycled Rubber in Asphalt Cement Concrete - Field Testing, Final Report for HR-330, 330A, 330B, 330C, 330D, 2002

Roughly 242 million used tires are generated annually in the United States. Many of these tires end up being landfilled or stockpiled. The stockpiles are unsightly, unsanitary, and also collect water which creates the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes, some of which carry disease. In an effort to reduce the number of used tire stockpiles the federal government mandated the use of recycled rubber in federally funded, state implemented department of transportation (DOT) projects. This mandate required the use of recycled rubber in 5% of the asphalt cement concrete (ACC) tonnage used in federally funded projects in 1994, increasing that amount by 5% each year until 20% was reached, and remaining at 20% thereafter. The mandate was removed as part of the appropriations process in 1994, after the projects in this research had been completed. This report covers five separate projects that were constructed by the Iowa Department Of Transportation (DOT) in 1991 and 1992. These projects had all had some form of rubber incorporated into their construction and were evaluated for 5 years. The conclusion of the study is that the pavements with tire rubber added performed essentially the same as conventional ACC pavement. An exception was the use of rubber chips in a surface lift. This performed better at crack control and worse with friction values than conventional ACC. The cost of the pavement with rubber additive was significantly higher. As a result, the benefits do not outweigh the costs of using this recycled rubber process in pavements in Iowa.

Field Evaluation of Engineering Fabrics for Asphalt Concrete Resurfacing - Audubon County, HR-360, Final Report, 2001

An ACC overlay is most often the rehabilitative effort used to maintain the serviceability of either an ACC or PCC pavement. The major problem in durability of this ACC overlay comes from reflective cracking. These cracks usually open, allowing water to enter the unsealed crack and strip the ACC in the overlay. The stripping of the ACC allows accelerated deterioration at the crack. Two engineering fabrics were evaluated in this project in order to determine their effectiveness in reducing reflective cracking. These two materials are: • PavePrep, Contech Construction Products Inc. • ProGuard, Phillips Fiber Corporation The data indicated a statistically significant decrease in reflective crack formation in the ProGuard fabric sections compared to control. There was little evidence of a similar effect from the PavePrep fabric sections compared to control. However, the rate of cracking (the rate of formation of new cracks) for both fabrics and control tended to be similar after three years. The benefits of using these fabrics (possible delay of some crack formation by two years) on this project did not outweigh the costs of up to $4200.00 per mile.

Superpave Mix Designs for Low-Volume Roads, TR-414, Final Report, 2004

Most research current to the time of these projects was focused on use of Superpave mix designs on higher volume roads. Low volume roads have different requirements in terms of mix design, aggregate types, aggregate sources and project budgets. The purpose of this research was to determine if the Superpave mix design strategy for low volume roads was practical and economical. Eight projects were selected in five counties. The projects were completed in the summer of 1998. Performance evaluation of the resulting pavements was carried out annually. There was no significant increase in costs related to the use of Superpave. Nor were there any significant construction issues. There were some differences noted in placement and compaction in the field, but these were not serious.

Final Report (SPR Project 90-00-RB10-012) on the Maintenance Asset Management Project Phase I, 2012

This project resulted in the development of a proof of concept for a features inventory process to be used by field staff. The resulting concept is adaptable for different asset classes (e.g. culverts, guardrail) and able to leverage existing DOT resources such as the videolog and LRS and our current technology platforms including Oracle and our GIS web infrastructure. The concept examined the feasibility of newly available technologies, such as mobile devices, while balancing ease of use in the field. Implementation and deployment costs were also important considerations in evaluating the success of the project. These project funds allowed the pilot to address the needs of two DOT districts. A report of findings was prepared, including recommendations for or against full deployment of the pilot solution.

Final Report (SPR Project 90-00-RB10-012) on the Maintenance Asset Management Project Phase II, 2013

This project resulted in the development of a proof of concept for a features inventory process to be used by field staff. The resulting concept is adaptable for different asset classes (e.g. culverts, guardrail) and able to leverage existing DOT resources such as the videolog and LRS and our current technology platforms including Oracle and our GIS web infrastructure. The concept examined the feasibility of newly available technologies, such as mobile devices, while balancing ease of use in the field. Implementation and deployment costs were also important considerations in evaluating the success of the project. These project funds allowed the pilot to address the needs of two DOT districts. A report of findings was prepared, including recommendations for a full deployment of a field data collection.

Taxing Sweets: Sweetener Input Tax or Final Consumption Tax?

In order to reduce obesity and associated costs, policymakers are considering various policies, including taxes, to change consumers high-calorie consumption habits. We investigate two tax policies aimed at reducing added sweetener consumption. Both a consumption tax on sweet goods and a sweetener input tax can reach the same policy target of reducing added sweetener consumption. Both tax instruments are regressive, but the associated surplus losses are limited. The tax on sweetener inputs targets sweeteners directly and causes about five times less surplus loss than the final consumption tax. Previous analyses have overlooked this important point.

1208-005 North Raccoon Watershed Final Report

The Buena Vista SWCD is submitting this WIRB request on behalf of both Buena Vista and Pocahontas SWCDs. The two SWCDs are working jointly on a project that includes three existing Mississippi River Basin Imitative (MRBI) project areas in the North Raccoon River Watershed. The total project area is 280,654 crop acres. The MRBI project involves installing conservation practices through the EQIP program. Funding from MRBI will support costs of practice design, layout and checkout, however, there is no funding to market and sell the program and practices to landowners and producers in the project area. Both soil and water districts are financially supporting work currently being done to encourage signup for the approved practices. To effectively implement the MRBI project it is imperative that marketing and promotion through group meetings and one-on­ one contacts is completed. Funding from WIRB will allow the existing employee to spend the needed time on these promotional activities in both Buena Vista and Pocahontas County. Through this WIRB request these two SWCDs districts plan to apply over $800,000 worth of conservation practices that is funded through the MRBI program. The return from this investment of WIRB dollars is large. This is an opportunity to support a large amount of conservation work in the North Raccoon River Watershed, which, is also an important water source for the city Des Moines and provides recreational activities from Des Moines up to BY and Pocahontas Counties.