Composite materials offer an appealing combination of low weight and high strength that is especially sought after in high-performance applications. The use of composite materials has and is continuing to increase, and the use of the material has been shown to provide substantial weight savings in for example aircraft design. With an increased use of composite materials follows an increased dem...

OBJECTIVES This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of a smoking cessation and relapse-prevention program for hospitalized adult smokers from the perspective of an implementing hospital. It is an economic analysis of a two-group, controlled clinical trial in two acute care hospitals owned by a large group-model health maintenance organization. The intervention included a 20-minute bedside co...

Up to now, the construction industry is mainly characterized by open-loop material systems. Considering that dumping capacities are limited, land for landfill is reduced and natural resources have to be preserved, it is obvious that closed-loop material systems have to be established. Following the maxims of sustainability, these closed-loop systems have to respect technical, ecological and eco...

Over the past two decades, a large number of metallic foams have been developed. In recent years research on this multi-functional material class has further intensified. However, despite their unique properties only a limited number of large-scale applications have emerged. One important reason for this sluggish uptake is their high cost. Many cellular metals require expensive raw materials, c...

Supply contracts are a medium for coordinating materials and information flows in supply chains aiming at reducing uncertainties, order variances, delivery lead times, and inventory risks with increased fill rates. Practitioners were always up-front involved in designing and negotiating clauses of so called quantity flexibility contracts. Meanwhile researchers have proved the advantage of such ...

We report on a new approach to quickly synthesize high-quality single crystalline wide band gap silicon carbide (SiC) films for development of high-performance deep ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors. The fabricated SiC based UV photodetectors exhibited high response while maintaining cost-effectiveness and size miniaturization. Focus of the experiments was on studies of electrical and electronic ...

The need of new diagnostic methods satisfying, as an early detection, a low invasive procedure and a cost-efficient value, is orienting the technological research toward the use of bio-integrated devices, in particular bio-sensors. The set of know-why necessary to achieve this goal is wide, from biochemistry to electronics and is summarized in an emerging branch of electronics, called proteotro...

287 Numerous organizations are involved in distributing goods and materials. When shipping alternatives exist, the selection of the appropriate shipping alternative (mode) for each shipment may result in significant cost savings. This paper describes a highly flexible dispatching system that selects the shipping mode to be used for each shipment while minimizing the overall shipping costs. Mult...

Quantitative research that aimed to identify the mean total cost (MTC) of connecting, maintaining and disconnecting patient-controlled analgesia pump (PCA) in the management of pain. The non-probabilistic sample corresponded to the observation of 81 procedures in 17 units of the Central Institute of the Clinics Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo. We calculated the MTC multip...

From the mid-1980s until 1994, U.S. oil and gas exploration and production steadily declined, forcing a significant increase in U.S. imports of crude oil. For example, in 1994, the United States imported more than 50 percent of the nation's total demand, which was the highest level since 1990. To economically develop U.S. oil production in deep-water locations, the industry needed strong, light...