Cockpit crew pairing Pareto optimisation in a budget airline

Crew pairing is the primary cost checkpoint in airline crew scheduling. Because the crew cost comes second after the fuel cost, a substantial cost saving can be gained from effective crew pairing. In this paper, the cockpit crew pairing problem (CCPP) of a budget airline was studied. Unlike the conventional CCPP that focuses solely on the cost component, many more objectives deemed to be no less important than cost minimisation were also taken into consideration. The adaptive non-dominated sorting differential algorithm III (ANSDE III) was proposed to optimise the CCPP against many objectives simultaneously. The performance of ANSDE III was compared against the NSGA III, MOEA/D, and MODE algorithms under several Pareto optimal measurements, where ANSDE III outperformed the others in every metric.

VERTICAL INTEGRATION in AGRO-INDUSTRY: ECO-FRIENDLY GAMBIER PRODUCTS

Textile dyeing on fabrics and clothing causes environmental pollution and health problems. There is an innovation of natural coloring using gambier in the Gambo Muba fabric industry and the garment industry in Indonesia. Gambier farmers supply natural dye raw materials. Then through the supply chain of the Gambo Muba fabric industry and the garment industry, it causes vertical integration in the gambier agro-industry. This study uses primary data from 39 vertically integrated companies in the gambier agro-industry, including the gambier rubber industry, the Gambo Muba fabric industry, and the garment industry. The data was then analyzed using descriptive qualitative. This study analyzes the relationship between vertically integrated industries, including the transaction costs between them, their impact of vertical integration on added value, and their profitability. Vertically integrated industries have low transaction costs. The impact of vertical integration on the gambier agro-industry adds to the chain of economic activities that can increase added value and profits. The impact of vertical integration can reduce transaction costs, especially the supplier coordination cost component, distributor cost component, inter-company lobbying costs components. The benefits of vertical integration in the gambier agro-industry are increasing high added value, profit levels, decreasing environmental pollution, and agro-industry sustainability.

OUT OF POCKETS SPENDING AMONG BREAST CANCER WOMEN RECEIVING OUT-PATIENT TREATMENT IN A TERTIARY TEACHING HOSPITAL IN KUALA LUMPUR MALAYSIA

There is lack of information about the estimates of out-of-pocket (OOP) spending among women diagnosed with breast cancer and effects on their family’s financial situation in Malaysia. This study is to determine estimates of out-of-pocket spending among women with breast cancer in HCTM and identify factors that significantly associated with high OOP spending. This cross-sectional study assessed out of pockets spending among breast cancer women in HCTM for breast cancer as out-patient. Sampling unit is a woman who has been diagnosed breast cancer and receiving treatment and follows up in HCTM. A 189 breast cancer women were identified for a 6 months period between July to December 2017. Only those patients who received at least 6 months treatment in HCTM were recruited. Out of pocket spending for treatments for adjuvant therapy and follow up, consultations with other practitioners, care taker fee, equipment and traditional/complementary treatment were collected by face-to-face interview using structured questionnaires. The dependent variable was OOP, analyzed using SSPS v23 for descriptive analysis and both univariate and multivariate analysis.173 out of 186 women were recruited and only 172 were considered for cost calculation (participation rate, 93.0 %) in this study. Total out of pocket spending for breast cancer treatment in 2017 was RM 1,037,446.23 with women’s total means out of pocket spending was RM6031.66 (SD =/- 495.58). The highest percentage of cost component contributed by cost of adjuvant therapy, RM334,056.00 (30.2%) followed by traditional/complementary medicine, RM268,278.00 (24.3%), other expenses/private hospital, RM224,887.00 (20.4%), transportation RM 79,772.52 (7.2%), chemotherapy RM67,300.00 (6.1%), dressing RM54,850.00 (5.0%), equipment/prosthesis RM50,550.00 (4.6%) and care taker cost RM24,661.43 (2.2%). Out of pockets costs from breast cancer in HCTM for 2017 are a burden for women and their family. Financial support provides assistance to the out-of-pocket spending in breast cancer treatment and is able to reduce the financial burden among patients and families.

Consumption needs and Quality of Life: Austrian Economics and the causes of migration

This paper re-introduces the view on migration causes by the Austrian School of Economics. Austrian economics has not earned its fame in the field of migration, but rather on advocating libertarian economics. Nonetheless Mises outlined a migration model, which can be understood by adding some clarifications by Hayek. Given that the institutional barriers to migration raised by the state are removed, the interplay between market wages, standard wages, attachment component and cost component will determine the migration. While the attachment component relates to fundamental freedoms and to what is referred to as quality-of-life aspects today, the cost component relates to subjective consumption needs. Hitherto unexplored, this model offers new insights to the complex interplay between economic and sociological aspects determining migration drivers.

Sulphate removal technologies for the treatment of mine-impacted water

Mine-impacted water, including acid mine drainage (AMD), is a global problem. While precipitation of dissolved metals and neutralization of acidity from mine-impacted water is accomplished relatively easily with lime addition, removal of sulphate to permissible discharge limits is challenging. This paper presents a high-level comparison of four sulphate removal technologies, namely reverse osmosis, ettringite precipitation, barium carbonate addition, and biological sulphate reduction. Primarily operating costs, based on reagent and utility consumptions, are compared. Each process is shown to be subject to a unique set of constraints which might favour one over another for a specific combination of location and AMD composition. Access to and cost of reagents would be a key cost component to any of the processes studied. The total cost calculated for each process also depends on the type of effluents that are allowed to be discharged.

Implementation and first-year operating costs of an academic medical center-based syringe services program

Background Syringe services programs (SSPs) remain highly effective, cost-saving interventions for the prevention of blood-borne infections among people who inject drugs. However, there have been restrictions regarding financial resources allocated to these programs, particularly in the US South. This study aimed to provide cost data regarding the implementation and first-year operations of an academic-based SSP utilizing fixed and mobile strategies, including the integration of onsite wound care. Methods We conducted a micro-costing study that retrospectively collected detailed resource utilization and unit cost data for both the fixed and mobile SSP strategies, including onsite wound care, from both healthcare and societal perspectives. A three-step approach was used to identify, measure, and value intervention costs, and cost components were categorized into implementation, variable program, and time-dependent costs. Sensitivity analysis was performed to examine the impact of SSP operational changes (i.e., needs-based distribution and opt-out HIV/HCV testing) on the cost-per-participant. Cost data we presented as overall cost and cost-per-participant adjusted to 2017 US dollars. Results A total of 452 and 129 participants enrolled in fixed and mobile SSP services, respectively. The total cost associated with implementation and first year operations for the fixed site was $407,217.22 or $729.72 per participant and $311,625.52 or $2415.70 per participant for the mobile unit. The largest cost component for both modalities was time-dependent costs (personnel and overhead), while intervention materials (syringes, injection equipment, naloxone) were less than 15% of the total program cost. Discussion/conclusion Implementation and operation of new SSP models continue to be low cost compared to treatment for the multitude of harms PWID face without access to evidence-based prevention. Future cost-effectiveness and cost–benefit analyses integrating a comprehensive SSP model within an academic institution, including onsite wound care and other medical services, will provide a more comprehensive understanding of this model, and state-level policy action must be taken to lift the prohibition of state and local funds for the implementation, sustainability, and maintenance of these programs in Florida.

EFISIENSI TEKNIS, STRUKTUR BIAYA, DAN PENDAPATAN PENANGKARAN BENIH PADI INBRIDA DI KECAMATAN BUMI RATU NUBAN KABUPATEN LAMPUNG TENGAH

The purposes of this research are analyze technical efficiency, factors that affecting technical efficiency, cost structure, break even point, and income of inbred rice seed breeding. Furthermore, this research uses a survey method. The location of the research is chosen purposively in Bumi Ratu Nuban Subdistrict Central Lampung Regency as consideration that there are active and sustainable groups of farmer on inbred rice seed breeding. It should be noted that the number of respondent is 44 farmers which are collected randomly. Additionally, this research was conducted since August-September 2019. The analytical method uses frontier production function, multiple linear regression model, independent sample t-test, cost structure, break even point, and income analysis. The result shows that the level of technical efficiency is quiet efficient by 78.13 percent. Factors that significantly affecting technical efficiency are farming cost, revenue, capital, and land ownership status. The biggest cost component of cost structure for total cost is labor cost by 46.29 percent. Finally, the inbred rice seed breeding is profitable, because BEP value is smaller than revenue, production, and price that obtained by farmers and R/C for total cost is more than 1.Key words: cost structure, inbred rice seed breeding, income, technical efficiency

The feasibility of Indonesian potato’s farming and its global competitiveness

Potato’s farming in Indonesia is thought to be profitable. However, its competitiveness in global production is questionable. The purpose of this study is to analyze the financial feasibility of potato’s farming in Indonesia and its competitiveness in global production. The data used were the results of National Farmers Panel (PATANAS) surveys in 2008, 2011 and 2017. The cost and benefit analysis were used to analyze the financial feasibility. In addition, productivity and producer price were used to measure its global competitiveness. The results showed that potato’s farming during the period of 2008 to 2017 was highly profitable. The R/C ratios were high and continued to increase. These results showed that potato’s farming in the study area is profitable and feasible to be done. In contrast, although potato’s farming in the study area is very profitable, it has no competitiveness in global production, due to the relatively low yield and high cost shown by producer price. The highest cost component was seed. Therefore, there should be a significant effort to find out the efficient use of seed, as well as to increase the capacity of farmers in producing good quality seeds efficiently. It is a challenge for breeding research to produce potato’s varieties with higher yields than currently exist in Indonesia. Another challenge is the research on the use of cut seed into pieces with minimum of two shoots per section.

Pain-related health care costs for long-term care residents

Background We tested for differences in direct health care costs among long-term care (LTC) residents age 65 and older with clinically significant pain (CSP) and with no pain or non-daily mild pain (NP/NDMP). We are not aware of any other large scale investigation that examined the cost of pain in LTC environments. Methods Population-based administrative health data from Saskatchewan, Canada for 2004 to 2015 were used to compare direct health care costs for CSP and NP/NDMP groups up to one year after admission to LTC. Total accumulated costs for hospitalization, physician services, LTC, and prescription drugs were calculated in 2015 Canadian dollars. Group differences were tested using generalized linear models with generalized estimating equations. Results Amongst 24,870 LTC residents, 8289 (33.3%) were censored due to death or discharge in the 365-day study observation period. Of the 16,581 (66.7%) observed residents, 5683 (34.3%) had CSP at admission. Residents (66.3% female) had a mean age of 85 years (SD = 7.4). The mean annual total direct health care cost per resident was higher among the CSP group (CAD $8063) than the NP/NDMP group (CAD $6455). This difference was found even after including LTC costs, and for each cost component (i.e., CSP residents had higher hospitalization, physician, and prescription drug costs). Similar results were obtained after controlling for demographics, comorbidities, physical and cognitive impairment, prior health care costs, and facility characteristics. Conclusion The higher costs incurred by CSP residents compared to NP/NDMP residents are likely underestimated because pain problems are often missed in residents with dementia, who comprise a large portion of the LTC population. Improved pain care can reduce such costs and improve quality of life.

Corn farming analysis in Babar Island, District of Babar Islands, Southwest Maluku Regency

Babar Island is corn production center in District of Babar Islands. Maize is the dominant food commodities and a major food source for the community. Corn is the dominant crop commodity in Barbar Island and become staple food for the community. The farming are traditional and subsystems to meet farmers household needs and the excess (if any) will be sold but in very limited quantities. However the sales purpose is not commercial but just to meet the households needs that can not be substituted by other goods and only by few farmers if necessary. The farming is carried out on slash and burn dry land by polyculture cropping pattern that is combination of annual and perrenial crops. This study aimed to examine the feasibility and profitability of corn farming in Barbar island, using survey methods with stratified random sampling technique. The results showed that the cost of corn production in Barbar Island, district of Barbar Islands, South West Maluku Regency is consisted of fixed cost and variable cost. The fixed cost components is including : equipment depreciation costs and land rent costs. The variable costs includes : inputs costs (seeds, fertilizers, chemical) and labor costs. Variable costs is the largest cost component for corn farming. Corn farming is profitable and viable, as indicated by the average income Rp.2.647.396 compared to the average cost incurred by farmers Rp.2.520.934 and BC ratio of 1.05. This means that the production costs of Rp.2.520.934 will generate benefit 1.05 times of the cost.