CASE STUDY OF A BAKER COMPANY: WHEAT STOCK MANAGEMENT EVALUATION

The goal problem of this work is to propose improvement of wheat inventory management of a bakery, applying the inventory management method “P” and opportunity cost analysis. The study makes historical analysis of the company and proposes the adequacy of the model in order to reduce waste and production inefficiency. The adopted methodology is the case study, because the author does not have direct action during the elaboration of the work. The study shows through the basic calculations of the management model literature “P”, in order to propose the adequacy. The improvement proposal involves new quantities and periodicities of purchase, showing the feasibility of the opportunity cost study, seeking to insert the company's management model to the proposed one.

Frontline Response to High Impact Domestic Violence in Germany

With a total of 141,792 incidents in 2019, domestic violence is a serious problem throughout Germany. The country chapter provides an overview of crime statistics and results from victim studies and a cost study. Concerning legislation, there have been two major waves improving victim protection in recent times, initiated by implementing the Act on Protection against Violence in 2002 and the ratification of the Istanbul Convention in 2018. An ongoing trend towards interagency cooperation and setting up coordination bodies can be noted in the social sector, also incorporating law enforcement agencies and medical institutions. After delineating the scope of responsibilities of front-line responders in the police, medical, and social sectors, the country chapter describes examples of good practices for interagency cooperation. The country chapter concludes with the main challenges to be anticipated in combatting domestic violence. The three main objectives identified are minimising unreported cases, expanding the scope of interventions, and improving victim protection in the short and medium-term. In the long term, the implementation of policies and standards will be vital to evaluate and improve prevention and protection measures to assure a high and nationwide comparable quality standard.

A Multi-Message Multi-Receiver Signcryption Scheme with Edge Computing for Secure and Reliable Wireless Internet of Medical Things Communications

Thanks to recent advancements in biomedical sensors, wireless networking technologies, and information networks, traditional healthcare methods are evolving into a new healthcare infrastructure known as the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). It enables patients in remote areas to obtain preventative or proactive healthcare services at a cheaper cost through the ease of time-independent interaction. Despite the many benefits of IoMT, the ubiquitously linked devices offer significant security and privacy concerns for patient data. In the literature, several multi-message and multi-receiver signcryption schemes have been proposed that use traditional public-key cryptography, identity-based cryptography, or certificateless cryptography methods to securely transfer patient health-related data from a variety of biomedical sensors to healthcare professionals. However, certificate management, key escrow, and key distribution are all complications with these methods. Furthermore, in terms of IoMT performance and privacy requirements, they are impractical. This article aims to include edge computing into an IoMT with secure deployment employing a multi-message and multi-receiver signcryption scheme to address these issues. In the proposed method, certificate-based signcryption and hyperelliptic curve cryptography (HECC) have been coupled for excellent performance and security. The cost study confirms that the proposed scheme is better than the existing schemes in terms of computational and communication costs.

Health Status and Barriers to Healthcare Access among “Son-in-Law Westerners”: A Qualitative Case Study in the Northeast of Thailand

The northeast of Thailand is well-known as a popular destination where many male Westerners marry Thai women and settle down there. However, little is known about their health and well-being. This study aims to explore the Western husbands’ health status and identify barriers hindering their healthcare access. A qualitative case study was conducted from November 2020 to May 2021. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions with 42 key informants who were involved with social and health issues among these expatriates were carried out. The social determinants framework was adapted for guiding the interviews. Data were triangulated with field notes, document reviews, and researchers’ observations. Inductive thematic analysis was applied. Results showed that most male expatriates who married Thai women in the northeast were in their retirement years and had non-communicable diseases, health risk behaviors, and mental health problems. Most of them did not purchase health insurance and held negative impressions toward Thai public hospitals’ quality of care, which was denoted as the main barrier to accessing healthcare services. Other significant barriers consisted of high treatment costs commonly charged by private hospitals and language issues. While the improvement of healthcare quality and the provision of friendly health services are important, public communication with foreign residents, especially male expatriates, is recommended to increase understanding and improve perceptions of the Thai healthcare systems. A regular population-based survey on the health and well-being of expatriates in Thailand, a cost study of a health insurance package, a survey study on willingness to pay for health insurance premiums, and a feasibility survey exploring the opportunity to establish either voluntary or compulsory health insurance among this group should be undertaken.

Drug Utilization and Medical Cost Study Focusing on Moisturizers in Cancer Patients Treated With Molecular Targeted Therapy: a Retrospective Observational Study Using Data From a Japanese Claims Database

Purpose Molecular targeted therapies (MTTs) cause skin disorders in cancer patients, and moisturizers are useful treatments; however, their actual use and costs are unknown. Our purpose was to examine the use and costs of moisturizers prescribed for xerosis (asteatosis) in cancer patients treated with MTTs. Methods We used data from a Japanese hospital-based claims database. The index date was the first date of MTT prescription from October 2011 to April 2018 (selection period), and the follow-up period was 1 year from the index date. Patients treated with MTTs during the selection period and who were not prescribed moisturizers in the 6 months before the index date were included as the study cohort. Timing, duration, amount, and costs of the prescribed moisturizers and total medical costs were analyzed.Results Among the 78,190 patients in the study cohort, 27,906 patients (35.7%) were prescribed moisturizers during follow-up. Moisturizer prescription timing, duration, and volume were inconsistent. The average annual total medical costs for treating patients with MTT who were prescribed moisturizers was 6.165 million yen per patient, and the moisturizer costs were 6033 yen. The number of patients who used moisturizers showed an increasing trend.Conclusion No consistent patterns were observed for the timing or duration of moisturizer use, which suggests various developmental patterns of skin disorders. Furthermore, medical costs for moisturizers accounted for only a small proportion of the total medical costs required for cancer treatment.

Incidence and Costs of Hypoglycemia among Type II Diabetes Mellitus Patients in Turkey

We aimed to determine the lifetime and one-year incidence of hypoglycemia in adults who had been treated following a diagnosis of Type II Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), the factors that affected this incidence, and its effect on the use of health care resources. The descriptive cross-sectional cost study included adult T2DM patients who had an outpatient examination. Using a face-to-face interview method, patients were required to complete a questionnaire containing questions about sociodemographic characteristics, T2DM diagnosis and treatment features, and hypoglycemia events. Episode treatment costs of the patients in whom hypoglycemia was observed were calculated as direct cost per episode from the payer perspective. The mean age of the patients (n = 220) was 48.1 ± 11.8 (range 26-79) years, and the mean duration of disease was 4.5 ± 3.0 (range 1-16) years. According to treatment modalities, the frequency of hypoglycemia in the last year was 4.7% in the patients receiving oral antidiabetic drugs and 32.7% in the patients using insulin. In addition, 61.9% of the patients who had a hypoglycemic event in the last year presented to hospital, and 57.7% of these patients were hospitalized because of the hypoglycemic event. The incidence of hypoglycemia was 18 episodes of hypoglycemia per 100 patient years for T2DM patients and 25 severe hypoglycemia episodes per 100 patient years for patients using insulin. Significant predictors of hypoglycemia included insulin therapy (p = 0.000), regular use of medications (p = 0.013), hospitalization in the last year (p = 0.008), and exercise (p = 0.042). The average cost of a hypoglycemic event was calculated as Purchasing Power Parity İn Dollars ($PPP) 1.370.2 ± 1.407.0 (149.8-5,048.8). T2DM complications are the cause of a high economic burden. Hypoglycemia, which is one of these complications, is observed more frequently in patients who receive insulin therapy, who use regular medication, who do not exercise regularly, and who have been hospitalized in the last year.

Energy Logistics Cost Study for Wireless Charging Transportation Networks

Many cities around the world encourage the transition to battery-powered vehicles to minimize the carbon footprint of the transportation sector. Deploying large-scale wireless charging infrastructures to charge electric transit buses when loading and unloading passengers have become an effective way to reduce emissions. The standard plug-in electric vehicles have a limited amount of power stored in the battery, resulting in frequent stops to refill the energy. Optimal siting of wireless charging bus stops is essential to reducing these inconveniences and enhancing the sustainability performance of a wireless charging bus fleet. Wireless charging is an innovation of transmitting power through electromagnetic induction to portable electrical devices for energy renewal. Online Electric Vehicle (OLEV) is a new technology that allows the vehicle to be charged while it is in motion, thus removing the need to stop at a charging station. Developed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), OLEV picks up electricity from power transmitters buried underground. This paper aims to investigate the cost of the energy logistics for the three types of wireless charging networks: stationary wireless charging (SWC), quasi-dynamic wireless charging (QWC), and dynamic wireless charging (DWC), deployed at stops and size of battery capacity for electric buses, using OLEV technology for a bus service transit in the borough of Manhattan (MN) in New York City (NYC).