CORRELATION BETWEEN VALUE ENGINEERING AND SUSTAINABILITY IN CONSTRUCTION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Value engineering (VE) is a practical approach for economic saving and enhancing quality, thereby increasing sustainability in the construction industry. This study presents a latent correlation between VE and sustainability in the construction industry. Such correlation is an adapted method from the current VE process that analyzes the effects of sustainability factors on alternative local building materials cost/performance through its lifecycle stages. The model enables the study team to apply the methodology during the briefing process and change their thoughts from the only cost to value. The paper also suggests three stages for applying a correlation study within the early stages of a project. The study modified each stage by considering the sustainability factors. The methodology was synthesized based on a review of previous studies reinforced by an electronic survey. This paper presents the model’s application in an apartment project’s case study. This case study presents the methodology and calculations of the correlation study. The results show that the estimated savings of the alternatives reach approximately 20% of the original material’s cost; hence, considerable savings in the total project cost reach up to 12.3% and delivered sustainability. The interests of VE and sustainability show a positive correlation; hence, integrating the two should add value to construction projects. This study contributes to the industry that is equivalent to the current VE process.

Implementing fast track surgery in hip and knee arthroplasty using the lean Six Sigma methodology

PurposeOne of the biggest challenges in the health sector is that of costs compared to economic resources and the quality of services. Hospitals register a progressive increase in expenditure due to the aging of the population. In fact, hip and knee arthroplasty surgery are mainly due to primary osteoarthritis that affects the elderly population. This study was carried out with the aim of analysing the introduction of the fast track surgery protocol, through the lean Six Sigma, on patients undergoing knee and hip prosthetic replacement surgery. The goal was to improve the arthroplasty surgery process by reducing the average length of stay (LOA) and hospital costsDesign/methodology/approachLean Six Sigma was applied to evaluate the arthroplasty surgery process through the DMAIC cycle (define, measure, analyse, improve and control) and the lean tools (value stream map), adopted to analyse the new protocol and improve process performance. The dataset consisted of two samples of patients: 54 patients before the introduction of the protocol and 111 patients after the improvement. Clinical and demographic variables were collected for each patient (gender, age, allergies, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) score).FindingsThe results showed a 12.70% statistically significant decrease in LOS from an overall average of 8.72 to 7.61 days. Women patients without allergies, with a low ASA score not suffering from diabetes and cardiovascular disease showed a significant a reduction in hospital days with the implementation of the FTS protocol. Only the age variable was not statistically significant.Originality/valueThe introduction of the FTS in the orthopaedic field, analysed through the LSS, demonstrated to reduce LOS and, consequently, costs. For each individual patient, there was an economic saving of € 445.85. Since our study takes into consideration a dataset of 111 patients post-FTS, the overall economic saving brought by this study amounts to €49,489.35.

Sistema de Aseguramiento de Calidad (SAC), basado en la metodología Six Sigma para reducir la variabilidad de tono en los procesos de inyección-soplo de plástico

This application develops a Quality Assurance System (SAC), designed in accordance with the requirements of the injection-blow production process corresponding to the plastics industry, which contributes 2.6% of the national GDP. The objective raises the quantitative improvement of the Sigma level of the analyzed company, seeking a reduction of 20% in the costs generated by the problem called "tone variation", originated in the plastic injection-blow production line, based on the methodology Six Sigma (DMAIC). The methodology consists of five phases, which allow the achievement of the proposed objective: Phase 1. Define the problem, Phase 2. Data collection and analysis, Phase 3. Analysis of the causes and critical factors of the problem, Phase 4. Proposal for improvement of the implementation of tools to solve the problem, Phase 5. Control: design of a measurement system to ensure the stability of product quality. With the implementation of the tools derived from the analysis and the results obtained in each phase, a level of 3.7 σ is obtained, increasing by 0.3 σ, with respect to the initial Sigma level of 3.4, translated into an annual economic saving of $ 141,120.00.

Influence of Orthogeriatrics on the Morbidity and Mortality of Patients with Hip Fracture.

BACKGROUND: Osteoporotic hip fractures often occur in fragile, elderly patients and are associated with a significant morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study is to evaluate the morbidity and mortality together with the length of hospital stay in patients with hip fracture in two non-consecutive years and to compare their evolution with the involvement of a specialist in orthogeriatric care.MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective study that reviewed a total of 633 patients with an average age of 85.5 years who suffered a hip fracture and were treated in the same service of Trauma and Orthopaedics in two different years (2012 and 2017). We have analysed mortality, morbidity during their hospital stay, the length of hospital stays and the cost-benefit after the implication of a specialist in orthogeriatric care in 2017.RESULTS: Mortality during their hospital stay decreased significantly from 10% in 2012 to 3.6% in 2017. We have also observed a decrease in mortality at 30 days (10.5% versus 7%) and after one year (28.9% versus 24.9%) between both groups, although these differences were not statistically significant. The length of hospital stays decreased significantly between both periods observed. The average stay decreased by 4.8 days, the surgical delay decreased by 1.1 days and the postoperative hospital stay decreased by 3.4 days. The total annual economic savings estimated due to the involvement of a geriatrician in the follow-up of patients with hip fracture was 1,017.084.94€.CONCLUSIONS: The multidisciplinary approach of patients with hip fracture results in a more effective and more efficient care model. The quality of care and the clinical care optimisation of patients in the perioperative period improve and both hospital stay and mortality during hospital stay decrease significantly. A significant economic saving is also obtained in the treatment of this pathology.

Implementation of the ISO 50001 standard to sustainable energy and economic saving the industrial sector

Given the growth in energy demand, the limited energy resources, and the high environmental impact of energy generation from fossil fuels, it is vital to find methods to obtain save energy costs in different sectors, such as residential, industrial, transportation sector, and domestic. This paper presents a methodology that allows the implementation of an energy management system following the guidelines of the ISO 50001 standard. A gap analysis was performed to determine the position of the organization with respect to the requirements of the standard, and the next step was the inspection of the plant to find opportunities for improvement that would lead to energy optimization. From the results, six equipment was the cause of the 82% of the energy consumption in the production process, and some recommendation was proposed with the aim to optimize energy consumption. A methodology is proposed for the standard implementation, which can be implemented by different organizations from different fields to achieve savings in energy costs in the plant. Some relevant actions to improve the energy performance of the plant were proposed, such as the optimization of the compressed air system, the reduction of potential numbers of leakage, and the reduction of the working pressure of the system.

COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH: HEALTH BUDGETS IN A MULTIFACTORIAL CONTEXT

In the last three years the Department of Mental Health of the ASP (Provincial Health Company) Agrigento (Italy) has become the protagonist of an attempt to change the cultural reality of mental health in its own territory, to ready local communities to overcome the prejudices linked to the stigma connected to psychiatric pathology through the implementation of an experimental project funded by the Sicily Region, the PON (National Operational Plan) 19.2. At the same time, the Department of Mental Health of the Provincial Health Authority (ASP) has experimented with the introduction of flexibility in care pathways for serious patients so as to pursue a model of integrated intervention combining the efforts public health, private social, citizens (training / work, residential care) in which public health continues to respect the responsibility and ownership of the service but is enriched with new human resources to promote patient citizenship itineraries. All this is in order to prevent mental health problems, stimulate the inclusion and active participation of those suffering from mental health problems - recognizing the experience and skills of patients and caregivers as an essential basis for the planning and development of mental health services. The goal of the project was to reduce the isolation of psychiatric patients by adopting new methods that determined an economic saving and a higher quality in therapeutic results: tools within the Health Budget

Safe operation of Induction Motor with Programmable Logic Controller and Human Machine Interface

Energy efficiency of Induction motor (IM) is essential in the current scenario due to the reasons such as energy conservation and economic saving. In this project, the implementation of the safe speed control of IM is done. The Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) monitors the speed and trips the motor under safety requirements. PLC is used to control three phase IM with the Variable Frequency Drive (VFD). The availability of drive data and software helps to manipulate and analyze process the information. The Human Machine Interface (HMI) is used for the visual monitoring and control of the induction motor. The PLC based control platform makes system to be communicated to other devices on network and makes the system more flexible for its operation and control. The results shows that, the speed of the induction motor varies linearly with the change in frequency in HMI and the motor trips if there is any human interference within 10 cm operating range of IM.

3E-Analysis of a Bio-Solar CCHP System for the Andaman Islands, India—A Case Study

Energy services are especially expensive on remote islands due to longer and more unstable fuel supply chains. In this paper, different renewable energy systems utilizing locally available biomass and solar energy are proposed as alternatives for a hotel resort on Neil Island, India. Based on local demand data, commercial information, and scientific literature, four cases are modelled with the simulation software HOMER and their economic, energetic, as well as ecological (3E) performances are compared. The robustness of each case configuration is tested with a sensitivity analysis. The results show that a biomass-based, solar-assisted combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) system offers an economic saving potential of more than 500,000 USD over twenty years and could decrease CO2 emissions by 365 t per year. When not applying CCHP measures, system performance is significantly worsened. A solar and battery-assisted diesel generator system shows similar economic outcomes as the CCHP system but worse ecological performance. Implementing the biomass-based CCHP system could improve the ecological footprint of the island, substantially decrease expenditure for the hotel owner, and generate a new source of income for surrounding farmers through biomass selling.

Date Seeds (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Valorization for Boilers in the Mediterranean Climate

: Energy saving is a global priority, as it is helping both energy and environmental sustainability by reducing CO2 emissions. The search for new energy solutions is therefore necessary. In the Mediterranean climate, resources are generally scarce, and all energy sources need to be explored, including biomass from agricultural or industrial waste. There is a clear upward trend in date worldwide production, having doubled its world production in the last 10 years, and this trend is particularly relevant for Mediterranean climate countries, especially in North Africa and nearby countries. This study analyzes the properties associated with the date seed (Phoenix dactylifera L.) to evaluate its suitability and viability as a new biofuel. Specifically, the viability of replacing the existing gas boiler in a university building in the south of Spain with a system of biomass boilers using this biomass was analyzed as a case study. The results reveal that this biomass has HHV values very similar to those of other biomass sources, 19.121 MJ/kg. With the replacement of the gas boiler by a biomass that uses the date seed, a reduction of 95 tons of CO2 per year is obtained and an economic saving of more than 66% is achieved. In short, this work opens new perspectives for the use of this biomass of date seed in boilers and it is an efficient solution for large public buildings such as the buildings of Mediterranean climate universities.