Integration of Simulation and DEA to Determine the Most Efficient Patient Appointment Scheduling Model for a Specific Clinic Setting

This study develops a method to determine the most efficient scheduling model for a specific clinic setting. The appointment scheduling system assigns clinics' timeslots to incoming requests. There are three major scheduling models: centralized scheduling model (CSM), decentralized scheduling model (DSM) and hybrid scheduling model (HSM). In order to schedule multiple appointments, CSM involves one scheduler, DSM involves all the schedulers of individual clinics and HSM combines CSM and DSM. Clinic settings are different in terms of important factors such as randomness of appointment arrival and proportion of multiple appointments. Scheduling systems operate inefficiently if there is not an appropriate match between scheduling models and clinic settings to provide balance between indicators of efficiency. A procedure is developed to determine the most efficient scheduling model by the integrated contribution of simulation and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). A case study serves as a guide to use and as proof for the validity of the developed procedure

GIS-3D Platform to Help Decision Making for Energy Rehabilitation in Urban Environments

One of the main current challenges of European cities is to become energy self-sufficient entities. One of the vectors for this challenge is to improve the energy efficiency of the buildings and to promote the generation of renewable energies in the urban environment. The article describes a tool based on GIS-3D technologies to support the identification of the energy rehabilitation potential of neighbourhoods based on the introduction of renewable energies. The platform is based on a urban 3D model that collects the geometry of buildings, together with relevant information for the identification of rehabilitation opportunities (e.g. surfaces, heights, orientations and slopes). The project includes the generation of a cloud-based repository, which incorporates active and passive innovative solutions with metrics that allow the comparison of the solutions and the applicability of them to the real environment. The identification of rehabilitation opportunities combines information resulting from the diagnosis of the current energy performance of the district's buildings with the potential for renewable generation in the area. A multicriteria analysis process facilitates the identification of the most appropriate rehabilitation solutions for the analysed environment based on different criteria as energy, cost or applicability. The result can be visualized through a web tool that combines 2D and 3D information, with comparative information in a quantitative and geo-referenced manner. The flexibility of the architecture allows the application of the same approach to different urban challenges as the application of energy conservation measures to protected historic urban areas.The work of this paper has been done as part of the projects RE3D “Energy Rehabilitation in 3D” and RE2H “Energy Retrofitting of Historic Districts”, both partially funded by Basque Government, with references ZL-2017/00998 and ZL-2017/00981 respectively

EPP Energy Efficiency Calculation and Influencing Factor Analysis: Cases in China

Efficiency power plant (EPP) promotes the use of energy efficiency power plant technology and energy efficient equipment, coupled with its low-input, zero pollution, zero emissions, and other advantages, having an important role in the control of energy consumption and energy saving. In order to carry out scientific EPP investment decisions, the level of energy efficiency is an important basis for investment decisions. This paper introduces total factor energy efficiency (TFEE) in energy efficiency calculation of EPP, constructs energy efficiency calculation model considering environmental benefits, and takes the micro and macro cases in China for analysis; the results show that the TFEE of both single energy efficiency project and EPP are at a relatively high level (above 0.7), and there is a huge gap between calculation results considering and without considering the environmental benefit. In order to discuss energy efficiency influencing factors, the paper analyzes generalized technological advances variation feature of China typical provinces implementing EPP based on generalized technological advances decomposition model by Malmquist index, finding that the steady growth of M index in these provinces is derived from the management level of implementation of EPP and the large-scale production capacity of formation and management. We hope the models and conclusions could provide some references on EPP energy efficiency calculation and decision

Energy efficiency and sustainable growth in the industrial sector, evidence of European Union countries, Nonlinear ARDL approach

Energy efficiency and sustainable development, are the focus of many countries in the current times. This work analyses the energy efficiency in the industrial sector for 11 European Union countries for the time span of 1997 till 2013. The applied methodology focuses on the Nonlinear ARDL model, which allows to analyses the short and long run relationships in the ascending and descending movement of the variables. The main results indicate that the investment made in the economy are incremating energy efficiency and reducing the greenhouse gases (GHG). Economic growth is pushing the economy towards energy efficiency the same output is found in the Industry energy prices index. As robustness, the Environmental Kuznets curve using the GDPPC and as an alternative, the IPI are estimated. To ensure a rapid growth of energy efficiency and sustainable growth policymakers, must change and build new policies that lead to a greater investment to achieve the sustainable and efficient growth.Eficiência energética e crescimento sustentável são um alvo a atingir para muitos países. Considerando este foco, este trabalho centra-se na análise da relação entre a eficiência energética do sector industrial e o crescimento económico para o período de temporal de 1997 a 2013 em 11 países da União Europeia. Para esta análise foi utilizado o modelo NARDL, de forma a analisar efeitos de curto e longo-prazo, bem como movimento ascendentes e descendentes das varáveis consideradas neste estudo. Após a análise efetuada algumas das principais conclusões deste estudo revelam que o investimento efetuado pelo sector empresarial está a ser feito no sentido de atingir a eficiência energética e simultaneamente a redução de emissão de gases efeito de estufa (GHG). Outro resultado importante é o impacto do crescimento económico na eficiência energética, sendo que se verifica que o crescimento económico impulsiona o aumento da eficiência energética. Este resultado também se verifica com o índice de preços de energia do sector industrial, sendo que a existência de um preço incentiva o aumento da eficiência energética. Como robustez foi efetuada a curva de Kuznets ambiental (EKC), com o GDPPC e como alternativa o IPI, de forma a perceber como atingir a eficiência energética bem como o crescimento sustentável. Estes resultados revelam que os decisores políticos devem melhorar e criar novas politicas de incentivo ao crescimento sustentável e à eficiência energética. Politicas essas que se podem centrar no conceito de gestão da procura (DSM), como o real-time pricing, ou politicas de incentivo ao investimento e desenvolvimento tecnológico

Network Regulation under Climate Policy Review

Climate change policy, in particular in Europe, will a¤ect the energy sector through the exposure to massive penetration of distributed energy resources or decentralized generation into electricity distribution and transmission grids. As the prerequisites for infrastructure regulation still prevail in the future, the question arises whether the current regulatory model is still valid. In this paper, we chararcterize some of the e¤ects of climate change policy on the network tasks, assets and costs and contrast this with the assumptions implicit or explicit in current economic network regulation. The resulting challenge is identi ed as the change in the direction of higher asymmetry of information and higher capital intensity, combined with ambiguities in terms of task separation. Methodolog- ically, we argue that this may require a mobilization of the litterature related to delegated and hierarchical systems, e.g. team performance, as the externalities are joint products from multiple independent stages where individual regulation may introduce distortions. To provide guidance, we present a model of investment provision under regulation between a distribution system operator (DSO) and a potential investor-generation. The results from the model con rm the hypothesis that network regulation should nd a focal point, should integrate externalities in the performance assessment and should avoid wide delegation of contracting-billing for climate change technologies.network regulation; climate change; investments; distributed generation

Energy efficiency in a restructuring electricity distribution industry in South Africa : analysis and policy strategies

Bibliography: leaves 79-84

Prescreening Recommendations for Patients on Medical Cannabis

Marijuana is the most frequently used illegal substance in the United States and is most widely used among young people aged 12 to 21 years. Accurate screening and monitored issuance of medical cannabis recommendations have been shown to decrease abuse rates of the substance, create fewer deaths from opiates, reduce crime rates, reduce marijuana use in youths, decrease car crash deaths, and lessen prevalence of suicide in young men. The purpose of this project was to explore whether multiple screening methods for depression and anxiety in patients who seek medical cannabis referrals for anxiety and depression would improve screening and cannabis referral accuracy. A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted, and 2 screening tools were identified. The tools identified were the Zung self-rating anxiety scale and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 scale. The medical director at the project site reviewed the tools and approved them. These tools were then included in an education program for 12 staff members and providers with a pretest given to the participants prior to the staff education program. A posttest was then administered to the same group after the staff education program was completed and the new screening measures implemented. Results showed that referrals for cannabis were at 85% before the 2-step screening process was implemented; referrals for cannabis decreased to 60% with implementation of the dual screening method, suggesting increased accuracy in screening for depression and anxiety for cannabis referrals. This project might promote positive social change by increasing accuracy for cannabis referrals and reducing the risk of cannabis abuse

Demand response within the energy-for-water-nexus - A review. ESRI WP637, October 2019

A promising tool to achieve more flexibility within power systems is demand re-sponse (DR). End-users in many strands of industry have been subject to research up to now regarding the opportunities for implementing DR programmes. One sector that has received little attention from the literature so far, is wastewater treatment. However, case studies indicate that the potential for wastewater treatment plants to provide DR services might be significant. This review presents and categorises recent modelling approaches for industrial demand response as well as for the wastewater treatment plant operation. Furthermore, the main sources of flexibility from wastewater treatment plants are presented: a potential for variable electricity use in aeration, the time-shifting operation of pumps, the exploitation of built-in redundan-cy in the system and flexibility in the sludge processing. Although case studies con-note the potential for DR from individual WWTPs, no study acknowledges the en-dogeneity of energy prices which arises from a large-scale utilisation of DR. There-fore, an integrated energy systems approach is required to quantify system and market effects effectively

Simulation of intelligent active distributed networks implementation of storage voltage control

Tese de mestrado. Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores (área de especialização de Energias Renováveis). Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto, OFPZ Arsenal Ges.m.b.H. 200