Estimating capital and operational costs of backhoe shovels

Material loading is one of the most critical operations in earthmoving projects. A number of different equipment is available for loading operations. Project managers should consider different technical and economic issues at the feasibility study stage and try to select the optimum type and size of equipment fleet, regarding the production needs and project specifications. The backhoe shovel is very popular for digging, loading and flattening tasks. Adequate cost estimation is one of the most critical tasks in feasibility studies of equipment fleet selection. This paper presents two different cost models for the preliminary and detailed feasibility study stages. These models estimate the capital and operating cost of backhoe shovels using uni-variable exponential regression (UVER) as well as multi-variable linear regression (MVLR), based on principal component analysis. The UVER cost model is suitable for quick cost estimation at the early stages of project evaluation, while the MVLR cost function, which is more detailed, can be useful for the feasibility study stage. Independent variables of MVLR include bucket size, digging depth, dump height, weight and power. Model evaluations show that these functions could be a credible tool for cost estimations in prefeasibility and feasibility studies of mining and construction projects

Evaluation of Major Psychiatric Disorders in Patients in Rafsanjan, Iran, with Acne Vulgaris

Background: Skin health and mental health are highly correlated. Considering that less attention has been paid to multidisciplinary fields, we evaluated the prevalence of mental disorders and related problems in patients with acne vulgaris in the city of Rafsanjan, Iran.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. The study population included all patients with acne vulgaris in Rafsanjan who were referred in 2016 to a skin and hair clinic. After the patients agreed to participate, they underwent a psychological interview. Using the Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and suicide questionnaires, their data were recorded and collected. Data were then analyzed using the chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test.Results: Of 100 patients evaluated (48 women and 52 men), 8% had severe anxiety, 61% had moderate anxiety, and 31% had mild anxiety. Moreover, 64% of patients had mild depression, 29% had moderate depression, and 7% had severe depression. Of all patients, only one had a high risk for suicide attempts. We did not find any significant relationship between anxiety or suicide disorder and any of following variables: marital status, disease duration, amount of lesions, location of lesions, and expansion of lesions. We observed that with increasing duration of illness, expansion of lesions, and level of lesions, depression increased significantly in patients with acne vulgaris. Location of lesions was not associated with depression.Conclusion: The prevalence of anxiety and depression is high in patients with acne vulgaris. Acne disease is more significantly correlated with depression

Opium Induces Apoptosis in Jurkat Cells

Background: The direct effect of some opioids on immune cells has been demonstrated. The aim of this study was to assess the apoptotic effect of opium on Jurkat T lymphocyte cells. Methods: Different concentrations of opium (2.86 × 10-3 to 2.86 × 10-11 g/ml) were added to 24-well plates containing 5 × 105 Jurkat cells. Apoptotic events were assessed after 6, 24, and 72 hours by flow-cytometric detection of surface phosphatidylserine. Findings: Significant differences in apoptosis of Jurkat cells were seen at 24 and 72 hours in different concentrations of opium (P < 0.05). After 72 hours, significant increase in necrosis of Jurkat cells was seen in opium concentration of 2.85 × 10-3 g/ml compared to cells without opium (control) (P < 0.05). Conclusion: These results showed that opium directly increases apoptosis and necrosis of T lymphocytes. This effect may play a role in immune dysfunction in opium addicts.Keywords: Opium, Apoptosis, Necrosis, Jurkat cell

Non – Detection of HPV DNA in Prostatic Cancer and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: a case- control study in Kerman

Background: Different studies assessed the role of inflammation in malignancy of different organs. Prostatitis has been suggested as a cause of cancer and BPH. Till now, more than 100 types of human Papilloma virus (HPV) are recognized including low and high-risk groups for carcinogenesis. Among them HPV-16 and HPV-18 have shown further association with cancer. Regarding the presence of E6 and E7 in HPV and ability for modification of basal epithelial cells, related role in prostate cancer (as well as cervical and genital malignancies) is hypothesized. The aim of this study was to determine the association of HPV-16 and HPV-18 with prostate cancer and malignancy degree. Methods: A total of 75 consecutive paraffin-embedded blocks including 50 samples with primary prostate cancer and 25 samples with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) as control were studied. Amplisense kit was used for replication at real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to determine genotypes of HPV-16 and HPV-18. DNA purity was assessed by Nano Drop. Results: The results of real-time PCR demonstrated that none of the samples of BPH and prostate cancer had amplification of HPV DNA. Conclusion: The results revealed that HPV-16 and HPV-18 are not causes of prostate cancer

Global investments in pandemic preparedness and COVID-19: development assistance and domestic spending on health between 1990 and 2026

Background The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted gaps in health surveillance systems, disease prevention, and treatment globally. Among the many factors that might have led to these gaps is the issue of the financing of national health systems, especially in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), as well as a robust global system for pandemic preparedness. We aimed to provide a comparative assessment of global health spending at the onset of the pandemic; characterise the amount of development assistance for pandemic preparedness and response disbursed in the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic; and examine expectations for future health spending and put into context the expected need for investment in pandemic preparedness. Methods In this analysis of global health spending between 1990 and 2021, and prediction from 2021 to 2026, we estimated four sources of health spending: development assistance for health (DAH), government spending, out-of-pocket spending, and prepaid private spending across 204 countries and territories. We used the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)'s Creditor Reporting System (CRS) and the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database (GHED) to estimate spending. We estimated development assistance for general health, COVID-19 response, and pandemic preparedness and response using a keyword search. Health spending estimates were combined with estimates of resources needed for pandemic prevention and preparedness to analyse future health spending patterns, relative to need. Findings In 2019, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, US$9·2 trillion (95$7·3 trillion (95% UI 7·2–7·4) in 2019; 293·7 times the $24·8 billion (95$43·1 billion in development assistance was provided to maintain or improve health. The pandemic led to an unprecedented increase in development assistance targeted towards health; in 2020 and 2021, $1·8 billion in DAH contributions was provided towards pandemic preparedness in LMICs, and$37·8 billion was provided for the health-related COVID-19 response. Although the support for pandemic preparedness is 12·2% of the recommended target by the High-Level Independent Panel (HLIP), the support provided for the health-related COVID-19 response is 252·2% of the recommended target. Additionally, projected spending estimates suggest that between 2022 and 2026, governments in 17 (95% UI 11–21) of the 137 LMICs will observe an increase in national government health spending equivalent to an addition of 1% of GDP, as recommended by the HLIP. Interpretation There was an unprecedented scale-up in DAH in 2020 and 2021. We have a unique opportunity at this time to sustain funding for crucial global health functions, including pandemic preparedness. However, historical patterns of underfunding of pandemic preparedness suggest that deliberate effort must be made to ensure funding is maintained

Investigating the Impact of Social Capital on Team Innovation with the Mediating Role of Knowledge Sharing (Case Study: Isfahan Tuka Steel Co.)

Today’s organizations need innovation and teamwork for survival and one of the pre-requisites for innovation is the attention to social capital and human resources in the organization. Therefore, the present study investigates the impact of structural, cognitive and communication social capital on team innovation through knowledge sharing, in Tuka Steel holding company. This research belongs to descriptive-correlational researches and conducted by survey method. The statistical population of the study consisted of 400 employees of Tuka Steel holding company in Isfahan. The sample was 196 people based on Morgan’s table. This sample was selected through simple random sampling method. 192 respondents completed the questionnaire. Validity of questionnaire was confirmed by experts and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach’s alpha of 0.769. Based on the results obtained by analyzing the data by structural equation modeling, it was determined that the dimensions of social capital, both indirectly and indirectly, through knowledge sharing, had a positive and significant impact on the innovation of the employees

Economic Evaluation and Sensitivity-Risk Analysis of Zarshuran Gold Mine Project

Zarshuran gold deposit, with the total reserves of some 12.5 million tons of 4.18 g/ton ore, is considered to be an important gold mining project in the area. In this paper the feasibility studies of the whole project is carried out on the basis of several economic variables. Given that mining data are often of uncertain nature, these economic variables have therefore been estimated under the conditions of uncertainty. The resultant Net Present Value is hence also obtained under the same conditions. For this purpose, a model is first devised with the help of Excel and COMFAR software. The model is then developed that considers different scenarios which would result in different expected values for the economic variables. It is concluded that the NPV of the project is most sensitive to gold and silver price and that other variables such as discount rate, operating and capital cost all affect the feasibility of the project with lower degree of severity. Finally, risk analysis is also carried out using Mont Carlo technique, in order to estimate the most probable value of NPV. The average NPV calculated in this way is US$49.7 Million, whilst without due consideration of risk, this would be US$ 36.6 Million. The techniques used, together with the procedures adopted in this paper, can be used in feasibility studies of all mining projects. Such decision would result in more accurate Net Present Values than expected from other frequently used methods

Productivity Improvement in a Steel Industry using Supply Chain Management Technique

Cost reduction is one of the methods applied for improving the productivity of organizations. In productivity literature, particularly in nonparametric methods, cost reduction related methods are regarded as input oriented models. This paper presents a Supply Chain Management (SCM) model in which purchasing iron ore and coke from different resources, along with production and distribution of steel products were investigated to improve the productivity of a steel making plant in Iran. The model was designed based on a single objective concept with a focus on total cost minimization. The constraints of the model consisted principal restriction concerning mines, coke plant and products. The model was implemented in steel factories (blast furnace) affiliated with Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO).The results showed that the priority for providing iron ore should be given to Iran Central Iron Ore Company (ICIOC) which has enough production capacity to satisfy the required ores. The results further suggested that at the best productivity condition, Isfahan steel plant should focus on the beam and bar production. The other plants, i.e. Zagros plant, should focus on L-beam and slab and finally Meibod steel plant should concentrate on slab production. It was also showed that the coke production plants cannot supply the required tonnage of the steel plants. Therefore, some new plants should be established to achieve self-sufficiency in this industry. This model can be used as a support tool for decision-makers at strategic and tactical decision levels