scholarly journals Individual-versus group-optimality in the production of secreted bacterial compounds

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konstanze T. Schiessl ◽  
Adin Ross-Gillespie ◽  
Daniel M. Cornforth ◽  
Michael Weigert ◽  
Colette Bigosch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Function ◽  
Division Of Labor ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Cell Level ◽  
Compound Synthesis ◽  
Unicellular Organisms ◽  
Level Of Selection ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Evolution Of Specialization

AbstractHow unicellular organisms optimize the production of compounds is a fundamental biological question. While it is typically thought that production is optimized at the individual-cell level, secreted compounds could also allow for optimization at the group level, leading to a division of labor where a subset of cells produces and shares the compound with everyone. Using mathematical modelling, we show that the evolution of such division of labor depends on the cost function of compound production. Specifically, for any trait with saturating benefits, linear costs promote the evolution of uniform production levels across cells. Conversely, production costs that diminish with higher output levels favor the evolution of specialization – especially when compound shareability is high. When experimentally testing these predictions with pyoverdine, a secreted iron-scavenging compound produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, we found linear costs and, consistent with our model, detected uniform pyoverdine production levels across cells. We conclude that for shared compounds with saturating benefits, the evolution of division of labor is facilitated by a diminishing cost function. More generally, we note that shifts in the level of selection from individuals to groups do not solely require cooperation, but critically depend on mechanistic factors, including the distribution of compound synthesis costs.

An equilibrium displacement approach to analyzing the effects of tariff reduction on farmers’ profits

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 349-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Byeong-Il Ahn ◽  
Jeong-Bin Im
Keyword(s):  
Cost Function ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Differential Forms ◽  
Trade Agreement ◽  
Tariff Reduction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Equilibrium Displacement ◽  
Demand Equations ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Cost

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop an equilibrium displacement model (EDM) that is able to evaluate the impacts of a free trade agreement (FTA) on the profits of farmers. Empirical applications of the developed EDM are performed for evaluating the influences of Korea-Chile FTA on the grape industry in Korea. Design/methodology/approach Supply and demand equations together with profit function of individual farmers are converted into log-differential forms that compose the EDM. The cost function of grape producers is estimated for deriving the parameters that are required in applying the developed EDM. Findings The share of profit within revenue and the elasticity of cost with respect to quantity in the cost function play key roles in assessing the change in farmers’ profit. The empirical assessment of the effects of Korea-Chile FTA indicates that this FTA has little impact on the Korean grape market and grape producers in Korea. Originality/value Usefulness of the existing EDM has been limited in evaluating the impacts of exogenous shocks on the individual farmer level. This paper fills this gap by developing an EDM that assesses the impacts of tariff reduction on farm-level profit.

A cost-scale factor relationship for topographic mapping

CISM journal ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 367-376
Author(s):  
Sylvie Laroche ◽  
Angus C. Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Cost Function ◽  
Unit Cost ◽  
Scale Factor ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Topographic Mapping ◽  
Reference Scale ◽  
Universal Relationship ◽  
The Cost

An analysis of conventional map production costs such as provided by different organizations has led to the development of a universal relationship between cost and scale factor for topographic mapping: the “Laroche-Hamilton” unit cost function. This function has been established as: Cn = Ci x EF1.4 in which Ci = Unit cost per square kilometer (currency or person-hours) for production of topographic mapping; for the 1:50 000 reference scale, Ci is $36 CDN81 Cn = unit cost per square kilometer of any larger scale EF = scale enlargement factor on a reference scale basis (e.g., if Ci is 1:50 000 and Cn is 1:10 000, then EF is 5). It is implicit in this relationship that the type of terrain, the quality control and the type of end product are all comparable. For the particular case when the scale factor is doubled, this relationship predicts that the cost will increase by a factor of 2.5.

Considerations on the optimal processing capacity of beet sugar factories

2020 ◽  
pp. 363-379
Author(s):  
Rudolf Schick
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Industry ◽  
Cane Sugar ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Processing Capacity ◽  
Transport Costs ◽  
Optimal Capacity ◽  
Optimal Processing ◽  
Beet Sugar ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Cost

The economic situation of the European sugar industry is currently very tense. The expected introduction of a climate-neutral mode of operation by 2050 will require considerable investment in the coming decades. This will further strengthen the cost advantages of the cane sugar industry, which, in contrast to the beet sugar industry, has for many years been obtaining most of its energy requirements from the renewable fuel bagasse. In order to remain competitive with the cane sugar industry, further reductions in production costs are necessary. As it is hardly possible to increase efficiency through technological improvements, the most promising measures to reduce production costs will be to further increase the processing capacity of the individual factories and possibly extend the campaign. Using a simplified mathematical model, the influence of transport costs, labour costs and constant costs on the optimal capacity of beet sugar factories is investigated. The lowest production costs for white sugar are used as an optimality criterion.

Modeling enrichment kinetics from dynamic 13C-NMR spectra: theoretical analysis and practical considerations

1997 ◽  
Vol 272 (6) ◽  
pp. C2037-C2048 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Yu ◽  
N. M. Alpert ◽  
E. D. Lewandowski
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Analysis ◽  
Cost Function ◽  
Noise Level ◽  
Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle ◽  
Data Fitting ◽  
Biochemical Assays ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Cost

Measurements of oxidative metabolism in the heart from dynamic 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy rely on 13C turnover in the NMR-detectable glutamate pool. A kinetic model was developed for the analysis of isotope turnover to determine tricarboxylic acid cycle flux (VTCA) and the interconversion rate between alpha-ketoglutarate and glutamate (F1) by fitting the model to NMR data of glutamate enrichment. The results of data fitting are highly reproducible when the noise level is within 10%, making this model applicable to single or grouped experiments. The values for VTCA and F1 were unchanged whether obtained from least-squares fitting of the model to mean experimental enrichment data with standard deviations in the cost function (VTCA = 10.52 mumol.min-1.g dry wt-1, F1 = 10.67 mumol.min-1.g dry wt-1) or to the individual enrichment values for each heart with the NMR noise level in the cost function (VTCA = 10.67 mumol.min-1.g dry wt-1, F1 = 10.18 mumol.min-1.g dry wt-1). Computer simulation and theoretical analysis indicate that glutamate enrichment kinetics are insensitive to the fractional enrichment of acetyl-CoA and changes in small intermediate pools (< 1 mumol/g dry wt). Therefore, high-resolution NMR analysis of tissue extracts and biochemical assays for intermediates at low concentrations are unnecessary. However, a high correlation between VTCA and F1 exists, as anticipated from competition for alpha-ketoglutarate, which indicates the utility of introducing independent experimental constraints into the data fitting for accurate quantification.

scholarly journals When more competition may damage welfare with socially responsible firms

Ekonomia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 123-134
Author(s):  
Luciano Fanti ◽  
Domenico Buccella
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Cost Function ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Linear Quadratic ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Common View ◽  
Duopoly Model ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Welfare Changes

When more competition may damage welfare with socially responsible firmsConsidering a Cournot monopoly/duopoly model with linear/quadratic production costs and Cor­porate Social Responsibility CSR activities, this note shows that, in contrast to the common view, entry may reduce social welfare. Moreover, we remark that the higherthe CSR activities are, the more likely the welfare-damaging entry effect may occur, and thesocial welfare changes following a firm’s entry crucially depend on the degree of convexity of the cost function.

Concurrent Cost Calculations With a Feature-Based CAD System

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Leibi ◽  
Guenther Hoehne ◽  
Mahendra Hundal
Keyword(s):  
Computer Program ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Cost Calculation ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Cad System ◽  
Feature Based ◽  
Cost Calculations ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Time Expenditures ◽  
The Cost

Abstract The paper describes a procedure for calculating costs concurrent with the design process. The different modules of the computer program “IKF” are described. The modules include those for cost calculation, comparison and forecast. Form features are used for cost determination by classifying each feature and storing it in the detailed production plan. The production processes then follow from the list of stored features. The cost program takes the individual geometric data, e.g., part length, from the CAD program. The latter contains data sets, that describe the feature’s dimensions. The production time for the form feature is then calculated. From the time expenditures and the machine rates the program calculates the production costs for the given feature. Prior to developing the computer program a manual procedure was designed and developed. Upon testing, the group not using IKF took 40–50% more time and designed products that were about 80% costlier than the group using the IKF system. This procedure was then used as the model for the cost modules in a feature-based CAD program. Test cases dealing with sheet-metal design are described which demonstrate and quantify the advantages of this system.

Catalog-Based Customization

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bala Chidambaram ◽  
Alice M. Agogino
Keyword(s):  
Cost Function ◽  
Cost Estimation ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Estimation Methods ◽  
Optimization Formulation ◽  
Catalog Design ◽  
Standard Designs ◽  
Approximate Cost ◽  
The Cost

Abstract This paper develops a new method for implementing mass-customization, namely, the customization around standard products, or catalog-based customization. The method addresses the customization requirements of a class of products that are complex in configuration, multi-functional and structurally similar. We formulate catalog-based customization as an optimization problem consistent with the manufacturer’s goal of incurring minimal costs in the redesign of existing standard components, while meeting customer specifications and satisfying design constraints. The ‘catalog-based’ nature of the formulation raises concomitant issues of cost function development and problem simplification/solution. We identify the generational structure as best suited to exploit the cost data in existing catalogs and construct a product cost function. The cost-estimation methods used by the generational structure in the construction are identified as weight-based — for modeling the material costs, and methods based on similarity principles and regression analyses — for the production costs. The optimization formulation of catalog-based customization may be simplified by an a priori identification of a standard catalog design as the customization basis. This is accomplished with function costing — a cost-estimation hypothesis that uses product functionality to develop an approximate cost-estimate. The function-costing estimate is also used to abstract features from the standard base design into the optimization formulation. The preferred solution strategy for the optimization formulation is identified as genetic algorithms. We apply the customization method developed to Brushless D.C. Permanent Magnet (BDCPM) motors and obtain optimal minimal cost custom designs (from the standard designs of a BDCPM motor family) for different sets of customer requirements.

scholarly journals Building Cost Function 3D Benchmarks to Improve the Economic Statistical Design ofX¯Control Charts

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Santiago-Omar Caballero-Morales
Keyword(s):  
Cost Function ◽  
Control Charts ◽  
Statistical Design ◽  
Search Space ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
3D Analysis ◽  
Heuristic Methods ◽  
Nonlinear Functions ◽  
Statistical Process ◽  
The Cost

Shewhart or control charts are important Statistical Process Control (SPC) techniques used for prompt detection of failures in a manufacturing process and minimization of production costs which are modelled with nonlinear functions (cost functions). Heuristic methods have been used to find the chart’s parameters integrated within the cost function that best comply with economic and statistical restrictions. However heuristic estimation is highly dependent on the size of the search space, the set of initial solutions, and the exploration operators. In this paper the 3D analysis of the cost function is presented to more accurately identify the search space associated with each parameter ofX¯control charts and to improve estimation. The parameters estimated with this approach were more accurate than those estimated with Hooke and Jeeves (HJ) and Genetic Algorithms (GAs) under different failure distributions. The results presented in this work can be used as a benchmark to evaluate and improve the performance of other heuristic methods.

THEORETICAL PRINCIPLES OF FORECASTING THE COST OF A SOFTWARE PRODUCT

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavlo Rodionov ◽  
◽  
Anna Ploskonos ◽  
Lesya Gavrutenko ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Selection Process ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Software Products ◽  
Software Product ◽  
Continue Research ◽  
Cocomo Model ◽  
Factors Of Influence ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Cost

The paper analyzes the factors that affect the amount of effort required to create a mobile application and its cost. It is established that the main factors of influence are the design of the application, its functionality, the type of mobile platform, the availability and level of testing and support, as well as the individual characteristics of the developer. Based on the analysis of information sources, the main methods and approaches to forecasting the cost of software products are identified, which include the COCOMO model, Price-to-win method, expert evaluation, algorithmic methods and the method of analogies. It is proposed to consider the method of analogies as a tool that allows you to make predictions about the cost of resources required for the successful implementation of IT projects based on the experience of similar projects. It is proved that the advantages of this method are the simplicity of its implementation and the clarity of the results obtained, which follows from the practical orientation of this tool. Among the limitations of the method of analogy is the mandatory need for reliable data relating to similar projects, as well as the difficulty of taking into account unspecified indicators. Taking into account the mentioned limitations of the method of analogies and on the basis of the analysis of scientific sources the possible directions of its optimization are determined. Thus, among the ways to improve the effectiveness of this method are those aimed at optimizing the project selection process, the data for which are used as a basis for forecasting. Attempts to improve the method of analogies by including parameters that were previously ignored by this technique seem promising. This in turn can lead to an expansion of the scope of the method of analogies and increase the accuracy of forecasts. As prospects for further research, the need to continue research in the field of optimization of the method of analogies with the subsequent practical verification of theoretical positions on the data of real projects.

FUNCTIONING OF THE MENTAL DEFENSES IN THE CONDUCT OF INTERROGATION WITHIN THE CRIMINAL PROCESS

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 2161-2165
Author(s):  
Hristo Ivanov Popnikolov
Keyword(s):  
Objective Assessment ◽  
Critical Conditions ◽  
Criminal Process ◽  
External Influences ◽  
Administration Of Justice ◽  
Individual Protection ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Subjective Side

From the subject presented in the report it is evident that the pre-trial and the court bodies may, to some extent, be influenced both by the person of the accused and by his competence to participate in the criminal process. In this regard as an expert, the psychologist can offer invaluable assistance. Each expertise would assist all actors involved in the administration of justice on their objective assessment of the offenders, the understanding of their individual protection and the inherent self-justification during procedural actions. The involvement of psychologists in the criminal process is key to establishing the truth in the investigation, because every crime as an act has a subjective side, expressed in the psychic attitude of the perpetrator to the committed act. Establishing these psychological motives is a key point in the criminal process with a view to establishing the truth.Psychological protection stabilizes the personality in the critical conditions of counteraction, related to the elimination of the experiences of tension, anxiety, stress and frustration, leading to maximum mobilization of its resources and at the same time to their overpayment. Thus, the individual who is the subject of the process action is protected against the adverse external influences, but at the cost of a lot of effort and enormous loss of nervous-mental energy, which increases his own vulnerability instead of contributing to its reduction. The appearance and functioning of psychological protection can be significantly impeded by the interaction of the investigator with the accused. Even more complicated is the situation when it breaks the communication contact that may arise in the psychological alienation and self-isolation of the accused due to the desire to protect himself.Protective psychological dominance is a real psychic activity that investigators, investigators, investigators and judges need to take into account in order to effectively deal with their task and to overcome the resistance of the investigated persons and in a time to prove in a lawful and moral way their guilt and participation in the commitment of the crimes.

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