Application of Dynamic Programming in Long-Range Pipeline Facility Planning and in Assessing Off-Design and Off-Flow-Forecast Trajectories

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. K. Botros ◽  
C. Foy ◽  
B. Chmilar
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Programming ◽  
Long Range ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Planning Horizon ◽  
Design Flow ◽  
Facility Planning ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Planning Problems ◽  
Flow Forecast

Dynamic programming (DP) inherently provides a methodology for evaluating a series of decisions in order to determine an optimal policy or path forward. The methodology basically enumerates and evaluates alternative states over the planning horizon in formulating the optimum strategy. In the present work, the concept of DP has been applied to pipeline long-range facility planning problems, and further extended to allow evaluation of nth optimum pipeline facility deployments based on cost and/or probabilities of constraints. The best four options were further analyzed considering uncertainties in the cost elements and the resulting economic risk associated with each optimum path. This paper presents the theory behind the extension of the DP methodology to pipeline long-range facility-planning problems over a planning horizon that considers inherent uncertainties in gas supply and demand as well as a range of available facility options. Uncertainties in the size and location of the required facilities to handle the forecast volumes, and associated variances in their respective cost to build and operate the various facilities, are all accounted for. The problem is further complicated by the possible changes in the expected flow from that forecast during design and the resulting penalties associated with the under- or over-sizing of facilities. It was demonstrated that it is important that the off-design flow forecast be evaluated to determine the impact of future variability or changes. The value that the organization can derive from being able to quantify the benefit (or penalty) of forecast uncertainty and over- or under-building long-range facilities, is significant.

The impact of regulations on labor markets in the U.S.

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-40
Author(s):  
Souad Adnane
Keyword(s):  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Demand Model ◽  
Lead Teachers ◽  
Associate's Degree ◽  
Childcare Workers ◽  
Educational Requirements ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Women's Labor Force Participation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The U.S

The District of Columbia (DC) Office of the Superintendent of Education (OSSE) issued in December 2016 new educational requirements for childcare workers, according to which, all childcare center directors in the District must earn a bachelor’s degree by December 2022 and all lead teachers an associate’s degree by December 2020 (Institute for Justice, 2018). Moreover, DC has one of the lowest staff-child ratios in the country. How are regulations pertaining to childcare workers’ qualifications and staff-child ratio affecting the childcare market in DC? The present paper is an attempt to answer this question first by analyzing the effects of more stringent regulations on the cost and availability of childcare in the U.S based on existing studies. It also uses the basic supply and demand model to examine the possible impact of the new DC policy on the cost, quality and supply of childcare in the District and how it will affect working parents, especially mothers. Next, the paper discusses the impact of deregulation based on simulations and regressions conducted by studies covering the U.S., and implications for quality. It concludes that more stringent childcare regulations, regarding educational requirements and staff-child ratios, are associated with a reduced number of childcare centers and a higher cost, and eventually affects women’s labor force participation.

scholarly journals An Empirical Evaluation of Spatial Restrictions in Industrial Harvest Scheduling: The SFI Planning Problem

2001 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 60-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl R. Walters ◽  
Eric S. Cox
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evaluation ◽  
Block Size ◽  
Planning Horizon ◽  
Planning Problem ◽  
Harvest Scheduling ◽  
Planning Software ◽  
Spatial Parameters ◽  
Harvest Volume ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Member companies of the American Forest and Paper Association have adopted common operating principles called the Sustainable Forestry InitiativeSM (SFI) that call for marked reductions in the size of clearcut harvest areas, greenup intervals and proximity restrictions on the harvest of adjacent areas. A commercially available hierarchical planning software suite is used to analyze the impact of the adjacency and harvest size objectives within SFI on a representative forest of the U.S. Southeast. Ten alternative, spatially feasible tactical schedules were developed for a 15 yr planning horizon and achieved 73.4 to 75.6% of the harvest volume predicted by the nonspatial strategic harvest schedule. Spatially feasible harvest levels were negatively affected by increasingly restrictive spatial parameters: the cost of increasing the greenup interval by 1 yr was at least 5% of the strategic harvest volume, and reducing the maximum allowable block size from 180 ac to 60 ac yielded a 10% reduction in harvest. The planning software has been implemented at Champion International Corporation, providing planners with a valuable tool for strategic and tactical forest planning. South. J. Appl. For. 25(2):60–68.

Operator- and user-based rebalancing strategy for bike-sharing systems

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Peng-Sheng You ◽  
Yi-Chih Hsieh
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Pricing ◽  
Programming Model ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Planning Horizon ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Time Problem ◽  
Bike Sharing ◽  
Total Profit ◽  
The Impact

Leveraging their networks, bike rental companies usually provide customers with services for renting and returning bikes at different bike stations. Over time, however, rental networks may encounter problems with unbalanced bike stocks. The potential imbalance between supply and demand at bike stations may result in lost sales for stations with relatively high demand and underutilization for stations with relatively low demand. This paper proposed a constrained mixed-integer programming model that uses operator-based redistribution and user-based price approach to rebalance bikes across bike stations. This paper aims to maximize total profit over a planning horizon by determining operator-based bike transfers and dynamic pricing. The proposed model is a non-deterministic polynomial-time problem, and thus, a heuristic was developed based on linear programming and evolutionary computation to perform model solving. Numerical experiments reveal that the proposed method performed better than Lingo, a well-known commercial software. Sensitivity analyses were also performed to investigate the impact of changes in system parameters on computational results.

Cloud-Based Scalable Software for Optimal Long-Range, Network-Level Bridge Improvement Programming

2017 ◽  
Vol 2612 (1) ◽  
pp. 132-140
Author(s):  
Mahmoud R. Halfawy
Keyword(s):  
Long Range ◽  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Planning Horizon ◽  
Search Space ◽  
Project Selection ◽  
System Level ◽  
Optimization Approach ◽  
Bridge Management ◽  
Improvement Programs ◽  
The Impact

The current state of the practice in bridge management highlights a growing need to develop scalable optimization software tools to support the development of truly optimal bridge improvement programs and ensure that limited financial resources are optimally allocated. The heuristic project selection approaches employed in today’s bridge management systems are not capable of generating optimal programs. Agencies that rely on suboptimal programs may inadvertently direct a significant portion of their budget to the wrong projects, leading to an increase in maintenance backlogs and overall system risk levels. The subjective project selection criteria may also hinder the ability to quantify project benefits or justify projects to funding agencies and stakeholders. This paper presents a novel dynamic programming–based multiobjective optimization approach that is capable of generating global optimal network-level, long-range bridge improvement programs. The algorithm considers three objectives: the minimization of system-level risk, the maximization of system-level condition, and the minimization of life-cycle costs, subject to agency-defined constraints and planning scenarios. The algorithm efficiently explores the enormous search space to find optimal project lists for each year in the planning horizon under any given scenario. Alternative planning scenarios are defined to quantify the impact of different investment levels on system-level performance metrics and to determine the investment required to achieve the desired performance and risk targets.

scholarly journals Planning Strategies for Home Health Care Delivery

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (05) ◽  
pp. 1650041 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Hewitt ◽  
Maciek Nowak ◽  
Nisha Nataraj
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Home Health Care ◽  
Computational Study ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Planning Horizon ◽  
Home Health ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

In home health care (our motivating application), consistency is representative of the general health care principle of continuity of care, which is often correlated with quality of care. Much of the existing research involving consistency in routing uses planning horizons that are a week or shorter. Yet in many settings the relationship between an organization and its customers lasts much longer. Hence, this paper looks at how one should plan when seeking consistency in routes extends the impact of caregiver-patient assignments. Specifically, the paper examines appropriate planning horizon length and, with an extensive computational study, demonstrates that a long planning horizon can have significant potential for savings in terms of transportation costs and staffing levels. Initially, a deterministic setting is considered, with all patient requests during the planning horizon known a priori, and the routing cost of planning for two to three months is compared with the cost when planning is done on a weekly basis. With uncertainty inherent in planning for such a long time horizon, a methodology is presented that anticipates future patient requests that are unknown at the time of planning. Computational evidence shows that its use is superior to planning on a weekly, rolling horizon basis.

THE IMPACT OF ENERGY WARS AND GEOPOLITICS ON EXCHANGE RATES AND THE PRICE OF OIL: THE ERA OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

2020 ◽  
pp. 64-71
Author(s):  
M.N. Dudin ◽  
◽  
N.V. Lyasnikov ◽  
A.N. Bryntsev ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Exchange Rates ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
Oil Prices ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Macroeconomic Conditions ◽  
Oil Market ◽  
The World ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

Oil will remain the single largest energy source in the world for the foreseeable future, and a balance must be struck between global supply and demand. A serious malfunction of only one large oil producer can lead to a significant change in oil prices and the recession of the entire global economy. The aim of the article is to study the theoretical and empirical aspects of the mutual causality of oil prices and exchange rates, as well as to determine their influence on the development of the world economy. Methodology of the article. To complete this article, a comparative, economic and statistical analysis was used. Results. The article proves that the oil market is more inherent in a tendency towards regionalization rather than globalization. Factors affecting this process include macroeconomic conditions, the balance of supply and demand, the transformation of the regulatory component, changes in the cost structure and the significant influence of geopolitical components. The article justifies the fact that there is a certain strong direct connection between oil prices and exchange rates, but it is influenced by various geopolitical factors (for example, sanctions). Only 4% of the cost of oil is included in the price of gasoline, so when the price of oil falls, the price of gasoline does not decrease. Conclusions. A characteristic feature of the relationship between oil prices and exchange rates is the presence of bilateral mutual causality. Fluctuations in the dynamics of the oil industry are changing the roles of traditional and new suppliers. The oil market environment, which is a key commodity of our time, has a significant impact on world currencies.

Demonstrating Nutrient Cost Gradients: A Brooklyn Case Study

2014 ◽  
Vol 84 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 244-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Karp ◽  
Gary Wong ◽  
Marguerite Orsi
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Energy Content ◽  
Food Selection ◽  
The United States ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Micronutrient Deficiencies ◽  
Caloric Density ◽  
Low Income Families ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Introduction: Foods dense in micronutrients are generally more expensive than those with higher energy content. These cost-differentials may put low-income families at risk of diminished micronutrient intake. Objectives: We sought to determine differences in the cost for iron, folate, and choline in foods available for purchase in a low-income community when assessed for energy content and serving size. Methods: Sixty-nine foods listed in the menu plans provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for low-income families were considered, in 10 domains. The cost and micronutrient content for-energy and per-serving of these foods were determined for the three micronutrients. Exact Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for comparisons of energy costs; Spearman rho tests for comparisons of micronutrient content. Ninety families were interviewed in a pediatric clinic to assess the impact of food cost on food selection. Results: Significant differences between domains were shown for energy density with both cost-for-energy (p < 0.001) and cost-per-serving (p < 0.05) comparisons. All three micronutrient contents were significantly correlated with cost-for-energy (p < 0.01). Both iron and choline contents were significantly correlated with cost-per-serving (p < 0.05). Of the 90 families, 38 (42 %) worried about food costs; 40 (44 %) had chosen foods of high caloric density in response to that fear, and 29 of 40 families experiencing both worry and making such food selection. Conclusion: Adjustments to USDA meal plans using cost-for-energy analysis showed differentials for both energy and micronutrients. These differentials were reduced using cost-per-serving analysis, but were not eliminated. A substantial proportion of low-income families are vulnerable to micronutrient deficiencies.

TRANSFER FİYATLAMA UYGULAMASININ İŞLETME PERFORMANSINA ETKİSİ VE VERGİSEL AÇIDAN DEĞERLENDİRİLMESİ

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 187
Author(s):  
Serdar KUZU
Keyword(s):  
Business Performance ◽  
Transfer Pricing ◽  
Tax Law ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Tax System ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Tax Legislation ◽  
International Transactions ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

The size of international trade continues to extend rapidly from day to day as a result of the globalization process. This situation causes an increase in the economic activities of businesses in the trading area. One of the main objectives of the cost system applied in businesses is to be able to monitor the competitors and the changes that can be occured as a result of the developments in the sector. Thus, making cost accounting that is proper according to IAS / IFRS and tax legislation has become one of the strategic targets of the companies in most countries. In this respect, businesses should form their cost and pricing systems according to new regulations. Transfer pricing practice is usefull in setting the most proper price for goods that are subject to the transaction, in evaluating the performance of the responsibility centers of business, and in determining if the inter-departmental pricing system is consistent with targets of the business. The taxing powers of different countries and also the taxing powers of different institutions in a country did not overlap. Because of this reason, bringing new regulations to the tax system has become essential. The transfer pricing practice that has been incorporated into the Turkish Tax System is one of the these regulations. The transfer pricing practice which includes national and international transactions has been included in the Corporate Tax Law and Income Tax Law. The aim of this study is to analyse the impact of goods and services transfer that will occur between departments of businesses on the responsibility center and business performance, and also the impact of transfer pricing practice on the business performance on the basis of tax-related matters. As a result of the study, it can be said that transfer pricing practice has an impact on business performance in terms of both price and tax-related matters.

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